Chapter 251: Once You Leave the City, You

The next morning, Chu Danqing saw Xu Congwen and his wife off out of the city.

The Prefect also came to see them off; no one knew what Yang Qianyuan had said to him, but when he returned, he said the matter was settled.

He also received from the Prefect a spiritual material called Smoke Cloud White Peony, presented as a reward for Chu Danqing’s righteous courage.

【Smoke Cloud White Peony】

【Type: Material】

【Quality: Exceptional】

【Effect 1: Increases effectiveness by 50% when used in summoning potions, food, or related preparations】

Chu Danqing glanced at his attribute panel and could only think: no wonder this was a beast-taming world—its outputs were perfectly suited to him.

“Too precious,” Chu Danqing said, returning the Smoke Cloud White Peony to Yang Qianyuan: “This material should have been meant for you.”

“Yes, but I have no use for it,” Yang Qianyuan added. “So I asked the Prefect to exchange it for the Smoke Cloud White Peony you need.”

Chuanming Spider is still young; all necessary cultivation has already been done. Forcing further growth with external aids would only stunt its development.

Now, it only needs to grow naturally.

As for further evolution—the time has not yet come.

“Then I won’t be polite—I’ll take it. If you need anything, just say so,” Chu Danqing said, accepting the Smoke Cloud White Peony.

After dealing with Cheng Xunyan, I can use it as the main ingredient along with the remaining auxiliary materials I bought earlier to enhance Da Bao’s bloodline concentration.

“Then, farewell, you two,” Chu Danqing said after taking the material, addressing Xu Congwen and his wife.

After profusely thanking him, the couple took the small amount of gold and silver Chu Danqing had given them and departed in a donkey cart.

It wasn’t that Chu Danqing refused to provide them with a horse-drawn carriage or mounts—it was too conspicuous.

Though they had a spiritual beast, so did countless others.

If they rode tall, proud steeds out in the wilderness, they’d be easy targets.

A donkey cart, by contrast, drew little attention.

As for Chu Danqing, under the guidance of Chuanming Spider’s celestial divination performed by Yang Qianyuan, he quickly found a secure spot and waited for Cheng Xunyan’s arrival.

“He’s here,” Chuanming Spider on Yang Qianyuan’s shoulder warned.

Chu Danqing checked the time—Yang Qianyuan’s celestial divination was indeed precise, down to the exact minute.

He said he’d come at this hour—and he came at this hour.

The only drawbacks were the long casting time and the inability to predict events beyond its limits.

Moreover, since Yang Qianyuan had orchestrated the setup, the more information he possessed, the more accurate the divination became.

In essence, it was merely information gathering.

“Interesting. I suppose the Prefect intends to use you to eliminate me,” Cheng Xunyan said with disdain.

He hadn’t come alone—he brought a dozen trusted subordinates.

This outing was for personal vengeance, so after receiving word, he acted discreetly, avoiding any grand display.

He was an official, and given the Prefect’s sudden change in attitude toward him, such killings had to be done in secret.

“No time for idle talk. I hope you washed your neck before coming,” Chu Danqing said. Immediately, eighty-one Golden Strength Warriors emerged from the Eight Steeds Ascending Dragon Talisman.

Cheng Xunyan’s face turned instantly pale. Without hesitation, he yanked the reins, spun his horse around, and fled back with his spiritual beast, the Blood- Wen Leopard.

Under these circumstances, anyone with half a brain knew not to fight head-on.

The Golden Strength Warriors’ forms blurred through the dust.

The lead warrior seized the horse’s mane with one hand, his arm muscles surging like coiled dragons, forcing the galloping steed to drop to its knees.

The horse screamed and toppled sideways; Cheng Xunyan tumbled off, rolling onto the ground.

Another Golden Strength Warrior’s fist, crackling with wind, slammed into Cheng Xunyan’s left cheek.

He held back—fingers like iron pincers clamped around Cheng Xunyan’s throat, lifting him and dragging him before Chu Danqing.

His unrelenting companion unleashed a bloody storm—one subordinate was cut clean in half, his upper torso slamming into a tree, entrails scattered across the ground.

“W-who are you?” Cheng Xunyan, lifted by the neck, gasped in terror—this situation was impossible.

Eight Golden Strength Warriors he could understand—but eighty-one? Cheng Xunyan couldn’t fathom it, and even Yang Qianyuan’s mind struggled to process it.

Chu Danqing gave a glance; one Golden Strength Warrior stepped forward and slapped Cheng Xunyan’s right cheek, caving it inward, tearing five bloody gashes from ear to lip.

Before his head could turn back, the warrior’s left palm slashed downward, shattering Cheng Xunyan’s jaw joint with a dull crack—powdered teeth spewed with nasal blood.

The upper limit of Tier 1 attributes is 30 points; even without Chu Danqing’s enhancement, the Golden Strength Warriors’ base attributes were 45.

“Where is the Azure Orchid Blood Dew?” Chu Danqing asked coldly.

At the mention of it, Cheng Xunyan froze, then burst into a cold laugh: “So it’s for the Azure Orchid Blood Dew.”

“Stay out of Prince Ning’s affairs, or you’ll die without a grave.”

Chu Danqing hadn’t expected him to confess so readily—he’d only been bluffing.

The material had indeed been moved away.

“You’re quick with your hands—moved it all out in one night. Your network must be substantial,” Chu Danqing pressed further.

“I’m curious—what faction are you from? How dare you touch Prince Ning’s people?” Cheng Xunyan’s courage returned.

He feared most that Chu Danqing knew nothing—was just a reckless fool.

But from Chu Danqing’s questions, he believed Chu Danqing knew part of the truth.

That was the source of his confidence.

“Hmph. What does Prince Ning’s power matter?” Chu Danqing feigned disdain, then snapped: “Speak. I’ll give you a quick death.”

In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Cheng Xunyan’s mind.

Only someone with access to the entire chain of Prince Ning’s Night Demon soldier beast cultivation—someone who could pinpoint its core—could be the Emperor on his southern tour, or perhaps a few powerful vassal kings.

He rapidly considered several candidates.

Only by precisely identifying the mastermind behind these two could he hope to escape alive.

“The men of Prince Min are indeed extraordinary,” Cheng Xunyan spoke at once. “But if you kill me and try to sever this line, this won’t end quietly.”

“You don’t think this is a great deed, do you?” Cheng Xunyan shifted tone, appealing to reason: “Nothing in this world is flawless.”

“If Prince Ning discovers the leak, Prince Min will sacrifice you to appease him.”

“It benefits neither you nor me.”

Chu Danqing said nothing—let him fill in the blanks himself, then follow his own logic.

“You’re right,” Chu Danqing nodded. “But I can’t come all this way for nothing.”

“You must give me something to report back. I traveled a thousand miles for nothing—what will become of me?”

“We’re all just running errands for our lords. I won’t make things hard for you; don’t make things hard for me.”

Meaning: give me something.

Cheng Xunyan found this reasonable.

“Xuanyuan Temple,” Cheng Xunyan named a place: “My upstream contact is Xuanyuan Temple.”

“That’s it?” Chu Danqing asked. “Exact location?”

“Fifty li along the main road,” Cheng Xunyan said, detailing the route thoroughly to save his life.

As soon as he finished, the Paradise’s quest appeared.

【Side Quest: Destroy Xuanyuan Temple’s Night Demon Faction within 48 hours】

【Trial Difficulty: A-Rank (Hero）】

【Trial Reward: Paradise Points ×10,000, Attribute Points +4】

【Trial Failure: Paradise Points -20,000, Random Attribute -1】

Two good pieces of news.

One: Xuanyuan Temple was tied to the trial quest—this was a side quest.

The other: Xuanyuan Temple lay directly on the route to Meilong Town.

According to Chu Danqing’s estimate, even walking wouldn’t take long.

Forty-eight hours was more than enough.

And the A-Rank difficulty? Even better news.

Besides, the treasure chests from Fang Mansion and the Head Monk hadn’t dropped anything yet.

They must be waiting here.

“So that’s why those two head monks escorted it,” Chu Danqing tried another bluff. “Anything else?”

They’d disguised themselves as a temple to kidnap women and brew Azure Orchid Blood Dew—he didn’t believe this was the only Xuanyuan Temple.

“Brother, we both serve our lords. I’ve given you a Gonglao —don’t smash my livelihood,” Cheng Xunyan narrowed his eyes, signaling he’d say no more.

Say more, and he’d implicate himself.

Chu Danqing sighed. “Fair enough. I was too greedy.”

As he spoke, Da Bao drove a claw straight through Cheng Xunyan’s chest.

Cheng Xunyan’s expression twisted in disbelief—he couldn’t understand why Chu Danqing killed him.

“Don’t worry,” Chu Danqing leaned close, whispering into Cheng Xunyan’s ear: “When I find time, I’ll send Prince Ning to join you.”

At that moment, Cheng Xunyan’s eyes bulged—he realized he’d been deceived.

But it was too late—he could no longer speak. As Da Bao withdrew his claw, Cheng Xunyan died instantly.

The corpses of the spiritual beasts were gathered by the Golden Strength Warriors.

“Fine materials,” Chu Danqing said, storing them all in his storage space after chilling them: “Da Bao, you’re lucky.”

Later, I’ll prepare them as food using culinary methods for Da Bao to consume.

The taste certainly wasn’t something to look forward to; Guo Ming wasn’t a professional, so all he could do was maximize the medicinal potency and ensure Da Bao absorbed it fully.

As for Da Bai and Da Gu, these ingredients weren’t suitable for them.

“Big Brother Chu, so many Divine Path spirit beasts—could the number be a bit unnatural?” Yang Qianyuan couldn’t help asking.

Guo Ming casually returned the Golden Strength Warrior to the space within the Eight Steeds Climbing Dragon Chariot talisman, then said, “There are always people beyond ordinary reason. It’s nothing.”

He couldn’t easily explain, so he immediately changed the subject: “Let’s go to Xuan Yuan Temple and deal with them quickly.”

“Otherwise, every extra minute these people live might mean another victim.”

Yang Qianyuan knew Guo Ming was changing the subject, but he didn’t press further; everyone had secrets, and he was no different.

(End of Chapter)