Chapter 252: The Linzhou Flower Plucker (Part 2)

Jiang Ye smiled faintly.

“Winning and losing are common; you’re still young. Sometimes suffering setbacks isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

“Who knows? In a few days, you might reclaim your position as True Disciple.”

Lu Tianhao nodded firmly. “Jiang Zhishi, then I’ll take your good wishes to heart.”

These past days, he had been accumulating strength, waiting until his Gangqi reached peak perfection before challenging Jiang Chuxue to reclaim his True Disciple status.

Jiang Ye asked casually, “Little Lu, does the Tianshu Hall have tungsten gold?”

“Tungsten gold?” Lu Tianhao paused to think, then replied:

“Yes, but it’s expensive—five hundred grams cost a thousand contribution points. It’s a rare celestial material; even the sect doesn’t have much.”

“So expensive...” Jiang Ye blinked, then understood.

After all, you can’t buy this stuff with silver anywhere outside. A high price is normal.

He pulled out the token Zhu Junwen had given him from his sleeve. “This token holds three thousand contribution points. Exchange it all for tungsten gold.”

“Got it, Jiang Zhishi, just wait a moment. The tungsten gold is stored deep in the warehouse—it’ll take some time to retrieve.”

Lu Tianhao accepted the token cheerfully and gestured to a junior disciple to fetch it from the warehouse.

He wasn’t one to pry, and didn’t ask why Jiang Ye wanted tungsten gold.

Instead, he began chatting warmly with Jiang Ye.

He’d heard Lu Guizhou mention this man many times.

This Jiang Zhishi was the one who’d snatched six strands of primordial qi from three primordial martial experts.

Building ties with him was definitely the right move.

Moments later.

A Zhishi rushed into the hall and posted a fresh mission at the center of the notice board.

The next instant.

The entire Tianshu Hall erupted like a boiling pot.

“The Flower Plucker has struck again!!!”

“How bold is this demon!!!”

“This time he even dared to target Wang family of Linzhou’s Five Great Families...”

“Good heavens, he didn’t just ruin the Wang girl’s virtue—he kidnapped the Wang heir too.”

“So he’s into both genders, huh...”

“This Flower Plucker is truly the demon among demons...”

“The reward for capturing this demon has risen from ten thousand to twenty thousand contribution points!!!”

“If you complete this mission, you’re set for life...”

“Gentlemen, who’s willing to join me in capturing this demon?”

“I can’t go—I’m too handsome. This demon eats both genders; I’d be in terrible danger...”

The hall buzzed with noise, every eye locked onto the new mission.

“The Flower Plucker?!”

Even Jiang Ye’s eyes flickered with surprise.

From the scattered chatter of the disciples, he pieced together the general outline.

This demon had been abducting women in Linzhou’s great city for half a year without being caught...

This was like carving on the sect’s own head.

Seeing Jiang Ye lost in thought, Lu Tianhao volunteered an explanation:

“They say the Flower Plucker excels in disguise, has peerless lightness skill, and wields paralyzing incense and poison—extremely hard to track!”

“Many top experts from the sect have tried to capture him, but all failed.”

“But...”

He shifted tone:

“This time, he dared to strike the Wang family—one of the Five Great Families.”

“He’s probably as good as dead.”

“Our fifth-ranked True Disciple, Sister Wang, is from the Wang family.”

“I suspect she’ll personally take action to eliminate him.”

Jiang Ye nodded thoughtfully, glanced briefly at the fresh mission board, then looked away.

He wasn’t entirely uninterested in the mission.

Twenty thousand contribution points could buy plenty of valuable things.

But right now, the most urgent thing was refining his Gangqi to peak perfection.

He didn’t have time to chase after some Flower Plucker.

At that moment.

A young girl stepped slowly into the hall.

As soon as she entered, the noisy clamor of the Tianshu Hall oddly paused, then all eyes involuntarily turned toward her.

Even Lu Tianhao, who had just been chatting with Jiang Ye, froze mid-sentence, his eyes brightening slightly.

Jiang Ye followed his gaze.

The girl wore a pale red dress, her waist slender, her chest modest—not as full as Zheng Hui’s little girl figure, but just a bit more.

Her hips weren’t particularly rounded, her frame petite and delicate, radiating an overall frail, willow-like softness.

It seemed a mountain breeze could knock her over.

Her features weren’t the kind that stunned at first glance, but grew more appealing with time; a faint smile rested on her cheeks, two small dimples adding charm, as if she were naturally endowed with warmth.

As she drew nearer, a faint, delicate herbal fragrance drifted through the air—refined, not cloying.

“Is she from Danling Peak...”

Jiang Ye mused inwardly.

He was somewhat surprised.

In the sect’s inner hall, where beauties abounded, this girl’s figure and looks weren’t top-tier.

She fell short of Liu Qingyu’s ethereal grace and Wen Yueyao’s radiant charm.

Yet her arrival instantly drew every gaze in the hall.

This kind of magnetism clearly didn’t come from her looks.

“Miss Yin has arrived!!!”

The disciples erupted in excited cries.

Several who had been selecting missions at the notice board turned around instantly, faces beaming with eager smiles.

“Miss Yin, come to pick up a mission today?”

“Miss Yin, if you need anything, just say the word!”

The red-dressed girl met their warm gazes with a gentle smile. “Yes, I’ve been cooped up on the peak too long—I wanted to step out for some air, and maybe take on a mission to practice.”

She walked to the notice board.

Looked up at the newly posted mission at the center, then covered her mouth with her small hand and let out a soft gasp, her dimples deepening:

“The Flower Plucker still hasn’t been caught...”

“So terrifying...”

Her voice was soft and sweet; just hearing it stirred a protective instinct.

The disciples in the hall immediately surged with enthusiasm, vying to pledge loyalty:

“Miss Yin, don’t worry—we’ve already taken the mission!”

“We’ll capture this Flower Plucker soon!”

“This demon won’t last long—daring to commit crimes in Linzhou, does he think our sect has no one?”

Each one clenched fists and stepped forward, like eager flower guardians.

Watching this, Jiang Ye’s eyes flickered with amusement. He asked curiously, “Who is this person? Why does she command such influence?”

Lu Tianhao turned his gaze away and smiled as he explained:

“Jiang Zhishi, Miss Yin isn’t a True Disciple.”

“But her status in the sect is nearly equal to that of an ordinary True Disciple.”

“Her name is Yin Qingqing. She’s the personal disciple of the Danling Peak’s Peak Master, with extraordinary talent in alchemy and deep knowledge of herbal medicine.”

“Most importantly, she’s kind-hearted and beautiful—she often treats injured disciples for free. Whether you’re a True Disciple or an outer sect member, if you’re hurt and go to her, she never refuses.”

“Half of our inner hall’s male disciples are probably smitten with her. The other half...”

He paused, lowered his voice, and blushed with a shy, earnest grin: “...are too.”

Jiang Ye nodded slightly.

As the personal disciple of the Danling Peak’s Peak Master, her status was indeed impressive.

Combined with her superb medical skills and that innate, disarming warmth, her popularity made perfect sense.

He glanced at Lu Tianhao’s slightly flushed face and teased lightly, “Little Lu, are you smitten with her too?”

Lu Tianhao’s handsome face instantly turned crimson; he stammered, unable to reply.

Unexpectedly,

Yin Qingqing suddenly turned around and walked briskly toward Jiang Ye.