Chapter 84

Cao Ying's scream was sharp and ear-piercing, startling the inner disciples in the hall who were picking missions to turn their heads in unison.

When they saw the bag on the ground and the few heads that had rolled out, they were also scared pale, the sound of gasping for air coming one after another.

"My god......"

"That whole bag is heads!!!"

"This... this is also too..."

"Were they all brought back by that Elder......"

While the disciples let out exclamations, they couldn't help but crowd forward.

Cao Ying was almost scared silly.

She herself had mediocre strength, not even outstanding among Transformation of Force martial artists; she was able to be transferred here to serve as a deacon because she had some relationship with an Elder of the Hall of Affairs.

And she had always been doing clerical work here, dealing with commission letters and files every day, rarely seeing such a bloody scene.

Others who completed this kind of bandit-suppression mission would either bring the people back directly or bring the corpses back intact as proof.

There was no one like Elder Jiang, who directly packed a large bag of heads and brought them back!

Cao Ying covered her mouth with both hands, her delicate face now pale as paper, her eyes full of disbelief and horror.

She had read the Black Wind Stronghold's file several times, and she was very familiar with the portraits of those bandit leaders on it.

Therefore, the moment she saw the heads clearly, she realized with horror—

The Black Wind Stronghold was really wiped out.

Those fierce bandits who had made the previous few Elders return empty-handed, those tumors that had occupied Black Pine Mountain for many years, were really finished.

Especially these few heads, still frozen with the hideousness and fear before death.

One could imagine what they had encountered before they died......

Cao Ying looked at Jiang Ye, looked at that old man who was still calm, her lips trembling, unable to say a single word.

She truly found it hard to imagine that this seemingly withered old man actually possessed such terrifying strength and means.

Jiang Ye looked at Cao Ying, who was shocked and pale, and shook his head slightly.

This little girl's psychological quality was truly not very good.

Seeing that the other party couldn't come back to her senses for a long time, Jiang Ye coughed lightly and said: "You take a look, if there's no problem, give me the contribution points."

He was in a hurry to use these contribution points to go to the Scripture Pavilion to exchange for the "True Fire Refining Eye Technique."

"Ah... oh! Sorry, Elder Jiang, give me your token, I'll handle it for you right away."

Cao Ying came back to her senses as if from a dream, took the token from Jiang Ye's hand, and opened the file to verify the information.

Those inner disciples who had crowded over finally saw the faces of the heads on the ground, and someone recognized them, immediately exclaiming:

"My god!!! Those are the heads of the few leaders of the Black Wind Stronghold, they are all here......"

Hearing this, the other disciples were suddenly stunned.

Wiping out the Black Wind Stronghold could also be considered a relatively well-known mission in this Hall of Affairs.

Not because the reward was high, but because it was too difficult.

Those few Transformation of Force bandit leaders cooperated tacitly, plus the terrain that was easy to defend and hard to attack, had made several Embracing the Pill Realm Elders return empty-handed before.

But at this moment, those few bandit leaders who had given the Elders a headache were just lying quietly in the bag, unwilling to close their eyes even in death.

Countless gazes fell, without exception, on Jiang Ye.

Those gazes held shock, awe, and also undeniable curiosity.

Where did this gray-haired, unfamiliar Elder come from?

Jiang Ye ignored these gazes, just stood quietly on the spot, waiting for Cao Ying to finish the procedures.

"Elder Jiang, the information has been verified, I have transferred two thousand contribution points into your token."

Cao Ying stood up respectfully, holding the token with both hands and handing it to Jiang Ye.

"Hmm."

Jiang Ye nodded slightly, took the token, and turned to leave directly.

"Elder Jiang......"

Cao Ying looked at Jiang Ye's departing figure, her heart still restless.

And those inner disciples watched Jiang Ye leave the Hall of Affairs, and one after another gathered their courage to crowd up.

They surrounded Cao Ying, asking about the background of this mysterious Elder in a jumble.

Juding Peak, Scripture Pavilion.

Jiang Ye stepped into the hall, the light on the first floor was still dim, and a few oil lamps flickered in the corner.

That Elder Zhong with the eccentric temper was still sitting behind the desk reading.

He was very absorbed, seemingly completely unaware that someone had entered.

Jiang Ye walked forward slowly, just about to open his mouth—

"Elder Zhong..."

The words had just left his mouth when Elder Zhong suddenly raised his head, his turbid eyes looking at Jiang Ye with some disbelief, "You... you succeeded in practicing it?!!"

The expression on his old face was very wonderful at this moment, with shock, envy, and more confusion and incomprehension.

Jiang Ye knew he was referring to the "Great Sun Heavenly Flame Qi-Nurturing Method," nodded calmly and said: "I succeeded by luck."

"Luck?!"

Elder Zhong smiled faintly, that smile carrying a bit of profound meaning.

He stared at Jiang Ye for a long time before speaking slowly, his voice hoarse and long:

"Can't tell... you're actually a genius."

He paused, suddenly taking out a few ancient copper coins from his bosom and lining them up on the desk.

"Rare, truly rare! Let the old man cast a divination for you!"

Those turbid old eyes stared at those copper coins, muttering to himself, not knowing what he was calculating.

Jiang Ye couldn't understand the divination, just stood quietly on the side.

A moment later, Elder Zhong stared thoughtfully at those few copper coins, and on that harsh face, actually rarely showed a smile.

"So it is...... withered wood meeting spring."

He didn't explain what this divination meant, nor did he pay attention to the confusion in Jiang Ye's eyes, just put away the copper coins and asked: "Speak, what do you want to exchange for this time."

Jiang Ye didn't pursue the matter, saying in a deep voice: "Elder Zhong, this time I want to exchange for the 'True Fire Refining Eye Technique'."

"You really know how to pick."

Elder Zhong looked at Jiang Ye with a playful expression, a trace of understanding flashing in his eyes, and said: "Give me the token, I'll go up and get it for you."

Jiang Ye took out the token and handed it to Elder Zhong, asking with some surprise: "Can't I go up and get it myself?"

Elder Zhong took the token, looked up when he heard this, and smiled playfully: "Without the Sect Master's hand-written order, if you go to the third floor privately, I can shoot you dead on the spot."

He paused and added another sentence, his tone carrying a bit of gloating ridicule: "If you don't believe me, you can try."

"Oh?"

Jiang Ye raised his eyebrows.

Wen Yueyao hadn't mentioned this to him before, he didn't expect that one needed a Sect Master's hand-written order to go to the third floor.

The rules of this Scripture Pavilion were much stricter than he had imagined.

Elder Zhong didn't pay attention to him anymore, took the token, and turned to walk toward the stairs. His pace was unhurried, and his back soon disappeared into the dim stairwell.

About half a cup of tea's time later.

Elder Zhong came down from the stairs slowly, holding a secret manual with a fire-red cover in his hand.

He didn't look at Jiang Ye much, walked straight into a small room behind the desk, the door was half-open, and rustling movements came from inside.

Not long after, he pushed the door and came out, having changed into a copy in his hand, the paper slightly yellowed, but preserved well, the cover also having the words "True Fire Refining Eye Technique," just the color was much dimmer than the original.

"Take it."

Elder Zhong handed back the copy and the token, his tone still flat, without a hint of emotion.

Jiang Ye took the copy, his eyes lighting up slightly.

Just the handwriting on this cover carried a sense of scorching heat, as if there were really flames jumping on the paper surface.

He immediately arched his hands toward Elder Zhong: "Thank you, Elder Zhong."

After saying that, he turned and was about to bid farewell.

"Seeing that you are also an old man."

A hoarse voice suddenly came from behind, unhurried, like chatting about daily life:

"The old man will give you one more piece of advice. If you don't want to blind your eyes, remember to use Heavenly Blue Spirit Liquid to protect your eyes."

"Hmm?!"

Jiang Ye's footsteps paused suddenly.

Heavenly Blue Spirit Liquid?

He remembered Gongsun Hong had introduced that Heavenly Blue Spirit Liquid was for internal use, which could assist in cultivation and also assist in healing injuries.

How could it be used externally in Elder Zhong's mouth?

He turned around and looked at the old man behind the desk who had lowered his head to read again, his eyes full of confusion.

But Elder Zhong seemed to have finished saying what he should say, and returned to that absorbed state, his gaze stuck on the book page, no longer paying attention to him.

Jiang Ye stood on the spot and waited for a moment, seeing that the other party had no more movement, had to shake his head slightly, and turned to leave.

Behind him, that oil lamp still flickered, casting Elder Zhong's hunched figure on the wall, stretching it very long.

He seemed to sense Jiang Ye leaving, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, revealing a very faint smile.

"Withered wood meeting spring... interesting..."

When Jiang Ye returned to the herb garden of Tianyang Peak, the scene before him made him slightly stunned.

In the open space in front of the wooden house, Lü Ming and Chen Lili were standing there respectfully, looking like they had been waiting for a long time.

The expressions on their faces were more complicated than before; besides respect, there was also a trace of obvious awe.

"Elder Jiang!!!"

Seeing Jiang Ye's figure, Lü Ming immediately ran up excitedly, his round body bursting with agility inconsistent with his physique.

He gasped for breath, his voice full of excitement:

"You finally came back, just now several Embracing the Pill Realm Elders came to visit you!!!"

Jiang Ye raised his eyebrows, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes: "What did they come to visit me for."

An Elder like him who guarded the herb garden should be considered a small transparent person in the Profound Heaven Sect.

Usually, there were few people who even greeted him, why would someone come to the door suddenly today.

Chen Lili on the side also ran up excitedly, her beautiful eyes wide open, opening her mouth with difficulty to hide her shock:

"Elder Jiang, the matter of you wiping out the Black Wind Stronghold is about to spread throughout the Profound Heaven Sect."

She paused and took a deep breath, as if it weren't enough to calm the shock in her heart:

"Now everyone is discussing, saying you are a hidden expert, and you wiped out all hundred or so people in the Black Wind Stronghold by yourself!"

Lü Ming nodded closely behind, his round face full of excitement, feeling honored:

"Yes, yes, yes! I estimate that if it continues to spread, it won't be long before those families in the prefecture city will send people to visit you!"

He rubbed his hands, his eyes glowing, as if he had already seen the scene where Jiang Ye became a figure of the Profound Heaven Sect, and he, as an "old acquaintance around Elder Jiang," also rose with the tide.

Hearing this, a different color flashed in Jiang Ye's aged eyes.

Weren't those bandits in the Black Wind Stronghold just a bunch of small fry.

Five Transformation of Force, plus a hundred or so rabble, killing them was no different from cutting grass.

Was it worth being so shocked.