Chapter 172

Could it be that the Sun‑Shooting Divine Bow is on this mountain?

At the foot of the mountain.

Qin Shuo gazed up at the lush Divine Arrow Peak, lost in thought.

After entering the gate of Wind Thunder Valley, he quietly took the Spirit‑Jade from the Taotie Cauldron, hoping to sense the location of the Realm‑Suppressing Divine Weapon.

He had only wandered through half the valley when the Spirit‑Jade in his hand showed no reaction.

It was unclear whether the Spirit‑Jade's sensing range was limited, or the Divine Weapon itself was concealing its aura, making it undetectable to the outside world.

"Sir, we've searched this entire area; only Divine Arrow Peak remains."

Just as Qin Shuo was pondering, a Golden Eagle Colonel came to report.

As a Cloud Dragon Colonel in the Demon Suppression Office, ranking just below the Demon Suppression General, Qin Shuo also had the authority to command troops.

A Cloud Dragon Colonel can command two Golden Eagle Colonels, ten Greedy Wolf Colonels, and a hundred Cloud Pattern Colonels—quite a sizable authority.

At present, this Golden Eagle Colonel and twenty Cloud Pattern Colonels were temporarily assigned to him by Pang Tong.

As for his own unit, it will be allocated after this matter is settled, depending under which Demon Suppression General he ends up.

"Continue searching along the mountain; signal with an arrow if anything happens!"

Qin Shuo gave that order, then stepped forward and began climbing the stairs.

The Demon Suppression Office maintains strict discipline, with a Golden Eagle Colonel stationed there, so he didn't worry about any trouble.

Even if a reckless disciple from Wind Thunder Valley caused trouble, the mountain path a few hundred meters high would be no obstacle—he could reach them in a few leaps, so there was nothing to worry about.

The mountain path wound its way, paved entirely with blue stone.

Qin Shuo wasn't in a hurry; as he climbed, he took in the scenery while attentively sensing the Spirit‑Jade's response.

Yet, upon reaching the summit, he detected not the slightest trace.

"Is the appearance of the Divine Weapon a coincidence, or is there some trigger mechanism?"

Qin Shuo sighed at coming up empty‑handed, but quickly steadied himself, for an unfriendly gaze was already fixed on him from the pavilion.

"You certainly know of the Realm‑Suppressing Divine Weapon's existence!"

Gazing at Qin Shuo appearing at the end of the mountain path, Nie Jin Feng's eyes narrowed and his expression was far from pleasant.

"What if I know? What if I don't?"

Qin Shuo subtly lowered the saber at his waist, his tone neither humble nor arrogant, as he faced off against Nie Jin Feng at a distance.

Toward this martial arts master who had sought him out for blame upon first meeting, he felt no affection and was filled with apprehension.

Had he not been certain the opponent wouldn't attack him today, he would never have dared to come to the appointment.

"Ha! Your temper, young friend, is somewhat like that of my junior disciple!"

Zhang Youlong rose from the pavilion, put away his smoking pipe, and waved at Qin Shuo with a smile.

"Young friend, you've come far as a guest; why not come into the pavilion for a chat?"

"All right!"

Qin Shuo didn't stand on ceremony, strode into the pavilion, and sat down openly opposite Nie Jin Feng.

Zhang Youlong seemed oblivious to the tension between the two.

Like an ordinary old man from the market, he smiled as he poured Qin Shuo a cup of tea, then resumed his seat and said:

"I heard from my junior disciple that my wayward student died at your hands, young friend?"

"Cough!"

Qin Shuo nearly spat out his tea, then gave the sturdy old man who resembled a rustic farmer a wary look.

"Young friend, there's no need to panic; although Xue Chengkong was once my true‑transmitted disciple, after his heavenly meridians were shattered he fell into the demonic path."

"Had it not been for the sake of his family's reputation, I would have struck him down with a palm long ago."

"In fact, I ought to thank you, young friend, for cleaning up my sect for me."

"This cup of tea, I offer to you!"

Although Zhang Youlong spoke solemnly, Qin Shuo's vigilance did not relax; instead, it grew heavier.

It turned out this man was none other than Xue Chengkong's master.

That Yue Shan…

Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Qin Shuo's eyes and his killing intent surged uncontrollably.

That day in Songyang Prefecture City, if Fu Lingyuan hadn't arrived in time, even if he had escaped he would likely have suffered serious injury.

This person, being Xue Chengkong's master, the one who sent people to assassinate him…

Sensing Qin Shuo's undisguised hostility, the hitherto silent Nie Jin Feng finally spoke:

"The attack on you by Yue Shan has nothing to do with my senior brother."

As for the true mastermind behind it, you don't need to know.

Or, even if you knew, it would be of no use.

All you need to know is that, in three months, if you can defeat Yue Shan on the life‑and‑death platform, you may kill or maim him and no one will dare bother you.

"What if I lose?" Qin Shuo raised an eyebrow.

"Lose, and you die!"

Nie Jin Feng spoke indifferently, as if mentioning a trivial matter.

"Ha! If that's the case, why should I accept the challenge?" Qin Shuo sneered.

"Because you have no choice!"

Nie Jin Feng's tone was cold and hard, he snorted:

"Do you think that with Fu Lingyuan backing you, no one dares to move against you?"

If that is truly the case, why does the Demon Suppression Office recruit soldiers year after year? Year after year, casualties are countless.

You wouldn't naively think those Demon-Suppressing Colonels all died at the hands of demons, would you?

What exactly do you want to say?

Qin Shuo's expression was grim.

Although he had never thought of relying on Fu Ling Yuan's protection to evade his enemies.

But being mocked like this still made him extremely unhappy.

Especially being mocked by this old woman who keeps picking on him and whom he can't beat made him feel even worse.

Old man, I just want to remind you: a spear in the open is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against.

That Demon-Suppressing Uniform you wear, displayed openly, naturally carries considerable deterrence.

But if it weren't for Yue Shan's overconfidence, thinking he could finish you off unseen with his Visceral Refinement Perfection, you'd already be a corpse.

Nie Jin Feng's words were cold and ruthless, showing no mercy.

However, Qin Shuo was not easily frightened, and he retorted just as bluntly:

"Valley Master Nie, you went to great trouble to deceive me into coming here—could it just be to say these pointless words?"

Qin Shuo suddenly stood up, gripped his sword hilt, and stared into Nie Jin Feng's eyes as he said:

"Even if there is a Grandmaster backing Yue Shan behind him, what of it?"

"Whoever dares to assassinate Qin must pay the price."

"If Yue Shan is to die, then those hiding behind him scheming against Qin must also die!"

Having said that, Qin Shuo didn't wait for Nie Jin Feng's reaction, turned and started to descend the mountain,

but unexpectedly, the old man with his sleeves rolled up stopped him, saying:

"Young man, your temper is increasingly like that of my junior disciple when he was younger—hahaha!"

"But rest assured, young man, neither I nor my junior disciple harbor any ill will toward you."

"This time inviting you here, I indeed wish to make a deal with you."

"A deal?"

Qin Shuo accordingly sat back on the stone bench, his expression still cold.

He realized that this sturdy, short-statured old man was the one Nie Jin Feng had brought in to mediate.

Presumably, this Great Sect Master Nie felt that seeking cooperation from a brat who repeatedly provoked Wind Thunder Valley would be too humiliating and damage his sect master's dignity.

That's why he found this little old man to ease the atmosphere and, through his connection with Xue Chengkong, convey goodwill.

"This old fogey, he's actually quite tsundere!"

Qin Shuo sneered inwardly, not bothering to hide it, and bluntly asked: "I don't know, Great Sect Master Nie, what deal you wish to make with Qin."

Long before coming up the mountain, he had already thought it through carefully.

Nie Jin Feng's invitation to meet here certainly wasn't genuinely to help him obtain the Realm-Suppressing Divine Weapon.

Even if it were, he likely had some other motive.

If so, he naturally didn't need to be overly polite.

After all, he felt no fondness for this Great Sect Master Nie.

If it weren't to gain more information about the Realm-Suppressing Divine Weapon, he wouldn't have come up the mountain today.

Although he saw Qin Shuo intentionally trying to manipulate him, Nie Jin Feng ultimately didn't lose his temper and instead went straight to the point:

"Regarding the Realm-Suppressing Divine Weapon, how much do you know?"