Chapter 430: Two Covenants

Killing Qiao Shaofen is only half the job done.

Shui Yongquan said: "Based on my deduction, Qiao Shaofen must be a Guardian of the Covenant—a trusted servant entrusted by Madame Wuqin to protect the covenant."

The concept of a Guardian of the Covenant was familiar to Li Banfeng and Qiu Luoye; they had heard of it from Xiao Yeci.

But Li Banfeng didn't believe Qiao Shaofen was a Guardian of the Covenant.

"Big brothers, Qiao Shaofen's cultivation base isn't low—she should be at Cloud Ascension, right?"

Qiu Luoye nodded: "Definitely Cloud Ascension. The way she handled that mud—half a day and we still couldn't kill her—no Ground Skin could manage that."

Li Banfeng said: "Can a Cloud Ascension cultivator really serve as someone else's Guardian of the Covenant?"

Shui Yongquan, by nature cautious, thought for a moment: "When we spoke of Wuqin Village before, everyone said the Earth God was Madame Wuqin—I've never heard the name Qiao Shaofen."

Qiu Luoye waved his hand: "Qiao Shaofen's a fake name, used to hide her identity—what's there to think about?"

"Don't be hasty," Shui Yongquan shook his head slightly. "She could still be Madame Wuqin's trusted servant—even if her cultivation has risen, her loyalty remains absolute."

Qiu Luoye snorted: "No blood tie, no kinship—what's the point of loyalty in this dump?"

Shui Yongquan fell silent; Qiu Luoye had a point. Talking about loyalty in Wuqin Village sounded absurd.

Qiu Luoye added: "We fought her for half a day just now—she's clearly at Cloud Ascension Level Two. You say she's just a lackey? I won't believe it."

"Besides, if Qiao Shaofen really were a lackey, why didn't she call Madame Wuqin for help when she got beaten half to death?"

Shui Yongquan said: "Maybe Madame Wuqin isn't here."

Li Banfeng said: "If she's Madame Wuqin, we're done. If she's a Guardian of the Covenant, that proves she's guarding the covenant—finding the covenant will make things easier."

Qiu Luoye nodded: "Old Seven's right. Enough nonsense—let's go find the covenant!"

The three arrived at the gate of the mansion; Qiu Luoye walked straight in, but Shui Yongquan pulled him back.

"Don't rush. We must be cautious."

Qiu Luoye snapped: "Cautious, cautious—so much caution! What do you want? Just say it!"

"I'll scout ahead first," Shui Yongquan shook his water gourd; there wasn't much water left inside.

Li Banfeng said: "I'm a Traveling Cultivator—I have techniques to avoid misfortune and seek fortune, and I move fast. Let me go scout."

Saying this, Li Banfeng leapt into the courtyard.

Qiu Luoye looked at Shui Yongquan: "Pathetic, Old Shui. We're this old, and we're making the young brother go ahead? Working with you is truly humiliating!"

Shui Yongquan said: "I'm low on water. I don't want Old Seven to risk himself either."

In truth, Li Banfeng was also worried. Whether this was the covenant's hiding place or the Earth God's residence, traps were inevitable—if Madame Wuqin was still alive, encountering her could mean death.

For safety, Li Banfeng returned to his Personal Dwelling and brought out two Cabbage Li Banfengs, intending to have them walk through the courtyard first.

Before they even completed half a lap, both Cabbage Men sank into a mud pit and vanished.

Li Banfeng grew tense. He pulled out another dozen Cabbage Men from his Personal Dwelling. Working together, they struggled forward and reached the main hall, clearing a path for Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng marked the route, recalled the Cabbage Men, and called Shui Yongquan and Qiu Luoye inside.

The three entered the main hall together. Li Banfeng studied it for a long time but couldn't tell where the covenant might be hidden.

At this point, they still needed Shui Yongquan.

The water in his gourd was nearly gone, but it was still enough for indoor detection. Shui Yongquan dripped a few drops onto the floor.

Qiu Daixiang licked his lips: "Old Shui, is this gold juice? Why are you so stingy? Pour a bit more!"

Shui Yongquan frowned: "This is my refined spiritual water—don't compare it to gold juice!"

The few drops spread out, forming an invisible water film that covered the entire room.

This was a Level Two Water Cultivator technique: Penetrating Every Gap.

Under this technique, the water film seeped into every crevice, acting as Shui Yongquan's eyes to locate hidden compartments.

After searching for a long time, Shui Yongquan reached the inner chamber, crawled under the bed, and pulled out a jar.

Qiu Luoye frowned: "Is the covenant inside?"

Shui Yongquan opened the jar—a foul stench poured out.

"What the hell is this?" Qiu Luoye pinched his nose.

Shui Yongquan said: "This is a specialized jar for storing mud—it can turn mud into puppets. It's a top-tier magic treasure."

Li Banfeng used his Insightful Spirit Sound technique to listen—the jar was speaking: "Too dry, too dry, give me some water."

Shui Yongquan said to Li Banfeng: "Old Seven, good find. You take it."

Magic treasures that turn mud into puppets were rare. Li Banfeng wanted to keep it, but his wife loved cleanliness—he doubted she'd tolerate it: "Traveling Cultivators don't carry bulky magic treasures. Better give it to Brother Qiu."

Qiu Luoye shook his head: "No thanks! I have my own magic treasures. This thing stinks too much."

"Fine, I'll keep it then!" Shui Yongquan tucked the jar away and continued feeling under the bed.

Clangs and crashes echoed under the bed. Shui Yongquan triggered several traps, but his high cultivation allowed him to dodge some and endure others.

After over an hour of probing, Shui Yongquan pulled out an object.

Not the covenant—a yellow box, engraved with silver-white circular rings.

Qiu Luoye smiled: "It's the Earth God Seal!"

Finding the Earth God Seal meant finding the covenant. Li Banfeng prepared to crawl under the bed and dig it out, but Shui Yongquan stopped him:

"Old Seven, we already have the Earth God Seal—no need to dig up the covenant. The life force here belongs to us now."

"With life force, we gain cultivation. This is the covenant of a true Earth God. If we truly dig it up, we might…"

CRASH!

Qiu Luoye flipped the bed over.

"I'm sick of your rambling! We found the covenant—why not dig it up? Madame Wuqin is dead. If we don't take it, who will?"

SWISH! SWISH!

Dozens of crossbow bolts shot out. Qiu Luoye didn't even bother dodging—they pierced his body, and he pulled them out, tossing them aside.

WHOOSH!

A torrent of flame erupted, engulfing Qiu Luoye.

Qiu Luoye wiped soot from his face and kept digging.

Dozens of eels burst forth, clinging to his body, burrowing into his flesh.

Qiu Luoye tore them off, stomped them into the ground, and kept digging.

Dozens of traps in total—he avoided none, endured them all, and finally unearthed the covenant.

Seeing the covenant, Qiu Luoye fell silent. Shui Yongquan was also stunned.

The covenant was arched, identical in style to theirs.

But it wasn't one piece—it was two.

Normally, every Earth God's covenant consisted of two pieces: one held by the Earth God, the other kept in Neizhou.

So why were both pieces here?

Qiu Luoye didn't know the reason. Shui Yongquan couldn't figure it out either.

On the front of both pieces were eight characters: "One hundred li of land—this is the proof."

Like all other covenants, these eight characters bore traces of blood.

Turning it over, Qiu Luoye blinked, then fell silent again.

Shui Yongquan chuckled: "What's wrong? Too many characters—you can't read them all?"

Qiu Luoye shook his head: "No characters at all."

Shui Yongquan frowned: "If you can't read them, just say so. I know you—you wouldn't joke like this."

Qiu Luoye handed one piece to Shui Yongquan and one to Li Banfeng. Both looked—the back had no characters whatsoever.

Impossible!

According to Shui Yongquan's theory, a true Earth God's covenant should record many things: how the land formed, who the past Earth Gods were, what events occurred—especially wars, victories, defeats, gains, losses—all clearly documented.

Yet after repeated inspection, not a single character appeared.

Qiu Luoye said: "Could this covenant be fake?"

Li Banfeng said nothing—he couldn't tell if a covenant was real or not.

Shui Yongquan stared at the covenant, examining its craftsmanship and material: "This covenant is likely genuine. I've seen Neizhou's covenant-making techniques—some methods are unique to them. But its origin? That's unclear."

Qiu Luoye laughed loudly: "What's there to say? Buried in Wuqin Village—it's Wuqin Village's covenant!"

Li Banfeng handed the covenant to Qiu Luoye: "Big brothers, spill your blood on the covenant—this land is yours. We agreed beforehand: split it evenly."

Qiu Luoye felt ashamed: "Old Seven, this land was won by all three of us. Now you're letting us two take it all—I can't accept it."

Li Banfeng smiled: "My cultivation is still Ground Skin—I wouldn't know what to do with it. You two become Earth Gods here, run the business, and I won't lose out."

Qiu Luoye sighed: "Old Seven, you're too kind. I don't even know what to say."

Li Banfeng grinned: "Big brother, we're all kind—that's why we get along so well."

Shui Yongquan nodded: "We just killed someone. Let's not talk about kindness while dividing the spoils."

"Qiu Daixiang, this land is yours. I won't take a share."

Qiu Luoye frowned: "What's wrong with you now? Why so many quirks?"

"Nothing's wrong. I only want that mud jar." Shui Yongquan felt uneasy—a true Earth God's land suddenly appearing before him made him hesitant to reach out.

And this covenant was… strange.

"Take your mud jar and get out!" Qiu Luoye snapped, drew his knife, and sliced his palm to spill blood.

Shui Yongquan said: "Wait!"

"What now? You changed your mind?"

Shui Yongquan shook his head, poured a few drops of water from his gourd onto the two pieces of covenant.

A drop of water drifted across the contract, quickly erasing all traces of blood.

Your water is incredibly powerful!

Water Surge said: "The Lady Wuqin is still unknown—alive or dead. If your bloods mix, you two might end up sharing a life together."

"Wipe away her bloodstains, then we'll draft a new contract. This land will belong to you alone."

Qiu Luoye frowned: "We need another paper contract?"

"Yes. When the Inner State apportions land, all divisions come with paper contracts. Even when land gods win or lose battles, they use paper contracts. Having one is simply safer."

A paper contract was simply a contract made of paper.

After Qiu Luoye lost his battle against Water Surge, he ceded thirty li of land to Water Surge. Both parties signed a paper contract, sprinkled blood on the ceded territory, and only then did the land transfer take effect.

From Water Surge's earlier words, it seemed land gods also needed paper contracts when granted territory. Clearly, paper contracts and iron tokens had some special resonance.

Water Surge fetched paper and ink in the room. Qiu Luoye picked up the brush and pondered for a long while, then asked: "What should I write?"

This isn't a grant—it's a battle.

If it's a battle, it should say: "Lady Wuqin was defeated by Qiu Luoye and agrees to cede the entire territory of Wuqin Village."

But was it truly Lady Wuqin who was defeated?

Even if it was her, did she actually agree to this?

She was reduced to rubble—there's no way to ask her now.

Li Banfeng suggested: "Since the original owner's blood has already been erased from the iron token, just write: 'Qiu Luoye seizes Wuqin Village.' Don't specify from whom."

Water Surge remained cautious: "'Seizes' is too harsh. Just write: 'Qiu Luoye obtains Wuqin Village.'"

Qiu Luoye was satisfied: Seven characters. Aside from the character 'obtains,' the rest were easy.

Water Surge demonstrated several times. Qiu Luoye learned the character 'obtains,' picked up the brush, wrote out the contract, sprinkled blood on the paper, and then on the land.

Qiu Luoye said to Water Surge: "You contributed the most in this battle. I won't take advantage of you. The land is mine, but the spiritual essence we split evenly. When you want your share of spiritual essence, come to me for it."

"My territory, plus Wuqin Village—both are under Old Seven. He can do whatever he wants. From now on, let Old Seven run wild across these two territories—I won't be angry at all!"

Water Surge laughed: "Qiu the Elephant—I never misjudged you!"

Li Banfeng said: "Brother Qiu, I'm a good person."

Qiu Luoye sprinkled blood on both contracts again.

On the back of both contracts, two lines of text appeared simultaneously.

First line: Qiu Luoye obtains Wuqin Village.

Second line: Land area: three thousand one hundred and eighty-eight square units.

Qiu Luoye was startled: "This contract can display writing? Why didn't it show text before?"

Water Surge shook his head: "I can't figure out the reason either."

The paper contract and iron token truly resonated—with resonance triggered by Qiu Luoye's blood.

But a hundred li of land normally equals ten thousand square units—why is this only three thousand?

Who erased the previous text on the contract?

This mystery had no clear answer yet. Li Banfeng said to Qiu Luoye: "Brother Qiu, find a good spot to bury the contract. I'll dispose of Qiao Shaofen's corpse to avoid suspicion."

Qiu Luoye exclaimed in admiration: "Old Seven, you always think things through."

(End of Chapter)