Chapter 2: Seize This Thief

Screams echoed from beneath the dungeon, clearly audible even in the courtyard outside.

In the courtyard stood an old pine, sinewy like a dragon. Lou Zhenwu sat before a stone table under the pine, tapping the tabletop to the rhythm of the screams.

Before long, the screams ceased. The disciplinary deacon came over to report: "Fifth Senior Brother, the case is roughly clear. Cen's wife only seeks a quick death; she has confessed everything."

Lou Zhenwu nodded: "Speak."

The disciplinary deacon said: "Junior Sister Qi was also acting out of kindness, helping those in need when she saw injustice, and accidentally killed Cen Wugou. His wife harbored hatred in her heart, gathered some petty thugs to set an ambush, and succeeded while Junior Sister Qi was off guard..."

Lou Zhenwu said coldly: "Acting out of kindness? She was just reckless! This is a matter of temperament; no need to cover for her!"

The disciplinary deacon lowered his head and gave a bitter smile: "Yes, but Cen Wugou and his wife were arguing, and it was quite dangerous, reaching the point of drawing blades. How could others know? She must have thought... Of course, Junior Sister Qi did indeed strike a bit too hard."

Lou Zhenwu shook his head: "Continue."

"After Junior Sister Qi was murdered, her flying sword was obtained by Cen's wife. Because Junior Sister Qi was not carrying any elixirs or spirit stones at the time, Cen's wife used spirit stones to compensate the other five, one piece each..."

"One piece each?"

"These rogue cultivators are all dirt poor..."

Lou Zhenwu couldn't help but laugh in anger: "One spirit stone each? Only five spirit stones were paid in total, and Junior Sister Qi died?"

The disciplinary deacon was also helpless: "That is indeed the case."

Lou Zhenwu suddenly felt a sense of absurdity, feeling so stifled he couldn't speak for a long time. Finally, he exhaled a breath of turbid air and said: "Dispose of everyone involved cleanly... And two thieves escaped?"

The disciplinary deacon replied: "One thief is said to be surnamed Wei, his given name unknown, at Qi Refinement Stage 5, a rogue cultivator from Xiangxi; where he cultivates is currently unknown. The other thief's identity is quite vague, and his cultivation is unclear. According to the confessions of Cen's wife and the other four criminals, he has a close relationship with the Wei thief and claims to be a disciple of the Raft Sect, surnamed Li."

Lou Zhenwu said: "Such thugs are accustomed to being secretive; their names may not be true. You may have portraits drawn and send them to all branches of the Raft Sect for a detailed investigation."

The disciplinary deacon said: "When the Wei and Li thieves were acting, they both wore bamboo hats and black masks. Cen's wife and the other four criminals have never seen their true faces, but they did say that their ages should not be great. The one claiming to be a Raft Sect disciple is skilled in using incense; when ambushing Junior Sister Qi, he used this base tactic."

"Incense? Incense that could knock out Junior Sister Qi?" Lou Zhenwu pondered: "I have never heard of anyone in the Raft Sect skilled in using incense."

The disciplinary deacon also said: "Yes, Raft Sect disciples mostly make a living by corpse-driving and insect-charming; they are quite dull to scents, otherwise they couldn't do this line of work."

Lou Zhenwu said: "Using incense to deal with a disciple of our Dongyang Sect is truly a despicable tactic. Send more men; we must capture these two thieves and avenge Junior Sister Qi!"

After giving the orders, Lou Zhenwu left the dungeon and headed to his Ninth Su Shidi Su Zhenjiu's place. He said to him: "Junior Sister Qi has been murdered, and several of our uncles are furious. If Zhang Xianbai's seclusion leads to another accident, the outer sect may not be able to bear the burden. The matter of recruiting outer sect disciples must also be expedited; after all, we only recruit one every three years, and it concerns the foundation of our Dongyang Sect's survival. It cannot be neglected. Last time I asked you to re-draft the list of candidates, has there been any progress?"

Su Zhenjiu sighed: "Junior Sister Qi was the most talented among the outer sect disciples; it is truly a pity."

Lou Zhenwu shook his head and said: "It is also a lesson. When recruiting disciples, one must prioritize temperament."

Su Zhenjiu nodded and presented a roster for his senior brother to flip through, introducing them as he spoke: "Following your wishes, Senior Brother, this selection prioritizes both temperament and talent. Those with impulsive natures have been discarded, leaving ten candidates in total. Following tradition, most come from the aristocratic families of Jingxiang and small independent sects."

Lou Zhenwu glanced at the roster and immediately rejected three of them: "These three are not from Jingxiang; they have only moved here for a few years. Who knows what their background is?"

Su Zhenjiu said: "Their talent is very good."

Lou Zhenwu said: "Then we don't want them either. One must know that the foundation of our Dongyang Sect is in Southern Hunan; it is only right to choose good materials whose roots we know. Outsiders living here cannot be fully trusted for thirty or fifty years. If something happens in the sect, these people are often fickle."

Su Zhenjiu nodded. Although it was a pity, he also felt that Fifth Senior Brother's words were reasonable.

Lou Zhenwu saw the last one and suddenly frowned: "Why is there one from Wulong Mountain? Liu Xiaolou?"

Su Zhenjiu said: "This person was recommended by our outer sect disciple in Xiangxi, claiming that although he is eighteen, his temperament is steady. Although he comes from Wulong Mountain, there has been no word of him committing any great evil. His heart for the Dao is very sincere, and his talent is also good. It just so happens that his master has just passed away, and there is no one to teach him the true meaning of cultivation..."

Lou Zhenwu waved his hand to stop him: "Su Shidi, rogue cultivators in Wulong Mountain are as numerous as ox hair, always called thugs, with base methods and a notorious reputation. They are different from those cultivation families and rogue sects; such people are difficult to educate... Furthermore, this Liu Xiaolou is already eighteen, not eight; his character is already set and extremely difficult to change. Recruiting Wulong Mountain thugs into the sect, let alone the inner sect, even if it were the outer sect, if it got out, I fear it would become a laughingstock for the world."

Su Zhenjiu made a final effort: "It is said that he is a descendant of the Three Mystical Sect."

Lou Zhenwu tried hard to think, but couldn't recall it for a moment: "Three Mystical Sect?"

Su Zhenjiu reminded him: "It is said that his founder was one of the masters of the Luo Fushan Cave Heaven. Two hundred years ago, he left due to internal strife in Luo Fushan and founded the Three Mystical Sect. Unfortunately, his cause did not succeed, the sect declined, and now there is only this one lone seedling, Liu Xiaolou, left."

"Where did you hear that?"

"... Jianghu rumors..."

Lou Zhenwu shook his head and laughed: "I have never heard of this matter. Regardless of whether it is true or false, if it were true, there would be even less need to provoke Luo Fushan... Let him fend for himself."

Su Zhenjiu sighed: "Understood. Then shall we let the remaining six come up the mountain for selection?"

Lou Zhenwu nodded: "That will do."

Since Fifth Senior Brother had decided, Su Zhenjiu naturally had no choice but to execute it. He wrote a letter to his uncle, Shopkeeper Su of the Zhongyi Workshop in Xiangxi, explaining the situation in detail and indicating that he had already done his best.

Shopkeeper Su was also helpless after receiving the letter. After thinking about it, he decided to go to Wulong Mountain in person. Rogue cultivators in Wulong Mountain have always had a poor reputation. After all, he had accepted a generous gift from them, but the matter hadn't been handled. He didn't want the other party to do something unreasonable and get entangled, which would be very troublesome. Of course, the gift would absolutely not be returned; there was no reason to return it.

Xiangxi, Wulong Mountain, Gan Zhu Ling.

A cluster of green bamboo, a circle of fences, a thatched cottage. This was Liu Xiaolou's cultivation cave dwelling.

Shopkeeper Su did not enter the courtyard. Through the firewood gate, he explained the situation to Liu Xiaolou and sighed: "Little brother, it should be said that your character is impeccable, and your teacher is the same, otherwise I wouldn't have befriended you two. But when all is said and done, your background... there's no help for it. I have already done my best."

Liu Xiaolou was silent for a long time, barely squeezing out a smile: "Thank you, Shopkeeper. I've caused you trouble."

Shopkeeper Su looked at the Liu Xiaolou before him, feeling very regretful in his heart. What a handsome young man; if he were truly recruited into the Dongyang Sect, he would be a talent of the sect for a time. It's just a pity he was born in a thief's den. Although I had the heart to pull you out of the pit, my words are light and carry no weight.

After finishing the explanation and demonstrating his sincerity, which could be considered worthy of the generous gift he had accepted, seeing that Liu Xiaolou was still reasonable and didn't make a scene, Shopkeeper Su cupped his hands and took his leave: "If you have difficulties in the future, you can still come find me."

He had no intention of staying long in this poor mountain and bad water, always feeling that for every moment he stayed, his back felt a bit colder.

Liu Xiaolou smiled and cupped his hands, watching him go down the ridge.

In order to climb up to this person in charge of the Dongyang Sect in Yongshun Prefecture, Liu Xiaolou had spent a great deal of effort, almost exhausting all the wealth left by his teacher, Three Mystical Master, but the result was a blow to the head. It should be said that when entrusting this shopkeeper with the matter, it was a gamble, and he had anticipated that the possibility of success was very small, but upon truly receiving the news of failure, he was still quite depressed.

So what if he was from Wulong Mountain?

Who did he provoke?

This path didn't work out. Sitting blankly on the terrace in front of the house for a long time, he remembered he still had to attend his sworn brother's dual cultivation ceremony, so he turned back into the house, and then froze.

The spirit stone that was to be the congratulatory gift was gone!