Chapter 179: What a Pure Yin-Cold Cultivation Technique!

The daylight dimmed, the crowd in the market receded like a tide, and all sorts of people from the three teachings and nine schools surged onto the streets again.

With a wide-brimmed hat covering his head, Nangong Ye hung Xie Jinhuan's weapon at his waist, hiding atop an old medicine shop in a corner of Xiaoyao Cave, watching the figures in black cloaks amidst the chaotic market, his eyes filled with the stunning surprise of "the younger generation is formidable."

After all, a child of such upright righteousness pretending to be an old江湖 hand to this extent was truly hard to believe.

The cloaked figures in the street walked slowly with slightly bent waists; whenever a martial artist carrying a weapon passed by, they would subconsciously dodge, and they mostly walked within the shadows.

That was one thing, but when passing a brothel and encountering a courtesan, though they seemed not to look sideways, their steps actually slowed down a bit...

Seeing herbs and beast bones at a stall, they would pay close attention; and when flies or other insects approached, they clearly showed a hint of alertness...

This looked exactly like a Gu Du Pai poison rat of moderate cultivation; Nangong Ye didn't even dare to look away, after all, there were still quite a few cloaked figures walking inside Xiaoyao Cave at night, and if she lost sight of him, she might not be able to find Xie Jinhuan again.

And such baiting obviously had an effect!

On the other side of Xiaoyao Cave, on the third floor of an inn.

A monk in a yellow robe, with nine tonsure marks on his head, stood at the inn window, scanning the various people in the street through the gaps, and communicated with his partner beside him:

"What exactly is the background of this He Can from the Luoyang branch? Singing the blues in the manor all day, saying 'Xie Jinhuan is targeting you' today, and 'Xie Jinhuan has already reached the upper floor' tomorrow... Third Master hasn't even refined him yet..."

His partner, wearing a cloak, responded:

"I heard he's the grandson of the second-in-command of the Luoyang branch; the higher-ups probably want to show some favor..."

"Oh... judging from the rumors, Xie Jinhuan is indeed a bit sinister; haven't the higher-ups investigated his movements?"

"All the spies in Luoyang were uprooted before; we just arrived and haven't even established our footing yet, how could we find Xie Jinhuan's exact whereabouts..."

While the two were chatting idly like this, the yellow-robed monk suddenly frowned, signaling a cloaked figure walking in the medicine market:

"That one in the cloak, the one buying medicinal herbs, isn't he a Gu Du Pai poison rat?"

The partner perked up, slightly pushing open the window to examine closely:

"That sneaky, timid, and cowardly aura—no one else but a poison rat. Let's go check."

The yellow-robed monk said no more, descended the stairs together, and after confirming the approximate movements of the black-clad poison rat, stood at a corner of an alley.

Meanwhile, the partner approached from the opposite street, walking slowly through the dim market, intentionally or unintentionally revealing the blade at his waist, his gaze scrutinizing the people on both sides.

And the result was exactly as the two had expected.

The black-clad poison rat walking in the dark, seeing a mysterious person with an imposing aura ahead, immediately grew alert and silently slipped into a side alley.

But before he could take a few steps, he found a monk's robe appearing at the corner beside him.

?

In the blink of an eye, a fist the size of a sandbag came straight to his face.

Boom~

Amidst a dull thud, the black-cloaked figure fell straight backward, landing in the alleyway.

Thud~

The partner, confirming no one was watching, quickly entered the alley and stood guard at the entrance:

"How is it?"

The yellow-robed monk squatted beside him, pulling back the hood, only to see the poison rat had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and skin as white as jade, which made him unexpectedly say:

"Hey? He's quite handsome, looks under twenty, and his bone structure seems good too; he's probably a direct disciple of the Gu Du Pai."

"Is he following the Yin path of the Five Elements? If not refining him on the spot, don't waste time."

The yellow-robed monk placed his hand on the young poison rat's wrist, using his spiritual energy to probe.

The result was an 'ice-cold spiritual energy' that penetrated straight to the fingertips!

"Whoa—! What a pure Yin-cold cultivation technique!"

The yellow-robed monk's eyes lit up; fearing discovery, he quickly pressed acupoints to seal the meridians and covered him with a black sack:

"We've found a treasure this time! With this appearance, age, and Yin-cold cultivation technique, even if his cultivation is shallow, the higher-ups surely won't be willing to refine him; they'll probably use him as a vessel for the Ghost Envoys. We'll definitely receive a heavy reward from Blood Old when we return..."

For ghost cultivators to change vessels and be reborn, although theoretically the higher the cultivation the better, a young person with extraordinary bone structure is certainly better than an old cultivator in his seventies or eighties.

If the appearance is even more handsome, it would be the 'dream vessel' for ghost cultivators, but such prospects are very hard to find.

The partner felt they had captured a core direct disciple of the Gu Du Pai; someone like this could even pull down Master Sikong, but the Mingshen Sect didn't fear the Wu Alliance far in the Southern Border anyway. He simply guarded the alley entrance carefully, and after the monk finished bagging and hoisting the prisoner, quickly followed him into the night...

And on the roof of a house far, far away.

Nangong Ye held a spyglass, watching her own yellow-haired one being bundled up and taken away, her phoenix eyes full of shock.

She had just seen Xie Jinhuan, who was playing the pig to eat the tiger, blocked by the two men; she thought this fellow would show his power in front of others, torture them severely, and tear them apart limb from limb. She never expected this fellow to pretend to faint and actually fool these two minions!

In that case, it would be much more convenient; just follow quietly, level their nest, and we can finish the job and go home. Maybe we can even catch a big dragon!

Thinking of this, Nangong Ye quietly followed, her phoenix eyes even showing a hint of excitement at the prospect of a rich harvest...

——

Suburbs, Songhe Bay.

Inside a summer villa about two li away from Zhou Mingan's residence.

The villa was situated along the Luohe River, surrounded by bamboo groves for great privacy, with a few guards with swords at their waists patrolling the four entrances.

Deep in the courtyard, lights were on; inside the lakeside tea house, Blood Old Three and He Man sat side by side in meditation.

He Man's childhood name was He Feinu; he was originally the Grand Steward to the Crown Prince. After the He family incident, he hid here and only began to continue the sect's plotting after personnel from the Northwest Branch arrived.

Because of the great changes in his family, He Man's face also bore a trace of sorrow as he spoke:

"Grandfather and He Hai sacrificing themselves for the sect was indeed unexpected. Fortunately, Grandfather was so resolute that he sacrificed the pawn to save the king, killing himself to cover our tracks, so we were not completely exposed.

"It's just that the Dry Emperor is such a treacherous wolf; we He family truly treated him as a son-in-law. Without our He family's support, he wouldn't have ascended the throne twenty years ago, nor would he have been able to extend his life until yesterday.

"In the end, he wiped out our entire He clan and even caused Aunt's death..."

Blood Old Three shed his misty aura; now wearing a black monk's robe with long hair flowing over his shoulders and Buddhist beads around his neck, he said:

"Although the Mingshen Sect is not tolerated by the righteous paths, it also has clear rewards and punishments. The He family has made great contributions to the sect, which the sect will naturally remember. Young Master He, as the direct grandson of the He family, will henceforth be a direct disciple of the Mingshen Sect's inner court. However, Young Master He's request to capture He Can back was indeed unexpected by this old monk. Does Young Master also wish to bring him into the inner court?"

He Man shook his head: "Grandfather let He Can leave, thinking to leave a spark of lineage. But the Branch Master believed that once one enters the demonic path, it's either death and clan destruction or ascension to immortality; leaving a way out indicates, just like Grandfather, a desire to retreat. That is why He Can was captured and brought back to be used to the fullest."

Blood Elder Three nodded: "Advance without retreat, desire without emotion; the helmsman of the Luo Jing Altar is indeed a fine seedling for cultivating the Demon Dao."

"No poison, no man; he has always been like this."

Meanwhile, deep underground.

A spacious stone chamber was supported by stone pillars; oil lamps hung from the pillars, recently lit after being sealed away for too long. The interior was cold and damp, emitting a faint stench of decay.

More than a dozen hooded Gu Du Pai poison rats, their qi points sealed and bound with iron chains, were tied in a row against the wall. Their medicine bottles, venomous snakes, hidden weapons, and gu insects had all been confiscated. Although they had awakened, they remained silent, their faces deathly pale.

Only Bu Hanying, who had lost his glasses and could see nothing in the dim chamber, was still making noise:

"Daoist, I didn't lie to you. I still owe the Thief Saint Bai Zhan tens of thousands of taels in goods. He is a ruthless man too; even Eunuch Li dared he to rob. Xie Jinhuan might ignore me, but creditors won't stop looking for someone..."

At the back door of the basement, He Shen, draped in a monk's robe and leaning against the wall, listened carefully to the commotion above and responded upon hearing the voice:

"I've said it a hundred times: I'm not the one in charge. Make more trouble, and the mad dog beside me has been eyeing your bunch of old men for a long time. He eats both men and women; with nothing to do here, be careful he doesn't use you to vent his anger."

Bu Hanying tightened his hook and immediately shut his mouth.

Zhang Chu, with a large bald head, leaned against the other side of the back door holding his sidearm and said coldly:

"If you talk nonsense again, I'll lock you up too, so you won't even be able to run when the time comes."

"Why wait for the time to come? We could leave right now with no problem. Wait a bit longer, and who knows what might happen."

"I'm from the Luo Jing Branch Altar and have no bond with Blood Elder Three. If I dare to commit Pan Sect and flee, I'll die a hundred times more miserably than you."

"See? Even when fleeing for your life, you hesitate. You're simply not cut out for cultivation..."

While He Shen was speaking, he suddenly heard a sound from above:

Boom—

A low rumble transmitted to the depths of the earth, causing the candles to sway slightly and dust to fall in a rustle.

Many Gu Du Pai poison rats looked up in confusion.

Bu Hanying was about to ask what was happening, but turning his head, he saw that the two blurry figures standing not far away had vanished without a trace, leaving him puzzled:

"Eh? Where did those two guards go?"

"Perhaps something happened above, and they went to reinforce."

"Whoa! No wonder they're Demon Daoists; that reaction was truly fast. Nothing like our Gu Du Pai, who only know how to cower and scurry away when trouble strikes..."

"Indeed..."

(End of this chapter)