Chapter 400: Cautious in All Things

'Dai Zhishang is here?'

Wang Ping'an was likewise a bit surprised and asked, 'He doesn't stay with Hu Meiniang properly, yet runs off to this remote mountain—what for? Could it be that Hu Meiniang dumped him and he's looking for a romantic encounter at Shizi Ling?'

While speaking, Wang Ping'an's mind shifted, and he employed another miniature Paper Person he had hidden near the Zhang Family.

Paper Person.

For him, it costs nothing—at most a bit of time. He can even produce the spirit paper used to make Paper Persons himself, setting aside some spirit paper during the Talisman drawing period and crafting more in his spare time.

To say without exaggeration, his storage bag was nearly filled with one miniature Paper Person after another.

Moreover, his control over Paper Persons rests on three main conditions: infusing them with magical power, Sword Apparatus, and Spirit Power; as time passes, these three aspects are easily replenished.

The cultivation technique he follows can boost Spirit Power, increase the number of Sword Apparatus, and even create one artificial dantian after another.

He, though stepping onto the cultivation path for the first time, had gleaned a principle from experiences across games, movies, novels, and the like in his past life.

Be careful in everything!

Whatever one does, caution must be primary.

This time, when their family followed his uncle Zhang Chengyong to the Zhang Family, although he was being held in his mother's arms, he slipped paper persons one after another from his storage bag while his mother wasn't looking.

He roamed within two or three kilometers around them, checking the surroundings to prevent their family from falling into an ambush or encountering danger.

Even after they later rushed to his uncle's house, he remained vigilant; besides retrieving most Paper Persons, he left one after another hidden at the entrance of Zhang Family Village, along the road to his uncle's house, and even near the Zhang Family.

Not long ago.

When Wei Yuan's party appeared, he had already taken note; seeing Wei Yuan's entourage marching flamboyantly, with constables everywhere, he realized they weren't there to cause trouble, so he didn't act preemptively and let them enter the Zhang Family.

Who would have thought.

Wei Yuan and Tang Anzhi turned out to be beasts wearing human skins!

From their murderous, fraudulent deeds, it was clear their moral standards were low.

Now the target is merely a monster, but later, if civilians must be used as stepping stones, he believes both Wei Yuan and Tang Anzhi would be equally ruthless.

Had he known earlier, even if he didn't stealthily kill those two beasts, he should have at least made them leave injured; who knows whether those two beasts approaching his uncle was good or bad.

During this period.

All his attention was on Wei Yuan and Tang Anzhi; their low moral standards worried him. Whether they would commit further misdeeds upon arriving at the Zhang Family, having already performed murderous fraud, he could not tell what other evil acts those two beasts might be incapable of.

He had no time to monitor the outside, and with constables everywhere, he didn't worry about danger, which is why he failed to notice Dai Zhishang's arrival.

'It seems that from now on, no matter what we do, we cannot be careless. This time Dai Zhishang has come; if a villain arrives and takes advantage of my carelessness, who knows what kind of mischief that villain might do!'

Wang Ping'an said pensively.

Via the Paper Person, Wang Ping'an quickly saw three figures outside the Zhang Family; at the center spot stood the long‑unseen Dai Zhishang, flanked by two imposing warriors likely his guards, and there was no sign of Hu Meiniang.

He didn't know whether to sigh in relief or feel disappointed.

It wasn't that he harbored any age‑inappropriate feelings for Hu Meiniang; he simply knew she was a member of the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan.

If Hu Meiniang learned of Wei Yuan's and Tang Anzhi's deeds, he believed she would never spare those two beasts. She might not dare to kill—only because she can't bring herself to kill Wei Yuan, since Wei Yuan is the County Magistrate of Qingyang County, an official appointed by the court.

But Tang Anzhi?

He might meet his end at Hu Meiniang's hands!

Don't underestimate Hu Jiushisan; though he's a side branch of the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan and has little personal rapport with Hu Meiniang, he follows the clan leader's orders, and that leader is Hu Meiniang's own older brother.

What Wei Yuan and Tang Anzhi did isn't merely insulting the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan—it's slapping the face of her brother.

Hu Meiniang would never refuse to stand up for her brother!

'Why would he come in such a troublesome season?'

Wei Yuan snorted, disliking the frivolous Dai Zhishang, turned his head to Tang Anzhi and said in a harsh tone:

'Tang Imperial Attendant, you've always been on good terms with this Young Master Dai; do you know why he suddenly ran to Shizi Ling?'

'Wei County Magistrate, who exactly is Young Master Dai? His ways and conduct are beyond my knowledge.'

Tang Anzhi's face was full of barely concealed envy as he said, 'How could he possibly tell me he's coming to Shizi Ling?'

Don't think Dai Zhishang is just a frivolous playboy who roams the flower streets; he was born into an elite family, one of the top aristocrats of Qingyang County, with connections throughout the prefectural city.

Of course.

This novel you...

He has an excellent relationship with Dai Zhishang, also because Dai Zhishang has a good younger brother.

When he was born, a celestial phenomenon occurred; he possessed a Primordial Sword Body, which caught the eye of a senior elder of the Nine Heavens Sword Sect passing by, who took him as a closed-door disciple. His ties with Dai Zhishang are excellent; he hopes to use Dai Zhishang's connection to reach his younger brother Dai Tianli.

The Nine Heavens Sword Sect is the premier Sword Cultivator sect in the Prefecture Capital; overall it may not surpass Ziyang Palace, but in swordsmanship alone it can be called number one. Across Daxia, even if it can't rank in the top five, it at least makes the top ten.

Considering that Daxia's sword cultivator sects number in the thousands, even tens of thousands, the Nine Heavens Sword Sect's emergence among them attests to its strength.

Take Tang Anzhi, who as a child was noticed by a local Daoist family; after years of cultivation he displayed superior talent and was later recommended into the Golden Tripod Hall.

The entire Prefecture Capital hosts a cultivation sect only a step below Ziyang Palace; after arduous years of practice, it entered the imperial Immortal Examination, fighting through many trials, but ultimately fell to ruin.

It made him realize that Daxia lacks nothing except talent; geniuses with better gifts and diligent cultivation are everywhere.

Back then.

He actually wanted to cultivate another ten to twenty years before re‑entering the Immortal Examination, but the Golden Tripod Hall had no room for him…

He did not meet the qualifications to remain in the Golden Tripod Hall for cultivation!

Thus he had to leave the Golden Tripod Hall; upon recommendation from senior sect members, he joined the Daxia Immortal Examination and, performing reasonably well, was assigned as an Immortal Official in Qingyang County.

For several decades, there was no chance of promotion.

Besides lacking connections, weren't countless cultivation prodigies constantly looming over him?

If he were like Dai Tianli, taken under the wing of a senior elder—no, even any elder—of the Golden Tripod Hall and accepted as a disciple, he wouldn't be denied even the qualification to stay there for cultivation.

Not to mention serving as a low‑rank Immortal Official in tiny Qingyang County for decades, wasting years; not only was there no promotion, his cultivation barely advanced.

Now the end is even nearer!

(End of Chapter)