Chapter 45: The Heavenly Net Sect Is Not a Brothel

The old villain had no idea how many lives he had destroyed; in this single incident alone, he killed over one hundred and sixty people, his humanity utterly lost—yet he still wished for an intact corpse at the end? If not for the urgency of time and the worry that he might have left some hidden dangers, Qin Yue would have liked to skin him alive.

He took up the exceptionally fine longsword, stowing it away, and stood quietly, watching as the corpse was swiftly reduced to ashes by the pale purple flames. He gave his wounds a simple treatment, then changed into a fresh uniform of the Bureau of Bandit Suppression. He made a note to ask the logistics officer to prepare a few more sets for him; there were only two, which was far from enough! He recalled what Hu Jiuyan had said earlier—“Only wear it when necessary.” Now he understood. The uniform, whose grade could not be discerned from its appearance, was simply for public recognition of his position; it was useless for actual combat.

He checked the contents of the ring and found an impressive haul. The rogue sect was indeed wealthy—there were more than a dozen storage pouches, each containing at least hundreds, sometimes thousands of spirit stones. In addition, there was a large amount of gold and silver, several artifacts and robes of the “洞微” level. Qin Yue was a bit disappointed that there was nothing of the Dao realm, but he understood—not everyone could possess treasures of that caliber.

There were also a few booklets, recording stones, voice transmission stones, and other assorted items. Among them, one scroll caught his attention. It looked quite old, the special paper yellowed by time. On the cover were four characters: “The Corpse Puppet Method.”

Qin Yue recalled the old villain’s last words: that the successive leaders of the Zhaoyang Sect had always personally controlled their band of evil cultivators. Alongside his anger, he felt a cold chill. Those damned beasts—after killing the Dao realm fiend of the Tianluo Sect in years past, not only did they fail to destroy the evil arts on his body, they secretly kept a brood of these bastards for themselves. Such a righteous sect, indeed.

Using his “Steal Heaven” technique, Qin Yue conjured a patch of weeds to cover the area completely, then left the mountain hollow without a trace of emotion. He wasn’t sure if there were any more corpse puppets crafted by the old villain, but with their master dead, they would be no real threat. Even skilled folk from the common world could likely deal with them.

Upon returning to Sanhe Town, he happened to see Hu Jiuyan arriving in a rush. Her face was full of worry, and when she saw him, her eyes flickered with a thousand unspoken words—part reproach, part relief—but she quickly regained her composure and sent him a voice transmission: “I’ve invited a senior from the sect. If that evil cultivator dares show himself again, he’ll be torn to pieces!”

Qin Yue replied calmly, “The fiend is dead.”

Hu Jiuyan: “…”

Ignoring the astonished looks of those nearby, she pulled Qin Yue aside and asked in a low, disbelieving voice, “Truly dead?”

Qin Yue nodded. “We’ll talk later. First, we need to take away that young man—he’s a disciple of the Zhaoyang Sect’s Jin State branch!”

Hu Jiuyan’s expression turned grave and she asked no more, accompanying Qin Yue to the county magistrate to request custody of the prisoner. When it came to the affairs of the Bureau of Bandit Suppression, the local authorities dared not interfere and immediately led the two to the temporary holding place for the young man.

It was the home of a family recently wiped out, with several county constables standing guard outside. When they saw Qin Yue and Hu Jiuyan approach, they quickly rose and saluted. Hu Jiuyan waved them off and entered, only to find the young man, tightly bound, already lifeless.

The county magistrate, who had followed them in, was stunned. He turned angrily to his men: “What happened? I told you to keep watch—how did he die?”

The constables were at a loss. One replied, “We had him bound tightly, he couldn’t move at all, and no one else went in. How could he be dead?”

Hu Jiuyan stepped forward to examine the body, then sighed, “He hid poison in his teeth. Likely, he didn’t want to implicate those behind him, so he took his own life.”

After hearing Qin Yue reveal the young man’s identity, she had already been prepared for this outcome. In other words, given the current situation, it would have been a headache if the young man had survived. Without solid evidence and relying solely on testimony, the Zhaoyang Sect would never admit guilt and would likely turn the accusation around.

The county magistrate looked regretful and remorseful. “It was my negligence. Now it will be much harder to confirm his identity…”

Hu Jiuyan shook her head. “Let it go—just take care of the body.”

She trusted Qin Yue’s judgment. In fact, her words the previous night had stemmed from her own suspicions about the Zhaoyang Sect and the others. The young man simply dared not live—especially after nearly being cut down by their own sect’s evil predecessor. He must have realized there was no way out. Living on would only mean dragging his family down; death was the end of it all. With no evidence on his person, even the Bureau wouldn’t dare pin this case on the Zhaoyang Sect. In a way, he was decisive… and clever.

…

On the journey back, the two did not hurry. Their horses had been pushed hard for days and were worn out, so they slowed their pace, chatting as they went.

“I’ve already told the sect elder to return for now, best not to show himself again unless absolutely necessary. We don’t want to be accused of anything more. But according to what the old villain said, there are still evil cultivators out there. If we don’t root them out, more people will suffer. Also, since we can’t reveal the true identities of the culprits, what do you think we should do next?”

“The Saintess’s reputation is mostly cleared after this affair, but as for rooting them out completely… that will be difficult. Still, we can make use of the old villain’s voice transmission stone,” Qin Yue replied. “As for the case itself, don’t close it yet. Drag it out as long as possible, and have the local authorities increase patrols and security, as if we haven’t caught the killer.”

“You want to fish for them?” Hu Jiuyan asked.

“Take out as many as we can. Even if we can’t wipe them all out, we must make them understand that they can’t act with impunity here.”

So long as he didn’t encounter a Dao realm powerhouse, Qin Yue was confident he could take them down.

Hu Jiuyan couldn’t help but look at Qin Yue a few more times. His progress was astonishing; in such a short time, his vision and skills had advanced tremendously, not to mention his cultivation. Even if he claimed it was the little cauldron that had helped him defeat the enemy, without top-level movement techniques and courage, how could he have even gotten close? Among all the so-called prodigies produced by the great sects, which of them could compare to her own Qin Yue?

…

The two returned to Northern Border City, and Hu Jiuyan took Qin Yue to see the Saintess.

“The sect leader has arrived and wants to see you,” she said, her beautiful eyes casting a sidelong glance at Qin Yue, her tone tinged with a trace of sourness.

“The sect leader is here?”

“Of course! You’re quite the celebrity: heir to the Bamboo Grove, honored guest of the various beast kings in the Demon Beast Valley, the top talent every sect is vying for, a prodigy—walk down the street and all the young ladies and wives are giving you secret glances…”

“Stop, stop, stop! Even if I become the sect leader’s disciple, we’ll keep our titles as before—you’re my elder sister, I’m your junior uncle…”

“Bah!” Hu Jiuyan pouted. “I’ll have to get someone to make you an ugly human-skin mask, or you’ll attract too much trouble.”

Qin Yue was speechless.

After entering the city, they first took their horses to the inn where Hu Jiuyan was staying, then emerged and boarded a carriage. They passed through bustling streets, entered a quieter alley, and finally stopped behind an imposing building. Alighting, Qin Yue eyed the five- or six-story wooden structure with suspicion; even from behind, its grandeur was palpable.

“Why does this look so familiar?” Qin Yue murmured.

“This is the largest pleasure house in Northern Border City,” Hu Jiuyan replied.

Qin Yue was stunned.

Feng Qianning was recuperating here? The sect leader of the Tianluo Sect wanted to see him in such a place? Huo Tong had always wanted to bring him somewhere exciting, but it had never happened. And now Hu Jiuyan was taking him here? Was the Tianluo Sect’s stronghold in the city actually a brothel?

“It’s safer here. The Tianluo Sect is no mere brothel!” Hu Jiuyan seemed to sense his thoughts and issued a warning.

…

Inside the room.

Feng Qianning lay on the bed, conversing with a woman in a water-blue dress, her face veiled. The woman’s figure was graceful and her skin fair and delicate, her voice soft and gentle.

“You were a bit reckless at Yandang Mountain this time. Don’t underestimate those other sects—their depth far surpasses ours. It isn’t just inexperienced juniors you have to watch out for. If little Qin hadn’t saved you, you would have suffered greatly.”

“I didn’t lose to any of them. Who would have thought that little cauldron was meant to suppress evil things? I watched carefully but saw nothing unusual.”

“Such powerful methods are not so easily seen through. You must be more cautious in the future. And for now, don’t stay in the north any longer. Once you’ve recovered, return to the sect and focus on comprehending the dragon clan’s heritage—strive to reach the Dao realm in one leap. After the recent phenomenon, everyone is fighting to cross over—don’t waste your time on meaningless matters.”

“But so many ancient ruins have appeared recently—I wanted to explore them.”

“Biting off more than you can chew. Our sect doesn’t lack cultivation resources. Ancient inheritances are a matter of luck; if you gain one, good, if not, it’s nothing to fret about. If we participate, all eyes will turn against us; if not, they’ll just tear each other apart.”

At that moment, a gentle knock came at the door. “Sect leader, Hu Jiuyan and Qin Yue are here, waiting outside.”

Feng Qianning, who had been lying listlessly, immediately sat up in surprise. “Back so soon?” She hurried to the mirror to tidy her clothes and hair, calling out, “Let them wait a moment—I’ll be ready soon!”

The woman in blue looked at her speechlessly. “You haven’t fallen for little Qin, have you?”

“Me? Feng Qianning? Fall for some seventeen- or eighteen-year-old brat from the Ice Abyss? Senior sister, don’t be ridiculous—watch your image!” Feng Qianning fussed over her reflection, earnestly protesting.

“As you wish. Actually, the Ice Abyss bloodline is quite good, and our sect has many dual cultivation methods…”

“Can you not mention those words? And anyway, it’s Hu Jiuyan who likes him, not me!”

“Well, that’s fine too. After all, we’re a demonic sect—we don’t have so many silly rules. In that case, I’ll give Hu Jiuyan a promotion, so there’s no awkwardness in seniority,” the woman in blue said with a mischievous smile.

Feng Qianning ignored her unreliable senior and continued to fuss over her appearance.