"How did the Five Elements Sect Cultivators get here?!"
"Weren’t they supposed to guarantee the trade meet’s safety?!"
"Run! I don’t want to be captured by the Five Elements Sect and dragged to the battlefield!"
The Loose Cultivators reacted to the sight of the Five Elements Sect Cultivators like mice seeing a cat.
Despite hiding until now, they ultimately couldn’t escape the grasp of the Five Elements Sect... War was a meat grinder; among the forcibly conscripted Loose Cultivators, those who returned alive were few and far between. Without Spirit Rice, they could barely survive, but on the battlefield, only a dead end awaited.
"How audacious! How long were you planning to hide?"
"Send them all to the battlefield!"
Facing the elite of the Five Elements Sect, who were in peak condition and at the height of their power, the Loose Cultivators felt as desolate as mourners at a funeral.
They wanted to run, but alas, their escape routes were cut off, and all hope was lost.
How could the bottom-tier Loose Cultivators, who couldn’t even feed themselves properly and whose combat strength was subpar, possibly be a match for the Five Elements Sect Cultivators?
The resisting Loose Cultivators were beaten until their heads bled, their wails unceasing.
A few Loose Cultivators were made examples of, their hands and feet viciously slashed.
If not for the fact that living people were more valuable, there would likely be several corpses lying on the ground.
The Five Elements Sect Cultivators took out the prepared Demon-binding Ropes, tied up all the Loose Cultivators at once, and placed Spiritual Power Restraints on them.
Only then did any possibility of escape vanish.
"Take them all away!"
The leading Five Elements Sect Cultivator waved his hand grandly, his spirits soaring. He bore a strong resemblance to Qi Yulong, about seventy percent similar, but his expression was even colder.
"Fang Wu, well done!" Qi Yuhu stepped forward and patted Fang Wu’s arm encouragingly.
"Hurry and release our great hero! Without him, how could we have captured so many Loose Cultivators?!"
The restraints were lifted, but Fang Wu’s face showed not the slightest hint of a smile. Is this supposed to be an honor? It’s more like they’re roasting me over a fire! The captured Loose Cultivators hated him to their very core. If they survived, they would undoubtedly use every means possible to exact revenge on him.
"Fang Wu, may you die a horrible death! I won’t let you off even if I become a ghost!"
"You scammed us with overpriced Spirit Rice, bled us dry of our Spirit Stones, and now you’re sending us to the battlefield!"
"Fang Wu, you just wait! This debt of hatred will be repaid one day!!!"
The Loose Cultivators, unaware of the truth, vented all their fury on Fang Wu, oblivious that the Qi brothers were the true masterminds. Fang Wu was merely a shield the two had pushed to the forefront, a scapegoat.
"This is merely what I ought to do," Fang Wu said, forcing a smile more wretched than tears as he tried to curry favor. He didn’t want to be sent to the battlefield with the other Loose Cultivators, so he had to suck up to Qi Yuhu in every conceivable way. This was the path he had chosen; he had to grit his teeth and see it through.
"Thank you, my fellow Sect Brothers, for your assistance."
"Take these Fragmented Spirit Stones for some tea," Fang Wu offered. Although he called them "Fragmented Spirit Stones," Fang Wu actually took out over a thousand Spirit Stones.
Each of the assisting Five Elements Sect Cultivators received a share of one hundred Spirit Stones.
"Then we won’t stand on ceremony!"
They were all beneficiaries of this lucrative division of spoils. After all, relying on Qi Yulong, a single Inner Sect Disciple, would not have kept the Northern District stable for this long. These cultivators, on the other hand, avoided any blame while gaining both Spirit Stones and merits.
Satisfied, the Five Elements Sect Cultivators departed, taking over a hundred Loose Cultivators with them to report their success.
Only Qi Yuhu, Qi Yulong, and Fang Wu were left.
"Fang Wu, 3,400 Spirit Stones. That’s much less than the 4,000 I expected."
"Shouldn’t you cover the shortfall of 600 Spirit Stones?" Qi Yulong gazed at Fang Wu with a smile, yet his eyes radiated a bone-chilling coldness. His gaze frequently swept over the Storage Bag at Fang Wu’s waist, his intentions obvious.
Squeezing every last bit of value out of someone before slaughtering them like a fattened sheep—that was Qi Yulong’s standard practice. Fang Wu was well aware of Qi Yulong’s character, but as the moment arrived, he couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart. Fortunately, he had come prepared.
"This is all I have left. If you two Daoist Friends want it, then please, take it!" Fang Wu handed over the Storage Bag without any attachment, quite readily.
"At least you know your place."
When Qi Yulong’s spiritual sense probed the Storage Bag, the smile vanished from his face, replaced by an expression as dark as deep water.
"Is Fang Wu trying to fool me? Why so few Spirit Stones?!"
A scattering of Fragmented Spirit Stones and Spirit Stones lay on the ground, totaling perhaps a hundred or so. While a hundred Spirit Stones was a considerable sum for an ordinary Loose Cultivator, it was beneath Qi Yulong’s notice.
He clearly remembered all the earnings Fang Wu had made, having mentally noted every Spirit Stone. Even if Fang Wu couldn’t produce a thousand Spirit Stones, he should have at least seven or eight hundred. Qi Yulong hadn’t even planned to let the Shen Xing Sanxiu’s two hundred-odd Spirit Stones go, much less the far greater amount Fang Wu possessed.
Qi Yulong had offered benefits to make Fang Wu work desperately for him. Once everything was concluded, he intended to reclaim everything, with interest. Then, he’d conveniently kill Fang Wu to prevent any future retaliation.
"Playing mind games with me?" Qi Yulong searched Fang Wu’s person but found no second Storage Bag. "Is this all? Do I need to force you to tell me?"
His expression was as dark as stormy waters. The White Jade Sword hovered in mid-air, its tip a mere half-inch from Fang Wu’s brow. The Sword’s brilliant aura pulsed at its tip, slicing Fang Wu’s skin. Blood began to trickle down his forehead.
"With a single strike, I can kill you and then scour every inch of this place. I refuse to believe I won’t find that hidden Storage Bag." As he spoke, his gaze remained locked on Fang Wu, as if trying to extract the answer from his very expression.
Fang Wu allowed the blood to snake down his cheek. Reflected in the crimson drops, his expression looked exceptionally grim.
"Go ahead and search! If I die, you’ll get nothing!"
Only by facing death head-on could one find a slim chance of survival. Given Qi Yulong’s avarice, he would never let a large sum of Spirit Stones slip through his fingers. This was his only trump card for survival.
"Brother, don’t be impulsive," Qi Yuhu, who had been observing silently from the sidelines, finally spoke. "Daoist Friend Fang Wu has been a great help to us. We can’t treat him ."
Qi Yulong obediently retracted his flying sword.
The two were twin brothers. Although Qi Yuhu was younger, his Spiritual Root Aptitude was exceptional. His status and position as an Inner Sect Disciple of the Five Elements Sect placed him far above Qi Yulong. In the Cultivation World, strength dictated everything.
"Don’t think we’ve earned a lot of Spirit Stones. Most of it has to be used to bribe those above us to ensure our business runs smoothly. Yulong wants to become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Five Elements Sect, but there’s currently a shortfall of over seven hundred Spirit Stones. That’s why he’s inevitably anxious. Yulong was rash; I apologize to you on his behalf."
"As long as you make up this Spirit Stone shortfall, I guarantee your entry into the Inner City and will exempt you from conscription."
Fang Wu, having seen the Qi brothers’ true colors, remained unmoved.
"Honor your promise, and I’ll tell you where the Spirit Stones are buried. Alternatively, you can search for it yourself and see if you can find it."
Qi Yuhu looked at Fang Wu intently, finally memorizing his face.
"As you wish, I will take you into the Inner City. If you dare deceive me, I’ll make you pay dearly."
It was difficult for Loose Cultivators to evade conscription, but for someone within the Five Elements Sect, it was a different matter. Qi Yuhu had just performed a meritorious deed, so arranging this was a trivial matter for him.
After a brief discussion, the three reached a mutually beneficial agreement.
Jia Ren watched the spectacle calmly from beginning to end.
One had to admit, Fang Wu was a resourceful man. By hiding that Storage Bag, he had ensured his own safety. Although he wasn’t the biggest winner, he had managed to extricate himself from a dangerous situation. He had even secured entry into the Inner City, thereby avoiding conscription.
However... now that Jia Ren had taken that Storage Bag, unforeseen complications were bound to arise.
With the Loose Cultivators of the Northern District completely cleared out, a long period of tranquility should follow. In the near future, with fewer disturbances from Five Elements Sect Cultivators, I should be able to cultivate in peace.