This martial saint is too cautious.

Chapter 358 Bribery (Seeking monthly votes to continue reading)

The next day.

Lin Yan exchanged a spirit weapon from the Linlang Sword Mansion to temporarily replace the Chenyuan Sword.

For this trip to the Thunder Swamp Secret Realm, the Sword Sect also gave him a lot of points as a reward. Combined with the previous rewards, he won't be able to use up all the points in a short time.

It's not that the treasures in the Linglang Sword Mansion are worthless, but rather that after reaching the Dharma Aspect Realm, exchanging for many treasures requires not only points but also a quota.

Even the Taiyi Sword Sect has limited resources for the items needed by those at the Dharma Aspect Realm, and it is impossible for them to supply every Dharma Aspect Realm martial artist with unlimited resources.

However, if the required points are set to be extremely high, it would be clearly illogical. Therefore, the final decision is that, in order to exchange for martial arts resources after the Dharma Aspect Realm, in addition to points, one also needs to obtain a quota.

Some slots are updated over time, and you have to wait six months to redeem one.

Some slots are based on contributions to the sect, involving teaching disciples for six months, or serving in other duties —

In summary, the Taiyi Sword Sect can only provide the most basic guaranteed resources to Dharma Aspect level experts. If they want more resources, they need to search for them themselves.

"Even the Taiyi Sword Sect is struggling to find successors in the Dharma Aspect Realm. The situation is probably similar for other sects. The only one that is somewhat stronger should be the Great Zhou Imperial Court, but there are also many powerful figures who rely on the court for their livelihood, such as the regional inspectors and deputy inspectors."

"That brings the total to over a hundred, not to mention other officials in the capital region."

Lin Yan shook his head slightly as he left the Linlang Sword Mansion. The current situation of the Taiyi Sword Sect was just like when he first entered the True Realm in the Lin family.

The Lin family has the capability to cultivate True Qi Martial Artists, but they cannot provide the best resources.

"After reaching the third level of the Cave Heaven, we still need to go to the Qinghua Domain."

Having made up his mind, Lin Yan did not return to his residence, but went directly to the area where the sect fed and guarded the birds. After selecting the birds, he left the sect.

Traveling along the Beihai Road, to Shangsha Prefecture.

Lin Yan walked out of the Shangshafu post station, preparing to head to the patrol office.

This time, he will not travel as a disciple of the Taiyi Sword Sect, but as an inspector of Emei Peak.

Last time, because of Night Owl's shock at his patrol privileges, Lin Yan had specifically investigated and found that the Heavenly Authority he possessed allowed him to enjoy privileges even in other areas.

The authority of the Heavenly Power is to travel to various places, and its status is equivalent to that of the Patrol Inspectorate. In special circumstances, it can also mobilize local patrol inspectors.

The purpose of going to the patrol office was to investigate the situation regarding Cangshi Ridge.

The map left by Ji Yi's father is located in Cangshi Ridge.

Cangshi Ridge is not just a single mountain ridge, but a continuous mountain range. However, due to the presence of a vast desert in Shangsha Prefecture, the hundreds of peaks of Cangshi Ridge have also been affected, consisting mainly of bare rocks and rubble, with sparse vegetation. From a distance, it looks like a gray stone mountain, devoid of any vitality.

With hundreds of mountain peaks, the area is quite large. If the purple sword energy hadn't appeared on its own, Lin Yan would have had to search slowly, and it might have taken him a year or two to finish.

He would search through local chronicles and other books from the patrol office to see if he could find any clues related to sword marks or sword energy, thus narrowing down the search area.

The Office of the Patrol Inspectorate.

Lin Yan showed his patrol token, explained the requirements, and soon entered the library of the patrol office. There were many bookshelves inside, including a case file repository containing all the cases that had occurred in Shangsha Prefecture over the years, some of which had been solved and some of which had not.

At first, Lin Yan did not check the case file archive, but instead looked at the local chronicles.

The local chronicles of Shangsha Prefecture are compiled every ten years, but after reading the last five hundred years, Lin Yan did not find any information about Cangshi Ridge.

Lin Yan wasn't discouraged by the lack of description of purple aura in the local chronicles; if it were really that simple...

His gaze then turned to the case file archives.

Just as Lin Yan entered the library, a man hurriedly pushed open the door to one of the back courtyards inside the patrol office.

"Director, there's something going on."

"What is it?"

In the backyard, a young man was meditating cross-legged. Upon hearing this, he opened his eyes, his gaze extremely cold.

The middle-aged man who pushed open the door felt the coldness and shivered. He quickly said, "Chief, an inspector came today. He went straight to the library and didn't miss any of the recent case files. According to the reports from the staff, he went through them extremely thoroughly. Chief, Inspector Tianquan—we don't usually see him for more than ten years. This sudden visit, and the fact that he's going through the case files, makes me feel uneasy. I'm afraid this person has ill intentions."

"Does this person have ill intentions?"

The young man sneered: "Are you implying that I, this official, have failed to govern Shangsha Prefecture well?"

"That's not what I meant," the middle-aged man quickly shook his head.

"Find out exactly which case files he looked at and what questions he asked. Don't worry about anything else, just keep an eye on him." The young man closed his eyes again. "As long as he's not in the way, let him be. If he is—"

The young man didn't finish his sentence, but the middle-aged man understood what his master meant.

Thinking of his master's powerful backer, the middle-aged man breathed a slight sigh of relief. A mere Tianquan inspector shouldn't be able to touch his master.

Just as the middle-aged man turned to leave, the young man's voice came from behind him again: "Notify them over there—stop for now."

The middle-aged man was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, "I'll take care of it right away."

Library.

Lin Yan stayed inside for two hours, and by the time he came out, it was already dark.

"grown ups."

At the gate, a middle-aged man immediately came forward: "Your humble servant is Deng Hui, the deputy director of the Shangsha Prefecture Patrol Office. Your Excellency must be tired from your journey. I have prepared some wine to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey."

Lin Yan looked at Deng Hui. This Deputy Inspector Deng was at the ninth level of the True Qi Realm, and his strength was not worth mentioning. However, he had also looked through the personnel files of the Patrol Division in the library earlier. Deng Hui was a local of Shangsha Prefecture and had served in the Patrol Division for twenty years. In addition, the Deng family was also a local family in Shangsha Prefecture, so he could be considered a local bigwig.

The answer wasn't found in the library, but perhaps we could get some useful information out of Deng Hui.

"That's troublesome."

"You're too kind, sir. It's my honor to host a welcome dinner for you."

Hearing Lin Yan agree, Deng Hui breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that Lin Yan was willing to host a welcome dinner meant that he was probably not there for an inspection. However, he still couldn't let his guard down.

Most of the inspectors at the Heavenly Authority level are top-tier True Qi experts, so it's always a good idea to accompany them carefully.

At the best restaurant in Shangsha Prefecture, after a few rounds of drinks, Lin Yan lost interest.

At the dinner table, he tried to get information out of Deng Hui for a long time, but he didn't find any useful information. Either Deng Hui was very guarded and wouldn't reveal any useful information, or Deng Hui really didn't know that there was anything special about Cangshi Ridge.

Regardless of the reason, it means that the possibility of him trying to extract information is almost zero.

"Lord Deng, I am not a good drinker, let's end it here."

Deng Hui, who was about to raise his glass again, paused for a moment when he heard Lin Yan's words. His smile became a little stiff, but he didn't dare to force him to stay. He could only say, "The department has already prepared a resting courtyard for Lord Zhuang. I will take you there."

At the banquet, Deng Hui did gain something; at least he learned the name of this important person: Zhuang Zheng.

The only regret was that he failed to extract the purpose of Lord Zhuang's visit to Shangsha Prefecture, although Lord Zhuang claimed that...

Having hit a bottleneck in his cultivation, he deliberately came out for a walk, and when he looked through the local chronicles, he was just trying his luck to see what opportunities might be available in Shangsha Prefecture.

But he didn't believe a word of it.

What opportunities could there be in a place like Shangsha Prefecture?

A courtyard in the city, at the entrance.

"Lord Zhuang, a courtesan has recently arrived at Shangsha Prefecture—"

"No."

Lin Yan raised his hand, interrupting Deng Hui from continuing.

"Then I will not disturb Lord Zhuang's rest any longer."

Deng Hui didn't continue speaking. He watched Lin Yan enter the courtyard. After the gate closed, the smile on his face disappeared, and he walked towards the alleyway opposite the courtyard.

Several figures were already standing in the alley.

"Keep a close watch on them. Don't let anyone suspicious approach this courtyard."

"yes!"

The men immediately agreed, their figures disappearing into the darkness.

Deng Hui looked toward the courtyard gate: "I hope this Lord Zhuang will accept the gift I prepared. Whatever his original purpose may be, he will give it up after tonight."

At the dinner table, he briefly revealed the man's background to Lord Zhuang.

Lin Yan stood in the courtyard, looking at the main house in front of him.

"come out!"

Lin Yan spoke softly, but he was confident that the two people in the main house could hear him.

A few breaths later, the main door opened slightly, and two figures walked out gracefully.

The two young women, who looked remarkably alike, were actually twin sisters.

Both women were dressed in thin gauze garments, one in light blue gauze and the other in white gauze, and both were dressed in very little fabric.

The woman in the light blue veil lowered her eyes timidly, while the other woman in the white veil was bolder. Her gaze lingered on Lin Yan, and she smiled slightly before bowing and saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

The woman in the green veil beside her quickly echoed, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

One voice was clear and bright, the other soft and sweet.

Lin Yan looked at the two women; this was the first time he had encountered such a situation in this world.

Testing his weakness?

Which inspector wouldn't withstand such a test?

According to Lin Yan's perception, these two women were not ordinary women, but rather Blood Exchange Realm martial artists. However, their blood and qi were among the weakest of all Blood Exchange Realm martial artists. Clearly, they were not Blood Exchange Realm martial artists who had cultivated normally. They were very likely to be canaries specially trained by someone to win over important figures.

This is another instance of having people secretly guarding the courtyard, and then sending over a pair of twins.

Lin Yan's lips curled up slightly. The more Deng Hui acted this way, the more it meant that the Shangsha Prefecture Patrol Office was hiding something fishy.

If he were a Dharma Aspect martial artist, Deng Hui's desire to curry favor with him would be understandable. However, his displayed strength was only at the True Qi Realm, and according to common sense, he was not worthy of Deng Hui's obsequiousness.

"Who sent you?" Lin Yan asked a pointless question.

The woman in white veil covered her mouth and smiled: "You jest, sir. Of course, someone gave the order. Shangsha Prefecture is remote, and it's rare for such a distinguished guest to arrive. The department was worried that you might be lonely at night—"

"No need," Lin Yan said calmly. "I won't be lonely. You two may leave."

Upon hearing Lin Yan's words, the two women became flustered. The woman in white quickly said, "Don't worry, sir. My sister and I will only serve in the inner courtyard. No one outside will hear anything. If you don't wish for us to leave, we will wait outside. But if you ask us to leave, we are afraid—we are afraid we will be punished for not serving you well."

Lin Yan glanced at her, his gaze fixed on the woman in white as her face grew paler.

When the woman in white could no longer bear it and almost collapsed, Lin Yan withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "You may stay in the outer room. You may leave on your own tomorrow morning."

"Thank you so much, sir."

The woman in the white veil felt as if she had been granted a pardon. In just a short while, she was already drenched in sweat. The light veil that had been fluttering in the night breeze was now clinging tightly to her delicate body, revealing her beautiful figure.

Lin Yan walked past the two women and entered the main house. The door closed the next moment.

"Sister, I—what should we do?"

The woman in the green veil lowered her head, looking somewhat bewildered.

"Just stay in the side room and don't disturb this gentleman."

Just as the two women were about to walk toward a side room, the door to the main house opened once again.

"Sir, have you changed your mind?"

"You all stay in the main house, I'll go to the side room."

Lin Yan was somewhat helpless. The layout of the main house, all kinds of furniture, including lamps and screens, were all designed to stimulate the senses. Lin Yan realized that this courtyard must be the residence of the two women.

The two women were stunned, and only reacted after Lin Yan had already entered the room.

The woman in the white veil glanced at the furnishings of the main house, chuckled, and took her younger sister's hand: "Sister, let's go inside."

late at night.

Lin Yan was contemplating the Yin-Yang diagram when his eyes narrowed as he looked at the door that had been pushed open, and quietly watched the beautiful figure enter.

boom!

The woman in the green veil who entered immediately knelt down, not daring to look up at Lin Yan, and whispered, "Please, Your Excellency, do justice for the people of Shangsha Prefecture."

The woman in the green veil had her head down, but her hands were holding a booklet.

Lin Yan did not respond, but instead sized up the woman. After a few breaths, he raised his right hand, and the booklet in the woman's hand landed in his hand.

Opening the booklet, the handwriting was delicate and beautiful, likely written by the woman before me.

After reading the contents of the booklet, a glint of light flashed in Lin Yan's eyes. After a long pause, he slowly said, "You may leave."

"grown ups!"

The woman in the green veil hadn't expected such a response, and her pretty face showed resentment.

"I will not pursue your crime of trespassing in the middle of the night. Get out."

"Yes—yes."

The woman in the green veil left with a disappointed look on her face and her head hanging low, unaware of the coldness in Lin Yan's eyes.

Shangsha Prefecture is located in a remote area and has no powerful martial arts families. The Patrol and Inspection Division is almost the only one in power.

"No wonder they're so wary of me; they think I'm one of the patrol officers?"

Ordinary inspectors do not have the authority to inspect; only level 5 inspectors have this qualification. However, they possess the authority of Heavenly Power, which is equivalent to that of a level 5 inspector.

Seven days later, Lin Yan looked at the bare, rocky mountain peaks in front of him.

For the past seven days, he has been searching the Cangshi Mountains, but has not found any clues that are related to sword marks or even sword energy.

"It seems that it will be difficult to find the cave left behind by that Senior Yue until the purple sword energy is revealed."

Lin Yan wasn't too disappointed that he couldn't find it. He was just trying his luck anyway, and he could always wait another year.

However, in Shangsha Prefecture—

A cold glint flashed in Lin Yan's eyes as he swiftly made his way towards Shangsha Prefecture under the cover of night.

Jingyue Nunnery.

Located outside the city, it covers an area of ​​10,000 mu.

Although it was late at night, the lights were on full display.

In the very center of the main hall, beneath a statue of a deity, an old man was embracing two women and groping them, while two other women were serving him beneath him.

A short while later, a middle-aged man entered the main hall. His expression remained unchanged at the decadent scene before him, as he was already used to it.

"Guardian, this batch of medicine recipients is ready, totaling 330 infants and 500 young girls."

"Okay, send it away."

The old man waved his hand, his gaze returning to the woman beside him. The middle-aged man also bowed and turned to walk out of the hall.

But when he reached the entrance of the hall, the man suddenly stood there, motionless.

"Is there anything else?"

The old man sensed that the man hadn't left, so he looked up. But the next moment, his face changed drastically, and he released his aura. Several women around him were instantly pushed several feet away. Fortunately, these women also had some vital energy, otherwise they would have lost their lives from that one blow.

Under the moonlight, a masked man stood at the entrance of the main hall.

"Are you the inspector the patrol department was talking about?"

"It seems that the Patrol and Inspection Division really is colluding with your Yin-Yang Sect."

Lin Yan looked at the crescent moon embroidered on the old man's chest, which was exactly the same as the Yin Yang Sect protector he had killed.

The booklet given by the woman in green gauze did not record the Yin-Yang Sect, but only mentioned the Jingyue Nunnery.

"You're just a lowly patrol inspector. If the patrol bureau hadn't wanted to avoid attention, I would have crushed you to dust that very day. Now that you've chosen to die, I'll grant your wish."

The old man gave a soft shout. He was a fifth-level Void Realm expert and he was familiar with the Great Zhou's patrol system.

Anyone below level five is no match for him.

Although this person enjoys the authority of Heaven, he has not passed the Level 5 assessment and at most has just broken through to the Void Realm.

As for the inability to detect their aura, it's simply because they've cultivated some kind of concealment technique; once they make a move, their true form will be revealed.

"die!"

The old man raised his hand, and a black palm print shot out, hurtling towards Lin Yan.

However, he acted quickly, but Lin Yan was even faster!

The moment the old man unleashed his black palm print, Lin Yan had already moved.

Instead of drawing his sword, he raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and punched out.

Indiscriminate killing!

The old man's sneer froze the moment the punch landed.

The punch from his opponent made him feel threatened with death.

The black palm print was shattered instantly.

The opponent's punches showed no sign of weakening.

The old man's pupils constricted, and the power of his Dharma form surged out wildly, condensing into a black barrier in front of him.

However, this black barrier was no different from the previous black palm print and was instantly shattered.

The force of the punch landed on the old man's chest.

boom!

The sound of bones breaking was crisp and clear.

The next moment, the old man's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the statue in the main hall. The statue broke off at the waist, and the upper half collapsed with a bang, most of it falling onto the old man.

"puff!"

The old man spat out a mouthful of blood, a large chunk of his chest collapsed, and his aura dissipated like the receding tide. His internal organs and meridians were shattered by the opponent's punch, and even his divine palace was directly blasted apart, causing his Dharma power to flow away wildly.

In an instant, his face turned as pale as paper, and his breath was like a candle flickering in the wind, on the verge of death.

The old man's face was filled with fear and disbelief. He couldn't understand how he, a dignified fifth-level Void Realm cultivator, could not even withstand a punch from a patrolman below the fifth level.

Lin Yan stepped into the main hall and lifted the old man's body like a chick. He had deliberately held back his strength when he punched the old man, so as to extract some useful information from him.

However, before extracting any more information, he had to deal with the other Yin-Yang Sect warriors at Jingyue Nunnery to prevent any from escaping.

Longsword drawn!

A few breaths later, sword energy crisscrossed the entire Jingyue Nunnery, and one aura after another disappeared.

P.S.: Update is late, please wait a moment.