Immortality and Cultivation: I can extract entries from all things.

Fang He left the guard's camp and did not return to the spirit field, but instead headed towards Master Wu's medicine shop.

Dusk had fallen, and the streets were nearly deserted. The wooden door of the pharmacy was ajar, with a faint light shining from inside.

He pushed open the door and entered. Su Yun'er was organizing medicinal herbs behind the counter. Hearing the sound, she looked up.

"Young Master Fang?"

Fang He nodded, his gaze sweeping over the interior of the pharmacy. Master Wu was not there, and the alchemy room in the backyard was also dark.

"Where is Master Wu Dan?"

"Master has gone out to gather herbs and won't be back until tomorrow morning." Su Yun'er put down the herbs she was holding and stepped out from behind the counter. "Young Master Fang, is there something you need?"

Fang He found a stool and sat down, then said in a low voice, "I want to ask you something."

Su Yun'er stood opposite him and waited quietly.

"Has there been any recent changes in the guard team? Especially regarding the departure of rogue cultivators."

Su Yun'er frowned slightly, seemingly recalling something. After a moment, she lowered her voice and said:

"A few days ago, when I went to the guard team to deliver medicine, I overheard some clerks talking privately. Zhou Xiaolan, the eldest daughter of the Zhou family, has recently placed a few people in the guard team."

Fang He's gaze sharpened slightly.

"There was a clerk surnamed Liu who was in charge of reviewing the withdrawal procedures for independent cultivators. He would find all sorts of excuses to delay processing any withdrawal applications submitted by independent cultivators."

"When did it start?"

About ten days ago.

Ten days ago.

Fang He recalled the timeline, which was right after he learned alchemy from Master Wu and was spotted by Zhou Xiaolan at the pharmacy.

That time at the pharmacy, Zhou Xiaolan publicly mocked him, saying that a rogue cultivator was not qualified to learn alchemy.

He didn't argue back at the time, but Zhou Xiaolan clearly wasn't going to let it go.

A mere rogue cultivator dared to learn alchemy right under her nose. In Zhou Xiaolan's view, this was probably an offense.

Fang He sneered inwardly.

Sure enough it was her.

Thank you.

Su Yun'er shook her head slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then added, "Young Master Fang, you must be careful. The eldest daughter of the Zhou family is not very old, but she is very favored in the Zhou family. Her mother is the matriarch of the Zhou family, and no one dares to disobey her.

Fang He nodded: "Understood."

Just then, footsteps came from outside the pharmacy.

A composed figure walked in.

Zhou Mingyuan.

When Manager Zhou saw Fang He, he paused slightly before walking in.

"Fang He, you're here."

Fang He stood up and bowed: "Steward Zhou."

Zhou Mingyuan waved his hand and sat down on a stool nearby. Su Yun'er tactfully retreated to the backyard.

"I've heard about your application to leave the team," Zhou Mingyuan said bluntly.

Fang He didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

Zhou Mingyuan glanced at him and said slowly, "Someone is deliberately delaying your procedures."

"I know."

Zhou Mingyuan nodded slightly, seemingly unsurprised that Fang He had already noticed.

"I've already asked around for you. Captain Zhou's message is that if you want to quit, you'll need to complete an additional mission."

"What mission?"

"Search for second-tier marine mammal tracks along the coastline."

Fang He frowned slightly. Tracking second-tier sea beasts was one of the patrol team's core tasks, usually carried out by teams of three to five. Sending him alone spoke volumes.

"When?"

"Report to the base first thing tomorrow morning."

Zhou Mingyuan stood up and patted Fang He on the shoulder.

"I heard about your alchemy studies from Master Wu. Your control over spiritual energy is quite good; the path of alchemy is more suitable for you than the patrol team."

He paused, then added, "Quitting was the right choice."

Fang He cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Steward Zhou."

Zhou Mingyuan waved his hand and turned to leave.

Fang He watched him walk away. Manager Zhou was a fair man, and that had never changed since they met.

In a place where independent cultivators face constant difficulties, Zhou Mingyuan's fairness is especially rare.

Just then, Fang He had a sudden thought.

[Sharpened Senses] are activated quietly.

He felt a gaze coming from the alleyway diagonally opposite the pharmacy. That gaze was cold and indifferent, carrying a condescending scrutiny.

Fang He did not turn her head to look.

He activated [Introduction to Breath Concealment (Gray)], suppressing his own spiritual energy fluctuations and minimizing his presence.

The gaze lingered on him for a moment before moving away.

Fang He memorized that location.

He didn't bother to confirm who it was, nor did he need to. There were very few people in the Zhou family who could stand near the guard's camp and look down on everyone with that kind of gaze.

Later, he learned from the side that the man's name was Zhou Yuanhai, the steward of the second branch of the Zhou family, and Zhou Xiaolan's uncle.

A person who tacitly allows his niece to suppress independent cultivators.

Fang He suppressed this resentment in her heart, showing no sign of it on her face.

The next morning.

Fang He arrived at the guard team's station to report for duty.

The clerk handed him a token and a map with a blank expression.

"Captain Zhou's orders: Investigate the eastern coastline to confirm the presence of any traces of Tier 2 sea monsters. Return before sunset to report back."

Fang He took the token and map, and glanced at them. The eastern coastline was precisely the direction Captain Chen mentioned the sea monster was most likely to approach.

"Am I all alone?"

The clerk did not answer, but continued to look through the case files.

Fang He didn't ask any more questions and turned to leave.

The eastern section of the coastline is dotted with reefs and surging waves.

Fang He walked slowly along the rocky outcrops, maximizing the effectiveness of the [Concealing Breath Beginner (Gray)] technique. His aura was contained, his footsteps were silent, and he seemed to blend into his surroundings.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, wafted towards me.

Fang He squatted down to examine the marks on the rocks.

A deep claw mark ran from the top of the reef to the bottom. The mark was about three inches wide, with charred edges.

Fang He reached out and touched the claw marks.

A sense of foreboding flashed through his mind, sending a chill down his spine. The remaining demonic energy was weak, but the power it contained far surpassed that of the Qi Refining Realm.

This was indeed left behind by a second-tier sea beast.

He continued his investigation and found several more similar traces.

The crevices of the rocks were filled with sticky residue, emitting a pungent, fishy stench. The exposed rock face after the tide receded was covered with a dense network of scratches.

These traces were taken no more than three days ago.

Second-tier sea monsters have been active in this area, and there was more than one.

Fang He meticulously recorded all his discoveries on a map, marking their locations and trace characteristics.

He didn't linger and returned the way he came.

The focus of the reconnaissance mission is to confirm the trail, not to fight sea monsters.

Moreover, with his mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation, if he were to encounter a second-tier sea beast, he would only be able to flee for his life.

In the afternoon, Fang He returned to the guard team's camp to report.

The clerk took the map and token, glanced at them, and nodded slightly.

"Come with me."

Fang He followed him through several courtyard gates and arrived at a main hall.

Zhou Tieshan was sitting in the hall handling official business, his face stern.

Fang He bowed: "Captain Zhou."

Zhou Tieshan looked up at him, took the map from the clerk, and scanned it.

"Did you go alone?"

"Yes."

"What did you find?"

"Multiple claw marks of second-tier sea beasts were found along the eastern coastline, with strong residual demonic energy. The marks were no more than three days old. There was mucus residue in the crevices of the reefs, and dense scratches on the rock walls."

Fang He paused, then added, "At least two or more."

Zhou Tieshan remained silent for a moment, then put the map down.

"understood."

He picked up a bronze token from the table and handed it to Fang He.

"Exit token. From this day forward, you are no longer a member of the patrol team."

Fang He accepted the token and bowed in thanks.

Zhou Tieshan waved his hand, indicating that he could leave.

He handled matters strictly according to the rules, without any personal feelings involved. That was Zhou Tieshan's style.

Fang He turned and walked out of the main hall.

Just as I stepped out of the door, a cool voice came from the side.

"A rogue cultivator, but he's quite capable."

Fang He paused slightly.

He turned his head to look. Zhou Xiaolan stood under the eaves, dressed in a light purple silk dress, her posture arrogant, a cold smile on her lips.

"We went to great lengths to transfer you out, but we didn't expect you to actually come back alive."

Fang He didn't say anything, but just glanced at her.

That glance was calm and indifferent, without anger or resentment, only a chilling indifference.

Zhou Xiaolan was stung by that gaze, her eyebrows furrowing slightly: "What are you looking at! A rogue cultivator with a low-grade spiritual root, does he really think that just because he's studied alchemy for a few days, he can put on airs in front of me?"

Fang He withdrew her gaze and continued walking forward.

He didn't reply. Not because he was afraid, but because there was no need.

Zhou Xiaolan snorted coldly behind her and turned away.

Fang He walked out of the guard post, expressionless.

In the distance, Zhou Mingyuan stood under an old locust tree, watching Fang He's departing figure and nodding slightly.

There was another person standing beside him. Zhou Yuanhai looked in the direction Fang He had gone, his face expressionless.

Zhou Mingyuan said in a low voice, "Second Brother, he's just a minor rogue cultivator, not worth it."

Zhou Yuanhai said calmly, "You know Xiaolan's personality."

After saying that, he turned and left without ever glancing at Fang He again.

Fang He walked quite a distance before slowly exhaling.

He looked down at the exit token in his hand, his face remaining calm.

In my heart, however, I have already engraved the two names deeply.