Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

Yiyang paused for a moment halfway up the mountain.

He first used the True Qi of Wood to dispel the moisture from his clothes, then patted the mud off his trouser legs and tidied up his collar and cuffs.

The underground altar of Zenraji Temple was too large, and the number of people presiding over it far exceeded expectations.

If he were to force his way in alone, even ten lives wouldn't be enough to cover it.

Going back to Yan Wuyuan is the safest option.

Yan Wuyuan was able to suppress the late-stage True Qi Realm cultivator, and the Youquan Division's personnel were skilled in tracking and sealing off, making them perfect for blocking the underground passage.

Once the stronghold is captured, we can trace back the contacts of the abbot of Shanruo Temple and uncover the traitors of the Nine Evil Cult planted in the Sky Patrol Division.

The location of Shanruo Temple, the entrance to the secret passage, the direction of the oil lamp mechanism, and the layout of the underground hall—Yi Yang went through these things in his mind three times. After confirming that nothing was missing, he used the Water Crossing Technique to cross the river and his figure disappeared into the mountains and forests.

Before noon, the south gate of Suining Prefecture came into view in large detail.

Yi Yang stopped his movement, resumed his normal pace, and took out his token to pass through the city defense checkpoint.

Just a few steps from the main camp of the Zhenfu Guard, a young guard in the uniform of the Judgment Hall strode towards him, stopped in front of him, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a low voice:

"Lord Yi, Vice Hall Master Pei requests your presence."

Upon hearing the other person's words, Yi Yang paused in his steps.

The guard didn't keep him in suspense and went straight to the second sentence: "The lord has found out who sold your whereabouts to the man who killed the six bandits."

Yi Yang's brow twitched slightly.

He hadn't forgotten the debt from six months ago.

The image of Wu Jin and his two companions precisely intercepting him on the official road to Baiyu City resurfaced in his memory.

If I had been even slightly weaker, I would have died thirty miles outside the South Gate.

He didn't have high hopes when he asked Pei Zongyue to investigate this debt. He didn't expect to get results so quickly.

Yi Yang suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and also suppressed his plan to go find Yan Wuyuan.

Shanruo Temple is not in a hurry. Those monks have been running it for over a hundred years, so a couple of hours won't make a difference.

Right now, we need to deal with the person who leaked the information.

Yi Yang said impatiently:

"lead the way."

The guards turned and led the way, with Yi Yang following behind.

He didn't ask any questions about the details along the way, but simply reviewed the route and mechanisms of Shanruo Temple in his mind to ensure that things wouldn't go wrong when he communicated with Yan Wuyuan later.

Once things are settled here, he will immediately head to Youquan Division.

A side hall of the Judgment Hall.

Pei Zongyue sat behind his desk, with a half-bowl of tea beside him.

On his desk lay three patrol general tokens, bronze side up, with official markings arranged in a row.

Next to it was an open book of dark pages, the paper yellowed, the ink stains a mixture of old and new.

Further to the right were several opened secret letters, with shards of sealing wax still scattered on the corner of the table.

These three tokens all came from the Department of Punishment.

Yi Yang walked in, his gaze first falling on the three tokens, then sweeping over the dark curtain and secret letter.

Pei Zongyue looked up and saw him, stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and got straight to the point without any pleasantries:

"The Court of Judgment followed the informants left behind in the city by the six bandits who were killed and found an intelligence dealer outside the city."

Pei Zongyue pointed his finger at the dark curtain:

"This person has been buying information from within the Sky Patrol Bureau for a long time. The rendezvous times, communication methods, and financial transactions are all clearly recorded in this ledger."

Yi Yang didn't sit down; he stood in front of the table and listened.

"There are three people who maintain regular contact with the intelligence dealers."

Pei Zongyue picked up the first token and turned it over; his name was engraved on the back.

"The ringleader is Zhou Yang, the chief inspector of the Punishment Division."

The second one.

"Meng Qiming".

The third one.

"Zhao Hongyuan."

Three names. All of them were patrol supervisors from the Punishment Division.

Yi Yang stared at the three tokens, the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitching. He hadn't expected that all three of them were related to the Punishment Division.

"The three have been apprehended by the Hall of Judgment guards and imprisoned separately. They have not yet exchanged statements."

After saying this, Pei Zongyue pulled out a secret letter from beside the curtain and pushed it in front of Yi Yang.

Yi Yang reached out and picked it up.

The handwriting on the letter was neat, as if it had been copied.

The content is very short.

Date of departure: [Month] [Day]

Outbound direction: South Gate.

Target location: White Fish City.

The official road taken was the southern route. The mount was a strange beast horse issued by the Sky Patrol Division, which was gray-black in color and a head taller than a regular horse.

There was another sentence written at the end.

This person is over sixty years old, has reached the Inner Qi Realm in cultivation, travels alone, and is worth killing.

Yi Yang stared at the words "can be killed" for a long time without turning the page. Zhou Yang's writing was really detailed; he even wrote down what color horse Zhou Yang was riding.

Yi Yang put the letter back on the table and pressed his fingers against the edge of the paper for two breaths.

The scene of Wu Jin, Chen Xinhu, and Jiang Sha blocking his way outside the official road flashed through his mind.

The three arrived at just the right time.

His departure date, route, and mount were all discovered.

If his strength had been even slightly weaker, none of the subsequent events in White Fish City would have occurred. Jiang Yuexin would likely have received only a token, perhaps not even a corpse, instead of his return.

How much did Zhou Yang receive?

Three hundred taels.

In the eyes of these three men, his life was worth only three hundred taels of silver.

"Zhou Yang and his two companions knew that the six bandits who were killed were seeking revenge against you, but they still sent out the intelligence."

Pei Zongyue's voice was not loud, but he pronounced each word clearly: "This is no longer a matter of colluding with foreign bandits."

This is using the lives of our own officers in the Sky Patrol to exchange for money.

After speaking, Pei Zongyue put the secret book and the secret letter back into Yi Yang's hands.

Then he leaned back in his chair and looked at Yi Yang.

"Lord Yi, the Court of Judgment can execute them secretly according to the rules. Remove their names from the roster and announce to the outside world that they have been transferred to other places. Clean, quiet, and without causing any trouble."

Pei Zongyue tapped his finger on the table.

"But you are now the commander of the Zhenfu Guard."

His tone held a hint of goodwill as he said:

"If you wish to perform the procedure yourself, the Court of Judgment can transfer the person to the Garrison Guard."

"A new broom sweeps clean. The heads of the three inspectors are certainly going to be a source of some excitement."

Yi Yang understood Pei Zongyue's meaning.

This is not just about venting his anger.

The sixty men of the Zhenfu Guard had not yet fully submitted to him. Although Ning Xiong had accepted the token, the soldiers below were still observing.

If he personally dealt with the three traitors who betrayed their colleagues—and that fire spread, the morale of the Zhenfu Guard would be greatly stabilized.

Who would dare say that the new commander is an old man who takes advantage of others?

In his sixty years of life, Yi Yang has seen plenty of cases where identity is reversed.

Back then, Zhou Yang was plotting with two other people in the teahouse, discussing his whereabouts and treating a sixty-year-old acting patrol director as an ant that could be killed at will.

Now the three patrol directors are locked up in jail, their fates entirely dependent on whether Yi Yang approves or not.

That's just how the world is. You used to think I was too old, but now I'll show you what it means to be old and still alive, which is a crime.

Yi Yang stared at the words "Zhou Yang" on the file for three breaths.

Just as he was about to speak, the door to the side hall was pushed open from the outside.

The force was considerable.

The door slammed against the wall with a dull thud.

Heavy footsteps entered the room.

Yi Yang did not turn around, but his mental energy had already clearly outlined the silhouette of the person who came.

He was a little over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back, and a heavy, unsheathed sword hung at his waist.

The aura was restrained yet incredibly oppressive, revealing the cultivator's late-stage True Qi cultivation level.

The man who arrived was none other than Xiao Zhengyan, the Deputy Chief Inspector of the Punishment Division.

Two guards from the Punishment Division followed behind him, standing at the door without coming in, merely blocking the entrance.

Xiao Zhengyan stepped across the threshold, his fierce eyes sweeping across the room.

Pei Zongyue sat behind his desk, his expression unchanged.

Yi Yang stood before the desk, his fingers still resting on the edge of the secret letter.

Three booklets and confession documents were laid out on the table, black ink on white paper, facing the doorway.

Xiao Zhengyan's gaze swept over the three tokens. He recognized them. They belonged to his Punishment Division.

He didn't greet Yi Yang first.

She didn't even glance at Yi Yang a second time.

He looked directly at Pei Zongyue and said in a low voice:

"Vice Hall Master Pei."

"I punished three patrol supervisors of the Criminal Investigation Department by having them taken away from their duty rooms without my prior notice."

He took two steps forward, the heavy sword at his waist, which had been repaired five times, slapped against his side, the metal clanging against his armor buckle.

"I want to know what the charge is, and who issued the order."

His face was ashen.

At this time, the person in charge of the Punishment Division was still unaware of what connection the arrest of Zhou Yang and the other two had with Yi Yang.

He only knew one thing—his people were taken directly from the duty room by the Court of Judgment, bypassing him, their direct superior, in the process.

This is tantamount to a slap in the face within the Sky Patrol Bureau.

Pei Zongyue did not get up.

He pointed to the confession document on the table, speaking slowly.

"Zhou Yang, Meng Qiming, and Zhao Hongyuan have been selling the travel information of the Sky Patrol Bureau's personnel to bandits outside the city for a long time."

"The intelligence dealer has signed a confession, and the amount of money in the secret accounts matches up."

"The person who was betrayed was the Chief Inspector of Yiyang. He was ambushed and killed by the Six Bandits on his way to Baiyu City six months ago."

After finishing his sentence, Pei Zongyue picked up the bowl of cold tea next to him, took a sip, and then fell silent.

The side hall was quiet for five breaths.

Xiao Zhengyan's right hand touched the notch in the heavy sword at his waist.

He rubbed his thumb back and forth three times on the repaired nick.

He remembered.

Six months ago, news of Yi Yang's trip to Baiyu City leaked out, and the story of him being ambushed and killed by the Six Bandits spread for a while in the underground of the prefectural city. At the time, he heard about it briefly but didn't take it to heart.

What does it matter to the Department of Punishment of Evils what if the newly promoted acting patrol director is an old man?

Looking back now—

Zhou Yang and his two companions accidentally defecated on the head of someone they shouldn't have messed with.

Xiao Zhengyan's fierce eyes finally shifted to Yi Yang's face.

He looked at the face with a full head of black hair and an old face, at the black knife wrapped in burlap on the other person's back, and at the token of the commander of the Zhenfu Guard at the other person's waist.

The blade of light that had sent Kong Wu flying fifteen feet away on the arena flashed through his mind.

Xiao Zhengyan withdrew his hand from the sword.

He remained silent for a few breaths.

Then he spoke, his tone more subdued than when he entered, but his inherent toughness remained unchanged.

"If a crime is proven, the Punishment Department will not cover it up."

He paused for a moment, then looked down at Yi Yang with his fierce eyes.

"But Zhou Yang and the other two are the patrol supervisors of my Punishment Division."

"The authority to dispose of the offenders should first be determined by the internal military law of the Punishment Division, and then transferred to the Judgment Hall for sentencing."

He took a half step forward with his right foot, positioning himself between Yi Yang and Pei Zongyue.

"That's the rule."