Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“What did you say?” Qin Long froze in shock. “You discovered the whereabouts of the evil cultivator?”
His brave heroic face paled to reveal a slightly odd expression. So many cultivators had come to Kun City searching everywhere to no avail as they discovered nothing unusual. In the end, his own son was claiming that he found that evil cultivator.
“Yes, Dad.” Qin Feng rushed to tell him about all that he had seen at that shop earlier today.
Qin Long’s expression changed drastically as soon as he heard all of that, “The sons of the Zhao family? That evil cultivator is really fearless to the extent of preying on the Zhao family members?
“I’ve heard about Zhao Jinglei. He is a genius, one of the direct descendants of the Zhao family and his natural abilities are excellent. From a young age, he had achieved an advanced stage of cultivation and carried all the great hope and expectations of the Zhao family. They had plans to nurture him and for him to enter the inner circle of Beastmaster Sect as their prodigy. What is he doing here in Kun City among the commotion instead of cultivating properly at home?”
The Zhao family was also one of the vassal families to the Beastmaster Sect. However, their power was more than a hundred times that of the Qin family. If Zhao Jinglei really got into trouble in Kun City, even if that had nothing to do with the Qin family, there was no guarantee that the Zhao family would not use this as an excuse to create difficulties for them in the future.
That was especially worrying because his own son was also hoping to enter the outer circle of the Beastmaster Sect. If he was targeted by the Zhao family’s heirs on purpose, it would have a great impact on his son’s future at the sect.
Qin Long cursed inwardly and dragged Qin Feng with him as he walked outside. Once they were out through the front door, Qin Long did not concern himself with the others and reached out to give his waist area a tap. An immeasurably long green-scaled large python unexpectedly appeared.
The python was humongous. Its body’s circumference was larger than the false mountain in the garden. When fully extended, its head was taller than the roof by a few inches. The snake’s tongue was like a spear, it could strike countless feet away. A pair of shimmering jade-like slit eyes shone with a harsh, unfeeling frigid light. The sight of it stirred fear in men.
That was Qin Long’s nascent spirit beast, the jade-eyed spirit snake.
This snake was naturally born with unique eyes, allowing it to see through illusions and spy across the nether world. Apart from that, the jade-eyed spirit snake had strong abilities and its poison was just as deadly.
Qin Long, back in his youth, had also entered the outer circle of the Beastmaster Sect and had learned the Nascent Spirit Beast Taming method. This giant snake was one of the spirit beasts that he had been nurturing devotedly. It was also the foundation for his cultivation practice during his younger days.
“Go.” With a tug, Qin Long had dragged his son to stand on the back of the jade-eyed snake with him. At the bark of his order, an ominous wind began to stir around the outer edge of the large snake, causing it to lift into the air in flight as it hurtled in the direction of Kun City.
“I hope that Zhao boy isn’t dead or there’ll be a lot of trouble ahead,” Qin Long muttered to himself in mid-air.
“Even if something happened, we weren’t the ones who did it. So it shouldn’t have anything to do with us right?” Qin Feng asked curiously.
“You don’t understand.” Qin Long turned around to gaze at his son. “There are certain people that you can’t reason with. They only believe in power and brute force. They think that because they have the strength and capabilities, they can do as they wish.
“If that Zhao Jinglei dies in Kun City, even if the Zhao family sons do not deliberately target you, the lackeys surrounding them will understand their intentions and try to crush you to get into their good books when you enter the sect in the future.
“Although our Qin family is not a vassal of the Zhao family, Kun City comes under the jurisdiction of the Tieling County. We can’t avoid interacting and doing business with them. Remember, if you ever come across any sons of the Zhao family in the future, do not incur their wrath lightly.”
“I understand, Dad,” Qin Feng answered but inwardly he frowned as he could not believe that a scenario like this could exist in the cultivation world.
After pondering the issue, he came to the conclusion that it was extremely normal. Men had selfish desires and even after they entered the world of cultivation, it did not mean that they were saints with pure hearts and no worldly desires. There would be no lack of friction between the cultivators.
As he arrived at this thought, he silently prayed that Zhao Jinglei was safe and unharmed. Unfortunately, he knew that the likelihood of that happening was very low. Half a day had already passed. If that black-robed person was truly the evil cultivator, it was extremely likely that he had already dealt with them.
The jade-eyed spirit snake flew at neck-breaking high speed, arriving in Kun City in no time at all. During normal times, cultivators were not allowed to fly within the city limits. However, Qin Long was a different case, as the patrol officer of Kun City he was recognizable to all the city officers. None of them would stop him and he was allowed to head straight for the county office.
As soon as he was outside the county office, Qin Long urged his jade-eyed snake to land and kept it with a wave of his hand. He shouted, “Herald, hurry up and get all the officers from the patrol office to gather here. They need to come with me to apprehend a wanted criminal.
“Furthermore, quickly head to the courier station to invite Master Li from Jun City here. Tell him that I’ve discovered the trail of that evil cultivator. Swiftly ask if he’ll give us a hand before that evil cultivator gets away.”
Once he heard Qin Long’s shout, the bailiffs standing guard inside the county office did not dare to delay and scurried off moving ahead to the different areas to deliver the message. These bailiffs were no ordinary folk, they were all highly trained in martial arts so their speed could not be considered slow.
The patrol office was situated very close to the county office. Due to this, it did not take long before over a hundred officers had arrived at the county office to report for duty, each carrying all sorts of weapons; swords, spears, arrows, and crossbows.
Even though the sheer force of these officers was not considered much, there was strength in numbers. With their help, searching a large area would not be a problem.
Qin Long did not rush into action immediately but waited for Master Li to arrive from the courier station before they would head out as a group. Master Li was an expert swordsman and cultivator sent by Jun County Government. He had already mastered the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage and was close to achieving the Gold Core. In a tiny place like Kun City, there was no one who could be a match for him.
As they had no idea about the extent of the evil cultivator’s cultivation level; who was currently staying hidden within the darkness, to avoid any dangerous outcomes it was best to wait for Master Li before they acted together.
While Qin Long was waiting anxiously, into the yamen ran a manservant. He rushed up to stand in front of Qin Long and said that he had a message from the county magistrate. Qin Long frowned but could not refuse.
Although his status as a patrol officer meant that he was considered quite influential in the local sphere, the county magistrate was the head official elected by the imperial court, who was also successful in his studies—a Confucian scholar who had nurtured a noble spirit of greatness within him. The county magistrate not only had incredible capabilities but also had the backing of the imperial lords. Qin Long could not afford to offend him.
To be honest, since the arrival of the county magistrate in Kun City a couple of years ago, he has had a considerably good and easy-going relationship with the three leading families in the city. There was no need to make an enemy out of him on the account of a small matter. The magistrate must have summoned him with the intention of asking for his reasons. Qin Long had kicked up such a fuss in the middle of the night. It would be weird if the magistrate did not want to question him about this.
Hence, Qin Long sped up his footsteps to follow the manservant into the county office, entering the back chamber for his audience with the county magistrate. He planned to explain the situation in the simplest manner then rush back out.
Qin Long had barely left the room before a flash of light reflected from the other side of the corridor. It was the unmistakable sight of a blade coming speeding through at high speed. The blade swerved in the air to form a half-circle before landing on the floor. A middle-aged man with cold eyes and a skinny figure appeared.
This man was that unbeatable master swordsman from Jun City, who was also the genius who had achieved the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage.
“Greetings Master Li,” intoned all the bailiffs and patrol officers without delay as they swiftly bowed to show respect.