Peng Xilai couldn't help but wince when he heard it. Was Jian Li Zhūnzhǔ showing off, or was he just piling pressure on himself?
Other sects would usually follow the vine to find the melon, uncovering the roots after tracing the clues. But the Heavenly Sword Sect? They smashed the enemy's stronghold first, then turned back to figure out the details behind the vine and melon.
Still, Yunling City was, after all, the heart of the Lingyun Continent, and Peng Xilai wasn't a puppet of a city lord either. He understood the stakes well enough. With a cupped-fist salute to Jian Li, he said,
"Rest assured, Zhūnzhǔ. I know what's at stake. Give me a day, no more than two. Within two days, I'll join your sect's operation."
"Good. I'll send messages to the other sects involved, urging them to begin internal checks to make sure this doesn't spread further. We'll split up and act."
"Yes."
Peng Xilai turned to leave. Before going, he instructed the guards to escort Jian Li Zhūnzhǔ to the guest room with the densest spiritual energy, then immediately began mobilizing personnel and tracking leads.
The steward of the Jia family's merchant firm had felt uneasy since yesterday. As a cultivator in the Divine Transformation stage, that anxiety was a clear premonition. Cultivators didn't get that kind of feeling for no reason.
So, Steward Jia had been unusually cautious these past few days, monitoring the comings and goings of cultivators and personally overseeing both incoming and outgoing shipments.
On this day, a weary-looking female cultivator in the Golden Core stage stepped into the store.
A clerk greeted her with a cheerful smile, only to be flung back by a sudden burst of her spell. He slammed into a display shelf, sending it toppling. Fortunately, the items on the shelf were shielded by defensive barriers, or there would've been serious losses.
"What are you doing?! Why attack someone the moment you walk in?"
Other clerks immediately stepped forward, their voices full of indignation. One had already gone to notify the steward.
"You're nothing but a crooked shop! You told me there were Wind-Fixing Pearls in Heifeng Ravine, tricked me into going there, but it was full of bandits! They tried to lock me up and turn me into a furnace vessel! If I didn't have a lifesaving item, I would've been..."
She was so furious she couldn't finish the sentence. But the surrounding crowd had already filled in the blanks themselves. Murmurs spread, with many criticizing the Jia firm for dishonest practices. Some even put back the items they had been planning to buy.
"Bah! You're trying to ruin our shop's reputation."
A middle-aged steward stepped out from the store, speaking loudly to defend the business.
"Everyone knows the Wind-Fixing Pearls grow only inside the Azure Black Lantern, which is found exclusively in Heifeng Ravine. You thought our beads were too expensive, so our clerk kindly told you where to find some on your own. He even said we'd buy any extras you collected. What now? You lacked the strength, failed your trial, and came back to blame us?"
The onlookers started nodding. It made sense. Many loose cultivators were short on spirit stones and would rather seek fortune by themselves. If they were lucky, they might find something more than just a Wind-Fixing Pearl. It could be a win-win.
"Kindness, my foot! Why didn't he tell me there were bandits inside? You're clearly working with them! You led me right into a—"
She didn't finish. Steward Jia had already raised his hand, and from across the shop, choked her with a single motion.
Suspended mid-air by her throat, the woman panicked and began struggling violently.
"The bandits in Heifeng Ravine are rampant, protected by the formless black winds. Everyone in the cultivation world knows this. You didn't? What, did you expect someone to hand you a Wind-Fixing Pearl for free? If so, what are you cultivating for?"
Steward Jia's words turned the crowd in his favor again. He wasn't wrong. No one owed her anything just because she was cultivating.
"Make way, make way! City guards coming through!"
At that shout, a team of armored city guards entered the store, led by a Golden Core cultivator.
"Steward Jia, what's got you so worked up today?"
The leader glanced around, taking in the mess and putting the pieces together.
Seeing a familiar face, Steward Jia flung the woman to the ground. She remained mute, her voice still suppressed.
"Captain Qi, good timing. You saw it yourself. She came in swinging. I've been more than polite already."
Captain Qi wasn't upset. Anyone would be furious if their shop got smashed.
"This is simple enough to handle. No need to be angry, Steward Jia. I'll have her detained and questioned. Might be one of your business rivals sent her to stir trouble."
He glanced at the store across the street—one run by the Wang family. The steward there stood at the doorway watching the drama unfold. When he saw Qi looking his way, he grinned and offered a mocking cupped-hand salute.
Steward Jia had suspected this from the start. Now that even Qi had noticed it, he naturally agreed.
Of course, he'd rather interrogate her in private, but if he did that, the Wang family would just accuse him of coercion. Especially with so many witnesses. Since the city guards were clearly on his side, letting them take over was the wisest course.
"Very well. I'll leave it to you."
"As it should be. Steward Jia, send someone along to make a statement."
Jia wouldn't go himself, not at his level. Captain Qi could tell and casually pointed to the clerk who had been knocked down earlier.
"You. She attacked you, so you know the whole sequence. Come with me and explain."
Jia gave the clerk a nod, and the three of them departed.
Captain Qi and his companions strolled down the main street and entered the City Guard Office. Steward Jia used his spiritual sense to watch until they went in, then withdrew it and returned to overseeing the shop.
Inside the office, they were led to a side hall. Captain Qi had someone handle the registry before slipping into the room.
The weary female cultivator rubbed her throat. Her arrogance was long gone, and she glared at the clerk. The pressure bearing down on him pinned him to the ground. If he still hadn't realized something had gone wrong, his Foundation Establishment was for nothing.
Peng Xilai sat at the head of the hall, his expression dark. Without a word, he formed a claw with his hand and pressed it atop the clerk's head, forcefully initiating a soul search. Halfway through, he suddenly yanked his hand back.
"There's a trigger seal planted in his sea of consciousness."
His face darkened further.
"City Lord Peng, if there's a seal, it means he knows the real details. What we need now is a way to make him talk voluntarily."
Peng Xilai glanced at the unconscious clerk on the floor. His brows tightened. He had already promised Jian Li Zhūnzhǔ results within two days.
The female cultivator beside him spoke up.
"City Lord, we've already taken the risk to extract this person. We can't hold him for too long, or Steward Jia will grow suspicious. He showed up right away when I made that commotion earlier. I think he's already noticed something. We have to act fast."
Peng Xilai trusted his subordinates' judgment. Without hesitation, he grabbed the clerk and left to find Jian Li Zhūnzhǔ.
"Zhūnzhǔ, that's the situation. I lack the strength to force a full soul search. Do you have a safer method?"
Jian Li listened carefully. He understood why they were being so cautious. This was a race against time. Every moment mattered.
Lowering his gaze, he reached for the black jade pendant at his waist, inputting a line of text into it. Then he turned to Peng Xilai.
"Open a gap in the City Lord's Mansion's defensive array. I've summoned someone who can safely enter his sea of consciousness."