In a private room at the teahouse.
"See? I told you. Wasting another word on those government officials is a waste of time. Let's just hurry up and move on to the next mission," Zuo Sizi said impatiently, the moment he sat down.
Xia Yao remained lost in thought, offering no opinion. Feng Miao looked indignant, but she was also considering Zuo Sizi's proposal. After all, they were on this mission for Foundation Establishment Materials, not to settle some deep-seated grudge.
Wang Ping looked at the silent group and asked, "What mission did you accept, and why did you chase it all the way here?"
"A missing persons mission, commissioned by the Mozhou Road Inspectorate. A county was investigating two disappearances when they accidentally stumbled upon a black market conducting human trafficking. It also involved…"
Feng Miao frowned, clearly recalling an unpleasant image. She then continued, "You should know, there have always been demons who treat humans as rations, just like how we eat chicken, duck, and fish."
At this, Wang Ping and Zhao Qing also frowned, now understanding the implications of the human trafficking Feng Miao had described.
"We followed the trail to an underground warehouse. During the raid, the Snake Demon in charge managed to escape. He swam along an underground current to the Five Divine Rivers. We were in hot pursuit, chasing him for ten days and ten nights, until he finally hid in the mountain forests north of Shu County. We went in after him but ran into a horde of demons blocking our way. The moment we fought our way out, we tried to get the County Magistrate's Office to organize a mountain search, but they just gave us the runaround."
As Feng Miao spoke, her fist lightly tapped the Eight Immortals Table. With each tap, a scorched black mark appeared on its surface.
"Easy there, Fellow Daoist," Zuo Sizi quickly interjected. "Don't get angry. The last thing we need is to fail the mission *and* have to pay for damages."
"This can't be left like this…"
Xia Yao finally spoke, her voice calm. "Since we've discovered this, we can't just let it be. If we turn our backs and walk away now, I'm worried I'll be consumed by a Heart Demon during my Foundation Establishment, causing all my hard work to go to waste!"
Zuo Sizi grew sullen at her words. He walked to the window and swore.
It was only because of a burning indignation they couldn't stomach that the three of them had pursued him this far.
"Can we use the Daoist Scripture Hall's authority to force a mountain search?" Wang Ping asked.
Feng Miao glanced at Wang Ping and replied, "We could, but if we delay any longer, we might as well go back to Mozhou Road and look for new leads…"
"I have the authority of a Sixth Seat of the Daoist Scripture Hall. I can issue an order in the Prefecture City and conscript all Qi Refiners in the surrounding area…" Wang Ping's words stunned the other three.
"Weren't you supposed to be an ascetic, just cultivating in the mountains?" Feng Miao sounded a little jealous.
"A while ago, we heard that two Sixth Seats died fighting a flood dragon in the north. We were just discussing who might become the new Sixth Seats!"
Zuo Sizi sat back down. "I never thought one of them would be you."
Wang Ping felt a little awkward at their reactions. He explained, "Qianmu Temple already had two seats."
When Feng Miao heard this, her jealousy was plain on her face. After all, she was a disciple of the True Yang Sect and had toiled for the Daoist Scripture Hall for ten years without even seeing the shadow of a Sixth Seat.
Zuo Sizi sighed repeatedly, muttering, "It's not fair."
Xia Yao, still as placid as water, stared at Wang Ping and said, "You can issue the order, but you'll have to pay the corresponding reward. We can't afford that."
Hearing this, the other two nodded vigorously.
Wang Ping looked to Zhao Qing. Zhao Qing smiled and said, "Senior Brother, there's actually another way. There's no need to use the Daoist Scripture Hall's authority."
"What way?" Feng Miao asked.
Zhao Qing tugged at his clean, tidy sleeves and explained, "There's a saying… courtesy first, soldiers later. We're operating on someone else's turf, so we have to extend the courtesy first. If courtesy fails, then we can only resort to force."
He met their gazes with a confident smile. "The Sanhe Temple within Sanhe Prefecture is our ally. If you're willing to make an appearance, Senior Brother, I can invite their Inner Courtyard Director. Once we get Sanhe Temple on our side, the matter in Shu County will be as easy as lifting a finger."
"But… there's one thing we need to agree on first…"
Zhao Qing looked at Feng Miao. "The reason Shu County is giving you the runaround is simply because the local clans have business dealings with the demons. So, when everyone is searching the mountain, it would be best to turn a blind eye."
"Fine. We just want the Snake Demon!"
Feng Miao agreed without hesitation.
At that moment, a flicker of displeasure crossed the face of Xia Yao, who had until then remained serene and detached. She quickly concealed it, but Wang Ping caught it. 'She's unhappy with the idea of turning a blind eye.'
Seeing Feng Miao's agreement, Zhao Qing stood, cupped his fists, and said, "Excellent. I'll ride to Sanhe Temple at once to deliver a formal invitation. I guarantee I'll have the Dean from Sanhe Temple here within two days!"
Xia Yao watched Zhao Qing's departing back, looking as if she wanted to say something, but she remained silent until he was completely gone.
"Daoist Changqing, is your Qianmu Temple still accepting disciples?" Zuo Sizi asked in a joking tone.
"We've been accepting disciples recently."
"Think I'd be a good fit?"
Just as Wang Ping was about to reply, Xia Yao shot to her feet. "My river prawns stationed in the Five Divine Rivers have detected the Snake Demon's aura."
The words had barely left her mouth when she shot out of the private room's window. The other two followed close behind. Wang Ping, the last to leave, put down some money for the tea and jumped out the window as well, by which time the other three were already over the city wall.
Wang Ping first woke Yu Lian, performed a divination for himself to confirm there was no problem, then cast an Invisibility Technique on himself before chasing after the three departing figures.
The Invisibility Technique was very simple to use. One just needed to use their affinity with Spiritual Qi to hide their body within its flow, making them invisible to ordinary mortals.
Just as he crossed the city wall, Yu Lian warned, "So many demonic auras!"
Wang Ping performed another divination, then circulated the Spiritual Qi throughout his body and pushed off forcefully with his feet…
The next moment, his ears filled with the sound of howling wind, and his vision blurred with speed. After more than ten breaths, he saw a wide river. Far in the distance, dozens of demons were stirring up trouble in the water, confronting Feng Miao and the other two on the river's surface.
After a moment's hesitation, Wang Ping channeled his qi, pushed off with his feet, and in a few leaps, landed beside Xia Yao, revealing his form.
In the middle of the river, a Snake Demon saw Wang Ping land and said in a shrill voice, "Oho, you found reinforcements? No matter. No matter how many helpers you bring, you're all going to die today. And don't you blame me. If you want to blame someone…"
Before the Snake Demon could finish, Xia Yao seized the opportunity. Her left hand quickly formed a magic formula, and she shouted at the blustering demon, "Bind!"
The calm river water around the Snake Demon suddenly came to life, transforming in the blink of an eye into long ropes that bound him tightly and tossed him toward the shore!
Zuo Sizi and Feng Miao's faces lit up with joy. A flash of Spiritual Light shone from Feng Miao's hand as she took something like a fishing net from her storage bag. She leaped up, cast the net, and in an instant, had the Snake Demon ensnared.
But just then, Yu Lian suddenly said, "I sense a powerful malice! We have to run!"
Wang Ping was startled. As he made to flee, he prepared to shout a warning to the other three, but at that exact moment, a nauseating, foul stench filled his nostrils.
The next instant, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a giant, blood-red skull hurtling toward him…