Qingyun City, Qingyun Province.

Amid heavy rain, the once lively streets of the vibrant city had turned even darker at night. Among the numerous houses and pagodas, most stayed shrouded in darkness. Even soldiers dared not venture out with their lamps to check the back alleys as the roaring thunder kept everyone up in their beds.

In the quiet corner of the city, a run-down building barely held itself together in the violent winds, the oil lamp’s light came out of the wide-open doors. The board above the door read Fire Pot Deity’s Abode, however, unlike the grandiose name the broken board was held together by wooden sticks and rusted nails with a few crooked characters as ink filled in for a few missing ones.

Inside this restaurant Zhao Jun sat at a lopsided three-legged stool near the old wooden counter but maintained a perfect posture, he blew on the pipping hot noodles and slurped them using the uneven and thin wooden chopsticks. On the other side of the counter, the young man with brown hair felt his heartbeat rising every moment.

“I-Is it to your taste, Immortal Zhao?” The blue-haired woman standing nearby asked, her soot-stained forehead covered in sweat when Zhao Jun turned to face her.

“The noodles are chewy and the soup is full of the bull’s vigor along with the freshness of the vegetables, an excellent bowl altogether, however…” The two gulped at the calm yet dry tone that soon gained a sharpness akin to a knife. “…something that shouldn’t be in this was added.”

The blue eyes looked deep like an ocean, however unlike the tumultuous waves of the surface, his eyes were calm like deep waters. Lifting his gaze, he looked at the wall behind the man, no he saw the three men behind it. Their figures covered in a veil of darkness, they were watching for a 100 li away, and only now did they come close.

Entering through the back door they pushed the guy away, launching him into the wall. Blood dripped from the forehead of the fallen man as they stepped over him cleaning the soles of their shoes on his back, the woman tried to rush but was stopped short by a serrated dagger. The two guys were in the sixth refinement of Golden Core, and the man in front was in the eighth refinement of Golden Core.

“Greetings Sixth Peak Master of the Azure Sky Sect, Zhao Jun. I, Wang Mo, have a question for you.” The guy with sharp canines resembling a dog sat next to Zhao Jun.

“I’ll permit it.” He said eating his noodles without a single sound.

“Hah, to think that you would be so cocky even in the face of death.” The man barked.

“That’s not a question.”

“Haha, the question, right, I wanted to ask if you want your body buried or burned to ashes after you die?” Wang Mo grinned as his subordinates chuckled.

“The moment I die, the choice is no longer in my hands.” Zhao Jun said.

“Oh, you do get it after all! You know there was this certain old man that so hell-bent on having an honorable death, saying shit like we have supported the Orthodox sects for generations and follow their teachings, the honor of my family will not be tarnished by the likes of you and yada yada.” Wang Mo spat on the floor as his black eyes turned darker. “So, I paraded his dead body around the city for everyone to see and hanged him by the city gate so the birds can have a feast, everything he was proud of, I trampled it all to the ground in five seconds. Now his son and daughter-in-law work for me, poisoning the passing by cultivators that he worshiped. How the bloodline has fallen, don’t ya think?”

A whimper came from the otherside of the counter, the woman wept in silence afraid that the knife would end her if she made a single sound.

“I still don’t understand how that relates to the question.” Zhao Jun's gaze turned the rumbustious laughter into death silence. “Do you think poison is enough to kill me?”

“It is not a simple poison, it is the Seve-”

“The Seven Cauldron Poison of the Iron Blood Sect, because of how many processes it goes through detecting is almost impossible by taste or smell, but I already knew it was in the soup.” Zhao Jun cut him off.

“And you still ate it?” Wang Mo leaned against the counter; his face full of interest.

“Unless I ate it, you wouldn’t out from your little holes.”

“I had always heard about how fearless the Prince of Scales was, today I have seen it myself.” The smirk reappeared on Wang Mo’s lips. “Today that fearlessness will be your end, in addition to the poison there are two Masters at the peak of Nascent Soul Realm, and the Heavenly Lightning Net over the city will prevent your escape. The only thing that can leave this place is your corpse, so the question.”

At the words, Zhao Jun wordlessly continued to eat, not even a single muscle of his face moved. It stayed steadfast and without worry even in the face of mocking laughter.

“I guess I can sell your corpse for a good price, whether that be to a corpse refiner or powerful women looking for some fu—!.” The door's rattle made Wang Mo flinch, he turned to look on instinct as a cold chill went down his spine.

“Ah… Sorry to interrupt you, but the door is too narrow to walk in with trash.” A black hair man with pale skin walked in.

Although the man’s eyes stayed closed, Wang Mo could feel his eyes matching his. Goosebumps rose on his body as his eyes lowered on their own, and then he saw, the trash this man mentioned.

“T-That’s…” The dagger in his subordinate dropped to the ground, the clang was similar to the ring of the bell that woke them up from the shock.

“Master Wu… Madame Pi…” Wang Mo gulped looking at the red-haired old man and the black-haired young woman.

Before them lay the bodies of the two high-ranking cultivators they talked about. Their arms were ripped off, blood leaked out of the seared wounds, the battered faces with broken noses barely drew any breaths as they stayed on the floor with their ripped dignity.

“You were talking an awful lot before, what happened now?” Ning Fan stepped on the bodies staring down his next target, his grin matching the one wiped off Wang Mo’s.

“Ning Fan.” Zhao Jun said.

“I am not doing anything though.” Ning Fan rubbed his heel on the heads of the two cultivators, bringing about pained groans from them.

When Zhao Jun looked back, Ning Fan moved three steps back and showed an amiable smile like nothing happened. Ignoring him, the blue eyes turned to the shivering dog next to him.

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“You aren’t even worth the torture, so I’ll give you a choice. Repent and slit your throat at the grave of your victims.” His voice was still the same.

Seeing the moment, the subordinates rushed towards the two mortals in the room as Wang Mo whipped out his sword in a desperate attempt.

“H-Hey, don’t fuck with us or we’ll ki—!!”

“To still try to commit a crime on borrowed time, such foolishness can only be expected from Demonic Cultivators.” Zhao Jun’s chopsticks struck the counter, and with a soft clack, three heads flew across the room, before their bodies could hit the floor they twisted inwards making a thumb-sized ball of meat and blood.

Without any other words, he went back to eating the noodles before finishing the soup as Ning Fan watched from behind. Before them, the cook and his wife stood with their heads hanging low.

“W-We know that we aren’t worthy of asking for forgiveness but plea-” The man flinched at the hand on his back.

“Lu Yan, some things in life are beyond your control no matter how much power you have. You did what you could within your power, now you have to live with that. Neither you nor I can do anything about it.” Zhao Jun wiped the mud off the man’s back and straightened his spine. “Your child is safe in the City Lord’s mansion, pick her up.”

“Y-Yes… Thank you… truly…”

Lu Yan cried bitterly, he did what he could to extend his life. Mortals didn’t have a way to oppose a cultivator. Unlike his father he wasn’t brave enough to oppose them, fearing what would happen to his wife and daughter afterward, not only did he cave in, but he also helped them trample on the legacy his father tried to protect.

“Young Lu’s legacy hadn’t died yet.” He looked up at Zhao Jun, the deep blue eyes looked back without the usual coldness but still seemed distant. “Your soup is like his, the noodles however need some work, I hope to have a proper bowl the next time.”

Without waiting for a reply, Zhao Jun placed a bag of gold taels on the counter and walked out. Ning Fan followed him, dragging the two bodies under the rain by their hair.

“Is the Second Peak Master still not picking up?” Ning Fan asked seeing the white token in Zhao Jun’s long fingers.

The silence was enough of an answer, the sudden transmission told Zhao Jun he got caught in the trap. However, why and what was Li Muchen up to? The question revolved in his head since then. His recent actions were too sudden and close to each other unlike before.

“I knew he was up to something when he asked me a question that day.” Zhao Jun didn’t expect Bian Que to be in on the plan too, it made him want to go back to the sect but it would be a waste now.

“The Second Peak Master would clean up everything by the time we go back, he must’ve contacted you knowing that.” Ning Fan said in amusement.

“Ning Fan, when you tried to take that kid away… what was his reaction?” Zhao Jun asked.

“Cold as ice I tell you. I wanted to see him panic a little after he saw that token, but nothing changed, almost like he knew… no he baited us into that by showing his interest from the start.” Ning Fan shook his head at that, after all, they went for it even when knowing of the possibilities. “We were caught in his webs since then, the attempt to get close to Wu Kexin was also anticipated and blocked by Bian Que who paid a visit without a word. Through him, we were fed this information and drawn out.”

“If you had tried hard enough, you could’ve recruited that kid from the start and things wouldn’t have reached this far.” Zhao Jun couldn’t approach Wang Yang with an offer because there were too many eyes on him, so he sent Ning Fan which also failed in the end.

“C’mon Master, you know I am not good at those things.” Ning Fan shook his head.

After a brief silence, Zhao Jun spoke up. “Are you planning something behind my back, Ning Fan?”

“Why would you think that, Master?”

“Let me put it this way, between Li Muchen and me, who would you follow?” Zhao Jun faced his subordinate, they had been together for years which is why he knew Ning Fan better than others.

“Of course, I’ll continue to follow you, Master. I do find your stubborn and straightforward nature coupled with your sense of justice quite charming.” Ning Fan knelt, hand on his chest he spoke with sincerity. “Above all, my life is in your hands.”

“Enough with the lies.”

“I am not lying. I cannot stand people who lie with a smile on their faces, it makes my skin crawl.” Ning Fan smiled.

“Is that why you hate mirrors?”

“Something like that.” With a chuckle, Ning Fan got to his feet.

“Li Muchen had always been shrewd in his ways, Master should remember his duel with Xiao Miaorui. To me, Li Muchen is someone who will even join the Demonic Sects if it fits his purpose, I can’t follow someone who never shows his true intentions, I prefer pure-hearted people.” The serious tone turned the already gloomy night worse.

“Li Muchen would never join the Demonic Sect.” Zhao Jun shook his head.

“For someone who hates him, Master sure trusts him a lot.”

“I have never hated him, though I still believe that he is unfit for the position he holds. Aside from that, I do respect his dedication to the Sect, if only he had more talent.” Zhao Jun turned around, continuing down the path as the rain stopped. “The matter at hand is a confusing one. What does he gain from doing this?”

“This is why I told Master to stay in the sect for a few days so we can scout the situation. Qingyun Province is a neutral territory, we have no obligation to protect it.”

“You have to keep the land around your house clean at all times, or more pests will gather. I do not want the Sect Master to come back from seclusion with such filth around, everything should be as when the Sect Master entered seclusion fifty years ago.” Zhao Jun said.

“That is why Second Peak Master’s plan succeeded.” Ning Fan sighed.

Zhao Jun received news of Li Muchen’s visit to the Peak yesterday, Xu Ye said that he handed an Entrapment Pouch to a disciple from the Fourth Hall, Fu Yuzhe. That was still half of the situation, the other half only matched when they looked back at the previous actions.

“When Second Peak Master handed the evidence, he didn’t hand over one Three-Mouthed Centipede, it belonged to the leader of the attack group.” Ning Fan added.

“Do you think that he used that to draw out, Fu Yuzhe? If that is true, then that one must be a spy.” The conclusion came naturally.

“But the fact that the spy was drawn out by a Three-mouthed centipede is more concerning, they aren’t that easy to catch after all.” Ning Fan said.

“We’ll find out soon what the deal with the Centipede is.” Zhao Jun’s cold eyes turned toward the two half-dead Demonic Cultivators. “Contact Shen Ning right now.”

“Be careful Master, this might be another bait he has prepared.” Ning Fan said.

“Since I have already bitten onto it, I better take the worm and pull him down too.”

“I suppose that is only fair.” The pleased Ning Fan nodded in agreement.

“I’ll take care of these two, you should focus on the Sun Cult in the west.” Zhao Jun said.

“Oh, are we finally moving?” The corners of Ning Fan’s lips pointed upwards.

“Since he has started to make his move, I can’t fall behind. We’ll hunt the Sun Cult before the year ends, and you will be leading the charge.”

“Huhu, finally I can do something I am good at.” Ning Fan's steps became lighter.

Li Muchen… I will uncover what you are planning soon. Zhao Jun looked at the unresponsive white token.

***

That guy finally stopped contacting me, huh? As the communication token turned silent, I understood that Zhao Jun had caught onto the clues and started to speed up his plans in response.

Ning Fan and him will get busy with the Sun Cult this year, it will give me time to put my plans into motion without any interference. The first part of that plan involved Fu Yuzhe.

“Are you going to keep your mouth shut after all this?” The young boy shivered at my words, however that was none of my concern. “You said those Demonic Cultivators have your sister, right?”

“Y-Yes.” There was a bit of hope in his voice still, he must want me to help him with this as he had no choice, and I’ll help him alright.

“I’ll help you save your sister if you do something for me.”

He looked up at my words, his eyes filled with distrust but also brimming with hope. The previous outburst of mine must’ve looked like a momentary fit of anger to him, after all, even saints can lose their tempers sometimes.

“…What do I have to do?” Getting himself together, Yuzhe spoke with caution.

“It isn’t much different from what you were about to do.” I smiled seeing his confusion. “You have to take the Three-mouthed centipede back to them.”

The best way to deal with this situation was to give them what they wanted, with my twist of course.