Chapter 395 - 392: North Mountain Herb Field
Chapter 395: Chapter 392: North Mountain Herb Field
’My movements are noticeably quieter!’
Fang Han was experiencing the changes that came with mastering his Wind and Cloud Escape to the Great Success Realm.
After reaching the Great Success Realm, his movements had become much quieter, almost undetectable.
When he used the Body Technique, even a Martial Artist with the keenest perception would find it difficult to pinpoint his true location.
’My speed has also increased dramatically!’
With a mere thought, Fang Han’s figure blurred.
WHOOSH—
In just an instant, he was at the courtyard wall.
The speed was so great it even startled him slightly.
He turned and executed the technique again.
This time, he put his all into it.
In the courtyard, his faint cyan figure seemed to melt completely into the wind.
To the naked eye, one could only vaguely make out a faint, distorted trail, as if it were not a person but the shimmering of air in the sunlight.
He would dart forward, then stop abruptly. One moment he was leaving afterimages in a tiny space, the next he would instantly appear at the opposite corner of the courtyard.
His speed, agility, and the fluidity of his movements all reached an unprecedented level.
He was at least twice as fast as before.
After a long while, he came to a stop in the courtyard, panting lightly.
But his eyes were astonishingly bright.
’With my current speed, combined with the ferocity of my *Nine Swords of Sky Splitting* at the Perfection Realm...’
He didn’t finish the thought, but the faint smile playing on his lips said it all.
Although mastering *Wind and Cloud Escape* to Great Success didn’t directly increase his Power of Attack, the explosive boost to his speed and agility was an enormous combat advantage.
He could advance to attack or retreat to defend at will.
Combined with his incomparably fierce Perfection Swordsmanship, his overall combat prowess had undoubtedly soared once more.
’Mastering *Wind and Cloud Escape* to Great Success is a good thing, but...’
As his breathing settled, Fang Han muttered to himself.
His *Wind and Cloud Escape* had reached Great Success, and was now only a step away from the Perfection Realm.
Once it reached Perfection, if he wanted to improve his Body Technique further, he would need to get a Grandmaster-level Body Technique.
Furthermore, the *Profound Wind Technique* he currently practiced was only a Top-Grade Inner Power. While it was enough to support his Cultivation up to the Upper Three Grades, its cultivation speed and the quality of his Inner Qi were ultimately inferior to a Grandmaster-Level Inner Power.
It was equally necessary for him to switch to a Grandmaster-Level Inner Power.
One Grandmaster-level Body Technique and one Grandmaster-Level Inner Power. Those two Grandmaster-Level Martial Arts would require two Major Merits, which was equivalent to six Minor Merits.
But right now, he only had a single Minor Merit, leaving him a full five Minor Merits short.
’Five Minor Merits short...’
Fang Han’s brow furrowed slightly.
Five Minor Merits. That was no small gap.
When it came to Sect missions, Contribution Points were easy to come by, but Merits were hard-won. It was extremely rare for an ordinary mission to award even a single Minor Merit.
A mission as dangerous as the one in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range had only awarded two Minor Merits in the end.
Saving up another five Minor Merits would be easier said than done.
’I have to find a way to earn Merits. But missions that award Merits are rare; you can’t just take one whenever you feel like it!’
Fang Han’s frown deepened.
Merits were the currency used within the Qingxuan Sect to exchange for rare resources, their value far exceeding that of Contribution Points. As such, the Qingxuan Sect was always extremely cautious about awarding them.
Most missions only gave Contribution Points as a reward; only the most important tasks offered Merits.
He had no idea if he would even be able to get such a mission, let alone earn the Merits he needed.
...
"Did you hear? Something happened at the North Mountain herb field..."
"The North Mountain herb field? Isn’t that one of the Sect’s most important? It’s guarded by Stewards and disciples year-round..."
"They’re all dead."
"What?"
"The two Stewards and twelve disciples guarding the herb field... not one of them survived. And all the nearly ripe Golden Thread Lingzhi, Blood Ginseng, and Purple Heart Fruits... completely plundered."
"How is that possible? Who would dare make a move on the Qingxuan Sect’s herb fields?"
The news began to spread in the afternoon.
At first, it was just scattered whispers in the corners of the Dining Hall, under the shade of trees by the Martial Arts Arena, and among the crowds lining up at the Task Hall.
But in less than an hour, the news spread like wildfire, sweeping through the entire Qingxuan Sect.
Outrage.
Every disciple of the Qingxuan Sect who heard the news was filled with irrepressible fury.
In the several hundred years since its founding, when had the Qingxuan Sect ever suffered such a provocation?
This was an affront to the prestige of the Seven Sects, to the honor of the undisputed hegemon of Qingyang County.
Now, a group of bandits had appeared out of nowhere and slapped them soundly across the face.
"Find them! We have to find them and tear them limb from limb!"
"If we don’t avenge this, how can the Qingxuan Sect maintain its standing among the Seven Sects?"
Angry voices echoed throughout the Sect, lingering for a long time.
「Courtyard Thirty-Five.」
When Qiu Lan returned, her steps were a little quicker than usual.
She crossed the main courtyard and went straight to the smaller yard where Fang Han was cultivating, calling out softly.
"Senior Brother."
"What is it?"
Fang Han stopped his Cultivation. The aura around him hadn’t completely settled and was still fluctuating slightly.
"Senior Brother, something’s happened! The Sect’s North Mountain herb field... it was plundered by a band of robbers! The two Stewards and twelve disciples on guard, plus the dozens of servant disciples who tended the fields, were all killed."
Qiu Lan’s face showed unconcealable shock.
"Are you certain this news... is true?"
A look of shock appeared on Fang Han’s face.
"It should be."
Qiu Lan nodded.
"The news has spread all over the Sect. Everyone is talking about it. They say the robbers launched a surprise attack at night, slaughtered everyone on guard, and looted all the precious herbs from the field."
Fang Han’s brow furrowed.
’Bandits.’
’Plundering the Qingxuan Sect’s herb field.’
’Slaughtering Stewards and disciples.’
The words, put together, created an indescribable sense of dissonance.
’What kind of power was the Qingxuan Sect?’
’One of the Seven Sects, the undisputed hegemon of Qingyang County.’
’Within the Sect, Grandmaster-level experts stood guard. There were dozens of Elders of the Upper Three Grades, over a thousand Official Disciples, and if you included the servant disciples, the total number was in the tens of thousands.’
’An organization like this? Never mind common bandits, even the major powers within the county wouldn’t dare provoke them lightly.’
’The best example was the Ten Thousand Treasures Building. As soon as they learned they had offended a True Inheritor of the Qingxuan Sect, they immediately chose to apologize and offer compensation.’
’How could a band of roaming robbers, even if they had the gall of gods, dare to strike against the Qingxuan Sect?’
’And even if they did dare, how could they have slaughtered two Stewards and twelve disciples and then leisurely made off with the herbs?’
’The Stewards assigned to manage a place as important as the North Mountain herb field would definitely be among the most powerful Stewards, at least Fourth-Grade Martial Artists.’
’To be able to kill and loot so cleanly... the strength of those robbers was by no means ordinary.’
"Senior Brother, what’s wrong?"
Qiu Lan asked softly when she saw Fang Han standing in silence.
"It’s nothing. You may go."
Fang Han came back to his senses and shook his head slightly.
"Yes."
Qiu Lan bowed and turned to leave.
Fang Han stood before the door, his gaze as calm as still water as he looked at the bamboo grove in the courtyard.
’This matter is probably not that simple.’
He was just about to resume his Cultivation when a set of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the courtyard gate.
A servant walked in quickly, came before Fang Han, and bowed in salute.
"Senior Brother, Vice Hall Master Chen requests your immediate presence at the Law Enforcement Hall."
A strange glint flashed in Fang Han’s eyes.
’Vice Hall Master Chen is summoning me, and at a time like this...’
He nodded.
"Understood."
The main hall of the Law Enforcement Hall was as solemn and dignified as ever, the air filled with the faint scent of sandalwood.
Fang Han followed a disciple on duty through the main hall and along a corridor to the door of a side hall.
The disciple on duty stopped, turned sideways, and said, "True Inheritor Fang, please."
Fang Han nodded slightly and stepped inside.
There were already two people in the hall.
One of them, seated in the chair of honor to the left, was the handsome and composed Luo Yuntian.
The other, sitting across from him, was Yun Muyao. She wore a simple white dress, her face veiled with a white gauze that revealed only a pair of eyes as clear as a frozen pond.
Hearing the footsteps, both of them looked up at the same time.
Fang Han clasped his hands in a salute.
"Senior Brother Luo, Senior Sister Yun."
Luo Yuntian nodded slightly, a faint smile on his face serving as a reply.
But beneath that smile, a flicker of some imperceptible, complex emotion seemed to hide in the depths of his eyes.
This Junior Brother Fang, who had joined the Sect just over two years ago, was now ranked fifteenth on the Celestial Pride List, while he himself remained at seventh.
The feeling of being relentlessly pursued and even surpassed by a newcomer was not a pleasant one.
But he was a senior brother, after all. He quickly suppressed that flicker of emotion, and his voice was steady as he said:
"Junior Brother Fang, you’re here. Sit."
Yun Muyao’s eyes, as clear as a frozen pond, fell on Fang Han, and a slight glimmer passed through them.
"Junior Brother Fang, congratulations. You’ve surpassed me in the rankings. What you said back then really came true."
Her tone was placid, betraying no emotion.
But from those cool, clear eyes, Fang Han caught the faintest hint of... resentment?
Fang Han was momentarily taken aback, then shook his head with a helpless smile.
"Senior Sister Yun jests. The rankings are just for show. With your strength, Senior Sister, you’ll naturally be able to catch up next time."
"Catch up?"
Yun Muyao raised her head, her clear eyes fixed on Fang Han.
"With the speed you’re improving, how am I supposed to catch up?"
Her tone was still level, but the teasing undertone could no longer be hidden.
Fang Han gave another helpless smile, unsure for a moment how to respond.
Luo Yuntian sat to the side, watching their back-and-forth, the corners of his mouth curving into a slight smile.
He could tell that Yun Muyao was more talkative than usual today, which was a rare sight for the normally cold and aloof woman.
Evidently, she was still a little peeved about being surpassed on the Celestial Pride List.
"Alright, Junior Sister Yun, stop teasing Junior Brother Fang."
He spoke, his voice gentle.
"Vice Hall Master Chen has summoned us. It’s likely for an important matter."
Yun Muyao’s smile vanished. She nodded slightly and said no more.
The hall fell silent.
None of the three spoke again, each sitting upright and waiting quietly.
A moment later, steady footsteps sounded from outside the hall.
The three of them looked up at once.
A figure strode in.
Chen Wanjun was wearing a deep cyan Elder Robe today. His face was gaunt, his gaze serene.
He walked into the hall, his eyes sweeping over the three of them before giving a slight nod.
"You’re all here."
"Vice Hall Master Chen."
The three stood and saluted with clasped hands.
Chen Wanjun walked to the head seat and sat down, gesturing for the three to be seated. His gaze swept over their faces as he asked,
"You’ve all heard about the matter with the North Mountain herb field, I presume?"
"I have," Fang Han replied, his expression turning serious. He had figured this was the reason for the summons.
Luo Yuntian and Yun Muyao also nodded in affirmation.