The northwest was arid and sandy.

Not long after setting out, Xu Jingming quickly wanted to turn back. The fine wine and delicacies inevitably had a pinch of sand added as seasoning with each gust of wind, nearly chipping the teeth of Prince Rong. The sandy winds also roughened his fair complexion quite a bit.

"Qu Duanyun, this prince doesn't understand, do you disdain the Shi Rou or what? Dealing with the Red Hook Sect isn't enough, you have to specifically take such a long detour for what?" Xu Jingming hid in the carriage, using fine fragrant balm to moisturize his hands.

The past few days were all spent hurrying through the sandy plains, he was about to go stir-crazy.

"It's good for Your Highness to see some sights on this rare trip to the northwest. Once we get near the Great Forbidden Formation of the northwest, it will be lively all around." Qu Duanyun reined in his horse, answering beside the point.

"What time is it to still be sightseeing, this prince only wants to get the Shi Rou as soon as possible to present to Imperial Brother." Xu Jingming wasn't led astray by him.

The Emperor had always detested the lineage of the National Teacher, and by extension had little interest in immortal arts. Xu Jingming grew up in the National Teacher's Manor since childhood, and feared his dear brother would implicate them - the National Teacher's Manor had never done anything bad, if Imperial Brother could experience the benefits of immortal arts, this conflict might ease somewhat.

"Imperial Brother is exhausting himself for the Dayun, his complexion worsens by the day. Even if eating that Shi Rou can't lead to immortality, it must be a great tonic. The sooner we get it, the less Imperial Brother will have to suffer."

The more Xu Jingming spoke, the more he felt he was doing a good deed that benefited others and himself, even his tone carried a hint of self-importance.

Qu Duanyun was silent for a moment before responding without turning his head: "Fast horses and lightness skills are good for traveling, but Your Highness' carriages and sedan chairs all need to pick their paths. Only near the Great Forbidden Formation of the northwest are there major trade routes, so..."

The implication was very clear - he was just saying nice things earlier, in reality if it weren't for you dragging your feet the whole way, Taiheng would have long arrived.

Xu Jingming pretended not to understand and changed the subject: "The Great Forbidden Formation of the northwest sounds quite eerie, how did it become a lively place?"

"This area is arid with little rain, and sandstorms frequently cause droughts. The sandstorms coming from Xilong are especially troublesome, originally not even people could live here. When the dynasty was founded, the Sage set up a great formation here. The Xilong sandstorms were blocked outside, only then could this place support human habitation."

Qu Duanyun finally turned his head back.

Xu Jingming covered his face with a fan, furrowing his brow: "They say formations need materials to sustain them, how could such a large formation be maintained out of thin air for 300 years? Haven't heard of any formation materials being produced in Shafu."

"The Sage has his own secret methods." Qu Duanyun replied with a perfunctory smile.

Xu Jingming retracted his head back into the sedan chair, muttering: "...Seems like those secret methods have limited efficacy, if the great formation was that effective, would we have eaten so much sand?"

Who knew this careless complaint would come true.

The market on the great formation was not as lively as Xu Jingming described. Although the sandstorms here were not severe enough to make it uninhabitable, quite a bit still leaked over from Xilong. Fresh fruits placed on the stalls would be covered in a layer of dust before long. Passersby all wore light gauze masks to cover their faces, wrapped up like zongzi in the warm winds.

Fortunately, there were still inns to rest at. Xu Jingming finally stayed in a room with four walls, regaining some of his spirit. He once again donned the attire of a refined gentleman and began "secretly investigating" in the dining hall.

Qu Duanyun had long left the inn to communicate with people at Taiheng's encampment. With no outsiders watching, Xu Jingming felt very at ease.

Before even an hour passed, he had struck up a conversation with the young maid in the inn, chatting about this and that. Xu Jingming's clothes were made of exquisite fabric with superb embroidery, clearly no ordinary person at a glance. The maid was happy to earn a few extra tips and cooperated fully.

"My grandma said, the sandstorms have been getting worse bit by bit. This place used to be a major market, now fewer and fewer people come, this inn can't make money."

The maid poured wine for Xu Jingming, her Mandarin carrying the Shafu accent.

"Sir, look at the decorations in this room, aren't they pretty? My grandma's generation even gilded them with gold leaf, now it's all been scraped off. If the sandstorms get even worse, my family will move back to Shafu."

Xu Jingming tapped his fan against his palm, parroting: "This formation was set up by the Sage using secret methods, how could such a thing happen?"

"How could it not happen, the Red Hook must be digging all over, damaging the formation." The maid looked around to see no one else and said with a profound air. "I even heard people say, long ago when the Sage set up the formation here, there were grave robbers stealing things."

Xu Jingming was not surprised, such rumors about Dayun were a dime a dozen: "Mm, mm, being able to steal under the Sage's nose, impressive."

At the same time, near Shafu.

Shi Jingzhi: "...Steal from under He Cheng'an's nose?"

He Cheng'an was the name of the first National Teacher. Out of distaste for the Immortal Gathering, Sect Leader Shi had no intention of following along in calling him "Sage".

The courtyard was filled with a ruckus of foul odors, making it hard to sleep. Surrounded by eyes, Shi Jingzhi couldn't be too intimate with his disciple, so he simply chatted with Yin Ci about Hua Jingchun.

As the one who recruited the Hua family, "Su Zhi" naturally knew more - the Hua family was skilled in making grave robbing tools, with techniques only passed down within the family. Hua Jingchun was in charge of tool repair and creation in the sect, relying on this very skill.

...But to steal from under the first National Teacher's nose, the Hua family ancestors' skill could be said to be divine. No wonder "Su Zhi" wanted to bring the Hua family under his banner. Shi Jingzhi sucked in several cold breaths.

Yin Ci was unsurprised: "Indeed stolen from under his nose. It's said the Hua family ancestor snuck in among the laborers building the formation. When the great formation 'awakened', he stole several large vats of mercury from inside. The poison-resistant mouthpieces and water-resistant bags made by the Hua family are still used by the Red Hook to this day."

After saying this, he sighed with quite some regret.

"When the formation awakens, poisonous mercury vapors surround it. Not a blade of grass grows nearby, let alone people, not even an insect can be found. That Hua family ancestor's methods, even I am somewhat curious."

Shi Jingzhi leaned against Yin Ci, lightly humming a couple times. After the ups and downs of the day, he was already exhausted. Yin Ci's mellow, pleasant voice seemed to block out the surrounding foul air and clamor. Sect Leader Shi listened to the hundred-year-old legend and finally felt a bit sleepy.

Noticing Shi Jingzhi's nodding head, Yin Ci simply pressed it onto his shoulder, his voice also much softer: "Sleep."

"Say something more, anything." Shi Jingzhi mumbled, "As long as you keep talking, I won't hear the noisy sounds."

Yin Ci paused, then said with a smile: "Aren't you afraid I'll tell you some ghost stories?"

"...I'm about to fall asleep, you definitely won't." Sect Leader Shi stated with certainty, "You can't scare me..."

He figured out the way of this disciple. This person had the habit of not letting people off easily with his words - if he was still sober at this moment, Yin Ci would have easily dealt with him with a ghost story. Now that he wanted to sleep, Yin Ci would never frighten him awake.

It was strange. Although this place was dilapidated and filthy, and they were just chatting idly at the moment, Shi Jingzhi had never felt so satisfied before. It was like a starving person having a full meal for the first time, like feet that had trodden on a needle mountain stepping on soft satin for the first time.

Shi Jingzhi's voice grew lower and lower, finally blurring into a haze.

Making sure Shi Jingzhi was asleep, Yin Ci slightly adjusted his posture and also leaned against the wall. But as soon as his gaze left the person beside him, it turned cold like quenched fire.

A hundred years ago, he decided to give up exploring the mystery of his constitution and instead seek a way to die, which was why he joined Red Hook.

At that time, Red Hook was still a small sect that dug up old weapons on ancient battlefields. Its advantage was that the disciples were all local people who could not make a living. Although Red Hook did things that damaged yin virtue, there were rarely any extremely vicious people among the disciples.

It was just right for him to reorganize them.

In his "deranged" state, Yin Ci had wandered in the desert for a long time and had vague impressions of the ruins of various battlefields. He led people to sweep them one by one, repairing the good weapons and selling them to the government, while melting down the broken ones to make farming tools, thus laying a foundation. As the manpower increased, Yin Ci also led people to raid a few sand tombs of Xilong nobles, and the Red Hook Sect finally became prosperous.

Unlike the Ling Sect, Red Hook had a completely mutually beneficial relationship with the surrounding people - there were many poor people near Shafu, and when they died, they were wrapped in shabby mats at worst or thin wooden coffins at best, so what was there to attract Red Hook to dig them up? Instead, Red Hook sold antiques here, attracting many merchants to do business, and Shafu City prospered as a result.

Originally, their righteous path clearly distinguished them from the Ling Sect in the jianghu of Dayun. The rise of the Red Hook Sect added a soft gray to it.

Yin Ci's feelings for the Red Hook Sect could not be said to be deep, but he was not a heartless person. In the past hundred years, not only had Red Hook not declined, but it had also strictly followed the rules he had set at the beginning and developed steadily. Now it was about to be ruined at the hands of the Immortal Gathering, which made him feel a little irritated.

Now was just the right time.

Regardless of the Immortal Gathering's conspiracy, they only needed to derail the situation - disrupt the inauguration ceremony and capture the fake sect leader alive. Both Red Hook and Taiheng had people present, so there was no worry about not being able to catch the Immortal Gathering people.

However, appearing directly was a bit risky. Fortunately, they had a perfect "shield".

The next day.

"You want to help me?" Hua Jingchun laughed. "Do you know the situation before you offer to help?"

Her injured leg was much better, but unfortunately the wound had not healed, so she could not wear a prosthetic. She found a bench to sit on, still surrounded by the smell of fresh blood.

Yin Ci: "Of course I know. You're hiding here, wanting to gather some villagers who are dissatisfied with Red Hook to disrupt the new sect leader's inauguration ceremony."

Hua Jingchun said "oh" and neither admitted nor denied it: "How do you know?"

"Those few people around you are Red Hook disciples, their demeanor is different from ordinary villagers, and the calluses on their hands are not from farming tools." Yin Ci smiled slightly.

"Interesting. But I don't feel at ease using this help that's being offered for free."

"We are both locals of Shafu, who doesn't have a relative in Red Hook? We just returned from Qizhou and only then learned that Red Hook had become like this." Shi Jingzhi interjected with a straight face, his Shafu accent quite standard. "Protector Hua, with your leg injured like this, you don't have a good doctor by your side, right?"

Hua Jingchun was silent for a while, then slowly revealed a smile: "Forget it, in any case, we're short on manpower now, even dogs can be used."

Shi Jingzhi, Yin Ci: "..."

"You two go wait for me in the woodshed first, we're used to discussing things there. I'll finish sunbathing here and be right over." With that, she gave her subordinates a secret look.

Yin Ci saw it but smiled without saying anything.

The woodshed was narrow, filled with dry firewood and hay bales. The master and disciple waited inside for the time it took an incense stick to burn, then saw Hua Jingchun limping over with a few subordinates, stopping at the door like this.

She gave them a sinister smile and made a gesture - Shen Zhu said "oh no" and was held at knifepoint by one of the Red Hook disciples as she entered the woodshed "trembling".

"Those who show unwarranted enthusiasm are either villains or thieves. Especially those who dare not show their true faces." She snorted coldly, "This is the 'Miss Sun' you were escorting. This young lady is weak and sickly, and needs a doctor's care... Just now I had someone check her pulse and condition, you repeat it here. If it matches, we'll talk further, if not, don't blame me for not remembering yesterday's kindness."

"...As expected of an evil sect." Shi Jingzhi muttered, "Ah Ci, they're much harder to deal with than Taiheng."

Even if they did Protector Hua a hundred favors, even if Protector Hua had fallen on hard times, she would still bite back without any hesitation. Yin Ci nodded, a hint of strange gratification on his face.

"The harder to deal with, the better."

If Protector Hua was a fool who readily agreed to people, it would be difficult to act instead. This was the moment they were waiting for -

Before he finished speaking, Yin Ci unleashed his qinggong, almost instantly flashing behind Protector Hua, two fingers pressed against the vital point on her neck. Shen Zhu sighed and nimbly spun her body, causing the person holding her hostage to hug air. Several sparrows descended from the sky, pecking at that person's eyes. Startled, he dropped the knife.

The long knife fell, but no sound of it hitting the ground was heard.

Shi Jingzhi did not move his flag, he took a few steps and steadily caught the knife handle. Then he held the blade horizontally, the shining edge against the neck of another person - it was the servant who was closest to Protector Hua and spoke the most last night.

The last blast of true qi shot out, and the door of the woodshed slammed shut, scattering a layer of dust.

"Can we talk now?" The smile on Sect Leader Shi's face was hidden by the Nuo mask, only the tone still carried a bit of it.

From the beginning, the master and disciple had not expected Hua Jingchun to agree to this matter.

Protector Hua had chosen a good place. This woodshed was remote, seemed to have been arranged by her, with not a single bandit nearby, very suitable for taking action. To persuade people from evil sects, relying on favors and righteousness was not enough, strength was fundamental.

"I was wondering why you suddenly grabbed me." Shen Zhu rubbed her neck, "There were bandits watching outside, I really couldn't move. Who would have thought there would be such excitement in a place like this."

Seeing that the other party still wanted to negotiate, Hua Jingchun was not in a hurry. Her gaze swept over the three people from Ku Mountain Sect one by one, and she snorted: "To think that I, who shoots wild geese every day, would also have a day when my eyes are pecked by a goose. May I ask which heroes you are, please state your names."

"About that..."

"The matter of the Red Hook Sect should be resolved by the people of the Red Hook Sect themselves," Hua Jingchun said with an icy tone, not showing any sign of weakness. "If outsiders take advantage of this opportunity, how can I face the former Sect Leader when I descend to the underworld!"

Yin Ci: "..." Unfortunately, he's not in the underworld.

Shi Jingzhi also choked for a moment. This Protector Hua was really good at killing the conversation. Now that Hua Jingchun had fallen to this state, he knew she wouldn't easily back down, but he didn't expect her to refuse to budge at all.

They didn't intentionally conceal their identities, it's just that the Ku Mountain Sect had previously offended Dark Blood Witch to the point of no return. Compared to the orthodox sects pursuing them, the Red Hook Sect probably hated them the most.

Things were a bit troublesome, and he still needed to come up with another explanation...

With a loud bang.

Just as Sect Leader Shi was racking his brain for a response, the fragile door of the woodshed was suddenly flung open. Along with the morning light pouring through the doorway, a figure burst into the shed. The person's hair was disheveled and clothes tattered. However, that imposing manner was quite distinct, familiar to the few people present.

Shi Zhongyu's steps were hurried, nearly colliding with Shen Zhu who was guarding the door. She swept her gaze around and let out a heavy breath: "...It's good that nothing happened."

Shi Jingzhi immediately seized the opportunity: "Miss Shi, you've come at the right time."

Yin Ci also went with the flow, taking a step back and releasing the physically weak Protector Hua.

"It's good that nothing happened?" However, Hua Jingchun's attention was elsewhere. "Sister, what do you mean by that?"

Shi Zhongyu: "I heard that you brought them to the woodshed, so I knew you were going to take action. Sister Hua, they, uh... you're no match for them."

After many days apart, she still didn't know the meaning of tact.

Hua Jingchun was not offended by Shi Zhongyu's words. She urgently asked: "From what you're saying, you recognize them? Just what is the background of these three people?"

The fact that Dark Blood Witch looked down on the Ku Mountain Sect had always been apparent to Shi Zhongyu in the Underworld. She was direct in speech but had her own thoughts - Shi Zhongyu hemmed and hawed for a while, neither lying nor being explicit.

"Sister Hua, I really can't say this." She shook her head, "But I've known these few people for several months, and each of them is a highly skilled hero, that much I can vouch for."

Hua Jingchun's face darkened. She leaned against the woodpile, deep in thought. Her aura stabilized a bit, no longer emitting killing intent and hostility like before.

"Miss Shi, you also want to interfere in the succession ceremony?" Shi Jingzhi asked in surprise.

"No, this is an internal matter of the Red Hook Sect, the major sects must avoid suspicion." Shi Zhongyu shook her head, "Even though I've left Taiheng, if I act on my own, it will still ruin Taiheng's reputation. As an alternative, I can only help Protector Hua... That young sect leader really shouldn't lead the Red Hook Sect with his disregard for human life."

Her face was all eyes, and at this moment, those eyes were looking at Shi Jingzhi, her expression extremely sincere.

Shi Jingzhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He was happy to demonstrate his strength upfront, with Shi Zhongyu vouching for them. Hua Jingchun was devoted to the Red Hook Sect and at least wouldn't refuse their assistance again. He felt bitter... Shi Zhongyu's meaning was very clear. No matter how much the Ku Mountain Sect struggled, there was no reputation left to ruin.

"So you all are not from the major sects." Hua Jingchun finally breathed a sigh of relief, "With Lady Shi's guarantee, I can discuss a thing or two with you."

"Protector Hua, let me ask again. As far as I know, that young sect leader has the Sweeping Bone Sword as proof, has people from within the sect vouching for him, and even has Su Zhi's bloodline. Protector Hua, you care so much about the Red Hook Sect, yet you want to break the rules?"

To save the sect, breaking the rules wasn't anything new. However, looking at Protector Hua's steady appearance, it really didn't seem like the reaction of someone painfully "sacrificing rules for righteousness".

Hua Jingchun looked at Shi Zhongyu for a while longer. Seeing that Shi Zhongyu had no reaction, she slowly spoke: "That Sweeping Bone Sword is fake. The Hua family has always been responsible for repairing old artifacts, I could tell with one glance."

Yin Ci couldn't help but raise an eyebrow - claiming to have his bloodline was fake, and taking his sword was also fake. Who knows where that young sect leader got his confidence from.

"It's just that this thing relies on intuition. If Wu Huai doesn't hand over that sword, I can't get definitive evidence." Hua Jingchun's face lost its harshness, her tone heavy. "Wu Huai knew I could see through it. Not long after joining the sect, he found an excuse to throw me off Three Provinces Cliff... This leg of mine was lost at Three Provinces Cliff."

Shi Jingzhi: "What about the real Sweeping Bone Sword? Shouldn't it be in the sect? That counterfeit couldn't have destroyed the real one just to disguise his identity..."

That's Ah Ci's sword, he thought with dissatisfaction.

Hua Jingchun's face turned ugly: "It's embarrassing to say, but the former Sect Leader's Sweeping Bone Sword was stolen at some point and still hasn't been found. This time, to stop Wu Huai's succession, we can only fight head-on."

"I don't know why you all are helping, but this battle won't be easy. That good-for-nothing Prince Rong just had to choose this time to come, so the security in Shafu is quite strict. Taiheng's Qu Duanyun is also here. Without evidence, we'll just be seen as bandits disrupting order. If you want to gain benefits from this battle, I'm afraid there won't be much... Even if you want a reward, I don't have much to give."

"No problem." Sect Leader Shi handed over the knife in his hand, "I only want two things from you - hand over Wu Huai to us, how about it?"

"Do as you wish with him, what use do we have for that scoundrel. What's the second thing?"

"There should be a clay statue in the Red Hook Sect's storehouse, personally made by the wife of Sun Wang. After the chaos in the Red Hook Sect settles, Protector Hua can give it to us."

Hua Jingchun frowned: "That thing isn't worth much money, more of a commemorative value. Although it's not that it can't be given..."

"Then it's settled."

On the other side of the courtyard, Su Si and Yan Qing were unaware of the chaos here. Under the rule of the desert bandits, everyone in the courtyard had some injuries. Usually, the desert bandits were unwilling to work, but now there were a few rare able-bodied people. At this moment, Yan Qing was busy helping the people in the courtyard ladle porridge and distribute flatbread, working with great enthusiasm.

Su Si naturally didn't want to serve strangers. He chose the coolest corner of the wall to stay in and roasted the birds he had just caught - there was only flatbread and thin porridge here, and Yan Qing practiced every day, so he always needed to add some meat.

He played with that meat-picking short knife, humming a tuneless little song. The crude wooden handle had a lot of new blood added, now polished to a glossy shine. Su Si specifically added a small iron ring to the bottom of the knife handle, and Yan Qing's gifted Mountain Ghost Coin was tied with a red silk cord, dangling from the knife handle. The short knife was rough, but with this pendant, it suddenly gained a few points of rustic charm.

Yan Qing finished his work, and the meat on this side was also roasted. Su Si tore the meat into small pieces and threw them into the porridge: "You eat first, I'll go roast another one."

"Thank you." Yan Qing took the bowl with both hands, smiling gently.

"It's not as good as what Senior Yin makes, but don't complain," Su Si said, sneezing and wiping his nose. "Besides, this damn place stinks so much that even delicacies wouldn't taste good."

"It's delicious."

"San-zi, you can pretend to be blind, but don't talk nonsense. Don't you think I know myself?"

Yan Qing smiled without answering. He looked at Su Si, who was preparing the bird, "That knife of yours is really something. We've been out here for so long, and I haven't seen you sharpen it once."

Su Si flicked the blood off the blade, glanced around, and his smile took on a mischievous hint.

"Of course, I made it myself." He winked at Yan Qing, "Don't be fooled by its ugly appearance; the blade is made of top-notch materials."

"Where did you get the materials?"

The blade sliced through the air, cutting through the delicate bones like carving lard. Su Si glanced at the people in the courtyard and put on a profound look, "Well... I'll tell you another day when I'm in a good mood."

Author's Note:

Su Si: Hehe (?)