Chapter 106: Illegitimate Son
Linjiang Prefecture.
The border between Wushan County and Zhutou County.
The terrain here is undulating, with a green mountain stretching between the two counties. The mountain is not high, but due to a prospering Baoguang Temple in the mountains, it attracts crowds of tourists and pilgrims.
Urgent hoofbeats approached from afar, as a group of nearly twenty riders galloped over, kicking up billowing dust.
The knights on horseback were all robust in aura, dressed in tight martial attire, carrying weapons, clearly all Jianghu martial artists.
The leader wore a simple plain azure robe, with a lean face and sharp glint hidden in his eyes; it was none other than Qing Lingzi.
In the blink of an eye, the group arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Qing Lingzi looked up and saw a temple hidden among the trees halfway up the mountain, with incense smoke wafting and forming a misty aura.
“Up the mountain!”
“Grab the person!”
Qing Lingzi was the first to leap off his horse and issue the order.
After publicly executing the remnants of the Guo and Hua families in Qingxu and Yangquan counties, he quickly returned to the prefecture city and received a new task.
Or rather, the original task.
Capturing those so-called immortal aunts from the Biwu Immortal Realm.
At first, Hong Yuan only killed Wei Zhenzhu and ignored the rest, as there was no choice—insufficient forces.
But after absorbing the Town Sea Alliance, the good days for these escaped fish were coming to an end.
With just one order, his subordinates immediately sprang into action, and after raiding Wei Zhenzhu and Zhou Wenjie’s mansions, they uncovered a list of names.
What followed was simple: capture and kill according to the list.
Even though the Town Sea Alliance only controlled two counties, Qing Lingzi and the others could cross counties to grab and kill people, and Dragon Steed Mansion still did not dare to interfere.
Everything went smoothly until capturing the last immortal aunt, who was a matron from Shuiyue Nunnery.
She had sensed the wind beforehand and immediately fled, going into hiding.
Qing Lingzi had only recently received the report that the matron had hidden in Baoguang Temple.
The martial artists roared in acknowledgment, leaving four to guard the horses and block the path, while Qing Lingzi led over ten martial artists with a chilling aura straight up the mountain path.
Pedestrians and pilgrims on the mountain path scattered to dodge.
Moments later, Qing Lingzi and the others pressed to the temple gate. He looked out and saw towering halls, the temple covering a large area, with pilgrims and monks shuttling back and forth inside.
Due to their arrival, some panic appeared in front of the temple. Qing Lingzi raised his hand, stopping his subordinates from rushing in immediately.
A welcoming monk’s face changed slightly as he came forward: “No weapons before the Buddha. If you benefactors are here to pay respects and burn incense, please put down your sharp tools…”
Qing Lingzi said: “We have come to seek a matron from Shuiyue Nunnery.”
The welcoming monk’s expression tightened, hands clasped: “This is a monks’ temple—where would a matron come from? Benefactor, do not joke.”
Observing the change in his expression, Qing Lingzi was already eighty percent certain and said indifferently: “Please have your temple’s abbot Hongfa come out to meet.”
The welcoming monk wanted to say more but was fixed by Qing Lingzi’s sword-like gaze, shuddering and hurriedly running into the temple.
Soon, Qing Lingzi’s ears twitched as he heard a series of muffled footsteps.
Then dozens of guardian martial monks surged out holding spears, staffs, and monk’s knives. A fierce-looking monk with a scar on his face bellowed: “Who dares come to my Baoguang Temple looking for trouble?”
“Attack!”
With a clang, a flash of sword light shot from Qing Lingzi’s hand like a roaming dragon, swiftly darting in a clear shadow and plunging into the midst of the martial monks.
About the time it takes to burn one incense stick later.
In a Zen courtyard, Qing Lingzi’s face was grave. At his feet lay a female nun’s corpse, and besides her, two temple monks.
One was Baoguang Temple’s abbot Hongfa, around thirty years old; the other was a burly martial monk whose martial arts had reached the Freely Control level.
The martial monk had been severely injured by Qing Lingzi, his life or death unknown. Hongfa, however, glared fearlessly at Qing Lingzi, sneering repeatedly: “You killed Dinghui? Do you know she was my favorite? And you dare injure me? You’re dead— even the Heavenly King can’t save you!”
Qing Lingzi took a deep breath.
Hongfa’s martial arts were mediocre, not even Entering Force, but he was not only the abbot of this vast Baoguang Temple Zen courtyard—he also had a Force Transformation second-layer master protecting him.
It was just that his background was too great, so great that even Qing Lingzi, a master on the verge of reaching the Microscopic Level, was shaken.
Just as he was about to act against Hongfa, the other revealed his identity.
Hongfa was the illegitimate son of Vajra Temple’s Disciplinary Head Huitong!
This was beyond what he could handle.
“Take him back!”
Qing Lingzi waved his hand.
The group hurriedly descended the mountain.
Entering the prefecture city, Qing Lingzi went to pay respects to Hong Yuan but learned he was not in the city, so he temporarily imprisoned Hongfa in the Town Sea Army’s jail.
Xingqing Prefecture.
Last time escorting the Yang Erhu and Yang Jinbao brothers, they had only reached the border between the two prefectures—this was Hong Yuan’s first time coming.
Within the prefecture city.
Hong Yuan was dressed in black attire, his hair casually tied with a wooden hairpin, with few adornments on his body—only a brocade sachet handmade by Tao Xiyue hanging at his waist.
Though it was his first time in Xingqing Prefecture, his deeds had already spread throughout Mingzhou’s prefectures and were gradually expanding to places across the land.
Ordinary people aside, any force in Mingzhou with some power had his portrait. The reason he wasn’t recognized was that Hong Yuan had spent time devising a method to alter his appearance.
By slightly adjusting the contours of his facial muscles, he remained strikingly handsome, but unfamiliar people could no longer link him to the Zhenhai Dragon King.
Though Hong Yuan had agreed to Song Yinglong’s deal to strike at the Zhongyu Sect once, more importantly, he wanted to see the foundation of this former top-tier great sect in Mingzhou and check if he could obtain a true skill.
Thus, even upon arriving in Xingqing Prefecture, he had no interest in meeting the Dragon Steed Army and entered the prefecture city on his own.
Due to the Dragon Steed Army’s invasion, the major noble clans of Xingqing Prefecture guarded the city gates extremely strictly, but this of course was useless against Hong Yuan.
Walking along the long street, Hong Yuan looked around with keen interest.
Though the flames of war had reached here, the combined forces of Xingqing Prefecture’s factions were trading blows with the Dragon Steed Army, even holding some advantage, so the prefecture city remained lively, with major marketplaces operating normally and clamor everywhere.
Hong Yuan thought of his cheap master and martial uncle, not knowing where they were now or if they had left Xingqing.
Recalling how Yang Jinbao had sighed in his presence about Xingqing’s beauties being charming and alluring, and considering Yang Jinbao’s character, he was indeed no upright person.
Hong Yuan frowned, pondering the most likely place Yang Jinbao would go, and unwittingly arrived at a prosperous spot.
Sounds of silk strings and pipes, warbling girls entered his ears; before his eyes, red and green intermingled, candlelight flickering in vermilion-lacquered corridors, with enchanting figures half-hidden behind embroidered curtains.
Hong Yuan suddenly understood and immediately stepped inside.
Given Yang Jinbao’s habits, he was eighty to ninety percent likely to come to a place like this. He had no other intentions—it was purely to find the person.
