Nameless District: Chapter Sixteen - Whose Danger Belongs to Whom

The next morning, Zhou Xuanhong completed the final circulation of his cultivation and awakened from his practice.

“Such repeated purification is making it increasingly difficult to suppress my realm, but it doesn’t matter. It’s just in time to carry out the hidden plan in a month. Wang Li, I hope you can survive my machinations.”

Still famished, still depleted in energy and blood, still skin and bones, Zhou Xuanhong stepped out of his room. He saw the Vital Blood Uplifting Grass had sprouted tender shoots from the earth, emerald and translucent, with faint blood-red lines barely visible upon close inspection.

When he exited the Sect Leader Peak’s grand formation, Zhou Xuanhong placed the black insect that had killed Chen Xin into his insect nest, then rode his flying sword to the mountain gate. There, besides two outer sect disciples meditating by the entrance, a burly man was also sitting cross-legged beneath a tree not far away.

Sensing someone’s arrival, all three opened their eyes at once. The two guards recognized Zhou Xuanhong, one of whom was surprised, “Hey, Junior Brother Zhou, you’ve broken through to the late Qi Refining stage as well? Congratulations!”

Zhou Xuanhong smiled faintly. Before joining Xingyan Sect, he intended to play the fool, but now with the identity of a true disciple, hiding his cultivation was unnecessary, even detrimental to his upcoming plan for the spiritual medicine micro-world in a month. He decided to level his displayed cultivation with his true power within a month.

“Yes, I broke through last night. The Sect Leader Peak is truly remarkable—the spiritual energy is so dense.”

The three cast envious glances his way. The gap between people is so stark: the two guards, mere outer disciples, earned thirty spirit stones a month for their duty, cultivating at the mountain gate where spiritual energy was scarce.

Zhou Xuanhong, on the other hand, entered one of the most abundant peaks upon joining the sect, cultivating at the Sect Leader Peak with a steady income of one hundred and fifty spirit stones each month, without any duties. Comparing people only brings frustration!

“How did the task I assigned you go?” Zhou Xuanhong asked. Xu Biao dared not meet his gaze, taking two beast corpses from his storage pouch—one a Black Horned Sheep at early Qi Refining, and the other a Red Leaf Python at mid Qi Refining.

The Black Horned Sheep was easy—a herbivorous beast, no trouble for Xu Biao. The Red Leaf Python, however, was dangerous; a single misstep could mean being swallowed alive, its attack power formidable among its peers.

“Red Leaf Python? Didn’t expect you to pull that off. Well done.”

Xu Biao scratched his head sheepishly. “Sir, it’s not what you think. I didn’t hunt it actively; this python attacked me while I was passing by, so I used the magical treasure you gave me to kill it. I should be the one thanking you!”

Zhou Xuanhong stored the beasts in his pouch and smiled, “Smooth talker, less flattery, more action. If you can bring beasts like these more often, I’ll reward you with a wealth of cultivation resources.”

Xu Biao dropped to one knee and cupped his fists. “Thank you, Sir!”

“By the way, in the coming days, I might not be the one collecting the beasts. It’ll be a pair of siblings—just hand things over to them. You can go now. Stay alert. If anything seems off, use the talisman to contact me immediately.”

“Yes!” Xu Biao departed decisively, abandoning any attempt at ingratiation. Although simple, he knew he had no basis to cozy up to someone like Zhou Xuanhong.

As he left, he muttered to himself: were it not for the unchanged voice and the true disciple token at Zhou Xuanhong’s waist, he’d doubt this was the same person as yesterday—so skeletal.

After bidding farewell to the guards, Zhou Xuanhong arrived at the usual spot, where the Kong siblings had just arrived. They greeted him and began lighting the stove.

“Little Ri, up so early today! I’ve brought something special—guaranteed to satisfy you, though I worry you won’t know how to cook it!”

Kong Xiaori, the elder brother, protested, “Show me what you’ve got. Don’t underestimate my cooking. Anything from the sky, water, earth, or even underground—I can cook it all.”

“Oh, such confidence! Let’s see how you handle this!”

Zhou Xuanhong tossed out two beast corpses from his storage pouch. The Black Horned Sheep had its throat slit and died from blood loss, while the Red Leaf Python had been decapitated.

When the python was laid out, its body was still twitching.

This is a hallmark of reptiles—their primitive nervous systems allow organs to function independently for a time after decapitation.

The head had been removed by Xu Biao; otherwise, touching it might trigger a reflex bite.

“Whoa, that’s a big python—mid-stage Qi Refining beast, right? So fresh!”

Zhou Xuanhong took out a spirit sword, intending to help Kong Xiaori with skinning, and laughed, “Of course. Not just today, but for the next month, you’ll have fresh beast meat every day. Your culinary skills will surely improve—shouldn’t you thank me?”

Kong Xiaori rolled his eyes, snatching the sword, and retorted, “If you don’t eat, I’ll thank you.”

“Can you manage? You’re only at the third layer of Qi Refining. The python’s scales are tough.”

He handed the spirit sword to Kong Xiaori, half skeptical and ready to step in if needed.

“Rip!”

To his surprise, Kong Xiaori cut open a slit at the decapitated end with apparent ease.

“Well, you’re strong! What’s your innate talent?”

Kong Xiaori peeled back the snake skin and handed Zhou Xuanhong the flesh inside, then gave a sharp tug, pulling the entire skin off effortlessly.

“If I told you my sister and I have a green affinity, would you believe it?”

Zhou Xuanhong paused, then laughed, “Of course I believe it.”

Kong Xiaori suddenly asked, “By the way, Hong-ge, that Chen Xin, the senior sister, was found dead in her room this morning. Seems she died from some kind of pill—did you know about it?”

Zhou Xuanhong feigned shock. “What?! Really? That junior sister seemed so formidable yesterday—I had no idea she’d died.”

As soon as he finished, the two exchanged glances and burst into inexplicable laughter.

Kong Xiaoyue, silent at the side, watched her brother and Zhou Xuanhong laughing mysteriously, feeling like she was witnessing a clash between a young fox and an old one.

After eating, Kong Xiaori handed Zhou Xuanhong a bowl of soup—milky white, garnished with spring onions, containing a semi-spiritual medicinal root and half a snake whip.

He gave Zhou Xuanhong a knowing look, drank the other bowl himself, and left none for Kong Xiaoyue.

“Brother, why won’t you let me have any? It looks so tasty!”

Kong Xiaoyue tugged at her brother’s arm, whining for a taste.

Zhou Xuanhong chuckled, feigning mystery. “Xiaoyue, this soup is special—only men can drink it. Though it’s for men, it makes women feel even better.” With that, he downed it in one gulp.

Kong Xiaori was left speechless, not knowing how to explain to his little sister, barely ten years old. He could only curse at Zhou Xuanhong, “You just wait—tonight I’ll roast a whole sheep and not let you have any!”

“Well, I probably won’t be able to eat tonight anyway, because I have to take on a mission that’ll last two or three days. Someone will deliver beasts to the mountain gate daily—remember to collect them.”

After teasing Kong Xiaori, Zhou Xuanhong went to the mission hall to accept the task he’d noticed earlier:

Sect Mission: Exterminate the bandits outside Lingbei City manipulated by the Ghost Sect. Reward: Two Foundation Pills. (Requires Ghost Sect disciple token as proof)

He intended to nurture his bloodthirsty insect—a weapon of his own making, perfect for someone as cunning as himself.

Where could one kill without restraint? Naturally, a den of villains. There, wanton slaughter would not be condemned, but would earn him a reputation for ridding evil, along with rapid power gains. Why not?

No one else had taken this mission; its difficulty was high enough to threaten the life of even a peak Qi Refining disciple, making many hesitate and seek safer tasks.

“Are you sure you want to accept? Would you like to form a team? You can also post a mission here.”

The female cultivator at the counter recognized Zhou Xuanhong, now addressing him with respect—a clear shift in attitude.

Zhou Xuanhong shook his head. “No need. I prefer to act alone. Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister.”

“All right, then. I wish you a safe return. Be careful of those people.” Her last words were barely audible.

Zhou Xuanhong understood—“those people” didn’t refer to the bandits or the Ghost Sect, but rather some who loitered within the mission hall itself.

“Hey, Junior Brother, fancy meeting you here again.”

It was the yellow-toothed youth from last time, smiling brightly as he walked over, throwing an arm around Zhou Xuanhong’s shoulders, even more friendly than before.

“Junior Brother, your status is sky-high now. I have to ingratiate myself with you.”

Zhou Xuanhong laughed, “Not at all. My status is only in name—my master never bothers with me. See, I have to earn Foundation Pills myself.”

“With your title, no one in Xingyan Sect would dare offend you. But if you go out on missions, it could be tricky. No worries—I can help.”

Zhou Xuanhong was puzzled. “And what do you mean by that, Senior Brother?”

The yellow-toothed youth waved over a man and a woman.

“Junior Brother, how about this—you hire the three of us to help with your mission. Once it’s done, you pay each of us twenty spirit stones. How about it?”

“Well…” Zhou Xuanhong hesitated.

The female stepped forward, winking at him. “Junior Brother, you know a Foundation Pill costs about a hundred spirit stones. This mission is risky. If your true disciple status is exposed, without support, it’s too dangerous.”

“All right, I’ll trouble you three then!”

The trio exchanged smiles, triumphant.

Inside the mission hall counter, the female cultivator sighed—her warning had clearly gone unheard. These three were parasites of the sect, specializing in exploiting fellow disciples.

But she didn’t know who was truly dangerous to whom.