The Nameless District, Chapter Seventeen: Sudden Upheaval

Within the residential quarters of the Xingyan Sect, Chen Xin’s house was already surrounded tightly by a crowd. Elder Xu Yuan from the Hall of Enforcement, along with two enforcement disciples, was investigating the cause of Chen Xin’s death.

“Reporting to Elder Xu, this outer disciple’s spiritual energy is in chaos. I discovered traces of the Forbidden Pill—Raging Spirit Pill—in her system. She must have died from its backlash.”

One enforcement disciple handed Xu Yuan a jade plate, on which lay scraps of pill residue, still emanating violent spiritual energy.

Xu Yuan nodded. “The Raging Spirit Pill is not something a mere mid-stage Qi Refining disciple could obtain. There must be someone behind her. I want to see who dares to use a forbidden pill to harm others within Xingyan Sect. Once found, I will make sure they are severely punished!”

Outside the crowd, Wei Yuli’s expression flickered with panic but quickly cooled. He had never expected that a single Raging Spirit Pill would do more than destabilize Chen Xin’s qi and blood, causing a brief surge in her spiritual power. At worst, he thought, she’d be confined for a while. But now someone was dead, and the trouble he’d stirred up was much graver.

Impossible—absolutely impossible! How could that wretched woman Chen Xin just die like that? Of all times, why did she have to die now and drag me down with her?

If they really investigate, they’ll inevitably trace it back to me. I must inform my superior immediately!

Wei Yuli activated a talisman, which sped toward Qingling Peak and was received by another influential elder of the Hall of Enforcement.

This elder was a young man with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes—none other than Liu Su, son of the Grand Elder. In the midst of his cultivation, he received Wei Yuli’s message. His expression remained indifferent; after all, it was only a mid-stage Qi Refining ant who had died. But if the Sect Leader’s faction seized upon this incident, his subordinate might not be able to escape unscathed.

With a flicker, Liu Su vanished. When he reappeared, he hovered in the sky above the residential quarter, at the same height as Xu Yuan.

“Junior Sister, what happened here?”

Liu Su appeared gentle and refined, cupping his hands in greeting.

Xu Yuan took a few steps back, clearly unwilling to be too close to Liu Su. Her tone was icy: “Ask your subordinate. His incompetence cost a disciple’s life. You, as an enforcement elder, should know well the punishment for killing a fellow sect member within Xingyan Sect!”

She was blunt, giving Liu Su no face at all.

Liu Su feigned ignorance. “What subordinate? Within Xingyan Sect, we are all brothers and sisters, united in affection for our juniors. Where would I have a subordinate? Junior Sister must be joking.”

Xu Yuan did not press the issue; there was, after all, no concrete evidence that the Grand Elder’s faction was behind this. Moreover, she found it odd—the Raging Spirit Pill’s side effects were known to her, but the odds of death were slim.

“Take Chen Xin’s body to the Hall of Enforcement. Let’s go! And Liu Su, your subordinate’s blunder won’t be settled lightly this time. You’d best prepare to pay a price.”

Xu Yuan felt no particular regret for Chen Xin’s death. The sect had plenty of outer disciples—many died on missions every year. If anything, she was pleased; Chen Xin was on the fringes of the Grand Elder’s faction, and her death provided an opportunity to strike at them—serving two purposes at once.

After Xu Yuan left, Liu Su coldly snorted, “Like an autumn locust—let her jump while she can.”

Several hundred miles west of Xingyan Sect, Zhou Xuanhong and his companions, including the yellow-toothed youth, traveled by flying swords empowered with talismans. Only upon reaching Foundation Establishment could one fly freely without such aids.

For the time being, the three had no intention of harming Zhou Xuanhong. None of them had reached Foundation Establishment—their top priority was securing Foundation Establishment Pills. They decided to use Zhou Xuanhong as a beast of burden; once the mission was complete, they’d kill him, grinding the donkey after the millstone was removed.

Yet Zhou Xuanhong was thinking much the same. All the way, he behaved with utter deference, letting his three seniors take the lead, giving them no reason for suspicion.

The yellow-toothed youth’s name was Yi Xia—a name typical of the righteous path, though he himself was anything but: yellow teeth, shifty eyes, the very picture of a petty scoundrel.

The other man, a middle-aged butcher in his youth, was silent and exuded a murderous aura.

The last companion was a charming woman with an alluring scent—just a whiff could stir any man’s desires. She was a true femme fatale.

“Junior Brother Zhou, we’re nearly at Lingbei City. After a whole day’s journey, our spiritual energy is depleted. Let’s rest for the night and regain our strength. Tomorrow, we’ll strike straight at the bandit lair!”

Zhou Xuanhong nodded, feigning weakness. “Of course we should rest. This is my first mission—I can’t afford to mess up. I’ll be counting on you all for guidance tomorrow.”

Shi Xiu stepped forward to link arms with Zhou Xuanhong, but he deftly sidestepped her. “Please behave yourself, Senior Sister—I am a married man.”

Shi Xiu fluttered her eyes at him. “I know, but what does that matter? Your wife was recruited by the Supreme Yin Corpse Sect—she’s not part of your world anymore. Has she sent you any messages lately? She’s probably already forgotten you.”

“Please mind your conduct, Senior Sister!” Zhou Xuanhong’s tone hardened.

The butcher, Lü Shi, interjected, “Shi Xiu, mind your manners. Don’t speak of Junior Brother Zhou’s wife. If word gets out, it won’t look good.”

“Tch, who’s going to hear? Fine, I won’t say another word.”

The four didn’t fly directly into the city but instead entered by the main gate like ordinary folk.

In the mortal world, immortals were well-known, but there were ranks among them. Disciples below Foundation Establishment could not ignore the city lord’s authority by flying overhead; after all, the lord of a large city would be at least Foundation Establishment. For a mere Qi Refining cultivator to fly above his head was a grave discourtesy.

“The immortals are here at last—Lingbei City is saved!”

“Wonderful, we can finally sleep soundly!”

“Immortals above, please accept our humble greetings!”

Seeing the mortals kneeling in droves, the four were taken aback. Wasn’t this reaction a bit excessive, just for clearing out a bandit den?

The bandits posed little threat beyond robbing travelers and merchants. With a Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding the city, would the bandits really dare to attack? Even if they were backed by Ghost Sect cultivators, they wouldn’t be bold enough to mount a frontal assault.

Yi Xia approached a guard. “What’s happened? We’re here to wipe out the bandits outside the city—are they planning an attack?”

The guard quickly explained everything: the bandits had not attacked the city, but instead had harassed the city guards nightly, provoking them without engaging, always retreating when the guards advanced and advancing when the guards retreated.

Each time, once the exhausted guards returned to Lingbei City, they discovered many children had mysteriously vanished—the classic trick of luring the tiger from the mountain.

The city lord, desperate to rescue the captured children, personally led a chase after the bandits but never returned. No one dared to sleep the entire night, fearing hidden accomplices might steal more children.

Yi Xia’s face remained impassive. “May I ask, what is the cultivation level of your city lord?”

This situation was riddled with oddities. If Lingbei’s lord were Foundation Establishment, he’d turn back immediately and deal with Zhou Xuanhong. Fortunately, Lingbei was but a small city, the lord at Qi Refining eighth layer. Among them, there were two at Qi Refining perfection, one at ninth layer, and Zhou Xuanhong, an underpowered seventh layer.

Yi Xia declared righteously, “In that case, the three of us will stand guard over Lingbei City tonight. Let’s see which villains dare stoop so low as to steal children!”

“Honored immortals, you must be tired from your journey—don’t just stand at the gate! Please, allow us to treat you to the best food and drink!” A wealthy, slick-haired merchant hurried over, bowing and scraping before Yi Xia. “Please, come to my humble inn—good food and wine are ready at once!”

“We’ll accept your hospitality.”

Lingbei City could not compare to Luoshui City; its land was poorer, and as the saying goes, ‘barren mountains and turbulent waters breed troublemakers.’ Though the people were mostly honest, bandits still dared to threaten the city. In Luoshui, any such bandit den would be wiped out by a passing major cultivator from Xingyan Sect in an instant.

Because this area was far from orthodox sects, it was infested with not just bandits but also crooked, evil cultivators. The Ghost Sect was one of the most notorious among them.

The Ghost Sect had once rivaled the Corpse Yin Sect in infamy, but lacked discipline among its members, who preyed openly on mortals. Eventually, they angered Xingyan Sect and other righteous sects and were annihilated.

Their allies dared not help them—attacking mortals was against the rules. A little covert action was one thing, but once a major sect had evidence, they’d happily destroy an entire sect.

Lingbei’s city lord had accepted this mission as an outer disciple of Xingyan Sect. He discovered the bandits were backed by Ghost Sect remnants and reported it, but received no support. Out of concern for the children, he pursued the bandits alone and never returned.

Now, the four sat together in a private room at the inn, discussing how best to tackle the mission. After all, Lingbei’s city lord had been a Qi Refining eighth layer outer disciple, and none of them were Foundation Establishment. Charging recklessly into the bandit lair would be extremely foolhardy.

Yi Xia spoke cautiously, “This is risky. Though Ghost Sect is weaker overall than our Xingyan Sect, if those bandits have a hidden Foundation Establishment expert, we could all die here. My advice is to return to the sect and request reinforcements.”

A flicker of excitement lit Lü Shi’s eyes. “That’s too cautious. I say we charge right in. With two at Qi Refining perfection, Shi Xiu, and Junior Brother Zhou, we could even take on a Foundation Establishment cultivator!”

Shi Xiu’s eyes sparkled with hidden meaning as she smiled sweetly at Zhou Xuanhong. “You two can do the fighting; I’ll support you. But Junior Brother, this is your mission—if the three of us handle everything, won’t that look a bit unfair to you?”