Chapter 850 — A Single Line of Sword Mark

The white dragon rode the clouds and mist, flying toward the Dao Sect.

Under Dao Master Lin Xuan's attentive care, Xiao Chunfeng finally came to his senses. Dao Master Lin Xuan smiled and said, "It is good that you are unharmed, Brother Xiao. I spent no small sum on spirit pills and elixirs to heal you — two thousand Dafeng coins in all."

Xiao Chunfeng was somewhat downcast. "Two thousand Dafeng coins? I will not owe you, rest assured. I have no lack of skill; once I earn the money, I will repay you."

Dao Master Lin Xuan laughed. "If you have no money, Brother Xiao, you may teach at my Dao Sect and pay it back in installments."

Xiao Chunfeng stretched his limbs and probed, "Teaching at the Dao Sect — what is the monthly stipend?"

"Thirty Dafeng coins a month."

Dao Master Lin Xuan said kindly, "That is already the rate of a senior academy. An ordinary Dao Sect academy pays only fifteen Dafeng coins a month. Your skills are high enough to be worth thirty."

Xiao Chunfeng was startled and stared at him fixedly, his voice hoarse: "Only thirty a month? If I neither ate nor drank nor spent a single coin, I would still have to work for you five and a half years to pay off this debt?"

Dao Master Lin Xuan felt a little guilty, thinking, "Back then, when Cult Master Shen gravely wounded Xu Shenghua and then healed him, how did he fleece the man without so much as a change of expression? This poor daoist's hide is about to give out — I can hardly keep from raising Brother Xiao's stipend."

At Qingyun Heaven, once Yuchenzi had made his arrangements, the Qingyun Hierarch immediately reported to the Heavenly Court, telling of the case of the Heavenly Court envoy's ambush, and quietly awaited the Heavenly Court to send someone.

One day, the sky above Qingyun Heaven split open, and a tower ship sailed in from beyond the heavens.

The connection between the Heavenly Court and Qingyun Heaven had never been severed. Even when the Yuan Realm was sealed in those years and space itself was folded, leaving only the Wilds, Jingping, the Western Lands and the like, Qingyun Heaven could still communicate with the Heavenly Court.

To Qingyun Heaven and the other heavens, what had been sealed was not the heavens of the Yuan Realm, but Jingping, the Wilds, and other such places.

The Qingyun Hierarch hurriedly led his people out to welcome them. Several demigods of the Heavenly Court stood at the prow, watching them with half-smiles, and behind them stood demigod after demigod with wolf heads and human bodies, spears in hand, making no sound at all.

The Qingyun Hierarch and the assembled Daoists bowed their heads and did not look up.

"Raise your heads."

The leading demigod smiled. "Fu Yuntian, you are the Hierarch of the Dao Sect's Qingyun Heaven; your station is far above that of a mere constable of my Divine Arrest Camp. There is no need for such courtesy."

The Qingyun Hierarch said hastily, "Your Excellency jests. Your Excellency is a censor of the Heavenly Court, a great official, while I am but a rustic god of the lower realm — how would I dare take liberties? Your Excellency, this ambush of the envoy was the fault of Qingyun Heaven. Everyone here, high and low, is in fear and trembling, dreading the wrath of Heaven and its punishment. I beg Your Excellency, when you return, to put in a good word for Qingyun Heaven. This humble god has prepared a small gift—"

That demigod laughed heartily and came down from the ship with the others behind him, shaking his head. "The laws of the Heavenly Court are strict — who would dare accept your gift? It is a capital crime! But if you slip it onto my ship while I am not looking, then there is nothing I can do about it, is there?"

The Qingyun Hierarch hurriedly smiled apologetically and shot a look at the assembled Daoists, who hastily carried all manner of treasures aboard the ship.

That demigod walked up to him and gave a light wave of his hand. The wolf-headed demigods vanished in an instant, their forms flickering in and out of sight, suddenly appearing before the various palaces and halls of Qingyun Heaven, where they threw themselves to the ground and sniffed about in every direction. After sniffing, they vanished again, and when they reappeared they once more lay flat upon the ground, sniffing here and there.

The Qingyun Hierarch smiled ingratiatingly. "Your Excellency, this is—"

"We too act according to the law, Hierarch Fu. Do not take offense."

That demigod took him by the arm and laughed. "Do not call me Your Excellency — it is far too distant. These few are my disciples, and those Howling Heaven God Clan fellows are the bailiffs I keep. I am Qu He, Guard Commander of the Heavenly Court's Divine Arrest Camp. Just call me Old Qu."

Suddenly his primordial spirit flew out from behind him, a thousand zhang tall. The primordial spirit stretched out its arms — with a great rustling, it had over a thousand arms, spreading out in all directions, palms facing outward.

In the center of each palm grew a great eyeball, and the eyeballs rolled and swiveled, casting beams of divine light in every direction, searching for all manner of traces.

Qu He, still holding the Qingyun Hierarch by the arm, laughed. "Business is business — no offense, no offense!"

The Qingyun Hierarch smiled and smiled again, thinking, "I wonder whether Yuchenzi's work was meticulous enough."

Qu He's primordial spirit rose into the air, shining its light all around, and soon searched the whole of Qingyun Heaven, while the wolf-headed demigods also leaped and bounded with incredible speed, searching everywhere, and seized several Daoists for harsh interrogation.

After a moment, Qu He's primordial spirit flew back, and the hundred-odd wolf-headed demigods suddenly reappeared, dragging along some Daoists beaten half to death. One by one they bowed their heads close to the primordial spirit's hand and whispered.

The Qingyun Hierarch's expression did not change, but in his heart he was far from confident.

Suddenly Qu He laughed heartily. "Hierarch, I have injured some of your disciples — forgive me, forgive me. But this is business, and I must ask the Hierarch to bear with me."

The Qingyun Hierarch lowered his head. "I would not dare."

"Who discovered the envoy's corpse?" Qu He asked with a smile.

"Yuchenzi, of my sect."

The Qingyun Hierarch summoned Yuchenzi. Qu He reached out and seized him, and with a flicker of movement was already aboard the tower ship. He laughed. "In that case, let Yuchenzi take us to look at the scene of the crime! Hierarch, stay where you are — Yuchenzi alone need only guide us."

The Qingyun Hierarch's expression shifted slightly. Yuchenzi said hastily, "Rest assured, Hierarch. I will go with these Excellencies to take a look and will return very soon."

The Qingyun Hierarch forced a smile. "Serve their Excellencies well. Your Excellency, I entrust my disciple to you."

Qu He laughed, and the tower ship rose and flew off beyond Qingyun Heaven.

At Yongjiang Academy, Shen Mu had searched for the Lame Elder in vain, and anxiety was quietly kindling in his heart.

Had any other person from Yincan Village been the one to take Yu Tianzun wandering the jianghu, he would not have worried — only the Lame Elder was the exception.

After all, the villagers of Yincan Village did not go looking for danger of their own accord; even the Butcher, bold as he was, was not one to stir up trouble on purpose.

Only the Lame Elder made it his mission to rob the whole world blind, plunging headlong into peril; wherever the greatest treasures lay, there he would run, and such places were usually the most dangerous of all.

"Rest easy. The Lame Elder's interest in anything lasts only three days."

The Village Head consoled him. "The Lame Elder is just an old monkey who loves to pick corn and toss it away. Once he tires of the game, he will give Yu Tianzun back to you."

"I hope so." Shen Mu's worried look did not lift.