The Terrifying Path of Immortal Cultivation

The leader of the Demon Slaying Temple, Huang Tairen, looked at the envelope in his hand and slightly opened it to read the contents.

His brow furrowed slightly. "Is there a problem with the Hundred Flowers Tower?"

His gaze turned to a figure standing in the darkness beside him.

"Have you investigated the Hundred Flowers Tower?"

"It has been investigated."

"Behind the Hundred Flowers Tower is the family of Fang Yuqing, a steward from the Fang family."

"This steward is a legitimate child of the Fang family and holds considerable power within the family."

"This person is disciplined and solely focused on making money."

"However, the women in the Hundred Flowers Tower have various connections."

"If there is a problem, I suspect it lies with these women."

"Go and investigate thoroughly, arrange for some people to monitor the area."

"Especially those who have contact with Wen Taiquan, make sure to uncover all their identities."

"Yes."

The figure disappeared into the darkness, and Huang Tairen's expression darkened slightly.

In recent days, he had been secretly mobilizing troops with the prefect, Fang Qingyu, increasing patrols in the city.

The yamen officials and runners within the yamen worked in shifts of 12 hours, patrolling the streets and alleys of the city, searching numerous inns and houses.

Officially, they were on the lookout for the intrusion of river bandits, but in reality, they were secretly identifying individuals with issues.

He had also mobilized ten undercover monks from the Demon Slaying Temple to observe these officials from behind, identifying those who might have problems.

At the same time, they were also secretly searching for bandits and unknown monks hidden in Jade City.

In the past few days, they had gathered a considerable amount of information, some of which had left him feeling alarmed.

Just from what had been discovered, there were over 300 individuals suspected to be Northern Barbarian bandits, and more than eight unrecorded monks.

Although they had hidden themselves well, they had still exposed their tracks to the observant monks of the Demon Slaying Temple.

"Wang Jie, you are truly unworthy of the imperial appointment, disregarding the grace of the emperor."

"Daring to collude with the Blood Demon Cult."

"I will make you die a miserable death."

Huang Tairen's eyes were cold, appearing exceptionally fierce in the dim light.

Vaguely, it seemed that there was a darkness moving behind him, a darkness seemingly emanating from his own power.

...

At night, Huang Lao closed the final dossier and looked at Li Qing, who was reading a book on a reclining chair.

In a calm voice, he said, "Li Qing, come here, I have something to tell you."

Li Qing furrowed his brow and got up.

He walked over and sat on a stool next to Huang Lao, looking puzzled.

"Huang Lao, what's the matter?"

Huang Lao looked at Li Qing, a hint of sigh on his face.

He took out a box from his sleeve, entirely black and seemingly peculiar.

He opened the box, revealing a thumb-sized black sphere inside.

"I want to give you something. This item is called the Thunderbolt Fire Pearl."

"It is a creation of the Gongshu family among the Hundred Schools of Thought."

"This item is extremely powerful, with an explosion capable of destroying everything within a three-yard radius."

"Its power can rival that of a first-level True Law Realm practitioner's attack."

"I don't know how many people this incident will involve, and no one knows who will survive or what dangers they will encounter."

"Originally, I promised to help you obtain four Spirit Medicines to cultivate your life-saving spell."

"But due to the concerns of the leader, this matter may have to be postponed."

"This Thunderbolt Fire Pearl is my compensation to you."

"Although we have only known each other for a little over half a month, I can see your character, and you are definitely not a member of the Blood Demon Cult."

"You can accept this item."

Li Qing looked at Huang Lao's sincere face, furrowed his brow, and said, "I can't. What if you encounter danger?"

Huang Lao chuckled, "After all, I am a Body Strengthening practitioner, much stronger than you."

"I also have five spells at my disposal, so it's not so easy to kill me."

"At least I'm stronger than you, so take it."

"It's my mistake, and it's up to me to make amends. Besides, I have other life-saving items."

"You don't need to worry about me, just take care of yourself."

Li Qing looked at Huang Lao's solemn expression, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded slightly.

"Okay."

He accepted the jade box, a slight smile appearing on his face.

"When this matter is resolved, I'll treat you at the Huanghua Tower, and we'll have a good time."

"Haha, good!" Huang Lao smiled.

...

At the residence of the prefect Fang Qingyu, a figure appeared silently.

"Why are you sneaking around again?" Fang Qingyu said somewhat helplessly.

Huang Tairen's voice sounded, "There's no other way, there are too many people watching."

"Last time, I deliberately stirred up trouble. How did it go on your end?"

Fang Qingyu's expression turned cold. "I found three suspected spies."

"Fei Yangming is among them."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jie furrowed his brow. "Are you sure?"

"He asked me about two of my guards, and my guards told him about the black-clothed men who came to see me."

"He instructed my guards not to talk about this matter."

"But you've seen the results of the recent investigations."

"Over 300 people and seven to eight monks."

"But this is just the surface. Nearly half of them were discovered under Fei Yangming's leadership."

"Do you find it strange, or just a coincidence?"

"I have secretly enlisted the help of a retired old constable from my family, Fang Xibai, to investigate."

"He is a distant uncle of mine, who once served as a constable in the capital and possesses extraordinary observation skills."

"The results of his investigation are even more astonishing."

As he spoke, he handed a sealed envelope to Huang Tairen.

Huang Tairen looked at the contents of the envelope and his expression turned grave.

The information inside was more comprehensive than what he had received.

There were at least a thousand additional people in the city, likely due to the smuggling of night fragrances, leading to an unexplained increase in the consumption of food, salt, and alcohol in the city.

The increase amounted to around a thousand people.

With only a few hundred thousand people in Jade City, the daily inflow and outflow of food and various consumables were well-documented.

Furthermore, after comparing the records of food and goods with previous years, discrepancies were found.

Tax revenues from sales had significantly decreased, indicating that a portion of the goods entering the city had disappeared without being sold.

Based on the comparison of various data, Fang Xibai had drawn detailed conclusions.

All this data came from the yamen, including all the records of transportation and tax collection.

Huang Tairen's face showed admiration. "Your family elder is truly remarkable."

"To be able to deduce detailed numbers from such complex information."

"It's unheard of, unseen before."

"Otherwise, how could he be called the 'divine eye'? My uncle's eyes are truly extraordinary."