Chapter 10: The First Scroll - The Abundant Water Plantain - First Involvement in a Suspicious Case

Who inspected Yig Prefecture last year? The middle-aged cultivator thought for a moment, it seemed to be Senior Brother Zhang.

However, Senior Brother Zhang has always disliked getting involved in too many matters, focusing solely on cultivation, so he probably just went through the motions last year.

But this time, it might not be so easy to get away with it.

A disciple of the seventh level of the Lingyun Sect, who was in the late stage of the Qi Condensation realm, has fallen. In terms of skill, he was a notable figure in Yiyang Prefecture.

This has had a significant impact on both the Lingyun Sect and the Chonghua Sect.

Regardless of the reason, as the backing of the Lingyun Sect and the Chonghua Sect, if the Jiulian Sect does not provide a response, people's hearts might scatter, and the Chonghua Sect and the Lingyun Sect might seek new allies.

Especially the Chonghua Sect, which has never had as close a relationship with the Jiulian Sect as the Lingyun Sect.

Not only was a direct disciple of the sect master of the Chonghua Sect killed, but the master and disciple of the Sui Prefecture itinerant cultivators, whom the Chonghua Sect was planning to recruit, have also suddenly gone missing, which has inevitably made the Chonghua Sect angry and anxious.

"Has there been any word from Nanchu about the disappearance of Xiong Wenren? What about the Lu family?"

Yi Chuyang felt a headache coming on.

The annual inspection is a routine matter, and to many, it is actually a desirable task.

A tour around, a look to see if there are any better resources or suitable Dao seeds, and a check to see if there are any issues locally, and if so, help to resolve them, and that's it.

In the past, there have been incidents, such as disputes between sects, or the emergence of demons and evil spirits, and occasionally the appearance of demonic beasts, which were dealt with.

But this time, he has a premonition that the problem is very troublesome, and it might not be resolved quickly, and he might even need to find help.

So many cultivator disciples have met with misfortune, and although it seems to be a mix of disappearances, suspected consumption by demonic beasts, and enemy killings, the fact that they are concentrated in these one or two years cannot be ignored.

Moreover, they are all in Yiyang Prefecture, and even involve cultivators from Nanchu.

Yi Chuyang, of course, knows the Zijin Sect, one of the four major sects in Nanchu. A fifth-level Qi Condensation disciple may not seem like an important figure.

But the Xiong surname is the largest in Nanchu, and the royal family of Nanchu is the Xiong clan.

He is truly worried that this Xiong Wenren might be a royal family member of Nanchu, and if so, they would have to negotiate officially and demand an explanation, which would be troublesome.

But it doesn't seem to be the case now; if it were a prominent figure, Nanchu would have already come forward.

And the Lu family.

The Lu family is a prominent family in Yiyang Prefecture, but not particularly powerful. In Yiyang Prefecture, they rank among the top three, but in Yig Prefecture, they might be around tenth.

Yi Chuyang is not too concerned about the Lu family, but if further investigation is needed, the Lu family's resources can be useful.

"The Zijin Sect has sent someone to look into it. They were informed of the situation and searched the area, including Wusheng Fort, but found no clues. They took Xiong Wenren's remains and said they hoped for continued assistance in the search. The Lu family may be investigating on their own and has not contacted us."

Yi Chuyang couldn't help but rub his hands. His intuition told him that the Zijin Sect would not give up so easily on the search for a disciple.

After all, a fifth-level Qi Condensation disciple, disappearing without a trace, and giving up after a cursory search, would be a joke for a sect that is one of the four major sects in Nanchu.

Even the disappearance of an ordinary disciple would not be handled so carelessly.

"Alright, I understand the basic situation. Let's count them. Since the end of last year, there have been six incidents of disappearances and attacks. Excluding the Bai Shi Sect and the itinerant cultivator, there are still four: one from the Chonghua Sect, one from the Nanchu Zijin Sect, one from the Lu family, and one from the Lingyun Sect today."

Yi Chuyang pondered, "The Chonghua Sect's case of being consumed by a demonic beast has many suspicious points, but I need more details to make a conclusion. The Zijin Sect's case is a disappearance, so without more clues, it's hard to determine. The Lu family's case will require cooperation from the Lu family to investigate. But today's attack in Li County's Woyunpu cannot be ignored."

Chen Huisheng had never had the opportunity to be so close to a high-level cultivator before.

The man in front of him, with a somewhat cold and gaunt face, was actually a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

And from the look of it, he might even be a Foundation Establishment Second Level or higher.

Even from a distance of over ten feet, with the other party deliberately concealing his aura, Chen Huisheng could still feel the suffocating pressure.

His words were firm and full of unshakeable confidence, which was probably the foundation of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"So, what does Daoist Brother Yi mean...?" The red-faced Daoist finally showed some excitement and satisfaction.

If the Jiulian Sect were to personally intervene, these series of incidents should be resolved.

Relying solely on the Lingyun Sect, he had no confidence, especially in the case of his nephew being consumed by a demonic beast or an evil spirit, which would likely have no resolution.

The black-robed cultivator of the Lingyun Sect was both surprised and delighted that Yi Chuyang had so readily agreed to personally intervene in the investigation.

In fact, when the Chonghua Sect had an incident last year, he had mentioned it to the Jiulian Sect's Zhang Tingxiang, who was inspecting Huai Prefecture, but received no response.

He thought that Huai Prefecture was busy, and since it was a matter of the Chonghua Sect, he only helped to push the issue a bit.

But when the Lu family and the Nanchu Zijin Sect disciples had incidents, he became restless.

At that time, Zhang Tingxiang had already arrived in Huozhou Prefecture of Yig Prefecture, so he sent someone to urge him, but the other party still dodged and did not come, which made him somewhat discouraged.

The situation in Yiyang, Huozhou, and Langling Prefectures of Yig Prefecture is relatively complex. The Lingyun Sect and the Chonghua Sect, with the support of the Jiulian Sect, are competing for influence with the Bai Shi Sect.

In Huozhou, the Bai Shi Sect has the upper hand, but in Yiyang and Langling, the Lingyun Sect and the Chonghua Sect have the upper hand.

The Bai Shi Sect mainly has the support of the major families and clans of Yig Prefecture, which allows it to compete with the Lingyun Sect and the Chonghua Sect, supported by the Jiulian Sect. This is also related to the Jiulian Sect not focusing on the southern part of Yig Prefecture.

"This is the literal meaning. At this point, the Jiulian Sect cannot shirk its responsibility. We must investigate the incident in Li County today and the incident involving the Chonghua Sect disciple in Fengtong Ridge. We must also investigate the disappearance of the itinerant cultivator in Meng County and the disappearance of the Zijin Sect disciple, to restore the clarity of Yiyang!"

Yi Chuyang made this decision after careful consideration.

Although the southern part of Yig Prefecture is not the focus of the Jiulian Sect, it is adjacent to Nanchu and has a strategic location.

Moreover, the mountainous areas and forbidden zones are rich in resources, and a large amount of materials must come from these prefectures, which cannot be lost.

Currently, the number of Jiulian Sect disciples is increasing, and the demand for materials is also growing. If the Lingyun Sect and the Chonghua Sect were to be lost, there would be a significant gap in the sect's internal needs.

He knew that taking on this task would be troublesome and that not everything might be resolved as he said.

But he must show his resolve to strengthen the Lingyun Sect and the Chonghua Sect's confidence in the sect, and even request support from the sect if necessary.

Hearing Yi Chuyang's firm words, the people from the Lingyun Sect and the Chonghua Sect felt relieved.

But the Wu surname cultivator from the Chonghua Sect was still somewhat uneasy: "Daoist Brother Yi, I'm not being meddlesome, but these incidents are not simple. To investigate them will require a lot of effort..."

"Brother Wu, rest assured. If the Jiulian Sect is to do something, it will do it well. I will immediately report this to the sect, and a response will come soon. I believe that fellow disciples from the sect will also come to assist."

Yi Chuyang did not exaggerate.

He currently has only two disciples following him for training, who are not of high level and lack experience. To investigate these matters, he clearly needs reinforcements from the sect.

Suddenly, he thought of the Jiulian Sect disciples behind him. Although they are all new initiates, the leading disciple is already at the third level of Qi Condensation and seems quite astute, and the other disciples can help with running errands and miscellaneous tasks.

"It's late today. We will set out for Li County tomorrow and examine the scene. Brother Wu, have the person who knows the specific details of the incident involving your sect's disciple last year also come to Li County. We will thoroughly investigate together. If there are indeed any demons, evil spirits, or demonic beasts, we will fight them, which will also be a good training experience."

After further discussion, they dispersed.

Yiyang Prefecture is the main territory of the Lingyun Sect, and the Lingyun Sect has a Daoist Academy in Dingling City, so they returned to the academy.

The Jiulian Sect only has a contact point here, which cannot accommodate so many people, so they had to stay in the Daoist Hall.

The Daoist Hall is open to all cultivators and is not privately owned by any sect. It is a facility established by the government and local sects and families to provide convenience for traveling cultivators.

(End of Chapter)