/
Shortly after, the sounds from a one-sided fight could be heard from behind the mountain. After all, Duanmu Sheng was already capable of suppressing Mingshi Yin before he possessed the Overlord Spear. Now that he possessed the Overlord Spear, there was no question about the outcome of the fight.
…
Meanwhile, Lu Zhou was about to study the Heavenly Writing again when Little Yuan’er came running into the great hall.
“Master, Jiang Aijian has sent a letter.”
“Read it.”
Little Yuan’er retrieved the letter from her pocket and read out loud, “It’s the palace’s intention to weaken the Black Knights. There’s no need to fear retaliation from the palace, old senior.”
Lu Zhou felt suspicious. The emperor had direct command of the special troop. Why would he want to weaken them?
Little Yuan’er continued reading, “You wanted to investigate the truth behind the Fish Dragon Village’s incident, but I’m sorry to say that I, the know-it-all, know nothing about this as well. However, the emperor is certainly not the mastermind.” She gritted her teeth when she read the letter. “It’s said that the Fish Dragon Village of Measure Heaven River holds many secrets. Officers can still be seen patrolling the area every now and then. This is a top-secret archive, and it can’t be accessed. By the way, I’m throwing in two pieces of information for free. One, the Sword Freak, Chen Wenjie, has been killed by Yu Shangrong. Didn’t I tell you he would die soon for being ambiguous with his stance? Second, Ren Buping, the Master of Fiend Temple, has come out of isolated cultivation. He has gone to the Green Jade Altar to meet the Righteous Sect. Also, please don’t forget about the sword you promised me. Hahaha!”
Lu Zhou was only interested in the Fish Dragon Village for now. He did not care about other matters. He was suspicious of the information he heard. ‘There are officers patrolling the Measure Heaven River’s Fish Dragon Village even now? If Jiang Aijian called such a minor detail a top-secret, things are clearly more complicated than they seem.’
“Officers patrolling the area?” Little Yuan’er saw her master deep in thoughts. She wanted to speak but did not dare to.
Lu Zhou looked up and saw Little Yuan’er swallowing her words so he asked, “Is there something else?”
“Master, if I tell you, you mustn’t blame me…” Little Yuan’er hugged Lu Zhou’s arm, trying to act like a spoiled child. If it were in the past, she would not have dared to do this.
This was a clear sign that Lu Zhou had changed Little Yuan’er and had influence over her. ‘I’ll slowly teach her. I just hope that she doesn’t wander down the wrong path in the future.’ Lu Zhou shook his head. ‘What am I thinking about?’
When Little Yuan’er saw her master shaking his head, she said excitedly, “I knew you won’t blame me, master! I want a heaven-grade weapon as well! Something like the Overlord Spear! I want a big and majestic weapon!”
Lu Zhou knocked Little Yuan’er head before he chided, “How many times do I have to tell you that your cultivation base is too weak to handle a heaven-grade weapon? We’ll talk about this when you’re in the Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm.”
“Really?”
“I always keep my words.”
Little Yuan’er giggled and said, “Mhm! I’ll break through to the Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm soon!”
Compared to Lu Zou’s other disciples, Little Yuan’er’s loyalty was the highest. She was also frequently by his side. Naturally, he wished for her cultivation base to be higher. Before his cultivation base was restored, Little Yuan’er was his greatest strength. She was inexperienced in worldly affairs and naïve. Compared to the other disciples, she was much easier to educate.
When Lu Zhou thought about his disciples, he willed the mission board to appear. His main mission was still to discipline these villains. Duanmu Sheng, Mingshi Yin, and Zhao Yue’s loyalty points were not too bad. He could still handle the difficulty of disciplining them. The problem lay with those who had left the Evil Sky Pavilion. The difficulty seemed insurmountable for those who had left.
Old Eighth’s cultivation base was the lowest so there was no need to worry too much. He was only relying on his moniker, the Evil King, to intimidate people on the streets. His intimidation worked very well since he was a disciple from the Evil Sky Pavilion.
Old First, Yu Zhenghai, Old Second, Yu Shangrong, and Old Seventh, Si Wuya, these three were the ones giving Lu Zhou a headache. Not only did they possess terrifying heaven-grade weapons, but their cultivation bases were profound as well. Moreover, they were not alone. They had helpers who were as strong as the Black Knights. Thinking about this, he found himself missing Ji Tiandao’s Peak Form Card. ‘If I have countless Peak Form Cards, I can fearlessly roam the lands.’
“Pavilion Master…” Zhou Jifeng came in at this moment. He cupped his hands together and said, “Mister Sixth, I mean, Ye Tianxin is awake. She wants to see you.”
Ye Tianxin was imprisoned in the south pavilion. Without Lu Zhou’s order, no one dared to let her out. Even the female cultivators from the Derived Moon Palace did not dare to do such a thing. Golden Court Mountain was short on hands recently, and they were used as general workers. The female cultivators did these tasks willingly as well. It was a much better option than being confined in the cold Cave of Reflection.
“I refuse,” Lu Zhou said coldly.
“Understood.” Zhou Jifeng cupped his hands together and left.
With her master’s promise, Little Yuan’er was suddenly motivated to work hard so she left to cultivate as well.
When Lu Zhou saw that he was finally alone, he focused on comprehending the Heavenly Writing.
It was almost dusk when Zhou Jifeng walked into the great hall again. “Pavilion Master, Ye Tianxin says that she’ll continue to kneel until you come and see her. She’s kneeling at the exit of the south pavilion.”
“Let her kneel then.”
“Understood.” Zhou Jifeng left.
Lu Zhou did not remain in the great hall. He went into the hidden chamber and continued to focus on studying. ‘Dispose of your distracting thoughts. Empty your heart and mind.’
When morning came, Lu Zhou finally stopped studying. He felt refreshed. The freshness he was experiencing was much better than having a good night’s rest. He stood up and moved his limbs, but everything seemed normal. ‘Maybe the extraordinary power has taken effect, but I’ve yet to discover it. In any case, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that comprehending the Heavenly Writing is truly beneficial to me.’
At this moment, a soft voice rang from the other side of the door. “Pavilion Master.”
“What’s the matter?” Lu Zhou responded as he clicked the button to open the hidden chamber’s door.
“Ye Tianxin has been kneeling for the entire night…”
Lu Zhou waved his arm and said, “Let her be. There’s no need to report this to me.”
“Understood.” Zhou Jifeng left again.
“Ding! Punishing the evil disciple, Ye Tianxin. Rewarded with 100 merit points.”
Lu Zhou noticed the system notification had used the word ‘punish’ and not ‘discipline’. Although the hatred points had vanished, the loyalty points were not satisfactory. If he was not thorough in meting out punishments, he would not be fit to bear the title of the Patriarch of Evil Sky Pavilion.
…
When Lu Zhou finally entered the great hall, Mingshi Yin was already there. He saw Mingshi Yin’s face was swollen and bruised. He decided it was too much of a hassle to ask Mingshi Yin what had happened so he only asked, “How did the interrogation go?”
Mingshi Yin bowed and said, “Fan Xiuwen is truly stubborn. If I didn’t recall your words, master, I would’ve resorted to torture!”
“The Black Knights are also experts in torture. It’s expected that we can’t get anything out of him by interrogating him.” Lu Zhou was not surprised by the outcome.
“Should we just kill him then? He’s no use to us alive anyway,” Mingshi Yin said.
Lu Zhou waved his hand and said, “There’s use for him yet.”
An Eight-leaf Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm expert would certainly give him many merit points. However, if he had to choose between finding out about the incident’s mastermind and the secret behind the Fish Dragon Village, Lu Zhou felt that the latter was much more valuable.
“Mingshi Yin.”
“Yes, master.”
“I hereby order you to investigate the Fish Dragon Village at Measure Heaven River. Remember, don’t act rashly,” Lu Zhou said this imposingly.
Compared to before, Mingshi Yi was not as delighted. He only responded respectfully, “Yes, master.”
Initially, Lu Zhou wanted to lend him a mount, but he thought it would be too flashy and attract too much attention. For this reason, he dismissed the idea.
Mingshi Yin was a Nascent Divinity Tribulation realm cultivator after all. Eight hours were all he needed to reach the Fish Dragon Village from Golden Court Mountain by flying.
Since the Fish Dragon Village was heavily guarded, how did Ye Tianxin investigate this matter when she left Golden Court Mountain back then?
‘I’ll have to ask the rascal about this!’ Lu Zhou shook his head. He walked down the stairs and went to the south pavilion. When he arrived, he saw Ye Tianxin kneeling on the ground from afar, looking extremely weak.
Ye Tianxin opened her eyes. When she saw Lu Zhou, strength seemed to surge through her body. She adjusted her posture and greeted him, “M-master…”
Lu Zhou glanced at her indifferently before shaking his head. “You’re not my disciple.”