Chapter 91: Chapter 91

【Intelligence 3: In an underwater reef cave three li west of Yunyi Island, a second-tier treasure fish — the Ink-Bone Green Fish — is nesting. (Coordinates appended…)】

【Intelligence 4: In a dense reed marsh two li south of this location, a first-tier treasure beast — the Purple-Beaked Duck — has a nest containing two eggs. (Coordinates appended…)】

‘Excellent!’

Shen Xiuhan eyed the two pieces of intelligence, licked his lips, and felt thoroughly satisfied.

The martial path.

It was, by nature, a business that devoured money and provisions.

The saying went: method, companions, wealth, and land — wealth ranked near the top for good reason.

If he wanted to enter the Diaohailou Blessed Land when it opened and compete for fortune, he couldn’t afford to slacken his high-resource training regimen.

As things stood, Shen Xiuhan’s pill supply was down to three Jade Blood Pills and eight Jade Quench Pills.

True, the Ji clan’s monthly pill allowance kept him supplied.

But having broken through to Sinew Tempering, the quantity of pills his cultivation demanded was vastly greater than during the Blood Tempering and Bone Tempering stages.

These two treasure fish and treasure beast locations, therefore, could not have come at a better time.

He was just calculating when to go after the fish when hurried footsteps sounded outside the courtyard.

Yan Chuan’s booming voice followed, crackling with excitement from beyond the gate.

“Brother Ruan, come on — assembly at the central bamboo building! The garrison commander’s put out the word: big feast tonight to reward all squads, plus a welcome for the new lads… Hey, where’s Old Hu?”

“Been squatting in the outhouse for a quarter of an hour. I reckon he fell in.”

“Fuck your mother! Ruan Linhuan, I take one big dump and suddenly it’s your business?”

Hu Zhi’s cursing drifted over from the distance, accompanied by the rustle of a belt being retied.

“Tch… just hurry it up. I’ll go tell the Patrol Envoy.”

Shen Xiuhan had heard every word from inside. When Yan Chuan knocked and entered, he spoke first.

“I caught all of that. When do we move?”

“Right now, everyone’s already—”

Yan Chuan stopped mid-sentence.

A pair of ox-wide eyes went perfectly round, riveted to the floor beside Shen Xiuhan’s feet.

There, the remnants of the divine-power scripture’s rain of dissolved characters had left a damp, glistening patch across the boards.

Combining that with what Ruan Linhuan had just said about Hu Zhi being in the outhouse for ages — and the Patrol Envoy’s room being inexplicably wet all over the floor…

Yan Chuan’s expression turned distinctly peculiar.

Shen Xiuhan followed his line of sight, and his face darkened instantly. His knuckles cracked as he curled his fingers.

“Looking to get slapped?”

“Heh heh — wouldn’t dare! Wouldn’t dream of it, sir!”

Yan Chuan shrank back and hastily changed the subject.

“Sir, Squad D’s men are covering the water patrol for now. Let’s head to the central bamboo building — don’t want to keep the garrison commander waiting.”

“Worried about the garrison commander is the excuse. What you’re really in a rush for is the wine.”

Shen Xiuhan snorted and didn’t bother arguing further with this oaf.

He stepped out and left the courtyard.

Green bamboo screened the path, the trail winding deep and secluded.

Lake wind rolled off the water and raked through layer upon layer of bamboo leaves, raising a tide-like susurrus.

A hint of moisture still lingered on the breeze, cool and invigorating against the skin.

Yan Chuan fell half a step behind, murmuring the details of the feast to Shen Xiuhan as they walked.

“Patrol Envoy, the master’s house went all out this time — sent six or seven sharp new patrol guards in one go, filling every vacancy across the squads.”

“And the Squad A Patrol Envoy seat that opened up — the master’s house sent a new man for that too.”

Squad A. That had been Lu Ya’s territory.

Shen Xiuhan’s brow ticked upward.

“What’s his background?”

“Word is he’s a prodigy from the master’s family’s branch line. Bone Tempering — the real deal. Surnamed Ji. Goes by Yuande.”

A note of deference colored Yan Chuan’s voice.

Shen Xiuhan gave a small nod.

These past weeks, he had been either patrolling the lake or shut away in hard cultivation.

Every thought had gone into forging his primary bones and breaking through to Sinew Tempering. He hadn’t spared Lu Ya a second thought.

The image of that arrogant, hulking man he’d seen only once surfaced in his mind. He asked offhandedly.

“What happened to Lu Ya?”

“Dead as dead gets, and no grave to speak of…”

Yan Chuan shook his head, clicking his tongue.

“You were training the whole time, Patrol Envoy — you didn’t see what he looked like at the end. He baked on the shore for a full seven days and nights before he finally expired. By the time the garrison commander gave us leave to collect the body, there was barely anything human left…”

Yan Chuan gestured as he spoke, a thread of unease creeping into his tone.

“His skin and flesh had been baked until they cracked like dirt in a years-long drought — crumbled at a touch. When we were collecting the remains, blowflies were crawling in and out of the corpse in sheets. And the worst part — his left eye had been pecked out by a crow. Nothing left but a bloody, maggot-infested black pit. Died with his eyes wide open…”

Shen Xiuhan listened with an impassive face. His voice was flat.

“He got what he deserved.”

“Who’d argue? A traitor who turned on his own master — death’s too good for him.”

Yan Chuan spat once, then his expression turned solemn.

“Still… ever since that dog’s carcass was dumped in the lake for the fish, the whole island’s been different. Used to be you’d always catch a few bold ones sneaking a flask of cloudy wine on night watch to warm their bellies. Now? Forget drinking — you can barely find anyone chatting on duty!”

Shen Xiuhan gazed at the distant flicker of lamplight through the bamboo. His mind was clear as a polished mirror.

Lu Ya’s death was Ji Ning killing the chicken to warn the monkeys — setting the rules for every soul on the island.

It didn’t just clean up the squads’ discipline. There was an implicit warning layered beneath:

You eat the Ji clan’s rice, you work for the Ji clan. If you dare play both sides, no matter whose banner you fly — you die.

As they talked, they rounded a bend.

Ahead, in the clearing before the central bamboo building, several bonfires blazed.

Flames licked at the logs. Rock goats roasting above them had turned golden and crisp, dripping fat that sizzled into the coals and sent rich, smoky fragrance billowing up.

Plump lake fish, split open and stuffed with ginger slices and knotted scallions, hissed and oozed oil on iron racks. The aroma practically bored into a man’s nostrils.

As Shen Xiuhan and Yan Chuan drew near, the patrol guards who had been gathered beneath the bamboo building — drinking, playing finger-guessing games — rose to their feet one by one.

“Patrol Envoy Shen’s here!”

“I hear the Patrol Envoy’s broken through to Bone Tempering — congratulations!”

“Sir, this crock of aged wine just had its mud seal cracked — smells incredible. You’ve got to come play a round of finger-guess later!”

Greetings rang out from every side.

The Patrol Envoys of Squads B and D also stood and offered courteous salutes.

Both were men in their thirties, middling in talent, who had scraped into Blood Tempering through years of steady service under the Ji clan. Their strength was unremarkable, but their loyalty was ironclad.

As they looked at Shen Xiuhan now, beneath the pleasantries there lurked a genuine note of deference.

Shen Xiuhan returned every greeting with clasped fists, his bearing modest throughout.

The gesture earned him quiet respect from the guards around him.

He found a seat.

Yan Chuan wasted no time pouring a bowl of wine for Shen Xiuhan and another for himself.

The liquor was the color of amber, rich and mellow, carrying a faint undertone of medicinal herbs.

Shen Xiuhan took a sip.

The sharp burn of the spirits slid down his throat and into his belly, warmth blooming outward. His qi-blood gave a subtle stir.

“Medicated wine!”

Understanding dawned.

No wonder the men had been falling over themselves to get at it, and Yan Chuan had been talking about the wine the entire walk over.

The wine served at this feast had been brewed with expensive medicinal herbs.

These rank-and-file martial artists received only a single bowl of medicinal broth each month.

The potency was negligible — essentially diluted dregs of a proper medicinal meal.

At that rate, trying to sense one’s qi-blood and break through the Manifest Strength barrier would take until the year of the monkey.

This medicated wine was both nourishing and satisfying. Naturally, spirits were high all around.

CREAK…

Just then, the bamboo building’s wooden door swung open.