Essence Devouring Art

Seeing the Grand Elder’s attitude, Qi Canghai’s expression finally eased a bit. He said to the Vice Hall Master in charge of punishments beside him, "Tonight’s affair had too many witnesses. It’s impossible to keep a lid on it.

Tomorrow, issue a Jianghu Pursuit Order immediately. Notify all branch halls to post wanted posters in their respective jurisdictions.

Put the word out to all walks of life in the Jianghu. If anyone provides intelligence on Cheng Tiankun, the White Whale Martial Arts Hall will offer a handsome reward!"

With these words, the matter was settled.

Elder Qin had died in a Jianghu feud, at the hands of Cheng Tiankun.

It was set in stone.

No one was to speak of it further. To do so would be to cross Qi Canghai.

Hearing this, the members of the Elder Council chose to hold their tongues, even though some still suspected Wu Dao was involved.

Normally, they might use petty tricks to annoy Qi Canghai, but on a matter of this magnitude, his word was final. They couldn’t challenge his authority in the slightest.

...

「The next day.」

The rain had passed and the sky was clear, but a dampness clung to everything.

Just as the residents of Lancang County City were sleepily crawling out of bed, an explosive piece of news jolted them fully awake—

An elder of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall had been murdered last night!

As soon as the news broke, it instantly became the top story among both the common folk and the Jianghu of Lancang County City. Discussions filled every street and alley.

At first, no one believed it.

But when portraits of ’Cheng Tiankun’ and information about him were plastered across every bustling street corner,

the news was confirmed beyond a doubt!

While countless people were shocked, they also had to admire Cheng Tiankun’s audacity.

All alone, he had dared to barge into the White Whale Martial Arts Hall headquarters, commit murder, and then vanish without a trace, causing the White Whale Martial Arts Hall to suffer a major humiliation.

Such audacity, such power.

It was something an ordinary person wouldn’t even dare to dream of.

Unsurprisingly, Cheng Tiankun’s name was destined to become famous throughout all of Guangqing Prefecture. He would remain the center of gossip in the Jianghu for a long time to come.

In fact, people had already secretly given Cheng Tiankun a resounding Jianghu moniker—

Leopard Gall Cheng Tiankun!

If he didn’t have the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard, how could he have had the courage to commit last night’s sensational deed?

When Wu Dao heard this nickname, his heart gave an involuntary twitch. It sounded even worse than Skull-Breaking Hand Black Pupil.

’But it didn’t matter.’

’What does someone killed by Leopard Gall have to do with me, the Skull Shattering Hand?’

...

At the faint light of dawn, outside Lancang County City.

On the main path flanked by lush green grass, a party of four rode stout horses at a slow pace.

Zhao Jianji, who had been holding his tongue ever since they left the city, finally broke his silence, flashing a fawning smile at Wu Dao beside him. "Hall Master, if you ask me, that Elder Qin just got what was coming to him for all the evil he did. He deserved to die."

He had heard about the grudge between Wu Dao and Elder Qin, so he figured it wouldn’t hurt to kick the man while he was down and flatter his new boss in the process.

"No one will mistake you for a mute if you keep quiet."

Wu Dao glanced at Zhao Jianji with his faint, dark-gold eyes, not bothering to engage with him.

’The man had his uses.’

’He was slick and adaptable, with a quick mind, skilled at networking and currying favor.’

’At last night’s banquet, despite being a complete newcomer, he had managed to get on familiar terms with some of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall’s higher-ups, making sure they remembered his name.’

’Even if it was all insincere, it put him a cut above most people. A man like that wouldn’t fare too poorly, regardless of whether it was a time of peace or chaos.’

’It was likely related to his upbringing.’

’In times of prosperity, his family had been government officials for generations, mostly civil servants. Two generations back, an ancestor had reached the high rank of Deputy Prefect, second-in-command of a Prefecture.’

’Zhao Jianji’s slick personality was most likely a product of that environment, a family legacy passed down through observation.’

’His only flaw was being too much of a chatterbox.’

’If he went more than a few moments without running his mouth, he seemed to get physically uncomfortable.’

Wu Dao, who preferred quiet, naturally wasn’t going to give Zhao Jianji a warm reception.

Compared to Zhao Jianji, Wu Dao was currently more ’concerned’ with Qi Canghai.

Before they left this morning, the White Whale Martial Arts Hall headquarters had held a brief meeting regarding last night’s incident.

The general gist was to order the various branch halls to cooperate with the hunt for ’Cheng Tiankun’ and to heighten their security to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.

It was dreadfully boring. Since the whole thing was a charade, Wu Dao found his mind wandering as he listened.

However, after the meeting ended, Qi Canghai’s meaningful glance had snapped Wu Dao to attention.

’This means Qi Canghai suspects I was involved in last night’s incident.’

’And it’s a well-founded suspicion.’

’Otherwise, he wouldn’t have given me that warning look.’

’Body Treasure Master...’

Thinking of his fabricated identity, Wu Dao understood why Qi Canghai would be suspicious of him.

As for why Qi Canghai chose to cover for him, Wu Dao could guess a reason or two.

’He must see my potential, or rather, the future potential of a Treasure Master. He’s making an early investment, trying to build a favorable connection.’

’Regarding this, Wu Dao remained noncommittal.’

’The White Whale Martial Arts Hall is just a stepping stone for me. I’m not about to pledge my undying loyalty and sell my life for it.’

’Gaining this is my good fortune. But my fortune is not my fate. My fate is a wretched one, where such fortune is not meant to be had.’

’At the end of the day, it’s just a matter of chasing fame and profit, of mutual exploitation. It has nothing to do with ingratitude.’

’Of course, whether there were deeper machinations at play was something Wu Dao couldn’t know.’

’All in all, Elder Qin had died for nothing.’

Aside from all that, there was one other thing worth mentioning.

At this thought, Wu Dao glanced at the two men following behind him on horseback.

These two men.

One was thin, the other stout.

The thin one was named Chen Ergou.

He had a sharp chin and hollow cheeks, with a scrawny, rib-thin torso. His legs, however, were as sturdy as a grasshopper’s. He was an expert in Light Body Skill, and known in the Jianghu by the moniker ’Cao Shangfei’.

The stout one was named Lv Tiezhu.

His name, Tiezhu, which means ’iron pillar,’ suited him perfectly. He had dark skin, coarse features, a tower-like frame, and limbs as sturdy and powerful as iron posts.

Though his physique was brutish and imposing, his face had the honest, simple look of a countryman, earning him the nickname ’Fellow Countryman’.

He practiced the Horizontal Copper Hammer Training, possessed astonishing strength, and carried a great, solid Copper Hammer on his back that resembled a millstone. It was so heavy that the stout horse beneath him left deep hoof prints with every step.

The two of them were the Instructors recruited yesterday for the Tan County branch hall. Both were experts at the Divine Power Realm, filling the vacancies there.

It was also worth noting that the White Whale Martial Arts Hall wasn’t so rigid as to only teach its disciples the core inherited Martial Arts. More often than not, disciples simply learned whatever their Instructors taught them.

It was, in a way, a place where a hundred flowers bloomed.

Furthermore, within the White Whale Martial Arts Hall’s hierarchy, a County-level branch hall was staffed with one Broken Cocoon Hall Master, one Document, three Instructors, and a number of assistant instructors and Stewards.

The Chief Instructor was normally responsible for teaching the elite disciples, but would occasionally inspect the branch hall disciples, selecting those with potential to enter the County hall.

A month ago, the Hall Master, Document, and two Instructors of the Tan County branch hall had vanished into thin air. Many of the hall’s experts had fled, leaving these positions vacant.

It was only yesterday that Wu Dao and his three companions were ’conscripted’ to fill the roles.

His gaze went past Lv Tiezhu and Chen Ergou.

Wu Dao’s eyes then fell upon the cargo being pulled by several carriages behind them, and he unconsciously licked his lips.

Most of the cargo consisted of daily necessities and personal items that the group had purchased in the County City.

However, one box, covered by a large black cloth, contained Wu Dao’s spoils from the previous night.

Last night, after escaping from Elder Qin’s estate, he had followed a tributary of the Lancang River out of the city and hidden the Treasure Chest in a secluded spot. This was all to evade the city guard’s inspections this morning.

After all, Elder Qin hadn’t just been killed last night; the fortune he had amassed over decades had also been plundered.

The Elder Council was sure to investigate from that angle, searching high and low.

They had deployed a large number of members to every city gate, and anyone leaving the city was subjected to a rigorous search.

As a prime suspect, Wu Dao received special attention from the Elder Council and was subjected to a particularly thorough search when he left the city.

Unfortunately for them, they were destined to come up empty-handed.

After the goods everyone had purchased in the city were delivered one by one to the post station outside the walls, Wu Dao had secretly retrieved the Treasure Chest, transferred its contents to a different crate, and packed it along with dozens of medicinal herbs he had ordered the day before.

He even bought some medicinal powder to mask the herbs’ scent, then mixed the crate in with the rest of the cargo.

Right now, besides him, no one knew that the ordinary-looking crate contained a treasure worth over ten million taels of silver!