Chapter 416: Taoist Bandits

Chapter 416: Taoist Bandits

The first official internal meeting of the Inuyama Castle Jinyiwei thus came to an end.

The Jinyiwei guarding the doors outside the conference room were surprised to find that the countenances of everyone emerging from the adjourned meeting were far from pleasant; if an analogy were required to describe them, they bore a striking resemblance to a pack of wolves whose eyes had grown crimson with hunger.

Within the vacant room, the others had already departed one after another, leaving only Li Jun and Chen Qisheng.

"Is there something else?"

Faced with Li Jun's inquiry, Chen Qisheng remained silent for a brief moment before speaking: "Yes."

"Why didn't you bring it up during the meeting?"

"This matter doesn't concern the others too much. It wouldn't be proper to introduce it as an agenda item for the meeting; it could easily cause misunderstandings among them."

Li Jun, catching the underlying meaning, said, "Does it pertain to the matter of filling the vacant Earth Immortal position?"

"Mm."

Chen Qisheng nodded, appearing somewhat listless as he said: "According to the intelligence transmitted from Baiyu Jing, they monitored unusual utilization of administrative privileges along the line from Osaka Castle to Edo, confirming that it belongs to those missing personnel. In other words, they have discovered traces of Akechi Haruhide; the individual is currently drifting between Osaka and Edo." "Drifting?"

Li Jun savored those two words, remarking in surprise: "Does that thing have legs?"

"It should be the Huangliang mainframe."

Chen Qisheng kept it concise, offering no further explanation on this aspect, and said with a solemn expression: "The critical issue is, this proves that Takamagahara has already taken shape."

"What kind of thing is that?"

This was the first time Li Jun had heard the term 'Takamagahara'.

"I only just found out myself. You can view it as an aggregate of Huangliang administrative privileges, a miniature, permanent dreamscape." Chen Qisheng pursed his lips: "None of that matters. The crucial point is that the woman Akechi Haruhide seems to be treating this thing as her lifeline, and she is currently searching everywhere for a buyer."

Li Jun spoke with a faint, mocking smile: "They painstakingly went to such lengths to capture so many people, losing the family foundation they spent so many years operating, falling into a situation of being besieged on all sides, just to find a lifeline for themselves? Isn't this somewhat a case of the losses outweighing the gains?"

"It yields a profit. And a substantial one at that."

Chen Qisheng shook his head: "That woman's initial reserve price was merely her survival, plus changing her sectarian allegiance from the Yin-Yang Sequence to join the Taoist Sequence. Now she is raising her price on the spot, and it already includes an official quota for an Earth Immortal. This is not something a entity like Black Dragon Capital can compare to."

"A lion opening its massive maw to demand an exorbitant price!"

Li Jun let out a huff, his brow knitting slightly. "However, this so-called 'Takamagahara' was built by stacking the lives of your own people. Is there anyone in the Taoist Sequence who would actually buy it?"

"Ruthlessness belongs not only to scholars, but also to cultivators."

Chen Qisheng remarked impassively: "Furthermore, most of those who died were sequence-followers from small sects and humble families. With greater benefits dangling before them, the Four Mountains and One Palace do not possess the leisurely inclination to stick their necks out for them."

Li Jun clicked his tongue in amazement: "By doing this, aren't you all afraid of losing the hearts and minds of the people?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Li Jun chuckled self-mockingly, realizing his own question was entirely superfluous.

Since they were already ruthless, why would they care about the hearts and minds of the people.

Li Jun pondered for a moment: "In that case, this should be a good thing for you. The higher-ups reach a deal, and you lackeys down below can conclude the matter peacefully. That sounds quite fine."

"If that were truly the case, then many people would end up like me, losing everything down to their trousers."

Chen Qisheng spoke with gravity: "We entered the Yamato District to risk our lives precisely for that single vacant Earth Immortal quota dangled by Baiyu Jing. Now, if a Taoist Sequence faction takes over the Takamagahara in Akechi Haruhide's hands and there are no combat spoils, who will provide our prize?"

Li Jun raised an eyebrow. "Those people might be your sect elders. Can an arm ever twist a thigh?"

"In the face of an opportunity for transcendence, who acknowledges whom?"

A bitter smile appeared on Chen Qisheng's face, yet not a shred of wavering could be seen within his eyes.

"That woman's methods are truly not simple." Li Jun lamented with a sigh. "So you intend to enter the fray? The scope provided by Baiyu Jing is not small; finding someone won't be simple."

Chen Qisheng smiled and said: "Even if it isn't simple, one can only give it a try. Opportunities, after all, sometimes require a bit of luck."

Li Jun stated directly: "I can have Xiao Bai help you gather intelligence on several major cities within this range, but the Inuyama Castle Jinyiwei will not participate in the contention. You should be able to understand the reasons for this."

"Of course."

Chen Qisheng seemed to have anticipated Li Jun's reaction, showing no volatile emotional fluctuations. On the contrary, he breathed a sigh of relief: "This Taoist master also does not wish to drag everyone into the mire for his own private matters."

"Don't be in a hurry. The Inuyama Castle Jinyiwei will not interfere, but that doesn't mean I will stand by and watch."

Chen Qisheng said solemnly: "You have already saved me twice before. This sort of thing can happen once or twice, but not thrice. If you help me again, not only will I be unable to repay this favor, but I won't even be able to produce the money to buy my own life."

Li Jun, who had just pulled out a cigarette case, paused mid-action.

"Must we really calculate things so clearly?"

Chen Qisheng reached out to take a cigarette, dangling it from the corner of his mouth. He drew out a fiery talisman script and gave it a gentle shake, lighting the paper cigarette with the leaping flame.

Hiss!

The sorrowful-looking young Taoist swallowed a massive gulp of smoke, and his lungs, which still maintained their primordial state, immediately retaliated against this method of dispelling grief.

"Cough, cough..."

Chen Qisheng choked several times before continuing: "Even biological brothers should keep clear accounts. I don't want people poking at my spine after I die, cursing behind my back that I was a bane."

Two columns of smoke sprayed from his nostrils. Li Jun exchanged a glance with Chen Qisheng through the haze, seeing the absolute serenity in the depths of the other man's eyes with perfect clarity. He bared his teeth in a smile: "If I belonged to another sequence, I would drop a diplomatic platitude right now like 'even if the business fails, the benevolence remains,' and wait for you to decline once more before sliding down the slope as a matter of course, sitting back to watch you march to your death. Unfortunately, I am a martial artist. Calculating accounts, an activity that requires using one's brain, doesn't suit me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been berated like that by Yuan Mingfei at the meeting just now."

Two chairs were placed side by side. The embers burned bright and unextinguished, and the smoke that had rolled through their lungs once traveled outward laden with an indescribable emotion, obscuring the faces of the two men.

"Don't forget, you are a Centurion."

"I am Li Jun first, and the Lord of the Underworld second."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Besides, you aren't really suited to speaking this way; it's overly sentimental."

Chen Qisheng pressed his elbows against his knees. The cigarette butt between his fingers dropped to the floor, gently crushed by the sole of his shoe. From his head, buried above his two interlocking fists, an unprompted chuckle emerged.

"What is it?"

Chen Qisheng shook his head and smiled: "I was just wondering how the Taoist Sequence managed to become mortal enemies with the people of your sequence back in the day?"

"Whether we are enemies or friends has never been something for small figures like us to decide." Li Jun pointed his finger, which held the cigarette, toward the ceiling above.

"Unfortunate then, for this Taoist master only sees short lives and longevity in his eyes, and has yet to behold any great figures."

"What a coincidence. In the past, there were always people who liked to call me a recalcitrant rogue."

"Recalcitrant rogues are all meticulous planners, yet you don't resemble one at all."

"When one reaches the end of one's resources, nothing remains but to stake one's life."

"The barefooted have no fear of those wearing shoes?"

"In this place, the ones without shoes are not us."

Having spoken to this point, any other words were superfluous.

Chen Qisheng fished a metallic tube out from his sleeve and handed it to Li Jun.

"Take this."

Li Jun revealed a look of delight, offering no false modesty as he reached out directly to receive it: "Your efficiency is quite high!"

"When it comes to matters concerning survival, this Taoist master never dally."

Li Jun toyed with the injector in his hand, asking in a seemingly casual manner: "Does Longhu Mountain also nurture a martial sequence within its sect?"

"No. Among the 'Four Mountains and One Palace,' Longhu Mountain only knows how to kill."

Chen Qisheng showed no hesitation, speaking plainly: “If ever you wish to overturn their hearth, I can show you the way.”

“We’ll discuss later. I lack the skill now and have no leisure.”

Li Jun withdrew an injector from a metal tube and examined it before his eyes.

Within the transparent pharmacy chamber, a slightly gray liquid swayed faintly.

“What is your name?”

“See the dragon shed its armor.”

[Dragon‑Shedding‑Armor (Fifth‑Grade Strike) study completed, having replaced the Eight‑Extremity Fist (Eighth‑Grade Perfection).]

[Dragon‑Shedding‑Armor advances to early Fifth‑Grade, 10/100.]

[Consumes 200 Proficiency points, Dragon‑Shedding‑Armor rises to late Fifth‑Grade, 10/100.]

“Old Chen, you speak of Dragon‑Shedding‑Armor—can it strip the skin of a deity?”

Li Jun flicked his finger, the ember tracing a parabola, striking the suspended “poor” character and causing it to tremble.

“Master, you cannot blame me. That woman never sought me out; I knew nothing of her selling Gaotianyuan, how could I report it?”

“How could I intentionally conceal it? Do you see me as a coward?”

“Rest assured, I am of Gui Zao Mountain and would not harm the sect’s interests. Should Mingzhixin come seeking me, I will report at once.”

Luo Cheng cut the communication and lifted his gaze to the Japanese woman opposite the low table.

“By the way, where were we just now?”

“You ask if I know that Xie Biyang is a member of the Imperial Guard.”

The innkeeper’s pupils now glazed, her whole being as if bereft of spirit.

Upon her brow rested a miniature talisman.

Gui Zao Record of Talismans, Spirit Talisman—Separation of Soul.

“Do you know?”

“I know.”

“What weakness does he have?” Luo Cheng narrowed his eyes and smiled, “For instance, you?”

“I do not know.”

“It seems my questioning was flawed; I have not used such a method in ages, and I remain somewhat distant.”

Luo Cheng reorganized his words: “What is your relationship with him?”

“Just ordinary friends.”

Luo Cheng leaned back, tapping the table with his knuckles, “That is not the correct answer.”

Thud.

The woman, like struck by lightning, collapsed onto the seat; searing pain surged in her mind, her body convulsed, her hair disheveled, tears streaming down her face.

“The Soul‑Separating Talisman is but a low‑grade charm, guiding and suggesting to manipulate your mind; it harms your body little. If you do not resist and cooperate, you may yet survive.”

Luo Cheng smiled broadly: “But if you persist in these petty tricks, many women have met their end at my hands.”

“I know Xie Biyang because he is a regular here. Knowing he belongs to the Imperial Guard, for they once used this place to trap criminals. Otherwise, I truly know nothing.”

The woman, terrified, curled into a ball, trembling incessantly.

Yet the hand hidden in her sleeve clenched her own flesh, blood oozing forth.

“Though I am a Daoist, I understand certain customs and propriety.”

Luo Cheng turned to the doorway, whispering, “The peach talisman beneath the eave is not a token given to friends in the Great Ming tradition.”

“Thus,” Luo Cheng turned, his gaze settling on her frantic face, “are you prepared to sacrifice your life for him?”

The woman bit her lips tightly, saying nothing.

A thread of crimson blood traced her mouth’s corner, spreading across the immaculate ivory seat.

“Thus, the seven emotions and six desires of man are the greatest obstacle on the path to immortality, and the most cheaply bought cause of death.”

With a swift gesture, Luo Cheng tore the talisman from her brow along with the adjoining flesh.

“Ah!”

The woman let out a mournful wail, blood‑stained fingers slowly extending from her sleeve, trembling as she reached for the wound on her forehead, only to halt at the brink.

“So it is a natural face; no wonder Xie Biyang is drawn to it.”

Luo Cheng’s fingers closed, a deep indentation appearing in her throat; choking agony made veins flare on her face, her body lifted, feet kicking at empty air.

“A lowly, unranked Japanese brigand, I truly do not wish to waste talismans on you; if you offer no value, I shall simply take your life.”

Tick, tock...

Liquid dripped slowly from her palm, splashing into the blood pool on the seat, releasing a foul, metallic scent into Luo Cheng’s nostrils.

She did not beg with pleading eyes nor retaliate with venomous glare against Luo Cheng’s cruelty.

The woman named Feiyi, now expressionless, stared blankly at the peach talisman hanging from the lintel.

Suddenly, the peach talisman, once still in the wind, began to tremble, and Feiyi’s dead‑water eyes rippled; her body convulsed wildly, her gaping mouth spewing only droplets of blood and saliva, uttering no sound.

Whoosh!

A malicious gust surged toward Luo Cheng’s back; the Daoist remained unmoved as a violet light shot from his pack.

Ssshh! Thud!

The weapon pierced flesh and lodged in the wall.

“Looks like my luck is fine today; I need not exert effort, for the one I seek arrives of his own accord.”

Luo Cheng smiled, rising slowly from his kneeling posture; a talisman fluttered from his sleeve, hovering on the ceiling, emitting a low, resonant hum.

The woman, shattered before him, stared in despair; the cracking of her throat sent bubbling blood into her mouth, each burst dimming the light in her eyes.

At the edge of her sight, silver‑haired Xie Biyang was nailed to the wall by a flying sword, his fresh blood staining half his form.

Luo Cheng turned, stepping slowly toward Xie Biyang.

“I will not introduce myself; I have one thing to tell you: all communication channels on you, including the link to Huangliang’s dream realm, are now severed—seeking aid is impossible.”

Luo Cheng spoke calmly, “Your mind should hold a counter‑soul technique; using only talismans may not pry open your mouth. If other methods are employed to coerce a confession, it will waste much of my time, so I ask once: will you cooperate or not?”

“Little rabbit.”

Xie Biyang’s eyes filled with blood, his feet braced against the wall, his pinned body grinding against the sword’s edge, he sprang upward a few inches and thrust a fierce right fist toward Luo Cheng’s face.

Luo Cheng sidestepped half a step to the rear, evading the fist by a hair’s breadth.

“If you refuse, that’s fine.”

Unsurprised by Xie’s reaction, Luo Cheng clasped his fingers, summoned several talismans that rose and spun around Xie’s head.

One hovered before Xie’s eyes, its talisman sprouting countless fine, crimson threads that pierced his skin and pressed down slowly.

“Though Gui Zao Mountain is not skilled in refining Yellow Turban warriors, compared to Mao Mountain we are competent. I am confident in refining you, a Seventh‑Rank Scout; to accelerate the process, I must assist you.”

Don't.

Amid Xie Biyan's frantic shout, Luo Cheng lifted his hand and snapped his fingers.

Through the fissures between the talismans, Xie Biyan saw with crystal clarity.

Her face was smeared with blood and tears, a mute wail escaping her lips; before she could even scowl at her own injustice, her entire skull exploded into a spray of blood across the sky.

Bang!

Damn it, you old bastard!!!

Meanwhile, within the Baipu estate of Dogshan City.

Zou Siqiu kicked the conference room door open with a single foot and bellowed, "Xie Biyan suddenly cut off his grand case technique, and both communications and the yellow millet dream went silent at once."

He must be in trouble!