Chapter 142 - 141: One Year of Guard Duty, Mission Complete

Chapter 142: Chapter 141: One Year of Guard Duty, Mission Complete

In the days that followed, Lu Zhao’s life fell into a remarkably consistent routine.

Every few days, he would step out of the Black Bone Mountain encampment and patrol a fixed route.

His first few patrols were quite fruitful.

Relying on his Flowing Cloud Sparrow and a Divine Sense far superior to others of his rank, he rooted out several Tribulation Cultivators with chaotic auras and ill intentions lurking near the trade route.

A few of these Tribulation Cultivators, at the Middle and Late Stage of Qi Cultivation, even tried to discern the pattern of Lu Zhao’s patrols. Their Concealing Techniques were far from brilliant, but they were overconfident in their familiarity with the area, hiding in the shadows of tree roots while holding their breath or lying in ambush in low-lying areas thick with miasma.

However, a single sweep of Lu Zhao’s powerful Divine Sense exposed them all. Under the siege of the puppets he silently dispatched, these spies only had time to let out a few short, miserable screams before dying on the spot, their possessions becoming a new supply of Spirit Stones and materials in his Storage Bag.

But the good times didn’t last. After several clean and decisive kills, Lu Zhao’s moniker as the "Black Bone Mountain Evil Star" seemed to have spread like wildfire among the local Tribulation Cultivators.

His subsequent patrols became exceptionally quiet. The mountain forest was the same and the trade route remained busy, but the prying eyes that once lingered in the shadows like maggots on a bone had vanished overnight.

Evidently, these desperate outlaws who lived on the edge were not entirely brainless. Upon learning that a powerful, ruthless garrison Cultivator with an extremely strong Divine Sense had arrived, they all began to take detours, avoiding this newly "inauspicious" area.

With the Tribulation Cultivators gone, Lu Zhao’s source of "extra income" was cut off. However, he wasn’t discouraged. Instead, it was a blessing in disguise, leading to an unexpected windfall.

Perhaps it was because news of the Tribulation Cultivators’ disappearance had spread, but word of Black Bone Mountain’s newfound safety also began to travel by word of mouth among passing merchants.

Gradually, more and more merchant caravans started to view the area as an ideal place for a temporary encampment.

The once-desolate foot of Black Bone Mountain became lively, crowded with the flags of various caravans, and filled with the endless sounds of people and horses.

The gathering of caravans naturally brought a large quantity of goods, including a great deal of Demon Beast Materials and corpses.

In his spare time between patrols, Lu Zhao often lingered in these temporary "marketplaces."

He had a sharp eye, and with the Puppet Bead’s interface to assist in appraisals, he was always able to find some good-quality Demon Beast corpses and Puppet Refining materials at relatively fair prices.

To his greatest delight, he unexpectedly acquired three relatively well-preserved Tier One High-Grade "Cyan Feather Crane" corpses!

With these three corpses, plus the Crane Demon corpses he had previously accumulated, the number of Tier One High-Grade Crane-type Demon Beast corpses in his possession reached a startling total of six. If he were to exchange for a few more at the Merit Hall, find a way to obtain some Void Spirit Iron, and factor in his recent progress in Puppetry, he could just barely manage to refine the ’Cyan Feather Crane Puppet’!

This filled Lu Zhao with joy.

Besides buying Demon Beast corpses, Lu Zhao didn’t forget to take the opportunity to sell off his stock of finished puppets.

Taking advantage of the bustling caravans and the increased demand for guards, he brought out several Ironwood Guards, Water Spirit Turtle Puppets, and Ice Wind Wolf Puppets that he had refined some time ago.

The moment these puppets appeared, they caught the eyes of the guard captains from smaller caravans seeking stability. Lu Zhao barely had to say a word before they were all sold out in a short time.

As for the large, wealthy caravans, they had little interest in these Tier One Middle and Lower Grades puppets. However, the sharp gazes of their leaders precisely locked onto the two Cyan Wood Giant Ape puppets Lu Zhao brought out last.

Their burly frames, gnarled wooden musculature, and iron fists shimmering with Spirit Light patterns made it clear at a glance that they were powerful tools for guarding treasures.

Lu Zhao keenly noticed the eagerness in their eyes, and the price he quoted was naturally a bit higher than what the Spirit Puppet Tower would have offered.

This period of ceaseless merchant travel brought an additional benefit:

The supply of Tier One High-Grade Ape Demon Beast corpses became plentiful. Lu Zhao’s opportunities to practice surged, and his skill in refining the Cyan Wood Giant Ape was no longer what it once was. He could now refine a puppet with a loss of only a few dozen Spirit Stones. ’With at most another half a year of continuous practice,’ Lu Zhao was certain, ’I can definitely break even on this Tier One High-Grade Cyan Wood Giant Ape puppet, and maybe even turn a small profit.’

Time flew by. Half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and Lu Zhao continued to live this way. Soon, however, a ripple disturbed his life.

Wenn Quan’s tour of duty finally came to an end. After handing over all his responsibilities, this junior brother departed as quietly as a gust of wind, returning to the Sect to report.

His departure also brought a change to Lu Zhao’s life—he officially took control of the Black Bone Mountain encampment’s Array Token. He would also need to coordinate with the newly arrived garrison Cultivator, responsible for explaining the encampment’s duties, patrol routes, the distribution of nearby Tribulation Cultivator forces, and other trivial yet necessary matters from the records.

「Three days later」

A new Cultivator arrived at the encampment. Lan Fei was his name, and he was a genuine Outer Disciple of the Bixia Sect.

He looked young, perhaps in his early twenties, his face still holding a trace of youthful naivete. However, there was an unconcealable arrogance in his brow. Lu Zhao guessed the man’s real age was no more than thirty.

Reaching the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer at his age was considered quite good among Outer Disciples. This, combined with his status as an Official Disciple of the Sect, made Lan Fei’s attitude toward Lu Zhao, an "Outer Sect Steward," lukewarm at best. His words carried a condescending, scrutinizing tone.

When Lu Zhao explained the details of the garrison duties, he listened distractedly. The occasional questions he asked were tinged with doubt, as if he were trying to confirm whether Lu Zhao’s words were accurate, or whether this "Outer Sect Steward" was even qualified to instruct an "Official Disciple" like himself.

Lu Zhao was long accustomed to this. Within the Bixia Sect, the hierarchy was as clear as the waters of the Jing and Wei rivers. An Outer Disciple naturally felt a psychological advantage over an Outer Sect Steward.

Besides, he had seen too many young disciples like Lan Fei—fledglings who, having yet to be weathered by the world, considered themselves superior simply because of their Talent and the halo of the Sect.

His heart was as tranquil as an old well. He remained outwardly calm, explaining all the matters clearly. His tone was steady and his explanation methodical. He neither fawned over Lan Fei nor showed any contempt, maintaining a completely professional demeanor.

Once the explanation was complete, he said no more. He handed a Jade Scroll containing the encampment’s precautions to Lan Fei and returned to his own stone chamber without another word.

Lan Fei’s arrival was ultimately just a small pebble tossed into a calm lake. After the ripples faded, the rhythm of Lu Zhao’s life remained completely undisturbed.

He maintained his usual routine: patrolling on schedule, diligently cultivating the Little Cloud Rain Technique, absorbing the dense Spiritual Qi from the encampment’s Spirit Vein, and honing his Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer Cultivation, striving to reach the Qi Cultivation Peak as soon as possible.

Aside from cultivating, there was Puppet Refining. Lu Zhao continuously refined Ice Wind Wolf Puppets and Water Spirit Turtle Puppets. His success rate for refining the Puppet Bodies for both types was now over eighty percent. As for refining the Puppet Cores, his success rate reached seventy percent for the Ice Wind Wolf Puppet and sixty-five percent for the Water Spirit Turtle Puppet. Finally, he had managed to break even on the Tier One High-Grade Cyan Wood Giant Ape puppet.

Beyond cultivation and Puppet Refining, Lu Zhao spent his remaining time comprehending magic. The Hundred Waters Spirit Enhancement Skill was now steadily progressing toward the Great Success stage. He maintained a lower frequency of practice for the four magic skills from the Blood Shadow Corpse Refining Skill. Both the Breath Concealment and Shapeshifting Skill and the Blood Evil Body Protection Technique were advancing toward Perfection in their first layer. Only the Blood Shadow Escape progressed slowly due to the inconvenience of practicing it. As for the final Mysterious Secret Skill, he had finally reached the Entry Level.

In addition, he would often read the Jade Scrolls containing cultivation insights that he had exchanged for with Merit at the Sect’s Library Pavilion. Their contents were of great benefit to him.

Cultivating, Puppet Making, comprehending skills, reading books... Time flew by in this fulfilling and regular cycle. In the blink of an eye, another half a year had passed.

When his one-year tour of duty was complete, Lu Zhao knew it was time to leave.

「On this particular morning」

The mountain mist was still thick as he took out the main control Token for the encampment’s Protective Array and walked straight toward Mei Yun, the Cultivator who had been stationed here for over a year and had worked alongside him for that entire time.

"Junior Brother Mei, this is the main Token for the encampment’s array. My tour of duty is over, and I’ll be returning to the Sect."

"You will be in charge of it. As for the encampment itself, you’ve been here even longer than I have, so I don’t need to say much." Lu Zhao’s voice was clear, piercing through the thin mist.

Mei Yun took the Token and nodded solemnly. "Rest assured, Brother Lu. As long as I, Mei Yun, am here, I will not be negligent in my duties to the encampment."

However, this simple handover was witnessed by Lan Fei, who was just returning from practicing outside his cave-dwelling. His face instantly darkened, and a flash of indignant anger at being ignored crossed his eyes. "Steward Lu! That is the main Token for the encampment’s Protective Array! It concerns the safety of the entire encampment! I am an Outer Disciple of the Sect; by rights, it should be entrusted to me!"

Lu Zhao stopped and slowly turned around. His calm gaze fell upon Lan Fei, his eyes as deep as a pool, without the slightest ripple. "Junior Brother Lan," he said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it clearly reached the ears of the two people present. "The transfer of the main Array Token has its own procedures."

"When a garrison member’s term ends, the token can be entrusted to a Cultivator at the encampment who is familiar with its affairs. Junior Brother Mei has been here for many years. He knows everything like the back of his hand, from the most minor nodes of the array to every blade of grass in the surrounding area. Furthermore, his Cultivation is higher than yours. Giving him the Token is perfectly reasonable and compliant with the rules."

After speaking, Lu Zhao paused. His tone remained flat, yet it carried an undeniable authority. "Whoever holds the Token bears the responsibility for protecting the mountain, maintaining the Protective Array, and guiding fellow disciples."

"Junior Brother Mei knows what he’s doing. Besides," he said, his gaze sweeping over Lan Fei’s young and impetuous face, "from the moment I leave my post, every inch of this place has nothing to do with me. All subsequent personnel matters will be decided by the General Affairs Hall. If you truly have an objection, Junior Brother, feel free to submit a Petition to them."

With that, Lu Zhao ignored Lan Fei’s flushed face and his hesitant expression. He gave Mei Yun a slight nod, then transformed into a faint cyan afterimage and shot down the mountain without a moment’s hesitation, leaving behind an ashen-faced Lan Fei and Mei Yun.

The mountain wind howled, causing Lu Zhao’s robes to flap loudly.

He felt little attachment to the place. The garrison mission was complete, the Merit would soon be his, and this trip could be considered a success.

As for Lan Fei’s insignificant dissatisfaction, it failed to cause even the slightest ripple in his heart.

Now, he had only one clear goal: the Liuu Family Marketplace, and the Xu Family.