Huaizhou Prefecture spent two days in leisure, and aside from Bai Bufen's affair, the entire prefectural city was tranquil.

Just as Ling Wuce had mentioned before, the more the prefecture was guarded by cultivators from the Imperial Court, the less audacious the cultivators were.

During this time, Sikong Du made several trips back and forth, each time hollering to gather people for a drink.

At first, Han Yu found it hard to understand this guy's mindset; a person obstinate about drinking wine yet never missing it three times a day?

Later he discovered that this guy wasn't interested in the wine, but rather in the chopping knife in his hand.

After the third round of drinks, he would always ask to borrow the knife to play with for a while.

"If you like it, just take it; I really don't fancy drinking wine."

That day at noon, it was still the same tavern, the same spot, but the original three-person seating now only had Han Yu and Sikong Du left.

At this moment, Han Yu downed the last bowl of wine with a helpless expression and sighed as he spoke.

You should just ask directly; there's no need for you to splash my pants with wine every time before doing this.

Sikong Du blushed with embarrassment; he really liked this half-finished magical artifact that was brimming with murderous intent and would undoubtedly be a great weapon for silent kills.

For a cultivator like him, with a military background, it was the perfect tool to wield.

Han Yu's words didn't please him; instead, he hurried to return it, his head shaking repeatedly like a rattle drum.

"Borrowing it for play is fine, but as a gift, no way."

Cultivators from the Inspectorate must have principles; the first is they can't accept bribes. No matter how much he liked the item, Sikong Du didn't want to break his principles.

"Don't you always say to make friends; just consider it a gift to a friend."

Han Yu had a casual attitude towards the chopping knife; he had no use for it, so giving it away seemed fine too.

Sikong Du, despite being older, got along well with him, so making a friend with a gift seemed just right.

"You spendthrift, this is already a fledgling magical treasure, and you want to give it away?"

After grumbling with laughter, Sikong Du couldn't help but glance at the chopping knife again.

"When I get something good in the future, I will return the favor."

"Alright then!"

Han Yu deliberately waved the chopping knife in front of him for a moment before putting it away.

Sikong Du turned his face away, his mouth twitching, deliberately ignoring him.

"By the way, what did you do with my pills?"

Han Yu suddenly remembered the pill from that morning and happened to run into Sikong Du.

He originally asked if he would take it, and this guy took it and left without a word.

If he lost it, it would be disastrous.

**Spirit Smelling Pill:** After consumption, the user will gain an extraordinary sense of smell, capable of tracking anything with a scent within ten miles. Side effect: randomly acquires two canine traits.

Han Yu didn't know how many canine traits there were, but he was aware of the business of eating poop.

If the side effects fell on him, with even a bit of bad luck...

It felt as if life would lose its reason for existence, wouldn't it?

Sikong Du's expression was peculiar, yet he nodded with certainty.

"Don't worry, it's already been eaten, didn't waste your stuff."

After Han Yu confirmed several times, he finally felt a bit relieved, turning to ask with concern.

"Then, is your kidney alright?"

Pfft!

Sikong Du, who was in the middle of drinking, sprayed out all the wine that just reached his lips, drenching Han Yu who was unprepared across from him.

"Didn't we agree to never mention this matter?"

Sikong Du leaned over, clenching his teeth, and whispered.

**Spirit Suppressing Pill:** The user strips away a mixed spirit root, purifying the main spirit root's quality. Side effect: Strip away the corresponding Five Elements organ of that root.

The day this pill first came out, Han Yu had already stepped out to see if there wasn't some foolish guy who'd stepped out without checking the almanac.

Heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, metal, wood, water, fire, earth; losing any of these would indeed be life-threatening, wouldn't it?

As it happened, it ended up with old Sikong Du, and ultimately the pill was taken by him.

Initially, Han Yu insisted on not giving it, but Sikong Du was adamant.

He was a cultivator with Three Spirit Roots; this level of aptitude wasn't considered good or bad, just mediocre in the Cultivator Realm.

Otherwise, he wouldn't still be stuck at the Divine Gaze Realm past the age of forty, with no Great Perfection in sight.

He couldn't compete with those of Dual Spirit Roots or Single Spirit Roots from the Sect, who achieved his current accomplishments at a young age.

But if he could enhance his own aptitude, he was confident he wouldn't lag behind.

His attribute was fire, wood, and metal, with his Cultivation Technique mainly focusing on fire, so it seemed this pill was suitable for him.

"I primarily cultivate in Fire Attribute techniques, so what's being eliminated is the Water Spirit Root. The kidneys are of the water attribute, just a single kidney, it's worth it."

Han Yu was astounded by those words; losing a kidney for a spirit root, really?

Even if there are two kidneys, can you really balance the books like that?

But Sikong Du insisted, so he had to give it to him.

Now a day had passed, and Han Yu was still worried if he would encounter any issues.

Sikong Du, face darkened, gave Han Yu a sidelong glance before touching his left side discreetly.

There was now an inexplicable emptiness, and after consuming the pill, besides the enhanced purity of True Essence and the smoother flow of techniques, there was this change.

No strange occurrences had been noticed, but the kidney shrank away little by little, until it was completely gone...

Regret it?

Sikong Du didn't regret it; the change in Spirit Root aptitude was far more significant than that. He believed that in no time, he would effortlessly reach the Great Perfection of the Realm, and the potential of Dual Spirit Roots could aspire to even higher realms in the future.

"Chief."

A distant shout drew near, and a Palace Guard ran up the stairs towards the two of them.

"Woof!"

As he approached, a sudden bark startled Han Yu. He thought he had misheard, but the Palace Guard barked again after ten breaths.

What the hell!

Sikong Du actually gave this thing to his subordinates?

Is it really that dangerous?

Han Yu couldn't help but look at Sikong Du with a strange expression.

"Don't look at me like that. I took it there, and he volunteered to take it."

"Yes, woof! Mr. Han, I volunteered."

The Palace Guard quickly explained.

When Sikong Du first saw the pill, he immediately noticed its crucial importance, even though its effects weren't as ridiculous as the Awakening Ear Pill.

But the ability to track within a ten-mile radius was quite a powerful ability.

It's just that the side effects...

He and Han Yu thought of the same thing: if someone ended up with a damn habit, life would really be pointless.

But this thing was indeed rare and incredibly beneficial for the Inspectorate.

He didn't dare to take it, but that didn't mean others wouldn't, so he took the pill back to the Government Office and gathered all the Palace Guards.

He explained the effects of the pill before speaking.

"Tracking within ten miles is highly useful for the Inspectorate. I, myself, don't dare to take it, but any brother who does will surely have boundless prospects."

Sikong Du straightforwardly admitted he didn't dare take it, but he promised that with such an ability, one would undoubtedly rise rapidly within the Inspectorate.

"So this gentleman took it?"

Han Yu looked at the Palace Guard with admiration; this person was truly ruthless to himself.

At that time, this was indeed the only Palace Guard who dared to stand up and take it without hesitation. Not just Han Yu, even Sikong Du looked at his subordinate with newfound respect.

"What's the other habit?"

Han Yu curiously asked, the first habit was obviously barking, but what about the second?

At that moment, a customer at the next table threw a bone on the floor, and the Palace Guard, who had been standing at the side, suddenly dashed out, pouncing directly at the bone.

"Yang Xiaotian!"

Sikong Du quickly shouted, and the Palace Guard regained his clarity and stood up, walking back with embarrassment.

"You saw it, that's the second habit, the impulse to pounce on thrown objects. But thankfully, as long as someone can call his name, he can be stopped in time."

Damn, this second habit isn't a good thing either. If someone throws a Magical Artifact, wouldn't he pounce on it and seek death?

Sikong Du seemed to have considered this; he wasn't worried. The Inspectorate had plenty of combat power but lacked these individuals with special abilities.

So Yang Xiaotian would likely be responsible for tracking in the future and probably wouldn't have the chance to fight directly.

"Why aren't you staying put at the Government Office? Why did you come here?"

Sikong Du looked up and asked.

"The Inspectorate sent a message, I'm here to inform you, Chief."

Yang Xiaotian scratched his head and replied.

——

In the Government Office, several figures hurriedly entered. It had been two days since Gao Feng and the others left, and for the Inspectorate to send a message now, it could only be about Bai Bufen.

So Han Yu came along with the two of them.

A letter was lying on the table. Sikong Du quickly picked up the letter, opened it, and after reading, handed it to Han Yu with an uncertain expression.

The content of the letter was brief, introducing the intelligence obtained from Bai Bufen succinctly.

The whole structure of the Corpse Refining Lineage was quite convoluted; first, the Zuyou Sect was just a pawn on the surface, doing the usual tasks of capturing ordinary citizens.

Above that was a force called the Yellow Springs Mansion, which handled the captured citizens. Some were refined into corpses, and even Bai Bufen didn't know about the others.

According to the intelligence from Bai Bufen, the Yellow Springs Mansion was extremely secretive, with a distinct division of powers. Some refiners stayed hidden, refining corpses, while others practiced the Ghost Path Technique, and yet others dealt with the remaining citizens.

The three did not overlap; they were unaware of each other.

As for the Ghost Path Technique practitioners, so far only four had been exposed: Black Impermanence, White Impermanence, Ox Head, and Horse Face.

Black Impermanence was obviously Black Robe, Bai Bufen was White Impermanence, but there was no information on Ox Head and Horse Face.

The Inspectorate and Bai Bufen's past speculations were the same; the Yellow Springs Mansion surely wasn't the pinnacle of the Corpse Refining Lineage; there certainly were forces above it.

If this speculation was correct, then the situation was serious. This meant the supposed remnants of corpse refiners making a comeback was a joke.

The organization was clear and structured, clearly having already formed a significant scale.

Now only revealing itself, it's possible their ambitions are vast, especially since Black Robe ventured to hunt cultivators this time, perhaps indicating they are about to make a move.

No wonder Sikong Du looked so grim; if the Corpse Refining Sect's plot was in Huaizhou Prefecture, he would be the first to bear its brunt.

Han Yu closed the letter, thinking that Bai Bufen wasn't exaggerating; perhaps there really was reason to avenge him.

"Why aren't you worried?"

Sikong Du eyed Han Yu's nonchalant demeanor and chuckled bitterly.

"What should I worry about? I'm a lone wolf; if they chase me worldwide, they'll just tire themselves out first."

Not to mention Han Yu's greatest assurance: as long as they didn't send someone from the Realm of Transcendence to find him, he'd take on anyone, and if a group came, he'd just use his trump card—Earth Escape.

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