Chapter 189: Chapter 132: Rare Artifact: Night Concealing Mask (Double-Length, Please Vote)

Witnessing the fierce battle between the young Liou Yuan and Ji Jie firsthand, and seeing him slay the fierce man, Gong Linqing was now completely convinced of Liou Yuan’s abilities.

Previously, he yielded to Liou Yuan mainly because of his position in the Disciplinary Hall.

But now, this respect was more for his strength.

The change in Gong Linqing’s gaze was noticed by Liou Yuan, who sighed quietly, "Indeed, whether at Five Extremes Mountain or outside in the Cultivation Realm, if you want to stand tall, you must have strong abilities."

"Excuse me, Mr. Gong." Liou Yuan collected his thoughts and nodded, following along.

The bounty action for capturing Ji Jie was considered complete after Liou Yuan severed his head.

The Loose Cultivators who were watching dispersed as Liou Yuan left.

Strangely, even though Liou Yuan and Ji Jie fought fiercely in the marketplace for a long time, the Qingfeng Valley guards responsible for Huifeng Marketplace did not appear.

Until Liou Yuan followed Gong Linqing away, the fat Shopkeeper of Huifeng was rummaging through the rubble and found a disfigured corpse.

The death was gruesome; even his eyeballs were gouged. This sight made the fat Shopkeeper enraged, cursing, "Ji Jie, that calamity, killed Tulu. No wonder with such commotion here, the lad didn’t show up."

"Turns out he was dead."

As he spoke, the fat Shopkeeper walked over to Ji Jie’s headless corpse and kicked it furiously.

Since he and Tulu were both disciples of Qingfeng Valley, they were naturally familiar, and this action was to vent his anger.

The guard was a Qingfeng Valley disciple, a Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer disciple.

But these matters had nothing to do with Liou Yuan and his companions.

Liou Yuan merely glanced back at the sound without any intention to extend condolences, and followed Gong Linqing away.

Gong Linqing took Liou Yuan to his place at Huifeng Marketplace, a seemingly unremarkable and even rather shabby small courtyard.

It’s unclear whether he rented such a poor courtyard to conceal his identity or if he was truly impoverished.

Liou Yuan did not inquire, sitting in the yard, sipping the tea brewed by Gong Linqing, enjoying it.

In his past life, the tea he drank was cheap, low-quality tea leaves, mainly because his grandfather was stingy, only buying inexpensive tea.

He was grateful enough to have tea to drink without paying for it.

Meanwhile, Gong Linqing busied himself nearby, applying some specially made powdered medicine on Ji Jie’s skull, explaining as he worked, "Though it’s early autumn, the weather is still hot."

"This skull of Ji Jie will likely rot and stink before reaching Five Extremes Mountain, and it would be troublesome for Mr. Liou to claim the bounty. This powder prevents decay, avoiding such troubles."

Gong Linqing rambled on, now behaving more like a man of his age.

Liou Yuan watched, not beating around the bush, and directly asked, "Mr. Gong’s identity might already be exposed, it’s difficult to stay as the secret agent in Huifeng County."

"Would you be willing to return to Five Extremes Mountain?"

For a miscellaneous disciple like Gong Linqing, if not for a lack of choice, many are unwilling to leave Five Extremes Mountain.

The sect’s star energy is several times that of outside.

Hence, Liou Yuan could easily understand why Gong Linqing was assigned as a secret agent.

He was old, and his cultivation path was practically at its end.

No disciple wanted to accept him as a miscellaneous disciple either.

Five Extremes Mountain was reluctant to waste any resources on him, so they simply sent him out to contribute in other ways.

Thus, Liou Yuan’s question seemed like an inquiry, but he already knew the answer in his heart when he asked.

Sure enough, after hearing Liou Yuan, Gong Linqing’s dark face lit up, eyes sparkling, he asked eagerly, "Is Mr. Liou kidding?"

"No," Liou Yuan replied with a smile, "If you’re willing, bringing you back to Five Extremes Mountain wouldn’t be difficult."

Gong Linqing resisted his excitement, put down his task, and solemnly approached Liou Yuan, respectfully bowing and earnestly saying, "If Mr. Liou doesn’t mind, I, Gong Linqing, am willing to follow your lead in the future."

Being so astute, he almost didn’t need Liou Yuan to speak to understand his intentions.

Expressing allegiance directly is far more pleasing than waiting until the situation demands it.

This was exactly what Liou Yuan hoped to hear, and with a joyful laugh, he said, "Good, I’ll make arrangements for you when I return."

Simultaneously, Liou Yuan voiced his query.

"Mr. Gong has reached Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, not weak, why remain a miscellaneous disciple."

"The rules at Five Extremes Mountain are strict. Rising from miscellaneous disciple requires not only strength but potential as well."

"I’m fifty-three; the older I get, the harder breakthroughs become. Without an accident, breaking through to Late-stage Qi Cultivation is unlikely."

"No hope for an Outer Sect disciple."

Gong Linqing smiled bitterly.

"Only late-stage Qi Cultivation can elevate a miscellaneous disciple to an Outer Sect disciple?" Liou Yuan asked casually as he hadn’t learned much about the promotion from miscellaneous disciples.

"Yes, but not entirely," Gong Linqing patiently explained.

"If someone accomplishes some merit, or their cultivation pace stands out among miscellaneous disciples, they can also be promoted to Outer Sect disciples."

"My talents are average, having been a miscellaneous disciple for decades at Five Extremes Mountain with no significant accomplishments."

Liou Yuan did not see it that way, chuckling, "Talent doesn’t mean everything, Mr. Gong is stronger than many Outer Sect disciples from my perspective."

Gong Linqing assumed Liou Yuan was merely consoling him, smiled, shook his head, and said nothing.