About twenty meters wide, the canyon river suddenly churned as if something had awoken, with two heads emerging one after the other from the water.

Soaked to the bone, Wu Jinliang shouted, "Chun Tian, there's something in the water!"

He didn't need the warning, Shi Chun had already leaped from the water onto the cliffside, climbing up to look around. It wasn't just something in the water; there was also something on the banks. Two rows of people lined both sides of the river, watching them as if they were fools.

The crowd was almost uniformly clad in chestnut-colored attire, a clear sign they all belonged to Wukang Mountain.

Then Wu Jinliang, who followed Shi Chun onto the cliff face, looked up and was lost for words in that moment.

Here in the Land of Exile, where the gap in cultivation was not large, one might fight to the death to escape. But here, there was no fight left, only death to be delivered.

Splashing sounds came from the river as the heads of two giant serpents emerged, their greedy gazes fixed on the two small figures clinging to the cliff. Under the water, their massive, dark bodies moved ominously.

More and more onlookers gathered on either side of the banks, lined up to watch the two in their "labor" uniforms clinging to the cliff wall, among them were a resentful Duan You and Zou Xingbao.

This scene left the two on the cliff dripping with water and feeling numb. This was no chance for escape; they realized they must have misunderstood something.

"The Sect Master is still waiting for a response," someone gave the order.

Immediately, a group of disciples from Wukang Mountain, who were at the High Martial Realm, leaped down.

Seeing the formidable enemy before them, Shi Chun knew it was better to avoid a fight he could not win and yelled, "Let's talk it over!"

Who wants to talk when you've been caught? What were you doing earlier that led everyone on this wild chase? Kicked squarely in the head, he was plunged into the water. Before he was fully submerged, someone grabbed his ankle and yanked him out, throwing him directly onto the bank.

Wu Jinliang wasn't faring any better; someone had a grip on his neck and dragged him forcefully ashore.

Once on the bank, they were surrounded and beaten viciously in a release of anger, leaving them bloody, bruised, with torn clothes. After curling up to protect themselves from the beating, their cultivation was sealed, and they were dragged away like two dead dogs.

The crowd dispersed soon after.

A sudden escape attempt had begun and ended just as swiftly.

At the top of the cliff, almost all of the high-ranking members of the Sect had gathered. Looking out from their high vantage point, they wanted to see who these brazen individuals were to think they could come and go from Wukang Mountain, the sacred location of the Sect, at their leisure.

In truth, they were somewhat worried. If these two had actually managed to escape, Wukang Mountain would have become the butt of a joke.

Watching the returning party at the foot of the mountain, the high-ranking officials breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the escapees must have been caught. If they had waited any longer without news, some of the high-ranking officials standing there would likely have taken it upon themselves to join in the capture.

Pang Tiansheng, the manager of the Punishment Court, was itching with irritation, clutching a staff in his hand and wanting to strike someone, yet he didn't have the standing to come forward.

He had just been chewed out by the Sect Master; the prisoners had been handed over to him and he had let them escape—of course, he was going to be yelled at. The closer the relationship, the harsher the scolding, and sure enough, he was berated in front of everyone, not even able to raise his head. Naturally, he resented Shi Chun and his companion to the core and planned to give them a good thrashing once they were brought back to the Punishment Court.

Soon after, the badly beaten Shi Chun and his companion were brought before the assembly of high-ranking officials.

In front of everyone, the two coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood, clearly suffering internal injuries.

Bian Weiyin from the crowd couldn't help but be puzzled upon seeing this. They had truly tried to escape. Could her judgment of them have been mistaken?

Elder Xia Fuli, on the other hand, had his lips tightly pursed.

"Reporting to the Sect Master, the two fugitives of the Punishment Court have been captured!" The Wukang Mountain disciple leading the team saluted and reported back.

Bian Jixiong paced forward, hands behind his back, and came to examine the captured pair. Someone immediately grabbed the hair of Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, pulling their heads back to reveal their faces for the Sect Master's perusal.

The high-ranking officials observed these two men to be indeed distinct, not because of their disheveled appearance, but because they were very dark.

Normally, Bian Jixiong wouldn't have had even the slightest interest in such lowly rabble. Yet now, he was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Why did you two try to escape?"

It was an absolutely incomprehensible question. With their level of cultivation and strength, and being in completely unfamiliar territory, how could they dare to overlook the inner and outer defensive forces of Wukang Mountain?

Struggling to move, Shi Chun glanced at the crowd and, seeing Xia Fuli's expression, realized that this incident might have led to a misunderstanding. He blurted out, "If you're going to kill us, of course we'd run."

This response piqued even more curiosity. Wu Jinliang's gaze also turned toward Shi Chun, wondering what play Chun Tian was putting on now.

Bian Jixiong asked, "Who said they wanted to kill you?"

"Cough cough." Shi Chun coughed out some blood and spoke with a clear voice, "Forcing us to work is one thing, but not even letting us wear shoes and socks, deliberately making us run up and down the mountain barefoot - if this isn't trying to kill us, what is?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Jinliang immediately became defiant and joined in the clamor, "Right, they even intentionally threw stones on the ground to hurt our feet. If this isn't trying to kill us, what is?"

Everyone looked at the two men's feet together, and indeed, they were barefoot.

It wasn't clear whether they had lost their shoes during the escape, but this certainly needed confirmation. Bian Jixiong called out, "Pang Tiansheng!"

"Ah, here," replied Pang Tiansheng, his chubby figure squeezing through the crowd, evidently timid like a mouse in the presence of a cat.

Bian Jixiong asked in a stern voice, "Did you not give them shoes to wear while they worked?"

Pang Tiansheng looked troubled and wanted to say that when Elder Xia had handed the men over, they were already without shoes. But casting a glance at Elder Xia who was present, he found it difficult to say anything. Besides, his excuse wouldn't hold up. Elder Xia might not have given them shoes, but who said you couldn't give them any?

And another thing, at this time, if he dared to blame Elder Xia, nothing would likely happen to the elder, but his own Sect Master father would become even angrier and deal with him far more harshly. It seemed better to just grit his teeth and take the blame, so he said weakly, "Shoes, I forgot."

So they really were made to work barefoot, many people exchanged glances of understanding.

Of course, many also understood the dynamic, knowing that this chubby man had a good relationship with Wei Bian.

Bian Jixiong's expression darkened further, and he asked Wu Jinliang, "Who intentionally threw rocks on the ground to hurt you? Point them out."

Although Wu Jinliang had been beaten to a sorry state, he still responded with righteously, "I don't recognize anyone from Wukang Mountain. How should I know?"

That much of an answer was enough; knowing what had happened was sufficient. Bian Jixiong didn't pursue the matter further. Even if they caught the people responsible, what then? As there was a reason behind it, and as the victims themselves didn't know who was to blame, he let it slide.

He then signaled to the high-ranking members and left the scene.

Before leaving, Elder Xia specifically instructed that Shi Chun and his companion be taken down for medical treatment.

As they reached the entrance of the Punishment Court, Pang Tiansheng, carrying his carrying pole, wanted to teach Shi Chun a lesson in human behavior, but to his surprise, the men were not handed over to the Punishment Court. Instead, they were taken right past the entrance and into the main jail.

Shortly after, he received notice of his punishment: the Sect Master had ordered three months' worth of his stipend be forfeit.

Furious, he smashed his carrying pole, wondering whom he had provoked and feeling as if he hadn't really done anything wrong. He took his anger out on Duan You and Zou Xingbao, cursing them out and assigning them the task of filling in for Shi Chun's water-carrying duties.

At the Anle Inn, a clerk knocked on Xiang Laner's door, and seeing Bian Weikang was there too, asked if they wished to have the room cleaned, giving Xiang Laner a cue. After dismissing the clerk, Xiang Laner made an excuse for Bian Weikang to leave as well.

Soon after, Feng Chi arrived in a cloak. There was nothing to be circumspect about between her and Xiang Laner. Upon meeting, Feng Chi directly whispered, "Miss, we've just received a message from above. They've added a new task for us."

Xiang Laner frowned slightly, "We haven't even properly dealt with the current matters. Weren't we supposed to focus on what's happening at Wukang Mountain, without getting involved in anything else?"

Feng Chi smiled and replied, "That's only the case with you, Miss. If it were someone else, they'd only be told to follow instructions without being informed about the details behind them.

While investigating Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang's background, our superiors stumbled upon some new information.

The relationship between Shi Chun and Bowan Building might not be as simple as just Shi Chun pursuing Lan Qiaoyan's daughter.

It was found that before they left Life Prison, they had been accused of theft at the gate of Bowan Building and captured on the spot by city guards. During the incident, Wu Jinliang shouted toward Bowan Building, calling for 'Mother' to save him.

Moreover, we discovered something interesting. After they were taken by the city guard, Lan Qiaoyan also entered the inner city of Zhixu City. Later, two men thought certain to be executed were still alive, while the one who had accused them of theft vanished."

Xiang Laner exclaimed in surprise, "Lan Qiaoyan is Wu Jinliang's mother? Did she save them?"

Feng Chi: "She's unlikely to be his birth mother. That's the most interesting part. Some say Wu Jinliang had long recognized Lan Qiaoyan as his godmother, but she denies it. Yet she allowed Shi Chun to be involved with her daughter. Life Prison isn't like other places; Bowan Building does not involve itself with the affairs of the city guards, yet Lan Qiaoyan seemed to have made an exception for these two men.

She neither entered the inner city too early nor too late, but did so right after the two were captured, and then the two who were supposedly doomed to die came out alive. Can this be a coincidence?

The higher-ups also found out that Shi Chun's subordinates in the East Nine Plain were recommended by Lan Qiaoyan herself to join Bowan Building.

Additionally, Shi Chun departed Life Prison with a Bowan Building delivery team. Judging by the timing, given their level of cultivation, they couldn't have reached Zhaotian City so quickly. They most likely were taken directly there by the delivery team, and Lan Qiaoyan's daughter coincidentally transferred to the Zhaotian City branch of Bowan Building just before that."

Xiang Laner mused, "In that case, the relationship between these two and Lan Qiaoyan is indeed out of the ordinary."

Feng Chi: "Lan Qiaoyan's husband holds a high position in Bowan Building, and the higher-ups are very interested in the relationship between the two men and Bowan Building. They say that Bowan Building's value exceeds that of Wukang Mountain. The message from above is, regardless of whether Shi Chun is a Scattered Demon or belongs to some lineage, the two are worth having on our side. Thus, it's important to continue clarifying their purpose in Wukang Mountain, which also does not greatly affect the plan for Miss to take control of Wukang Mountain."

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