Holding the stick, Wu Jinliang looked up again and called out, "Our money and some Pills for cultivation were all taken during interrogation, can you help us get them back?"

Having walked to the threshold of the house, Bian Weiyin replied, "Come fetch them tomorrow when you carry water."

This response made Wu Jinliang break into a joyful smile. He had only tried his luck, not expecting to actually succeed. He knew all too well that cultivating with Longevity Pills at a time he was addicted to cultivation was an unimaginable luxury in the Land of Exile. Without his Pills, his rapid progress in cultivation was severed, naturally making him anxious.

Although this act of goodwill brought Shi Chun mixed feelings of gladness and worry.

He was glad he no longer needed to worry about Bian Weiyin making an attempt on his life, as before, but he worried this was only a temporary reprieve. Without providing Bian Weiyin the answers she sought, an alliance was impossible, and she could kick them out of Wukang Mountain at any moment. Being expelled was a relatively light outcome, but the actual result was unlikely to be so simple.

"Is this enough to skip the water carrying?" Wu Jinliang counted the sticks in his hand and asked.

Shi Chun hoisted the carrying pole onto his shoulder, "Let's go back and rest."

Wu Jinliang queried, "If we go back early, won't that fatso find other work for us?"

Shi Chun retorted, "He wouldn't dare!"

True to his words, upon their return to the Punishment Court, after enough sticks were handed over to Pang Tiansheng, his expression faltered between wanting to speak and holding back. Eventually, he didn't ask the questions he wanted to pose and directed Zou Xingbao and the others to take them to their assigned quarters.

Zou Xingbao and Duan You were their roommates, with all four sharing one room and sleeping on bunk beds. It wasn't a friendly environment, but there was no room for fastidiousness where they were—people here were meant to be punished, after all.

Pang Tiansheng, left with a handful of sticks, was in a gloomy mood. Those two detestable guys had not only returned safely but had also completed their task ahead of time. What was the situation with Junior Sister Bian?

Carrying his confusion outside the Punishment Court, he went personally to Bian Weiyin to return the sticks, his primary aim being to inquire about the matter of vengeance.

Bian Weiyin's explanation was simple, claiming she had her own plans and instructing Pang Tiansheng to look after Shi Chun and the other for the time being and not to take any rash actions against them.

Elder Xia, who had been keeping a discreet watch, also let out a sigh of relief. Initially alarmed upon learning that Shi Chun and his companion had been reassigned to Bian Weiyin, he was both angry and annoyed with Pang Tiansheng. If not for the fact that Shi Chun was a disciple of the Sect Master, Elder Xia would have taught him a lesson.

In the afternoon, Zou Xingbao and the other took Shi Chun and his companion to the area assigned for cleaning, outlining their future tasks: carrying water in the morning and cleaning in the afternoon. It wasn't exactly strenuous work, but it was time-consuming.

Evening time was still left for everyone to continue their Cultivation.

Sharing a cramped room for Cultivation jeopardized one's sense of security. Wu Jinliang managed to make do, but Shi Chun, despite his desire to do the same, found it futile. With his unique circumstances, such dry Cultivation wouldn't yield any progress, and he preferred not to waste his time.

He climbed up onto the roof, sitting on the ridge as if to stargaze, while in reality observing the smattering of lights across Wukang Mountain, comparing it with the terrain he observed during the day, to internalize the environment inch by inch.

He pondered Bian Weiyin's words, considering how to provide an answer that would satisfy her demands.

Due to the information Bian Weiyin shared, he realized the true intentions of Xiang Laner from the Demon Path—certain things couldn't be forcibly seized no matter how powerful the Demon Path was, brute force was futile.

It also dawned on him that regardless of whether Xiang Laner's affection for Bian Weikang was feigned, eventually she would have to marry Bian Weikang for real—a destiny sealed by her own actions.

He further recognized that this woman must hold a certain position within the Demon Path, as she seemed even younger than him, Shi Chun.

Upon deeper thought, he marveled at the ruthlessness of the Demon Path in carrying out their scheme. Who would have thought the Demon Path would maneuver a courtesan to attach herself to Bian Weikang, leveraging an identity that was inherently repellent to Wukang Mountain. What had baffled him in the past, now seemed crystal clear—it was indeed the true ingenuity of the Demon Path.

He even suspected that from the moment Xiang Laner was sent to be groomed in Cloud Building in her youth, she was being prepared as a contingency plan for Bian Weikang.

This was the first time since leaving the Land of Exile that he had received such an overwhelming amount of information.

Hence, that night, he thought long and deeply, like the intricate twinkling of countless stars across the night sky.

Suddenly, dawn broke.

No, the sky around was still dark, yet the sky above was alight.

Shi Chun looked up astounded. Over Wukang Mountain, a great expanse of aurora burst into view, like ethereal silk ribbons twirling in midair, or a phantom phoenix, breathtakingly beautiful against the night canvas.

Yet, even more startling was the sudden reverberating "dong dong dong" of a bell echoing across the mountain tops.

The entire Wukang Mountain complex burst into light, with shadows bustling everywhere.

Inside the Punishment Court, it was the same scene, with lights rapidly increasing and people pouring out of the buildings. Pang Tiansheng leaped onto a large millstone and, spotting Shi Chun on the rooftop, shouted, "Duan You and Zou Xingbao stay behind to guard. The rest of you, follow me to the lakeside immediately."

He took the lead, and a group of court staff dressed in "server" characters rushed out after him.

Having stood up on the rooftop, Shi Chun saw that people from other places had also run out, but they were flying down the mountain.

"Chun Tian, what's happening?" Wu Jinliang, naturally also disturbed, couldn't understand and called back to the figure on the rooftop.

Shi Chun leaped down, landing beside him, and shook his head blankly, not knowing either.

Wu Jinliang scanned the surroundings and called out, "Mr. Duan, Brother Zou, what's going on?"

Duan You and Zou Xingbao approached, and Duan You said in surprise, "You don't know?"

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang exchanged blank looks, then shook their heads together.

"Oh, I remember now, you've just come out of the Land of Exile." Duan You couldn't help but laugh, then immediately pointed at the dazzling aurora in the sky and explained, "This is the key to crafting the immobilization charms. Whenever the aurora appears, the entirety of Wukang Mountain springs into action."

The key to crafting the immobilization charms? Shi Chun and the other person looked at each other, then quickly looked up at the aurora overhead, but couldn't discern anything special.

So Shi Chun quickly asked, "Why is everyone else rushing down the mountain hurriedly?"

Zou Xingbao explained, "They are transporting Yulan Bamboo. Haven't you seen it in the city? It's a blue vegetation. You'll see it soon. The trouble with that stuff is that it can't be stored in a forbidden storage space; the moment it passes through a forbidden storage space, its effectiveness is greatly diminished. And we can't normally pile plants on the mountain, as they would spoil if left too long, so they have to be kept at the base of the mountain."

Pointing at the colorful display in the sky, he continued, "Its appearance is unpredictable. Sometimes it's there every night, sometimes you don't know how long it will be before it appears again; at its longest, it might only appear once in several months."

Duan You added, "The duration of its appearance also varies. Sometimes it lasts all night, sometimes less than an hour. So as soon as it appears, most people have to act immediately, afraid to miss the right moment. Heh, seems our Wukang Mountain also depends on the heavens for sustenance."

These things were relatively no secret; one could inquire about them outside, so it didn't matter if they spoke about it casually.

Of course, if it were someone else, they might not be so forthcoming or speak so amicably.

The Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang before them were different; in their eyes, they were mad dogs that dare to lash out at the slightest disagreement. What did it matter if their own cultivation was high? These two weren't afraid to be beaten by those with higher cultivation level—they'd witnessed it themselves. Moreover, they were now sleeping under the same roof; there were times when they would close their eyes. They couldn't always be on guard, so it was better not to act superior and be more amicable.

Anyway, they had a clear understanding of those who came out of the Land of Exile; they were indeed quite different from normal people. Before, they'd only heard how tough it was inside. Indeed, the environment makes the person.

Suddenly, a massive shadow soared up from below the mountain, flying over Wukang Mountain and toward the lake.

The courtyard walls blocked their view, so Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang leaped onto the rooftop one after the other to get a better look.

The other two looked at each other and then joined them on the roof, with Duan You explaining, "Yulan Bamboo needs to be soaked in water before it can be used. That must be one of the Sect's experts sending up a pile from where the Yulan Bamboo is stored at the base of the mountain to save time. In this chaotic situation, the court staff cannot go down the mountain; they should just head directly to the lakeside to start work."

Sure enough, after the massive shadow scattered over the lake, a crowd of people could be seen bustling about.

Soon, Pang Tiansheng led the Punishment Court staff back, each carrying a large pile of wet Yulan Bamboo, the same shrubbery Shi Chun had seen dried in the city.

Some flew to the rooftops, quickly spreading the Yulan Bamboo across the tiles; others spread it on the courtyard walls, the ground, and even on the roads outside the walls, not leaving an inch of ground bare.

Shi Chun and the others were forced off the rooftop to avoid obstructing the work, and they directly left the Punishment Court to find a place to watch.

Before long, they saw more people carrying large amounts of Yulan Bamboo up the mountain, all heading towards the lakeside. After soaking the bamboo, they spread to their respective areas to do the same as the court staff.

Their busy movements resembled an army preparing for battle.

While Shi Chun was looking around, Wu Jinliang suddenly nudged his arm. Their gazes met, understanding each other, and they moved a little further away from Duan You and the others to speak.

"Can your eyes see anything special?" Wu Jinliang whispered.

Shi Chun sighed, "Do you think I don't want to see? Do you think one can just get tense if they want to?"

Wu Jinliang clicked his tongue, "How can a living person be plagued by urine retention? Think of something. I have an idea, do you want to try it?" Saying so, he leaned in and whispered into Shi Chun's ear, snickering as he spoke.

Shi Chun, after understanding, suddenly turned to look at him, his expression changing unpredictably, realizing that this fellow was sometimes quite the talent.

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