Yuheng Mountain, twilight envelops all.

The green mountains are like dark jade, and the blue waters resemble silk, presenting a scene of natural beauty and grace.

The mountain ridges appear furious, the blue-gray rocks winding and undulating in the twilight, like a slumbering giant dragon.

Pine waves rustle in gusts, the wind sweeping through the treetops creating a rustling sound, as if the entire mountain is whispering softly.

Mist surges at the valley base, occasionally revealing a few stubborn ancient pines.

From afar comes the sound of crows cawing, their raspy calls shredded by the mountain wind.

Wild azaleas by the mountain path have their petals wetted by the evening dew, with dark red spots that seem like congealed bloodstains.

The Profound Sun Sect stands majestically here.

As a leading force in Lingzhou, the sect is always filled with experts.

Yet recently, the Profound Sun Sect has been shrouded in dark clouds.

Because the Sect Leader has been poisoned, he has been closed off from visitors all day long.

On both sides of the mountain path, disciples of the Profound Sun Sect stand as still as javelins, their eyes like lightning scanning those passing by.

Occasionally, doctors carrying medicine boxes pass by after inspection, ascending slowly along the stone steps.

The Profound Sun Sect is now fully leveraging its resources, widely inviting doctors from Lingzhou, all to treat the Sect Leader's injuries.

A muffled moo of a cow echoes from the mountain stream.

The guarding disciples suddenly turn around, seeing an old man and a young man coming through the mist.

Behind them follows a giant wild bull, chewing grass and speaking human words.

"With the seasons changing, even this forage has lost its flavor, truly a hardship for the old bull."

Pseudo-God!

The disciples instantly tense up, their hands already on the hilts of their weapons at their waists.

Qin An gently strokes the Cold Star Saber at his waist, his gaze casting into the depths of the mountain gate: "It seems difficult to enter."

Yesterday, he and Sang Yang Elder set out together and, after a day's journey, successfully arrived at the Profound Sun Sect.

But at this moment, they seem to be on the verge of being turned away.

Sang Yang Elder awkwardly smiles, adjusts his attire, strides forward, and says loftily: "Sang Yang of the Hundred Medicine Valley, entrusted by the Valley Master, here to treat the Sect Leader."

With his status, he only behaves somewhat normally in front of Qin An.

When encountering others, his attitude naturally undergoes a significant shift.

For those who roam the martial world, one must not offend doctors.

Though the Hundred Medicine Valley is not a top-tier force, with its unrivaled skill of reviving the dead, it's renowned throughout Lingzhou.

Upon hearing the words, the disciples immediately show a look of realization and hurriedly bow: "Please, senior, proceed inside."

When it comes to Sang Yang Elder's identity, the disciples do not need to check in detail.

There's a saying in the martial world, Sang Yang Elder is often accompanied by a Pseudo-God wild bull, combined with Sang Yang Elder's appearance, clearly indicating his identity.

Seeing this, Sang Yang Elder turns to give Qin An a look and raises his eyebrow: "Kid, did you see that? If you specialize in the medical arts, you could have such prestige in Lingzhou, like I do."

Throughout the journey, he frequently tested Qin An's medical skills, and the results shocked him.

Though his skills aren't as refined as his own, to possess such talent at a young age is truly astonishing.

As the wild bull said, he has never taken on a disciple before, but now he has a fondness for talent.

Unfortunately, Qin An's aspirations do not lie in this direction, much to his irritation.

Sang Yang Elder's current intent is to showcase the benefits of being a doctor to Qin An, hoping to change his mind.

The disciples of the Profound Sun Sect are unaware of the situation, but hearing Sang Yang Elder's words, they promptly respond with respect: "Senior, your medical skills are unrivaled in Lingzhou, and naturally command such recognition."

For those who roam the martial world, who can guarantee they won't get hurt?

Maintaining good relations with doctors can be life-saving at critical moments.

Continuing on, it's all benefits and no drawbacks.

Qin An's expression remains indifferent as he walks up to the two disciples.

The two gatekeeping disciples are momentarily taken aback, but upon catching sight of the token at his waist, their faces instantly turn ashen.

"Patrol... Patrol Inspector, Sir?"

This mission does not require concealing the Patrol Inspector identity, as it's a guard duty where directness is clearly preferred.

Qin An raises his eyes, remaining silent.

Then, the two disciples, trembling, clasp their hands and say: "L-Lord, we salute you!"

Qin An says calmly: "Have any other Patrol Inspectors arrived before me?"

The disciples hurriedly reply: "Yes, yes, currently over twenty lords are awaiting inside."

Qin An acknowledges with a nod.

His intention just now was to see what his colleagues were planning.

Judging by this, the competitors for this task are even more numerous than last time.

Looking back, Qin An glances at Sang Yang Elder: "Senior, it seems my identity isn't too shabby either."

The implication is clear, suggesting that the identity of a Patrol Inspector might be even better than that of a doctor.

Sang Yang Elder, seeing this, suddenly turns a shade darker: "This is a fearsome kind of respect, best not to have it."

"Fear is also a form of respect," Qin An says with a calm expression.

Sang Yang Elder, infuriated, swings his sleeve and steps onto the mountain path: "Nonsense!"

Qin An, seeing this, smiles slightly and follows Sang Yang Elder inside.

The air inside the mountain is fresher than outside, and after stepping in, people occasionally pass by from behind.

Sang Yang Elder, walking ahead, slows his pace: "Even Patrol Inspectors are flocking here, the waters of the Profound Sun Sect run deeper than I imagined."

Qin An and the disciples' conversation did not escape Sang Yang Elder's hearing, and he knows there must be more complexity involved.

Qin An says calmly: "We only focus on treating the illness."

Sang Yang Elder shakes his head.

He knows Qin An's thoughts are undoubtedly not that simple, but it's impossible to probe further.

The two no longer speak and head towards the middle of the mountain.

…

In the middle of the mountain, an ancient structure appears before them.

Blue stone steps wind upward, with red lacquered pillars on either side glowing faintly in the twilight.

Copper bells hanging from the eaves are gently struck by the evening breeze, resonating with two or three clear chimes.

The bridge, built close to the water, lets rippling reflections seep through the openwork bridge deck.

A half-unrolled bamboo curtain in the hexagonal pavilion on the opposite bank flutters in the wind.

From the east side, the sound of a zither suddenly cuts through the air, with faint echoes audible through the window.

In the deepest part, between the eaves brackets of the hipped-roof pavilion, several birds sweep across the painted cloud-dragon motifs, their wingtips grazing the unseasoned gold lacquer on the beams, leaving a few hair-thin scratches.

Mist drifts over the railings, enveloping the pair of white marble stone lions before the building, rendering them hazy.

On the signboard above, the words "Profound Sun Sect" are inscribed.

Qin An squinted his eyes, "What a lavish power."

Sang Yang Elder seized the chance to entice, "Hundred Medicine Valley is even more lavish, how about visiting with this old man next time?"

Qin An shook his head, "I'm afraid I won't be able to return once I go."

As the two exchanged words, a disciple immediately approached, ready to lead them to their guest rooms.

Sang Yang Elder waved his hand, "I'm here to heal, take me to the Sect Leader quickly."

He was an impatient sort, accustomed to wandering the mountains and being leisurely.

Only wanting to quickly diagnose the illness and return to freedom early.

The disciple, hearing this, looked troubled, "Senior, this may not be possible. The Sect Leader has gathered too many healers, secretly diagnosing would not be appropriate."

Sang Yang Elder glared, "I'm here to treat, what do you mean by secret diagnosis!"

The disciple was so scared he shivered, stammering for a long time without clear explanation.

Qin An saw this, placed a hand on Sang Yang Elder's shoulder, "Senior, what he means is, the reward has been offered, naturally, it must be fair. If you diagnose secretly, other healers might gossip."

The Sect Leader fears failure in treatment and has invited a large number of healers.

In the Jianghu, offending healers is a major taboo.

Although Hundred Medicine Valley is powerful, there are many healers not from the Valley, and the Sect Leader doesn't want to offend them all.

Sang Yang Elder, wise with his years, naturally understood the meaning, and didn't continue the outburst, reluctantly conceding.

After that, led by the disciple, the two each stayed in an upper room.

After glancing at the room, Sang Yang Elder sneaked over to where Qin An was, "Young man, come discuss medicine with this old man again."

His love for talent surged, wanting to communicate further with Qin An.

Just as Qin An was about to speak, the token at his waist suddenly vibrated.

This vibration wasn't due to nearby colleagues, but because someone was sending a message.

Guo Jinfa mentioned this function once, but Qin An had never used it.

Thinking of this, Qin An used True Qi to communicate with the patrolling copper token.

A voice that only he could hear sounded.

"Everyone, no need to compete for the guard task, how about we discuss it together in the west wing twenty-three rooms?"

Qin An squinted.

Group message?

He hadn't expected that just arriving at the Profound Sun Sect, a colleague would directly address the topic.

To go or not to go, that's the question.

Sang Yang Elder saw Qin An didn't respond and curiously asked, "What are you dazing about?"

Qin An came back to himself, "Senior, please rest for now, I'm going out."

Beside, a wild ox mooed softly, eyes slightly bright, "Going to find some delicious grass?"

Qin An turned back, "No, going to find a suitable cow for you."

The wild ox snorted, "Common and vulgar, unworthy of a divine ox?"

Sang Yang Elder saw the two jest, and noticed Qin An seemed unwilling to say more, pondering, "A patrol officer's duty?"

Qin An remained silent, his gaze calm as autumn water.

Sang Yang Elder knew he guessed right, waved his hand, "Alright, I'll rest here myself, you go handle your affairs."

Though he was an elder of Hundred Medicine Valley, in this Lingzhou, Jianghu powers had no authority over the Evil Extermination Bureau matters.

Qin An said no more, stepped out of the room, and headed to the location mentioned earlier in the token.

...

Though large, every few steps in the Profound Sun Sect, many disciples passed by.

Qin An merely asked a bit and found out the location.

Walking through winding corridors for a while, Qin An soon reached a wing room.

The door was closed tightly, but it wasn't a big problem.

Qin An walked to the door and placed his hand on it.

When the door pushed open, the scene inside was revealed to Qin An.

In the spacious wing room, already over twenty people were seated.

Everyone had a copper token hanging at their waist, faces extremely serious.

Upon noticing Qin An entering, the over twenty patrolling officers with copper tokens simultaneously glanced up, then quickly withdrew their gaze.

Qin An wasted no words, calmly took a seat, fingers unconsciously stroking the Cold Star Saber's hilt.

The identities of those seated were clear, all were patrolling copper officers.

Each had Jade Bone Realm Perfection cultivation, and due to their identity, not comparable to common Jade Bone Realm Perfection individuals.

Once Qin An sat down, the leader slowly raised his eyes, scanning across everyone.

This man's shoulders were wide, dressed in a coarse short top.

A double-edged axe slung at his waist, its shining surface reflecting cold light.

Under messy brown hair were thick black sword brows, with an inch-long old scar on the brow bone, making the black eyes even sharper like an eagle's.

Fingers covered in thick calluses, right arm muscles showed smooth lines.

The Evil Extermination Bureau had many wielding exotic weapons, no one cared this man had an axe at his waist.

"I am Liao Yang, the one who gathered you all."

Liao Yang spoke while keeping fingers on his axe, "Quite unexpected that so many came for this guard task, seems everyone here wants to earn some merit."

Just as he finished speaking, someone interrupted.

"Cut the crap."

The speaker was a young woman, carrying an ebony staff, her features had a gender-ambiguous beauty.

Especially the wine gourd at her waist, masking her femininity, adding a rustic vibe.

As the woman spoke, everyone nodded in unison.

Patrolling officers acted straightforwardly, only cared for the result.

Better to skip the preambles and get straight to the point, so as not to waste everyone's time.

Liao Yang said helplessly, "Wuo Lin, I know you dislike crowded places, but at least let me finish."

Wuo Lin coldly laughed, "You with an honest face, yet unusually cunning, the last task you intercepted is still not settled. If not for this guard task, why would I be here?"

Listening to their exchange, Qin An knew some grudges must have formed during the last task.

Liao Yang wasn't angry at being ridiculed.

But knowing everyone here disliked nonsense, he no longer wasted words, directly explained the reason.

"I've found out the task isn't so simple."

"The Profound Sun Sect has problems."

"It's said the Sect Leader has long gone into seclusion, and all matters of the sect are managed by the Great Elder."

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