[Mission: Hunt down the traitor from the Evil Extermination Bureau - Mountain Patrol Copper General Wang Longjie]

[The last known whereabouts of this person was in Xunyang Prefecture, Sanyuan Province]

[Upon encounter, eliminate without hesitation]

The specifics of the mission were simple, but its merit was equivalent to exterminating more than a dozen Outer Elixir Realm demons.

For Qin An, completing it would mean not having to accept any tasks for a long time.

Moreover, this mission was quite close to the grassland where he was located.

Whether it was the generous rewards of the mission or the convenience of doing it en route, Qin An felt he could take it on.

Thinking of this, Qin An accepted the mission, identified the direction, and headed towards Sanyuan Province.

Soon, Qin An's figure vanished at the edge of the grassland.

The grassland returned to peace.

...

Carefree Mountain, flower garden.

The Fox Girl was gently stroking a delicate flower.

At the base of the blossom, a human cultivator's head stood on the ground.

His features were twisted, and his eyes were filled with terror.

"Today's head seems quite fresh." The Fox Girl's fingertip slid across the crimson petals, and she gracefully stood up, "Get some more, this seat intends to expand the garden to cultivate tranquility and wellness."

The Fox Girl standing at the side nodded quickly, not daring to hesitate for even a moment.

Just then, a hurried sound of footsteps suddenly arose.

The Fox Girl frowned and looked back, seeing a Fox Girl stumbling and rushing over, her socks already soaked in mud.

"What matter causes such panic?" The Fox Girl's brows furrowed slightly, she said dissatisfied, "I've always told you, we are elegant supernatural beings, not those brutish folks; one must maintain elegance and composure at all times."

The Fox Girl fell on her knees, sweat dripping onto the flowerbed: "Your Majesty, the scout reports that Lady Hu Lian and ten sisters have perished! The scene is a mess of severed limbs, and their demon pills and divine sense were all extracted..."

The Fox Girl's eyes suddenly widened, her broad sleeves fluttered, and the entire garden of flowers exploded into dust, "What did you say?"

The Fox Girl pressed her forehead to the ground, trembling with fear, "Your Majesty, spare my life! The scout said so, and the bodies have been brought back. We dare not speak falsely."

"Take me to see the bodies!" The Fox Girl released her grip, letting the Fox Girl fall to the ground.

The Fox Girl scrambled to her feet in a panic and led the Fox Girl out of the flower garden.

...

In front of a peak on Carefree Mountain.

The corpses of Hu Lian and ten Outer Elixir Realm Fox Girls lay in the grass, blood drenched over their bodies.

Most notably, the large hole in Hu Lian's chest was shocking to the eye.

The heart within her body was long gone.

Nearby, many Inner God Realm Fox Girls frowned but not a single one spoke.

A sound of footsteps echoed, and the many Fox Girls turned their gaze towards the Fox Girl and then lowered their heads again.

The Fox Girl stepped on the flower petals, inspecting the corpses before suddenly turning and striking with a palm.

The reporting Fox Girl's internal organs shattered instantly, collapsing to the ground like a broken sack.

"The little bastard!" The Fox Girl screeched, causing the pine and rocks by the cliff to shudder, "To slaughter the elite of my mountain gate, such a hatred cannot coexist under the same sky!"

No Fox Girl dared respond.

The Fox Girl's scarlet-painted nails pointed at an Inner God Realm Fox Girl, "You take a group of elites to find the trace of that little bastard, and kill him upon discovery!"

Pausing slightly, the Fox Girl thought of something else and consecutively pointed out two more Inner God Realm Fox Girls, "Add you two as well to kill him together; I refuse to believe that he can kill three Inner God Realm supernatural beings alone!"

The other two Inner God Realm Fox Girls remained silent.

The initially named Fox Girl stepped forward, "Your Majesty, please reconsider. Currently, we do not know the whereabouts of Qin An. To find him is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Even though the ancient battlefield relics are nearing their end, if we lose too many at Qin An's hands, we will suffer even more losses next time there is an outburst."

As soon as this statement was made, many Fox Girls subtly nodded.

"Shut up!" The Fox Girl's fangs showed slightly, "Send word to Hu Long, and if he doesn't give us the opportunity to kill Qin An, I'll expose his collusion with the demon clan to the Evil Extermination Bureau!"

The Inner God Realm Fox Girl frowned slightly, "But if we do that, we will have to expend a lot of manpower..."

"What do you understand?" The Fox Girl sneered, "Why do you think I allied with Lu Mountain? It's to seize this opportunity to climb up. Originally, the prestige of Carefree Mountain was sufficient; we just needed to find an opportunity to be promoted to a higher-ranking power."

"By then, the envoy from the top-tier forces will surely give me the chance to break through to Inner God Realm Perfection."

"But now, this little bastard has caused the prestige of Carefree Mountain to plummet, and the opportunity is gone. The only way is to kill him."

The Inner God Realm Fox Girl smiled bitterly, "But if we fail, we'll lose even more."

"Failure is impossible!" The Fox Girl seemed frenzied, "Carefree Mountain is not your place to decide; you just follow my orders!"

With this, the Inner God Realm Fox Girl said no more, evidently accepting the Fox Girl's decision.

The Fox Girl said nothing further and waved her sleeves as she left.

The mountain peak returned to silence.

Beside her, a Fox Girl suddenly asked, "Why does Her Majesty disregard the bigger picture?"

The Inner God Realm Fox Girl shook her head, her eyes holding a complex expression, "Her Majesty's life span is running out. To break through to Perfection and reach the next realm, she must have opportunities, which come from the top-tier forces."

"According to the rules, if we can break through to the threshold of the upper-tier forces, Her Majesty might have the chance to be favored..."

Upon hearing this, the Fox Girl showed a look of realization, "Then... should we do as Her Majesty says?"

The Inner God Realm Fox Girl responded indifferently, "What else? Carefree Mountain will always be Her Majesty's Carefree Mountain. We must do our utmost to bring back Qin An's little bastard's head, and once Carefree Mountain rises to the upper-tier power, we can also reap benefits."

With that, the many Fox Girls said no more, understanding the associated stakes.

Afterward, an Inner God Realm Fox Girl quietly left Carefree Mountain, following the Fox Girl's instructions to contact Hu Long.

Carefree Mountain returned to quiet once more, but the garden suffered yet again.

...

Sanyuan Prefecture, located east of Xunyang Prefecture, is quite far from Xunyang Prefecture.

This prefecture is vast, with many cultivators, surrounded by demons and pseudo-gods.

The city gate towers high, and two public office guards stand watch with knives, their faces extremely solemn.

The citizens and Jianghu people entering the Sanyuan Prefecture city gate are subjected to strict inspections.

Qin An stood not far away, contemplating slightly, and then walked towards the city gate.

A Mountain Patrol Copper General badge hung at his waist, shimmering with glory, while a Human Skin Mask rested on his face, altering both his aura and appearance completely.

As Qin An approached the city gate, whether citizens or Jianghu people, they all made way for him.

Especially the Jianghu people, upon seeing the Mountain Patrol badge on Qin An's waist, showed a hint of fear on their faces.

The guards at the gate immediately bowed their heads and clasped their hands when they saw Qin An: "We humbly greet Mr. Qin."

Although there is an Evil Extermination Bureau in a state-level city, it mostly holds Captain-level positions, while Qin An hailed from Xunyang Prefecture, whose badge was distinctly different from the Sanyuan Prefecture's Evil Extermination Bureau.

The guards could naturally discern that Qin An was a Mountain Patrol General.

Qin An nodded slightly, saying no more, and stepped through the city gate.

The guards dared not obstruct and allowed Qin An to enter.

Inside the city gate, the scene unfolded before him.

On both sides of the street, vendors were shouting.

The citizens came and went, some stopping by the stalls to pick and choose, others chatting in small groups.

Qin An briefly contemplated and walked towards the location of the Sanyuan Prefecture Evil Extermination Bureau.

The details of the task were simple, with very few clues; it was only known that the last trace of the traitor named Wang Longjie should have been in Sanyuan Prefecture.

Since there were no clues, he decided to inquire at the local Evil Extermination Bureau.

The surrounding citizens turned aside on seeing Qin An wearing official attire, with evil qi swirling around him.

When Qin An arrived at the entrance of the Sanyuan Prefecture Evil Extermination Bureau, the two state officials guarding the door were stunned.

They were just from the state-level city's Evil Extermination Bureau, and had never seen someone from higher up, especially a Mountain Patrol General.

The official on the left became nervous but still managed to brace himself, step forward, and bow: "We humbly greet Mr. Qin. May we know what urgent matter brings you here?"

Qin An said indifferently: "I seek your Chief Prefecture for urgent negotiations, quickly go and report."

The state official dared not utter any nonsense, swiftly turned around, and entered the Evil Extermination Bureau.

After a short time, the rapid sound of footsteps could be heard.

A dignified middle-aged man in official attire quickly arrived at the entrance under the guidance of the state official.

The man exuded the aura of the Outer Elixir Realm, representing top-tier power in Sanyuan Prefecture.

"I am Meng Yunzhou, greeting Mr. Qin. May I know your esteemed name?"

Qin An glanced at Meng Yunzhou and reported his name, saying: "I am here for a mission, I request Lord Meng to find a quiet place for detailed discussion."

Meng Yunzhou, being the Chief Prefecture of Sanyuan Prefecture, naturally understood the rules among Mountain Patrol Generals, and without hesitation, raised a hand to invite: "Please."

Qin An, hand on Cold Star, stepped into the Evil Extermination Bureau and proceeded to the backyard with Meng Yunzhou.

...

The room was quiet, devoid of visitors.

Meng Yunzhou poured a cup of tea and offered it to Qin An, asking: "May we know what matter brings you here, Mr. Qin?"

Qin An briefly outlined the details of the task and asked: "Wang Longjie's last disappearance was in Sanyuan Prefecture. Lord Meng, as Chief Prefecture, perhaps knows some traces, hence my inquiry."

"Wang Longjie?" Meng Yunzhou was startled upon hearing this: "Mr. Wang… no, that traitor came to Sanyuan Prefecture and even sat at the Evil Extermination Bureau briefly back then. His betrayal had not yet been announced, so I received him."

Qin An narrowed his eyes: "What did he say to you?"

According to the task, Wang Longjie was a Mountain Patrol Copper General. After coming here, he even dared to go to the Evil Extermination Bureau to negotiate with the Chief Prefecture, certainly a significant matter.

Meng Yunzhou thought for a while and said: "At that time, what he discussed with me were various customs of Sanyuan Prefecture; he did not discuss any pressing matters. I also did not know why he wanted to find this information, so I gave him the customs journal of Sanyuan Prefecture, and he then left."

"Customs journal?"

Qin An tapped his fingertips on the table: "Please, Lord Meng, find a copy for me."

Given these clues, the customs journal might contain what Qin An wanted.

Meng Yunzhou, knowing the importance of the matter, left the room without unnecessary words.

Before long, Meng Yunzhou returned with a thin booklet and handed it to Qin An.

So-called customs journal, records various customs of Sanyuan Prefecture.

Though cities of the Daqian Kingdom are broadly similar, they often have distinct differences in customs.

Documenting local customs in the customs journal serves as a good summarization means.

Qin An, borrowing the light from outside the window, picked up the customs journal and began examining it meticulously.

The deeper he delved, the more his brows furrowed.

The customs written on it were numerous; even if memorized, no clue could be found.

Meng Yunzhou, seeing Qin An still flipping through pages, suddenly remembered something and clapped his hands: "Mr. Qin, if I recall correctly, Wang Longjie lingered briefly at the midpoint before flipping elsewhere."

"A brief pause?" Qin An pondered: "Lord Meng, I will now start flipping the pages. Rely on your intuition to tell me when to stop."

Meng Yunzhou heard this and nodded in agreement.

Those who cultivate possess excellent memory, so the method suggested by Qin An posed no issue for him.

Qin An had already closed the customs journal and began flipping slowly.

He turned the pages slowly, each one after the other.

Upon reaching the middle point, Meng Yunzhou suddenly interrupted.

"Mr. Qin, stop, this is the spot."

Qin An paused the movement, cast his gaze on the customs journal: "This custom… is indeed interesting."

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