Chunjiang City Yamen Public Notice:
Recently, the victim, one Miss Kong, was attacked by an assassin. Three public-spirited cultivators acted courageously for a righteous cause, capturing the assassin and thwarting a heinous assault. Miss Kong remains out of danger.
According to the investigation, this severe offense was an attempted crime of passion. Following leads provided by the assassin, the yamen immediately initiated a comprehensive inquiry, secured pertinent evidence, and followed the trail to uncover the assassin syndicate known as the "Dark Night Pavilion." All individuals involved have been placed under arrest.
It is reported that both the mastermind behind this heinous crime and the head of the assassin syndicate are a Great Yu cultivator surnamed Ye, who reincarnated to cultivate anew. Relying on the protection of his Dao Protector, former Vice Pavilion Master Fan of the Dark Night Pavilion, he displayed an arrogant attitude, playing dumb and feigning madness.
At present, the yamen has arrested Fan, and Ye is currently confessing to his crimes. According to Ye's confession, the Dark Night Pavilion is implicated in numerous severe homicide cases. Ye will face stringent legal penalties.
Early in the morning, notices were posted at the gates of both the Chunjiang City Yamen and the city walls to explain the commotion from the previous night. Commoners gathered around the notices, abuzz with discussion.
After all, no matter how thorough the preparations, the commotion of three Body Integration experts joining hands to capture another Body Integration cultivator was bound to be substantial.
"Well caught! These ancient cultivators really think they're above the law!"
"Ancient cultivators again. It's never-ending! If you ask me, we ought to execute them all as soon as possible and save the trouble!"
"I heard the incident in Hanshui City a year ago was also the work of ancient cultivators."
"Hanshui City was a massive case—three Tribulation Transcendence ancient cultivators! We can hardly compare to that."
When Lu Yang and his two companions exited the city, they happened to notice the placard posted by the city gate.
"Senior Brothers, have you heard of this Dark Night Pavilion?" Shi Chan had rarely dealt with ancient cultivators and knew very little about ancient organizations.
By contrast, Lu Yang was well versed in ancient lore. "The Dark Night Pavilion was an assassin organization founded during the mid-era of Great Yu. Its name came from their founder, Ye Xiao. Back then, the emperor and the Imperial Preceptor were locked in a power struggle. To win over the hearts of high-ranking cultivators, the emperor treated the Dark Night Pavilion with great deference.
"After Ye Xiao disappeared, the Dark Night Pavilion went through three generations of pavilion masters and declined significantly, eventually being supplanted by a newly arisen assassin organization."
Lu Yang had listened in on the entire interrogation record the previous night.
Ye Xiao did indeed possess the capital to act arrogant. His sphere of activity was limited to these few nearby cities, where the highest cultivation base was merely at the Soul Formation stage. With Vice Pavilion Master Fan, a Body Integration expert, serving as his Dao Protector, he had been exceptionally safe.
Furthermore, according to Ye Xiao's investigations, the imperial court had never previously captured any ancient cultivators who dispersed their cultivation to cultivate anew. They had apprehended a few Body Integration cultivators, but that was because those ancient Body Integration experts had been too flamboyant and gone out of their way to provoke Great Xia's Body Integration experts.
He, on the other hand, was different. He only targeted low-ranking cultivators.
Based on his experience in Great Yu, Great Xia would assume their faction had at most Nascent Soul cultivators. Even if they dispatched people to catch them, at most they would send Soul Formation experts—they would never mobilize Void Refining or Body Integration cultivators.
This time, naturally, was no exception. He had simply taken a fancy to a female Qi Refinement cultivator and dispatched a Qi Refinement assassin to do the deed.
Who could have guessed that after sending an assassin last night, Great Xia would act as if high-level cultivators grew on trees, dispatching three Soul Formation experts the very next day?
Even so, he hadn't been afraid. That much was evident from his attitude at the beginning of last night's interrogation—he felt entirely secure in his backing.
With the vice pavilion master present, he could flee at any moment.
What was even more absurd was that Great Xia completely disregarded ordinary protocol, secretly deploying three Body Integration experts as well.
If they had dispatched just one fewer, the vice pavilion master might have managed to escape.
Through the Immortal Fairy's immortal sense, Lu Yang knew even more.
Last night, only three Body Integration cultivators had shown themselves...
All to keep fishing for more targets.
To have Body Integration experts stand guard required paying a service fee even if they didn't lift a finger. Yet the imperial court had allocated abundant funds to Youzhou for sweeping away evil syndicates and organized crime; leaving it unused would have been a waste.
Moreover, it was rare for a criminal underworld faction to stick its head out—often years would pass without encountering a single one. Every one represented merit. Had time permitted, the provincial governor had even contemplated whether to invite Tribulation Transcendence experts to the scene.
Unfortunately, they had overestimated the Dark Night Pavilion. In total, the pavilion possessed only one Body Integration cultivator.
"This poor monk must first thank you two senior brothers for instructing me," Shi Chan said.
The previous night at the yamen, Shi Chan had expressed his desire to learn the Bachelor Curse Fist and the Lu-Style Arhat Fist from the pair. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had harbored no desire to hoard their secrets and readily agreed.
"Senior Brothers bestowed pure yang blood upon me and are now teaching me fist techniques. This poor monk has no way to repay you.
"It is regrettable that everything I have learned consists of Buddhist teachings passed down by my master; without the sect's permission, I cannot share them externally.
"When it comes to creating techniques, this poor monk is far inferior to both of you.
"Should the opportunity arise in the future, this poor monk will surely repay this kindness."
Lu Yang burst into laughter and patted Shi Chan's shoulder. "We are all disciples of immortal sects. Don't take it to heart.
"Speaking of which, don't you need to set up your stall and earn money today?"
Shi Chan shook his head. "Benefactor Zhong Ming already gave me five hundred taels, which is enough for one visit to the Chunxiang Brothel."
"A single visit is enough to hone your state of mind?"
"Whether it will succeed remains unknown, but this poor monk must possess the resolve to try."
All three of them were in the Nascent Soul stage. With any standard set of fist techniques, the mere wind stirred by their punches could level buildings, making it inconvenient to practice within the city walls. That was why they had chosen to head outside.
"Let's do it here."
The three selected an open expanse with no one around, ensuring no innocent passersby would be caught in the crossfire.
Lu Yang began first. "Let me make this clear beforehand: I have no idea why my Arhat Fist causes hair loss. I haven't figured out the underlying principle yet. All I can do is run through the routine a few times so you can watch."
"That is more than enough."
Shi Chan already knew the Arhat Fist; he wanted to understand the difference between the Lu-Style Arhat Fist and the standard Arhat Fist.
Lu Yang sank into a stable horse stance, settled into his posture, and began punching with sharp exhalations.
Every punch was forceful and robust, accompanied by the faint hum of Buddhist chants—a telltale sign of having cultivated the Arhat Fist to an advanced realm.
Shi Chan maintained a solemn expression, scrutinizing every one of Lu Yang's punches and kicks.
Lu Yang concluded his routine. "Well?"
Shi Chan shook his head. "This poor monk is dull of wit and cannot discern any difference."
"Switch out; my turn."
Meng Jingzhou wished nothing more than for someone else to learn the Bachelor Curse Fist—or better yet, for everyone to master it. That way, whenever people fought, they would cast Bachelor Curse Fists at each other, leaving everyone single and creating an ideal world.
"My Bachelor Curse Fist originated from the Bachelor Spiritual Root lineage. I'm not sure if an outsider can learn it, so be mentally prepared."
"This poor monk understands."
Meng Jingzhou executed the Bachelor Curse Fist. Setting aside its secondary effect, the sheer destructive power of the technique alone made it a terrifying art on par with the Arhat Fist.
Shi Chan furrowed his brows tightly. He had begun to grasp some glimmer of the Bachelor Curse Fist; it was a technique steeped in karma, placing great demands on one's innate comprehension.
After running through the entire routine, Meng Jingzhou wasn't even breathing hard. "How was that?"
"It embodies karma and places stringent demands on the practitioner's destiny. This poor monk lacks Senior Brother Meng's singularly blessed conditions. I fear it will be difficult for me to master."
Meng Jingzhou: "..."
*Let's mark out a ring and spar—you'd better explain to me what you mean by 'singularly blessed conditions.'*
Shi Chan studied it for a whole day, but the endeavor ended in disappointment.
Even after three days had passed and Shi Chan had finished replenishing his energy, he had still failed to master either technique.
Consuming another twenty drops of pure yang blood and chanting the *Heart Sutra*, Shi Chan strode into the brothel with an expression serene and transcendent.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou waited for the outcome at the inn.
They waited from evening until dawn before Shi Chan finally returned.
On his way back, Shi Chan was still reciting the *Heart Sutra*, just as he had been when he first entered.
The two were quite astonished. This had taken far longer than the previous visit—had he truly held out for an entire night?
"Did you succeed?"
Shi Chan ceased his recitation of the scriptures and replied earnestly, "This poor monk chanted the sutra and maintained an ethereal, unclouded state of mind. But late into the night, the female benefactors employed every trick at their disposal and shattered this poor monk's ethereal state."
Lu Yang: "..."
"However, this poor monk gained much from the excursion."
Meng Jingzhou asked curiously, "What did you gain?"
"This poor monk lasted longer than before."
Chapter 664