391 Foundation 2

"It must have been the demons," Xiao Qing said in a cold voice. "It's a long way from the Great Song to the Great Yin. The road is filled with danger since demons rule over the mountains and forests in wilderness. Even the Great Yin can't interfere easily.

"Sect Master Lu, you might as well cut your losses and forget about it."

"Oh? Department Head Xiao, please explain more. The Great Yin is so very powerful and filled with many masters, why would it be afraid of mere demons on a small mountain?" Lu Sheng asked.

"Of course we are not afraid of them, but it's not worth the trouble. The demon tribes around here have all sorts of connections. There were even two empresses that were of rabbit demon descent. Combined with their exceptional skills in hiding and disguise, the amount of effort needed to capture them is not worth the reward," Xiao Qing said casually.

The demons of the Great Yin were like certain human minorities. They lived in remote mountains, and had an aggressive nature. Even if they attacked you, you wouldn't be able to do anything without proof.

Just bury the body in the mountain. Who would know what happened? Plus, there were supporters of demons in the imperial court. With so many limitations, neither the Great Yin nor the Great Song tried to keep the demons in check.

"Also, there is a forbidden place in those mountains that could inhibit the circulation of True Qi. It's best that Sect Master Lu doesn't venture near if possible." Xiao Qing was a little afraid that Lu Sheng might report the incident about the portal to the Devil World. Her tone got softer with that.

Lu Sheng was naturally getting angry as he realized his family was nearly killed. He researched the surrounding area through the county records when he got back, and had a basic understanding of the situation. The several branches of demons also had contacts in the County Capital. They were intelligent, after all, and had to depend on many human creations to survive. They had to buy them at a high price from the County Capital, so of course they had contacts here. 

Revenge was a must, but how it should be done and whom it should be done to were still things he needed to decide.

He was planning to develop Autumn Moon County as his base. Neither the three major sects nor the imperial court could stop him.

"I have heard… that black deer frequently appear near the Autumn Moon County Capital… This Black Deer Tribe is cruel by nature, and under the protection of their Weapon Masters and connections in high places, conducted a lot of human trafficking business…" Lu Sheng slowly sipped his tea.

"Bam!"

"Lu Sheng! Don't go too far!!"

Xiao Qing was instantly enraged and slammed the table, causing the teacup to fall and shatter. The faint green liquid spilled on the ground and filled the room with its fragrance.

Everyone in the Autumn Moon County knew her husband was the head of the Black Deer Tribe. What did Lu Sheng mean when he so blatantly expressed his plan to deal with them in front of her?

Unfortunately, she was only the department head of a county, and knew nothing about Lu Sheng's background. She thought he was only the honorary sect master of a prefectural branch, and at most at the peak of Earth Prime upper three tiers, while her husband, the leader of the Black Deer Tribe, was also an Earth Prime upper three tier expert that held great power within the County Capital.

Intel that had to do with Holy Masters was handled by the combined archive of at least the prefectural level Turquoise Conch Agency and Yin Yang Agency—there were no exceptions. Naturally, she didn't know.

On one hand, it was to protect the families of the Holy Masters, and on the other, it was to limit the power of each branch of Turquoise Agency and Yin Yang Agency. Otherwise, if they stood united while spying on the whole world, they would become a big threat.

"Near the County Capital, only the Black Deer Tribe fits most of the evidence: exceptional speed and strength, black hides, the natural fragrance of deer—" Before he could finish, Xiao Qing interrupted again.

"Watch your mouth, Lu Sheng! Think of the consequences of your words. Your family and subordinates all live inside of Autumn Moon County." How dared an outsider from the three major sects interfere with the affair of a high-ranking Turquoise Conch official and threaten her!

She thought that if she reported this, all those high-ranking officials who always had a feud with the Thousand Sun Sect would back her up.

"Consequences?" Lu Sheng laughed. "You dare threaten me?"

"This isn't a threat, just the simple truth!" Xiao Qing laughed coldly. He might be powerful, but he wouldn't dare touch her.

She was the Head of Turquoise Conch Agency, and watching over the three major sects was within her jurisdiction. She had targeted people in her reports before.

"Truth?" Lu Sheng didn't waste more time. This little girl didn't seem to know her place, and simply spewed out threats she couldn't back up.

"Elder Stone. Escort Department Head Xiao back. Teach her how to speak properly on the way." He waved his hand and leaned back. 

Elder Stone slowly walked out of the door to the left. He and King of Shadows had decided to follow Lu Sheng already. With how competitive the Devil World was, they had long since lost their territories.

That was why following someone that was improving at a horrifying rate—like Lu Sheng—was the best plan they came up with.

"You!" Xiao Qing stared daggers at Lu Sheng. "What bravery!! If you dare touch one hair of me, a warrant for you will be issued tomorrow!!"

Elder Stone shifted, and suddenly appeared in front of Xiao Qing, grabbed her hair, and savagely ripped it back.

"Ripppp!" All of her hair was ripped out along with her bloody scalp. Xiao Qing screamed in terror.

"Why just one? Might as well touch all of them." Elder Stone smiled with narrowed eyes. 

"Retard…" Lu Sheng shook his head. How did she become the department head, anyway? Connections? Bribes?

Never would he have thought that he actually got most of it right.

The Great Yin nowadays appeared to be prospering, but because of the political battle raging in court, the emperor himself couldn't even take care of himself, let alone his subjects.

The Turquoise Conch and Yin Yang Agencies had a very effective system, but because of widespread corruption, the appointments were made largely for relatives or according to bribes as of late.

Elder Stone easily brought Xiao Qing and her companion out by force. As for how the "teaching" went, Lu Sheng didn't care as long as no one died.

As for the report, he happened to be interested in how much the three major sects and the imperial court would tolerate him.

Lu Sheng had already arranged the Prime Devil Sect and the Crimson Sun Sect to two temporary headquarters as the foundation of his expansion in the Great Yin.

After that, it was time to make preparations to improve his Infinity Technique.

To complete the first tier of Collection level, he had to consume a water-type Divine Weapon or Devil Blade. But those were really hard to come by, and he didn't want to be ripped off or attract too much attention if he bought too many.

He decided to form a new plan after assessing the situation nearby.

Aside from buying, there was another method of easily obtaining Divine Weapon or Devil Blade.

He heard that the screaming outside had turned to sobbing. Lu Sheng took a sip of his tea. 'And it's robbery!'

Elder Stone, after giving Xiao Qing a lesson and taking her left eye as a price, released her and her companion.

With his power, running afoul of a county-level Turquoise Conch Agency was nothing. He only wanted to see how much tolerance the imperial court would have for him and the three major sects.

Taking the left eye might seem cruel, but with the regenerative properties of the Bind levels, it would take at most a month to recover.

After releasing Xiao Qing, Lu Sheng waited quietly inside the palace, and soon got news. Xiao Qing wanted to escalate the situation, but was quickly suppressed by Yin Yang Agency. Nothing else followed. 

After finishing his tea in one gulp, Lu Sheng hurriedly went to Chen Jingzhi, who was smiling bitterly.

"The whole point was to see what she would do. And that was all?" He was speechless.

Chen Jingzhi smiled bitterly. "Sect Master Lu, you underestimated yourself, and overestimated Xiao Qing. The story of your esteemed master is still fresh in the records, and it was this Xiao Qing's fault for speaking without knowing your background, anyway. The Yin Yang Agency Head is my friend, and wanted me to convey his deepest apologies."

He finally realized now Lu Sheng was planning to make Autumn Moon County his base: he directly put his hand on the Turquoise Conch Agency responsible for information. 

"We are all merely people among the underworld, what could we possibly do to an imperial official?" Lu Sheng smiled.

Chen Jingzhi shook his head, but didn't speak. Though Lu Sheng spoke the truth, this world had alway been ruled by the powerful. Even an idiot could see the difference between Lu Sheng and a mere Xiao Qing.

...Let alone now that the Great Yin Imperial Court was going through chaos. The various prefectures and counties might seem connected, but were all isolated. Leadership had gradually shifted to the local government and the three major sects.

"I plan to eliminate all threats within the Autumn Moon County. It would be great if Sect Master Chen could assist me," Lu Sheng said softly.

"Eliminate?!" Chen Jingzhi was shocked. "The Yangming Army and Yinfu Army would never allow that! Please consider it more carefully, Sect Master Lu!"

"Why would I need permission to eliminate bandits? Whoever has a problem can come to me himself," Lu Sheng said casually.

After beating up the Turquoise Conch Agency head and receiving not reaction from the current emperor, Lu Sheng had a general understanding of the importance of Xiao Qing, as well how much power his position granted him.

"But…!" Chen Jingzhi wanted to say more, but Lu Sheng rose already.

"I am leaving today. The Black Deer Tribe has plagued the County Capital for too long. Today is their end. "

Under the shocked stare of Chen Jingzhi, Lu Sheng, along with Elder Stone, went straight for the main road after leaving the hall.

He didn't care much about how the imperial court would react. No one should care when he, a Holy Master, wanted to develop his base somewhere.

It was the prime opportunity with the chaos within the imperial court—they couldn't send in people to take care of him, while none of the locals had the power to. 

Lu Sheng basically realized that as long as he didn't commit some absolute taboo, he could do whatever he wanted within the Autumn Moon County. Such was his privilege.

***

Golden Brilliance Mountain.

In a lively valley, filled with the sound of bird and fragrance of flowers.

The Head of Black Deer Clan, Zheng Xian, knelt on one knee in front of a tall shape surrounded by smoke.

"80% of the products on the mountain are ripe, I have arranged people for harvest already. But the incident before attracted too much attention… I'm worried that…" Zheng Xian's brow was knitted, and his voice was solemn. "And Lu Sheng just returned to Autumn Moon County."

"No matter. I wouldn't let him get away after he messed with my plan. Of course, you don't need to do it yourself this time. There are people on that side who would." A sharp and fine voice came from within the mist.

"The Devil World… is still willing to help?" Zheng Xian was confused.

"Not in secret, no. But… if there's an opportunity for an ambush, it's still possible. That Lu Sheng caused too much trouble. All we can do is to watch quietly. This is no longer at a level where we can interfere." The person within the black mist shook their head.