In the Song and Dong Family's restaurant, the manager turned out to be a member of the Huang Tian Sect.
Shen Qing was truly shocked by this scene.
He would never have thought that the seemingly ordinary manager had such a layer of identity behind him.
It was fortunate that he had made this trip, otherwise he would have remained in the dark, never knowing the secret.
Regarding the Huang Tian Sect, ever since he accidentally heard about them on his way into the county town last time, he had paid special attention and inquired about them in the city.
The result of his inquiries revealed that the Huang Tian Sect was not to be underestimated.
In recent years, they had been attacking cities and taking fortresses in the southern parts of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and their momentum had gradually grown like wildfire. Lately, they had even managed to take over Jinzhou in the north, with their momentum growing strong.
There were even rumors that the Huang Tian Sect had their secret methods of gathering the dispersed Martial Spirit from outside the Great Zhou Court, accumulating small gains to amass a fortune and gathering sand to build a tower.
Slowly, they had the potential to rival the court of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and were considered by the court as a major concern.
These days, the main task of the Guardian Martial Departments in various cities was to exterminate the Huang Tian Sect.
Encounters with disciples of the Huangtian Sect resulted in immediate execution, without any room for negotiation.
The Huang Tian Sect preached the doctrine "Huang Tian above, all beings are equal," aiming to lead their followers to transcendence, harness the great powers of heaven and earth, and pursue the ancient immortal path's mighty powers and eternal life.
Their main temple was established atop the mist-enshrouded "Huang Tian Sacred Mountain," presided over by a Huang Tian member whose strength was unfathomable.
The evangelists of the Huang Tian Sect were called "Yellow Angels"; they wore yellow robes, donned yellow crowns, held yellow banners, and walked across the Great Zhou, spreading their doctrine and promoting good deeds. They were dubbed the Yellow Peril by the government offices of the Great Zhou.
It appeared that so many people in the Outer City were now daring to risk their lives to join the Huang Tian Sect.
It looked as though the Great Zhou Dynasty, having been established for nine hundred years, appeared flamboyant and splendid, yet the reality was that its core had deteriorated, and it was starting to decline.
The lower-class people in the Outer City would rather risk death to join the Huang Tian Sect than continue to barely survive under the rule of the Great Zhou.
Shen Qing craned his neck for a closer look and noticed that the disciples of the Huangtian Sect following Cai Jia Sheng were all emaciated, with few appearing robust.
Yet even if their faces were pale, each one of them was immensely devout, occasionally revealing brilliantly shining eyes.
Shen Qing didn't look any further and withdrew his gaze.
If he wasn't mistaken, this whole area must have already been absorbed by the Huang Tian Sect, becoming an area for their covert expansion.
That's why they were conducting ceremonies so openly and brazenly under the broad daylight.
He had barged into a nest of the Huang Tian.
"In that case, that Cai Jia Sheng must be the Yellow Angel of this Outer City, and he seems to have quite some influence in this area," he thought.
Just now, Shen Qing actually wanted to rush over and kill Cai Jia Sheng, just as he had killed Wang Qiyao.
As a Yellow Angel, Cai Jia Sheng might have had the Blood Bird's Nest on him.
But he dared not make a move on Cai Jia Sheng.
Although Cai Jia Sheng appeared ordinary, had a mild temperament, and showed no sign of martial prowess, Ouyang Tie Niu and Yang Zhao Ping might have been overcome by Cai Jia Sheng, who could not be excluded as a Martial Master of the Skin Forging Realm.
Shen Qing himself had only just stepped into the level of strengthening, and there was still a considerable gap between him and the Skin Forging Realm.
Not to mention, the waters of the Huang Tian Sect were very deep, and he had no idea how many people like Cai Jia Sheng were inside.
If he were to make a move, whether he could obtain the Blood Bird's Nest was uncertain, but he would definitely stir up the hornet's nest of the Huang Tian Sect.
"If that's the case, let's leave it then. Delicacies from the mountains are rare, but not worth such risky ventures. If I were to face such a skilled opponent, I'm not confident I could kill him." Sёarch* The nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Just as Shen Qing was preparing to leave, he suddenly sensed two more people approaching in his direction.
He quickly held his breath and once again concealed himself in a dark corner.
The two approaching individuals were also disciples of the Huang Tian Sect, but their physiques were visibly more robust than those of the ordinary disciples.
Even their speech was full of vigor.
"Who would have thought the last piece of mountain delicacy would be right here in our area; that person surnamed Kong hid it deeply. It's only because those two made some noise coming here that we found out about it."
"Isn't that the truth? Lucky for us that a Yellow Angel is here, saving us a lot of effort. Those two were just unlucky."
"Never mind them, those who aren't from the Holy Sect aren't our brothers or sisters; if they die, they die. Perhaps this was arranged by some unfathomable destiny of Huang Tian, bringing the mountain delicacies together for us."
"Heaven below, Huang Tian above."
At this point, the speakers paused to recite a phrase devoutly. After finishing, one of them continued.
"With the Yellow Angel now having all three mountain delicacies, the Blood Bird's Nest, the Jade Deer Tendon, and the Tiger King's Penis, does that mean we can move on to the next step in our plans?"
"Yes, I heard the Yellow Angel plans to exchange these three delicacies for a position of shopkeeper in a restaurant, securing a foothold for our Holy Sect in the Inner City. When Huang Tian descends, we will be able to save many of our brothers and sisters."
"Ah... it's just that the Song family gets the better deal."
"Those young masters and misses of the Song family, even with the mountain delicacies, they won't progress quickly enough; perhaps by the time we attack the county, they won't have been able to use them yet."
"Right, let's think of it as temporarily stored with them..."
The voices of the two conversing faded away.
When the footsteps of the two finally disappeared into the alley, Shen Qing slowly stepped out from the dark corner.
With his ability to move like a "Poison Shadow," Shen Qing concealed himself very well.
Even the two groups of Huang Tian Sect members had not managed to detect him.
Once out of the alley, Shen Qing didn't linger. He made several turns to ensure no one was following before he felt safe enough to return to the main street.
The conversation he had just overheard made Shen Qing realize that the development of the Huang Tian Sect in Taiping County had far exceeded anyone's expectations.
Before long, Taiping County was sure to be thrown into chaos; he must prepare ahead of time.
What surprised him even more was that Cai Jia Sheng, without making a sound, already had three pieces of mountain delicacies.
Especially the latter two, which were far more precious than the Blood Bird's Nest.
If it were just one Blood Bird's Nest, it wouldn't be worth the risk, but with the Jade Deer Tendon and the Tiger King's Penis, it was definitely worth a try.
From his experiences, robbing had proved much quicker for accumulating wealth than honestly selling mountain goods.
Wealth does not come without windfalls, just like horses don't grow fat without night grazing.
This windfall depended on whether he could catch it.
Shen Qing walked fast, head down.
As he arrived at the city gates, they were just about to close.
With quick steps, Shen Qing entered, swiftly handed over several large coins as a gesture, and hurried into the city.