Cultivation System: Stronger with Age
Chapter 55 - 48: Every Steward in the Hall Stares Wide-eyed

Chapter 55: Chapter 48: Every Steward in the Hall Stares Wide-eyed

In the council hall, everyone sat in order. Lin Xuankong naturally still occupied the last position, near the door where it was breezy.

At the head position, Jiang Yuran was dressed in an immaculately clean Moon White Daoist Robe, sitting upright behind the brightly polished runic sandalwood table, with several Grand Chief Stewards seated on either side.

She swept her gaze around and said, "Although the task of tracking down the Flying Thieves is difficult, the lives of dozens of disciples cannot be lost in vain. Those two Flying Thieves must be caught! Everyone, report yesterday’s progress!"

Ma Jiang, full of joy, was about to stand up, but Steward Xu Bei stood up first. Clad in a blue steward’s Daoist robe, Xu Bei stood before everyone, scanning them with a slightly proud expression.

He cupped his hands towards Jiang Yuran and said, "Reporting to Chief Steward, yesterday Steward Zhao, Steward Huang, and I thoroughly searched the Spirit Snake Gang’s territory in the city. Next will be the territories of the Huang Family, the Guo Family, the Feng Family, and the Black Tiger Gang!"

He confidently said, "As long as the Flying Thieves haven’t left the city, they absolutely cannot evade the formidable tracking ability of the Dragon Blood Treasure Dogs! Within seven days, we will search the entire city and find concrete clues!"

Jiang Yuran nodded slightly. "The Dragon Blood Treasure Dogs’ tracking ability is unparalleled. As long as you, Steward Xua, and your team search diligently and find clues soon, your and Ma Rusong’s punishment can naturally be waived!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Bei and Ma Rusong’s faces immediately lit up with joy.

Steward Zhao Yufei, sitting beside them, slightly raised her chin. Filled with confidence due to the Dragon Blood Treasure Dogs’ power... She knew that she was only one step away from becoming the Silver Jade Steward!

She was holding a few blood-red beads in her hand, which were the Evil Lizard Essence Blood Pearls she had prepared to feed the three Dragon Blood Treasure Dogs today. Thinking of the three Dragon Blood Treasure Dogs that had recently made her stand out, she pressed her red lips into a smile. She would certainly have the servants take good care of them today...

The other stewards and officials secretly shook their heads. They didn’t have Dragon Blood Treasure Dogs, making it too difficult to compete with Zhao Yufei. Zhao Yufei, along with Xu Bei and Huang Yinrong, was using the Dragon Blood Treasure Dogs. Meanwhile, they could only urge their disciples; the efficiency gap was tens of times greater! But even so, it was still the Silver Jade position. How could they give up so easily...?

"Chief Steward Jiang, I have an important report!" Ma Jiang stood up straight, glancing at the smug Xu Bei and the haughty Zhao Yufei.

Jiang Yuran picked up the tea on the table and nodded, "Steward Ma, please speak."

Ma Jiang suppressed his joy and tried to stay calm. "Steward Lin under my command has already completed the task!"

Jiang Yuran’s expression shifted slightly. Forgetting her tea, she asked in surprise, "Found clues already?"

Xu Bei, still standing, looked at Ma Jiang and Lin Xuankong, "Already found clues? How is that possible!"

According to Jiang Yuran, the task was actually divided into two steps: first, gather concrete clues, and second, capture the Flying Thieves. Evidently, Xu Bei and Jiang Yuran had misunderstood Ma Jiang’s words.

The other stewards were also somewhat astonished. The red-faced steward, Steward Hu, couldn’t help but speak, "The Great Marsh Prefecture City is so vast, and you found clues so quickly! Steward Ma, from what angle did Steward Lin start investigating?"

Ma Jiang laughed. "Naturally, he started by investigating the origin of the Darts. But Steward Hu, your statement has a slight error. Steward Lin hasn’t just found clues; he has already found the Flying Thieves!"

"Found the Flying Thieves?" The red-faced Steward Hu almost thought he had misheard.

The other stewards and officials couldn’t help but turn to look at Ma Jiang and Lin Xuankong. If they weren’t in the council hall, with Chief Steward Jiang and the Grand Chief Stewards present, they would almost think Ma Jiang was joking. The Great Marsh Prefecture City was so vast; hiding one or two people would be like finding a needle in a haystack. How could it be so quick?

It wasn’t just them; the four Yin Talisman Sect Grand Chief Stewards present, whether it was Wu Liangye with his Wine Gourd or the dashing Gao Yunchao, all showed a trace of astonishment on their faces.

Xu Bei frowned and repeated, "Already found the Flying Thieves?"

He and Huang Yinrong had used Steward Zhao Yufei’s Dragon Blood Treasure Dogs! Those were worth ten thousand silver, their tracking ability equivalent to thousands of men! Yet, he himself hadn’t found any clues... What made him particularly unwilling was that the one claiming to have found clues and the Flying Thieves was Ma Jiang, that infuriatingly straightforward fool!

At this moment, Ma Jiang looked joyfully at Lin Xuankong. He was revealing the truth bit by bit, naturally, to leave a deep impression on everyone present—a deep impression of his most capable subordinate, Lin Xuankong!

Then he spoke, "Apologies, a slip of the tongue. Actually, Steward Lin hasn’t just found clues or found the Flying Thieves; he has already killed the two Flying Thieves and brought back all the stolen goods!"

"What?"

"Impossible!"

"How could it be so quick!"

"Killed the Flying Thieves? But those were two Flying Thieves skilled with Darts!"

Many stewards and officials, who had been reclining in their chairs, immediately stood up, all looking at Ma Jiang and Lin Xuankong in unison.

Jiang Yuran and the four Grand Chief Stewards also stood up.

Jiang Yuran, the Charming Chief Steward, had a face full of confusion. As she rose, she knocked over the teacup on the table, wetting her pristine Moon White Daoist Robe, but she didn’t even notice.

"Really?" Jiang Yuran asked.

"Absolutely!" Ma Jiang cupped his hands and said.

Xu Bei’s face changed colors, his eyes filled with unwillingness. He was still planning to wash away his disgrace by finding clues. "Steward Ma, are you joking? This is the council hall, not some gambling den where you play Pai Gow and dice!"

Ma Jiang sneered coldly, ignoring him.

Among the crowd, Steward Ma Rusong’s expression was incomparably complex. Ma Jiang said that old bastard Lin Xuankong killed the Flying Thieves and retrieved the stolen goods! Ma Rusong even hoped that everything happening before him was just a dream!

Damn it, could that old bastard Lin Xuankong have gone to great lengths to buy some materials—the Marsh Python Forehead Scale and Evil Lizard Essence Blood Pearl—to pass them off as the stolen goods? But that old bastard is a pauper! He lives in a dilapidated old wooden building. Where would he get so much silver to buy those materials!

While Ma Rusong was dazed, Jiang Yuran, who had been standing behind the sandalwood table, walked around it. A hint of joy appeared on her charming face as she asked repeatedly, "The Flying Thieves’ bodies? The stolen goods? Have you brought them?"

The theft at the Third Warehouse was the most disgusting and annoying affair she had encountered since her father commanded her to assist the reclusive Hall Master Xuu Zhenhuan in managing Great Marsh Hall. Now, this frustration was finally about to be vented. How could she not be pleased!

However, until she saw the stolen goods and the Flying Thieves’ bodies with her own eyes, she couldn’t be completely sure. Doubt still filled her heart. After all, how could Lin Xuankong, without the help of the Dragon Blood Treasure Dogs, find the Flying Thieves so quickly in the vast Great Marsh Prefecture City?

Ma Jiang nodded to Lin Xuankong. Lin Xuankong turned and called towards the entrance of the council hall, "Li Er, Yang Mountain, bring the items up!"

When Yang Mountain and Li Er brought up the Tao Family Brothers’ heads and the wooden boxes, everyone turned to look. Jiang Yuran then spoke:

"Steward Xua, you are responsible for warehouse matters. Steward Ma Rusong, you are the steward of the Third Warehouse. You two, check if these are the goods that were originally stolen!"

"Grand Chief Steward Gao Yunchao, you are responsible for gathering intelligence on the Independent Martial Cultivators in the Prefecture City. Examine these two Flying Thieves’ heads!"

Hearing this, the three stood up and walked towards the heads and the wooden boxes. However, their expressions were strikingly different. Gao Yunchao had a hint of joy on his face and nodded to Ma Jiang. In contrast, Xu Bei and Ma Rusong’s faces alternated between pale and flushed, their eyes flickering.