Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 276 - 269 Trouble Part 1

Chapter 276: Chapter 269 Trouble Part 1

Stone Sun City

Located to the east of the Kunlin Sword Sect, Stone Sun City formed a staggered angle with Shuang Que City. The city mainly featured a small market composed of hunters and medicine farmers who gathered and hunted various game, attracting a large number of small merchants to purchase and resell the goods.

In the center of the city lay a huge stone sphere, immensely heavy and immovable. People called it the Stone Sun, and over time, the original name of the town was forgotten, replaced by Stone Sun City.

At this time, under the glaring sun, the guards at the city gate were drowsy with sleepiness, the summer cicadas incessantly chirping, and the air was oppressively hot.

The city gate did not charge an entrance fee, and hunters and medicine farmers constantly moved in and out, earning their living here.

Also, merchants and peddlers drove cattle and horse carts in and out, stocking up and leaving from here.

This remote town was far from Jianghu and conflicts, having only the peace and stability of life. The worst issue was merely a few local ruffians loitering about, eating without paying, and collecting so-called protection money.

There were very few people from Jianghu here. The famous heroes from Central Prefecture, even the slightly famous powers were not present here.

The vicinity was known for its desolate mountains and bad waters, and it lacked any rare medicinal herbs or materials, just barely able to support small wealthy locals to take root.

The comings and goings were either of small merchants or the local honest hunters and medicine farmers, with most of the residents being ordinary workers.

Located off the main roads, even travelers who passed through did not come this way.

Thus, when Lin Xin arrived here with Zhao Ke and Si Jue, the city guards immediately became wary.

Looking at the trio, one woman clad in black with a wide hat, a young man with a resigned, wry smile, and a middle-aged man with an indifferent expression. Most importantly, all three were armed with weapons.

Not the kind of weapons typically used by hunters, but legitimate blades used by those in Jianghu against people.

The three had no horse cart, no ox cart, and no guards, clearly traveling alone. Such appearances made it obvious they were lone drifters from Jianghu.

This kind of small town generally did not see such people; those from Jianghu who passed by would head to a thriving large city closer to the main roads. Such small places only meant to serve as supply points for the large cities, and having two or three visitors in a whole year was already considered frequent.

"This place is Stone Sun City," Zhao Ke cautiously walked behind Lin Xin, "The division is located here. Initially, I couldn’t believe it, as apart from government officials, I saw hardly any Jianghu figures around. But on further thought, the absence of Jianghu people here yet still maintaining such orderly safety was clearly not something any ordinary city lord could accomplish."

The Fairy of Si Jue snorted coldly. "What do you know? All city lords are directly appointed by the Dynasty, even if it’s just a small city, they are nobility with lands bestowed upon them. All nobles have sufficient power and hands."

"The Fairy of Si Jue is experienced and knowledgeable, I’m just a greenhorn who hasn’t seen the world, naturally I don’t understand," Zhao Ke was not upset and chuckled, glancing at Lin Xin. Seeing that he was not angry at the Fairy’s attitude, he felt relieved.

Lin Xin, in turn, was scanning Stone Sun City.

This small city was just a modest thousand-person town, which was quite good to accommodate a thousand residents. The houses were mostly made of wood and stone, which made them sturdy. But almost every household had animal furs or medicinal herbs drying outside, clearly showing that most of the residents were also from the local hunters or medicine farmers who had moved in.

"Let’s go, we’ll talk after we enter," Lin Xin took the lead towards the city gate.

The other two followed closely.

The Fairy of Si Jue obediently followed, while Zhao Ke’s eyes darted around restlessly, clearly his mind was unsettled.

As they entered the city with a group of hunters, a pervasive stink of drying animal skins filled the air. The Fairy of Si Jue frowned slightly, covering her nose.

Zhao Ke quickly got used to the smell, glancing ahead at Lin Xin, noticing that his senior’s expression hadn’t changed as if he hadn’t smelled anything at all.

He suddenly felt a bit of admiration; the first time he had come here, he had had to cover his nose for a long time before he could adapt.

Perhaps such strong endurance was key to his senior’s formidable strength.

He suddenly felt an epiphany.

The three of them followed along the street, bypassing the fur and game hunters’ stalls on the ground. Zhao Ke took the lead, weaving through several streets, until they arrived in front of a three-story tall herb shop.

Several men wearing white belts and red uniforms walked out from inside, all with heroic postures and firm steps, their gazes intimidating.

"It’s White Belt!" Zhao Ke immediately whispered a warning.

The Fairy of Si Jue’s expression also became tense.

White Belt was a special privilege organization under the Red Spine Sect, nominally a power of the Dynasty but in reality, completely controlled by the Sect Leader of Red Spine for intelligence and assassination.

"Where you find White Belt, you can be sure there’s no good happening."

"Red Spine Sect doesn’t have a good reputation, right?" Lin Xin asked casually, watching the White Belts walk away, his eyes flickering.

"All they do is trick people and win hearts over, pretending to be from the Righteous Path while actually belonging to the Demon Path; they’re nothing but hypocrites!" The Fairy harshly stated.

"So she has a good reputation?" Lin Xin nodded slightly.

"Where did you hear me say she had a good reputation!?" Si Jue blurted out angrily.

Lin Xin raised an eyebrow, about to speak, but Zhao Ke cut him off.

"Senior, senior, senior!" He came over with a flattering smile, silencing Si Jue before she could continue, "Please, don’t take it personally, not at all. You know she’s been seriously hurt, she’s not thinking straight. These days, I might have been too rough..." he chuckled sheepishly, "What can I do, it’s a woman issue. Just don’t take it personally, I apologize on her behalf right here."

His voice was low, Si Jue could not hear what he was saying, she had not yet recovered from severe injuries and was even weaker than an average person. It didn’t help that she was naturally stubborn and strong-willed.

Lin Xin was curious too; these two had been living in the same tent for a while now, one a street rogue and the other a prominent heroine from the Orthodox Sect. One frivolous, and another hating evil as one would hate beauty, how did these two end up together? Logically speaking, wasn’t it expected that Si Jue would have chopped Zhao Ke out of the tent with a single sword strike for living together and tarnishing her reputation?

Shaking his head slightly, he strode into the pharmacy.

Inside, a few herbal farmers were settling accounts with the shopkeeper, whispering and bargaining.

Seeing the trio enter, another idle worker hurried over.

"What medicine do you need? Whether it’s for bloody efflux or cough, or even midnight fever, our shop offers the best and most complete range of herbs in town!"

Zhao Ke stealthily took out a token from his bosom and showed it to the man.

The worker’s expression changed instantly.

"This medicine, however, is quite rare. We’ll need the on-duty doctor himself to find it... If you’re willing to wait, please come with me," the worker said, then signaled Zhao Ke with his eyes and headed towards the Inner Hall.

Lin Xin and his companions quickly followed. They passed through a gray courtyard with a well, turned several corners, and entered through an arched door into a small white garden where a plump middle-aged man with a beaming smile, his hands tucked in his sleeves, was waiting for them.

"Brother Zhao, long time no see! How are you?"

As soon as they entered the garden, they felt a faint, invisible sound barrier rise behind them, blocking any sound from leaking out.

"Brother Chen Ming, these days have been quite tough for me!" Zhao Ke put on an exaggerated smile and rushed to hug him fiercely.

"Tough, you seem pretty well-nourished! Little brother, you’ve brought two seniors this time?" Chen Ming carefully looked at Lin Xin; although Si Jue was graceful and her eyes were bright, indicating her absolute beauty, for some reason, he instinctively focused his gaze on another middle-aged man.

"May I ask who these two are...?"

"I’m a member from the Southern Prefecture branch, Red Flower," Lin Xin introduced himself with a bow.

"Southern Prefecture? That’s quite far!" Chen Ming exclaimed in surprise.

Yet, Si Jue had a cold expression.

"I am not a member of your society."

"She will be, eventually!" Zhao Ke quickly tried to smooth things over.

Nevertheless, at the mention of her not being a member, Chen Ming radiated a deep aura at that instant, causing goosebumps on both Zhao Ke and Si Jue.

Although the Radiance Society was not a big secret in the Central Prefecture, many people knew about it, but knowing and blatant transparency without secrecy ultimately broke the rules.

Lin Xin, however, was intrigued.

"I’ve unfortunately lost my token; could the branch leader help me with that, as it’s somewhat inconvenient to do without it here in the Central Prefecture?"

"Let me verify that, and if it’s true, such a minor issue will be no problem," Chen Ming responded promptly.

He quickly took out a small box from his Storage Bag, which, upon opening, revealed a small chunk of black vegetal rhizome.

He asked for a strand of Lin Xin’s hair, placed it on the rhizome, and then muttered an incantation.

Soon, the rhizome slowly dissolved, with the strand of hair moving within it like a worm and quickly tying itself into a blackish script in the viscous fluid.

Seeing the script, Chen Ming slightly nodded.

"Correct, Brother Red Flower is indeed an important member of the branch. Since there are no issues with your guide and identity proof, I’ll issue them quickly. Also, since the token is made of special materials, it will take some time to arrive after the application, so please be patient for a while."

Lin Xin nodded.

"No problem with that."

"These are all minor issues," Chen Ming smiled. "Right now, the Society’s four major divisions, the north faced a turbulent time recently due to a villain from the Shape-shifting Cave, causing many core fighters to expose their identities and perish. The Red Spine Sect has also become increasingly excessive. Not only do they not cooperate with us, but they have also reached a consensus with the Shape-shifting Cave.

"Really? Didn’t Master Gongsun and the head of headquarters rush to the north a while ago?" Zhao Ke was stunned. (To be continued. If you like this book, welcome to recommend and vote at QiDian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)