Secret Records of the Leader of the Beichen Sword Sect
Chapter 59: Receiving the Reward

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Receiving the Reward

"Ah ah ah! Murder!"

"Assassin! Assassin! Protect the princely heir!"

"Wei, Elder Wei! How is this possible! Could it be the Demon Sect..."

"This woman is with the Demon Sect! She must be an accomplice! Capture her!"

"Hey, hold on..."

"Good opportunity! Third Lady, I’ll protect you!"

"Bold scoundrels! Plotting rebellion! Assassinating the princely heir! Not a single one is to be let go!"

"Shameless dog officer! Framing Third Lady! Snatching women in broad daylight! Everyone, stand together!"

The once silent scene instantly turned into chaos, people shouting and horses neighing, a complete mess.

Before any guards could react to chase after the assassins, Tie Dan had already straightened his clothes and left, having killed and collected a head, then tucked it into his straw raincoat, skillfully weaving through streets and alleys, disappearing into the crowd.

This fool surnamed Wei was too arrogant, not even carrying a magic treasure for self-protection and preservation, getting stabbed in an arm and a leg, only one hand left usable, yet he wasn’t resting quietly at home, daring to show off in a vast crowd, exposing his neck to the sword. Isn’t this seeking death?

Even if it’s Nascent Soul, so what? Even if it’s Divinity Transformation, so what?

Like a comet striking the moon, like a white rainbow piercing the sun, like a hawk attacking on the palace, like Xuan Nu stabbing the emperor before the imperial court.

As long as the sword can sever, there’s nothing that cannot be killed,

This is

The Beichen Killing Sword.

Having killed, vented his anger, Tie Dan felt somewhat relieved, not caring about the situation behind him where Third Lady’s group was now brawling with the princely heir’s guards, his expression unchanged as he walked all the way to the Eight Banners Qingyang Palace, entered the door and turned right, into the Minister of Justice Right Chamberlain Mansion.

Of course, he wasn’t surrendering; he was claiming a reward.

In the Three Constellations, the Minister of Justice Department oversees all criminal affairs, with the Left Supervisory Department catching thieves, the Right Supervisor handling prison court cases, and the Imperial Censor overseeing all officials, alongside the Inspector General Si Li, who controls the security of the Kingdom. These three departments are commonly known as the Six Gates.

Those recruited through special orders by the Minister of Justice and incorporated into the Left Supervisory Department, working as court operatives, are naturally all selected elites, either Jianghu heroes or elite soldiers from border towns, earning money through life-risking missions, clashing fiercely with Immortal Thieves, bleeding just to earn a clean reputation for their descendants.

As for those incorporated into the Right Supervisor as clerks, well, it’s mostly because their ancestors have always been clerks of the Minister of Justice, ahem, you know how it is.

In one courtyard separated by just a wall, the Left Supervisory Department was buzzing with activity, the Tribute Hunters rushing out, armored and armed, charging to seal Jindu’s nine gates, capturing the persistent Demonic Path assassins targeting the princely heir. Yet unexpectedly, the assassin they were after brushed past them, entered their yard.

Meanwhile, the Right Supervisor’s clerks weren’t doing any proper work, enjoying small cups of wine, eating roast goose, gathered in a circle playing cards. Suddenly seeing a country bumpkin barging into the government office ruining their fun, they immediately frowned, eyes glaring, ready to lash out at this unfamiliar kid unless he turned out to be a house slave of some Gate Valve family, or a confidant from the Prince Mansion, then they would scold and find an excuse to beat him with a killing stick for venting.

Who would have thought Tie Dan would be the one for no nonsense, unveiling his robe, taking out a bag, and rolling dozens of boiled, over-cooked skulls into the main hall, sprawling across the floor.

The Right Supervisor’s clerks, "..."

Tie Dan, "Hurry, pay up."

Such audacity!?

The Right Supervisor’s clerks decided to hold off, to steady themselves first.

So everyone crowded forward, checking the names carved on the skulls one by one, each belonging to notorious Immortal Thieves and Demonic Bandits, including some fearsome Nascent Soul Realm criminals, then they looked up at this young man, only to find his plain, expressionless face exuding an aura of intimidating, deep mystery! His eyes cold as ice, chilling as snow, naturally emanating killing intent! It made their scalps tingle, their bodies uncontrollably trembling!

Immediately exchanging glances, secretly considering this must be some old monster from the Demon Head come to amuse themselves, how dare they try to greedily take advantage, risk causing trouble as an excuse for a feast.

Thus everyone uncommonly acted properly, conducting business according to rules, politely offering Tie Dan tea and a seat, checking under the instructions of the Minister of Justice, verifying identity to settle payment according to the listed prices.

However, the heads Tie Dan brought were mostly boiled and overcooked; a few fresh ones were chopped into unrecognizable flesh and blood, making identification of their identity and accounting for the murders difficult.

Considering how impressive this young man was, the clerks also indicated that as long as an individual’s Immortal Record was not noted, and their names were not on the Divine List, they could be counted as unauthorized, illegal practitioners of the Demon Path; by judging the realm from the skulls, they could settle the bounty at a base rate of a million for a Nascent Soul head, twenty coins for a Golden Core head, processing the transaction with swift efficiency.

Tsk, that shopkeeper calculated it quite precisely, didn’t he? No discounts at all...

Actually, when you think about it, a single Foundation Establishment Pill costs six thousand coins, yet a Golden Core cultivator’s life is only worth twenty coins, which on the surface seems quite excessive.

But it’s actually reasonable.

Because lives are really worthless! And so what if you’re a Golden Core cultivator, the world doesn’t lack one of you!

Moreover, can boiling your head and eating it help one establish their foundation? It can’t! Can it!

It’s the Outer Pills that aid cultivation that are valuable!

So those useless Outer Path Golden Cores, well, the government would buy them back at five hundred coins apiece if sent to the Heavenly Market Constellation.

Hence, while others might covet the money from Outer Pill recycling, the Mystic Sect cultivators would not partake in it.

Yes! Recycling is possible! The Immortal Palace can reforge those used Outer Pills, recycling them!

Thus, the Demon Palace’s henchmen remain endless, burning them won’t eliminate them, spring breezes will bring them back again!

The Gate Valve Families of the Three Constellations and Twelve Countries, the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, continue to multiply without decrease! When they raise armies, they swarm almost endlessly!

If they don’t periodically massacre ten to eight cities to control population, the nine major sects would sooner or later be surrounded and besieged by the Demon Palace’s army, in a perilous state!

But luckily, the Immortal Palace stands as a stable class system, a closed bloodline circle, a conservative social network, and a corrupt feudal dynasty.

To the Imperial Family and nobles, their own lives, of course, matter far more! Why would they risk family annihilation and confront the Mystic Sect!

Moreover, for the Imperial Family of the Ziwei Constellation, for the throne beneath their seats and the seal in their hands, they certainly wouldn’t allow so many to find a path to immortality and ennoblement.

Therefore, within the Three Constellations, there clearly exists a strict procedure, meticulously controlling the number of cultivators in various provinces and countries, to avoid the base-level combat power getting too strong, leading to the Emperor losing control over the world.

Thus, the Immortal Palace Xuan Sect remains in a delicate balance where neither side is confident of annihilating the other. Even though conflicts like wiping out entire clans or exterminating families happen frequently, a full-scale war has never erupted.

So now Tie Dan had no choice but to sit in the Right Supervisor, drink tea, patiently wait for the clerks to complete the rewards settlement, and then exit through Qingyang Palace.

Anyhow, he got the money.

The heads killed by his master count towards sect expenses, but that head of Elder Wei was one Tie Dan chopped off himself.

Though it was merely worth one thousand coins, it was still his first bucket of gold he earned.

But speaking of which, how miserable was Elder Wei? Not even securing a security captain’s position, just serving as a free dog for others?

The Princely Heir of Kun Country indeed was stingy enough, and compared to him, the one from Dui Country who discriminated against the disabled at least wasn’t stingy in rewarding subordinates...

After exchanging for rewards, purchasing supplies according to the list drawn by his senior brother, Tie Dan roamed around the marketplace again, discovering this time he had a bit of trouble.

Not only did he attempt an assassination on the streets again, killing a Nascent Soul Tribute no less, alarming the entire city’s patrol, this time a rare sight of all neighborhood watch towers in Jindu City lit up, archers wielding crossbows ascending towers, armor-clad Forbidden Army arraying formations to block paths, while pairs of Six Gates’ Tribute patrol and search every household for suspicious people.

Seems like leaving the city anytime soon was out of the question.

Tie Dan, unfazed, made his way early to the auction house mentioned by the shopkeeper for reconnaissance.

After all, killing one counts the same as killing two, so it’s better to finish all the designated kills before thinking of escape.

Thus, Tie Dan looked around the place, wandered a bit, and found this auction house resembled a vegetable market, where cultivators could set up stalls to sell various collected materials and magic artifacts they’d crafted.

The place wasn’t crowded at the moment, selling mostly spiritual medicines, mountain goods, demon skins, and beast bones. It seemed the main items for auction, those magic artifacts, would arrive later in the evening.

Tie Dan wasn’t impatient, simply observing and gaining knowledge on the side.

These cultivation materials couldn’t be bought with Divine Gang Coin here; prices weren’t tagged, requiring covert negotiations, handshakes, pinky swears between buyers and sellers to finalize secret trade deals.

However, occasionally when some items were too rare, unrecognized by anyone, sellers would call in an auction manager for appraisal; sometimes sellers would introduce what this or that flower was, or some fruit that when stewed with something could brew a certain elixir or forge a certain treasure, generally claiming it to be very valuable, urging everyone to trade quickly lest they miss the opportunity.

Although there’s no guarantee of complete truth in their words, listening on the side could still offer lots of insight.

"You’ve done a magnificent thing. An attempt on the prince’s life, yet you dare to show up!"

Tie Dan was engrossed in browsing when a cold snort came from behind; had he not caught a whiff of the person’s scent, Qingshuang would have nearly jabbed into their lower abdomen.

"Master Shen."

Indeed, this masked woman clad in black pressing closely against Tie Dan was none other than Eighth Lady Shen of the Shen Family, Jian Jia’s mother, who had previously risked her own life to save him in a secret realm.

"Haha, just a little joke, what, did it scare you?"

Eighth Lady Shen laughed as she sidled up, linking her arm with Tie Dan’s.

"Just teasing you, don’t be mad."

Why was she getting so close? Pressing his hand between her chest; surely there were ambushes around, waiting to capture him and launch a surprise attack?

Tie Dan instantly withdrew his arm from her embrace, stepped back to maintain distance, clutching his sword hilt, staying vigilant, ready for the next round of combat anytime.