Martial Saint with Passives

"Don’t thank me. Just protect yourself." Ye Lianzhen gave him some more Withered Soul Grass. "Go back soon. Don’t let anyone discover you left the Mining Area. As for Xie Songnian, if he tries to make trouble for you, I’ll shield you from it."

Jiang Che nodded.

After thanking her again, he hurried back to the Black Stone Mining Area.

He kept his Shadowless Escape Stream active the entire way, leaving no trace for anyone to see.

Just as the sky was brightening, Jiang Che finally returned to his residence in the Mining Area.

After shutting the door, he let out a long sigh of relief.

With Xu Qingshan and Ye Lianzhen both backing him, plus the Jade Talisman and the Illusion Mist Pearl as his trump cards, he could finally feel at ease.

The next morning, Jiang Che took Cheng Ming and a few miners to the ravine to collect the bodies.

When they arrived, they saw that the bodies on the ground had been mauled by Black Beasts until they were unrecognizable. Only a few bone fragments and tattered clothes remained, making it impossible to see any wound marks.

"Ugh, these Black Beasts are vicious..." Cheng Ming sighed.

He then directed the miners to gather the bones that could be identified as their own people.

"After the people from the Sect have finished their inspection, find a place to give them a proper burial," Jiang Che said.

He looked at the scene before him and finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief inwardly.

’Mauled to this state, no one will be able to find any discrepancies on the bodies now.’

After dealing with the bodies, Jiang Che immediately wrote a detailed report and had someone deliver it to the Sect.

The report stated that the Demon Sect coveted the Mining Area’s resources and launched a surprise attack. Sun Qihong and the others were coerced into transporting ore, then killed by the Demon Sect. He, on the other hand, had led a resistance, killed the members of the Demon Sect, and reclaimed the ore.

...

「In an elegant study.」

Xie Songnian, a gaunt-faced man with black hair and a white beard, was practicing calligraphy with a brush.

He had committed too many killings in his youth. Now, as he grew older, his heart was not as tranquil as it once was.

So, he had taken up calligraphy.

Only when he was practicing calligraphy could he obtain a rare moment of peace.

Suddenly, Xie Xingwen rushed in.

He had lost his usual composure, and his face was tinged with panic.

"Father! Something’s happened!"

"Panicking like this, what a disgrace!" Xie Songnian chided.

Xie Xingwen quickly steadied himself, took a breath, and said:

"Father! A message came from the Mining Area. It says that not only is that brat Jiang Che fine, but he also killed all the Demon Sect members, and the ore wasn’t lost! And... Mr. Wu went there and hasn’t returned!"

The brush in Xie Songnian’s hand suddenly snapped. He turned his head and said angrily:

"You can’t even handle a mere Bone Forging Realm disciple, and you almost ruined my important plans. You’ve disappointed me greatly!"

Xie Xingwen shivered in fear and quickly lowered his head.

Xie Songnian frowned and said:

"This person didn’t report to the Sect that we colluded with the Demon Sect, so it seems he has some brains. If he had actually reported it, that would have been better. He can’t produce any real evidence, and we could have turned the tables and thrown the mud back on him, accusing him of colluding with the Demon Sect to embezzle the ore!"

He paused, then continued:

"But it’s not a good time to move against him now. The situation is too sensitive, and any big move could alert the Sect. Besides, the matter of Mr. Wu’s disappearance hasn’t been investigated. We don’t know how he did it, but he must have someone backing him. For now, leave him be. We’ll wait and see."

Xie Xingwen grew anxious. "Just let him live? He’s ruined my plans several times!"

"What else?" Xie Songnian shot him a glance.

"I told you to be patient, but you just wouldn’t listen! Now we can only let him live a few more days! I’ll send someone to the Mining Area to investigate what happened to Mr. Wu!"

Then, he shouted towards the door.

"Liu Cang, come here!"

The door curtain was lifted.

A middle-aged Martial Artist walked in.

The man had a powerful build and a ramrod-straight back.

He wore a dark gray, close-fitting martial outfit.

His eyes were like a hawk’s.

As his gaze swept over Xie Xingwen, it carried a hint of imperceptible scrutiny.

The moment he stood there, a condensed Qi Force emanated from him.

The aura of the Peak of Refining Organ Realm!

This man was Xie Songnian’s most capable subordinate.

He had followed him since his youth, helping him handle many difficult matters.

"Master." Liu Cang bowed in salute.

Xie Songnian pointed at Xie Xingwen.

Then he briefly recounted what happened at the Mining Area.

Finally, he said, "Go to the Black Stone Mining Area, find out what happened to Mr. Wu, and see if there are any clues at the scene."

"Yes." After speaking, Liu Cang turned and left.

His steps were unbelievably light for a large man; he was out of sight within a few breaths.

Watching Liu Cang’s retreating figure, Xie Xingwen still felt uneasy.

"Father, can Uncle Liu find anything?"

"If he can’t, then no one can."

Xie Songnian picked up another brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write.

"And you, boy, you’d better lay low for a few days and stay out of trouble!"

Xie Xingwen shrank back and said in a low voice, "Father, I understand."

...

Liu Cang was fast.

By that afternoon, he had arrived at the ravine on the outskirts of the Black Stone Mining Area.

The area had already been cleaned by the miners.

Only some blackened bloodstains and bone fragments remained on the ground.

As well as a few tattered black robes of the Demon Sect.

He crouched down, his fingers crumbling a clod of earth stained with black blood.

A faint, cyan Jin Qi appeared at his fingertips.

The Jin Qi seeped into the soil.

After a short moment, his brow furrowed.

There was an extremely faint trace of Qi Force left in the soil.

It belonged to Mr. Wu.

In addition, there was a trace of a much more violent power!

"This kind of power..." Liu Cang stood up, muttering to himself, "It would take a full-strength blow from someone at the Peak of Refining Organ to achieve this! But there’s no sign of True Qi, so it shouldn’t be a True Master Realm expert."

He then sniffed the blood-stained soil on his fingers.

"There’s Mr. Wu’s scent..."

He wandered around the area and finally came to a riverbank.

This was the exact spot where Jiang Che had thrown Mr. Wu’s remains.

"The scent is stronger here, and there’s even the smell of internal organs..."

Liu Cang’s brows knitted together.

He then used his Jin Qi to probe the riverbank and eventually found a small piece of flesh.

"It seems Mr. Wu is dead, and his body was thrown into this river..."

He stood up and returned to the original site.

He closed his eyes, carefully sensing the Qi Force at the scene, and reconstructed the events in his mind.

"The killing style... the body type should be huge, skilled with fists, a power-type expert."

Liu Cang opened his eyes, certain he had found the truth.

"So, Jiang Che has a helper at the Peak of Refining Organ? Who is this person? It seems there’s no expert with this kind of style in the Cangyun Sect..."

His eyes sharpened. Without lingering, he immediately left to report his findings.

...

「That evening.」

The Sect sent an Elder Xiao, who was at the Late-stage Refining Organ Realm, to conduct an investigation.

This man’s hair was half-white, but his build was still powerful.

Elder Xiao first checked the ledgers and the ore.

After confirming there were no shortages, he examined the bodies and questioned the miners.

Seeing that the chain of evidence was complete, Elder Xiao’s attitude became much more amicable. He returned to make his report without asking too many questions.

Before leaving, he chatted with Jiang Che for a while and revealed that he had also been from the Yunhai Courtyard. But he only hinted at it and said no more.

Watching Elder Xiao’s departing figure, Jiang Che knew this was likely the result of Xu Qingshan’s influence—finding an old-timer from Yunhai Courtyard. Otherwise, things would not have gone so smoothly.

’This master of mine is quite capable,’ he thought to himself.

「In the blink of an eye, four days passed.」

Jiang Che spent these four days as usual.

During the day, he handled the Mining Area’s affairs as normal.

He had Cheng Ming tally the casualties and organize the ledgers.

At night, he would stay in the Snow Crystal Jade Warehouse and cultivate.

While circulating the Nine Heavens Azure Cloud Technique.

He would consume the Snow Crystal Milk he had taken from Sun Qihong.

A single small drop of Snow Crystal Milk, and his Qi Blood would immediately begin to roil like boiling water.

It was more effective than an entire day of cultivation.

However, although he appeared normal on the surface, he was actually uncertain about how the Sect would handle the matter.

Although Xu Qingshan and Ye Lianzhen had said they would protect him, Xie Songnian was the Vice Sect Leader, after all, and held great power.

Who knew what the final outcome would be.

「That afternoon.」

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from the distance.

Accompanied by the sound of a large door opening.

Jiang Che hurried out and saw that it was Elder Xiao, the Late-stage Refining Organ Realm expert who had come to investigate last time.

Furthermore, two Inner Courtyard Disciples followed behind him.

They were carrying several small wooden boxes.

Jiang Che quickly went up to greet them.

Seeing Elder Xiao’s calm expression, Jiang Che immediately felt a sense of relief.

"Jiang Che, you resisted the Demon Sect in the Mining Area and protected the ore. This is considered a great merit. The Sect rewards you with fifty pounds of Top Grade Exotic Beast Meat, a bottle of Top Grade Qi Replenishing Pills, and ten Sect points!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the two Inner Courtyard Disciples handed over the wooden boxes.

Jiang Che took the wooden boxes. They were heavy in his hands.

He quickly thanked them, "Thank you, Elder Xiao! Thank you, Sect!"

"However," Elder Xiao’s tone shifted, becoming serious, "many people died in the Mining Area this time, and Sun Qihong and the others are gone. As the Steward, you bear the responsibility for mismanagement! Therefore, the Sect has decided to strip you of your position as the Steward of the Black Stone Mining Area!"