Chapter 92: Great Harvest
The battle was over quickly. The women of the Charm Demon Sect were not weak; the least powerful among them had reached Entry Level, and their ranks included seven or eight at the Bone Forging realm and three at the Tendon Refining realm. The shopkeeper, Meiniang, had even reached the Organ Refining realm.
However, they were no match for Lu Yuan’s elite troops.
The looming threat of the Siege Crossbows outside put everyone under immense pressure.
In less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the battle was essentially over.
The shopkeeper, Meiniang, was sent sprawling by a single punch from Lu Yuan, unable to get back up. His soldiers then moved in and took her into custody.
As for Sun Qian, two steel blades were pressed against his neck, rendering him completely immobile.
In truth, Lu Yuan had wanted to deal with him for a long time but had never found the right opportunity.
This opportunity had fallen right into his lap.
The Imperial Court already had its eyes on the Charm Demon Sect, yet he was still associating with them. Wasn’t that just courting death?
With the situation under control, Lu Yuan surveyed the main hall.
He turned to the blood-spattered Zhou Xiong and ordered, "Take your men and search the place. Don’t miss a single thing. The Charm Demon Sect was colluding with officials; there must be a list. You have to find it."
’Since we’ve made our move, we need to uproot them completely.’
’Especially the Sun Family.’
"Yes, My Lord!" Zhou Xiong replied. A large number of City Guard Army soldiers then began to search the Baihua Courtyard.
CLACK! CLACK!
Just then, footsteps sounded from outside.
It was none other than Zhou Hongling. She strode in, clad in red Body Armor with a sharp sword at her waist. Nearly one-point-nine meters tall and possessing a beauty second to none, she instantly became the center of attention.
Lu Yuan took a few steps forward and reported, "General, the Icefield Pass branch of the Charm Demon Sect has been destroyed. We killed thirty-two and captured seventy-eight. We are currently searching the premises. Thousand Men Commander Wang Sen and Sun Qian were colluding with the Charm Demon Sect. The former was killed on the spot, while the latter has been apprehended."
Zhou Hongling nodded, her expression impassive, but inwardly she was astonished. ’I can’t believe Lu Yuan accomplished something so significant right after returning to his post.’
’After all, these sects have always been notoriously difficult to handle. They have connections to powerful local families throughout Dayong, and even to some of the high nobility.’
’They’re powerful in their own right, making them very difficult to capture.’
’Even though the Marquis of Jiuse is eager to atone for his faults with new merits, he honestly wasn’t very confident and has been worried sick. He just couldn’t show it in front of his subordinates.’
’Now, things are looking up. Lu Yuan has scored another major achievement.’
’We can add another entry to his book of merits. All of this will serve as the foundation for his future promotions.’
’With just three achievements of this magnitude, he’ll be guaranteed a position as a Garrison General as soon as his cultivation is high enough.’
Her gaze swept over the young man before her, and a flash of satisfaction appeared in her eyes.
However, her brow furrowed slightly. ’How did he know the Charm Demon Sect was hiding in a brothel?’ She then glanced at Lu Yuan’s attire.
Anger toward her own brother flared within her.
’It’s all that brat Zhou Hao’s fault for leading Lu Yuan astray. I’ll have to discipline him severely when I get back.’
Zhou Hongling thought to herself.
Then, she looked at Lu Yuan and said, "Good work. I’ll take the members of the Charm Demon Sect with me for now. I’m leaving the task of searching the premises to you. All evidence must be brought back."
"Thank you, General." Lu Yuan was inwardly delighted.
He knew Zhou Hongling was handing him the most lucrative part of the assignment.
After all, everyone knew the Charm Demon Sect was exceptionally good at amassing wealth; there was bound to be a great deal of treasure here.
’This is the benefit of having someone powerful looking out for you,’ he mused. ’Otherwise, you’d be lucky if your superior even recorded your merit. Getting your hands on the actual wealth would be a pipe dream. You might get some scraps as a reward, if you’re lucky.’
After she finished speaking, Zhou Hongling ordered her men to escort the members of the Charm Demon Sect and Sun Qian away.
As for the other patrons of the Baihua Courtyard, they were driven out after their identities were verified.
The operation could be considered a resounding success; not a single person from the Baihua Courtyard escaped.
Lu Yuan watched his subordinates searching high and low.
The corners of his lips curved upward.
’This time, I’ve really hit the jackpot.’
A moment later, Zhou He came over and said in a low voice, "We just found a total of 130,000 taels of silver. It seems to be their recent income, which they haven’t had time to send to their headquarters yet. Also, we found an underground secret chamber. The men are all waiting outside; no one has gone in."
Clearly, they were waiting for Lu Yuan to go in and inspect it.
He nodded and followed Zhou He to a secluded room on the first floor. A dark opening had been revealed beneath a table, large enough for one person to enter.
Glancing at the few subordinates guarding the entrance, he said, "All of you wait here."
Then he looked at Zhou He. "You’re coming down with me."
The other man was stunned for a moment, then said, "My Lord, that’s against protocol. I shouldn’t go down."
Usually, secret chambers like this contained the best items.
It was customary for the commanding officer to inspect such places alone and take the most valuable items.
If he was in a good mood, he might pick out a few items for his subordinates.
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "I told you to come down, so come down. What’s with all the dithering?"
However, Zhou He still didn’t move. He understood what Lu Yuan was trying to do, but in the army, a superior was a superior. It was better to establish these protocols early on to avoid affecting their relationship in the future.
Seeing him so insistent, Lu Yuan could only shake his head. "Fine. I’m going in then."
With that, he headed inside.
At that moment, Zhou Xiong clapped his nephew on the shoulder. "Not bad. You’ve grown up."
’No wonder this kid is rising through the ranks so quickly,’ he mused.
’Aside from benefiting from his connection to Lu Yuan, he’s got some real ability of his own.’
Zhou He just grinned at his uncle without saying anything.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan had already entered the underground vault.
As he pushed open the wooden door, the contents within made Lu Yuan’s eyes light up.
It was filled with a large quantity of cultivation resources, likely used for training disciples.
Among them, Body Tempering Pills, Bone Forging Pills, and Muscle Refining Pills were all arranged in crates.
There were also some relatively rare Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.
After a quick scan of the room, he didn’t find much that was suitable for his own use.
Finally, a jar in the corner caught his eye.
’The True Blood of a Great Wilderness Fierce Flood Dragon.’
’Something like this is incredibly hard to find. For someone at my current level, this is a top-tier Body Refining treasure.’
’It seems the Charm Demon Sect used this to refine some kind of special elixir.’
’After all, it’s common knowledge that dragons are lustful by nature.’
This time, Lu Yuan had truly struck gold. With this, he estimated he could advance his Mixed Element Golden Bell Shield today and use Inference to derive an even higher-level Cultivation Technique.
As for the other elixirs, he could give them to Wu Han to help him train his forces Beyond the Passes.
Having an elite force loyal to him Beyond the Passes would be a huge advantage.
But right now, the most important thing was to get back and raise his cultivation level.
With this in mind, he picked up the jar of Jiao Blood and headed outside.
Once outside the secret chamber, he dismissed the others and whispered instructions into Zhou He’s ear, "Of the confiscated silver, take out thirty thousand taels and distribute it among the brothers below. You and Zhou Xiong each get five thousand taels.
Have everything in the secret chamber moved out. Use your caravan to transport it out of the city and store it somewhere safe."
"Mm." Zhou He nodded.
He counted out forty thousand taels of silver to keep, and handed the remaining ninety thousand taels to Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan then headed outside.
He couldn’t wait to achieve his breakthrough.
As for everything else, it could wait.