Chapter 42: Red-Bellied Katydid

"Mist-Hidden Valley."

Before drawing his last breath, the Blue Eagle uttered these three names.

Ling Xuan was taken aback. Could such a place truly exist within the three thousand ranges of Changbai?

The Soul of the Profound Water Black Snake excelled in stealth. It had visited Eagle-Grief Ravine, yet it did not linger for long, instead making off with that fractured stone tablet.

According to the little white snake's communication with the smaller serpents of Eagle-Grief Ravine, the direction of its departure pointed precisely toward the Mist-Hidden Valley indicated by the Blue Eagle.

Was the Grey Eagle waiting for him in Mist-Hidden Valley?

Ling Xuan leaped three feet into the air with excitement.

Ye Ziyan's eyes gleamed with high spirits. "We shall completely wipe out the Grey Harriers."

Hou Junji executed a series of cartwheels. "How amusing! Who would have thought the lackeys of the Yuwen clan were so utterly fragile?"

Inside the Mist-Hidden Valley, the Grey Eagle led the Grey Harriers forward, lying in wait to ambush their targets.

Yet, even to the Grey Eagle's surprise, the piercing shrieks of the hawks inadvertently enraged the Soul of the Profound Water Black Snake.

Had Ling Xuan laid eyes upon this Soul of the Profound Water Black Snake at that moment, he would have fiercely cursed Yang Xuangan. Was this truly supposed to be a four-star green-glow demonic soul?

Although the Soul of the Profound Water Black Snake was merely a split entity of that seven-star demonic soul, it had already advanced to a five-star blue-glow tier.

The falcons of the Grey Harriers were mostly between the two-star and three-star ranks.

They possessed not the slightest bit of defensive capability, and were swallowed whole and utterly devoured by the five-star blue-glow Soul of the Profound Water Black Snake.

The Grey Eagle had sought to catch a sparrow only to lose the bait, squandering the efforts of many years in a single moment.

Rage surged into his heart, making a life-and-death battle inevitable.

In an instant, the Mist-Hidden Valley became a vortex of billowing fog and flying rubble.

It took a long while before tranquility was finally restored.

When Ling Xuan arrived stealthily and beheld the blood-soaked terrain, he nearly failed to suppress the urge to vomit.

Cruel—it was truly beyond cruel.

More than twenty members of the Grey Harriers, lifelong practitioners of poison, had all perished within the jaws of venomous serpents.

On the ground, the remains of poisonous snakes were scattered everywhere, their venom hissing against the earth and rising in faint wisps of green smoke.

The Grey Eagle, the core backbone of the Grey Harriers, was riddled with thousands of holes; the blood flowing from his wounds shimmered with layers of bluish-green, and his eyes remained wide open, unblinking even in death.

Beside him, the five-star blue-glow Soul of the Profound Water Black Snake was shattered into countless pieces, dead beyond any hope of revival.

What puzzled Ling Xuan, however, was that the Grey Eagle had died neither from snake venom nor at the hands of the Soul of the Profound Water Black Snake, but rather from a rotting corpse poison.

Yet, the poisonous corpse-worm was nowhere to be found. Instead, using his fingertip, the Grey Eagle had scratched a few hasty characters onto the ground beneath him: "Yuwen... casting aside the bridge after crossing..."

"What does that mean?"

Hou Junji asked, utterly perplexed. "Aren't the Grey Harriers the lackeys of the Yuwen clan?"

"I haven't the foggiest," Ling Xuan confessed, equally baffled.

As a core figure of the Yuwen clan's Grey Harriers, why would the Grey Eagle accuse the Yuwen clan of betrayal with his dying breath?

The scene was an absolute mess; even if they wished to search for other clues, there was simply no way to begin.

What shocked Ling Xuan even more was that, after scouring the entire Mist-Hidden Valley, the fractured stone tablet carried away by the Soul of the Profound Water Black Snake was nowhere to be found, as if it had vanished into thin air.

The Grey Harriers—the intelligence-gathering operatives of the Yuwen clan who had ventured to the Demon-Subduing Camp—had been completely annihilated without a single survivor.

Yuwen Chengxiang was consumed by rage and promptly reported this news to his grandfather, Yuwen Shu.

Unlike Yuwen Chengxiang, however, not only did Yuwen Shu feel no anger, but he even secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Where there are flaws, eliminate the flaws."

Nevertheless, fearing that Yuwen Chengxiang might bungle the matter due to his incompetence, Yuwen Shu ordered Yuwen Chengdu to hasten to the Demon-Subduing Camp and take absolute charge of the situation.

Back at the Demon-Subduing Camp, upon learning that Ling Xuan had spent over a month merely to complete a medicinal herb-gathering mission, Luo Cheng, the Prince of Beiping's heir, burst into loud laughter. "A good-for-nothing remains a good-for-nothing. Even five hundred military merits required such arduous effort."

Little did he know that within the Lingyan Pavilion—the small building belonging exclusively to Ling Xuan in the Imperial Physician Valley—Ling Xuan was grinning broadly as he gazed at the token in his palm.

Within the token, not only had five hundred military merits been credited, but an additional ten thousand military merits were now available for his unrestricted use.

Yang Xuangan had honored his promise, allowing Ye Ziyan and Hou Junji to become members of the Lingyan Pavilion.

Simultaneously, he bestowed a special privilege upon Ling Xuan: any task items within the royal Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion could be exchanged at an eighty-percent discount, and the transaction would be handled in absolute secrecy. Even unique divine weapons and formidable arms would not reveal the name of their owner.

When others made exchanges, particularly for legendary divine weapons such as the Phoenix-Winged Gilded Boring, the Five-Hooked Divine Flying Bright Silver Spear, or the Prairie-Fire Phoenix Spear, their names would invariably be displayed.

This was a special privilege granted by the Divine Emperor to the Lingyan Pavilion, yet this prerogative was enjoyed solely by Ling Xuan as its pavilion master.

Squinting his eyes with a smile, Ling Xuan looked toward Hou Junji. "Little White Ape, the time has come to test you."

"Test me? Test me on what?"

Hou Junji looked dumbfounded.

"You excel at designing divine weapons and forging them as well. Design a token for me," Ling Xuan chuckled playfully. "Anyone who joins my Lingyan Pavilion must carry such a token."

"What are you plotting?" Ye Ziyan asked, still in the dark.

"As the lady suggested, we are expanding our squad's membership," Ling Xuan laughed heartily.

"What squad members?"

Hearing that the three of them had returned safely, Sun Tianxin hurried over. "Might I be permitted to join?"

"Brother Sun, aren't the military merits from sticking needles insufficient for you?" Ling Xuan teased in response. "Or have you come to rob me of my herb-gathering missions?"

"If you wish to assemble a squad to acquire military merits, I happen to have a method," Sun Tianxin said with deliberate mystery.

His interest instantly piqued, Ling Xuan hurriedly inquired, "Brother Sun, do tell me quickly."

For more than a month while Ling Xuan and his two companions were away gathering herbs in the three thousand ranges of Changbai, Sun Tianxin had incurred the deep-seated resentment of Imperial Physician Cui due to his candid remarks back at the Imperial Medical Bureau.

During this period, Sun Tianxin had been subjected to no shortage of petty harassment.

Yet Sun Tianxin remained unfazed, maintaining his usual stern, unsmiling demeanor and keeping his distance from the others at the Medical Bureau.

Even so, Sun Tianxin had been secretly observing the soldiers who came seeking treatment, particularly those who appeared solitary and aloof from the crowd.

Drawing from his own situation, he deduced that individuals who did not quite fit in were mostly people of grand ambitions possessing extraordinary skills.

Take Hou Junji, for example.

Though he had previously maintained good relations with others in the military settlements, the moment the Little White Ape's secret was exposed, everyone immediately distanced themselves from him.

Yet, in the face of such a person, Ling Xuan had let bygones be bygones and kept him by his side, allowing him to put his talents to use.

This left a profound impression on Sun Tianxin, making him feel as though he had found a kindred spirit.

He paid even closer attention to those aloof seekers of treatment, secretly observing their divine incarnations to see if any possessed traits similar to Hou Junji's.

As fortune would have it, he actually discovered one. Although the man was merely a cook in a military settlement, his divine incarnation was likewise constrained by something akin to a seal.

Most importantly, the divine incarnation of this individual bore a remarkably interesting name: the Big-Bellied Red Cricket.

"What? The Big-Bellied Red Cricket?"

Why did that name sound so familiar? In his memories, it seemed to be the mount of that chaotic overlord, Cheng Yaojin. Ling Xuan quickly pressed, "Brother Sun, what is this man's name?"

"An amusing name. I heard he was born biting a piece of gold, so they call him Cheng Yaojin," a trace of a smile touched the corner of Sun Tianxin's mouth. "Little Prince, does he interest you?"

It truly was that blessed general who knew only three axes!

Ling Xuan rejoiced inwardly. Could it be that by building the Lingyan Pavilion, he might actually manage to gather all twenty-four of them?

This seemed entirely contrary to the historical trajectory of his memories. Could someone else have transmigrated just like him and was altering the course of events?

However, he could not dwell on that right now; whatever had changed, had changed—his top priority was to ensure his own survival.

Given the nature of the Yuwen clan, now that the Grey Harriers had suffered such heavy losses, they would undoubtedly come looking for trouble. Within the main camp, there was little need for alarm, but once he stepped outside, he would have to proceed with absolute caution.

The corners of his mouth curved upward. "A person valued by Brother Sun must surely be extraordinary. Where is he now?"

"Does the Little Prince truly wish to bring him into the squad?"

Sun Tianxin deliberately baited him. "Then why won't you agree to let *me* join the squad?"

"We've been under the same roof for ages; didn't Brother Sun join long ago?"

Ling Xuan asked with amused interest. "Could it be that Brother Sun wishes to withdraw only to apply anew?"

"In that case, might I participate in designing the Lingyan Pavilion's token?"

Glancing past the battered and uneven Purple Firmament Flute, a flicker of dimness flashed across Sun Tianxin's eyes. "Those five hundred military merits were not easily earned. How does the Little Prince intend to use them?"

"I despise using my brain the most," Ling Xuan chuckled. "I'll leave the Lingyan Pavilion token to Brother Sun and the Little White Ape. If our five hundred military merits aren't enough, we'll just add the merits Brother Sun earned from needling patients all this time. How about that?"

"So you were waiting for me here?"

Sun Tianxin felt a momentary wave of exasperation. This brat Ling Xuan truly never suffered a loss, yet this very trait showed that he genuinely regarded him as one of his own. "Then should I address you as Pavilion Master?"

Pavilion Master? Master of the Lingyan Pavilion?

With a slight flick of his tongue, Ling Xuan quickly pulled back, feigning extreme shock. "Brother Sun, are you humbling yourself to acknowledge me as your elder brother and serve as my underling?"

"If the Little Prince can lift the restraint on my divine incarnation, what would be wrong with acknowledging you as my master?" Sun Tianxin asked with a completely solemn expression.

"What?"

Ling Xuan instantly leaped to his feet. "Your divine incarnation is constrained just like Hou Junji's?"

Among those twenty-four individuals, not a single one bore the surname Sun, though there were two with the compound surname Changsun. Judging by Sun Tianxin's age, Ling Xuan muttered inwardly: could he perhaps be that eldest brother-in-law of the Li family's second son?