I Cheated While Cultivating

In the defense office of the Yulong Mansion City.

Zhou Heng met Pang Nian, the chief officer in charge of the city gate’s defense and inspection. This man was in his fifties, with a burly figure and a robust aura, possessing the cultivation of the Seventh Rank.

“For such a young person to already be a Middle Third Rank Martial Artist, you must come from a renowned sect.” Pang Nian greeted him with a smile and clasped hands.

“Merely a Loose Cultivator, I’ve had some fortune is all.” Zhou Heng shook his head slightly and said, “Just now, I sensed a faint aura of ghostly evil circling within this city. Could there be Demon Entities causing trouble?”

He had taken the name Zhou Wei and did not use his real name.

“Yes, indeed. Your acumen is exceptional; since half a month ago, every midnight, ghostly entities have appeared, sending people into a state of panic.” The expression on Pang Nian’s face became even more courteous as he smiled and said, “Would you, Sir, be willing to accompany me to see the lord of the mansion?”

There was a reason for his change in attitude.

The level of a Secret Sixth Rank is by no means ordinary. For the vast majority of Martial Artists, reaching this realm before the age of fifty is as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Yet Zhou Heng appeared to be only about twenty years old.

A Martial Artist of this age who could achieve the realm of Secret Sixth Rank either hailed from a prestigious sect with excellent heritage and cultivation conditions or was someone with great fortune who had stumbled upon earth-shattering opportunities and managed to turn danger into safety every time.

Since Zhou Heng claimed to be a Loose Cultivator, if what he said was true, it meant he was a person of great fortune. To some extent, such a person could be stronger than a Martial Artist from a prestigious sect.

It was said that just being in the vicinity of such a person of great fortune could bring one a touch of their good luck and thereby change one’s own destiny.

Therefore, while leading the way, Pang Nian subconsciously drew closer to Zhou Heng, acting very affable.

This almost made Zhou Heng think that the city defense chief had some special predilection.

Fortunately, after arriving at the Prefectural city office, Pang Nian excused himself and left. Soon after, Zhou Heng met the official in charge of Yulong Mansion City, the lord Qu Zhenfeng.

…

Qu Zhenfeng was nearly a hundred years old with white hair and a youthful appearance, not showing signs of old age, one could say he had the appearance of an elderly man with the vitality of a child.

Even the lifespan of a Secret Sixth Rank in the True Energy Realm is one hundred sixty springs and autumns. Having refined the True Gang Realm, living to one hundred and eighty years old wouldn’t be a problem for him.

He was currently in the prime of life.

On the way there, Pang Nian had already broadly discussed with Zhou Heng the situation inside Yulong Mansion City.

Starting from half a month ago, as soon as night fell, cold winds would begin to blow, and every household felt like someone was knocking on their doors, with the knocking sound gradually getting louder.

Those who opened their doors would disappear into thin air and never return.

But even if one hid inside the house and pretended not to hear the knocking, it was useless. According to feedback from the citizens, the knocking seemed to contain a bewitching power, beckoning everyone who heard it to open the door.

If one’s will was not firm enough, they might be attracted by the knocking and compelled to go open the door.

In the past half a month, more than a thousand people had vanished out of thin air, meaning more than a thousand families were torn apart, and public resentment was boiling over.

The lord of the mansion had also personally intervened to investigate the matter, but to no avail, not even a trace of the Demon Entities was found.

It was useless even to wait inside ordinary people’s homes.

Wherever Qu Zhenfeng went, the knocking would not occur in that particular household.

“`

We simply couldn’t catch the creature.

After listening to Pang Nian’s description, Zhou Heng formed a broad judgment in his heart.

This so-called “creature” should not be a ghost or a demon entity but is likely an evil creature causing mischief.

Creating such a large-scale “terror event” to instill fear in the populace was very much the style of evil creatures, whose purpose was to gather negative emotions to strengthen themselves.

“Mr. Zhou,” Qu Zhenfeng walked as swiftly as the wind, his face wearing a smile as he clasped his hands and said, “It’s truly the heart of a hero that, although you are just passing by, you still chose to stay and concern yourself with local affairs.”

“I’m merely curious to see what kind of creature is causing this mischief,” Zhou Heng smiled and said, “Moreover, I’ve only recently reached the Secret Six Rank, and I would like to find a creature to test my skills against.”

“This…” Qu Zhenfeng’s face showed difficulty as he sighed softly and said, “Mr. Zhou, to be honest, I came to persuade you to leave. The creature here is not something you can deal with.”

“Oh?” Zhou Heng asked in surprise, “Why is that?”

“It’s an inconvenient matter to discuss openly, but in general, ordinary martial artists simply cannot kill this creature. You should leave the city as soon as possible,” said Qu Zhenfeng.

“Is there really such a thing?” Zhou Heng feigned a surprised look, eyes sparkling, and said, “Is there a creature in this world that cannot be killed?”

“There are all kinds of wonders in this vast world, and it’s normal for someone as young as Mr. Zhou to have not seen them,” Qu Zhenfeng continued to urge, “This creature really isn’t something you can contend with, please go.”

“What does our lord mayor plan to do, then?” Zhou Heng frowned slightly and said, “I’ve heard that even if you take action yourself, you cannot find the creature’s traces. Why not let me stay and help?”

Zhou Heng knew that Qu Zhenfeng did not want to see him harmed by the evil creature, which showed responsibility as a prefectural governor.

Originally, Zhou Heng wanted to stay in Yulong Mansion City to confront the evil creature for two reasons.

First, upon learning of the evil creature’s mischief, he wanted to eliminate it as a matter of convenience and accumulate merit for his soul, and second, he wanted to see if any members of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers from Southern Jin would come.

After all, dealing with evil creatures was beyond the ability of ordinary martial artists, who couldn’t kill them—it required the intervention of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers.

Prefectural city offices usually sought assistance from the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers as well.

“Alas, why are young people so averse to taking advice?” Qu Zhenfeng sighed and was about to continue persuading when a voice came from outside the house.

“If he wants to stay and help, let him stay,” a crisp and indifferent voice came from outside, followed by a flash of silver starlight shining through the crack of the door.

Though it was only dusk and the sky had not completely darkened, normally there wouldn’t be much starlight at this time.

This starlight was clearly condensed by someone’s effort.

The starlight coalesced into a tall, slender man dressed as a scholar, exuding a scholarly aura, wearing a mask painted with the image of an official.

The Star Officer “Shaowei” from the Taiwei Enclosure!

Since the masks worn by the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers carried information, Zhou Heng, being a member of the same organization, recognized the position represented by this mask and identified the man’s identity at a glance.

“Lord Shaowei,” Qu Zhenfeng greeted respectfully.

“Hmm,” the Star Officer Shaowei nodded lightly, casually acknowledging the greeting, then turned his gaze to Zhou Heng and said indifferently, “You are a loose cultivator with unimpressive martial arts, yet you dare to stay. Your courage is commendable.”

“Hmm?” Zhou Heng’s eyebrows rose slightly and he laughed, “That’s high praise, I’m just a bit curious.”

“Humph!” Shaowei suddenly let out a cold snort, disregarding Zhou Heng, and turned to Qu Zhenfeng, “Prefect Qu, bring me the investigation files on the previous disturbances caused by the creature.”

“`

“Yes, sir, please wait a moment,” Qu Zhenfeng hurriedly turned and headed to the adjacent study.

“…” Zhou Heng watched the conversation and actions of the two, his eyes narrowing slightly. He hadn’t expected that his first meeting with a Zhou Tian Boundary Officer from Southern Jin would present such a stark contrast to those of Da Qi.

In Da Qi, Zhou Tian Boundary Officers typically appeared as assistants, aiming to help local governments eliminate evil spirits, and they would never lord over the local officials in such a superior manner.

The reason for this is that Zhou Tian Boundary Officers in Da Qi are relatively independent, and they tend to have a cooperative relationship with both sects and the imperial families, operating outside the system; naturally, there is no hierarchy between them.

However, it’s different in Southern Jin. Here, Zhou Tian Boundary Officers are a formal part of the Imperial Court’s official organization, and their ranks are integrated with the official system, with the ranks of Zhou Tian Boundary Officers generally being quite high.

This means that although there are more rules and restrictions, they also have more secular power. Every member of the Zhou Tian Boundary Officers naturally holds an official rank.

No matter the level of cultivation, even the lowest-ranking Star Envoys are equal to county prefects, and a Star Officer of Secret Six Rank and in the True Gang Realm, like Shao Wei, ranks above a Mansion City head but below a Prefectural Governor.

Thus, according to the laws and regulations of Southern Jin, Shao Wei is indeed Qu Zhenfeng’s superior officer, and his utmost respect is quite normal.

Nevertheless, maybe it is because of this preferential treatment in rank that Shao Wei appeared somewhat arrogant.

At this time, only Zhou Heng and Shao Wei remained in the room.

Shao Wei’s gaze was calm as he looked towards Zhou Heng and said, “I’m not sure what you’re staying behind for, but let me make it clear to you that the monster causing trouble here is not something you can handle.

“When I take action against the haunting creature, do not interfere. It would be best if you did nothing at all, otherwise if something goes wrong, I cannot guarantee your safety.”

“Rest assured, that’s what I plan on doing,” Zhou Heng smiled and said, “Unless necessary, I will not take action.”

“It’s not about necessity,” said Shao Wei in a tone that brooked no argument, his voice grave as he continued, “Unless I tell you to act, do not take action.”

“That’s not out of the question,” Zhou Heng replied with a smile.

To tell the truth, he didn’t much care for the attitude of the Star Officer. He could sense that the other party simply didn’t want to introduce any variables, nor did he want innocent people to be harmed by evil creatures.

Although his attitude was a bit haughty, his heart wasn’t bad.

“Fine,” Shao Wei seemed too lazy to say more, and seeing Qu Zhenfeng returning with the files, he stopped paying attention to Zhou Heng and flipped through the files.

“I’ll take a look too,” Zhou Heng said, following him over.

“…” Shao Wei was slightly silent but said nothing, letting Zhou Heng stand by and watch.

Zhou Heng, while examining the files, employed a technique to project a wisp of his Divine Soul from his body, conjuring an image of a mighty Vajra Mahamayuri Buddha Aspect which soared into the sky, overlooking the entirety of Yulong Mansion City and the surrounding area, searching for any trace of the evil creature.

— The wisp of Divine Soul forming the imagined Buddha Aspect did not contain any mana. In reality, it held little power and would naturally not trigger the city’s defenses against invasion from the “airspace” above.

The file contained detailed records of the more than a thousand households afflicted by the “monster,” filled with an extensive amount of information. By the time Zhou Heng and Shao Wei had finished reading, the sky had completely darkened.

Below the night sky, stars twinkled.

Whoosh whoosh!

Sounds of the wind outside that resembled the wailing of ghosts and monsters came through, sending chills down one’s spine.

“Lord Shao Wei, Mr. Zhou, the monster has started causing trouble,” Qu Zhenfeng said with a grave expression—this past half-month, the matter had kept him incredibly busy.

“Let’s go, choose an ordinary household,” Shao Wei said gravely, and then transformed into a beam of starlight, shooting out of the yamen.

“Lord Shao Wei, please wait…” Qu Zhenfeng wanted to offer a few reminders, but before he could finish, Shao Wei had already left the yamen.

“Prefect Qu, don’t worry, I’ll follow,” Zhou Heng said with a smile.

Shao Wei had already ordered Qu Zhenfeng to stay put at the yamen and not to follow.

“Ah, Mr. Zhou, please be careful as well,” Qu Zhenfeng sighed, “Lord Shao Wei just has a peculiar temperament, but he’s not a bad person.”

He was aware of some details about this Star Officer; reportedly a prodigy from a distinguished family, Shao Wei had reached the rank of a Star Officer at a young age and had cultivated True Gang, making him inevitably proud.

“I know,” Zhou Heng nodded lightly with a smile, then turned into a streak of light and flew up, chasing after the starlight ahead.

At this moment, if the citizens of Yulong Mansion City looked up, they would see a cloud of light chasing the starlight ahead at an extremely fast pace.

Moreover, the distance between the two was rapidly closing.

“So fast?” Qu Zhenfeng looked at the departing light, surprised, “Is this Mr. Zhou really just in the True Qi Realm?”

Actually, compared to Qu Zhenfeng’s spectator perspective, the Star Officer Shao Wei being pursued by the light Zhou Heng had transformed into was even more shocked; he could feel that the cloud of light was about to catch up very soon.

Too fast!

At least thirty percent faster than the starlight he had transformed into.

Wasn’t this Zhou Wei a Loose Cultivator?

How could he be so fast?

Thus, Shao Wei increased his speed a bit more, but he soon found that the cloud of light also sped up to match, and the distance between them continued to narrow, with Zhou Heng quickly catching up.

However, at that moment, Shao Wei had already chosen a household and decisively descended toward the street below in a beam of starlight.

Unexpectedly, the cloud of light descended even faster, and before Shao Wei could land, Zhou Heng had already dissipated the cloud, standing firmly on the ground.

“Your Escape Skill is impressive,” Shao Wei glanced at Zhou Heng after descending.

“Just a minor trick,” Zhou Heng said with a smile.

“Now, I can act with a peace of mind,” Shao Wei snorted coldly, “Should problems arise later, with the speed of your Escape Skill, you still have a chance to get away.”

“Let’s focus on finding that monster first,” Zhou Heng’s gaze swept around, and his Divine Soul continued to monitor the surroundings; he had already picked up on a clue.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The sinister wind continued to howl, but Zhou Heng and Shao Wei heard no knocking sounds. It was indeed just as the records described: only the occupants could hear knocking on their own doors, there was no sound from outside.

“This monster is cunning. Could it be that it didn’t show up because it saw us coming?” Shao Wei also inspected the surroundings but to no avail.

“No, it’s already here!” Zhou Heng then pointed to the sky with his hand, where the clouds dispersed to reveal an enormous shadow emerging from the mist above.

It was the head of a massive dragon!

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