As Lu Zhongqiu’s mind spun in chaos, Zuo Gaofeng raised his short axe. And in a flash, it stretched three feet longer, turning into a massive mountain-splitting blade. With terrifying force, it came crashing down toward Lu’s head.

At the same time, Tan Bajang swung his iron staff sideways, the air howling as he roared, “I'll beat you down in the dark!”

Wei Hongqing didn’t move an inch. From his sleeve shot out three flashes of cold light. These were the throwing darts he’d spent years mastering. Empowered by the true qi of the eighth layer Qi Refinement, the darts themselves were almost invisible, leaving behind only elusive threads of icy light.

Lu Zhongqiu tried to parry with his Silver Hook, but his thoughts were scattered and his heart wouldn’t calm. Irritation burned through him, and the rope binding his body kept his qi from flowing freely.

Without thinking, he summoned his Seven-Treasure Lotus Pearl.

As the steward in charge of secretly gathering spiritual materials for the inner sect of Tianmu Mountain, and also the grandnephew of Sect Master Lu, he was used to venturing down the mountain alone. The reason he dared to do so was this very treasure. With this top-grade magical artifact protecting him, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would have a hard time harming him.

The moment the treasure pearl left his hand, it burst into seven dazzling colors, transforming into a swirl of lotus leaves, stems, filaments, pods, flowers, roots, and hearts. It wrapped tightly around Lu Zhongqiu from head to toe.

The giant axe, the iron staff, the flying darts... all struck against the glowing barrier and were stopped cold.

Lu Zhongqiu’s head throbbed. His thoughts spun wildly. Was the Wei Hongqing standing before him even real?

Just then, Liu Xiaolou suddenly flicked a handful of lotus seeds into the air. Dozens of them shot forward, infused with true qi, striking directly at the Seven-Treasure Lotus Pearl.

To everyone’s shock, the rainbow-colored barrier that had easily blocked every other weapon didn’t resist this time. It opened up like a door on purpose, letting the lotus seeds slip right through. They sank straight into the lotus pod.

The moment the pod absorbed the seeds, the seven-colored light grew clearer, brighter, and even more powerful.

Without hesitation, Liu Xiaolou threw another handful of seeds. Then another, and another, and another…

Each batch of lotus seeds vanished into the pod. The glow around the lotus thickened, taking on solid form. The colors so rich and dense they looked ready to drip from the air itself.

At first glance, the Seven-Treasure Lotus Pearl seemed to be growing stronger and stronger. Its colors blazing brighter than ever. But under that shimmering light, Lu Zhongqiu was starting to panic. His mind was a tangled mess, flashes of chaotic images whirling through his head. He couldn’t think straight, couldn’t decide what to do.

While he hesitated, Liu Xiaolou sent out yet another handful of lotus seeds. The lotus pod swallowed them whole. And then suddenly bulged, went rigid, and drooped downward. Like a man gagging, it spat out all the seeds it had just consumed.

That strange reaction instantly threw the Seven-Treasure Lotus Pearl into disarray. The seven-colored glow shattered and vanished.

The moment the light fell away, Wei Hongqing’s three golden darts shot straight through and struck Lu Zhongqiu square in the chest. He froze on the spot, eyes wide.

Then Tan Bajhang’s iron staff came sweeping in again. “I'll beat you down in the dark!” he roared.

The blow smashed across Lu Zhongqiu’s waist with a crack, snapping his spine and sending his upper body flipping backward.

A heartbeat later, Zuo Gaofeng’s mountain-splitting axe came down with unstoppable force. And with one clean stroke, Lu Zhongqiu’s head was gone.

From the moment Lu Zhongqiu discovered Fang Bu’ai’s deception to the moment he lost his head, the entire battle had lasted less than an hour. There had been some surprises. Things hadn’t gone quite according to plan. However, the outcome was still perfect.

It was still early morning. The fields around the bridge were empty. The gang quickly wiped away the blood, dragged off the two bodies and the severed head, and fled for ten li without stopping, slipping into the depths of Wulei Mountain.

Once inside, they reached a hidden cave they’d scouted out beforehand. There, they burned the corpses down to ashes, crushed the remaining bones to dust, and buried everything in a pit ten feet deep. They filled it back in, leveled the ground, scattered fine ash to blend the soil, and left no trace behind.

Then came the division of spoils.

That morning, Old Master Xie was caught off guard when Lu Zhongqiu dragged him into trouble. He’d brought nothing of value. All their loot came from Lu Zhongqiu.

First, a storage artifact: a palm-sized Qiankun Pouch filled with rare and precious materials. The three main ingredients used to refine Bamboo Leaf Green.

Second, a high-grade defensive artifact: the Seven-Treasure Lotus Pearl. Everyone had seen its power in battle. Its defense was exceptional. After removing the lotus seeds that had interfered with it, the artifact returned to its original pristine state.

A mid-grade magic weapon: the Silver Moon Hook. Not bad in terms of power.

A spirit-communicating jade pendant, meant to be worn close to the body.

Fifteen spirit stones, over fifty taels of gold, and two bottles of healing pills.

This battle was a real haul!

Wei Hongqing didn’t look too good. His face was pale, and he seemed uneasy.

“Brother Wei, are you hurt?” asked Liu Xiaolou.

Wei Hongqing shook his head, his gaze drifting back to the spoils. “What a pity,” he said quietly. “That bastard must’ve had plenty more stashed away, but he didn’t bring it with him... Anyway, go ahead and divide it up. I don’t want a single thing. To be honest, I wouldn’t dare. I started this fight myself, and my goal was to kill that Lu fellow. Now that he’s gone, I’ve got what I wanted. I won’t compete with you brothers over the loot.”

That made sense, and no one tried to persuade him otherwise. “Even though I won’t take anything,” Wei Hongqing added, “I can still help make things fair. All of this came from Tianmu Mountain, so let me at least tell you what it’s worth, just for reference.

This Qiankun Bag, for instance... it was bought from the Chicheng Sect. I heard Tianmu Mountain only got three of them back in the day, spending nine hundred spirit stones in total. The Chicheng Sect gave them a friendship discount, so we can value this one at about three hundred to three hundred and fifty spirit stones.”

Everyone’s faces lit up as they stared at the Qiankun Pouch. For rogue cultivators from Wulong Mountain, always ready to flee at a moment’s notice, having a storage artifact like that spoke for itself.

The only problem was whether it was safe to take it.

“Was this Qiankun Pouch specially made for Tianmu Mountain?” asked Liu Xiaolou.

Wei Hongqing shook his head. “No, not exactly. The Chicheng Sect has been refining these bags for a long time. There are at least a few dozen circulating out there. Still, best to stay cautious. If a Wulong Mountain rogue suddenly shows up with a Qiankun Pouch, it’ll draw suspicion right away.”

As for the Seven-Treasure Lotus Pearl, Wei estimated its value at two hundred and sixty spirit stones. High-grade artifacts usually start at a hundred, with the most exceptional ones fetching up to a thousand. From his experience, this one could probably sell for three or even four hundred spirit stones if the right buyer came along.

The Silver Moon Hook, on the other hand, was an outstanding mid-grade weapon. Its power had already been proven in the fight just now. Far stronger than anything any of them carried. Wei valued it at around eighty spirit stones.

The spirit-communicating jade pendant was the kind of thing many young disciples from prestigious sects liked to wear. It didn’t have any special function, but after years of being worn, the jade would gradually take on the owner’s likeness. A charming little trinket to play with.

This particular piece seemed freshly dug up, so Lu Zhongqiu’s features hadn’t appeared yet. Perfect timing to sell it. Wei Hongqing estimated it could fetch around twenty spirit stones.

As for that pile of spiritual materials... even though he was the owner of Hongji Tavern, he honestly had no idea what they were worth. As a matter of fact, he’d only just learned today that the main ingredients for brewing Bamboo Leaf Green wine were these three particular materials. After thinking it over, he gave a rough estimate of forty spirit stones.

Now came the moment to divide the loot.

Liu Xiaolou politely offered for Zuo Gaofeng and Tan Bajhang to choose first, but both shook their heads. Even Wei Hongqing said that by the usual rules, Liu Xiaolou should get first pick. From start to finish, from planning to the actual fight, Liu had carried the whole operation. The rules were the rules.

He hesitated for a moment between the Qiankun Pouch and the Seven-Treasure Lotus Pearl, then finally chose the Qiankun Pouch.

Right after that, Zuo Gaofeng picked the Lotus Pearl. It wasn’t because he coveted its power; he just knew they’d fetch a good price. His plan was to travel all the way to Chicheng Mountain and sell it privately in the market there. With that much spirit stone in hand, he’d finally have enough to hunt down a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Tan Bajhang didn’t have much choice left. He ended up with the Silver Moon Hook, the spirit-communicating jade pendant, and the batch of materials. He planned to head to the Chicheng Mountain marketplace with Zuo Gaofeng to sell everything off. If all went well, they could walk away with over a hundred spirit stones between them.

The remaining fifteen spirit stones and fifty taels of gold went to Fang Bu’ai. He hadn’t expected to get so much and was overjoyed. He clutched his share with reddened eyes.

Tan Bajhang laughed. “Junior Fang’s starting strong! When I made my first deal, I only got two spirit stones. You’ve already beat me several times over! What about you, Xiaolou? How much did you make the first time?”

Liu Xiaolou grinned. “One spirit stone. I killed someone at the peak of Qi Refinement for it, too.”

Fang Bu’ai took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions. “I know it’s all thanks to you seniors looking out for me.” His voice trembling. “I probably won’t ever get another chance like this… I just can’t help thinking of my master. He never once made this much in a single job.”

It truly was a windfall. The task itself hadn’t been all that difficult, but thanks to Wei Hongqing’s planning, picking the right target and the perfect timing, the job had gone off without a hitch. One strike, clean and decisive. A single job worth several years of work.