My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Chapter 369: Chapter 4: Connecting the Dots

Being in charge was exhausting for Zuo Xuan. Facing the gazes of Ganxing and Wu Quan, she composed herself and said, "If that’s the case, we’ll do as you two seniors suggest."

"You misunderstand, Fellow Daoist. We were merely offering a suggestion. The final decision is still yours to make!"

Wu Quan said with a chuckle.

Ganxing immediately chimed in, "That’s right!"

Zuo Xuan couldn’t be bothered to argue with them. Picking up a teacup from the Eight Immortals Table beside her, she said, "Then it’s settled. But let’s be clear about one thing: if the Lord’s tasks are not completed within three years..."

"Rest assured, if need be, I will personally oversee this matter," Wu Quan declared again.

But Zuo Xuan shook her head. "That won’t be necessary. Before Daoist Changqing went into seclusion with the Lord, he entrusted two matters to us, and we will need you two seniors to focus your efforts there. The minor affairs in Mozhou Road can be left to the juniors."

Hearing this, Ganxing and Wu Quan both raised their eyebrows.

Because this session of closed-door cultivation was so abrupt, Wang Ping didn’t have time to see to many of his plans. Thus, he had specifically instructed Zuo Xuan on two matters.

The first was the matter concerning Daoist Hengle of the Lishan Bamboo Text Temple in Hai Zhou Road. This was related to the ’Kongshan Association’. Wang Ping had originally intended to use him as bait to catch a bigger fish, but he feared things might change after he entered seclusion. So, he requested an arrest warrant from the Xiao Shan Lord, intending to round up everyone connected to Daoist Hengle’s network first.

The second concerned the network of Guanmao Daoist. This network had extensive ties to the Demon Race, and Wang Ping couldn’t allow it to continue developing right under his nose. He had used the opportunity to request special authority from the Xiao Shan Lord to completely crush this network and prevent them from regrouping anytime soon.

After he entered seclusion, these two tasks fell to Ganxing and Wu Quan. This was a clever move on Wang Ping’s part, as both tasks were guaranteed to make enemies.

Seeing the two hesitate, Zuo Xuan produced a gray Token. "Daoist Changqing knew this task would be difficult, so he specifically requested the Lord’s Identity Token. There are currently at least six Third Realm Cultivators stationed within the Six Heart Sect, and this Token can be used to temporarily command them!"

Wu Quan and Ganxing’s eyes glinted at her words, their minds racing. The current situation was unstable, with every faction planning its next move. Having cultivated for nearly a thousand years and lived through several such upheavals, they were keenly aware of the risks and rewards involved.

"This... will require some time!"

Wu Quan relented, primarily thinking of his alliance with Wang Ping and Zi Luan.

Ganxing understood Wu Quan’s thoughts. Knowing that being too calculating would do more harm than good, he looked at Zuo Xuan and finished what Wu Quan had left unsaid. "Give us half a year!"

"Done!"

Zuo Xuan rose and presented the Token with both hands.

What followed were pleasantries, which continued until Zuo Xuan had escorted Wu Quan and Ganxing out of the small administrative courtyard.

After watching the two men leave, Zuo Xuan turned to Wenhai and Li Lin, who had been waiting for some time by the door of a side room. "Come in with me," she beckoned.

Zuo Xuan was much more casual with these two. She picked up her now-cold tea and said, "If you have something to report, get straight to it. No beating around the bush."

She aimed this remark at Wenhai, whose cautious way of speaking was often filled with unnecessary fluff.

"The secret agents Xuanhe Daoist set up in Mozhou Road have suddenly become very active these past few days. By tracing one of their contacts, we followed the trail all the way to its source: the Inspectorate in our own Nanlin Road!"

As Wenhai spoke, he suppressed a peculiar mix of emotions—hatred, but also anticipation.

Zuo Xuan paused, her teacup halfway to her lips. Her gaze fell upon Li Lin, who immediately spoke up. "His lead also happens to connect with the follow-up investigation into the sacrificial ceremony in Ning’an Prefecture. That line of inquiry has been cold for almost two years."

"Interesting."

Zuo Xuan set down her teacup, motioning for Li Lin to continue.

Li Lin paused for a beat, tugging at his sleeve. After composing his thoughts, he continued, "These two leads converge on a single person. A person... who you should remember, Senior."

"Oh?"

"It’s a Star God from the Mozhou Road Loose Cultivator alliance named Yu Min. She now has complete control over Yongsu Prefecture!"

Hearing this, Zuo Xuan’s mind flashed back to a case she had investigated on Wang Ping’s behalf: the mass death of fish along the coast. That investigation had led her directly to Yu Min, right before Ren Kong was abruptly parachuted into Mozhou Road as the Pacification Envoy, bringing the case to a grinding halt.

At this thought, she slapped the storage pouch at her waist and took out a long-sealed case file. "Take a look at this," she said, handing the file to Li Lin.

Li Lin strode forward, took the case file, opened it, and used his spiritual sense to absorb its contents. He finished reading it in a mere moment.

"Any thoughts?" Zuo Xuan asked.

"The contamination recorded in this file is different from the pollution generated by the sacrifice in Ning’an Prefecture, but it has the same effect: it contaminates the land, and it runs deep. Back then in Ganhua County, Daoist Changqing and Daoist Zi Luan both cleansed the area, but barely a month later, after the effects of their Magic wore off, the newly sprouted vegetation at the epicenter of the contamination withered once more."

Li Lin took out his own case file and handed it to Zuo Xuan for her to see. Before going into seclusion, Wang Ping had sent him a message, instructing him to transfer this case to Zuo Xuan’s hands.

Zuo Xuan accepted the file and also used her spiritual sense to scan it, memorizing its contents in an instant.

"And what do you think?" she asked, handing the case file back to Li Lin.

"I’ve been following this case for nearly two years and built hundreds of files, but the trail always went cold at the Inspectorate—or more precisely, the Internal Affairs Division under its jurisdiction. But as for who was responsible, it was never clear. I created a profile for every person possibly connected, but I had no solid leads until five days ago."

At this, Li Lin looked over at Wenhai.

Wenhai picked up the narrative. "The day after Daoist Changqing entered seclusion, He Jiu was monitoring a pharmacy in Mozhou Road set up by the Xuanhe Daoist. He discovered they dispatched a merchant caravan, which, quite unusually, headed north. The official story was that they were going to Jinhuai Prefecture City to procure medicinal herbs. He Jiu had his people secretly follow them. Five days ago, the caravan leader met with the Inspectorate’s warehouse ambassador at the Sanxuan Teahouse on Zheng Street."

"On its return trip, the caravan made a special detour through Yongsu Prefecture to deliver the herbs purchased in Jinhuai Prefecture City to Yu Min!"

Zuo Xuan listened, a bit dazed. Then, her right eyelid began to twitch uncontrollably. "Were the herbs tainted?" she asked.

Wenhai shook his head. "We didn’t get a chance to inspect them. The cargo was guarded by a Third Realm Wood Spirit Cultivator!"

Li Lin added, "Senior, you must have come across Yongsu Prefecture often in the reports, right? In my investigation, I discovered that the ones who instigated the unrest in Mozhou Road frequently gather in Yongsu Prefecture."

Zuo Xuan’s mind raced with this new information. She stared at Li Lin and asked, "Are you saying all these people are connected? Who do you suspect?"

"Many people are tangled up in this network. First, there’s the Taiyin Sect—both Evil Cultivators and Righteous Cultivators are involved. Then there’s ’First Day.’ Even Ren Kong’s appointment as Pacification Envoy could have been part of a scheme to facilitate their operations. Fortunately, the Lord discovered it in time and intervened..."

Before Li Lin could finish, a Qi Cultivator hurried to the doorway. Facing Zuo Xuan’s darkening expression, he reported, "My Lady, Daoist He is requesting an audience. He says it’s extremely urgent!"

"He Jiu?"

Zuo Xuan looked puzzled. She glanced at the two men before her and said, "Send him in at once!"

The words had barely left her mouth when He Jiu strode in. Cupping his fist, he said, "My Lady, our spies watching the Inspectorate have been discovered."