Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Fuluju's boss caught the Xian Fish in Luoxia Stream of Luoxia Village, which is located at the junction of the capital city and Lin City, outside the Seventh Ring Road, almost leaving the city. It was much faster for Xiao Yu of the Lin City Branch to get there than for Jiang Lin from the Management Bureau.

The Lin City Branch office was originally located in a suburban area, far from their main urban district, but much closer to Luoxia Village near the national highway.

As soon as he received Jiang Lin's call, Xiao Yu immediately gathered his team and headed to Luoxia Village. On their turf, if a Spirit Object was snatched away by foreign Adepts first, he would be so angry he couldn't eat for three days.

Although whether there was a Spirit Object remained to be seen, if there was one and they missed it by arriving too late and a foreign Cultivator got it first, they would likely have to undergo a round of reprimands from top to bottom.

Xiao Yu was the captain of the Lin City Brigade under the Lin City Branch. The Cultivators here were all under the branch's management, and he had far more men than Jiang Lin. With just one call, three cars full of people set out.

Xu Mo, who was usually by his side, directly got into the driver's seat. Xiao Yu sat in the passenger seat, opening his laptop to check the relevant information.

They had seen yesterday's trending topic and today's lively discussions in the Management Bureau's internal chat group, but the strange fish was discovered in the capital city. The headquarters of the Management Bureau was in the capital, and it was the Dongcheng Brigade that found it. They originally thought this matter wouldn't fall to their Lin City Branch, but unexpectedly, the windfall came just like that.

Seeing Xiao Yu looking so confident, Xu Mo couldn't help but remind him, "Although there might be a Spirit Object, it's not certain. Why do you act like it's already in hand?"

Xiao Yu said, "If there isn't, we lose nothing. If there is, it's definitely ours in Lin City. By the time Jiang Lin gets there, the show will be over."

Although they united against external enemies, there was still competition for resources internally. If they found the Spirit Object, it would belong to the Lin City Branch. Even if they couldn't use it directly, they could exchange it for points to get other resources they needed.

Things imbued with spiritual energy were scarce, and competition among Cultivators was always fierce.

Xu Mo said, "Don't forget Ren Daoan and Yue Yanting are already there."

Ren Daoan was at the eighth level of Qi Refining, one of the few Cultivators with relatively high cultivation. If it came to a fight with Adepts, even Hull was no match for him. Yue Yanting, although not as advanced as Ren Daoan, was at the fifth level of Qi Refining. The two of them were more than enough to keep those Adepts at bay.

The reason Jiang Lin told them to hurry was that he hoped to outnumber them and avoid a fight. After all, Hull and his group were there to claim the Spirit Soil, and making things too ugly wouldn't be good for either side.

Xiao Yu said, "If they find the Spirit Object before we arrive, it's their luck. If not, it's ours."

After notifying Xiao Yu to head over, Jiang Lin didn't waste any time. He took Bai Zhizhi with him and also quickly set off for Luoxia Village.

Bai Zhizhi was now quite familiar with car rides. He climbed into the car after Jiang Lin and, mimicking Lin Xiaoyang, reached for the seatbelt from the side and buckled up.

Jiang Lin looked at him with a smile. "You learn fast. You even learned to buckle up when getting in the car."

Bai Zhizhi lifted his chin slightly. "That's not hard. But what's the use of this thing? Why do you have to tie yourself up when riding in this car?"

Jiang Lin adjusted his seatbelt for him. "It's mainly for safety. In case of a car accident, this seatbelt can absorb the impact and prevent people from being thrown out of the car. So you must always buckle up when riding."

Bai Zhizhi pinched the strap with two fingers and tugged. With a snap, the seatbelt, which was supposed to provide protection in an accident, snapped in two in his hand.

Holding one end of the broken seatbelt, Bai Zhizhi looked at Jiang Lin with innocent eyes. "It's so fragile. It doesn't seem like it can protect me."

Jiang Lin was speechless.

He took the broken seatbelt from Bai Zhizhi's hand and said with a hint of helplessness, "Its function is to protect ordinary humans. Since we're using ordinary people's means of transportation now, we have to follow their traffic rules. So don't tug on it next time."

Bai Zhizhi said "Oh" obediently, but after being good for only three seconds, he added, "If we really crash, this extra strap would just get in the way. It would stop me from flying out clear. Besides, your car is so slow, and with so many cars on the road, it gets congested. Why don't we just fly there?"

Jiang Lin replied patiently, "Because I don't know how to fly."

They were Cultivators, sure, but their inheritance was incomplete. They simply had a different kind of power than ordinary people. They couldn't fly through the sky or burrow into the earth.

Bai Zhizhi said, "I can fly. If I flew away, you'd never catch me, right?"

Jiang Lin turned to him with a smile. "Would you run away?"

Bai Zhizhi also smiled. "Not now. But if you bully me, I'll definitely run away."

Seeing him shake his head with a smug look, Jiang Lin's heart softened and he promised, "I won't bully you. I promise."

As long as you don't do evil or oppose humanity.

While Jiang Lin and Xiao Yu were rushing to Luoxia Village from different directions, Ren Daoan and Yue Yanting, who were already there, had confronted Hull and his group.

Hull knew Ren Daoan. As a Cultivator of considerable fame in China, they knew each other's reputations. Ren Daoan was a master in China, but Hull wasn't afraid. This was an unknown small mountain village in China, not their officially claimed territory. These people had no reason to drive them away.

Looking at the people blocking his way, Hull sneered disdainfully. "This isn't your private land, is it? Isn't it a bit presumptuous for you to block our path?"

Yue Yanting couldn't help but roll his eyes. A bunch of tyrannical Adepts calling them tyrannical? That was the funniest joke he'd heard all year.

Ren Daoan, being more even-tempered, wasn't swayed by Hull's words. "According to the Management Bureau's tests, the fish we discovered yesterday naturally carries neurotoxins. To prevent unaware villagers and fishing enthusiasts from accidentally catching it, this area has been taken over by the Management Bureau. Unauthorized personnel, please do not enter."

Hull looked around, still arrogant. "You say it's taken over, so where's the documentation? Where are the cordons? Where are your enforcement personnel? You just say it's taken over, and that's it? I don't believe it."

With that, he took a few steps forward with his men.

Yue Yanting raised his hand and shot a blast of spiritual energy at Hull's feet. "It would be best for everyone if you leave now. If you're forcibly removed later, it won't be pretty."

Hull had brought five men, all capable Adepts. One of them, an earth-element Adept, stomped his foot, and a wall of earth rose up, surging toward Ren Daoan and Yue Yanting.

Yue Yanting struck out with his palm, instantly dispersing the earth-element attack. Before the unbound earth could fall, Ren Daoan quickly erected a barrier, protecting both himself and Yue Yanting, and retaliated by sending some of the scattered earth flying back at them.

The earth-element Adept, sensitive to his element, stopped the debris mid-air with a thought and then waved his hand, scattering the earth, still laced with spiritual power, onto the ground.

Seeing his own attack blocked, Hull wasn't too bothered. He just smiled and praised, "It's been a while, Fellow Cultivator Ren. Your cultivation has improved again. As you Chinese say, that's the proper way to put it, right?"

Ren Daoan was about to respond when the grass nearby rustled. It was a very subtle movement, but Ren Daoan detected it. Without a second thought, he shot a palm strike toward the source.

A squeak rang out, and the grass shook more visibly, clearly something was scurrying through the grass.

Yue Yanting's expression turned grim. He remembered that Hull had a Treasure Mouse, a mouse smaller than a palm, which was hard to catch once it was in a wooded area like this. It had a natural affinity for spiritual objects, and in some energy fields, Hull had often relied on it to get ahead and collect more things.

Realizing that his Treasure Mouse's movement had been detected, Hull wasn't worried. Instead, he taunted them, "Spirit Objects are created by heaven and earth. Before they are discovered, anyone has a chance. If you claim this is your territory and every bit of land and every tree belongs to China, we can leave right now."

The land was indeed their national territory, but according to the Cultivators' Convention, undiscovered Spirit Objects, no matter where, were to be obtained by the skills of Cultivators from various countries. If they claimed ownership today based on territory, then in the future, if their own Cultivators found a Spirit Object in another country, other countries could use that as an excuse to seize it.

Seeing they remained silent, Hull laughed triumphantly. "If you don't want us to find it first, you'd better pick up the pace."

With that, he led his men toward the stream. According to the information, the strange fish had originally lived in the stream up ahead. If there was a Spirit Object, it was most likely aquatic.

Yue Yanting looked at Ren Daoan, who gave him a reassuring glance. "Captain Xiao should be here soon. We'll have more people than they do. Don't worry. Carefully sense any spiritual energy fluctuations. As long as we find it a step ahead of them, they won't be able to take it away."

Yue Yanting checked the time, hoping Captain Xiao's team would arrive soon.

Hull's Treasure Mouse was small but incredibly useful. About the size of a hamster, it wore a black collar. Hull controlled the mouse through that collar.

But something controlled by external force can never truly be attuned to its owner's mind. The Treasure Mouse only knew its master wanted it to find things—good things, but it couldn't grasp exactly what kind of good thing. So it just dug up whatever it thought tasted good.

It didn't find a Spirit Object; instead, it unearthed a wild ginseng root. It didn't look very old, maybe about ten years. Though wild, the ginseng was shriveled and thin, looking malnourished, almost like a weed. Hull casually tossed it aside and tossed the Treasure Mouse away. "Find something useful!"

Yue Yanting picked up the wild ginseng that Hull had discarded. Though small, it was still a rare find, grown wild, with decent nutritional value. He could take it back to make soup or brew ginseng tea for a little energy boost.

Seeing this, Hull mocked them, "You Chinese people sure love picking up trash."

Something so lacking in spiritual energy—he wouldn't even bend over for it.

Yue Yanting rolled his eyes at him. "You've only been eating well for a few years, and now you act like you're too good for it. Those who waste nature's gifts will eventually pay the price for their actions."

"Whether we like picking up 'trash' or not is our business. At least we're better than people who trespass without a clue."

Xiao Yu walked straight up to Hull with his team, presenting a red-header official document to him. "The red fish found here carry neurotoxins. The entire mountain has now been taken over by the Administration Bureau. Anyone not authorized, please leave now."

As soon as Xiao Yu finished speaking, one of Hull's men shouted, "Boss, we've found something!"