Time flew by like water, and half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.
In Luoshui County, the Seven Forms Sect had completely established itself.
Not only had they acquired several shops, but their beast material business was also thriving.
Under Lin Sheng's direction, the distribution of various beast Materials was quite restrained, but because many were Spirit Beast Materials, it inevitably attracted the attention of some local forces, who secretly sent people to investigate their background.
Of course, the final result was also simple.
Lin Sheng directly sought out the headquarters of these local forces and controlled their core members using the Seed Devil Secret Art.
After half a month, the local forces in Luoshui County had basically all become his people.
Inner city, a spacious and luxuriously decorated mansion.
Inside the mansion, there were many rockeries, and in the courtyard pond, hundreds of red koi occasionally blew bubbles.
In the main hall, Lin Sheng sat in the upper seat like a warlord.
Below him knelt two people on one knee.
Both were middle-aged. The person on the left was strong and muscular like an iron tower, wearing an eye patch over his right eye, clearly a one-eyed man.
The other person was wearing brocade clothes, with a slender figure, and was a middle-aged woman with ordinary features, heavily made-up, exuding a seductive aura.
These two were the heads of the two major forces in Luoshui County, excluding the county yamen.
The strong man like an iron tower was Tie He, the leader of the Haihe Gang in Luoshui County.
He basically controlled over 80% of the shipping business in Luoshui County.
The seductive middle-aged woman was Mei Sanniang, the owner of the Red Flower House in Luoshui County, who controlled many businesses and industries in Luoshui County, especially the grey industries.
And it was Mei Sanniang who first secretly investigated the Seven Forms Sect members.
"Gongzi, the black-patterned leopards transported from Haichuan County have arrived at the dock and should be delivered in half an hour. As for the elephant-like beast from Yongming County, it has also been loaded onto a ship and is expected to arrive in a few days."
Tie He looked respectfully at Lin Sheng in the upper seat and spoke.
"Gongzi, this is the detailed monthly income statement of the Red Flower House. Please take a look."
Mei Sanniang, who was standing nearby, also spoke respectfully at this time, handing over a stack of paper booklets in her hand.
"Not bad."
Looking at the two, Lin Sheng nodded slightly.
The strength of these two was not weak, both possessing the strength of Bone Transformation fourth level, which was considered to have entered the Middle Stage of Bone Transformation.
It had to be admitted that the quality of Martial Artists in Luoshui County was significantly stronger than that in Lin'an County back then.
Or to put it directly, the quality of Martial Artists in Tiannan Prefecture was much higher than in Linjiang Prefecture.
The difference in top-level combat strength might not be significant, but the quality gap between middle and lower-level Martial Artists was indeed not small.
However, considering it carefully, it was also normal. Tiannan Prefecture's area was much larger than Linjiang Prefecture, and its water transportation was particularly developed, which also meant it was more prosperous. It was not surprising to have this situation.
After controlling the Haihe Gang and the Red Flower House, the efficiency of searching for target Spirit Beasts greatly increased, and the transportation speed was also faster by using the more convenient water transportation.
This point made him quite satisfied.
Glancing at the income statement Mei Sanniang presented, a hint of surprise appeared on Lin Sheng's face.
Nothing else, the monthly income of the Red Flower House was surprisingly over 300,000 taels of silver, with a profit of over 100,000 taels.
This was greatly beyond his expectations. He did not expect the Luoshui County to be so lucrative.
However, considering the population of Luoshui County, it was not too exaggerated.
Adding the profits from the Haihe Gang and the Congyun Mountains, his monthly income now amounted to over 300,000 taels.
Although there was still a considerable gap compared to the Seven Forms Sect in Wanhua City back then, it was definitely a huge sum of money.
"Alright, you may leave."
After a glance, Lin Sheng waved his hand, signaling the two to withdraw.
"The Seed Devil Secret Art is indeed effective."
Watching the two figures leave, Lin Sheng couldn't help but show a look of emotion.
Now he had both money and manpower.
In the following time, he only needed to cultivate peacefully.
This peaceful life was naturally incomparable to the previous life of wandering and displacement.
Suddenly, a sound of wind breaking came from outside, landing on the window sill.
It fell into the main hall through the window sill.
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed, and what landed on the ground was a pebble.
With a palm suction, the pebble entered his hand. With a slight force, the pebble shattered, revealing the paper strip hidden inside.
After a glance, a smile appeared on his face.
Then his figure disappeared from the spot.
*
A dusty carriage drove into the County Town and stopped outside a spacious courtyard in the outer city.
"Alright, this is the place."
The driver was a thin, somewhat shifty-looking old man. The old man held a whip in one hand and a pipe in the other, speaking as he took a deep puff and exhaled smoke.
On the other end of the carriage lay a lazy, bald-tailed Big Yellow dog. Big Yellow's head was lowered, his gaze was forward, but his eyes occasionally glanced at the old man puffing smoke beside him.
Soon, a group of people got off the carriage, and outside the gate, the Red Mountain Six Ghosts had been waiting for a long time and respectfully welcomed the group inside.
"Father, Mother..."
As soon as the group entered, a tall figure appeared in the courtyard.
"Sheng'er!!"
The group turned around and immediately called out excitedly.
These people were naturally Lin Hong, Xie Guilan, and their group.
Besides the two, there were Xiao Shi, Lao Zhou, Wang Dehai, Cao Luan, and Cao Ying.
Looking at these familiar faces, a smile also appeared on Lin Sheng's face.
Big Yellow barked and rushed to Lin Sheng, rubbing against him vigorously, occasionally letting out whining sounds.
Lin Sheng grabbed Big Yellow by the scruff and threw him aside, then had the Red Mountain Six Ghosts take out some dried beast meat and throw it over.
Big Yellow's tail wagged excitedly, and he bit the dried meat, starting to feast. Feeling the nourishing sensation in the dried meat that made his blood hot, tears welled up in his eyes.
Since leaving Lin Sheng, he didn't know how long it had been since he last ate Spirit Beast meat.
Ignoring Big Yellow, Lin Sheng chatted with everyone for a while before arranging accommodation and meals.
After eating and drinking to their fill, the group, weary from their journey, went to rest early.
In the courtyard, only two people sat facing each other.
"Thank you, Huang Quan."
Looking at the shifty old man opposite him, Lin Sheng sincerely thanked him.
He had to admit that joining the Dark Star Organization on a whim had helped him quite a bit along the way.
Especially Qi Ning and Huang Quan in front of him.
When he traveled from Lin'an to the Fu City, if it hadn't been for Huang Quan escorting him all the way, not to mention anything else, the Magic Seed of the Phantom Demon Beast would have been absolutely difficult for him to handle at that time.
As for Qi Ning, there was no need to mention her.
It could be said that Qi Ning, this Blazing Star Envoy, as a true God-Form Martial Artist, was often his trump card.
Whether it was resolving Shi Gu back then, or helping out in the Congyun Mountains to force back the God-Form Martial Artist from the Reverse World Ten Floors, she had greatly helped him.
He had also benefited greatly through the channels of the Dark Star.
This time, Huang Quan bringing his family also involved considerable risk, after all, the level of wanted posters for him in Linjiang Prefecture was unprecedented.
Even though Huang Quan was a Bone Transformation Martial Artist, if any information was leaked, it would be a huge trouble for him.
"Lin Sheng, you don't need to be so polite. I'm here to collect your merit points this time. 1000 merit points is not a small amount."
Huang Quan smiled and looked at Lin Sheng with interest.
He was quite surprised by the young man in front of him.
He still remembered when they first met, he didn't feel anything special about the other party, he just paid a little more attention because of the presence of the Blazing Star Envoy.
He didn't expect him to have grown to this point now. Thinking of his achievements in the Congyun Mountains, even he felt as if he was dreaming.
"Lin Sheng, you now have a great reputation in Linjiang Prefecture. Your name is on the Red List, and you even directly killed the Jianzi Elder of the Tianxiang Sword Sect. Huang Quan truly admires you."
"If someone wants to kill you, what can you do?"
Hearing this, Lin Sheng smiled helplessly, picked up his wine glass, and took a small sip.
"Actually, I have always been kind to others and dislike killing, but many times, if you don't kill them all and make them afraid, they will keep bothering you..."
"Uh..."
Hearing this, Huang Quan almost spat out the wine in his mouth. Looking at Lin Sheng's serious and somewhat emotional expression, a strange look appeared on his face.
As a Hidden Star Envoy of the Dark Star, he naturally knew the tragic details of that battle in the Congyun Mountains very well, and he couldn't help but complain inwardly.
"You even scattered the ashes of a dignified Jianzi, and you tell me you dislike killing? The Sword Sect's Second Elder and over a dozen Silver Badge Constables didn't even have complete corpses, and you say you are kind to others..."
"Especially since even the two high-level Spirit Beasts of the Yuanyang Beast Sect didn't escape..."
Thoughts flashed through Huang Quan's mind one by one, but on his face, he nodded in agreement.
"Lin Sheng is right. As the saying goes, in the martial world, you are not your own master. Huang Quan can say he has a deep understanding of this."
"Brother Huang, cultivators should strive for mental clarity and not be troubled by these trivial matters. When I achieve something in cultivation in the future, I will eventually return to Linjiang Prefecture."
Lin Sheng put down his wine glass and spoke with a smile.
"Uh... Lin Sheng is absolutely right. Speaking of which, Huang Quan came to Tiannan Prefecture this time, besides bringing your family, he also accepted other assignments from the organization. Speaking of which, Thousand Faces Blazing Star Envoy should also come to Tiannan Prefecture after some time."
Huang Quan swallowed his wine and suddenly spoke.
"Oh? Senior Thousand Faces is also coming?"
Lin Sheng was surprised. He didn't expect Qi Ning to also come to Tiannan.
He knew Huang Quan's strength, which was at the Late Stage of Bone Transformation.
Although they had never fought, Lin Sheng could tell that his strength would not be weaker than Wu Xing Sword Shi Hui's, and he was definitely a top-notch figure in the Bone Transformation Realm.
And Qi Ning was even a God-Form Martial Artist, and even among the God-Form Martial Artists, she was not weak.
It should be known that God-Form Martial Artists were the top-tier existences in a prefecture.
Even in the entire Great Yan, they were considered true powerhouses.
So, both Huang Quan and Qi Ning coming to Tiannan Prefecture clearly indicated that there might be something important happening in Tiannan Prefecture.
Suddenly, as if he thought of something, he asked.
"Brother Huang, even Senior Thousand Faces is taking action, is there something big happening in Tiannan Prefecture?"
"Not necessarily in Tiannan Prefecture. It's actually because the situation on the front line has changed."
Huang Quan put down his wine glass and shook his head slightly.
"Front line situation?"
Hearing this, a look of emotion appeared on Lin Sheng's face.
He didn't expect it to be about the front line situation.
He didn't really care too much about the situation on the front line, after all, Tiannan Prefecture was not the front line, and Nanli Prefecture was in between, so the impact on Tiannan was not significant.
However, he quickly became confused again. What did the front line situation have to do with Tiannan?
As if guessing the question in Lin Sheng's heart, Huang Quan didn't play coy and spoke directly.
"The war between the two countries of Northern Yan and South Qi has been frequent, but they have basically been evenly matched. However, this time, Prince Yan seems to have come up with something amazing. The Yan army on the front line has already repelled the Nanqi troops and has Advanced into the Northern Wasteland, occupying half a prefecture."
"How could this be?"
Lin Sheng's heart trembled. He didn't expect the front line situation to have reached this point.
Not only had they entered the Northern Wasteland, but they had also occupied half a prefecture. It should be known that a prefecture in South Qi is roughly equivalent to a prefecture in Northern Yan. How long had the war just broken out, and it had already reached such a point.
It should be known that in the thousand years of war between the two countries, although there were often instances of invading each other's territory, occupying half a prefecture in such a short time was the first time it had happened. After all, both countries had stationed heavy troops on the border, and unless one side had a huge advantage, it would be absolutely impossible to reach such a state.
"Are you surprised? When I first heard this news, I felt the same way. Later, after investigation, I learned that the reason the Yan army was able to defeat the Nanqi troops step by step was because of a special army called the Shock Beast Army."
Huang Quan said with some emotion.
"According to the organization's investigation, this Shock Beast Army is the work of the Tianhong Pavilion. The reason we came to Tiannan instead of Nanli is because there is someone from the Tianhong Pavilion currently in Tiannan Prefecture."
"They should possess secrets about this Shock Beast Army. My trip here with Thousand Faces Blazing Star Envoy is for this person."
He had no intention of hiding anything from Lin Sheng.
After listening to what he said, Lin Sheng frowned slightly, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Shock Beast Army..."
Thinking of the public notice for large-scale recruitment in Luoshui County, as well as the generous treatment, combined with the information revealed by Huang Quan, he now completely understood that this Shock Beast Army was clearly extremely unusual.
Being able to defeat the Nanqi troops step by step, the strength of the Shock Beast Army was undoubtedly extremely strong.
However, the conditions written on the recruitment notice were not harsh, and were even very lenient. There seemed to be some contradiction between the two.
After saying this, Huang Quan also had no intention of staying longer.
"Alright, I cannot stay here any longer. I will go to the Fu City base first, and we can meet again another day."
As the words fell, Huang Quan's figure had disappeared from the opposite side.
"See you again."
Lin Sheng spoke softly, watching the other party's figure disappear into the distance, but his brows were furrowed. He could feel that the Shock Beast Army was very complex.
After a while, Lin Sheng's brows relaxed, and he shook his head slightly.
How the Shock Beast Army was had little to do with him. No matter how complex it was, he would just not get involved.
Controlling Luoshui County and cultivating diligently to improve his own strength was what he should be doing.
Now that Lin Hong and Xie Guilan were by his side, he had no more worries. As long as he was given time, his strength would naturally increase rapidly.
As long as his own strength was strong enough, nothing would be a problem...