Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

The beautiful woman's name was Pei Hongling. She had been a disciple for over a decade, and although her spiritual root was only of average to above average, she was extremely adept at scheming. Relying on her uncle, who served as a steward in the inner sect's law enforcement hall, she had always acted arrogantly.

Within the Qixia Immortal Sect, there are many schemes among fellow disciples, and she is well-versed in this art.

Several feet behind Pei Hongling, two male cultivators stood with their arms crossed, watching the show. One was named Lu Qingshan, and the other was named Feng Fei.

Both of them had a smiling face and were clearly working together with Pei Hongling to put pressure on them.

Faced with the relentless pressure from her fellow disciple, Qin Wan did not retreat an inch. Instead, she stared directly at the aggressive Pei Hongling and suddenly chuckled.

With that soft chuckle, Qin Wan's previously suppressed magical power surged suddenly. Instead, she took a step forward, lowered her voice, and spoke slowly in a cool tone that only they could hear:

"Senior Sister Pei, do you think I'm a fool?"

Pei Hongling was taken aback and subconsciously asked, "What do you mean?"

"Senior sister, with all of you watching, how stupid would I be to let you find evidence and confront me?"

Pei Hongling sneered, pressing on relentlessly: "My people clearly told me that you sold a batch of Wind Control Talismans at the Merchant Pavilion! This is evidence that you were illegally reselling supplies from the secret vault. Hand over the key to the secret vault immediately and await your master's judgment. Also, hand over everything you bought in the market."

"Senior sister is so caring towards me." Qin Wan paused, then continued calmly, "However, I've already given these things to someone else."

Pei Hongling narrowed her eyes and said sharply, "So you do have accomplices. Who are they?"

Qin Wan smiled faintly: "That person was a member of the Eagle Wolf Guard, and he asked me about something."

"What is it?"

"That official asked me if any members of the Wusheng Sect had recently infiltrated the mountains, and asked me to keep an eye out for them."

Pei Hongling's expression changed slightly, filled with surprise and doubt: "You... what do you mean?"

I said I didn't know.

"Anything else?"

"That lord gave me a list and told me to pay close attention." Qin Wan tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping over the three people in front of her.

"Who's on the list?" Pei Hongling asked eagerly.

Qin Wan scoffed lightly: "This is a secret of the imperial court, how could I possibly leak it? But if something happens to me, it will definitely be the people on the list who will kill me to silence me. At that time, my master and the imperial court will uphold justice for me."

Pei Hongling's face turned pale and then red, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Hmph, you said someone from the Eagle Wolf Guard is looking for you, do you really mean it is?"

"Senior sister is so concerned about this matter, could it be..." Qin Wan deliberately dragged out the last syllable, her eyes filled with scrutiny.

"Don't spout nonsense! Come with me to the Hall of Law Enforcement now!" Pei Hongling was furious and reached out to grab him.

Qin Wan smiled at this moment and took out a key engraved with complex spiritual patterns from her sleeve.

Pei Hongling, Lu Qingshan, and Feng Fei's eyes lit up immediately, and they couldn't suppress the fluctuations of their magical power.

Pei Hongling, in particular, couldn't help but want to snatch the key on the spot and then forcibly convict Qin Wan.

Just as they were overcome with greed, a flash of lightning appeared in Qin Wan's hand, and the spiritual patterns on the key were completely destroyed in the blinding light, turning it into a piece of scrap iron devoid of any spiritual energy.

"You...how dare you..." Pei Hongling's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.

Qin Wan said coldly, "Senior Sister, now that the key is gone, only Master can open the secret vault. Whether I've smuggled anything from the vault or not, Master will clear my name once he emerges from seclusion. But if I die on the mountain before then, without any explanation, hehe..."

Pei Hongling glared at Qin Wan resentfully, weighing the pros and cons in her mind.

The secret vault can't be opened now. Even if they force Qin Wan to her death, it will only cause her a lot of trouble. That's the secret vault of a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator. Even a small crack would be an irresistible temptation for Qin Wan, a Qi Refining mid-stage cultivator.

How could she bear to destroy the key?

Moreover, without the key, Qin Wan would have no way to return the supplies she had taken out before her master emerged from seclusion.

So Qin Wan really didn't embezzle a single penny?

If it weren't for the Eagle Wolf Guard incident, they could easily have arrested Qin Wan and taken her to the Enforcement Hall; they would have had plenty of ways to make her confess. Now… even if Qin Wan confessed, she wouldn't gain anything, and would only invite unnecessary trouble…

Lu Qingshan, who had been watching the show from the back, suddenly coughed and put on a smiling face: "Junior Sister Qin, Junior Sister Pei was just joking with you earlier, don't take it seriously. We are close friends and family, like brothers and sisters, and even if you made a mistake, we will protect you."

"Yes, yes, let's all be more friendly and not worry our Master." Feng Fei nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Seeing that her two senior brothers had given up, Pei Hongling realized that she was outnumbered and could only snort coldly before turning away.

Lu Qingshan left with a smile.

Feng Fei stayed behind, smiling as he said, "Junior Sister Qin, if you have any other good stuff, feel free to contact me."

"Senior brother is joking." Qin Wan said expressionlessly.

"There's plenty of time in the future. I, Old Feng, have always been fair in my dealings. Don't think I'm the same as Junior Sister Pei." Feng Fei smiled and then turned to leave.

Watching the three people walk away completely, Qin Wan finally let out a long breath, and her tense body relaxed slightly.

She knew that this show of intimidation had finally scared them off. More importantly, without the key, any further pressure from them would only bring harm and no benefit.

However, without the key to the secret vault, another solution must be found to maintain the daily operation of Lonely Moon Peak's businesses.

I just don't know how big Brother Xia's business is.

If Brother Xia's business is big enough, she can also take the opportunity to put on airs. Moreover, Master has many businesses, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to easily handle the smuggled goods from those below the Foundation Establishment stage.

In fact, the news that she was secretly reselling the Wind Control Talisman was something she deliberately allowed or even intentionally leaked, in order to lure the snake out of its hole and take the opportunity to destroy the key in public, thus completely eliminating the root of trouble that could be controlled by her fellow disciples.

...

...

half a month later.

When Zhao Ting stepped into Changchun Medical Clinic, he had already changed into a dark purple official's uniform, with the embroidered spring knife at his waist gleaming with a chilling light. He was full of vigor and exuded an imposing aura.

Zhao Ting dismissed his attendants and sat down opposite Xia Dong in the inner hall.

He took out a letter of appointment stamped with the seal of the Eagle Wolf Guard Commander from his pocket and solemnly placed it on the table.

The letter of appointment clearly states: Xia Dong, the medical officer of Yinglang Guard in Pingyang County, is promoted to "Chief Banner Officer" of this banner, with the rank of seventh grade.

Within the Eagle Wolf Guard, the position of Commander-in-Chief is already a key grassroots member, which not only means that his monthly allowance has increased several times, but also represents that Xia Dong has real power.

"Thank you for your guidance, Commander." Xia Dong stood up and bowed.

Zhao Ting laughed heartily, then took out a small carved sandalwood box from his pocket and gently pushed it in front of Xia Dong: "Official titles are just empty names, this is the real treasure. I've drunk myself to death several times for it."

Xia Dong felt a slight stirring in his heart and slowly opened the wooden box.

In an instant, a strong, almost tangible, exotic fragrance wafted over.

The aroma was a blend of the mellow sweetness of old ginseng, the refreshing bitterness of lingzhi, and a vibrant, slightly fishy sweetness, like fresh blood. Just one whiff made Xia Dong feel his restrained blood and qi begin to stir slightly.

A pill the size of a fingernail lay quietly in the box.

The pill was a deep and noble purplish-black color, with a surface as smooth as jade, and it emitted a faint glow in the dim room.

Even more strangely, there seemed to be a purple liquid flowing inside the pill, with fine spiritual patterns intersecting like blood vessels.

With each breath of summer and winter, the radiance on the surface of the elixir flickered slightly, like a beating heart.

"Is this the Purple Blood Impure Pill?" Xia Dong stared at the treasure.

"Not bad." A hint of heartache flashed in Zhao Ting's eyes as he sighed softly, "This is a great tonic for martial arts cultivation, and it's in high demand even in the capital."

In martial arts training, the first three stages focus on refining the skin, flesh, muscles, and bones. However, once one reaches the "Internal Strengthening Stage," tempering the fragile internal organs becomes an extremely difficult task.

"If ordinary exercises are practiced too hastily, they can easily damage the vital organs and leave behind lifelong hidden illnesses."

He pointed to the pill and continued, "This pill is made from the blood of the deep-sea purple-blooded beast, supplemented with thirty-six kinds of precious spiritual herbs. Its medicinal properties are extremely mild, and it can seep into the internal organs along with the blood and qi. For martial artists, it is priceless."

Xia Dong was well aware of the value of this elixir.

In ordinary martial arts, the five internal organs are the most difficult to reach, and his "Changchun Xingqi Jue" is at a critical stage of reshaping his root essence. He urgently needs this kind of cultivation resource containing a huge amount of life essence to enhance his foundation and assist in the transformation of his root essence.

"I will always remember your generous gift, elder brother."

Zhao Ting stood up and said, "You must take this kind of pill as soon as possible, lest you cause trouble by keeping it. You should go into seclusion to refine its medicinal power for the next few days and don't worry about anything else. Once you reach the position of commander-in-chief, there will be many more tough battles to fight. Those remnants of the Wusheng Sect have been quite restless lately."

"Thank you for the reminder, brother."

After seeing Zhao Ting off, Xia Dong returned to the secret chamber at the bottom of the well and took out the Purple Blood Infused Pill.

"The Changchun Qi Circulation Technique can be improved further."

Xia Dong sat cross-legged and put the warm, blood-red purple pill into his mouth.