Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

When Xia Dong walked out of the abandoned mine, it was already broad daylight outside.

Qin Wan had been waiting on the outside. When she saw Xia Dong walk out unharmed, her tense nerves finally relaxed.

She carefully examined Xia Dong and clearly sensed an indescribable, mysterious difference between Xia Dong and the one from last night.

Of course, she could still clearly sense the restrained yet profound martial arts aura emanating from Xia Dong.

However, Qin Wan still couldn't sense even the slightest fluctuation of a cultivator's magical power from Xia Dong. Recalling the scene of Xia Dong chasing after the assassin in mid-air and brutally killing him last night, Qin Wan was even somewhat dazed, as if the cultivator techniques that Brother Xia had used last night were just a dream.

Xia Dong naturally knew what Qin Wan was thinking. But he remained calm and did not intend to explain further.

The benefits of successfully cultivating the "Netherworld Seed" in the Yinling Mine and inscribing the Breath Concealment Talisman with one's own flesh and blood are truly profound.

With the Breath Concealing Talisman fully integrated into his flesh and blood, combined with the sealing effect of the "Divine Treasure Chapter," Xia Dong can now completely control his own aura through the talisman seed.

This is only because he has just broken through and the time is too short. Once he becomes more proficient, he will be able to switch his outward cultivation level at will between the first and fifth levels of Qi Refining, and no one will be able to detect anything unusual.

However, he does not intend to reveal his identity as a cultivator for the time being.

Firstly, it's difficult to explain how a mortal with no spiritual roots could cultivate magical power, and secondly, there really isn't a suitable opportunity right now.

The path to immortality is fraught with peril; the key is to remain steady and bide one's time, concealing one's trump cards.

"Wan'er, I have successfully mastered my martial arts secret technique." Xia Dong walked to Qin Wan's side, breaking the silence. "Next, we need to discuss the aftermath of those assassins from last night."

Qin Wan pulled herself out of her chaotic thoughts, realizing that this matter concerned their lives, and her expression became serious: "What does Brother Xia mean?"

"Wan'er, what do you think? Tell me your opinion first," Xia Dong asked, looking at her.

Qin Wan pondered for a moment, organized her thoughts, and said, "I thought about it for a long time last night. The methods those assassins used included the 'Blood Lotus Escape Technique' of the Wusheng Sect, so they must be members of the Wusheng Sect. But I suspect that their real mastermind is inextricably linked to my senior sister, Pei Hongling."

Qin Wan had mentioned Pei Hongling's matter to Xia Dong before, and this time she went into more detail.

"After Master came out of seclusion, I took the initiative to tell him that I had destroyed the key in public with lightning magic, but I didn't complain." Qin Wan smiled bitterly. "Because of this, Master punished me for failing to protect the treasure and sent me to this Yin Spirit Mine, which is filled with yin energy, to work as a manager for three years to hone my skills."

Xia Dong's gaze shifted slightly, and he countered, "Wan'er, you didn't complain when Pei Hongling and the others were pressuring you in the sect. Now that an assassination attempt has occurred, how are you going to handle this?"

Qin Wan shook her head: "The reason Master gave me the key but not my senior sisters was because he was keeping an eye on them. If Master wanted to punish Pei Hongling, he would have done it long ago. Actually, Master was worried about Pei Hongling's background—that Uncle Pei who is in charge of the Enforcement Hall. If I complain, it will only make Master lose face, and if the conflict is made public, Master will probably hate me, which will be even more disadvantageous for me."

Qin Wan took a deep breath, her tone tinged with helplessness: "I know very well that my only support in the Qixia Immortal Sect is my master. If I offend my master just to save face, I'm afraid I'll really find it difficult to move an inch in the sect."

Xia Dong nodded slightly: "So, Wan'er still intends to hide the fact that she encountered the assassin last night from your master?"

"Conceal the assassin's identity? No." Qin Wan shook her head. "I think it would be better to tell Master the truth about the attack on the mine. Using Master's hand to give them a warning will also make my days more peaceful. But..." Qin Wan hesitated and looked at Xia Dong. "Regarding Brother Xia's help last night, I don't know how to report to Master. I'm afraid it will cause you trouble."

Xia Dong smiled upon hearing this: "Wan'er, your idea is correct. It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Since they broke the rules first and crossed the line to assassinate us, we can't tolerate them. We must report this to the authorities and use their strength against them."

Xia Dong paused for a moment, then continued, "Besides, I wasn't of any help to you last night. To be precise, the assassin came tonight."

"tonight?"

Xia Dong smiled slightly: "Tonight, when the assassins attacked, we had the help of a master. Together with you, Wan'er, we eliminated three demons from the Wusheng Sect."

"what?"

Xia Dong said leisurely, "Wan'er, you will continue to stay here. After I return, we will definitely handle this matter properly. However, you will probably have to personally hand over the storage bags of those three assassins to Master Guyue. I believe that, given Master Guyue's character, he will not overlook your contributions, nor will he take away your spoils."

Just as Zhang Ping's storage bag was protected by a special restriction imposed by the Xuan Yin Sect, the storage bag of the Wu Sheng Sect demon also had a special restriction. With Xia Dong's current cultivation level, he certainly couldn't properly break through this restriction.

If it were handed over to the higher-ups of the Eagle Wolf Guard, who knows how much would be stolen.

As for a powerful figure like Master Guyue, he naturally wouldn't be interested in the three assassins' belongings. Moreover, there's no guarantee that the three assassins' storage bags wouldn't contain clues about the assassination attempt, or hints of the Wusheng Sect's conspiracy.

Therefore, handing the well-sealed storage bag over to Gu Yue Zhenren and letting her discover the truth herself is more effective than Xia Dong and Qin Wan offering a thousand speculations.

Moreover, Xia Dong didn't believe that Master Gu Yue was unaware of the conspiracies of the Wusheng Sect, the Pei Clan, and other forces. Some things that wouldn't be considered by Xia Dong and Qin Wan, would have a different effect in Master Gu Yue's hands.

Moreover, with Master Guyue's intervention, he can shield Qin Wan and Xia Dong from the storm and resolve the upcoming troubles.

Of course, the Eagle Wolf Guard's intervention is needed to make Master Guyue take this matter seriously. It would also allow Xia Dong to do a favor and provide a plausible explanation for how the three assassins accidentally died in the mine.

Alas, political maneuvering is by no means his forte.

However, this is the best solution Xia Dong can think of at the moment.

Ultimately, no amount of trickery or schemes can compare to having real strength.

I hope everything goes well!

Xia Dong thought that if this problem couldn't be solved, he would go into the mountains to help Brother Snake cultivate. Once Brother Snake broke through again, he would also have a Foundation Establishment level "old monster" as his backer!

Xia Dong then instructed Qin Wan to continue guarding the mine entrance.

He secretly took out the Yinling Ore, then used his Wind Control Technique to travel non-stop back to Pingyang County. He went directly to the Hundred Household Office to find Zhao Ting and briefly told him about the Wusheng Sect's demons, but concealed some details that were not favorable to him.

After hearing this, Zhao Ting said happily, "Brother, you've done a great job this time."

Xia Dong smiled and said, "Brother, it was clearly you and Qin Xiangu who worked together to eliminate the evil cult members. I had no credit for it. If I did, I only played a minor role in supporting the enemy. I don't deserve your praise."

Zhao Ting was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, realizing, "Xueyi, your brother really needs this kind of credit. Don't worry, you'll definitely get your share of the rewards. With this credit, the two of us brothers will most likely not need to go to the battlefield. Hahaha..."

Zhao Ting was overjoyed to see Xia Dong being so generous. The fact that Xia Dong didn't even covet such a significant contribution showed just how powerful her backing was.

It seems that Brother Xia is truly a hidden dragon in the abyss, not wanting to show his face and attract attention during this period.

I wonder which important person is behind this all along.

I really don't dare to think about it...

Zhao Ting warned himself not to investigate further, lest he lose his life.