Mortal: Starting by joining the Falling Cloud Sect

While he was pondering, the three cultivators surnamed Tie were already overjoyed.

The cultivator surnamed Tie practically pounced on the corpse of the Mulan spy, recognizing the head and examining the clothes.

"No mistake, no mistake, it's him!" the cultivator surnamed Tie shouted in a muffled voice.

Then the two cultivators from the Beiye Sect came over, glanced at it, nodded, and then looked at each other.

One of them bowed to Zhou Qing and said, "Thank you, Junior Brother Zhou. This time, you killed this Mulan spy, not only avenging our injuries but also allowing us to escape the crime of letting the Mulan spy go free. I will remember this kindness. If you ever encounter any problems in the future, feel free to come to me, and I will never refuse!"

Another cultivator from the Beiye Sect also cupped his hands and said, "Me too!"

Zhou Qing smiled and returned the greeting: "You two senior brothers are too kind."

Seeing that Zhou Qing had made such a great contribution but showed no arrogance, the two cultivators from the Beiye Sect were even more pleased with him. They immediately approached Zhou Qing and began to chat with him warmly.

Meanwhile, Lu Gongshu looked at Zhou Qing with admiration.

"So this is the important matter that Senior Brother Zhou was talking about. I was worried that Senior Brother Zhou and I might also be punished by the elders. Now it seems that I underestimated this senior brother from Luoyun Sect."

The cultivator surnamed Tie also realized what was happening. He turned around, walked to the stone table, picked up the two reports, pinched them together with two fingers, and with a flash of spiritual fire, burned the two pages to ashes.

"Junior Brother Zhou is right, the content of this report does indeed need to be revised."

With all the Mulan spies wiped out, the cultivator surnamed Tie finally straightened his back again. He was now completely innocent and might even have the credit for killing two Mulan spies.

Upon seeing the appearance of the cultivator surnamed Tie, the cultivator surnamed Hu knew what was on his mind. He snorted coldly and immediately exposed it.

"Hmph, you may escape death, but you can't escape punishment. Your unauthorized actions nearly allowed the Mulan spy to escape, which is unforgivable! If it weren't for Junior Brother Zhou killing the Mulan spy and saving you somewhat, your crime would have been even more serious!"

Upon hearing this, the cultivator surnamed Tie was displeased, but he knew that what the cultivator surnamed Hu said was true, so he had no words to refute it.

However, he wasn't too worried. He thought that now that the serious crime was over, it didn't matter if he didn't have any merit.

The report had already been prepared, but this unexpected turn of events left the cultivator surnamed Hu unsure whether to be happy or sad.

The good news is that all of Mulan's spies have been executed, and they certainly deserve credit for their work.

Unfortunately, since this Huangsha Sect cultivator surnamed Tie has escaped the serious crime of letting the Mulan people go free, he probably won't face severe punishment. He can't vent his anger this time.

After a while, everyone composed themselves and began discussing the contents of the report again.

Originally, the cultivator surnamed Hu was in the right. When drafting the first report, he wrote it however he wanted, and the three people from Huangshamen did not dare to refute him.

However, during this second discussion of the report's contents, many cultivators began to implicitly take Zhou Qing's words as the standard.

Because they knew that Zhou Qing had made the greatest contribution in this incident. He was the one who discovered the trail of the Mulan spy, and later he personally killed the Mulan spy who almost escaped. He was also neutral, fair and impartial in his dealings with others.

Gradually, Zhou Qing seemed to gain control of the group's discourse.

After the eight of them drafted the report together, the cultivator surnamed Tie took the initiative to recommend Zhou Qing to go to Tiantai Valley and report the whole story to Fairy Hongfu.

This statement immediately garnered the agreement of the other four cultivators and Lu Gongshu. The cultivator surnamed Hu wanted to object, as he had originally intended to take this opportunity to go to Tiantai Valley. However, after seeing that everyone else had agreed, he had no choice but to reluctantly acquiesce.

……

The following morning, Zhou Qing, carrying the newly drafted report, left the mining area with the body of Mu Lan's spy, boarded the Inkscale Boat, and headed towards Tiantai Valley.

It must be said that the defenses around Tiantai Valley are quite tight. Every time Zhou Qing flew for a while, a cultivator would rush up from below, stop him, and then question him.

After Zhou Qing answered in detail and showed his credentials as a disciple of the Luoyun Sect, he was finally allowed to pass.

On the way, Zhou Qing couldn't help but wonder, "Such tight defenses, practically watertight, how did those Mulan spies manage to infiltrate?"

This left Zhou Qing completely baffled.

Before long, Zhou Qing arrived outside Tiantai Valley.

After reporting his identity and position again, Zhou Qing successfully passed through the restrictions of Tiantai Valley and entered the valley.

Zhou Qing remembered that when they were sent out of Tiantai Valley, Fairy Hong Fu had said that if they had anything to report, they could find her at Zhu Hua Pavilion on the east side of Tiantai Valley.

So as soon as Zhou Qing entered Tiantai Valley, he headed straight for the east side of the valley. On the way, he asked a patrolling guard about the specific appearance of Zhu Hua Pavilion and soon arrived outside Zhu Hua Pavilion.

Zhu Huage is a magnificent and solemn pavilion built entirely of precious mahogany.

Zhou Qing stood in front of the pavilion, took out a communication talisman from his pocket, whispered something to it, and then threw it out. The talisman turned into a streak of fire, rushed into the pavilion's protective barrier, and disappeared.

Zhou Qing thought he would have to wait a while, so he started to admire the scenery in the valley from the outside. Unexpectedly, there was movement inside shortly after the sound transmission talisman went in.

The restrictions on the attic broke open, the door opened from the inside, and a beautiful woman in yellow flew out. It was Chen Qiaoqian from Huangfeng Valley.

The woman walked out with a serious expression, but when she suddenly looked up and saw that the person was Zhou Qing, her expression changed abruptly, and she became enthusiastic.

"My senior sister Hongfu asked me to come out and greet a junior brother, but I never expected it to be Fellow Daoist Zhou!"

Zhou Qing smiled slightly and said, "I am humbled and do not deserve such a welcome. There are some situations in the mining area I am stationed in that I need to report to Elder Hong Fu. However, I am overjoyed to meet Fellow Daoist Chen again so soon."

Zhou Qing first stated his purpose directly, and then exchanged a few polite words.

After hearing this, Chen Qiaoqian realized the importance of the matter and then said softly, "Senior Sister Hongfu is inside the pavilion. Fellow Daoist Zhou, please come with me."

Zhou Qing readily agreed and then followed Chen Qiaoqian into Zhu Hua Pavilion.

On the second floor of Zhu Hua Pavilion, Zhou Qing met Fairy Hong Fu, who was sitting in a mahogany armchair, still with her aloof and beautiful appearance, but now with a hint of sorrow on her face.

"Greetings, Elder Hongfu!" Zhou Qingxian bowed respectfully before continuing, "This is a report on some recent events in the mining area we are stationed in. Please review it, Elder!"

After saying this, Zhou Qing presented a report with both hands, detailing the ins and outs of the affair involving Mu Lan as a spy.

Elder Hongfu took the report, glanced through it, and then put it away. She then praised Zhou Qing and said that she would recommend him to the alliance for a reward at the meeting.

After speaking to Zhou Qing, he also reprimanded them, saying that they had failed to report in time and that the Huangshamen cultivator surnamed Tie had acted without authorization. They were all guilty, but Zhou Qing was forgiven, while the three from Huangshamen would be punished.

These words were basically within Zhou Qing's expectations, so he wasn't surprised. What puzzled Zhou Qing was that Fairy Hong Fu's expression didn't change after seeing the intelligence that Mu Lan spies were sabotaging the mine.

It was as if this didn't matter at all, or as if it was something she had expected!