Chapter 597: Sudden Wealth! The Third Devotee! Seizing the Goods! Pu City Scholar Luo Jinyan!

“He has a slight chance to reach Yang Spirit realm,” Lady Hu said, glancing over with a charming smile.

That single look nearly turned Zhou Yushu’s bones to jelly.

A chance to attain Yang Spirit Realm?!

Zhou Yushu was overjoyed.

“Since Lady Hu says so, Yushu, you must visit the cottage more often. I will personally guide you,” the Old Ancestor said with a smile.

“Thank you for your favor, Old Ancestor, and thank you, Lady Hu.” Zhou Yushu was thrilled. He knew that the position of Zhou family head was already within his grasp.

“Go now, and remember my words: seize more goods. Don’t miss this opportunity,” the Old Ancestor instructed.

“Yes, understood.”

The father and son replied respectfully and withdrew.

After leaving the cottage, Zhou Yunding, the family head, patted Zhou Yushu’s shoulder with pride. “The Old Ancestor and Lady Hu highly praised you. You must work diligently from now on.”

“Thank you, Father. I will remember your advice,” Zhou Yushu said earnestly.

Zhou Yunding nodded. “Where is the next location?”

“Daliu Village.”

“Good. Take the Third Devotee with you, to prevent any accidents and to ensure your safety,” Zhou Yunding said calmly.

Zhou Yushu’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Father.”

The Zhou family had seven sons, all cultivators. Over the years, they had personally led teams to capture people and handle the goods trade.

The family’s Third Devotee were all peak Yin Spirit experts. Each Grand Devotee had trained their body to perfection, also mastering martial arts. They were ruthless killers, striking without hesitation.

Father sent the Third Devotee along as protection, just in case. In some sense, Zhou Yushu’s status had truly risen.

Zhou Yushu was very pleased.

***

Daliu Village was a common village in Donglin Prefecture, with around seven or eight hundred villagers. The villagers lived by hunting and were fiercely brave. Even against small bands of bandits, they dared to fight.

Far off came the sound of neighing horses. Several dozen riders arrived, mounted on swift horses.

The men were all powerfully built, broad-shouldered and muscular, looking like seasoned fighters from the

jianghu

. Their eyes were fierce, and their presence intimidating.

At the front was a middle-aged man with sallow, yellowish skin and a gaunt build, his face utterly expressionless. Beside him was a man like an iron tower, with tiger-like eyes flashing like cold lightning. Just a glance at him would make one’s legs weaken. His horse, a strong green-maned steed, was rare and powerful.

Looking closely, one could see the horse’s eyes glowing red, with faint scales appearing on its hooves, clearly on the verge of becoming a demon beast.

“Sir, do you need food or money?” A tall elder from the village stepped forward.

He was the village chief of Daliu Village, working as a blacksmith, with arms as strong as iron. Any ordinary man could not match him in combat.

“Gather everyone, men, women, young, and old. Bring them all together,” the middle-aged man with the waxy face commanded.

“my Lord, who are you looking for? Perhaps I’ve seen them?” The village chief of Daliu Village, who made his living as a blacksmith, spoke cautiously.

“Silence!” The sallow-faced middle-aged man struck out with a palm.

Several blasts of astral wind shot forth, and a massive boulder at the edge of the village weighing well over a thousand jin shattered with a thunderous crash!

“An... Immortal Master?!” the tall, well-built old village chief exclaimed in shock.

These bandits of the

jianghu

had ridden in at full gallop and were clearly no benevolent people. Their aura was overwhelming, far beyond that of ordinary bandits.

Had that been all, the village chief would still have dared to stall and negotiate with them. But the leader’s single palm strike had conjured astral winds and smashed solid rock.

This was clearly an Immortal Master who wielded mysterious arts. There was no resisting him...

Before long, the villagers of Daliu were herded together in the open ground before the village. Dozens of mounted, burly men stared coldly at the villagers beneath the great willow trees.

“Is everyone here?” the sallow-faced middle-aged man asked.

“Yes,” replied the village chief, swallowing hard. “May I ask who you are looking for, my Lord?”

The leader ignored him. Instead, he drew in a deep breath and then exhaled sharply. Thick black smoke billowed forth at once, spreading through the crowd of Daliu villagers.

Cough, cough, cough!

The villagers hacked violently amid the smoke. When it finally dispersed, every villager stood with dull eyes and vacant expressions, dazed and sluggish, as if possessed.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

“Search the village. See if there’s anyone suspicious. As for the rest, drive these villagers onto the boats,” the sallow-faced man said grimly.

The bandits moved with speed and discipline.

In short order, they turned Daliu Village upside down. Then they herded the villagers away like livestock.

Daliu Village lay in a remote area, not far from the river, so it didn’t take long to reach the riverbank. There, a massive ship was moored; it was many times larger than any ordinary fishing boat.

Once all the villagers had been driven into the ship’s hold, the sallow-faced middle-aged man calmly rubbed his face a few times. His features shifted instantly transforming into those of a refined, gentle-looking young noble. He was none other than Zhou Yushu, the fourth son of the Zhou family, greatly favored by the Old Ancestor.

Beside him stood the same burly strongman as before, his blood and qi surging. An ordinary person would feel immense pressure just standing near him.

“Fourth Young Master, you act decisively and cautiously. You are bound for great things,” the burly man said with a smile.

“These are merely the rules passed down by my family. I’m only following the procedure. Third Devotee, you flatters me,” Zhou Yushu replied.

The burly man was the Zhou family’s Third Devotee, Xiahou Zhen.

“Fourth Young Master, next we are headed to Pu City, right?” Xiahou Zhen asked calmly.

“That’s right. Do you have any advice, Third Devotee?” Zhou Yushu smiled.

“There is a reclusive scholar in Pu City, named Luo Jinyan. He was once the government-appointed governor of Donglin County, but having grown tired of the ups and downs of official life, he has retired here. Fourth Young Master, if you are going to Pu City to seize goods, you must be careful of him,” Xiahou Zhen said matter-of-factly.

A great scholar, Luo Jinyan...

Zhou Yushu felt a chill run through him.

Anyone worthy of being called a “great scholar” must have reached the pinnacle of Confucian cultivation. At his current level, Zhou Yushu would be no match.

Confucian cultivation nurtured a righteous spirit. In the early stages, their combat power was limited, easy for even a common farmer with a few days’ training to overcome.

But once someone reached the level of a great scholar, even cultivators from the Buddhist or Daoist schools might not be able to subdue them.

“In that case, I will need your assistance, Third Devotee,” Zhou Yushu said, cupping his fists.

“I will be present. This Luo Jinyan is not something to worry about,” Xiahou Zhen replied calmly.

Zhou Yushu, being a clever man, understood that Xiahou Zhen’s warning was meant to remind him of just how important his role was in the mission, also a subtle gesture of goodwill.

He appreciated this. The Third Devotee were usually aloof, treating even his father as an equal. To them, the Zhou family’s seven sons were merely juniors; they didn’t normally give them a second glance.

Thinking of Lady Hu’s praise and the Old Ancestor’s earnest gaze, Zhou Yushu straightened his back and thought to himself,

I must take advantage of the chaos to seize more goods to trade with Lady Hu, this is the way to prove my capability.

A faint smile appeared on Zhou Yushu’s face.