Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

The setting sun was like blood.

The vast hills were tinted with a golden hue.

Shen Qing and his companions kept moving forward without pause.

"Lord Shen," A Da whispered, pointing behind them, "they are still following us."

Hearing this, Shen Qing didn't stop; he just slightly turned his head and saw the figures discreetly trailing them.

These martial masters, in groups of twos and threes, maintained a distance as they followed.

Every time Shen Qing glanced at them, their eyes carried a tinge of ingratiation.

Shen Qing inwardly sneered, fully aware of their intentions.

Just moments ago, he had slain Lord Xue with the force of thunder, drawing considerable attention.

Having seen his cultivation and capabilities, these people were eager to pledge allegiance to him.

Among them, there might be some trustworthy individuals, but Shen Qing had little interest in spending more time and energy to communicate and accept them, as it would only create unnecessary trouble for himself.

"Don't bother with them," said Shen Qing indifferently.

A Da nodded silently and said nothing more as he quickened his pace to keep up with Shen Qing.

With a thought, Shen Qing decided to shake off these followers.

He activated the Da Xu Technique, stirring the spiritual power within his body.

Streams of rosy light burst forth from him, weaving into ribbons around Shao Hongling and the other two.

Shen Qing soared up with a leap, carrying Shao Hongling and the others as they flew forward with the wind, quickly disappearing into the wilderness.

The martial masters trailing behind them looked at each other, their desire gradually replaced by a feeling of unease.

"What do we do now?" someone asked in panic.

A leader-like martial master's eyes glittered with reluctance. He murmured, "Hmph, since we've come this far, there's no turning back. We chase after them. Even if we can't join them, following in his footsteps will certainly be safer."

"When the opportunity arises later, we will definitely show him our resolve."

"That makes sense. Let's hurry, or we'll never catch up."

After a low discussion, they quickly pursued.

The Jing Luan Assembly had prepared seven routes, all starting from the camp and converging at Dan Zhou.

This effectively covered all the areas between the camp and Dan Zhou, a vast region.

It provided plenty of geographical space for the numerous participating martial masters to avoid premature conflicts and also allowed the cleaning up of the Huang Tian Sect's forces near Dan Zhou before converging and attacking the city.

It was a strategy that killed two birds with one stone.

The route chosen by Shen Qing was an ordinary, long road that required passing through several mountains and numerous towns and villages.

These towns and villages were not linearly connected but were scattered along the route.

This also reduced their chances of encountering noble sons.

Within these towns and villages, there were likely many traces of the Huang Tian Sect, enough for them to establish merit.

As the last ray of the setting sun was swallowed by the distant mountains, Shen Qing slowed down.

He released his Divine Sense and found a cave.

Besides that, he detected no signs of human activity.

"We've traveled hard all day; let's rest in this cave tonight," Shen Qing casually said.

Shao Hongling and the others looked to Shen Qing for direction, naturally having no objections.

After Shen Qing confirmed the location, he spurred his spiritual power and landed at the entrance of the cave.

The entrance to the cave was narrow and hidden, only wide enough for a person to stoop through, and appeared quite small.

However, upon entering the cave, the scene before them suddenly opened up; the interior space expanded significantly.

The high dome and naturally sculpted walls exuded an untamed beastly breath and wildness.

Looking around, Shen Qing noticed weeds covering the ground, signifying that some beast had once inhabited the place, though it had since been abandoned.

With a single gesture, Shen Qing pointed at the cave ceiling and used his Spiritual Power to form a small pit.

He took out a Sunlight Stone and activated his Spiritual Power.

In his palm, the ordinary stone emitted a faint white glow, dispelling the darkness within the cave.

With a casual toss, the Sunlight Stone embedded itself precisely into the ceiling.

"Now that there is no pressing matter, we might as well distribute the items we obtained from the Xue Family," said Shen Qing, echoing through the vast cave.

His words were brief, but they resonated like a command, stirring ripples in the hearts of Shao Hongling and the others.

"My lord, this… might this be somewhat inappropriate?" Shao Hongling hesitated, clearly surprised by Shen Qing's suggestion.

They had indeed gained a substantial haul from the journey, but it was all thanks to Shen Qing's efforts; they had no part in it.

Even if they were given none, they could hardly complain.

However, in Shen Qing's view, since they had willingly followed him early on with resolute determination, they were his people.

Honor given to me is returned tenfold.

Offenses against me are repaid threefold.

He always distinguished clearly between gratitude and grudges.

Shen Qing raised his head and calmly surveyed the three individuals present before saying, "You didn't come here to die. If there's an opportunity, you might as well give it your all; you could wind up with riches and honors. I, Shen Qing, never mistreat those by my side."

A Da and Xiao Man glanced at Shao Hongling, following his lead and eager to hear what he would say.

After a moment of contemplation, Shao Hongling agreed, "Then, I thank you, my lord."

Shen Qing opened the bundle on the ground, revealing the spoils from the Xue Family.

The Merit Stones, distributed before the Jing Luan Assembly began, were items of utmost importance during the assembly.

According to one of the soldiers, even if one's own Merit Stone lacked sufficient Evil Qi, having enough stones would still be recognized.

This meant that a Merit Stone was a sought-after item during the Jing Luan Assembly.

There were seven people from the Xue Family, including servants, totaling seven Merit Stones.

Shen Qing took four for himself, leaving one for Shao Hongling and the others to share.

Since Shao Hongling and the others hadn't earned any, they naturally had no objections.

in addition to the Merit Stones, there were also numerous Desire Power Pearls, various Elixirs, treasure and other valuable items.

There were more than forty Desire Power Pearls, over a dozen bottles of Elixirs, seven Refining Pearl Technique Jade Plates, protective treasure armor, and various weapons among other things.

Shen Qing selected seventy percent for himself, leaving the rest to be evenly distributed among Shao Hongling and the others.

Seeing these treasures, smiles nearly covered the faces of A Da and Xiao Man.

Hailing from a humble background, acquiring any one of these items would normally be incredibly difficult for them.

During the Jing Luan Assembly where strife was frequent, the Xue Family carried many valuable items for protection; now all those benefits fell into their hands.

Even the usually stern Shao Hongling could hardly contain his joy upon seeing these items.

A Da suddenly said, "Lord Shen, if we continue slaughtering our way through the Jing Luan Assembly and survive, could the accumulated spoils make us as wealthy as a nation?"

Shen Qing smiled and replied, "Any martial master has some resources to their name, and none would hold back this time. If you survive, you can indeed become as wealthy as a nation. Moreover, don't forget, surviving means you can enter the temple, access the Imperial Armory, obtain Martial Mechanisms, and prove longevity—such a fortune is priceless."

"Longevity… that's too distant for us."

Shao Hongling stared at the two Merit Stones in her hands, suddenly contemplative.

Lord Shen had shown her kindness, and just being under his protection was already a great favor.

She felt that she couldn't take advantage like this.

After the Jing Luan Assembly ended, if she were still alive, she planned not to keep any Merit Stones, giving them all to Lord Shen.

Perhaps with these Merit Stones, Lord Shen could rank among the top and be granted a marquisate in no time.