Chapter 56 Huangyang Town

As soon as the members of Squad Yi-34 boarded the flying ship, they all collapsed onto the deck, disregarding their image.

Team A-3's flying ship was a small tactical vessel without a rest cabin, and four members of Team A-3 stood upon it. The leader was the very same Confucian Cultivator who had just unfurled the bamboo slip and chanted earlier.

"Squad Yi-34, you have worked hard." Seeing this, the Confucian Cultivator quickly signaled to the others.

The other three understood immediately and promptly took five small folding stools from their Storage Pouches, handing them to Captain Zeng Fu, Yun Bai, and the others.

At the same time, the Spirit Official from Team A-3 stepped forward to examine everyone's wounds.

The Spirit Officials of the State Religion were not only responsible for priestly duties and purification but also assumed the role of medical officers.

"Your Excellency is… 'Bald Leopard,' Captain Zeng Fu?" The Confucian Cultivator recognized Captain Zeng Fu.

"That's me." Captain Zeng Fu chuckled, rubbing his smooth scalp. "May I ask who you are?"

"I am the captain of Team A-3, Captain Deng Bin."

Captain Deng Bin? Captain Zeng Fu's eyes widened. Only then did it dawn on him: Xinyue Hall's Team A-3! This was the team of the illustrious Captain Deng Bin.

Captain Deng Bin was far more famous than Captain Zeng Fu; he was the prized Disciple of the renowned capital scholar, Master Huang Shouren. By calculation, Supervisor Zhou Shengtai, the Elder in charge of the State Religion in Chu Prefecture, was actually his Junior Brother.

Since childhood, he had been known as a prodigy, able to recite the Four Books and Five Classics backward, with profound attainments in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. He was even the Tanhualang who had astonished everyone at the imperial palace examination over a decade ago!

The imperial examinations for the Human Race were no longer what they used to be; now, they were for Cultivators. Innate Cultivators had long Lifespans, and seventy or eighty was considered the prime of life.

To Cultivators, the imperial examination from over a decade ago was merely three or four sessions prior.

Captain Zeng Fu had also participated back then, full of fervor, but unfortunately, he hadn't even made the cut. Later, after joining Xinyue Hall, he gave up on that idea. By that reckoning, the two could barely be considered "classmates" from the same year.

Only then did Captain Zeng Fu have the time to carefully size up the other man.

Captain Deng Bin had a face like jade, sword-like eyebrows, star-bright eyes, and a straight nose. A gentle smile always played on his lips, and his eyes were clear and bright, carrying the wisdom and composure unique to a scholar. His figure was tall and upright; although he wore attire designed for movement, the scholarly elegance that permeated his bones was impossible to conceal. Standing on the iron-blooded, murderous deck of the flying ship, he was like a piece of warm, unpolished jade placed amidst swords and blades.

"Hahahaha." Seeing Captain Zeng Fu's surprised expression, Captain Deng Bin laughed heartily and clearly. "It seems Your Excellency has heard of my humble name."

Captain Zeng Fu snapped back to reality and quickly cupped his hands. "I thank you again, Captain Deng Bin, for your timely assistance. Otherwise, our squad likely wouldn't have been able to retreat unscathed."

Captain Deng Bin stopped Captain Zeng Fu from raising his hand. "You have a shoulder injury; there is no need for such formalities. Since we are colleagues from Xinyue Hall, how could I just stand by and watch?"

Captain Deng Bin explained further, "We are responsible for sweeping the area of Demon Monsters from the air, and this region should have been cleared long ago. I did not expect a group to be hiding in Hanze Ravine. This is my oversight, and it has caused you all to suffer."

"Just now, as we passed by, we noticed Devilish Qi rising beneath us and heard that Northwest Army scouts had marked a Fate-Fallen Demon Monster near the Innate Second Realm here. Once I checked the communication Formation Plate, I knew that Squad Yi-34 was in trouble."

Everyone realized what had happened.

No wonder Team A-3 had appeared in time before a distress signal could even be sent; it was the result of the Northwest Army scouts' intelligence combined with Captain Deng Bin's keen judgment.

Captain Deng Bin turned his head to look at Du San. "May I ask who you are?"

Du San grinned. "I am Du San; just call me Old Du."

The Moshou Luogu Formation that Du San had deployed earlier had been seen clearly by Team A-3 on the flying ship. Captain Deng Bin looked Du San up and down and said with some surprise, "Are you a member of the Mo Sect?"

The Mo Sect did not belong to the mainstream Confucian, Buddhist, or Daoist Schools, but it was a sect with a long history and deep foundations. It was founded by the famous great master Mo Di during the period of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Back then, both Confucianism and Mohism were "prominent Schools," while Daoism was not as visible; Mohism was a mainstream School during that era. It could be said that the Mo Sect was once extremely popular and was one of the few powerful sects among the hundred that could "sit at the table."

In the cultivation world, there had been a saying since ancient times: "All mechanisms under heaven come from the Mo Sect." The Mo Sect's mechanical arts were unrivaled, especially in defense and non-aggression.

But what many people did not know was that the Mo Sect's attainments in the way of Formations were also terrifyingly high. They were on par with mainstream Daoist Formations, each having its own merits, and it was difficult to judge which was superior.

Clearly, Captain Deng Bin understood this very well. Having read extensively through classics and history, he was knowledgeable and well-informed, identifying Du San's background in a single sentence.

"Captain Deng Bin has a keen eye." Du San had to stand up and cup his hands, speaking in a rare, scholarly tone. "All Schools under heaven belong to the State Religion, and the Mo Sect is merely one of them."

Seeing that Du San seemed unwilling to discuss sect matters, Captain Deng Bin did not ask further.

Yun Bai just listened and observed from the side, not saying much.

Team A-3's flying ship had excellent performance, speeding along like lightning, with the rugged mountains below receding rapidly. Thanks to Captain Deng Bin's status and the conspicuous "Team A-3" markings on the flying ship, they passed through checkpoints along the way without obstruction.

Soon, the silhouette of a sizable militarized town appeared on the horizon—the important Cang Plains town, Huangyang Town.

Before the flying ship had even approached, the "Truth-Listener" Cultivators on the town's watchtowers, responsible for surveillance and detection (similar to radar functionality), had already confirmed their identities via communication Magical Artifacts.

After Captain Deng Bin communicated briefly with the ground, the flying ship landed steadily on a flat, hard-packed dirt field outside Huangyang Town.

The members of Squad Yi-34 walked off the flying ship, supporting each other, and waved goodbye to Team A-3.

Captain Deng Bin stood by the ship's rail, his green robes fluttering lightly in the wind, and cupped his hands, saying loudly, "Take care, everyone! Until we meet again!"

"Many thanks, Captain Deng Bin! Until we meet again!" Captain Zeng Fu and the others also returned the salute solemnly.

Reaching Huangyang Town meant they were already in a safe zone; from Huangyang Town to Chu Prefecture, they could just rely on their amphibious boat to travel.

Squad Yi-34 did not immediately head to their amphibious boat, deciding instead to sell the Fate-Fallen Demon Monster's demon core, poison sac, and other Materials in Huangyang Town.

"Captain, how much did you give that Captain Deng Bin?" Du San winked at Captain Zeng Fu.

"I gave him twenty thousand Spirit Stones as a token of gratitude," Captain Zeng Fu said.

"Hiss! You gave that much!" Du San immediately pursed his lips exaggeratedly, his face full of heartache. "That's twenty thousand!"

"Stop blabbering." Captain Zeng Fu glared at him.

"If it weren't for them, who knows if you would have come back in one piece." Fu Lianchuan, standing to the side with his arms crossed, chimed in with a sarcastic remark. "Old Du, I think you've been addled by the Demon Monster's toxic fart and can't do the math anymore."

"You say that as if those twenty thousand weren't your money too," Du San retorted.

Du San did not continue to dwell on it. After using the medicine, the wounds on his body were already starting to scab over. He licked his lips and added, "Oh well, I wonder how much this mutated Fate-Fallen Demon Monster will sell for. I reckon that since this thing took so much effort, it will definitely fetch a big payout! Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth the fifty-seven Formation Flags I ruined!"

Captain Zeng Fu smiled. "Alright, let's go sell it now."