Ch 180: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

At this time, the sky had darkened, and dinner was ready, so Shen Yunxuan did not continue practicing. She needed to consider returning and had to rush to meet up with everyone to pack up the items. If they couldn’t bring things back, then all their efforts in trading would have been in vain.

The dinner was very enjoyable. Shen Yunxuan took out some fruit wine she had brought and drank merrily with them. Xie Yun’er loved the fruit wine, so Shen Yunxuan gave her all the bottles she had brought. The packaging had been changed by the administrative staff to have no text, so there was no risk of exposing any anachronistic evidence.

Holding the wine bottles, Xie Yun’er was delighted and exclaimed, “Is this colored glass? The design is so exquisite. This wine must be very precious, right? Sister, you are so kind to me! When I finish drinking this wine, I will use these glass bottles to hold the most beautiful flowers and place them all over Qingyun Sect, just like having you with me.”

“Sister, when will you come back?”

Shen Yunxuan replied earnestly, “I will work hard. When I have the ability to roam freely, I will definitely come to find you. You must also work hard. I hope that when we meet again, we will all have become better people.”

Becoming better people—this was a phrase they had never heard before, but thinking about it filled them with hope for the future. Xie Feng raised his cup and said, “Then let us make a promise here—to become better people!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Shen Yunxuan and Xie Yun’er raised their cups and clinked them with his. The night had grown late, and Shen Yunxuan stood up, saying, “I should go. Today, shopping, practicing martial arts, and drinking with my big brother and little sister have been one of the great joys of life. The mountains are high, and the rivers are long. After this farewell, I don’t know when we will meet again. Let us cherish each other. If you cannot find me, do not worry. My family lives in seclusion. When the time is right, I will naturally appear. Take care!”

Shen Yunxuan cupped her hands. Xie Yun’er’s eyes were red. “Sister, you must come to find me in the future.”

Xie Feng also said, “This is also your home, little sister. If you ever have a hard time, come home anytime.”

Shen Yunxuan rarely experienced such sincere emotions, and her eyes reddened slightly. She dared not look back and directly turned to leave. “I don’t like farewells, no need to see me off.”

Behind her, she heard Xie Feng and Xie Yun’er call out, “Take care, little sister!”

“Take care, sister!”

She raised her hand and waved without looking back, leading her people out of the gate.

One of the experts asked with concern, “Xiao Shen, are you alright?”

Shen Yunxuan took a deep breath, composed herself, and quickened her pace. “I’m fine. Let’s go check on Grandpa and the others.”

When she had been shopping earlier, she overheard people saying that there was still a line here. She hadn’t expected that even at this late hour, there were still people waiting in line. She couldn’t even squeeze through and was mistaken for someone trying to cut the queue.

“Where did this girl come from? Get in line at the back.”

“What are you nosing around for? Do you even know what this is about?”

Seeing this, Shen Yunxuan pulled a tranquilizer gun from her bag. The corridor erupted in surprise.

“How do you have a tranquilizer gun? So many people tried to trade today but couldn’t become senior customers. Where did you get that?”

Shen Yunxuan said, “I am from Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Please step aside and let me through.”

The crowd stared at her in astonishment. “You’re from Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion? Where exactly is Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion?”

“Can you sell me that tranquilizer gun? I’ll give you two hundred taels of silver.”

“I’ll offer five hundred taels—sell it to me!”

The guards at the door, hearing the commotion, looked over. Upon recognizing Shen Yunxuan, they immediately announced, “This is our young pavilion master!” They then stepped forward, raising their tranquilizer guns.

The special forces soldiers who had been secretly protecting Shen Yunxuan gathered behind her, all drawing their firearms and keeping a close watch on the crowd. These were martial artists; they couldn’t afford to be careless.

The crowd immediately stepped back against the walls, making way for her. Shen Yunxuan led her people through the corridor without obstruction and entered Room Number One at the inn. Just as she entered, someone had finished trading and was leaving. The guards at the door stopped the next person from entering, shut the door, and left some time for Shen Yunxuan to speak with Elder Xu and the others.

Seeing her, Elder Xu and Elder Chen breathed a sigh of relief. “As long as you’re safe. How was your side?”

Shen Yunxuan beamed. “It was amazing, an unexpected harvest. I can now practice martial arts! I haven’t changed my physical constitution, which means that everyone can practice. This is huge for us!”

Everyone was overjoyed. “Being able to practice is fantastic! We’ve gathered a lot! Though we’re unsure about some of them, we’ve captured five people who tried to cause trouble, sneak attack, or cheat us. One even tried to use poison, but fortunately, we were well-equipped. It worked as a deterrent—he didn’t dare use the poison, and with all our guns aimed at them, they were quite intimidated.”

Hearing that everything was fine, Shen Yunxuan felt reassured. “Are there still many items left? I have some more. Should we trade everything?”

“Trade! If we don’t trade, it would be a waste. These are just surplus supplies back at our bureau. But here, who knows what kind of treasures we can get in exchange?” Elder Chen chuckled and ordered someone to inform those outside that a few more protective vests, flashlights, and other items were available for trade.

The people outside were immediately excited.

“They said they ran out of protective vests earlier, and I thought I’d only be able to trade for mosquito repellent or a tent. I didn’t expect a turnaround—today is my lucky day!”

“It must have been that young pavilion master who brought them. They carried several packages inside. Speaking of which, the young pavilion master is really young. I’ve never heard of such a person in the martial world before. I wonder what their pavilion master is like.”

“They might just be accompanying the Young Pavilion Master to the Martial Arts Tournament for fun. As long as they are interested in the tournament, they will show up again in the future.”

“They claim they want to collect over ten thousand different items. Can they really do it? If they succeed, won’t many secret martial arts techniques be revealed?”

“They definitely won’t be made public. It will be like today—people will have to trade their own valuable items in exchange. Even if they have supreme martial arts manuals, we wouldn’t be able to afford them. Only people like the City Lord might be able to make such a trade.”

“It seems like the City Lord didn’t even send people to check it out today. Does he not think much of it?”

“Maybe he’s just observing first, waiting to see how Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion conducts itself before making contact.”

“Did you see the things they were holding just now? They looked similar to those tranquilizer guns, but they were only palm-sized. What kind of weapons are those?”

“They must be powerful. Otherwise, the guards escorting the Young Pavilion Master wouldn’t each be carrying one.”

“Well, I don’t care about all that. As long as I can trade for what I need, I’m satisfied.”

After waiting in line for so long, people were delighted to get their hands on valuable items. When the trading first started at noon, many had doubts. But by evening, everyone had already accepted the rules. Under the threat of powerful weapons, as long as they could benefit, they wouldn’t question the other details.

One by one, people entered to trade. They were now familiar with the process and had already prepared what they wanted to offer. Xu Wenyu and Xu Wen’an, now experienced in evaluating the value of items, quickly assessed the trades.

Shen Yunxuan estimated the time—thirteen hours had passed since they arrived, far exceeding the eight hours from the last trip. She didn’t know when exactly they would return, but they were starting to receive duplicate items. Continuing to trade wasn’t very cost-effective; it would be better to organize their gains and review what else could increase their dimensional currency.

So Shen Yunxuan instructed the experts to go outside with umbrellas, standing in front of each person to ask what they were offering. The umbrellas blocked the view of others, allowing them to quickly scan the items. Anything ordinary was rejected, and only the most unique items were accepted.

Some people protested, “Aren’t we supposed to follow the queue? Why aren’t you going in order?”

The special forces soldier at the door responded firmly, “Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion has always said that those with the rarest items get to trade. If you are dissatisfied, then bring something even rarer.” With that, he raised his tranquilizer gun, staring at them coldly.

The crowd quickly quieted down. Though some were unwilling, they indeed didn’t have anything particularly rare.

Shen Yunxuan then had Chen Dong tranquilized, gagged, and tied up securely before ordering him to be thrown into the Qingyun Sect’s courtyard. She even tucked a note into his clothing: “A small gift, no need to thank me.”

After organizing all their traded items, they packed everything into massive bags, and Shen Yunxuan stored them in her system’s inventory. She sighed, “Fortunately, most of these are books and small objects, so they don’t take up much space. Otherwise, my inventory would be full. I really need to figure out a way to buy more storage. By the way, each of you should carry a few items from here. When we return, check if they stay with you. If everyone can bring things back, then next time, we can bring more people and split up for efficiency.”

They discussed and decided to carry different amounts of items to test if there was a quantity limit.

Just as they finished distributing the items and strapped them to their backs, the window suddenly shattered! Two men in strange attire leaped inside, laughing loudly.

“Hahaha! I heard some so-called Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion popped up? Let’s see what kind of treasures you have that are making all the martial artists in the city go crazy!”

Outside, the people still waiting to trade or lingering in hopes of another opportunity were startled. They squeezed toward the doorway, frowning.

“It’s the Demon Sect! These people are from the Demon Sect!”

“Damn, I wonder what will happen now that Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion is facing off against the Demon Sect.”

“Something’s definitely going to go wrong. The people of Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion don’t even know martial arts.”

Inside, the Demon Sect members were saying the same thing. “I heard you people don’t know martial arts? Just relying on some fancy hidden weapons? Well, our Demon Sect has taken a liking to your stuff, hahaha! Why don’t you all come and visit us at our sect?”

Outraged, the crowd outside shouted, “Don’t think you Demon Sect people can do whatever you want!”

“Calling it a visit sounds nice, but isn’t this just outright robbery?”

One of the Demon Sect members turned and struck out with his palm. The person at the front of the crowd had nowhere to dodge and was injured by the blow. The Demon Sect member sneered, “You dare challenge our Demon Sect? Know your place!”

Another added, “Those who submit will prosper, those who resist will perish. If Wanbao Pavilion wants to establish itself in the martial world, it depends on whether we, the Demon Sect, allow it.”

As the Young Pavilion Master, Shen Yunxuan had to step forward at this moment. She spoke coldly, “The Demon Sect really overestimates itself.”

The faces of the Demon Sect members darkened. Just as they were about to lash out in anger, the special forces soldiers simultaneously fired their guns. This time, it wasn’t just tranquilizer rounds—there were also real bullets.

The two Demon Sect members were indeed skilled and managed to dodge most of the bullets. However, there were simply too many shots fired, and the limited space in the room worked against them. One of them got hit! He took a tranquilizer bullet and immediately tried to expel the drug from his body with his internal energy—only to realize that his shoulder had been pierced by a bullet, bleeding continuously.

Shocked, he thought, What kind of weapon is this? Why did no one mention that Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion had something like this? He hastily retreated and escaped through the window.

The other one wasn’t as lucky. He was struck by three bullets—one in his leg and another in his arm—crippling him. He had no way to escape. Glaring at Shen Yunxuan, he roared in anger, “You dare challenge the Demon Sect? You’re seeking death!”

“You’re the one looking for death!” Shen Yunxuan immediately fired the Storm Pear Blossom Needles at him.

The Demon Sect member instantly stopped breathing, dying with his eyes wide open.

Shen Yunxuan glanced at the weapon in her hand and smiled. “Just traded for this today. Seems pretty effective.”

The onlookers outside had originally wanted to help, but seeing how these supposedly martial arts-ignorant members of Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion had taken care of a Demon Sect member in mere moments left them utterly shocked. Then they looked at Shen Yunxuan, who was smiling beautifully, and felt a chill. How could such an adorable young lady be so ruthless? Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was clearly not to be underestimated.

Shen Yunxuan raised her hand, and two special forces soldiers crouched beside the dead Demon Sect member, quickly searching his body and handing over the findings to her.

Casually, she said, “This place is dirty now. Let’s go.”

She strode out, and the others followed closely behind. The gathered martial artists instinctively stepped aside, making a clear path for them. No one dared to speak, even their breathing was hushed.

Once they were outside, in a more secluded area, Elder Xu asked, “Yunxuan, are you planning to relocate? Head to the outskirts?”

Shen Yunxuan turned back, her eyes shining. “Grandfather, I gathered some intel today. This Demon Sect is utterly ruthless, their hands stained with countless innocent lives. There’s not a single good person among them. Since they’ve delivered themselves to us, why not follow the trail and sweep them out? There were tracking rounds mixed in with the bullets, right?”

The group exchanged glances before Zheng Song answered, “Yes. During our pre-mission planning, we had two of our people use tracking rounds in case we got separated.”

Shen Yunxuan grinned. “Perfect. We can track the Demon Sect members now. I heard that one of their three main bases is nearby. With the Martial Arts Tournament coming up, a lot of their people have gathered there, and they’re bound to have a wealth of supplies. Since we’re about to return soon anyway, why not take the gamble?”

It was true—they would be leaving soon. There was nothing else left to gain in the city, but raiding the Demon Sect’s stronghold would yield far greater rewards. Elder Xu nodded. “Then let’s do it!”

A special forces soldier pulled out a specialized laser pen and scanned the ground. Once he spotted the fluorescent footprints, he began leading the way.

This tracking technology was specially designed by the experts. Regardless of where the tracking round hit, it left behind an invisible fluorescent trail on the ground. Anyone who stepped on it would leave traces on their shoes, and these footprints would continue along their path. The glow was only visible using the special laser pen, ensuring no one else could detect it.

Since only the Demon Sect member had fled earlier, the only footprints visible belonged to him. The group followed the trail out of the city, while two soldiers used thermal imaging to scan their surroundings.

The Demon Sect member, completely unaware that he was being tracked, believed himself safe once he reached the city outskirts. He never even considered that a group of people who couldn’t fight would be capable of pursuing him. Because of his injuries, his pace had slowed considerably, making it even easier for them to follow.

After about half an hour, the Demon Sect member entered a mountainous area behind a village. Nestled within the deep valleys was one of the Demon Sect’s three main bases. Clutching his wounded shoulder, he staggered inside. The modern tranquilizer rounds had been extremely potent—even though he had forced most of the toxin out using his internal energy, there were still lingering effects. His mind was hazy, and his steps unsteady.

“Left Protector.”

The man addressed as the Left Protector wore a mask and a black cloak, standing with his hands behind his back. His voice was cold as he asked, “Injured?”

“I was incompetent, I failed to capture the people from Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and their items. I barely escaped with my life. Please, forgive me.”

“Hmph, useless. Did you manage to gather any information about Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion?”

“I… I wasn’t able to. They suddenly appeared today, and no one knows their background. So far, all we know is that a young woman is their Young Pavilion Master, and they possess many strange weapons—some of which they haven’t even revealed yet.”

“We absolutely cannot allow such a force to rise. If Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion opens its doors to the public, every sect will be able to trade for supreme martial arts techniques and train relentlessly. Once their numbers grow, the Demon Sect will be in grave danger.”

One of the sect members stepped forward and suggested, “Why don’t we set fire to their headquarters tonight? Burn them all to death. No matter how powerful their weapons are, if they don’t know martial arts, they can’t possibly escape a sea of flames.”

Others quickly agreed. “Good idea! Since they don’t know martial arts, they won’t even detect us approaching. We can make sure they perish in the fire.”

Shen Yunxuan and her group were lurking outside. Knowing that martial artists had keen hearing, they didn’t dare move closer. Instead, they deployed a spider-shaped micro-robot, carefully maneuvering it toward the main hall entrance.

Through its built-in camera, they could see the thirty-something people inside and overhear their conversation.

Elder Chen scoffed, “Those little brats actually want to burn us alive!”

Elder Xu frowned. “It seems next time, we need to bring stronger defensive measures. Otherwise, fire tactics like this would be hard for us to counter.”

Inside, another voice spoke up. “Burning them to death would be too merciful. Their weapons are incredibly advanced and powerful. If we can discover their manufacturer, we could dominate the martial world.”

“We should set the fire but leave a single escape route. Once they flee in panic, we capture them and bring them back for interrogation!”

“This is a good idea. My poison experiments need test subjects anyway. Let them taste the agony of being unable to live or die.”

“After testing the poison on them, throw them into the snake pit. If those venomous snakes consume the poisoned bodies, they might become even deadlier.”

“Left Protector, that Young Pavilion Master has such delicate skin and a beautiful face. I’ve always had a soft spot for beauties. Once we capture her, haha, why don’t you grant her to me as a reward?”

“You shouldn’t keep her to yourself. It’s more fun if the brothers share, hahaha.”

The laughter inside was utterly repulsive, making the faces of everyone around Shen Yunxuan darken. The Demon Sect truly lived up to its infamy—its members were not just ruthless but despicably vile. The special forces soldiers were already brimming with battle intent. This wasn’t just a threat—it was a provocation. Even though the Demon Sect members were all martial artists, the soldiers weren’t afraid. Their minds were already formulating tactical plans, ready to tear this sect apart.

Shen Yunxuan had finally witnessed what a truly evil sect was like. They weren’t the ambiguous, morally gray villains depicted in dramas; they were pure monsters.

She glanced at the thermal imaging device and confirmed that there were no other people around. Everyone in the valley had gathered in that main hall.

In a low voice, she asked, “What do we need to ensure a clean sweep? We have to knock them all out in one go—otherwise, it will be too dangerous. Our goal is to put them to sleep and loot their supplies; nothing else matters.”

Everyone was momentarily stunned. They had expected Shen Yunxuan to be the most furious after hearing those vile words. Instead, she was the calmest among them, not letting personal emotions cloud her judgment. She remained completely clear-headed, focused on their true objective.

Elder Xu patted her shoulder, then signaled for everyone to gather and listen to the plan. He and Elder Chen were both seasoned warriors who had fought real battles in their youth. They were true defenders of their nation.

Now, using modern weapons to eliminate a bunch of arrogant ancient martial artists—they were confident they could handle it. Of course, the operation still needed to be meticulously planned. To save time, they decided to use knockout gas grenades.

These gas grenades were an improved version of smoke grenades, capable of releasing both thick smoke and powerful anesthetic agents simultaneously. Zheng Song and Liu Heng would handle throwing the grenades, while the other special forces soldiers would position themselves around the building with sniper rifles, ready to take out anyone who tried to escape.

After agreeing on the signal, they swiftly moved into position, quietly dispersing to encircle the building.

Elder Xu, Elder Chen, Xu Wen’an, and Xu Wenyu stayed by Shen Yunxuan’s side, while the experts each held a gun in one hand and a grenade in the other, standing guard.

If anyone managed to break through the perimeter, a few grenades would turn them into pieces.

Once everything was set, Zheng Song and Liu Heng stealthily approached the Demon Sect hall, monitoring the scene through the micro-robot’s camera. When they were just a few dozen meters away, someone inside suddenly tilted their head and muttered, “Someone’s coming!”

Zheng Song and Liu Heng knew they had been detected. Without hesitation, they sprinted at full speed, burst through the door, and hurled ten gas grenades inside.

The sect’s poison master immediately sensed something was wrong with the smoke and shouted, “Hold your breath!”

But it was already too late—more than a dozen people collapsed instantly. A few, enraged, tried to charge toward the door, but Zheng Song and Liu Heng raised their machine guns and unleashed a barrage of bullets!

No matter how skilled a martial artist was, they were still flesh and blood—no match for machine guns. The first few who failed to dodge were instantly killed. The rest, seeing this, abandoned their attack and tried to flee in different directions. Some barely made it a few steps before succumbing to the gas, while only six managed to break through a window.

The moment they emerged, snipers took precise shots—bullets piercing straight through their foreheads!

The Left Protector, the second most powerful figure in the Demon Sect, never imagined that one day he would die without even having a chance to fight back.

His eyes were wide open in disbelief, staring in the direction the bullet had come from. It was as if he saw someone lying in wait—or perhaps he saw nothing at all. He fell backward, raising a cloud of dust, and never moved again.

After a moment of silence, Xu Wen’an used the thermal imaging device to confirm that every Demon Sect member was unconscious. He then relayed the confirmation through the radio, allowing the special forces team to advance.

They all put on gas masks and entered the hall, securing the unconscious individuals with ropes and searching them, confiscating a trove of weapons and poisons. They then proceeded to search the surrounding rooms, collecting anything valuable and bringing it back to the hall. The experts sorted and packed everything, taking extra care with poisons to prevent any accidental exposure.

Shen Yunxuan entered the hall and retrieved the spider-shaped micro-robot. As she took in the gruesome scene of the Demon Sect’s defeat, she felt a mix of emotions—both solemnity and relief.

She finally understood why Zhang Yang had given her the system. She had once thought he was a fool for passing up such an incredible opportunity. But after encountering the Demon Sect, she realized just how dangerous dimension-hopping could be. If she hadn’t had the protection of the nation’s military, she could have easily been the one lying in that hall right now, suffering unspeakable horrors before meeting a brutal end.

She was deeply grateful that she had handed herself over to the country. With the national defense force backing her, she had nothing to fear.

Walking up to two unconscious men, she drew a dagger and, without hesitation, castrated them both.

The sudden action shocked everyone, but upon closer inspection, they realized these were the two men who had spoken about violating Shen Yunxuan.

Clearly, she hadn’t ignored their words—she had simply waited for the right moment to act.

The group collectively swallowed hard. One thought ran through all their minds—of all people to offend, Shen Yunxuan was the last person they should cross. She didn’t hesitate when it came to making someone pay.

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆