Chapter 407: Desolate Lands Report

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

(TL Note: Unlocking a chapter. Feel like shit today but life goes on. I haven’t been translating for the past almost week. I’m just relying on my stocked up chapters rn but it should still last me a while. Hope the day is better for anyone reading this <3.)

After parting ways with Meng Jingzhou, Lu Yang’s luck indeed improved significantly.

On his way to the nearest city, Lu Yang bravely fought off mountain bandits, rescuing two noble young ladies. After receiving their endless gratitude, he firmly declined their offers of marriage, gracefully taking his leave.

Later, Lu Yang encountered an armed escort being ambushed. He stepped in to assist, deeply impressing the daughter of the escort agency’s head. She expressed her admiration, mentioning that this was her first time leading an escort mission, and if it hadn’t been for Lu Yang’s timely intervention, the mission’s failure would have severely impacted their reputation. She praised Lu Yang’s remarkable skills and invited him to join the escort agency as the chief escort head.

As expected, Lu Yang also declined.

Finally, he noticed a young woman holding a martial contest for marriage, openly challenging heroes from all walks of life and declaring that anyone who could defeat her would earn her hand in marriage.

Seeing this, Lu Yang quickened his pace, hurriedly leaving the scene.

“I’ve heard that Desolate Lands women are known for their heroic spirit and frequently venture out on their own. Today, I finally witnessed it.”

People of Desolate Lands are bold, and the women are no different. Unlike most Central Plains women, who remain indoors, Desolate Lands women engage in activities much like the men.

With Meng Jingzhou around before, Lu Yang hadn’t had the chance to see this.

“It’s a pity for Old Meng. He lacks the fortune to witness this scene,” Lu Yang thought, a little amused at Meng Jingzhou’s expense.

“However, it’s true that the public order in Desolate Lands is poor. In other regions, there aren’t as many bandits and ambushes.”

After overcoming various hurdles, Lu Yang finally reached the nearby city. The city was built from massive stones, rugged and grand, similar to the style of Demon Subjugation Pass, yet with its unique differences.

“Yuanshan City.”

Lu Yang softly recited the city’s name as he stepped through the gates.

The Land of Gold Commerce offers intelligence services, and the quickest way to understand the local situation is to purchase information from them.

However, the Land of Gold Commerce doesn’t dare sell just any information—particularly intelligence on the Five Great Immortal Sects, especially anything regarding Dao Seeking Sect.

For instance, when Yun Zhi defeated her peers in the Five Great Immortal Sects competition, also besting the sect leaders, that information was not available for sale.

Lu Yang noticed that the general public knew very little about Eldest Senior Sister. Without specific connections, they didn’t even know Yun Zhi’s name. Even if they knew of Yun Zhi, they merely thought of her as another Dao Seeking Sect disciple, with nothing to make her stand out, thus failing to draw any attention.

Lu Yang speculated that this was partly due to Eldest Senior Sister’s infrequent appearances and partly because the commercial chamber did not dare to sell information about her.

As for the intelligence on the other four sects, the commercial chamber would sell some of it, at least to a limited extent.

For example, the Hanging Temple now has a record number of members, surpassing twelve.

Also, the head of Hanging Temple, in his pursuit of true enlightenment in Buddhist teachings, has begun practicing Silent Meditation, where he only strikes people without speaking.

Regarding intelligence on the Imperial Court, the agency selectively sells information.

For instance, the news about Daoist Non-Speaker being jailed with the Minister of Justice, leading the entire Ministry of Justice to relocate, was not for sale.

Lu Yang entered the commercial chamber and purchased the most detailed Desolate Lands Report available. The first piece of information stunned him.

“The daughter of the Desolate Lands Provincial Governor hosted a birthday banquet. The governor sent out invitations, asking representatives from various factions to attend, bring blessings, and present gifts. During the banquet, many young talents showed off their skills, vying for the young lady’s attention and displaying their potential. Now, however, the Desolate Lands Provincial Governor is under investigation for bribery, and several factions face charges of bribery toward influential figures. All have been detained.”

The agency thoughtfully attached the relevant legal statutes and typical cases as a stern reminder.

“The new Desolate Lands Provincial Governor has taken office and delivered a speech titled ‘Addressing the Corrupt Winds in Desolate Lands,’ mandating that all Desolate Lands officials study and follow it.”

“The Barbarian Tribe coming-of-age ceremony proceeded as scheduled. The Barbarian Tribe youth Barbarian Bone survived for seven days in the Desolate Lands and hunted nearly a hundred Golden Core Stage demonic beasts, securing first place.”

“So Barbarian Bone just said he was going home to visit family, but it turns out he was attending the Barbarian Tribe coming-of-age ceremony,” Lu Yang realized. He hadn’t seen Barbarian Bone for some time and had wondered why his home visit was taking so long.

Lu Yang had heard of the Barbarian Tribe’s coming-of-age ceremony, where those nearing adulthood are sent to the most dangerous parts of Desolate Lands. Surviving for seven days is enough to pass the ceremony, and hunting demonic beasts yields higher evaluations. Rankings are determined by the quantity and quality of beasts hunted.

“So the Barbarian Tribe still has this tradition,” Everlasting Fairy remarked with slight surprise. She had established this tradition for the ancient Barbarian Tribe, and it was surprising to see it still in practice.

“The Corpse-Driving Sect sect competition has concluded. The winner is Huang Ming, just eighteen years old, with early-stage Golden Core cultivation. He has been accepted as the last disciple of the sect master. The runner-up, Zhao Po, is also eighteen, with early-stage Golden Core cultivation.”

Lu Yang lingered on this piece of information. To reach early-stage Golden Core at eighteen is an extraordinary talent. Even in the Five Great Immortal Sects, such a cultivation speed is rare, second only to him and Meng Jingzhou.

“Two geniuses—the era of greatness is approaching,” Lu Yang sighed. In the ancient golden age, these two would have been stepping stones for Everlasting Fairy’s rise.

“The Seven Emotions Valley has developed a new type of curse. Anyone affected will hear the buzzing of insects when sleeping or in seclusion. Covering one’s ears won’t block the sound, making the cursed individual extremely irritable.”

“Seven Emotions Valley… I recall it’s also a first-grade sect in Desolate Lands, known for its expertise in curses,” Lu Yang muttered, having limited knowledge about Seven Emotions Valley.

“A man in a white paper hat (real name unknown, true identity unknown) has a bounty of one million Spirit Stones. The man in the white paper hat split into two, pretended to be captured, collected the bounty, and escaped. The Desolate Lands authorities have now raised the bounty to two million Spirit Stones.”

“A new player in the barbecue world, Come Again Barbecue, has launched in Desolate Lands. It currently has thirty branches across Desolate Lands, all thriving. According to the barbecue shop, they love barbecue and hope to spread its flavor across Desolate Lands, with plans to open more stores.”

“Corpse Driver’s Home, Qingming Inn Chain… Why are there ads here?” Lu Yang fumed. He paid for intelligence, so why was it mixed with s?

The part about Come Again Barbecue was actually an ad as well, but since Lu Yang had a 60% share in it, he didn’t mind.

“Why isn’t there any intelligence on Unity Stage battles?”

Lu Yang wasn’t distracted by the flood of Desolate Lands Report. He still remembered that he bought the information to look for clues about the Living Corpse cluster in Jianshi Village.

“Oh, here it is. There was indeed a record of a Unity battle, from two months ago.”

“Let me see what it’s about… Two Unity True Lords had a falling out and filed for divorce, leading to a major brawl over child custody.”

Lu Yang: “…”

Lu Yang rubbed his temples in frustration, wondering if the Living Corpses might have gotten lost along the way.

(End of the chapter)