Chapter 53, Wu Region Shook

Translator: StarReader

 

“Show me, then, which is better: your skill in hiding or Han Mountain Daoist Temple’s power!”

 

Daoist Qinghe’s expression was as cold as a blade. His fists were clenched tightly, and his teeth ground together with fury.

 

“Gusu County City is our primary target for the search. Immediately dispatch forty disciples to secure all four gates of the city and the walls. This will prevent the thief from realizing something’s wrong and escaping into the countryside under cover of darkness.

 

“To search the entire city’s internal area, we’ll need to mobilize the forces of the Gusu County constable. I will use Master’s martial decree and approach Magistrate Wang of Gusu City. I will request that he dispatch three shifts of constables to seal off Gusu City. We will capture this thief in a pincer movement.

 

“The four of you should each take a copy of Master’s martial decree and head to the Five Major Groups in the Wu Region for assistance. Monitor all water and land routes within a three hundred-mile radius of the city. Set up checkpoints, block roads, and establish search points to prevent this thief from escaping the city and heading elsewhere.

 

“But when you go, you must not say that the spiritual text was stolen. Instead, simply say that one volume of it went missing. Announce this across the entire Wu Region as a martial decree. Whoever can help me recover the stolen Grandmaster-level scripture for the Han Mountain Daoist Temple will be handsomely rewarded with a thousand gold taels!”

 

Daoist Qinghe’s tone was icy and ruthless as he turned to address the four senior disciples.

 

“Are we considering using Master’s martial decree?”

 

The four senior disciples were startled by the suggestion. A martial decree!

 

These decrees were issued only by leaders of extremely prestigious groups or by Grandmaster Stage experts. They would put their personal name and credibility on the line to issue a martial decree. This was an enormous declaration, demanding that the entire martial world rally to assist in addressing the matter.

 

Because Daoist Han Shan often traveled extensively, he was frequently absent from the Daoist temple. To prepare for any major emergencies in his absence, he had left behind several personally written martial decrees, even if it meant involving his five closest disciples.

 

Daoist Qinghe knew that this thief was extremely dangerous. If he fled to the bustling Gusu County City, with its countless households, it would give him all the advantage to evade pursuit. Retrieving the spiritual text, relying solely on their collective efforts at the Han Mountain Daoist Temple, might indeed be an exceedingly slim hope.

 

Daoist Qinghe had no choice but to use his master’s prestige and reputation to muster a huge martial force and conduct a large-scale search to recover the scroll of the spiritual book.

 

“Should we go to the Whale Gang as well? The pirates of Whale Gang have always been unscrupulous and greedy. If we ask them to help hunt down the thief, they will definitely demand too much,” Daoist Qinghe hesitated.

 

“Why bother with these details now? Retrieving the spiritual book is urgent. No matter how greedy the Whale Gang is, can they demand something more valuable than this spiritual book?” asked another disciple.

 

“Yes, the Whale Gang pirates control all the major waterways in the Wu Region. We need their help to block them. For the sake of the master and our temple, even Liu Hong, the leader of the Whale Gang with his white-faced scholar appearance, should give us a little face.”

 

The five senior disciples of Han Mountain Daoist Temple swiftly convened to discuss the matter. They personally delivered Daoist Han Shan’s martial decree to visit Magistrate Wang of Gusu City and the leaders of the Wu Region’s Five Major Groups overnight. Their mission was to request that they blockade the city and all important water and land routes to capture this shocking thief.

 

…

 

Late at night in Gusu City, inside the county magistrate’s inner courtyard, Master Wang—an official overseeing ten thousand households—was asleep with his third concubine.

 

Li Shiye, the constable leader on duty, greeted Daoist Qinghe, who had arrived in a hurry. Upon seeing that it was the Han Mountain martial decree personally sent by Daoist Qinghe, Li Shiye rushed to inform the county magistrate.

 

“Master, something huge has happened!” Li Shiye rushed to the backyard with the martial decree, pounded on the county magistrate’s door, and woke up Master Wang, who was sleeping soundly.

 

“What’s going on? Can’t you let me sleep in peace?” Master Wang grumbled, still holding his concubine.

 

“Master, it’s Daoist Han Shan’s martial decree! It was sent by his eldest disciple, Daoist Qinghe, the abbot of the temple. I heard from the Daoist that the temple seems to have lost a precious book and is asking the constable sect to help catch the thief,” Li Shiye explained.

 

When Master Wang heard ‘Daoist Han Shan,’ his fat body trembled and turned over. Though he was the official overseeing ten thousand households in Gusu County City, the fact that this magistrate wanted to see Wu Region’s top figure, the martial leader Daoist Han Shan, was no easy feat.

 

Even if he personally visited the Daoist temple to request an audience with Daoist Han Shan, there was no guarantee of being granted one.

 

At this late hour, Daoist Qinghe—the senior disciple of Daoist Han Shan—delivered a martial decree with a grave expression. He requested the constables’ assistance in apprehending bandits, which was an unusual occurrence indeed.

 

Magistrate Wang quickly rose from his concubine’s bed, slipped on his official robes, and opened the door to receive the document handed to him. It was a copy of the Han Mountain martial decree.

 

The decree contained only a brief statement: ‘The Han Mountain Daoist Temple had been robbed, with an important volume of a Grandmaster Stage sacred text missing.’ It requested the Gusu County constables to seal off the city and pursue the thief.

 

Magistrate Wang studied the signature at the bottom of the decree carefully: “Daoist Han Shan.”

 

Sealing off the county and dispatching three contingents of constables to track down the bandits was, for Magistrate Wang, a trivial matter. The significance of this decree did not lie in its content but in who it came from.

 

The crux was that this martial decree was personally signed by Daoist Han Shan. It was not issued under the name of Daoist Qinghe or on behalf of Han Mountain Daoist Temple. Instead, it came directly from Daoist Han Shan—a Grandmaster-level figure and a legendary leader in the martial world. This made all the difference.

 

A martial decree was not something just anyone could issue. Only the leaders of major groups or Grandmasters within the martial realm had the authority to do so. Similarly, not everyone was qualified to receive such a decree. It was only extended to prominent figures from both righteous and shady factions who commanded significant power and influence.

 

Especially in the Wu Region, where Daoist Han Shan stood as the highest authority in the martial world, issuing a martial decree was exceedingly rare.

 

Daoist Qinghe presented this Han Mountain martial decree to the county constable, requesting assistance in apprehending a notorious outlaw. This implied that successfully retrieving the important scripture for Daoist Han Shan would result in him owing them a favor. And this martial decree served as the formal acknowledgment of that debt.

 

In the Wu Region, the first outsider, the highest-ranked martial Grandmaster in the realm of martial arts, and the favor of Daoist Han Shan—that was something worth more than ten thousand kilograms of gold.

 

For the future, if one ever needed to seek help from Daoist Han Shan, presenting this decree to pay a visit would surely guarantee a favorable response. Of course, this would only be valid upon retrieving that precious scroll.

 

Magistrate Wang couldn’t hide his excitement as he held the decree. He quickly instructed Mr. Li, “This audacious river thief dared to steal a precious scroll from Han Mountain Daoist Temple! What nerve! Since Daoist Qinghe came in person and is carrying a martial decree signed by Daoist Han Shan, we simply cannot refuse this favor. Mr. Li, tell the three constables to gather all the town guards, archers, grain officials, coroners, and sturdy laborers—call them all out and send them on their way. Search every household in town, and arrest anyone suspicious who was out at night. Additionally, have the city guards close the gates, secure all water and land checkpoints, and apprehend any suspicious individuals.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Li Shiye was about to exit when the cry of “Hold on a second!” stopped him.

 

Magistrate Wang thought of something, his eyes flickering as he quietly instructed:

 

“If any constables come across that stolen treasure book, bring it straight to the county office. I’ll examine myself and determine how precious it is. Then, I shall personally hand it over to Daoist Qinghe.”

 

“Yes, sir!” Li Shiye blinked his small eyes and nodded repeatedly.

 

Not only was Magistrate Wang curious about the stolen precious book, but so was Li Shiye.

 

A martial decree from Daoist Han Shan’s five disciples was swiftly delivered to the headquarters of the Five Major Groups in the Wu Region by horseback. The region stirred as all martial forces were set in motion.

 

Upon receiving the martial decrees, all major groups dispatched their top-tier experts to secure water and land routes, fully assisting Daoist Temple in apprehending the elusive river thief.

 

At Vastest Lake’s western shore near Cave Mountain, the Whale Gang’s headquarters sent Liu Hong. Upon receiving the martial decree from Daoist Han Shan’s senior disciple, Daoist Qinghe, Liu Hong immediately dispatched a large contingent of his crew to blockade and search all waterways within hundreds of miles around Gusu County.

 

Sun Baihong, head of the Medicine King Group, wasted no time in dispatching his elite Swordsmanship Hall disciples to Gusu County City for a thorough search.

 

Han Pingshan, leader of the Iron Sword Group, quickly sent out a team of his best security experts to track down the river pirate.

 

The Caravan Guards and Heaven Falcon Group were no different in their response.

 

“Han Mountain Daoist Temple possesses many treasures, but this book caused such a commotion; it must be no ordinary item. Dispatch our disciples to search thoroughly… If anything is found, bring it back to headquarters first and let me take a look.”

 

“Yes, Master!”

 

These major groups fully mobilized their forces with top-tier experts deployed en masse, knowing fully well what they were dealing with.

 

If they could help Han Mountain Daoist Temple recover the stolen book and have Daoist Han Shan owe them a favor, it would be a highly profitable venture. Moreover, this Grandmaster book might contain secrets to how Daoist Han Shan became the Wu Region’s top Grandmaster, and they naturally wanted to seize the chance to peek inside.

 

While even a first-rate expert couldn’t use this book to become a Grandmaster, as becoming one relied on luck and had no concrete methods, other Grandmasters could still glean secrets from a Grandmaster-level martial arts manual.