I, a prison guard in the Heavenly Prison, secretly became invincible thanks to the system.

"Young Master Liu, will Young Master Ye be alright?"

Outside the mountain stronghold, two guards of the caravan looked worried.

Liu Mingkong waved his hand and said, "It's alright. Young Master Ye is very strong. Even if there are other experts inside, they can't do anything to him. We'll wait until he finishes gathering information before we decide whether to attack this stronghold."

Liu Mingkong's plan was well-thought-out, but at that moment, several henchmen patrolling the mountain stronghold suddenly collapsed.

Then the massive gate of the stockade roared and smashed open a huge hole.

Ye Kang dragged the unconscious chieftain out indifferently.

This scene left Liu Mingkong and his guards completely stunned.

They rushed to greet them.

"Brother Ye, what's going on?"

"The matter is resolved. The mountain spirit was raised by these people. I have already killed the mountain spirit. Go back now."

Ye Kang didn't say much, and dragged the person down the mountain.

The three exchanged a glance and all looked into the village at the same time.

The ground was littered with the corpses of bandits, and the entire mountain stronghold suddenly became incredibly eerie.

The three of them were immediately terrified and glanced fearfully at Ye Kang's retreating figure.

Wasn't this guy supposed to be gathering intelligence?

How could they have wiped out the bandit gang in the blink of an eye?!

Liu Mingkong thought for a moment, then told two guards to follow first, while he returned to the mountain stronghold and followed the corpse all the way to the cave.

Upon seeing the scene inside, he couldn't help but feel angry.

"A bunch of beasts!"

He cursed angrily, then silently picked up a mountain demon's head from the ground.

We need to take something back with us to give an account.

……

on the way back.

Liu Mingkong looked embarrassed.

"Brother Ye, I'm so sorry, I asked you for help, but you solved everything for me, and I didn't do anything..."

"Don't worry about it. It's all thanks to you and me that we were able to solve the Mountain Ghost case."

Ye Kang smiled slightly.

He wasn't just making things up; he genuinely thanked Liu Mingkong.

Demons are rare, and man-eating demons are even rarer. He was overjoyed to have gotten one so easily.

"If you take the mountain demon's head back to the Cui family, you should be able to pass the test. I'll be leaving now."

After entering the city gate, Ye Kang and Liu Mingkong parted ways, and Ye Kang dragged the chieftain to the Qinglin branch.

This matter involves the Old Demon Chiming. Bringing back a survivor who knows the truth would be a great achievement, wouldn't it?

Leave the professional work to the professionals, and don't get involved in this mess yourself.

When Ye Kang arrived at the Qinglin branch, it was already late at night, but the manager was still awake.

He was slightly surprised to see Ye Kang.

"Lord Ye, it's so late, is there something you need?"

Ye Kang tossed the chieftain from his hand over.

"We just destroyed a mountain stronghold and captured a disciple of the Crimson Demon."

"what!"

The shopkeeper instantly perked up, clapped his hands, and someone immediately dragged the chieftain into the cell.

"Lord Ye, how did you find the disciple of the Crimson Demon?"

"It was by chance that I helped the son-in-law of the Cui family slay a demon, only to discover that the demon was raised by him. I wonder if it will be of any use to the Azure Scale Guards."

"Yes! It's incredibly useful! Lord Ye, you're amazing! It's only been a few days, and you've already accomplished another great feat!"

The shopkeeper was excited and pulled Ye Kang into the inner hall, saying, "Old Demon Chi Ming is a major threat to the garrison commander. Among the major demons, he is the most aggressive and the most brutal. The garrison commander has tried to encircle and suppress him several times but failed!"

"Is the situation in Jinling really that dire?" Ye Kang wondered. This garrison commander seemed to be out fighting demons every day; he was far too busy.

The shopkeeper gave a wry smile upon hearing this.

"It's not just Jinling, it's the same all over Jiangnan and the whole south. That's why the Qinglin Guard is short-handed. Those two young masters you know, as temporary workers, have been to countless places."

"It's actually like this!"

Ye Kang couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. The North was indeed better; it was peaceful.

It was no easy feat for the late emperor to pacify the martial arts world in the north.

After chatting for a couple of minutes, Ye Kang left.

The decision of who becomes the chief of the village is naturally made by the shopkeeper.

……

Back at the Xie family home.

The two gatekeepers greeted Ye Kang warmly as soon as they saw him.

"Young Master is back."

They were all smiles, with not a trace of their previous disdain and arrogance.

There's no way around it, Ye Kang's reputation is too great now. Even the sixth young master, who is considered a genius in their eyes, can't last half a move against this cousin. Who would dare to provoke him?

One of the servants added, "Young Master, Miss Wanyi's maid from the brothel came by during the day. She asked me to tell you that she would like to visit the brothel tomorrow to repay a debt of gratitude."

"Repay a favor?"

Ye Kang pondered for a moment.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and the bandit gathering that Yi mentioned that night should be held soon, presumably for that very event.

He nodded, casually took out ten taels of silver and handed it over: "Thank you for your hard work."

The servant received the silver with great joy, already thinking about which family's daughter he should visit after his shift ended.

……

Day two.

Ye Kang changed his clothes and set off for the brothel.

Nowadays, everyone in Yangchun Lane knows Ye Kang, and they all raise their hands in greeting when they see him.

Ye Kang ignored them all and entered the brothel. A sharp-eyed servant immediately ran over and led him upstairs.

Ye Kang entered Wan Yi's room once again. It was still the same square table and the same tea set. The difference was that there was now a small vase of flowers and a plate of delicate pastries next to the tea set.

Miss Wanyi, dressed in a light blue dress, said, "Young Master Ye is indeed a man of his word. You left in such a hurry the other day that I haven't had a chance to properly thank you. I am truly ashamed."

However, Ye Kang was not buying it at all. He sat down and picked up some snacks for breakfast.

"There's no need to say so much. That day, you were sure I would come, so you deliberately waited for me to appear before coming downstairs. You also made eye contact with me several times while playing the piano, which made Xie Jinghong angry and embarrassed. I haven't settled accounts with you for these things yet."

"Young master, you misunderstand. I don't have such thoughts."

"Whether it's true or not, you know it yourself. Just say it. Why did you call me here?"

Ye Kang's tone was calm, but there was no hint of intimacy in it.

This woman is no ordinary person; even Xie Liancheng couldn't find out her identity. It's best not to have too much contact with her.

Wan Yi wasn't angry; she just smiled and said, "Then Wan Yi will speak frankly. Young Master did indeed put in a lot of effort the other day, so it's only fair to pay you more. This time, Wan Yi just wants to provide some more information."

"Did you overhear the guests' conversation again?"

"Young master understands me."

Wan Yi did not refute, but instead said while making tea: "The bandits along the Grand Canal have gathered and have great ambitions, so there are several more people involved."

Ye Kang remained silent, simply listening.

Wan Yi continued, "Among them are three well-known heroes of the martial arts world: Duan Hong, the One-Armed Saber; the Golden-Robed Old Man of Jinxiu Pavilion; and Chongxuzi of Chongtian Temple."

"These three are neither good nor evil; they are simply very interested in that martial art. When I learned of this, I was deeply afraid that it might mislead you, so I invited them to explain."