Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Shen Mo remained calm, as if he had expected this: "With the alliance newly established, some are observing, some are testing, and some want to test the strength of this alliance. Blackwater Marsh is indeed a touchstone."

He looked at Su Xiao, "Junior Sister Xiao, what do you think?"

Su Xiao pondered for a moment and said, "If this matter is handled properly, it will be a good opportunity to establish our authority. If it is handled poorly, or if we show favoritism to one side, the credibility that the alliance has just established will be completely destroyed, and we will become a laughing stock in the eyes of the Blazing Sun Sect and the Heavenly Sword Sect."

"I suggest that we send a capable person there as soon as possible to handle the matter fairly in accordance with the alliance rules, and at the same time... guard against anyone taking advantage of the situation."

She was referring to the major powers that were dissatisfied with the alliance.

Shen Mo nodded: "That's exactly right. You go there yourself, taking Shi Tie with you. He can handle things. Also, bring Mu Qingqing along, just in case there are any wounded. Have Zhou Yi go too, to check the specific situation of the mine and assess its value."

"Yes!" Su Xiao accepted the order, turned around and left quickly.

Han Lin said with some worry, "Sect Leader, sending Shi Tie... he's impatient, what if..."

Shen Mo smiled slightly: "Junior Brother Tie is straightforward, but he's clear-headed when it comes to important matters. With Su Xiao in charge, his blade is just right to cut off those hands that shouldn't reach out. Besides, some situations require his fierce aura."

An hour later, at the gate of Qingyun Mountain, a blue spirit boat engraved with flowing cloud patterns slowly rose into the air.

Su Xiao stood at the bow of the ship, her clothes fluttering in the wind. Shi Tie, carrying his iconic giant axe, stood behind her, his large, bell-like eyes gleaming with excitement.

Mu Qingqing stood quietly to one side, carrying her medicine kit. Zhou Yi, on the other hand, curiously observed the mountains and rivers rushing past below.

"Junior Sister Su, what's going on? I heard there's a fight?" Shi Tie asked with a grin, his fingers gleaming as he gripped the axe handle.

Su Xiao didn't turn around, her voice cold: "We're going to arbitration, not to fight. The Green Wood Sect and the Golden Knife Sect have a conflict over spirit ore, and the sect leader ordered us to go and mediate."

"Mediation?" Shi Tie's eyes widened. "That's so boring! If you ask me, whoever has the bigger fist gets the mine! Simple and straightforward!"

Mu Qingqing covered her mouth and chuckled, "Uncle-Master Shi, the alliance has its rules. If we just go by fists, what's the difference from before?"

Zhou Yi chimed in, "Elder Shi, Uncle Su is right. We're going to reason things out and see if that spirit ore is valuable. If it's a good ore, it might even provide our Array Hall with some array-setting materials in the future."

Shi Tie scratched his head: "Alright, alright, you intellectuals have a lot of reasons. I, Old Shi, am in charge of keeping things quiet. Anyone who dares to cause trouble, I'll send them to eat an axe!"

The spirit boat moved at an extremely high speed, the scenery below rushing past. After about half a day, a gray area filled with faint miasma and covered with water came into view. Blackwater Marsh, we've arrived.

As the spirit boat descended, it soon came into view of two distinct groups of people standing on a slightly elevated earthen slope on the south bank. One group, dressed in short, bluish-gray clothing, mostly carrying wooden canes or hoes, were disciples of the Green Wood Sect, led by an elderly man with a sorrowful face.

The other group was dressed in khaki outfits, each carrying a thick-backed machete; they were from the Golden Knife Sect, led by a burly man with a face full of scars.

A clearing appeared between the two groups, the ground still bearing the marks of magical attacks and slashing. Several disciples sat on the ground, groaning with injuries. A faint smell of blood and gunpowder filled the air.

The arrival of the spirit boat immediately caused a stir among two groups of people.

"They are envoys from the Qingyun Alliance!"

"They're here! They've finally arrived!"

The spirit boat slowly descended, and Su Xiao stepped off first, followed closely by Shi Tie, Mu Qingqing, and Zhou Yi.

The elder from the Green Wood Sect hurriedly stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Mu Chen of the Green Wood Sect welcomes the envoy from our superior sect! We implore our superior sect to avenge us!"

He pointed across the street, "This Golden Knife Sect is quite unreasonable."

"It was clearly my disciples who discovered the mineral vein first, yet they try to steal it!"

"Bullshit!" the burly man from the Golden Knife Sect immediately jumped up and cursed. "Old Tu! Stop playing the victim! That mine is clearly within our Golden Knife Sect's traditional hunting grounds! You're the ones who illegally mined it!"

"Zhao Laosan! You're spouting nonsense!"

"You're talking nonsense!"

The two sect leaders immediately started arguing, and their disciples also joined in the commotion, looking like they were about to fight again.

"Shut up, all of you!"

A thunderous roar erupted, making everyone's eardrums ring. Shi Tie took a step forward, slamming his giant axe into the ground with a deafening boom, causing the ground to tremble three times.

He glared at both sides with his bull-like eyes: "What's all the fuss about! Do you think we're here to watch a show? If you keep arguing, I'll take you all down and confiscate the mine!"

His domineering and unreasonable demeanor immediately stunned both sides. Mu Chen and Zhao Laosan turned pale and dared not argue any further.

Su Xiao then stepped forward, his voice calm and even: "Sect Leader Mu, Sect Leader Zhao. I am Su Xiao, the Enforcement Elder of the Qingyun Alliance. I have come here on the orders of the Alliance Leader to handle this matter. The Alliance rules stipulate that resource disputes should be resolved through investigation and arbitration in accordance with the rules."

"You two, recount the events as they happened, in full. If there is even a single falsehood, you will be dealt with according to the alliance rules."

Her tone wasn't harsh, but it carried an undeniable authority. Mu Chen and Zhao Laosan glared at each other before suppressing their anger and starting to talk back and forth. Although they still held their own versions of events, at least the details were clear.

It turns out that this spirit mine was discovered by a herb-gathering disciple of the Green Wood Sect by chance. It is located in a vague area on the south bank of the Blackwater Marsh. Both sides had been active in this area in the past, but no clear boundary had been drawn.

After discovering this, the Green Wood Sect immediately sent people to secretly mine the land, but they were discovered by the Golden Knife Sect disciples patrolling the mountain, and a conflict broke out.

After listening, Su Xiao remained noncommittal and said to Zhou Yi, "Zhou Yi, go to the entrance of the mine and assess the mineral deposits and their quality. Be careful."

"Yes, Uncle-Master." Zhou Yi accepted the order, took out a compass and other items, and walked towards a cave entrance that was covered by vines not far away.

She then said to Mu Qingqing, "Junior Sister Mu, treat the wounded first."

Mu Qingqing nodded, walked to the middle of the wounded, took out some medicine, and began to treat them. Her technique was skillful and her attitude gentle, and she quickly calmed the injured down.

Su Xiao then inquired in detail about the time, location, and personnel involved in the discovery of the mineral vein, and asked both parties to produce a sketch of the so-called "traditional hunting area." The result was naturally blurry and unclear, with a large overlapping area.

Shi Tie, clutching his axe, stood guard to the side, watching closely to prevent any untoward movement. His imposing presence was more effective than any set of rules.

During the investigation, Su Xiao keenly noticed that several furtive figures were looming in and out of the swamp mist in the distance. Their auras were not weak, and they were definitely not from the Green Wood Sect or the Golden Knife Sect.

She sneered inwardly; as expected, someone was trying to take advantage of the chaos or test the alliance's reaction. She secretly gave Shi Tie a wink.

Shi Tie understood, turned his head sharply, and roared towards the direction of the mist: "Where did you come from, you cowards hiding your heads and tails, get out here!" The sound waves rolled away, shaking the mist and causing it to churn.

The figures froze, then quickly disappeared, not daring to show themselves.

Upon seeing this, Mu Chen and Zhao Laosan were even more alarmed, and their awe of the Qingyun Alliance deepened even further.

Soon after, Zhou Yi emerged from the mine, a hint of excitement on his face: "Uncle Su, preliminary exploration of the vein confirms it is indeed a medium-sized 'black tungsten' deposit, with a small amount of 'cold iron' as an associated mineral. The quality is above average, and it's quite valuable!"

Su Xiao nodded, having already made her decision. She looked at Mu Chen and Zhao Laosan and said loudly, "According to the alliance rules, the discoverer of unclaimed resources has priority in mining, but must report to the alliance and pay the corresponding contribution points."

The boundaries of this area are unclear, and both sides have left traces of activity, but the Aoki Sect was the first to discover the mineral vein, and the evidence is conclusive.

Mu Chen was delighted to hear this, while Zhao Laosan's face darkened.

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