"Good."
Xia Jiye immediately nodded in agreement.
"But if this head is real, what will you do?" Zhao Ya did not rush to leave, instead he asked with a smile.
There was a moment when Xia Jiye hesitated.
Because Zhao Ya’s confident demeanor made him feel a bit uncertain.
But having said this much, Xia Jiye had no way back, so he could only say, "If it’s real, then I’ll apologize to you in public."
"Alright, it’s a deal, let’s go."
Zhao Ya immediately agreed, turned around, and headed towards the Sect Contribution Department.
The crowd followed suit, eager to see how this spectacle would end.
Qin Jianji took a few quick steps, lowered his voice, and asked worriedly, "Zhao Ya, are you sure?"
"Don’t worry, Elder Qin, if I weren’t sure, I wouldn’t have made this bet with him." Zhao Ya smiled.
"That’s good." Qin Jianji nodded, feeling genuinely annoyed.
After all, Zhao Ya was brought in by him, considered his protégé, yet Xia Jiye deliberately made things difficult for Zhao Ya, which was like a slap in his face.
Once this matter is over, I’ll find an opportunity to deal with you.
Qin Jianji thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ya arrived at the sect contribution department, where a crowd had already gathered, all coming to watch the excitement.
Zhao Ya paid no mind to these unusual glances, held his head high, and walked in.
At that moment, the middle-aged man in charge of the sect contribution department was still sitting behind a desk drinking wine. When Zhao Ya, Xia Jiye, Qin Jianji, and others entered, he only glanced up and then chuckled.
"Why is it so lively today, even the two elders have come?"
"Elder Shen, there’s something I need to trouble you with today." Xia Jiye said with a smile.
Despite his rude attitude towards Zhao Ya outside, he was very respectful towards this disheveled middle-aged man.
Because this unassuming middle-aged man was once a prodigy of the Azure Dragon Temple, with unfathomable strength, but later on due to some trauma from the war of division, he retired to the sect contribution department and never re-emerged.
To someone like this, Xia Jiye naturally wouldn’t dare to neglect him.
Shen Yunshen smiled upon hearing this, as he already knew what was going on.
To be honest, when he heard that Zhao Ya, who had taken an assignment from him just yesterday, had brought back Hei Yunzi’s head, he was somewhat skeptical.
After all, it seemed too fast.
Although Hei Yunzi’s strength wasn’t much, he was cunning, naturally alert, and several missions by the Azure Dragon Temple to eliminate him had failed.
Could Zhao Ya have done it all on his own?
It sounded unbelievable.
But when he saw Zhao Ya walk in holding a human head, he immediately confirmed it as real.
Despite sitting leisurely at the sect contribution department drinking daily, it was a job not meant for just anyone.
It required vast knowledge and insight to accurately verify the completion of tasks.
Considering the generous rewards for sect missions, there were bound to be those with malicious intent and fraudulent means.
Shen Yunshen had witnessed too many such incidents.
But he instantly recognized Hei Yunzi’s head.
Because the sect contribution department had a secret archive with a detailed description of sect mission targets.
Hei Yunzi, although cunning, wasn’t completely hidden from sight, and the Azure Dragon Temple managed to sketch a portrait of him through these sightings.
So when Xia Jiye asked, Shen Yunshen just took a quick glance and then addressed Zhao Ya.
"Impressive, capturing this notorious bandit in one day, you indeed have some skills."
With these words, the room fell silent.
Especially Xia Jiye, whose face turned ghostly pale.
Zhao Ya merely smiled, walked to the desk, and placed Hei Yunzi’s head upon it.
"It was just my luck. I intended to scout the area first, but I stumbled upon their hideout, so I acted to prevent them from escaping again."
Shen Yunshen nodded with satisfaction, "So be it."
At that moment, Xia Jiye could no longer hold back and said bitterly, "Elder Shen, are you sure this is Hei Yunzi?"
"What? Are you doubting my eyesight?" Shen Yunshen raised an eyebrow slightly; his previously tipsy eyes suddenly glinted piercingly.
"No, no, that’s not what I meant. I just find it too unbelievable. Considering that Hei Yunzi was a notorious bandit leader, if he’s dead, then what about his henchmen?"
Xia Jiye didn’t dare say it outright, but indirectly expressed his doubt.
"Heh." Zhao Ya chuckled suddenly, then said: "Elder Xia, I know you’re anxious, but there’s no need to rush because I was going to address this."
"In the forest fifteen miles northwest of Xiushui Town, you’ll find the corpses and heads of Hei Yunzi’s henchmen. I’ve placed them together and marked them. A few people can go and verify it."
Xia Jiye’s face turned extremely unsightly.
He knew he lost, and quite badly at that.
But Shen Yunshen didn’t bother with it. After noting down the location Zhao Ya mentioned and sending some disciples to investigate and confirm, he quickly registered Zhao Ya’s mission completion. He handed him a finely crafted token.
It had Zhao Ya’s name engraved on it, with a number below.
Two hundred.
It was Zhao Ya’s sect contribution points.
"Congratulations on completing the task. Honestly, when you took the assignment yesterday, I didn’t think you’d finish it. Shows how shallow my judgment was." Shen Yunshen said with a smile.
He was always straightforward in speech; if he made a mistake, he’d admit it publicly without any fuss.
But Xia Jiye was struggling to handle it.
He always valued his authority highly. Even a slight lapse among his disciples would incite his fury, let alone apologizing publicly.
Therefore, he glanced at Zhao Ya, hoping this disciple would be sensible enough to withdraw his previous words.
But Zhao Ya wouldn’t play along.
If Zhao Ya once permitted Elder Xia some pride due to his rank, now, with all pretense gone, there was nothing left to hold back.
So Zhao Ya grinned at Xia Jiye.
"Elder Xia, as you have seen, I didn’t act egregiously, and certainly not deceptively. Therefore, fulfill your promise."
"You..." Xia Jiye was furious.
Qin Jianji was about to step in and mediate.
He didn’t want Zhao Ya and Xia Jiye’s conflict to escalate too far.
But just then, Shen Yunshen, sitting behind the desk, took a satisfied sip of wine and said calmly.
"Elder Xia, we’re both elders of the Azure Dragon Temple, and with so many disciples watching, we should set a good example for them, especially in keeping our word. Don’t you agree?"
Xia Jiye’s face turned steely, and he nodded stiffly, "Yes, I understand."
Afterward, he approached Zhao Ya, bowed slightly, and said, "Zhao Ya, I wronged you earlier, and I sincerely apologize."
Zhao Ya nodded, "I hope Elder Xia doesn’t wrong me again in the future, as I can’t bear it."
Xia Jiye was incredibly upset, but he didn’t dare show it in front of Qin Jianji and Shen Yunshen, so he left in humiliation with his entourage.
The other disciples looked at Zhao Ya with complex expressions, and many secretly cheered, feeling quite relieved.
Because Xia Jiye was usually harsh and often tough on disciples, he was quite unpopular.
Seeing Zhao Ya make him eat humble pie in public gave them a sense of satisfaction.
Unintentionally, the previously obscure Zhao Ya became much more prominent in the eyes of fellow disciples.
Zhao Ya ignored all of this, thanked Qin Jianji and Shen Yunshen, and left the sect contribution department with his contribution token, heading straight to the Library.
Now that he had completely fallen out with Xia Jiye, he knew he couldn’t go to the Martial Arts Hall anymore. Fortunately, after days of study, he’d learned all the essentials for an Azure Dragon Temple disciple, so not going wouldn’t matter much.
But Zhao Ya knew that Xia Jiye would not let it go.
To secure his place in the Azure Dragon Temple, he knew he had to quickly enhance his strength. Once he succeeded in opening his meridians, no matter how displeased Xia Jiye was with him, he’d be powerless to do anything.
Ultimately, strength is the foundation of everything.
So Zhao Ya wasted no time, he went straight to the Library, intending to advance his fist technique, which was nearing a breakthrough.