“Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have stayed here!” Facing David Reed’s doubts, Jack Miller’s brows furrowed slightly, seeming a bit displeased, but he didn’t show it on his face. He replied confidently, “His cultivation is inferior to mine. Trying to expel my Lingyun sword energy is no easy task. Once the sword energy invades his internal organs, he’s finished. So he definitely won’t leave that mass grave, because he needs the yin energy there to suppress my sword energy!”

“In that case, there’s no time to lose. Let’s find him as soon as possible!” David Reed’s expression darkened. Gripping the iron ruler in his hand, a fierce aura rose from him. As the head constable of Dongling, he was responsible for the losses suffered last time. Only by eliminating that evil cultivator as quickly as possible could he resolve this crisis and secure his position.

“Don’t be hasty. The area of that mass grave is huge. With just a few people here, who knows how long it would take to find him?”

Jack Miller waved his hand, stopping David Reed’s advance. “Besides, although he’s injured, he’s still capable of fighting. If we’re not well prepared, we might suffer more losses!”

At the mention of “losses,” the constables immediately hesitated. Everyone wanted to earn merit, but only if they could survive to do so. If they lost their lives in the process, it would hardly be worth it.

“Then what do you suggest, sir?” David Reed’s face stiffened, and he forcibly stopped himself.

“These past two days, I’ve reviewed the official records of Dongling County and learned about the situation of that mass grave…”

Jack Miller was a renowned constable of the Six Doors, highly experienced in tracking down bandits—far more so than David Reed, who was newly promoted. He now laid out his plan in full.

The evil cultivator had been wounded by Jack Miller and would surely seek a place to heal. Having fought him before, Jack Miller knew that his cultivation required large amounts of yin energy. While ordinary people would be greatly harmed by absorbing too much yin energy from the mass grave, it was extremely beneficial to him. Therefore, he would definitely seek out a place where the yin energy was most concentrated—ideally a yin cave—to meditate, expel the sword energy, and recover from his injuries.

Chapter 9: Renowned Constable, Magical Treasure (Part 2)

A so-called yin cave refers to a place where, due to the terrain, yin energy gathers. Although the mass grave covers a large area, there actually aren’t many yin caves with extremely concentrated yin energy.

Lucas Ethan had obtained Charles Brooks’s memories and was now a geography expert. He knew the yin caves within the mass grave like the back of his hand. After all, Charles Brooks was a yin spirit, and an injured one at that. Although he was attached to the roots of the old locust tree, every so often he would go to these places of concentrated yin energy to recuperate. That was also how he discovered the tomb of King Yue, which contained the Yin-Yang Converging Fiendish Energy.

Jack Miller was new to the area and naturally didn’t know all this. However, he was indeed extraordinary. Relying solely on the county annals and local topographical maps, he managed to deduce the approximate locations of seven or eight yin caves. Although not as precise as Lucas Ethan’s knowledge, he was able to outline general areas, which already surprised Lucas Ethan.

Lucas Ethan didn’t let his astonishment show. He was now considering whether this was a good opportunity to visit the tomb of King Yue and collect the Yin-Yang Converging Fiendish Energy first.

But the thought quickly passed, as Jack Miller had already begun assigning tasks. Because the mass grave was so large and there were quite a few yin caves with uncertain locations, Jack Miller decided to enlist the help of the local constables to search. This would reduce the time needed and speed up the process. For the Dongling constables, it was also a chance to redeem themselves—a real opportunity to earn merit.

As before, they split into several groups to search separately, but this time, with Jack Miller backing them up, the situation was very different.

Jack Miller had deduced the locations of eight yin caves and divided the constables present into eight groups of two, each group to search one location. To ensure their safety, he gave each person a sword talisman. A sword talisman is a common tool: using special techniques, sword energy is sealed within a container. In case of danger, crushing the talisman releases the sword energy. At the same time, as the creator of the talisman, Jack Miller could sense its location the moment it was activated and rush over to help at top speed.

With his speed, within the area of the mass grave, it would take him no more than ten breaths to reach any yin cave by riding his sword. Each group had two sword talismans, and even when facing the heavily injured evil cultivator, holding out for ten breaths would not be difficult. So, compared to the previous search, the safety factor this time was greatly improved.

Of course, there was still risk. But as Dongling County constables, it was impossible not to take any risks at all. If that were the case, they might as well go home and take care of their children.

Jack Miller was a very amiable person. After assigning everyone their tasks, he asked if there were any questions. If there were, they could raise them; if not, they could go prepare and set out the next day.

Everyone dispersed in a flurry, each discussing the next day’s actions with their partner and beginning to familiarize themselves with the use of the sword talismans.