Chapter 1227

【Obtained a wisp of Red Qi; if merged with the essence of ten thousand waters and marshes, a Spirit Fish is born, allowing the upgrade of Favored.】

The sky has two suns; the blazing fire scorches, insects chirp and birds call.

Inside the Marsh Cauldron, blue tides ripple; two long strands of crimson Qi circulate and intertwine.

Fixed annual income on the Bing Fire day.

【Can consume six Spirit Fish to upgrade Favored: Martial Dao Connecting to the Divine, Sixth Layer.】

Four Xuanhuang Tokens, two strands of Red Qi.

As of now, Liang Qu has accumulated a total of six strands of Heaven and Earth Long Qi in hand.

Since the Southern Frontier battlefield, all his "Great Merits" and the "Unprecedented Merit" of slaying the Yao Dragon were used to repay the debts to the Turtle Clan, the Frog Clan, the White Dragon, and General Yuan — not a single bit remained. For the year and a half since, he focused solely on developing his territory.

Although the books show not a single Great Merit, with Liang Qu's current strength and connections, forty Great Merits — a slight response, attributing the merit of opening the Vortex Escape Path and facilitating water transport — would be enough to achieve it.

In other words.

If Liang Qu wished, he could completely use forty Great Merits to immediately upgrade Favored once!

But a single upgrade of Favored simply cannot satisfy the current enormous demand!

Sixfold talent increase, totaling sevenfold enhancement — placed within the Yao Dragon realm it is fundamentally insufficient; adding an extra fold on top, the Heaven and Earth Long Qi required is a vast sea. If there is a chance to rush to the peak in one go, E Qirui's surrender to Great Shun requires a pledge; the harsher the pledge, the higher the benefits and more stable the status after defecting. His identity as one of the Twenty-Four Sha can serve as an inside agent for the turn of fortune.

Liang Qu needs a vast amount of Heaven and Earth Long Qi; a casual needle prick to stir up Southern Frontier's internal conflicts — who knows, it might bring down this batch of Tusi, halt or delay the False Dragon Plan by over a decade, and reap an Unprecedented Great Merit.

Both sides hit it off immediately!

Lie in wait.

Make a move.

Fief Yixing.

The Jianghuai Great Marsh is vast and boundless; under the Bing Fire sun there is no mist, the white glare blinding.

Main consciousness returned; Liang Qu immediately wrote a letter, stamped it with the Royal Seal, and sent E Qirui's surrender matters via the Heposuo's Purple Lightning Boat to the Imperial Capital, awaiting the Sage Emperor's reply.

Overthrowing the Tusi and changing strategy — not only must there be internal conflict in the Southern Frontier, external feedback is equally important; only with Great Shun cooperating to apply pressure is it nine parts certainty out of ten.

The Southern Frontier has Mayfly Blood-Harvesting and Blood Concealment Gu; before Great Shun completely cracks them, they remain a grave internal threat. Ceasing hostilities is temporary; the Nine Villages suffered heavy losses; the Martial Saints have a gap with one gaining and one losing; no one wants to be the bird that sticks its head out again — just mutual foot-dragging.

Who says Martial Saints cannot move at will, so they cannot achieve merit?

"So many matters."

Leaning against the chair back, Liang Qu stared at the documents on the desk, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Unknowingly, he had taken on more work for himself again.

Territory development is booming; Wen Wen Shi Yun is fourteen, coming this year to follow him and practice martial arts — can temporarily be tossed to the Martial Hall; autumn holds the century wedding with E Ying; the Phoenix Immortal Treasure Fish is about to exhaust its ornamental value and can be eaten;

The Blood River Realm hasn't been visited for half a year either; no appearance; whether the Guimu Sect's development is going smoothly. Using the Heavenly Tribulation to drill a hole in the Dragon King's Lair — don't know how well the Old Dragon Lord is breathing, whether there are extra surprises — and now adding the task of throwing the Southern Frontier into chaos.

"This Sovereign was born a hero who does great deeds!"

August 5th, the Bing Fire day nears its end; the Insect Valley Festival is in full swing, about to reach a white-hot climax.

After over ten days of searching and accumulation in the early stage, everyone holds quite a few Gu insects, even Strange Gu; some have even attempted to refine Gu, upgrade Gu insects, contending with each other.

"Crack crack—"

The insect jar is crimson, belching white vapor; the surrounding ground smoked and baked to a charred black, cracked into clods. Li Xianghan's gaze is fixed tight, palms sweating.

Beside him, the Little Fat Fish stretches its limbs, skillfully performing a set of Ape Fist; whoosh whoosh wind follows, Qi and blood steaming, almost giving the sensation of roasting bystanders, unbearable.

The rats wear steel helmets, seemingly holding their posts, but their eyes were long ago drawn to the Ape Fist.

Today Liang Qu did not 【Summon Spirit】 Awei; he 【Summon Spirit】 A Fat, moving his fists and feet.

According to E Qirui, those responsible for transporting the Sweet Dew Condensed Qi are top-tier Entering Zhen Xiang of the Southern Frontier, cooperating with each other — strength not to be underestimated.

And A Fat is the strongest water beast under Liang Qu's command, bar none. After 【Summon Spirit】, his strength fuses with Liang Qu's, likewise belonging to the water beast top tier. Sending "it" to seize ensures speed and quality to the maximum extent, no accidents.

Liang Qu likewise must hurry to familiarize himself with this different body, pushing safety to the extreme.

"Bang!"

The pot lid blasted off, shattered into pieces, a wisp of green smoke drifting out.

Li Xianghan's heart instantly leapt to his throat.

Sun Flame Jin Wu Insect! Sun Flame Jin Wu Insect!

Can it succeed? Will it succeed?

Heavens and earth, spirits above — if it fails, then trade the looks and strength of Yuan Qianlan and Yu Aoshan, plus the fertility of parents, kin, and men, for my Gu refinement success!

Rolling heat waves waft from the jar mouth; seeing this, Liang Qu swung his arms and withdrew his fists, loosening his muscles and bones. He watched Li Xianghan lean toward the jar mouth, pupils dilating, then carefully use crucible tongs to pluck out a dazzling Gu insect from the insect jar.

"Holy crap, what thing is this, so blinding? A firefly?"

Liang Qu raised a hand to shield his eyes.

What came out of the insect jar was practically a small sun — whole body golden-red, radiating boundless light and heat. The drought leeches that originally surrounded them, drawn to the heat source, now could not bear the scorching; they shrank one after another, flipping head to tail, fleeing outward.

"Success! Woohoo, success! I — we are the champions!"

Li Xianghan's palms trembled, excited and elated.

Jin Wu Insect!

Utmost Yang, utmost Gang, domineering and fierce; can accommodate over ten top-tier fire-attribute martial arts, deduce and fuse them, burn heaven to ash — completely capable of being cultivated as a second portable Gu insect besides the Life Gu! Such a grade, looking across the history of championship wins, is a bold and colorful stroke; who else can stop me?

Hahahahaha.

Tan Qianlan, Yu Aoshan — you two go eat shit in the latrine!

Hearing Li Xianghan's loud cries and wild gestures, clearly the Gu refinement plan was a great success. Liang Qu took from the rat's claw a specially made small bamboo conical hat and a black cloak, transforming into a world-weary jianghu wandering knight with a story.

"Since the Gu insect is refined, I too must about leave this place to handle great matters."

"Ah? No! Great King!" Li Xianghan turned pale with shock, joy gone, lunging at the "Fat Fish's" feet, hugging the foot and weeping bitterly, "Where did I do badly? I'll change! Without the Great King, I can't manage!"

"Hmph! Let go, let go! Wretch! You think I run back and forth for you alone?" Liang Qu's tail flicked behind him, shaking off Li Xianghan's hand, pressing down the brim of the conical hat. "By your own words, with this Second-Rank Gu insect, it's already enough to win the Insect Valley Festival. With Awei guarding you, you needn't fear being robbed. Even a dog could win first place with it; if it can't, raising you is worse than raising a dog! Besides, I'm not never coming back — I'll make time to guide you in seeking Gu."

"Huh?"

Li Xianghan froze, her hands clenching.

In one hand a Jin Wu Worm, in the other a Golden-Winged Heavenly Centipede.

It really seems to be like this?

But she still wanted to hold Liang Qu back; in just five days there was a Sun-Flame Jin Wu Worm, and if she continued searching for and refining Gu, who knew — she might net two more powerful exotic species, even Rank One was possible; if in the future she was heartlessly abandoned by a faithless man, she could keep a bit more "coffin money" for herself.

"Hmph! Woman, don't push your luck!"

Slap! Slap!

The long whiskers lashed the back of her hand, leaving red marks; the wandering knight leapt away and vanished. Li Xianghan nursed her stinging hand, and under Bai Awei's gaze, watched the "fat fish" depart with a resentful huff.

"If there isn't any, there isn't any — why so fierce—"

What has Li Xianghan relied on to reach today?

World-shaking talent! Two-faced, three-bladed wisdom! Peerless beauty!

Li Xianghan tied up her ponytail and climbed into the tree canopy.

Gu refinement succeeded; most of the excavated Gu worms became nourishment for the Jin Wu Worm, only a scant few Gu materials remained. Traveling light, the rats packed their bundles and jumped onto their master's shoulders.

The setting sun shone on her face, burning red-hot; Li Xianghan gazed out over Insect Valley, high-spirited and confident.

"Big Yellow, Little Black, Middle White, let's go — if there's Gu we take Gu, if we can't find Gu — we find the little sluts, let them know, know why the flowers are so red!"

Condensing Qi with sweet dew is what Liang Qu desires; the Insect Valley Festival rewards are also what Liang Qu desires.

Amid his busyness, E Qirui used the little mirage dragon as an anchor, hiding completely outside Insect Valley Tower, unmoving, waiting only for the right moment — for a god to descend and steal the Long Qi.

Liang Qu waited quietly for E Qirui's news.

The Five Gu, Nine Poisons, Twenty-Four Sha — the people of the Five Gu and Nine Poisons largely overlap; the actual total bearing these titles is no more than thirty, and among themselves they naturally have circle connections.

Through acquaintances' introductions, E Qirui keenly discovered that several of the "Twenty-Four Sha" could no longer be contacted, their whereabouts unknown.

He showed nothing on his face, continuing to advance at his own pace.

"Bone Sha, daring to ask the Tusi for a post!"

"Oh, Lord E these year and a half, only burying your head in cultivation, letting nothing disturb you — how come today—.."

"The great defeat of the past—" E Qirui started to speak but stopped, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly, finally letting out a long sigh, his expression desolate. "It was I who couldn't swallow that breath back then, trapped in the Inner Landscape, unable to break free."

"Good! A true man in the world should strive to achieve merit and establish a career, taking the lead. If not taken now, it will be taken by others, and regret will come too late!"

"Now Lord E can be unyielding and unbowed, neither looking up nor down; standing like a wall ten thousand ren high, a pillar in mid-stream — this is truly a great joy. I do have a post here; if you—"

"Isn't it escorting the Long Qi?"

Moonlight like water, the water-man lifts his head.

E Qirui's brows locked tight: "Perhaps I've been silent too long; the Tusi doesn't trust me as before, and never mentioned the matter of escorting the Long Qi."

Volunteered, but didn't receive the desired mission.

"Stay calm, don't throw your own formation into chaos. I see this post of yours as short and fast — three days quick, five days slow, either way a single Star Yao period. Or perhaps the Tusi wants to see your condition." Liang Qu saw it differently. "The sweet dew matter is of great importance; on the premise of secrecy, the more escort strength the better.

How many people are the Five Gu and Nine Poisons? Less than half went to the battlefield back then; how many does the Tusi trust? You were originally one of them; a year of silence is nothing — just proceed step by step. After it's done don't be anxious; in a couple of days, an opportunity might just come knocking."

E Qirui nodded.

"Also." The water-man added, "Your matter, I have already memorialized to the Great Shun Emperor Your Majesty. His Majesty values you highly; since coming to our Great Shun, past offenses are not held against you — immediate enfeoffment as a marquis. The Ministry of Rites has already discussed the fief title, and His Majesty even personally bestowed a poem, instructing me to bring it to you."

"Truly?" E Qirui was startled, unable to stop his Adam's apple from bobbing. "May I ask what poem?"

The water-man cleared his throat:

"The vital force of the Nine Provinces relies on wind and thunder; ten thousand horses stand mute — truly pitiful.

I urge the Lord of Heaven to shake himself anew, and send down talents without sticking to one pattern!"

August 10th.

The little mirage dragon yawned, rolled over in the dirt, received no order, and went on sleeping soundly.

The Insect Valley Festival proceeded vigorously to its halfway point.

Li Xianghan's "fierce reputation" gradually flourished.

From amid the shrubs, a Hundred Herb Stream Gu Master lay on the ground, covered in land leeches, unable to move, his jade jars all empty.

Yun Qianlan arrived a step too late, picked up the shattered jade jar, gnashing her teeth: "Who, who injured you, stole the Gu worms you found?"

"It— it was the Green-Striped Saint, Li Xianghan!"

Words finished, the Gu Master's head lolled, and he fainted.

"Saint Li Han, last year she was still at the Wolf Smoke stage, now she's actually become this strong?"

The Hundred Herb Stream Gu Masters panicked.

They originally thought first place in this Insect Valley Festival was a sure thing for their Hundred Herb Stream.

Last time they heard that Yun Qianlan and Li Xianghan's exchange ended with her on the losing end; now it seems it wasn't a rumor?

Gazes glanced over, intentionally or not.

"Li! Xiang! Han!"

Yun Qianlan crushed the jade jar; jade powder scattered on the wind.

"Hiss hiss."

The green snake flicked its tongue.

The grudge of the head wound — must be repaid!

August 15th.

E Qirui returned to Insect Valley Tower, waiting anxiously; the mission had five days left, and until the Insect Valley Festival ended there was still about half a month — time was extremely tight.

"Composed." Gazing at the moon from the windowsill, "The more you can keep your cool, the better our chances."

E Qirui took a deep breath.

Night fell.

E Qiru closed his eyes to rest his spirit, silently cultivating his energy, at a certain point he suddenly opened his eyes, he rose and sat at the edge of the bed, then looked at the inkstone by the window.

Their gazes met, the water person nodded slightly.

"Knock knock knock."

E Qiru took a deep breath.

He put on his wooden clogs and opened the door.

The outsider bowed respectfully: "By order of the Office, please make way, Bone Killer."

E Qiru frowned, gazing into the dim night, his peripheral vision catching a glance at the empty windowsill: "So late, what business brings you to seek me, can it not wait until tomorrow?"

"I, the insignificant one, do not know the specifics, my lord will know upon going." "Wait while I tidy up."

"Please proceed."

"Escort Yin Yunzhi?"

"Tomorrow at noon, Yin Yunzhi must transfer a batch of strategic supplies to one of the Nine Strongholds, Wanxiang Mengzhuan, the quantity enormous; I cannot entrust it to others, lest there be an accident, thus you must personally accompany him.

During this time, if any person exhibits abnormal conduct, you may strike first and report later! Until tomorrow, E Qing, you must not wander about at will, not because I distrust you, but because I fear there may be something, I can sense it from your trail, though we have not yet become intimate."

E Qiru knelt on one knee.

"Yes!"

"At last I have waited for you."

On the inkstone, the ink rippled.

E Qiru did not return for a long time; without waiting for his reply, Liang Qu knew the plan had succeeded!

At the Tusi mansion, E Qiru rummaged in his pocket, a coral-like tendril unfurled and stretched, the water person said, wear this on your person and you will be able to control your own movements—

The next day, at noon.

E Qiru arrived two quarters of an hour early and saw Heishui Du Yunye.

In the battle of Nanjiang, the Red Water Poison fell, the Black Water Poison Yunye lost his son, on the Red River, after having met Liang Qu he vanished without a trace, and only half a month later was he found, barely alive, drifting on the river surface, his condition so dire that almost no one could discern it, until this year, when news came that Yunye had fully recovered and resumed activity.

Perhaps it is precisely because of such examples that E Qiru's silence problem is not conspicuous.

He also saw the remaining twenty-four killers.

What a grand display!

"The time is nearly upon us."

Liang Qu lifted his gaze to the sun in the sky, within the spiritual link, Pai Xiao Xing's subsidiary began to move.

【Soul Summoning】!

"Ah Fei! Are you ready?"

Though he had already taken control of the body's sovereignty, relying on spiritual communication, the long whiskers inexplicably folded ninety degrees, Liang Qu raised his hand and pressed down the wriggling whiskers before him.

"Excellent, codename Straw Hat Guest, operation commences!"

The fish tail slapped the ground, leaping up and down.

From the forests of Nanjiang, poisonous snakes lurked, centipedes lay in ambush.

Wearing a straw hat, clad in black robes, a tiny figure the size of a rat flickered forward.

The assassin Ah Fei.

Present!

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