Chapter 151: 2222! I Choose Two!

These two Primordial Core individuals, one middle-aged, the other an old man with a white-bearded whiskers.

The two hurriedly shook their heads: "No, no, no, we're just passing by..."

Even if they initially coveted the demon sword, they no longer do.

Even You Wuchang was split in one strike, and Shen Qing didn't sustain a single injury.

What does this show? It shows that Shen Qing dealt with You Wuchang without much effort—what terrifying power.

As long as they think normally, they won't clash with Shen Qing.

Shen Qing's gaze fell on the old man's hand—a beautifully crafted long sword, only slightly better than an ordinary demon sword.

"What are you doing with that sword?"

The old man heard the fight in the cave and rushed over intending to join, but he didn't expect the battle to end so quickly.

The old man hastily sheathed his sword, an embarrassed smile appearing on his face.

"No, I've been in seclusion too long; this sword feels lonely in its sheath, so I drew it to let it breathe. If you don't like it, I'll just put it back."

The purple mist on Slay Dragon also slowly dissipated, and the sword aura filling the sky gradually receded.

Shen Qing landed in the open space before the two.

At that moment, the middle-aged man seemed to notice something, studying Shen Qing's face closely.

"This brother, are you called Shen Qing?"

"You know me?"

The middle-aged man slapped his thigh: "Indeed, you are Lord Shen—I just didn't recognize you at first."

"I am Ma Qing, Deputy Commander of the Qingzhou Embroidered Uniform Guard, and I have seen Lord Shen."

The Deputy Commander is a rank-four position in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, above the Commandant, and like the Assistant Commander serves as a deputy to the Commander; generally, a provincial Embroidered Uniform Guard assigns two Deputy Commanders and two Assistant Commanders to each Commander.

At that moment, Xu Fei, who had been hiding in the cave, poked his head out: "Lord Ma! What are you doing here?"

This now serves as proof of Ma Qing's identity.

Ma Qing turned his head to look at Xu Fei: "Commandant Xu, you're here too?"

Xu Fei had just hidden in a spot in the cave, fearing the aftermath would reach him.

"Lord Shen discovered that White Dragon Sect members were stealing Great Wu's fortune to forge demon swords here, so he came to stop them; I'm just a guide."

"Lord Ma, why are you here? The last time we welcomed Lord Shen upon his appointment, you and several other lords were absent."

Ma Qing looked at Shen Qing, a hint of apprehension on his face: "Lord Shen, I came for this matter."

"We didn't intentionally avoid welcoming you, Lord Shen."

To be frank, Ma Qing is truly apprehensive—after all, Shen Qing is their direct superior and also the young master of the Shen Clan; since he didn't go to welcome him on his first day in office, if the explanation works out fine, but if not, he'll likely be made to wear small shoes in the future.

Ma Qing pondered briefly: "Lord Shen, the situation is this—those jianghu sects aren't planning to hold some martial arts assembly, are they?"

"The scale of this event can be said to be the largest since the founding of Great Wu, organized jointly by Qingzhou, Youzhou, and Liangzhou. Moreover, our people have also discovered many wanted criminals of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so we've all gone on stakeout, hoping to catch several at once."

"I've come back this time to report my work to Lord Shen; on the way we met the Head of the Li Clan, who discovered this place, so that's why the two of us are here."

Shen Qing nodded; he's not a rigid person, and he understands this—leaving aside their personal qualities, at least they're getting the work done.

Shen Qing spoke.

"The three provinces' jianghu are holding it together? Who authorized it?"

Ma Qing shook his head: "I don't know, but it's said not to be the emperor's order, but permission obtained from another great figure."

Shen Qing nodded, no longer dwelling on this: "Any discoveries over there?"

"Currently there aren't major findings—just some small fry—but there are signs, and we should soon land a big fish."

"Fine, when you have something, come find me again."

"Who is this?"

Shen Qing turned his gaze to the old man.

The old man hastily bowed: "Leshan Li Clan, Li Mingchun greets Young Master Shen."

Shen Qing seemed to recall something: "Leshan Li Clan? Descendant of Weapon Saint Li Wanbing?"

Li Mingchun nodded, his face slightly flushed: "Exactly—I didn't expect Young Master Shen to know our Li family."

"It's shameful—the descendants are unworthy, making it hard to display our ancestors' might."

Shen Qing glanced at the Slay Dragon in his hand and asked: "Has the craftsmanship been inherited?"

Upon hearing this, Li Mingchun straightened his chest: "Young Master Shen, we dare not forget this inherited craft—though it falls short of our ancestors', it's still remarkable!"

"Then, can you help forge a sheath for this Slay Dragon?"

Saying this, Shen Qing lifted the Slay Dragon in his hand.

Li Mingchun's eyes widened, his face flushed slightly, and his pupils instantly focused on the Slay Dragon.

"A fine sword, a peerless demon sword..."

As he spoke, he reached out to touch it, but was blocked by a domineering true qi.

"Don't touch it—after all, it's a demon sword, and moreover a demon sword forged by stealing Great Wu's fortune; even if you are at the Primordial Core Realm, I fear you cannot withstand its mental shock."

Li Mingchun rubbed his hands: "Exactly, exactly...."

Li Mingchun, seeing the ferocious aura on the blade, also withdrew his hand; as a descendant of a forging clan, he understands such things well, and then he muttered to himself.

"However, such an aura cannot be contained in ordinary materials for a sheath—what should be used? What material?"

Suddenly his eyes lit up: "Right, right! Our ancestor left a piece of deepsea wood, just the right size—let's use that!"

At that moment, Ma Qing interjected: "Deepsea wood? I recall the Martial Emperor once used a spear called the Deepsea Spear—could it be...?"

"Exactly, the Deepsea Spear was forged by our ancestor, its shaft made of deepsea wood, though the material wasn't exhausted. We still have a piece left at home; using it for a sheath is perfect—it can completely seal the ferocious aura."

Shen Qing raised an eyebrow—the Deepsea Spear is just on display in the imperial palace; indeed it's a fine thing.

The growing environment of this deep-sea wood is very special; it grows in the extremely deep parts of the South Ocean, a place of perpetual darkness, and is extremely valuable. It is indeed excellent for making sword scabbards: first, it can restrain the sword's momentum; second, it can nurture the spirit of a demonic blade.

Shen Qing looked at Li Mingchun: "This dark sea wood was left by your ancestors; it's valuable, forge it well, and I won't let you lose out."

"In that case, I give you two choices."

"First, I will give you wealth, definitely enough."

"Second, I will owe you a favor; if your Li family ever needs help, I will act, even if the imperial family wants to move against you, I will also protect your Li family's safety."

Li Mingchun's eyes suddenly burst with a huge light, and he shouted: "Two two two two! I choose two!"

To be honest, a forging clan could never lack money; the divine weapons they forge always have buyers lining up. But as Li Mingchun just said, the later generations of the Li family lack talent, their strength is not great; they sit on a treasure mountain but have no corresponding strength. Currently the best option is to find a protector.

But in the Great Wu, who else could give people a sense of security better than the Shen family?

"Then Young Master Shen, I will go home right away to forge the scabbard, and I will surely deliver it to you soon."

Shen Qing waved his hand, Li Mingchun turned his head and happily ran out of the cave.

Ma Qing looked at Li Mingchun's back and chuckled, then turned his gaze to Lord Shen.

"By the way, Lord Shen, weren't you previously stationed in the Embroidered Uniform Guard of Yongning Commandery?"

"When I was stationed there, I heard that people from Yongning Commandery had also come to Qingzhou, right in Linyue City."

"The leaders are called Su Jiudie and Li Qingshan."