Chapter 240: Injecting the Immortal Soul, the Immortal Saber is in Sight!

"Help me?"

Elder Tiekuang turned his head, looking at Li Rui in confusion.

He didn't understand what Li Rui meant by these words.

Could an eighty-year-old lad who didn't understand weapon casting help him?

Liu Tiezhu also turned his head.

He, of course, unconditionally worshipped his master Li Rui, but he didn't think Li Rui could be of any help to Old Man Tie in the matter of weapon casting.

Li Rui didn't waste words.

He slowly raised his right hand.

The next instant,

a wisp of Qi as thin as a hair appeared in his hand.

Liu Tiezhu saw at a glance that it was immortal Xuan Qi; Li Rui had left a wisp of immortal Xuan Qi in his body.

'Why is Master releasing his true Qi?'

Just as he was looking at Old Man Tie in confusion,

his breathing became rapid, and his face flushed.

His eyeballs were almost popping out onto the ground.

"Tie..."

Liu Tiezhu was shocked; it was the first time he had seen a look of greed on Old Man Tie's face.

Elder Tiekuang looked at Li Rui in disbelief:

"This is... special true Qi??"

Li Rui nodded: "This junior's true Qi is indeed different from ordinary people's, but I don't know if it will be of any help to you, Senior."

Elder Tiekuang nodded repeatedly with an exaggerated range of motion.

He clapped his hands and laughed heartily: "You lad are truly my lucky star; I searched high and low for it, only to find it without any effort!"

"It is helpful!"

"Very helpful!"

As if afraid that Li Rui would run away, he stepped forward and first grabbed his sleeve, then felt it wasn't secure enough, and directly grabbed Li Rui's wrist:

"Little Li, as long as you help me forge the weapon, I can give all my share of the profits to you."

"!!"

Li Rui's eyes widened.

Heaven as my witness.

He was purely wanting to help Old Man Tie; after all, he had already obtained the Hammer Qi Technique and the trade route, making a fortune.

"Senior..."

Just as he was about to speak,

he was glared back by Old Man Tie: "I won't let you lose out, lad; I don't even want the cost, and I'll give you another ten percent of the profit."

"Senior..."

"You lad, don't be insatiable."

Li Rui was helpless; he felt that Elder Tiekuang had misunderstood his meaning.

It really wasn't about money.

'Forget it, if I speak again, he might add more.'

He felt embarrassed to let Old Man Tie do a losing business, so he had to nod: "We shall do as you say, Senior."

Hearing Li Rui agree,

Elder Tiekuang finally let out a long sigh of relief, the heavy stone in his heart falling to the ground.

With Li Rui, he no longer needed demonic beast blood.

This deal couldn't be more cost-effective.

Special true Qi was hard to find in the world; it was something countless great weapon casters dreamed of, and now it appeared so vividly before him—how could he let it go?

No matter what, he had to keep him!

'Immortal Weapon...'

Previously, it could at most be called a luxury hope.

Until Li Rui appeared, Elder Tiekuang finally saw the hope of an Immortal Weapon.

"Quick, quick, quick, infuse your true Qi into this blade embryo."

Elder Tiekuang impatiently pulled Li Rui to the furnace.

He pointed to the red-hot blade embryo and said.

Li Rui didn't say much; he mobilized the immortal Xuan Qi in his body, forced it out from his fingertips, and it drifted toward the blade embryo in wisps.

Elder Tiekuang stared fixedly.

The hammer in his hand swung violently.

The clanging sound of iron forging rang out, and as the hammer struck, the invisible immortal Xuan Qi actually gradually became solid, being forcibly hammered into the blade embryo, forming peculiar patterns.

Elder Tiekuang's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"It's working!"

"Again, again!"

The speed at which he swung the hammer became faster and faster, and his upper garment instantly exploded, revealing a set of sinewy muscles that were somewhat withered, carved by the years.

Li Rui gritted his teeth.

He accelerated the speed of mobilizing the immortal Xuan Qi, and more immortal Xuan Qi poured into the furnace.

Elder Tiekuang was getting more and more excited as he struck.

After a full quarter of an hour, he suddenly frowned: "Why is it gone?"

Turning his head to look at Li Rui,

he saw he was already exhausted.

He pondered for a moment and shook his head: "Too weak."

An Immortal Weapon was a third-rank weapon, and Li Rui was only a sixth-rank martial artist; the difference in realm was too great, and even if the grade of Li Rui's true Qi was high enough, it still wasn't enough.

Elder Tiekuang stroked his chin.

To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools.

This tool wasn't it the Li Rui before him?

Li Rui: "Senior Tie, it is really all gone."

Now, his dantian was empty; there wasn't a trace of immortal Xuan Qi left.

Of course,

as long as he walked the Qi for one cycle, he could return to his original state.

"It seems I have to upgrade you first, lad."

"Condensation Realm isn't quite enough; at least you have to open up the Qi Sea."

Elder Tiekuang stroked his chin, thinking.

Do it!

Since it wasn't enough, he would just make it enough for Li Rui.

Heavenly treasures—as a weapon caster, he had plenty; he didn't believe he couldn't pile up a Qi Sea!

'Oh no, it's coming for me.'

Li Rui took half a step back: "Senior, what are you going to do?"

Elder Tiekuang snorted coldly: "I won't eat you, lad; your strength is too poor, you still need to practice. I'll go back to the Divine Weapon Shanzhuang first to get some things to help you open up the Qi Sea."

'Help me open up the Qi Sea?'

Li Rui's eyes lit up instantly.

Elder Tiekuang was dissatisfied with his low strength and was going to help him.

The energy of a fourth-rank Primordial martial artist was immense; helping him open up the Qi Sea was just a matter of reaching out a hand.

Didn't you see Old Man Tie was going to the Divine Weapon Shanzhuang to move treasures?

Qi Sea is in sight!

It was truly a double blessing.

Elder Tiekuang didn't drag his feet at all; he casually tore a coat from the side and went out the door, looking in the direction of leaving the city.

Li Rui liked this spirit of Elder Tiekuang's.

Just do things, no nonsense.

He was even looking forward to what good things Old Man Tie would bring him.

Liu Tiezhu looked at Old Man Tie who was leaving in a hurry and blinked: "Master, what shall we do next?"

Li Rui smiled:

"Just wait."

Outside Qinghe City, the night was dark and the wind was high.

In the mountains and forests.

Zhuang Renhe stood alone in front of a giant rock, his eyes narrowing slightly, looking at the two people in front of him.

"Yuan Gao?"

As a person planted in Qinghe by the Ghost Gui Ming Jiao.

Although he hadn't participated in many things, it didn't mean he didn't know.

When the Yu and Wu countries opened trade before,

it was Yuan Gao who led the attack; the fact that Yuan Gao could ambush outside the city at that time was his handiwork.

Ever since that time, Yuan Gao had disappeared without a trace.

He hadn't expected him to appear in Qinghe again today.

Yuan Gao's withered skin pulled into a smile.

His name was Mountain-Moving Ape.

Moving mountains, moving mountains—it referred to his strength far exceeding that of an average fifth-rank. Who could have imagined that this old man, who looked thin and withered on the surface, contained such terrifying power in his body.

"Magistrate Zhuang, the Xueying Laozu asked me to bring you a message."

"What message?"

"Too slow."

Zhuang Renhe's brows furrowed slightly; of course, he understood what the two words "too slow" referred to.

"I have already traveled all over Qinghe, and that jade stone has not lit up."

Yuan Gao laughed: "Magistrate Zhuang, there is no need to tell me these things; the Xueying Laozu doesn't care either. He only wants the result."

Zhuang Renhe's face turned cold, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Then what is your insight, Brother Yuan?"

Yuan Gao looked at the man in black robes beside him.

"This is the Qi-Watcher of the sect, Fu Huai."

=9+Shu_Ba

Zhuang Renhe raised his brows slightly, looking at Fu Huai, who was standing beside Yuan Gao.

Qi-Watcher.

This was an extremely special group; they were not martial artists, yet their status was extremely high. These people often possessed strange eyes and could see things others couldn't.

Mysterious and extraordinary.

Zhuang Renhe had long heard of Fu Huai's name; this person had quite a reputation in the Ghost Gui Ming Jiao.

He hadn't expected that for the Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu to find someone who could make the stone light up, he would actually send Fu Huai to Qinghe.

"There is a problem."

Zhuang Renhe's eyes were almost narrowed into a slit.

All along,

he had felt that the Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu was deliberately hiding something from him.

Who told him he was a Zhuang family member? The relationship between the two sides could at most be considered allies, and hiding things from him was also very common.

The more they hid, the more interested Zhuang Renhe became.

Yuan Gao laughed: "Magistrate Zhuang, I hope you can arrange a position for Mr. Fu in the County Office, so it is convenient for Mr. Fu to find that person, and you and I can report back to the Xueying Laozu."

On the two words "Xueying Laozu," Yuan Gao's voice was deliberately emphasized.

'Is this a threat to me?'

Zhuang Renhe snorted coldly: "Rest assured, I will handle this matter."

"Then I will trouble you, Magistrate Zhuang."

Yuan Gao's smile didn't diminish.

Actually, the one playing the key role this time was Fu Huai; he was just accompanying him.

The reason he needed a fifth-rank great expert to accompany him

was no other reason than that the Xueying Laozu didn't really trust this man surnamed Zhuang.

Zhuang Renhe thought he had done it seamlessly.

But in fact, he had long been detected by the Xueying Laozu; this fellow actually dared to spy on the Immortal Venerable's affairs.

Should be killed!

If it weren't for the fact that Zhuang Renhe still had great use for the Ghost Gui Ming Jiao, the crime of spying on the Immortal Venerable alone would be enough to be executed.

Yuan Gao was one of his own, and even more of a confidant of the Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu.

So he knew of the Immortal Venerable's existence.

And understood even more that this search for a person, on the surface, was the Blood Shadow Xueying Laozu, but in fact, it was all the Immortal Venerable's instruction.

His appearance was a kind of deterrence.

Telling Zhuang Renhe to stop while he was ahead.

If Zhuang Renhe were to do anything extreme, he would naturally take action to completely erase this hidden danger.

An outsider was not worthy of knowing the Immortal Venerable's secrets.

"Big Brother, tonight Magistrate Zhuang is inviting people from our Anning Guard and the Trade Office to gather."

Ning Zhongtian said.

Li Rui nodded.

This was an indispensable project every year in Qinghe.

The end of the year was approaching.

Whether it was the Anning Guard or the Trade Office, they were essentially dispatched agencies and were guests; the Qinghe County Office was the host.

Even if the two sides didn't look at each other favorably,

the County Office would still call the high-level officials of both sides together before the end of the year to gather.

This was the basic rule of officialdom.

Previously, it was just the County Office and the Anning Guard; this year, there was an extra Trade Office, and the scene would likely be even more lively.

"Hmm."

Li Rui nodded.

Ning Zhongtian looked at the sky: "It's about time; we should set off too."

Two quarters of an hour later,

the two rode their horses to the entrance of the County Office.

At this time,

quite a few sedan chairs had already stopped in front of the County Office.

Most of them were from the Trade Office, and a few were from the Anning Guard.

The difference between civil officials and military officials was manifested.

Most people in the Anning Guard came with attendants at the very least; some, like Li Rui and Ning Zhongtian, didn't even bring attendants and came alone.

The Trade Office was different.

The sedan chairs were one bigger and more gorgeous than the other.

Presumably, they had the intention of competing.

"Magistrate Li, Magistrate Ning, please come in."

Several officials from the County Office stood at the entrance to welcome the officials from both sides who were filing in.

Every one of them could accurately call out their names.

This was the most basic quality of a gate official.

Li Rui and Ning Zhongtian nodded casually and were just about to enter when they happened to see a huge white sedan chair, surrounded by seven or eight guards dressed as men, stop, drawing the side-glances of a crowd of officials.

In Qinghe, to have such a grand display,

of course, it could only be Qi Ze.

When it came to knowing how to enjoy, these "country bumpkins" in Qinghe really couldn't compare to Qi Ze, this young master from the Duke of Wei's mansion.

The elegant and noble Qi Ze was helped off the sedan chair by his attendants, his demeanor elegant and noble.

This nobility could only be cultivated; it couldn't be learned.

Ning Zhongtian curled his lips: "This lad has such a grand display, yet he wasn't beaten until he was looking for his teeth by Big Brother."

Li Rui glanced at Ning Zhongtian: "Fourth Brother, don't be impulsive."

At this moment,

Qi Ze also saw Li Rui standing at the entrance of the County Office, his face changed, and then he nodded slightly.

Li Rui also nodded in acknowledgment, which counted as a greeting.

Although both were serving in the Trade Office, Li Rui and Qi Ze almost never had the chance to meet and had very little interaction.

This should also be something Yan Zhongxing did deliberately.

Li Rui had defeated Qi Ze to get the position of Trade Captain; meeting would be somewhat awkward, especially for Qi Ze—Yan Zhongxing naturally had to take care of the feelings of this grandson of the Duke of Wei.

A small interlude.

When Li Rui and Ning Zhongtian walked into the back hall of the County Office, quite a few people were already sitting there.

Most of them were acquaintances.

Especially the officials of the Trade Office; eighty percent of them specifically sought out Li Rui to greet him.

On one hand, it was the military power in Li Rui's hands, which they needed; on the other hand, Li Rui's popularity in the Trade Office was really quite good.

Many officials saw this scene, and envy appeared in their eyes.

Being able to handle things on both sides—this was an extremely important asset in officialdom.

Officials gathered in groups of three or five to flatter each other; this was a great opportunity to make connections and climb the social ladder—how could these people let it go?

Just when the scene was fiery,

in a dark corner of the backyard,

a man with a knife-cut face and a hooked nose stared fixedly at everyone in the hall, his pupils presenting an eerie light blue, only it wasn't obvious in the night.

Soon,

his gaze lingered on Jiang Linxian in the main seat for a long time.

"Born Sword Immortal, purple-gold fate, truly extraordinary."

He said in a low voice.

A moment later, he cast his gaze to the other side, at an old official surrounded by a crowd of officials.

His pupils widened slightly.

"Positive and negative dual pulses, dragon form!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 241 =====