Chapter 193: Unexpected

The training of the new recruits was not something Yan Buji would personally oversee; instead, he delegated it to his three underlings.

After telling them how to train, Yan Buji set out to gather information about Horse Shop County.

"If I keep up this pace, in about three months I might just manage to steady my foothold, though I have no idea what benefits await upon leaving the Human Smoke Tower."

Yan Buji frowned; although he didn't know whether time flowed the same inside and outside the Human Smoke Tower, for now he thought it best to first quell the rebellion.

This isn't difficult; at least after Yan Buji reached Horse Shop County and sneaked in, he could see that was the case.

Although the rebels here had already begun building walls, in such a short time they hadn't gotten very high. Still, they had a mine, and if fighting broke out, relying only on the troops from a few nearby counties would not be enough.

It all depended on whether this group intended to hold the position long-term.

"Huh? This is..."

Yan Buji hid nearby and suddenly saw soldiers pulling cart after cart of iron ore into the county town.

In the center of the county town, a towering furnace had somehow been erected, piles of firewood stacked and blazing, and soldiers kept throwing cartloads of iron ore into it.

Yan Buji raised an eyebrow, wondering if they were using such a blast furnace to smelt iron.

Seeing the molten iron pour out continuously from the furnace, with soldiers sweating as they channeled it through dug ditches to various parts of the county town, Yan Buji immediately felt something was off.

"This doesn't look like smelting iron to make weapons; rather, it seems like..."

Yan Buji took a deep breath, continued sneaking forward, and a troubling thought entered his mind.

Watching the soldiers' movements, Yan Buji hid on a nearby rooftop and peered secretly.

"What on earth is Lord Li thinking, not forging all this iron into weapons but letting it flow everywhere?!"

"Yeah, what if government troops show up? More than half of us don't even have weapons!"

"Lord Li?!"

Yan Buji's pupils contracted; perhaps he had misheard.

"But..."

Yan Buji looked around, spotted the direction of the county office, leapt toward it, and walked over slowly.

Lights blazed inside the county office; Yan Buji glanced around, hid to one side, heard someone speaking nearby, and went over.

"Lord Li, according to your orders, it will be finished right away!"

"Well done. Once I repel those government troops, it will be the day my Verdant Army rises!"

"I would gladly serve as your vanguard!"

The soldiers each expressed their loyalty, then left.

Hearing that familiar voice, Yan Buji sighed.

"Fellow Daoist, you've come alone—why not show yourself?"

Yan Buji took a deep breath, walked to the doorway, clasped his hands, and smiled: "Greetings, Senior Li."

"Is it you?!"

As it turned out, the leader of the Verdant Army was none other than Li Daoist himself!

No wonder Yan Buji, upon seeing the situation in Horse Shop County, felt it couldn't be the work of ordinary people—it was actually this suspected Golden Core cultivator, Li Daoist, who had acted!

Upon seeing Yan Buji arrive, Li Daoist was also somewhat surprised and said, "Looks like you've recovered your memory—good."

"Senior Li, I have a few questions, if that's alright?"

"Hahaha, come in, let's talk in detail." Li Daoist laughed heartily, seemingly unbothered by Yan Buji's sudden appearance.

Yan Buji felt a bit short of breath; if he encountered other cultivators stirring up rebellion, he could at least try to match them.

But Li Daoist... he currently truly lacked confidence in being able to deal with this fellow.

Although he didn't know what Li Daoist was doing here, Yan Buji knew that since the other party had also regained their memory, they were surely after the treasure inside the Human Smoke Tower!

But with the treasure right before them, he had no need to share it with himself.

"Unless it could be used for himself..."

Yan Buji harbored hidden thoughts and stepped inside.

Li Daoist waved his hand, and the door behind Yan Buji suddenly slammed shut!

At that, Yan Buji's eyes widened; despite his fear, he couldn't help asking, "Senior, can you still use your magical power?!"

"Hehe, kid, do you think I came here in this mountain ghost body for no reason?"

"Wouldn't the Wu Feng True Person of the Profound Gen Dao notice anything odd?"

"That Wu Feng old thing is just a dog; only with the support of mountain folk did he reach his current cultivation—where could anyone see my methods?!" Li Daoist gave a cold snort.

In word and deed, Li Daoist seemed indifferent to the Wu Feng True Person, even somewhat contemptuous.

Yan Buji's eyes flickered as he smiled: "Senior, your methods are truly unfathomable—truly an eye-opener."

"Hmph, cut the chatter. Since you could come, seeing your dantian sealed again, could it be you've also learned mundane martial arts?" Li Daoist asked.

"Exactly, I originally came from a mundane background." Yan Buji nodded.

Li Daoist stroked his beard, gave him a once‑over, and smiled: "Not only that? You also have Martial Dao True Origin about you—quite remarkable. I never expected your talent to be so high, able to accommodate both True Essence and magical power without fearing self‑destruction."

Yan Buji's face changed abruptly, but he quickly recovered his composure: "Just a coincidence of fate."

It seems Li Daoist hasn't yet noticed that I possess Patterned Mysterious Skill, though having my dantian sealed is truly unbearable; otherwise I wouldn't let him so freely gauge my strength!

Li Daoist chuckled: "All right, since you're here, I do have a bit of good news—I just don't know if you dare to join me."

Yan Buji exclaimed delightedly: "Senior, bringing a junior along would naturally be an honor. Still, Senior, I'd like to know why the Human Smoke Tower is like this—after all, this is my first time."

Li Daoist nodded: "The Human Smoke Tower is a supreme treasure of the human Dao, a top‑tier accumulation device that offers hope of advancing to the Nine Turns Immortal Accumulation. Its interior constitutes a world of its own, and the people living here are all real."

Yan Buji nodded: "Then is the Mortal Dust Qi present here aimed at us outsider cultivators?"

"Mortal Dust Qi? Your term is also correct, but we prefer to call it 'Human Qi'. Cultivators who enter the Human Smoke Tower must follow the Eight Dao Mysterious Gate's instructions, completing tasks to gather Human Qi, only then can they receive the treasure." Li Daoist said dismissively.

"Gathering Human Qi... oh, I see—if we end this region's chaotic situation and become kings and overlords, we could also accumulate vast amounts of Human Qi!" Yan Buji suddenly understood; no wonder after recruiting a hundred soldiers he felt his Mortal Dust Qi growing heavier.

So that's how it is!

Lidao Ren said lightly: "You think this is a good thing? What effect does popularity have? You should have felt it by now."

Yan Buji jumped in shock: "Could it be that they will seal cultivators' memories again?"

"Not bad, you know those nobles and officials, even the emperor—do you really think they are natives of this place? They are all cultivators who previously entered the Mortal Dust Tower. They thought gathering enough popularity would let them escape the Mortal Dust Tower, but instead they were harvested, becoming nutrients for the Mortal Dust Tower!" Lidao Ren revealed a shocking secret.