Chapter 145: Divine soldiers

On the other side, the 'passing traveler' did not seem anxious at all.

Li Qi sat by the inn, playing with the little fox, looking very relaxed.

Shen Shuibi, on the other hand, was busy. The rabbit was carving Talismanic Incantations, setting up Formations, burying different Qi, and muttering to herself all over the inn.

"Six inches, one breath; four to two feet four inches for one cut; twenty-four feet, with four quills; two hundred forty feet, six zhu... Ah, I made a mistake."

Then she clumsily knocked off what she had done and started over, running all over the house, making a mess everywhere.

Fortunately, she was very cute.

So no one had any objections.

However, even if someone had objections, no one dared to say anything.

Everyone knew that this seemingly cute and muddled girl was actually a reclusive master who had nearly slain a First Grade existence.

But in reality, there weren't many people there; they were all original staff and helpers, not a single guest.

The entire inn had already been cleared out. After Piao Xu returned that day, she personally escorted all guests out one by one, offered compensation, and subsequently refused to accommodate any guests.

Even Piao Xu herself knew that her place would likely become the center of a vortex, so she quickly emptied the inn.

As for the guests, they had long wanted to leave themselves.

Knowing that a hidden First Grade individual was living next door... this feeling was truly very unpleasant, especially when she had offended someone.

So, for now, there were only two guests in the inn, Li Qi and Shen Shuibi.

Li Qi held a smooth-furred, red-haired little fox in his arms and said, "Don't worry, Qi Ya, we also know that this matter started because of me. We won't just pack up and leave. Why are you worrying so much?"

The little fox he was playing with was named Qi Ya, and she was Piao Xu's younger sister—not by blood, but a little fox that had gained spiritual sentience and was picked up.

Although she had gained spiritual sentience, she had not yet transformed into a demon and still retained some beastly habits; she couldn't speak yet.

Demonic creatures don't care about blood relations; they only consider those with spiritual intelligence as their kin, so their relationship was no worse than that of biological sisters.

It is said that the two foxes from Qingwu Sect, Hu Xian'er and Hu Meier, were also not biological sisters, as demonic creatures are completely indifferent to such matters.

Qi Ya wagged her tail upon hearing Li Qi's words and gently bit Li Qi's sleeve, looking very happy.

Li Qi also liked this red-haired little fox. While stroking her fluffy red tail, he pondered what to do next.

These past few days, Li Qi had not been idle either.

Shen Shuibi was responsible for protective measures, while he, through questioning or certain Shaman Dao methods, obtained a lot of information from visitors.

Firstly, Jin Buhuan's identity was confirmed by multiple sources. Many visitors who came to pay respects said that Jin Buhuan was the Green Mountain Mountain God's most favored son.

This person was arrogant and tyrannical, his temperament unpredictable. Relying on his father's power, he boasted of being a divine son, kept countless concubines, was extremely debauched, and frequently abducted young women to be his concubines, sometimes not even touching them, merely for amusement.

He also lavishly gave away his harem, inviting people to banquets, and if anyone took a liking to a concubine, they could take her away without him feeling offended in the slightest.

Besides this, he also undertook large-scale construction projects, building gardens. In Qingwu City alone, he had three or four gardens, each luxurious and extravagant, using countless gold and jade, and an unknown amount of Heaven And Earth Treasure.

However, most of these gardens were left idle, locked tightly all year round, guarded by a few old servants, and he had not visited them once in twenty years.

He also had a fondness for exquisite objects and loved collecting beautiful jade. In short, he liked anything that burned money, neglecting proper affairs and delegating everything to his maidservants. Every day, he was either banqueting, debauching in his harem, or participating in gambling outside. He was a typical second-generation wastrel, indulging in sensual pleasures and extravagance.

Those who heard of him cursed him without exception.

But Li Qi discerned something else from it.

Even with such extravagant spending, he didn't seem to be getting poorer; instead, he became even more generous.

Most of the people who came to visit him, when questioned by Li Qi, had cursed Jin Buhuan for using insidious methods to extort wealth, causing them heavy losses.

He also noticed that more wealthy merchants and magnates in the city had not come, and even Qingwu Sect seemed to ignore him, not visiting at all.

All these signs made Li Qi sigh repeatedly.

Although no one spoke well of him, Li Qi, with the help of various clues, still summarized a few things.

Firstly, although Jin Buhuan was overbearing, arrogant, and even reckless, wantonly killing and daring to directly burn down a small market just for a moment of anger, in reality... this person seemed very capable. His lavish spending was real, but he also earned no less money.

Whatever he bought, he used liquid assets, circulating money and currency.

Some who emulated him also gambled, collected beautiful concubines, and indulged in various pleasures. No matter which gentry's son, if they abandoned their studies to compete with him, their wealth would be squandered within a few years. Only he, no matter how he squandered, seemed to become richer and richer, showing no signs of his property being depleted.

This was because he never lightly touched his means of production, which were his true 'industries.' He preserved each of them very well, never easily using them, and his bottom line was very clear and precise.

Furthermore, his behavior offended many people. So, when Li Qi merely had a small conflict with him, gaining some advantage in an encounter, people immediately came to his door, attempting to endorse Li Qi and have him side with them to oppose Jin Buhuan. It was clear these people had long been at odds with Jin Buhuan.

However, there were also other wealthy households and magnates who firmly stood on his side.

The act of giving away concubines, though seemingly debauched, was it not, in reality, a gesture of goodwill and bribery?

He often indulged in whims, running into various shops, spending lavishly and extravagantly, but what if this was merely his way of expressing his attitude?

And no matter how one looked at it, the various industry associations controlled by Jin Buhuan firmly bound another group of people to his side.

He was not a solitary, universally disliked second-generation wastrel, but a truly powerful force in Qingwu City.

Thirdly, Qingwu Sect's attitude was very subtle.

The Green Mountain Mountain God was indeed a First Grade, but the local power was Qingwu Sect. Hu Xian'er and Hu Meier were two Seventh Grade, and Qingwu City was also a city personally designated and sealed by the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord. Here, the Green Mountain Mountain God probably couldn't be too presumptuous.

Yet, up to now, there had been no news of Qingwu Sect reacting to any of Jin Buhuan's previous actions. They neither showed goodwill nor hostility, maintaining a completely oblivious attitude.

What was Qingwu Sect thinking?

Clues intertwined, preventing Li Qi from rashly sticking his neck out. He had originally wanted to leave and go somewhere else, but since Piao Xu was involved, if he left, she would surely die without a burial place.

This violated Li Qi's sense of righteousness, preventing him from packing up and moving on.

"Hmm... I still need to keep an eye on things. While ensuring my own safety, I'll continue to observe Jin Buhuan's reactions." Li Qi pondered for a long time and finally decided to wait and see.

Now, there was an additional objective in Qingwu City.

That was to help Piao Xu escape danger.

Once that's done, he should quickly run away.

No matter how powerful the local power here was, it was still just a local power. Once he left Green Mountain Country, he might never see them again in his life.

"Old Ma's cultivation method, helping Piao Xu escape danger..." Li Qi silently recited his goals and kept them in mind.

Old Ma's cultivation method could wait. cultivation methods were available everywhere; he didn't necessarily have to get one here.

Just as he was thinking about this, a loud noise suddenly erupted outside.

It wasn't a single explosion, but... musical instruments.

First, drums were beaten, then horns blown, then drums again, followed by various instruments playing, and joyful music rang out.

The rabbit shivered all over, made another mistake in her carving, and began scraping it off to redo it, looking miserable.

Setting up a Formation, unless it's a pre-made Formation Plate or Formation Chess, which can quickly adapt to the timing and terrain, can only be done like Shen Shuibi, diligently surveying the feng shui, examining the earth's meridians, determining the celestial phenomena, and then slowly arranging different Formations according to the specific situation.

Although there are Formation diagrams and design blueprints for Formations, these are essentially like formulas. How to truly apply them to a specific environment still requires considerable effort and study.

The rabbit buried her head and continued carving.

And Li Qi, upon hearing the music, frowned, set Qi Ya aside, stood up, and walked out.

Piao Xu, hearing the sound, also rushed out, but Li Qi waved his hand, signaling her to go back.

Piao Xu could only retreat, leaning against the doorway, watching Li Qi walk out.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw a line of carriages at the entrance!

Each carriage was pulled by two reddish-brown spirited horses, all First Grade spiritual steeds. The carriages behind them were fully loaded with large, red-lacquered leather boxes, looking heavy.

In front, there were also large palanquins, golden lanterns, torches, fire brands, fruits, vegetables, and sacrificial offerings, encircling the front of the carriages.

Beside the spiritual horses, dozens of people stood by, with small singers and drummers creating a boisterous and lively atmosphere, scattering auspicious items and leading red ribbons. It was a scene of great joy. If Li Qi hadn't known their purpose, he would have thought they were here for a marriage proposal.

Li Qi stepped out and looked up, seeing a ceremonial official standing at the entrance. Upon seeing Li Qi, he immediately bowed deeply: "Greetings, Mr. Li! Your servant is a servant of the Jin family. I have come this time by young master's order to present gifts for the previous incident!"

Li Qi hadn't reacted yet.

But after speaking, he immediately straightened up, and without waiting for Li Qi's response, he simply ordered his servants to unfurl a long scroll.

Two servants each held an end of the long scroll, stepping to the left and right, slowly unfurling it.

The red scroll was a full three zhang long, requiring two people to hold it open; one person could certainly not manage it.

The ceremonial official walked to the far right and read aloud: "Today, we specially present to Mr. Li—!"

"Gold, three thousand catties!"

"Six thousand bolts of colored silk!"

"Eight hundred spiritual flowers!"

"Twelve incense burners!"

"Fifteen carts of calligraphy and paintings!"

"Eight and a half carts of fruits and fresh vegetables!"

"Thirty-three feet of iron pear wood!"

"Eighteen feet of East Sea red coral!"

"Thirty catties of raw jade!"

"Six beauty goblets!"

"Two rare peony varieties, 'One Foot Snow'!"

"Twenty amber beads with insects encased!"

"Twelve jade ruyi scepters!"

As he read each item, someone stepped forward and opened a box.

Each opened box seemed to shimmer with a precious light.

Inside the boxes carried by the carriages, countless treasures emerged: pearls and amber glittering, white snow emitting smoke, corals forming trees, red clouds blooming, bright pearls like stars, jadeite seemingly spewing green flames, like a thousand layers of fire. Innumerable rare and exotic treasures piled up like mountains; one could only see the radiating precious light, unable to fully discern the treasures within.

Li Qi was also stunned.

He had never seen such... such a terrifying sight.

This scene truly awed him.

Is this what it means to be rich?

However, it wasn't over yet. The gift list was a full three zhang long, and it took a full quarter of an hour just to read it.

The opened treasure boxes lined half the street.

Finally, the ceremonial official roared again: "One incomplete First Grade Jin Qi (Metal Energy), a naturally formed divine weapon!"

The last box in the procession of carriages was opened, revealing a long saber within. As it appeared, the surroundings seemed to be splattered with blood and flesh, filled with shouts of battle and whinnies, with severed limbs scattered everywhere!

Immediately following, from a sea of blood, a line of crystal light pierced through, unyielding to thunder, rain, wind, or clouds, passing through this sea of blood.

Before this item, all the other treasures paled in comparison!

The countless precious lights from before were all suppressed.

Even Li Qi was shocked.

First Grade!?

What a joke!

Is this something that can be given away!?

What is the concept of First Grade? Even in a large city like Qingwu City with tens of millions of transient residents, how many First Grade individuals can there be?

Li Qi estimated only about one to two hundred at most.

The entire Qingwu City.

If Ninth Grade is one in a thousand.

First Grade is one in a million!

One Grade, one heaven is no joke; each ascent in Grade is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

First Grade items and Ninth Grade items are completely incomparable. Cross-Grade combat is basically impossible, unless you are like Shen Shuibi, a fallen master with high-Grade Spiritual Artifacts.

Li Qi prided himself on being able to defeat dozens of unranked Ninth Grade individuals without proper Legacy, but facing a self-taught, unranked First Grade, he still only had one thought: run away.

This was absolute suppression, an unbridgeable chasm.

Back then, the ghost god he first communicated with, Li Weng in Great Deer Kingdom, was an extremely inferior First Grade.

But his ability was enough to set up a scheme after his death, allowing his memory to persist, to cultivate Shaman Dao, and to easily curse a wealthy family to ruin, their Luck severed.

Li Qi currently couldn't do any of that. He still kept the ghost Qi Li Weng gave him as a hidden trump card.

With this thought, Li Qi couldn't help but take two steps forward to look at that divine weapon.

It was a long saber.

Its body was like a snake's spine, coiling and stretching, with an angry, spirited look.

The hilt was like scaled claws grasping, refusing to be restrained, with bristles rising like needles, flaring out like halberds, seemingly imbued with blood Qi.

Just looking at it, one could feel the sharpness contained within!