As he passed by Mu Haifeng, Li Changqing glanced in the direction of Qingyu Mountain on Mu Haifeng. He knew his son was there.

He wondered when he would be able to truly meet his adopted son. According to Li Changqing’s previous plan, he had already learned a lot about Li Hengsheng from Lu Qiaoqiao and Yan Yuyun. Li Changqing felt that it wouldn’t take long for him to meet his son.

He wanted to experience the feeling of having a filial son and a happy family reunion. However, the probing in Li Hengsheng’s last letter made Li Changqing realize that it was not yet time. Li Hengsheng, the little calf, had not given up his suspicions about him.

Leaving Dao Mountain Ancient Land, Li Changqing went straight back to Changting Town. Along the way, he was thinking about going back and first getting the uniforms for Dao Mountain Ancient Land made. This was an important part of the advertising campaign for Changqing Trading Company. Then he would find Zhao Yiqiu and others to calculate the cost and the specific sponsorship plan.

Li Changqing attached great importance to this matter and was determined to make a name for Changqing Trading Company.

However, what disappointed Li Changqing was that he couldn’t go with them. He had to think carefully about this. He wanted to go not only to protect Li Hengsheng, but also because it was an important part of Changqing Trading Company’s advertising campaign.

Back in Changting Town, Li Changqing strolled around the town, hoping to run into the mysterious Luo Lao Dao, but he didn’t find him in the end. Luo Lao Dao seemed to have mysteriously disappeared.

He could only return to the Yan family’s residence.

“Great Steward, you’re finally back.” Just as he reached the door, he saw two elders of the Yan family coming out, their faces filled with anxiety.

“What happened?” Li Changqing was somewhat surprised. What could have happened in the small Changting Town to make the elders of the Yan family so anxious?

Could it be that enemies had come to wipe out the family? That couldn’t be, with Fei around, could it be that a Grandmaster had come?

“Great Steward, someone from Zhanhe Residence has come to see you. They’ve been waiting since noon and are still sitting in Yan Huitang. The clan leader is accompanying them.” The two elders quickly explained.

“Zhanhe Residence?” Li Changqing raised an eyebrow. What was Zhanhe Residence doing here again? He couldn’t help but think of the last time someone from Zhanhe Residence came, a woman named Yin Shuyu.

That Yin Shuyu was a member of the royal family of North Cold Country, probably the daughter of Yin Fengqi. But with a man like Yin Fengqi, who had many children, a daughter like her who was stranded outside should be quite inconspicuous.

“I see, I’ll go take a look.” Li Changqing nodded, then prepared to meet the person from Zhanhe Residence.

But after taking two steps, Li Changqing stopped and turned back to look at the two elders.

“Great Steward, is there something else?” The two looked at Li Changqing curiously.

“You two,” Li Changqing said calmly, “The Yan family is not what it used to be. We are backed by Changqing Trading Company, which is growing stronger. Just because someone from a small Zhanhe Residence has come, you two are panicking. It’s a bit disgraceful. Be more careful in the future.”

“Uh, yes.” The two quickly agreed. After watching Li Changqing leave, they looked at each other.

“The Great Steward has a point. In the past, Zhanhe Residence was an unattainable force for us, but now the Yan family is backed by Changqing Trading Company. Hai Songtao of the Hai family died at the hands of our Changqing Trading Company. We have a reputation in Minghong Prefecture. Although we can’t compare with Zhanhe Residence, we should pay attention to our demeanor. Otherwise, others may look down on us in the future.” One elder frowned and said, “Won’t we lose face for Changqing Trading Company if we continue like this?” The other elder looked in the direction where Li Changqing had left, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” The elder looked at the person next to him and asked, “Have you noticed that the Great Steward seems to have changed a lot recently?”

“Now that you mention it, it does seem that way.”

“I always feel that he’s become… more confident. His every move seems to have a certain style. Anyway, he’s different from before.” The two whispered to each other.

Inside Yan Huitang, Yan Botao was keeping company. The visitor was still Yin Shuyu, with Huang Xin following behind her.

But there was one more person in the room, a middle-aged man sitting next to Yin Shuyu. The man’s face was slightly pale, but his spirit was good.

He sat upright, and beneath his sword-like eyebrows, his deep eyes exuded a calm and composed aura.

Just sitting there made people feel a sense of respect. Although Yan Botao appeared calm on the surface, he was very anxious inside, wondering why Li Changqing hadn’t returned yet.He had been sitting here all afternoon. If it were only Yin Shuyu who had come, he, as the clan leader, would not need to accompany her. But the man in front of him forced him to stay.

Sima Yan. The master of Zhanhe Residence! A true Grandmaster. Yan Botao had never imagined that he could sit here and have tea with a Grandmaster.

However, he had had enough of this tea-drinking session that had lasted all afternoon. Even though he had reached the innate realm, he still felt overwhelmed in front of a Grandmaster.

“Greetings, Grandmaster.” A guard’s voice came from outside the Yan’s hall. Hearing this, Yan Botao’s eyes lit up. Li Changqing was finally back.

Sima Yan also put down his teacup and stood up to look outside. If it weren’t for the dire circumstances, he wouldn’t have come to find Li Changqing himself.

To seek help from a man he had never met before.

“Botao, do we have guests?” Li Changqing walked in and immediately noticed the three standing there.

“Mr. Changqing.” Yin Shuyu stepped forward, cupped her fists and smiled, “I’m sorry for disturbing you again.”

“Hmm.” Li Changqing glanced at Yin Shuyu, but his gaze finally landed on Sima Yan.

A Grandmaster? Li Changqing could tell at a glance that Sima Yan was a Grandmaster.

“Brother Changqing.” Sima Yan stepped forward and said, “I’ve heard about you from Shuyu. I’ve long wanted to meet you, so I came to visit.”

“You must be Master Sima.” Li Changqing knew that there was only one Grandmaster in the entire Zhanhe Residence, and that was Sima Yan, the master of the residence.

After a brief observation, Li Changqing could tell that Sima Yan was seriously injured. But Li Changqing didn’t mention it, as it had nothing to do with him.

“I am Sima Yan. I hope you won’t mind my sudden visit.” Sima Yan lowered his posture.

Because Sima Yan found that he couldn’t see through Li Changqing. Either this man was an ordinary person, or his cultivation was much higher than his own.

But obviously, the first possibility was almost non-existent.

“Sit down.” Li Changqing said indifferently, then walked straight to the top seat and sat down.

That seat usually belonged to Yan Botao, the clan leader, but it didn’t feel out of place for Li Changqing to sit there.

Yan Botao didn’t mind, as he finally had nothing to do with this.

“Grandmaster, I’ll take my leave first.” Yan Botao bowed to the others, then turned to leave.

“Botao, ask Zhao Yiqiu and Bai Jingfei to come to your Yan’s house for a meeting. I’ll find you guys after I finish my business.” Li Changqing instructed.

“Yes.” After Yan Botao left, Li Changqing smiled and said, “Master Sima, please have some tea.”

“Oh, okay.” Sima Yan picked up the teacup and took a sip, then pondered for a moment before saying, “To be honest, Brother Changqing, I came here today to ask for a favor.” Hearing this, Li Changqing didn’t respond, just quietly sipped his tea.

The Yan family and Zhanhe Residence had no relations at all. Even though Zhanhe Residence was in Zhanzhou, it was separated from Minghong Prefecture by a whole province, even if they were adjacent.

What could Zhanhe Residence possibly need from him, Li Changqing? Li Changqing just wanted to wait quietly for Sima Yan to say what he wanted.

“I would like to invite Brother Changqing to Zhanhe Residence to serve as an honorary elder.” Seeing that Li Changqing remained silent, Sima Yan revealed his intentions.

“Huh?” Li Changqing was taken aback. He didn’t expect Sima Yan to ask him for such a thing. An honorary elder?

Why? Seeing the puzzled expression on Li Changqing’s face, Sima Yan gave a bitter smile and said, “To be more specific, I want Brother Changqing to lead my Zhanhe Residence to participate in the Ghost Devil trial.”

“Eh?” Li Changqing was somewhat surprised. It was like a pillow had come when he was sleepy. He was just worrying about how to participate in the Ghost Devil trial, and Sima Yan actually asked him to lead Zhanhe Residence to participate in the Ghost Devil trial?

Why?

“Why don’t you go yourself?” Li Changqing decided it was better to ask clearly.

“Ah.” Sima Yan sighed lightly, a hint of killing intent in his eyes, and told Li Changqing the whole story.

It turned out that a while ago, Sima Yan’s good friend, the master of Xueying Palace, Mo Hang, personally came to find Sima Yan, saying that he had discovered a secret realm in Zhanzhou and wanted to invite Sima Yan to explore it together.

Hearing about the secret realm, Sima Yan was naturally interested. Many people had found treasures in secret realms and had a glorious life.

How could Sima Yan miss such an opportunity? So Sima Yan agreed directly and went to the secret realm with Mo Hang.The secret realm was indeed dangerous. Both of them, who were Grandmaster-level experts, almost perished within. Fortunately, they managed to reap some rewards. However, what Sima Yan didn’t expect was that Mo Hang would attack him at such a time, almost causing Sima Yan to die in the secret realm.

Having barely escaped, Sima Yan couldn’t swallow this insult. He planned to seek revenge on Mo Hang once his injuries healed. However, his injuries were more severe than he had imagined. He couldn’t even use his strength casually now, or his injuries would worsen.

But who would have thought that at this time, Mo Hang from the Snow Eagle Palace would spread the news, notifying Tianhai City.

He claimed that he had been seriously injured in the secret realm and was unable to lead the Zhanhe Residence to participate in the Ghost Devil trial. He requested Tianhai City to allocate all twenty disciple spots of Zhanhe Residence to the Snow Eagle Palace.

Tianhai City was indeed preparing to send people to investigate whether this was true. If it was, without a Grandmaster-level expert in Zhanhe Residence, the number of spots would be greatly reduced. They might only be able to give five spots at most, and the rest would go to the Snow Eagle Palace.

Upon hearing this news, Sima Yan almost vomited blood. Therefore, Sima Yan could only find a way to recruit experts for Zhanhe Residence, vowing to keep the spots and not let the Snow Eagle Palace benefit.

So, Sima Yan sought out Yin Shuyu, hoping that Yin Shuyu could write a letter to the North Cold Country for help.

However, the North Cold Country was also participating in the Ghost Devil trial. The team leader was Zhang Yuanzhi. As for Zhao Beiming, not to mention that he couldn’t come, if Zhao Beiming did come, the North Cold Country would be short of a Grandmaster. Therefore, the number of spots they could get would also decrease, and the North Cold Country would not agree.

Yin Shuyu thought of Li Changqing. She believed that Li Changqing’s cultivation had definitely reached the Grandmaster realm. If they asked Li Changqing for help, there might be a chance.

Regarding this unfamiliar Grandmaster, Sima Yan was very cautious. He didn’t want to come initially, but in the end, he had no choice. For the sake of Zhanhe Residence and not to give the spots to the Snow Eagle Palace, he had to seek Li Changqing’s help.

After all, he and Li Changqing had no fundamental conflicts of interest. It was a gamble. After hearing what Sima Yan had to say, Li Changqing knew that Sima Yan was probably not lying, because Sima Yan’s injuries were indeed severe.

“What benefits can I get?” Li Changqing asked after listening. Hearing Li Changqing ask this, Sima Yan and the others were relieved because Li Changqing’s request meant that this matter could be discussed.

If he had directly refused, there would be no room for negotiation.

“Brother Changqing, name your price. As long as I can give it, we can negotiate.” Sima Yan took a deep breath, prepared to bleed heavily.

It was better than letting the Snow Eagle Palace succeed.

“First, my Changqing Trading Company will open a branch in Zhanzhou. From now on, all the daily necessities of Zhanhe Residence, including the procurement of materials, will be cooperated with my Changqing Trading Company. In addition, Zhanhe Residence must also provide protection for my Changqing Trading Company.” Li Changqing stated his first condition.

“Agreed.” Sima Yan agreed without hesitation. Where to buy if not from there? As for the protection issue, that was even easier to say. As long as it was made clear that Zhanhe Residence was backing Changqing Trading Company, who would dare to trouble Changqing Trading Company?

In Zhanzhou, Zhanhe Residence could still have the final say.

“Second, after the Ghost Devil trial, I want 30% of the merit points earned by all disciples of Zhanhe Residence.” Li Changqing said indifferently.

“This…” Sima Yan’s face changed slightly. Asking for 30% right off the bat was a bit of a lion’s mouth.

“Alright, I agree.” Sima Yan pondered for a moment and still agreed. It was better than nothing.

“Third, if there is a need for Zhanhe Residence to take action in the future, Zhanhe Residence must help me once.” Li Changqing’s third condition was equivalent to asking for a promise from Zhanhe Residence.

“I can agree to the third condition as well, but the premise is that it cannot cause a huge loss to Zhanhe Residence.” Sima Yan said.

“Of course, that’s a given. Alright, these are the three conditions. If you agree, I can agree to lead the team.” Li Changqing said.

“Alright, then we have an agreement.” Sima Yan stood up and said, “From today onwards, Brother Changqing, you are the honorary elder of our Zhanhe Residence.”

“No, no, not me.” Li Changqing shook his head, “I can introduce a reliable Grandmaster-level expert to your Zhanhe Residence, but I won’t go personally.”

“Huh?” Everyone was stunned. If it wasn’t Li Changqing, then who could it be?