Traveling thousands of miles just to bring back a chicken leg?

Zhou Jun looked at the chicken leg in his hand, doubting his life choices. You might as well not have brought anything at all, who could this single piece satisfy?

“Cough, Third Brother,” Li Hengsheng approached and said, “Brother, don’t underestimate this chicken leg. It’s a new product from the Changqing Trading Company. Not many people have tasted it yet. Because the quantity is limited, I could only bring back one chicken leg. But don’t worry, once there’s more available, I’ll buy you some.”

“This is called Au… Au…” Li Hengsheng struggled to recall the tongue-twisting name.

“It’s called ‘Au-something chilled roast chicken’. It has a very unique taste, very delicious. Brother, you will definitely like it,” Li Hengsheng quickly added.

“Ah, it’s chilled,” Zhou Jun said helplessly.

“Third Brother, you should try it,” Li Hengsheng gestured for Zhou Jun to take a bite. However, Zhou Jun hesitated, looking at the chicken leg in his hand. He didn’t know what he was thinking, but in the end, he didn’t eat it. Instead, he followed Xu Muhai’s example and stuffed the chicken leg directly into his pocket.

“I’m not very hungry right now. I’ll eat it later tonight,” Zhou Jun said with a smile.

“Uh…” Seeing Zhou Jun’s action, Li Hengsheng found it a bit strange. Would Zhou Jun have done such a thing in the past? Zhou Jun was always very conscious of his image.

So he chuckled and said, “Brother, you’re becoming more and more like our master, even the way you pocket the chicken leg is so carefree and unrestrained.”

As they were talking, many disciples from the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters also came over.

They were responsible for collecting and storing the items that Li Hengsheng had brought back, waiting for the celebration.

“Greetings, Brother Li.”

“Hello, Brother Li.”

“You must be Brother Li, I’ve heard so much about you.”

When these disciples from the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters saw Li Hengsheng, they all excitedly came over to greet him. Many of them were familiar with Li Hengsheng, while some were new disciples who had heard of Li Hengsheng’s legend and wanted to get to know him.

Li Hengsheng was their idol.

They all knew that Li Hengsheng was once a menial disciple on the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters, but now he had transformed into a direct disciple of the Dao Mountain Ancient Land.

Even in the Ghost Devil trial, he had come out first.

Li Hengsheng had naturally become a legend on the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters, and a goal for the disciples to strive for.

Unbeknownst to them, this had sparked a wave of cultivation fervor on the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters. After finishing their work, they would all come back to practice hard, dreaming of the day they could rise above their station.

After all, Li Hengsheng was a grassroots hero, wasn’t he?

Unfortunately, they were mistaken. They didn’t have a father as awesome as Li Hengsheng’s.

After greeting some of the disciples from the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters, Li Hengsheng felt a bit like he was in a different world.

Half a year ago, he was still a menial disciple on the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters.

Every day was filled with endless chores, and the pitiful amount of silver he earned each month could hardly buy any resources. But actually, life was quite happy back then. Every day after finishing his work, he could see Lu Qiaoqiao waiting for him.

“Brother Li, long time no see.”

At this moment, a familiar figure approached and greeted Li Hengsheng.

Li Hengsheng looked at the person in front of him. It was Xu Yueyue.

During his time on the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters, Xu Yueyue was Lu Qiaoqiao’s best friend. The two of them had a great relationship, and the three of them often hung out together.

Previously, because of the marriage alliance between the Lu family and the Hai family, Xu Yueyue was angry that Li Hengsheng didn’t take any action for Lu Qiaoqiao, and she had criticized Li Hengsheng both openly and covertly.

Now seeing Xu Yueyue again, she seemed to have lost a lot of her vitality compared to before. The once lively girl now lacked her usual smile.

Even when she forced a smile upon seeing Li Hengsheng, he could tell that Xu Yueyue’s smile was very stiff.

Li Hengsheng didn’t know what Xu Yueyue had gone through in the past half year, but he noticed that her cultivation level was still at the fifth level of the Transcendence Realm.

There had been almost no change in the past half year.

“Sister Xu, are you okay?” Li Hengsheng approached and asked. After all, they were acquaintances.

Not to mention, she was Lu Qiaoqiao’s best friend.

In the letter that Lu Qiaoqiao had written to him before, she had mentioned Xu Yueyue. But since returning from the Ghost Devil trial, Li Hengsheng had been focusing on his cultivation and hadn’t had time to think about this matter.

Now seeing Xu Yueyue’s state, Li Hengsheng felt that she was not doing well.

“I’m fine,” Xu Yueyue said calmly, then smiled and said, “Brother Li, you really are becoming more and more outstanding. Back when we were on the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters, I never thought that you, a down-and-out kid, could achieve such a status today.”

Li Hengsheng gave a bitter smile. These words sounded like a compliment, but they also felt a bit strange.

But this made Li Hengsheng feel a little warm inside. Xu Yueyue was still the same as before, she didn’t change the way she spoke to him just because he had become a direct disciple. This was how she used to talk to him when they were on the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters.

This familiar feeling was nice.

“It would be great if Sister Lu could see this,” Xu Yueyue’s expression dimmed, she was thinking of Lu Qiaoqiao.

Li Hengsheng fell silent, he didn’t mention the letter that Lu Qiaoqiao had written to him. After all, he still wasn’t clear about what was going on, he didn’t even know who had sent the letter.

“I will bring her back,” Li Hengsheng said with certainty.

“Mm,” Xu Yueyue nodded, “I believe you.”

“Xu Yueyue, come over and help move the stuff,” at this moment, an elder from the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters called out to Xu Yueyue.

“I’m coming.”

“Then Brother Li, the elder is calling me, we’ll chat again when we have the chance,” Xu Yueyue said to Li Hengsheng.”Alright.”

Xu Yueyue ran over and, like the other disciples of the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters, began to unload the items from the cart.

In the sect, this kind of physical labor was typically the responsibility of the menial disciples of the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters.

Thinking of Xu Yueyue’s smile just now, Li Hengsheng felt that something must have happened to her.

After returning to Qingyu Mountain, Li Hengsheng thought for a moment and had his household servants bring Wu Santong to him.

Not long after, Wu Santong hurried over.

When Li Hengsheng summoned him, Wu Santong naturally dropped everything and rushed over. After all, he was still planning to cling to Li Hengsheng’s coattails.

“Brother, you needed me for something?”

This was Wu Santong’s first time visiting Qingyu Mountain. Upon arriving at Li Hengsheng’s residence, he felt a little excited.

Was this the residence of a direct disciple?

The spiritual energy in the mountain was really abundant, incomparable to the doghouse-like place where he, an outer disciple, lived.

“Yes, I need your help with something,” Li Hengsheng said, looking at Wu Santong.

“Using the word ‘need’ is too formal,” Wu Santong said with a smile. “Brother Li, I’m honored that you thought of me. I’ll go through fire and water for you. Just say the word. If I can do it, I’ll do it beautifully. If I can’t, I’ll try my best to find a way.”

Listening to Wu Santong’s smooth talk, Li Hengsheng didn’t feel repulsed.

After all, this was his way of surviving.

“There’s a disciple at the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters named Xu Yueyue,” Li Hengsheng said. “Can you help me find out what’s happened to her recently?”

“A disciple of the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters, huh.” Wu Santong nodded. “Don’t worry, no problem. Give me a day, and I’ll have it sorted out.”

Investigating an inner disciple might be a bit difficult, but a menial disciple? That was as easy as catching a turtle in a jar.

“Thank you.” Li Hengsheng took out a silver ticket and handed it to Wu Santong. “Investigating people often requires money. Consider this a little running errand fee. If it’s not enough, come find me. If it’s too much, keep the rest.”

“How can I accept this? Brother, you’re too kind,” Wu Santong quickly said.

When Wu Santong’s gaze landed on the silver ticket, his heart jolted!

Two thousand taels!

All this for investigating a menial disciple.

Wu Santong was just an outer disciple. The resources he could get from the sect every month were only about three hundred taels, barely enough for cultivation.

The two thousand taels Li Hengsheng gave him could be considered a huge sum of money.

This made Wu Santong hesitate for a moment.

He wanted to keep it for himself, but he was worried that Li Hengsheng would think he was greedy.

But to return it… the two thousand taels were a huge temptation to him, and he couldn’t bear to give it back.

Seeing Wu Santong’s hesitation, Li Hengsheng shook his head and said, “Take it. Buy some cultivation resources and improve your strength. Otherwise, if I need your help in the future, your weak strength might affect you.”

“Then I’ll accept it. Thank you, Brother Li.” Wu Santong knew that Li Hengsheng was giving him a way out. He was somewhat moved as he put away the silver ticket, then quickly excused himself and left Qingyu Mountain.

He had to hurry and investigate Xu Yueyue for Li Hengsheng.

Unconfused City.

Unconfused Teahouse.

Past noon, Xue Qianbai’s figure appeared in the city.

“Sir, how many of you?” As soon as Xue Qianbai walked in, the waiter hurried over.

“Mountain and Water Pavilion.” Xue Qianbai said to the waiter.

“Alright, the Mountain and Water Pavilion is on the third floor. Please follow me.” The waiter quickly led Xue Qianbai to the third floor, where all the rooms were elegantly private.

Pushing open the door to the Mountain and Water Pavilion, there was already someone sitting inside.

It was Li Changqing.

Li Changqing was sitting by the window, sipping tea and watching the people on the street outside.

After closing the door, Xue Qianbai walked over and sat down.

“The tea here really isn’t as good as the tea in Changting Town,” Li Changqing said as he tasted his tea.

“Your Changqing Trading Company’s tea is recognized as the best throughout the Eastern Desolate Land,” Xue Qianbai poured himself a cup. “In the past two months, your Changqing Trading Company’s tea has been sold all over the Eastern Desolate Land. You, Li Changqing, must have made a fortune.”

“Not at all, just making a little money to support the family,” Li Changqing said with a laugh, waving his hand dismissively. But his face was already beaming with joy.

Xue Qianbai didn’t continue with the small talk and calmly said, “On the way back from Path Mark City, was there any sign of the Longevity Sect?”

“No,” Li Changqing shook his head. “Perhaps the Longevity Sect was severely injured during the Ghost Devil trial and didn’t make any moves this time. Or maybe the Longevity Sect has more important things to do and didn’t pay attention to Hengsheng.”

“After the Ghost Devil trial, the Longevity Sect indeed went quiet. Their traces can’t be found in the entire Eastern Desolate Land,” Xue Qianbai looked at Li Changqing. “Who gave you the information about Xue Ye?”

“The Long Night Ancient Nation,” Li Changqing didn’t hide anything and said it directly.

“You have contacts with the Long Night Ancient Nation?” Xue Qianbai was somewhat surprised.

“Barely,” Li Changqing didn’t continue on this topic, but looked at Xue Qianbai and said, “Actually, compared to the Longevity Sect, I’m more curious about one thing right now. Why did the Su Family from the Southern Wilderness suddenly appear in Minghong Prefecture? I heard that you killed two elders of the Su Family.”

“Yes,” Xue Qianbai picked up his cup, blew on it, and then took a sip.

“Why?” Li Changqing was somewhat curious.

Xue Qianbai also looked out the window, watching intently, but it was unclear what he was looking at.After a while, Xue Qianbai slowly said, “The Su Family has overstepped their boundaries, so I killed them to send a warning.”

“Because of Princess Qinyang?”

Li Changqing smiled.

Upon hearing the name Qinyang, Xue Qianbai’s long eyelashes fluttered. Li Changqing knew he had guessed correctly.

Li Changqing remembered that Xue Qianbai had once mentioned the name of the woman he loved – Qinyang.

Later, Li Changqing learned from the intelligence department of the Changqing Trading Company that the name Qinyang represented the Qinyang Dynasty in the Southern Wilderness.

Moreover, the eldest princess of the Qinyang Dynasty was also named Qinyang.

So, the woman Xue Qianbai loved was the eldest princess of the Qinyang Dynasty.

In recent years, the Qinyang Dynasty had been in a precarious state, plagued by internal strife. The emperor was old and frail, and there had been several attempted coups. Although they had survived several wars, the internal consumption was significant for the Qinyang Dynasty.

Furthermore, within the Qinyang Dynasty, the princes were vying for power, causing a lot of trouble.

Numerous factions had been established within the dynasty, causing constant strife and making the entire Qinyang Dynasty a place of chaos.

In short, the chaotic situation had left the Qinyang Dynasty on the brink of collapse.

Since Xue Qianbai had just said so, Li Changqing probably understood that the two elders of the Su Family in the Southern Wilderness had probably extended their reach into the Qinyang Dynasty and posed a threat to Princess Qinyang. That’s why Xue Qianbai had taken action to eliminate these two elders.

“Yes.” In response to Li Changqing’s question, Xue Qianbai did not deny it.

“Ah.” Li Changqing sighed lightly, “The struggle for power among the many princes of the Qinyang Dynasty is severe. As the eldest princess of the dynasty, Qinyang actually has no qualifications to compete for the throne. However, these princes will definitely try to win her over. After all, as the eldest princess, Princess Qinyang definitely has supporters in the court. Whoever she supports will have a greater chance of winning.”

“Princess Qinyang doesn’t belong to any faction, but she has managed to survive until now. You, Xue Qianbai, must have contributed a lot.” Li Changqing said leisurely. He could imagine how many troubles Xue Qianbai had secretly helped Princess Qinyang resolve.

“Li Changqing, do you think a woman can’t become an emperor?” Xue Qianbai stared at Li Changqing and asked.

“Hmm?”

Upon hearing this, Li Changqing raised his eyebrows, immediately thinking of the famous female emperor in history, Wu Zetian.

“It’s not impossible.” Li Changqing said, “But for a woman to become an emperor, the journey is just more difficult. The things she has to face may require a lifetime to digest. A woman as an emperor may lead an exciting life, but it may also be accompanied by endless loneliness.”

Hearing Li Changqing’s words, Xue Qianbai showed a surprised expression, “You are the first one to give me a definite answer. I have asked others this question, but everyone told me it’s impossible.”

“There is nothing impossible in this world.” Li Changqing firmly believed in this.

Even transmigration had happened to him, what else couldn’t happen?

“Have you met the people from the Su Family in the Southern Wilderness?” Xue Qianbai said, “Dao Mountain Ancient Land has also received the news. Su Xianci from the Su Family in the Southern Wilderness has come to the Eastern Desolate Land to go to Guanglan Palace. The Su Family in the Southern Wilderness and Guanglan Palace are preparing for a marriage alliance.”

“Why do they want to form a marriage alliance?” Li Changqing was curious about this.

“Do you know about the Su Family?” Xue Qianbai asked back.

“I don’t know much.” Li Changqing only knew about such a place.

“The Su Family is known as the first noble family in the Southern Wilderness. There are at least two Grandmasters in the family, and their strength is very strong. Moreover, the foundation of the Su Family was laid by the second generation ancestor of the Su Family, who had a prenatal divine body, the Tyrant Blade Divine Body.”

“With this divine body, he had a deep understanding of blade techniques from birth, and he became famous when he was young. There is a saying in the Cangyuan Realm to describe the Tyrant Blade Divine Body, which is ‘Tyrant Blade is invincible’.”

“Even the second generation ancestor of the Su Family was able to withstand ten moves from a Grandmaster in the Prenatal Realm with the Tyrant Blade Divine Body!” Xue Qianbai told Li Changqing.

This surprised Li Changqing. Could someone in the Prenatal Realm withstand ten moves from a Grandmaster?

Wasn’t that a monster?

“But when it came to the ninth generation of the Su Family, no one was born with the Tyrant Blade Divine Body. Now, Su Xianci’s generation is the tenth generation of the Su Family, and still, no one has awakened the Tyrant Blade Divine Body.”

“So the Su Family is preparing to select a woman with exceptional talent to marry into the Su Family, hoping to produce a high-quality next generation and inherit the Tyrant Blade Divine Body.” Xue Qianbai slowly said, “As for why other sects and noble families agree to marry into the Su Family, and what price the Su Family has paid, I don’t know.”

“So it’s for the genes of the next generation.” Li Changqing shook his head. Two generations had passed without the appearance of the Tyrant Blade Divine Body, and the Su Family must be anxious.

If no one with the Tyrant Blade Divine Body appeared, the Su Family would fall from the divine altar.

Li Changqing understood this feeling.

Meanwhile, in Changting Town.

It was past noon.

Since Li Changqing was not at the Yan Family, Zhang Fuguang had nothing to do in the yard every day. He fed Fei, and then waited for Zhang Siyao to finish school.

Today, after Zhang Siyao finished school, Zhang Fuguang took her to stroll around the street.

There was a stall on the street selling small red balls, which Zhang Siyao liked very much.

Zhang Fuguang paid for one. In the past few months, he had nowhere to spend the salary Li Changqing gave him, so he just bought some food for his daughter.

“What do you want to eat tonight? Let’s eat out before we go back.” Zhang Fuguang asked Zhang Siyao.

“I want to eat buns.””Zhang Siyao said seriously.

Hearing this, Zhang Fuguang gave a bitter smile. Zhang Siyao was particularly fond of the buns from the shop they first visited when they came to Changting Town.

“Alright, I’ll buy them for you,” Zhang Fuguang said with a smile.

“Hehe.” Zhang Fuguang led Zhang Siyao to the bun shop.

However, the new batch of buns was not ready yet, so Zhang Fuguang could only wait for the ones in the new steamer. There were also a few other customers waiting.

Zhang Fuguang took this opportunity to listen to their conversations, to catch up on the news from the outside world.

Meanwhile, Zhang Siyao was playing with a red ball in her hand.

As she was playing, the ball slipped from her hand and rolled down the street to the entrance of an alley. Zhang Siyao immediately chased after it.

The red ball rolled under a stationary carriage.

Zhang Siyao bent down to reach for the ball under the carriage.

However, at that moment, Zhang Siyao suddenly heard voices coming from inside the carriage.

“It’s at the Yan family, a man named Li Changqing.”

“No need to kill him, just cripple his legs. I heard he’s a beginner Painter, so also sever the tendons in his wrists. Make sure he can never hold a brush again in his life.”

The voice was low and somewhat cold.

“Yes, we understand.”

Two voices responded in unison.

“This is your deposit,” the first speaker said. “If you do a good job, the entire Yan family is nothing more than a man named Yan Botao who is a Xiantian. You two on the Black List should have no problem, right?”

“Hehe, don’t worry, we’ll do a beautiful job. It’s no problem to kill that Yan Botao along the way,” the two men laughed.

“Don’t cause trouble.”

“Just deal with the one named Li Changqing.”

At this moment, Zhang Siyao held the ball in her hand, a trace of fear showing in her eyes. She had heard the conversation inside the carriage and hurriedly ran away.

“Someone was eavesdropping just now, should we catch them?”

“I said not to cause trouble,” the man said indifferently. “It’s just a child, probably didn’t understand what we were saying. Act when it gets dark, don’t cause any trouble, or you can forget about the rest of the money.”

Zhang Siyao, clutching the small ball, stumbled back to Zhang Fuguang.

Zhang Fuguang was still waiting for the new batch of buns.

Zhang Siyao grabbed Zhang Fuguang’s sleeve, her face showing fear.

“Yao Yao, what’s wrong?” Seeing Zhang Siyao’s unusual expression, Zhang Fuguang quickly squatted down and said, “Don’t be afraid, Daddy is here.”

“Daddy,” Zhang Siyao said with a sob. “Just now I… I went to pick up the ball, and then I heard…”

Zhang Siyao told Zhang Fuguang everything she had heard from the people in the carriage while she was picking up the ball.

“They said they’re going to cripple Mr. Changqing’s legs and sever his tendons, so that Mr. Changqing can never hold a brush again,” Zhang Siyao said, choking back tears.

Some people die, but they are not completely dead…