"The human heart is unfathomable, the same in any world."
Li Changqing sighed.
Even Li Changqing hadn't initially expected that Lao Huang, who seemed so warm-hearted and had always been by Su Zheng's side, helping him, would end up running off with Su Zheng's four hundred thousand.
Life is truly unpredictable!
And looking at Su Xianci, it's clear he's having a hard time adapting to life on Earth, struggling greatly with his studies.
Or perhaps Su Xianci simply lacks the patience.
Seeing that it was about time, Li Changqing wrote a letter and sent it to the Su Family.
He informed them that both Su Zheng and Su Xianci were in his hands.
If they wanted their people back, they would have to come to the Eastern Desolate Land to negotiate terms.
This was Li Changqing's first time acting like a kidnapper, but with such cards in his hand, it would be a pity not to trade them for something, right?
As for whether the Su Family would really come to redeem their people, Li Changqing wouldn't mind returning Su Zheng to them.
To Li Changqing, Su Zheng no longer posed any threat.
As for the life on Earth he saw in the Great Dream Soul Stone, Li Changqing didn't mind, because neither Su Zheng nor Su Xianci would believe Earth truly existed; they would just think it was a dream woven by Li Changqing.
Even if they truly believed in the existence of Earth, what could they do about it?
Having written the letter, he had Zhang Fuguang send it out.
Signed, Qinglian Sword Sovereign.
Sending a letter from the Eastern Desolate Land to the Southern Wilderness took time. In the following days, Mu Qingge did not leave her room, clearly still in contemplation.
Li Changqing went to the Qing residence to teach.
He noticed that recently Yin Zixuan was subtly trying to get close to him and curry favor.
Li Changqing simply turned a blind eye.
On the third day, Yan Botao had two spirit beasts delivered to Li Changqing.
These two spirit beasts were purple all over, with soft feathers, and looked like pigeons, but they were incredibly fast and were called Lightning Sparrows.
Their flying speed was extremely fast, and their strength was formidable, possessing the power of the Prenatal Realm's full completion.
Despite their small size, they could spit lightning and were agile, making it difficult for even an ordinary Prenatal Realm martial artist to catch them.
These were purchased by the Changqing Trading Company at a great cost for Li Changqing.
For Li Changqing, these creatures were perfect for gathering intelligence.
"Lightning Sparrows!" Zhen Wanshou was pleasantly surprised when he saw the two Lightning Sparrows in the specially made cage.
The two Lightning Sparrows, captured and struggling to break free, were unable to escape from the specially made cage.
Even the cage could suppress their power, preventing them from spitting lightning.
Zhen Wanshou was handed the two Lightning Sparrows to bond with them.
He was clearly excited.
He had long wanted to communicate more with spirit beasts, but his strength was insufficient.
When Li Changqing left Zhen Wanshou's courtyard, Mu Qingge had also emerged from seclusion.
"You've come out."
Li Changqing looked at Mu Qingge, but after scrutinizing her, he curiously noted that her strength didn't seem to have improved at all.
Normally, even if one learned a new technique, there should be some change.
But there was nothing to be seen on Mu Qingge.
"Did you fail?" The only thing Li Changqing could think of was that Mu Qingge had failed.
However, it would be the first time someone failed to comprehend from his wood carving.
"It's okay, take your time," Li Changqing consoled her.
"I succeeded."
Mu Qingge looked at Li Changqing with a strange expression: "But the technique I comprehended is very odd and seems useless. Where exactly did you encounter these characters to come up with such a bizarre technique? I've never heard of anyone practicing it."
"Whose technique did you comprehend?" Li Changqing was taken aback.
He had only carved familiar figures from his past life and placed them there.
Which one did Mu Qingge choose?
"Lady Niu." Mu Qingge said somewhat dejectedly.
Indeed, she had comprehended a technique from Lady Niu's wood carving, but unfortunately, this technique did not benefit her strength.
"Lady Niu…"
Li Changqing was dumbfounded.
There didn't seem to be any powerful techniques associated with this character, and the carving he made was of Lady Niu from the movie version of "A Chinese Odyssey."
Li Changqing couldn't even remember what skills this "Little Sweetie" possessed.
"So, what did you learn?" Li Changqing asked after a long silence.
Mu Qingge looked down and then uttered a phrase that made Li Changqing feel like he had been struck by lightning!
"Soul Transfer Technique."
These four words left Li Changqing utterly dumbfounded!
Soul Transfer Technique?
Li Changqing then remembered that in "A Chinese Odyssey," Zixia and Zhu Bajie were affected by the Soul Transfer Technique, swapping souls and becoming indistinguishable from one another.
It was peculiar indeed.
Li Changqing hadn't expected Mu Qingge to actually cultivate the Soul Transfer Technique.
"Are there any limitations to this Soul Transfer Technique?" Li Changqing suddenly became interested.
"If someone is stronger than me, my Soul Transfer Technique won't work. It can be used on someone of equal strength. Once cast, it can swap souls between two people, but it cannot inherit their respective memories."
Mu Qingge shared everything about the Soul Transfer Technique.
At first glance, it seemed rather useless.
But then Li Changqing's eyes lit up.
It was incredibly useful!
"This is fantastic," Li Changqing praised Mu Qingge enthusiastically.
Mu Qingge was somewhat puzzled by the praise. What use was the technique?
Just when he was worried about not being able to plant his own people in the Cangyuan Pavilion, if he had the ability of the Soul Transfer Technique, wouldn't that make things much simpler?
So Li Changqing immediately wrote a letter to Bai Jingfei, asking him to come to North Cold City in person and to bring a very trustworthy subordinate, someone smart and clever, for an important task.
Upon receiving Li Changqing's message, Bai Jingfei immediately selected someone from the intelligence department.
This person was named Bai Tu.
He was Bai Jingfei's nephew.
After joining the intelligence department of the Changqing Trading Company, he had performed exceptionally well and even became one of the department's team leaders.
Hearing there was an important task, Bai Jingfei brought Bai Tu along without hesitation.
Not only was Bai Tu intelligent, but he was also quick-witted, with a strong ability to adapt to situations.
Bai Jingfei knew that if Bai Tu did well in this important task, the rewards from Li Changqing would certainly be generous.
***
Two days later, Bai Tu arrived at Changqing Mansion.
"Greetings, Mr. Changqing."
Upon seeing Li Changqing, the two hurriedly paid their respects.
Bai Tu was seeing Li Changqing for the first time and was a bit nervous; after all, this was the soul of the entire Changqing Trading Company.
Li Changqing also sized up Bai Tu, who was at the full completion of the Prenatal Realm. Although he appeared to be a young man, he gave off a very stable impression.
"The younger generation is indeed formidable."
Li Changqing mimicked the people in TV dramas and offered a polite compliment.
But just those four words of praise made Bai Tu's heart surge with excitement.
"Mr. Changqing, Bai Tu is the best in our Changqing Trading Company's intelligence department. Despite his young age, he's already a team leader, and his ability to adapt on the spot is strong. Whatever important task you give him, there will definitely be no problem," Bai Jingfei hurriedly introduced him to Li Changqing.
"This task is somewhat dangerous," Li Changqing stated bluntly.
"I'm not afraid of danger," Bai Tu had already prepared himself for the task, knowing that if Li Changqing was so serious about finding someone for the task, it wouldn't be easy.
"Good, if you can complete the task, when you return, whatever you want, I can give it to you," Li Changqing directly promised Bai Tu.
"Please rest assured, Mr. Changqing, I will definitely complete the task successfully."
Bai Tu said excitedly, feeling as if he was about to reach the pinnacle of his life.
Next, Li Changqing explained the task.
After hearing the task, both Bai Tu and Bai Jingfei were stunned.
Wasn't this task a bit too big?
Soul swapping!
And to infiltrate Tianhai City's Cangyuan Pavilion to steal intelligence for Li Changqing?
Goodness, they wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing!
"Will you do it?" Li Changqing asked leisurely.
"I will!"
Bai Tu agreed without hesitation.
Bai Jingfei was somewhat surprised. Bai Tu was really daring. Was he not afraid of death?
This task seemed like just an infiltration mission, but if discovered, it would truly be a life-or-death situation.
And what was this soul swapping thing about?
Seeing Bai Tu agree, Li Changqing nodded.
"You two stay here for now. The task starts tomorrow."
Li Changqing planned to bring the person from Cangyuan Pavilion first.
Yin Fengqi had mentioned that this person was acting as a bandit in a mountain range outside North Cold City while also gathering intelligence.
If so, then he should be easy to find.
Li Changqing had already located this person from the intelligence pavilion in North Cold City.
This person was named Zhao Heizi.
He was at the Prenatal Realm and the boss of Hongyun Fort.
He had over forty subordinates.
He often engaged in robbery and other misdeeds, but since he had the backing of Cangyuan Pavilion, even Yin Fengqi dared not touch him lightly.
This made Zhao Heizi even more brazen.
On a dark and windy night, it began to rain over the eighteen-mile mountain.
In Hongyun Fort, many bandits watched the rain outside and listened to the moans and groans coming from a distant room.
"The boss sure knows how to enjoy life."
Several subordinates watched enviously from afar but could only look on.
"Hopefully, after the boss has his fun, he'll let us brothers have a taste."
Someone commented.
Inside the room, Zhao Heizi was engaged in unspeakable acts.
At that moment, Zhao Heizi felt as if someone was behind him.
Before he could turn around, he found his vision blurring, and he was knocked unconscious.
The woman, seeing Zhao Heizi faint, cried out in alarm, also noticing Li Changqing behind Zhao Heizi.
"Strange, why has it gone quiet?"
At this point, the many subordinates noticed that the noises from the room had stopped.
"Has the boss finished?"
A few subordinates asked in surprise.
"That can't be, it's only been a moment?" One disbelieving subordinate said.
"Should we go check?" someone suggested.
"Are you looking for death? If you ruin the boss's fun, he'll kick you to death later."
"True."
But after waiting for a while and still hearing no sound, they knocked on the door and found silence inside.
They finally felt something was wrong, kicked open the door, and discovered the room was empty.
This left them dumbfounded.
They hurriedly went to find the fort's second-in-command.
But strangely, the second-in-command was also missing.
The entire fort searched but found no trace of the boss or the second-in-command.
"What's going on?"
When Zhao Heizi opened his eyes, he found himself tied up.
"Hmm?"
The first thing Zhao Heizi noticed was whose clothes he was wearing?
These weren't his clothes.
Also, why did his cultivation feel so strange? Why was his cultivation only at the full completion of the Prenatal Realm?
But that wasn't all. When Zhao Heizi looked up, he was horrified to find that he was looking at himself!
Several figures stood in front of him, one of whom was unmistakably himself!
There was another Zhao Heizi in front of him?
Then who was he?
For a moment, Zhao Heizi was bewildered, wanting to ask something but finding he didn't know what to ask.
Who are you?
It's Zhao Heizi, he could tell at a glance.
Then who am I?
I'm also Zhao Heizi; I've been Zhao Heizi for many years.
Damn, this is so confusing!
"How do you feel?" Li Changqing looked at Zhao Heizi and asked.
However, Zhao Heizi was now Bai Tu.
Bai Tu and Zhao Heizi had their souls swapped by Mu Qingge's Soul Transfer Technique.
Now Bai Tu felt the surging power within him, the power of the Prenatal Realm!
Bai Tu had never experienced such formidable strength before.
For a moment, he was excited.
Even though Zhao Heizi wasn't as handsome as himself, Bai Tu was somewhat reluctant to give up this body, going from the full completion of the Prenatal Realm to the Prenatal Realm in one step – who could achieve that?
It was nothing short of a meteoric rise.
"Who are you, and what is all this about?" Zhao Heizi shouted angrily: "What are you trying to do by dressing up as me?"
But Li Changqing didn't even bother to respond to Zhao Heizi, although he wanted to extract some information from him, he knew that a person from Cangyuan Pavilion wouldn't say anything.
Those chosen by Cangyuan Pavilion were valued for their tight lips.
Then Mu Qingge stepped forward.
"Mu Qingge!" Seeing the person, Zhao Heizi was shocked; as an intelligence operative for Cangyuan Pavilion, he couldn't possibly not recognize Mu Qingge.
But Mu Qingge said nothing, her needle technique emerged, and she directly pierced Zhao Heizi, who blacked out again.
"I've sealed his life force," Mu Qingge turned to Bai Tu and said, "When you return, we'll swap you back, don't worry, your body will be fine."
"Thank you, Song Fairy," Bai Tu was immensely grateful.
Another person Li Changqing had captured was the second-in-command of Hongyun Fort.
The second-in-command of Hongyun Fort was not a person from Cangyuan Pavilion, so he was less tight-lipped. Bai Jingfei managed to pry information from him after a few words, and he spilled everything.
After all, he was just a small-time bandit and didn't dare oppose Li Changqing and the others. He knew that the person who could capture him and Zhao Heizi together was certainly no ordinary individual.
Although the second-in-command didn't know much about Zhao Heizi's affairs, he was familiar with who Zhao Heizi had contacted and his actions, so he spilled everything.
Bai Tu took it all to heart.
Additionally, the second-in-command shared Zhao Heizi's personality and habits.
Bai Tu earnestly memorized them, and by the end of the night, he had a fairly good understanding of Zhao Heizi.
As for the second-in-command, he didn't survive in the end. After he confessed everything he knew, Bai Jingfei killed him.
There was no use keeping such a wicked person alive, and more importantly, since he knew about these matters, he couldn't be allowed to live.
The fewer people who knew about this affair, the better.
Li Changqing also explained the mission to Bai Tu, and as dawn was breaking, he sent Bai Tu back to Hongyun Fort.
The people of Hongyun Fort had searched all night and hadn't found their boss or second-in-command.
Just when they were losing hope, Zhao Heizi suddenly appeared in Hongyun Fort.
This brought them great joy.
They also asked Bai Tu what had happened.
Bai Tu gave the excuse he had prepared, saying that while he was busy inside, he felt someone spying. It turned out to be the second-in-command, who was an infiltrator in Hongyun Fort. He chased after him and eventually killed the second-in-command outside.
The story left everyone stunned.
They never imagined that the second-in-command, who had been like a brother to them, was actually a spy from elsewhere.
After Bai Tu fooled everyone, he began to familiarize himself with the fort and also started to sift through Zhao Heizi's belongings.
When he saw the numerous items, Bai Tu also had plans in mind.
It turned out that Cangyuan Pavilion's information was also conveyed through carrier pigeons, and this time, Bai Tu didn't wait for the appointed day and sent the letter out early. This time, the letter was Bai Tu's request to return to Cangyuan Pavilion.
If he didn't return to Cangyuan Pavilion, he wouldn't be able to obtain intelligence from within.
Zhao Heizi's request to return to Cangyuan Pavilion was welcome news for many, as no one knew how many people wanted to leave Cangyuan Pavilion to live such a free life outside.
With Zhao Heizi returning, it meant there would be an extra slot for freedom outside, and they naturally wanted to take advantage of this slot to go out on missions.
Having settled matters with Cangyuan Pavilion, Li Changqing also breathed a sigh of relief.
Mu Qingge's ability also delighted Li Changqing; with this ability, not to mention Cangyuan Pavilion, he could easily infiltrate other forces with his people anytime he wanted.
Would the Changqing Trading Company ever worry about intelligence again?
No matter where, intelligence is always the most useful thing.
The first person Li Changqing thought of was Su Xianci.
If he could replace Su Xianci and place him inside the Su Family, it would be the best choice for him.
But Li Changqing didn't rush; he was more eager to see Bai Tu exert his power.
He wanted to see if Bai Tu could successfully extract intelligence from Cangyuan Pavilion without being discovered.
Li Changqing's first task for Bai Tu was to find out information about Yue Hanjun from Cangyuan Pavilion and then deliver Yue Hanjun's information to him.
Li Changqing's intuition about Yue Hanjun was growing stronger; there was definitely something between him and Yue Hanjun.
There was also definitely something between him and the Yue Family.
Perhaps this matter would even involve Tianhai City and the Cangyuan Realm Master.
And Luo Xiaochuan told him that he was being used as a pawn, but Li Changqing still had no clue who the chess player behind the scenes was. However, Li Changqing felt that as long as he found the connection between himself and Yue Hanjun, he might be able to identify the chess player!
So Li Changqing couldn't wait to find Yue Hanjun's information.
***
Tushan City.
After the high-ranking members of the Hua family and the Mu residence were killed, the entire White Snake Path welcomed a much-desired peace.
But Li Hengsheng didn't let go of his work at the Inspector's mansion and didn't stop pursuing the Hua family and the Mu residence, subsequently finding more evidence and arresting more people from both families.
This almost made the old ancestor of the Hua family unable to sit still.
But to Li Hengsheng's disappointment, the old ancestor of the Hua family still hadn't come to trouble him He had hoped to find an excuse to eliminate the old ancestor of the Hua family.
By taking out their Prenatal Realm's full completion expert, the Hua family would truly become a toothless tiger, posing no threat whatsoever.
Otherwise, he would always have to be wary of the Hua family having a Prenatal Realm full completion old ancestor, making Li Hengsheng feel like there was a sword hanging over his head.
As for Caohe Manor, Li Hengsheng had not made a move yet.
He wanted to break them one by one.
Recently, Caohe Manor had changed its approach, not only refraining from engaging in illegal activities but even paying out of pocket for the construction of Tushan City. The dilapidated roads outside White Snake Path were fixed by Caohe Manor before Li Hengsheng could even speak.
Moreover, Caohe Manor started hiring workers, recruiting many locals to work at their various docks.
And the wages they offered were quite generous.
Such tactics left everyone at the Inspector's mansion dumbfounded.
Li Hengsheng was also at a loss for words.
He had to admit that Caohe Manor had learned to be smart, knowing how to improve their public image.
More importantly, they involved the locals; they paid high wages for them to work at their places, and if he were to find an excuse to deal with Caohe Manor now, wouldn't that mean making the locals unemployed?
With such high wages, making them unemployed would turn the anger of many locals towards the Inspector's mansion.
This move left Li Hengsheng somewhat unprepared.
Moreover, Caohe Manor began to engage in charity, donating money and goods to many impoverished locals, appearing to be a great philanthropist.
Such an overt strategy ultimately left Li Hengsheng with no choice but to temporarily let Caohe Manor off the hook.
The things they were doing were indeed good.
He could only wait for another opportunity to settle old scores with them.
The first rays of dawn shone down.
In Tushan City, there was a mountain called Tushan, from which the city got its name.
As the sunlight poured down, Li Hengsheng's figure had already appeared at the mountain's peak.
He had been practicing his spear techniques for a while now.
The Nine True Spear Technique and the Overlord Immortal Spear Technique were practiced with increasing proficiency in Li Hengsheng's hands.
His cultivation speed had accelerated ever since he acquired the Divine Phoenix Bone.
This made Li Hengsheng relish the feeling of cultivation.
"The spear technique is really good."
Just then, a cheerful voice came from behind Li Hengsheng.
Li Hengsheng was startled; there was someone behind him, and he hadn't even noticed!
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas