"I'm willing."
Without much hesitation, Wu Santong readily agreed.
What does it matter to change identities?
His current identity wasn't anything special anyway—no impressive background, no powerful family, and even his innate talent was subpar. If nothing unexpected happened, this would be as far as he'd go in life. But Wu Santong harbored an unwilling heart.
He wanted to go further, to open his eyes wider and see more of this world.
To look down upon the Cangyuan Realm from different heights.
He never had the chance before, but now that Li Changqing had offered him one, how could he give it up?
Does it really matter whose identity you live under?
"Good." Seeing Wu Santong's agreement, Li Changqing nodded. Wu Santong was clever and intelligent; it was just a pity that he never had a platform to showcase his talents. Although he had played a significant role in Zhenguo Mansion under Li Hengsheng's wing, the platform of Zhenguo Mansion was still too small, far from sufficient.
It would be much better if he could make a name for himself in the Su Family.
"Alright, next I'll have someone bring you Su Xianci's information for you to familiarize yourself with," Li Changqing said. "Once you've made your decision, I'll swap you and Su Xianci later. In a few days, the people from the Su Family will arrive, and they will take you back with them."
"How exactly will the swap be done?" Wu Santong was curious about this.
"It's a secret technique that exchanges your souls. From then on, Su Xianci's body will house your soul, and your body will contain Su Xianci's," Li Changqing explained seriously.
"Is there really such a miraculous technique?" Wu Santong was also enlightened.
There were many miraculous techniques in the Cangyuan Realm, but Wu Santong had never heard of one that could exchange souls, not even in the ancient texts of Dao Mountain Ancient Land.
"If you're ready, then I'll help you swap now," Li Changqing felt that the night was long and full of dreams, and since Wu Santong had agreed, it was time to swap his soul with Su Xianci's. The people from the Su Family would probably arrive in a few days.
It was better to prepare early.
"Please, uncle."
Wu Santong's eyes lit up, feeling a small thrill and excitement within.
Li Changqing then called out Mu Qingge.
Mu Qingge hadn't expected Li Changqing to find a candidate for Su Xianci so quickly and was somewhat surprised. But since it was Li Changqing's choice, Mu Qingge didn't say much. She had already mastered the Soul Transfer Technique.
Being able to help Li Changqing was a joyous matter for Mu Qingge.
At least she was needed by Li Changqing, wasn't she?
Arriving in Mu Qingge's courtyard, Li Changqing took out the Great Dream Soul Stone and first checked the situation inside.
He looked at the state of the grandfather and grandson from the Su Family.
Su Zheng was still in prison and hadn't been released, looking quite mentally unstable. But that was to be expected, given that he was once a revered ancestor of the Su Family in the Cangyuan Realm, a figure whose sneeze could shake the Southern Wilderness three times over.
Such a big shot had fallen to the point of picking up bottles for a meal and even going to jail to pick up soap. Anyone would find it hard to bear.
But when Li Changqing looked at Su Xianci, he was shocked to find that Su Xianci had become much stronger than Su Zheng.
Su Zheng had previously tried hard to escape the Great Dream Soul Stone and return to the Cangyuan Realm, but Su Xianci had completely given up.
At that moment, Su Xianci was in an internet café, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his hair dyed yellow, playing an online game.
He was hanging out with a few bad influences.
"Big Immortal, have a drink."
A few delinquents laughed and offered.
With one hand on the keyboard and the other grabbing a beer bottle, Su Xianci clinked glasses and took a big gulp.
Seeing Su Xianci's delinquent appearance, Li Changqing really couldn't help it. He had previously talked about going to MIT, but now he had fallen to this state.
But it wasn't Su Xianci's fault, studying was just too hard for him!
So Su Xianci simply gave up, learning be damned.
Living in this world wasn't so bad, with so many fun games to play, especially when Su Xianci recently discovered a game called Dungeon Fighter Online, he felt that not being the young master of the Su Family was just fine!
Enjoying each day as it comes.
His parents had given up on Su Xianci, so even after he ran away from home, they didn't look for him.
It was clear they had truly lost hope in him.
Gurgle.
Su Xianci felt a growl of hunger from his stomach and thought it was time for lunch.
"Monkey, I'm hungry, got any money? Let's call for some pig trotter rice," Su Xianci said to a dark and skinny youth beside him. The youth took off his headphones, felt his pocket, and then took out seven yuan, shaking his head: "Not enough."
"Damn it, let's just have two instant noodles," Su Xianci said helplessly, waving his hand.
However, just at that moment, Su Xianci looked at his computer screen and suddenly exclaimed: "Holy shit, a magic sword!"
At the mention of a magic sword, everyone else hurried over to look.
Su Xianci had actually looted a magic sword!
Su Xianci's eyes lit up. A magic sword could sell for several thousand yuan, and with that much money, he could eat whatever he wanted that night.
But just as Su Xianci was about to use the mouse to pick up the magic sword, he felt a blur before his eyes, and the scenery changed instantly!
Su Xianci stared blankly at his new surroundings.
What's going on?
Where is this?
But when he saw Li Changqing, Mu Qingge, and Wu Santong in familiar attire, Su Xianci said in a daze: "Am I back in the Cangyuan Realm?"
Feeling the internal energy flowing within him, Su Xianci confirmed he had returned.
"Motherfucker!" Su Xianci cursed: "I haven't even picked up my magic sword yet, what's wrong with you? Do you know how hard that thing is to loot?!"
Li Changqing was also taken aback by this reaction.
He had thought that Su Xianci would be overjoyed to return to the Cangyuan Realm, but he never expected such a different response!
This is a gaming addict!
Mu Qingge and Wu Santong were baffled and didn't understand what Su Xianci was talking about.
What magic sword?
What's hard to loot?
Li Changqing didn't bother to waste words with Su Xianci and simply used the Five Extremes Seal to lock Su Xianci's physical body, rendering him completely immobile.
"Who the hell are you, you son of a bitch, let me go, or my brothers will kill you!" Su Xianci cursed a storm.
In the end, Li Changqing thought the kid was too noisy and simply sealed his mouth as well.
"Follow me."
Mu Qingge glanced at Wu Santong and said.
"Oh, okay!"
Mu Qingge grabbed Su Xianci by the collar with one hand and led Wu Santong deeper into the courtyard to find a quiet place.
Although Su Xianci didn't know what they were going to do, he guessed it wouldn't be anything good.
But he couldn't struggle; his body was completely immobile.
Changqing Mansion was safe. After Li Changqing confirmed there were no threats around with his Divine Soul, he let Mu Qingge perform the Soul Transfer Technique.
It wasn't until two incense sticks had burned that the Soul Transfer Technique was complete.
When Su Xianci saw the person in front of him who looked exactly like himself, he was shocked. He couldn't believe he had swapped bodies with someone else!
Even his cultivation was different from before.
Su Xianci, though slow, realized what the other party wanted to do—they wanted to impersonate him and go to the Su Family.
Wu Santong, on the other hand, was examining his new body, full of excitement.
His innate talent and cultivation were incomparable to his former self.
This body might even reach the Grandmaster realm in the future.
He could become someone above others.
"Thank you, uncle!" Wu Santong knelt down to thank Li Changqing.
Li Changqing smiled and helped Wu Santong up, then said, "No need to thank me. I did this so you could better help Hengsheng in the future. Although the Soul Transfer Technique seems fine for now, there is one condition."
"What condition?" Wu Santong was taken aback.
"The condition is that Mu Qingge, who performed the Soul Transfer Technique, must stay alive," Li Changqing looked at Mu Qingge and continued: "If one day, Mu Qingge accidentally dies, your souls will swap back. You'll be you, and he'll be him."
Mu Qingge, hearing this, looked at Li Changqing in surprise.
"So that's how it is."
Wu Santong nodded in realization.
"Alright, I'll use the Zhenxian Seal to seal your physical body and keep it safe. When you want to swap back in the future, you need to ensure your physical body is still usable," Li Changqing said.
"No need."
Wu Santong stepped forward, raised his hand, and a powerful surge of energy blasted out, hitting Su Xianci directly. Su Xianci's eyes widened, not understanding what was happening, as his body was torn apart on the spot!
Li Changqing and Mu Qingge were also stunned by this scene.
Wu Santong had acted so ruthlessly, destroying his own physical body.
"I will never choose to swap back in this life," Wu Santong said indifferently.
"If your physical body is gone, and Mu Qingge happens to meet with an accident, your soul will dissipate," Li Changqing said thoughtfully.
"It doesn't matter." Wu Santong seemed very open-minded: "Having my soul dissipate is better than living a life of mediocrity."
Thinking back to his time under Mu Haifeng, where he had to ingratiate himself with others to survive, Wu Santong had had enough of those days.
"Well, alright then." Since Wu Santong had said so, Li Changqing had nothing more to say.
He let Wu Santong rest and get used to his new body, then wrote a letter to Bai Tu, asking him to find and send Su Xianci's information.
"Teacher, if I die, will their souls swap back?" Mu Qingge asked with a frown: "If that's the case, won't everything you've done be known to the world?"
If it really came to light, Li Changqing's insertion of a spy into the Cangyuan Pavilion would also be exposed.
Would Tianhai City let Changqing Trading Company off the hook?
Li Changqing smiled at this: "There's no such thing. I was just deceiving him."
"I see." Mu Qingge suddenly understood. No wonder she had never heard of such a drawback to the Soul Transfer Technique she had practiced.
"I wanted to give him a reminder because I saw ambition in his eyes," Li Changqing took a deep breath. "He's obedient now, but that doesn't mean he will be in the future. I helped him because I want him to be a helper to my son, not to cause us trouble. With this restriction, he will also be cautious."
"It doesn't matter if I'm overthinking it; I need to instill such a wariness in his heart." Li Changqing explained to Mu Qingge.
"Changqing is always thorough in his considerations."
Mu Qingge also felt that Li Changqing was doing the right thing.
After getting used to his new body, Wu Santong bid Li Changqing farewell for the time being. Whether others knew or not, he had to go back and inform Li Hengsheng first.
Li Changqing also reminded Wu Santong to blame everything on the Qinglian Sword Sovereign.
So Wu Santong, cloaked in a black robe, left Changqing Mansion.
His whereabouts could not be seen by others for the time being.
After Wu Santong left, Li Changqing thought about it and decided to follow him quietly.
***
In the evening.
Li Hengsheng was looking at documents in the Inspector's mansion, but his heart was also worried. Why hadn't Wu Santong returned yet?
Could something have happened?
Li Hengsheng decided to wait and see. If Wu Santong still hadn't returned by tomorrow morning, he would personally go to North Cold City to look for him.
Just then, a hidden weapon flew in suddenly, and Li Hengsheng reached out to catch it.
Seeing a note attached to it.
Li Hengsheng opened it and saw only one sentence.
Ten Miles Slope outside the city, Wu Santong is in my hands. Come alone.
Seeing this note, Li Hengsheng stood up abruptly.
Who was it?
Li Hengsheng pondered for a moment, still taking the Chasing Immortal Spear and leaving alone. He had to confirm who the other party was and then rescue Wu Santong.
When Li Hengsheng arrived at the ten-mile slope outside the city, he first observed from a distance and saw no one.
Despite some nervousness, Li Hengsheng was still confident. If worse came to worst, he would fight to the death using the Sun Moon True Fire again.
His Sun Moon True Fire could even burn a Peak Innate Realm to ashes. Even if he encountered a Grandmaster, his Sun Moon True Fire would still pose a threat to the opponent.
It was a do-or-die situation.
Wu Santong was his brother; he couldn't ignore him.
"You're here."
At this moment, a voice came from behind Li Hengsheng. He turned around and saw a person in a black cloak.
"Who are you? Where's Junior Brother Wu?"
Li Hengsheng's grip on the Chasing Immortal Spear tightened, but when he realized the other party was only at the pinnacle of the postnatal realm, he relaxed.
He was still very cautious, though. Who knew if there were any accomplices nearby?
"Don't you recognize me?"
The person in the black cloak took off the black cloak, revealing Su Xianci's face underneath.
Su Xianci looked at Li Hengsheng with a smile.
"It's you." Li Hengsheng's eyes narrowed slightly: "How did you get out? You were supposed to be taken into the Great Dream Soul Stone by the Qinglian Sword Sovereign."
"Don't worry about how I got out. The key is that I'm out, and your Junior Brother Wu Santong is in my hands. What can you do to me?" Su Xianci said proudly: "Li Hengsheng, you've always been against me. Now your junior brother is in my hands, and you must do as I say, otherwise, I can't guarantee his safety."
"If anything happens to my junior brother, I'll make you accompany him in a minute," Li Hengsheng also said coldly.
At this moment, Li Hengsheng's killing intent was not weak.
Li Changqing, who was secretly watching, was speechless. He hadn't expected Wu Santong to come to his son to joke around after changing bodies.
But rather than joking, Li Changqing felt that Wu Santong probably wanted to test Li Hengsheng's attitude.
"Cut the crap. I just want you to do as I say, otherwise I'll kill Wu Santong," Su Xianci said loudly.
Li Hengsheng took a deep breath and said calmly, "Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
"I know you've got a lot of dragon blood essence. Give me all your dragon blood essence, and I'll let your Junior Brother Wu go. Otherwise, I'll show you his corpse the next moment," Su Xianci said with a grin.
"Dragon blood essence?"
Li Hengsheng was taken aback. Su Xianci didn't have a divine body, so what did he want that for?
"Give it or not!" Su Xianci demanded seriously.
"Let me see my junior brother first. If I confirm he's unharmed, I can give it to you," Li Hengsheng said.
"You're not in a position to negotiate with me," Su Xianci shook his head.
"If you don't give it, your junior brother's head will fall to the ground the next moment," Su Xianci narrowed his eyes: "Or you can take a gamble and see."
Li Hengsheng frowned, then took out a bottle from his chest and threw it to Su Xianci.
Li Hengsheng didn't dare to gamble.
After all, that was Wu Santong's life.
Su Xianci caught the bottle, opened it, and immediately the domineering power surged out.
"It really is dragon blood essence." Su Xianci's face was filled with excitement.
"Let my junior brother go," Li Hengsheng said coldly.
"Senior Brother, I am Wu Santong." Su Xianci capped the bottle and approached: "I was just joking with you, hehe, here's your stuff back."
After that, he handed the bottle back to Li Hengsheng.
Li Hengsheng was stunned when he heard Su Xianci's words.
He didn't understand what Su Xianci meant.
So Wu Santong came up and explained the whole situation to Li Hengsheng, and only then did Li Hengsheng understand.
The person in Su Xianci's body was actually Wu Santong's soul.
In essence, Su Xianci's body had been possessed by Wu Santong, and when the person behind the scenes turned out to be the Qinglian Sword Sovereign, Li Hengsheng also breathed a sigh of relief. If it were someone else, Li Hengsheng might have found the matter unreliable, but since it was the Qinglian Sword Sovereign who took action, Li Hengsheng had no more doubts.
It was just that looking at Su Xianci's appearance, even though he knew it was his junior brother, it still made his teeth itch.
It didn't look right.
"Junior Brother, won't you regret it?" Li Hengsheng asked softly.
"What's there to regret? I'm much better off now than before," Wu Santong shook his head: "It's just a pity that from now on, my relationship with you, Senior Brother, has changed. In front of others, I may no longer be your junior brother, but privately, we're still good brothers. Once I've established myself in the Su Family, I can help you a lot!"
"Good, as long as you've decided, Junior Brother," Li Hengsheng nodded: "Senior Brother just hopes you'll get better and better. Whether you can help me is irrelevant. The main thing is that you need to be careful in the Su Family and not give yourself away."
"Don't worry, Senior Brother. Qinglian Sword Sovereign has already made arrangements for me," Wu Santong came up and gave Li Hengsheng a hug.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
After whispering this in Li Hengsheng's ear, Wu Santong took a deep breath, donned his black cloak, and then turned to leave.
The matter with the dragon blood essence was just Wu Santong testing Li Hengsheng.
Although he knew such a test shouldn't be done, Wu Santong still wanted to know if his senior brother was truly worth such a sacrifice.
And the result solidified Wu Santong's resolve to develop well in the Su Family and to play a significant role when Li Hengsheng needed him in the future.
After Wu Santong left, Li Hengsheng also departed.
Half a quarter of an hour after the two left, a figure resembling an old farmer emerged from the ground.
He quickly wrote a letter, tied it to the leg of a carrier pigeon, and the bird took flight.
But just as the pigeon had flown only a few dozen meters, a sword qi slashed through the air, killing the bird instantly.
The man was shocked and turned to run, but as he did, he saw Li Changqing, dressed in black, standing behind him.
"Qinglian Sword Sovereign!"
He looked at the person before him in surprise.
"People from Cangyuan Pavilion," Li Changqing said indifferently. "Cangyuan Pavilion really does go to great lengths to gather information, and you're everywhere, aren't you?"
"What are you talking about? I don't understand," the man quickly pretended to be innocent.
"Recognizing me at a glance and still pretending," Li Changqing said with a smile.
"I didn't hear anything, really," the man said with a grin.
But Li Changqing didn't bother with him, simply raising his hand and killing the man, turning him into a mist of blood.
The matter of Su Xianci was an absolute secret and could not be known by too many people.
A few days later, Li Changqing gave Wu Santong Su Xianci's information, instructing him to study it carefully. The portraits of many bigwigs in the Su Family were also included, drawn by quite skilled painters, and were quite accurate. At least he needed to recognize some of the more memorable figures.
The information from Medical King Valley also came back, and it was still without any anomalies.
This conclusion still seemed unbelievable to Li Changqing.
Even Yin Changli was incredulous when he heard about it and wanted to return to Medical King Valley with Mu Qingge.
However, Li Changqing ultimately refused.
It was already dangerous for Mu Qingge to return alone; bringing Yin Changli would make it even more so. Moreover, the treasure that Li Changqing had given Mu Qingge was only for her to use at a critical moment. Bringing Yin Changli would make it much harder.
Mu Qingge also felt it was better to go back and check things out herself.
So she set off in the dead of night.
Li Changqing also learned from the information bureau of North Cold Country that the people from the Su Family would probably arrive in three days.
He had to wait here for the people from the Su Family to arrive.
And the next day, Yin Fengqi brought Li Changqing a client who wanted to buy information.
Although Li Changqing's intelligence might be a day or two slower than Cangyuan Pavilion's, the price was cheaper.
That was what the buyers cared about more.
The sale of the first piece of intelligence meant that more business would come knocking.
Li Changqing also sent a letter to Yan Botao, instructing him to allocate the wealth of Changqing Trading Company reasonably. The resources for cultivating the disciples of the families in Changting Town should not be lacking; they needed to grow quickly.
Finally, after a few days, news came from Changqing Trading Company: the people from the Su Family had arrived!
The Su Family had chosen to meet at Wanliu River.
Wanliu River was a massive river near North Cold Country, lined with numerous willow trees and a vast river channel.
Many painters came here to paint on ordinary days.
The river surged down from the high mountains, resembling a gigantic waterfall.
After receiving the message, Li Changqing also released Su Zheng from the Great Dream Soul Stone.
Su Zheng, who had been cleaning toilets in prison, suddenly found himself back in the Cangyuan Realm.
But there was no joy on Su Zheng's face; instead, there was a trace of panic.
Fearful eyes and a trembling body.
"Su Zheng."
Li Changqing called out Su Zheng's name, looking at his state.
"Here!"
Su Zheng suddenly stood up and shouted loudly.
As if it had become a muscle memory.
This scene shocked even Wu Santong, who was standing by. What had happened in the Great Dream Soul Stone?
Just calling his name caused such a big reaction.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas