Translator: AnubisTL
Giant Rock City, the territory of the Red Fish Merchant Guild.
In an elegant, two-story building, an elderly man with white hair and beard, radiating an air of refinement, sat quietly in meditation before a tea table inlaid with colorful gems.
After a long while, a servant approached respectfully, leaning in to whisper a few words.
"Hmm? Why would Miao Qi of the Green Gang come to see me?"
"Could it be that Blackrock City has unearthed another new wine cellar?"
Xiang Fa had ruled this city for many years, and he had a particular fondness for the mortal-brewed beverages.
Especially the decades-old vintages unearthed from the ancient cellars—the mere thought of them made his mouth water and his appetite surge.
Xiang Fa didn't dwell on it. He still had some memory of Miao Qi, a member of the Green Gang's Council of Elders. Miao Qi possessed no martial skills and usually handled the gang's administrative affairs.
He had even delivered wine to Xiang Fa on several occasions before. The city's de facto ruler immediately summoned Miao Qi.
"Yes, let him in," Xiang Fa said casually.
In this End of Dao Era, though his mana was nearing depletion, he still habitually viewed the city's other inhabitants as mere mortals, considering himself superior.
This was the kind of respect he had rarely experienced before, but now he reveled in the pleasure that power brought.
In the End of Dao Era, Xiang Fa had forged his own path. He cultivated Armored Pigs, creatures adapted to this Dark Era, and used their blood and strange mushrooms to concoct a crude pill called the Vital Blood Pill.
Though it paled in comparison to the Qi Blood Pill, Xiang Fa had managed to brute-force his way to becoming an Inner Strength Martial Artist through sheer quantity.
In his eyes, this alone made him a formidable figure.
Compared to those cultivators still desperately dreaming of finding a new path to cultivation, Xiang Fa believed his actions were the only true way forward.
"Alas, the end of the Immortal Path..."
Whenever he thought of this, the former cultivator couldn't help but lament.
Even in the End of Dao Era, he lived so comfortably. If spiritual energy hadn't dried up, he might have truly achieved something on the Immortal Path!
"Lord Xiang, Elder Miao Qi of the Green Gang has arrived," a servant announced respectfully, leading in a lean man with a shrewd, worldly air about him. This was Elder Miao Qi.
"Hmm, Miao Qi, why have you come to see me so suddenly?" Xiang Fa asked casually, enjoying Miao Qi's obsequious expression. His mood immediately brightened.
Miao Qi maintained his respectful demeanor. "Lord Xiang, my Master wishes to exchange for a cultivation manual."
Xiang Fa was stunned for a moment, his mind blank. After a long pause, he sneered. "Exchange for a cultivation manual? Hahaha! What utter foolishness!"
In the next instant, Xiang Fa's tone turned icy. "I spared you and even allowed the Green Gang to take root in Giant Rock City. That was already an enormous concession on my part."
"To put it bluntly, the entire Green Gang is still my private property. And yet you dare to make demands of me now?"
These thunderous words didn't faze Miao Qi. He continued to smile.
This air of composure made Xiang Fa uneasy. He frowned and asked, "Hmph, has that Zhao Kou brat finally become an Inner Strength Martial Artist? I underestimated him. But even so, does that dimwitted girl, An Xuan, really think she can negotiate with me?"
Miao Qi maintained his respectful demeanor. "Lord Xiang, you misunderstand. Our Gang Leader harbors no disrespect toward you. He's merely curious about this so-called path of cultivation."
Suppressing the urge to slap the man before him to death, Xiang Fa said in a low voice, "In the end, you're all mortals. I can understand your longing for cultivation, but what conditions can your Gang Leader offer in exchange?"
Hearing Xiang Fa finally soften, Miao Qi felt a slight sense of relief. He quickly retrieved a gourd from his chest, removed the stopper, and released a rich, intoxicating aroma of wine.
"Mmm, this is good wine," Xiang Fa said, his eyes narrowing as he inhaled deeply, savoring the aroma like an old wine connoisseur. "The fragrance is intense, yet it carries a subtle hint of youthful freshness."
"Quick, quick! Bring the wine over here!"
Miao Qi immediately handed over the gourd.
However, Xiang Fa was cautious by nature. He sniffed the gourd's mouth cautiously before pouring out two small cups.
"You two drink first."
He addressed Miao Qi and the servant who had delivered the message earlier. The servant's face immediately paled, his eyes betraying a hint of fear.
Miao Qi was the first to finish his small cup of wine. Only then did the messenger relax, downing his own small cup in one gulp.
After a long moment, Xiang Fa confirmed that neither man showed any ill effects. Only then did he reveal a hint of pity, taking a small sip of his own.
"Ha! Excellent wine!"
Seeing Xiang Fa's satisfaction, Miao Qi pressed his advantage. "Lord Xiang, my Master still has a jar of this wine. He wishes to exchange it for an Immortal Path cultivation manual."
Xiang Fa waved his hand dismissively. "To be honest, we're in the End of Dao Era now. Even if I gave you the manual, what good would it do?"
"There's no spiritual energy left in the world. You can't cultivate immortality anymore. It's all useless methods now."
Miao Qi persisted. "My Master only wishes to glimpse the glory of the Immortal Path, to catch a glimpse of its former splendor. Since the methods are useless, would Lord Xiang be willing to grant him this small favor?"
At this point, Miao Qi's resolve was clear.
Accustomed to his position of power, Xiang Fa's expression turned icy, his voice growing cold.
"It seems that Zhao Kou has indeed grown bolder since becoming an Inner Strength Martial Artist, daring to send a dog like you to defy me."
"Go back now and tell that girl An Xuan to personally deliver all the wine. I'll let this matter slide. Otherwise..."
The words hung in the air, and the atmosphere instantly turned tense.
At that moment, a long sigh drifted through the room.
"Sigh..."
Li Qing, who had witnessed the entire scene from start to finish, knew there was no room for compromise. Even if he retreated today, the Green Gang would forever be haunted by this white-haired old man.
To eliminate future troubles for the Green Gang, it seemed he had to commit the act of slaying an immortal today!
"Who's there?! Come out at once!" Old Man Xiang's eyes widened in fury as he roared at the sound of the sigh.
He hadn't even noticed a fourth person in the room!
Boom!
Suddenly, a surge of Internal Strength erupted from the rafters above.
Startled and enraged, Old Man Xiang looked up to see a figure descending like a leaping tiger!
"Hmph, courting death! Do you really think I'm some old Martial Artist whose Vital Energy has withered with age?"
Boom!
Xiang Fa immediately channeled his own Vital Energy, then thrust a palm upward toward the descending Li Qing.
Bang!
The moment their fists and palms collided, a look of utter horror flashed across Xiang Fa's eyes.
A terrifying, overwhelming surge of Internal Strength, like an unstoppable river, crushed his palm and shattered his entire arm in an instant.
The old man with white hair and beard was knocked to the ground in the blink of an eye.
"Hmph, just Inner Strength," Li Qing said, retracting his fist and gathering his Vital Energy. He looked down at the old man lying on the ground.
"How could a Transformed Strength Martial Artist possibly be here?!"
Xiang Fa despaired, unable to comprehend how a Grandmaster-level Martial Artist could exist in Giant Rock City.
How could such a powerful Martial Artist suddenly appear? There had been no hint of one before!
"Who exactly are you?" Xiang Fa turned his head with great difficulty, trying to imprint the tall figure into his memory.
But Li Qing answered him with a kick.
Bang!
With a dull thud, Xiang Fa's other arm was completely crippled.
"My name is Li Qing. You could say I'm a Qing from the Green Gang."
Li Qing crouched down, looking at the elderly cultivator. "Alright, now it's my turn to ask questions. If you answer honestly, I might let you live out your remaining years in peace."
"Ask away," Old Man Xiang said, his eyes filled with terror. He knew his life was completely in Li Qing's hands.
Seeing this, Li Qing nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand, dismissing Miao Qi and the other stunned messenger from the room.
"First question: Where are you hiding all the things related to cultivation?"
Li Qing spoke with a hint of frustration. Before coming here, he had secretly searched the entire Red Fish Merchant Guild, but found nothing related to cultivation—not even a hidden chamber.
Old Man Xiang feigned a look of readiness to answer, but instead of words, he spat out a lightning-fast dart aimed straight for Li Qing's throat.
Clang!
In less than a blink of an eye, a crisp sound rang out as the dart was deflected.
Seeing this, Xiang Fa's despair deepened. "A Low-Grade Magic Artifact? No, it's just a prototype. How could a mere mortal like you possess such a thing?"
Li Qing hadn't come unprepared. He had learned the trick of spitting out hidden weapons from a certain grudge-bearing woman with the surname Qiu, who was notorious for spitting out date pits!
"This is the first and last time I'll say this: If you cooperate honestly, I'll let you live out your remaining days in peace."
As he spoke, Li Qing playfully twirled the silver Wandering Dragon Dagger in his hand.
Low-Grade Magic Artifact prototype... He silently etched those words into his memory.
(End of the Chapter)
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