Divine Weapon

On the other hand, the 'passing traveler' did not seem anxious.

Li Qi sat by the inn, teasing the little fox, looking very relaxed.

Shen Shuibi was busy, with the rabbit carving talismans, setting up formations, and burying different kinds of energy all over the inn, while chanting incantations.

"Six inches is one breath, four to two feet and four inches is one knife, twenty-four feet is four gui, two hundred and forty feet, six zhu... Yin Wen fire is one hundred and eight breaths, Wu Ji fire is sixty-four, Bing Fire is seventy-two... Ah, it's drawn wrong."

Then she frantically knocked down and repainted everything, running all over the house and making a mess of the place.

Fortunately, she's very cute.

So no one had any objections.

However, even if they had opinions, no one dared to say anything.

Everyone knows that this seemingly cute and absent-minded girl actually almost killed a reclusive master of the eighth rank.

But there weren't many people there; they were all the original staff and helpers, and there wasn't a single customer.

The entire inn had already been cleaned up. After returning that day, Piaoxu asked all the guests to leave one by one and compensated them. After that, she refused to accept any guests.

Even Piaoxu herself knew that her place would likely become the center of a whirlpool, so she quickly emptied the inn.

As for the guests, they themselves had long wanted to leave.

Knowing that a hidden eighth-rank official lives next to you... it's a really bad feeling, especially when she's offended someone.

Therefore, for the time being, there are only two guests in the inn: Li Qi and Shen Shuibi.

Li Qi held a small, red fox with smooth fur in his arms and said, "Don't worry, Qi Ya, we know this was caused by me, and we won't just walk away. Why are you so worried?"

The little fox he was teasing was named Qi Ya, and she was Piaoxu's younger sister, though not her biological sister. She was a little fox that had been found and had developed a spiritual connection.

Although it has awakened its spirit, it has not yet Demon Transformation and still retains some wild animal habits, and it cannot speak.

The demons do not care about blood relations, but only distinguish their kind by their intelligence, so their relationship is no worse than that of biological sisters.

It is said that the two foxes from the Clear Mist Sect, Hu Xian'er and Hu Meier, are not biological children, because the demons don't care about such things at all.

Qi Ya heard what Li Qi said, he wagged his tail and gently nibbled on Li Qi's sleeve, looking very happy.

Li Qi also quite liked the little red fox. While stroking its fluffy red tail, he pondered what to do next.

Li Qi has actually been quite busy these past few days.

Shen Shuibi was in charge of things like protection, while he obtained a lot of information from the people who came to visit him through inquiries or some Shaman Path.

First, Jin Buhuan's identity was confirmed by multiple parties. Many people who came to visit him said that Jin Buhuan was the most valued son of the Green Mountain Mountain God.

This man was arrogant and domineering, and his temper was unpredictable. Relying on his father's power, he considered himself a divine son, kept countless concubines, and was extremely licentious. He often forcibly took young women as his concubines, and sometimes he would not even touch them, but only for his own amusement.

He also lavishly gifted his harem members, inviting people to banquets. If anyone took a fancy to someone, they could take them away without any repercussions.

In addition, he also engaged in large-scale construction projects and built gardens. In Clear Mist City alone, he had three or four gardens, each one luxurious and extravagant, using countless amounts of gold and jade, as well as countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

However, he left most of these gardens idle, locked up all year round, with only a few old servants guarding them. For twenty years, he never visited them.

He also had a fondness for exquisite objects and a love for collecting beautiful jade. In short, he liked anything that cost a fortune. He didn't do any serious work, leaving everything to his maids. He spent his days either feasting, engaging in debauchery in the harem, or participating in gambling outside. He was a typical spoiled brat, indulging in sensual pleasures and living a life of extravagance and debauchery.

Those who heard it all cursed and swore.

But Li Qi saw something else in it.

Despite his extravagant spending, he didn't seem to have become poor; on the contrary, he became even more lavish.

When Li Qi inquired about the people who came to visit him, most of them cursed Jin Buhuan for using insidious means to seize and plunder, causing them heavy losses.

He also noticed that many wealthy merchants and magnates in the city did not come, and even the Clear Mist Sect seemed not to see him at all, and did not come to his door.

All these signs made Li Qi sigh repeatedly.

Although no one spoke well of him, Li Qi still managed to deduce some things with the help of various clues.

First of all, although Jin Buhuan is arrogant and domineering, even willful and reckless, and kills indiscriminately, daring to burn down a small market just because of a moment of anger, in reality... this person seems to be very capable. He is indeed extravagant, but he has also made a lot of money.

Whatever he buys, he uses only liquid assets, which are circulating monetary currencies.

Some people followed his example, gambling, collecting beautiful maids, and indulging in all sorts of entertainment, regardless of their social standing. They abandoned their studies to pursue these vices, and within a few years, their wealth was completely squandered. Only he seemed to grow richer and richer no matter how much he squandered his money, and there was no sign of his wealth dwindling.

Because he never lightly touches the means of production, that is, the real 'industries'; he preserves each one very well and never uses them lightly, his bottom line is very clear.

Furthermore, his style offended many people, so Li Qi only had a minor conflict with him, gained some advantage over him, and won the battle in an encounter. It was just a small matter, but immediately some people came to his door, trying to recommend Li Qi and have Li Qi stand on their side to oppose Jin Buhuan. Obviously, these people had long been at odds with Jin Buhuan.

However, there were other wealthy and powerful families who firmly stood by his side.

The act of gifting concubines may seem licentious, but in reality, wasn't it also a gesture of goodwill and a form of bribery?

He often gets carried away with his playful nature, running to various shops and spending lavishly. But what if this is just his way of expressing his attitude?

Furthermore, no matter how you look at it, the various industry associations controlled by Jin Buhuan have firmly bound another group of people to his side.

He was not some lonely, spoiled rich kid that everyone disliked, but rather a truly powerful force in Clear Mist City.

Secondly, the attitude of the Clear Mist Sect is very subtle.

It's true that the Green Mountain Mountain God is a sixth-rank official, but the local power is, after all, the Clear Mist Sect. Hu Xian'er and Hu Meier are both seventh-rank officials, and Clear Mist City is a city officially designated and sealed by the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord. Here, the Green Mountain Mountain God probably can't be too presumptuous.

So far, there has been no word of the Clear Mist Sect reacting to Jin Buhuan's previous actions. They have neither shown goodwill nor made enemies; they have simply ignored him.

What is the Clear Mist Sect thinking?

The clues were intertwined, preventing Li Qi from rashly becoming the first to stick his neck out. He had originally planned to leave and go somewhere else, but since he had gotten involved with Piaoxu, if he left, she would surely die without a burial place.

This would violate Li Qi's principles, preventing him from packing up and continuing on his way.

"Hmm... we still need to keep watching. Let's ensure our own safety and observe Jin Buhuan's reaction." After pondering for a long time, Li Qi finally decided to observe further.

Now, there's one more target in Clear Mist City.

That is to help the Piaoxu escape danger.

Once you've finished this, run away as fast as you can.

No matter how powerful the local bullies are, they're still just local bullies. Once they leave Green Mountain Kingdom, they might never see each other again in their lifetime.

"Old Ma's Cultivation Method helped Piaoxu escape danger..." Li Qi silently recited his goal and then memorized it.

Old Ma can take his time with his Cultivation Method. Cultivation Method can be found everywhere; there's no need to find them here.

Just as he was pondering these things, a loud noise suddenly rang out outside.

It wasn't the kind of loud bang, but rather... a musical instrument.

First came the beating of drums, then the blowing of horns, then more drumming, followed by playing wind and string instruments and singing, and festive music resounded.

The rabbit trembled in fright, made another mistake, and sadly scraped it off to start over.

Setting up formations is something that can only be done by using pre-made formation plates or magical Law Treasure that can be quickly changed according to the timing and location, unless you are like Shen Shuibi, honestly surveying the feng shui, examining the earth's veins, determining the celestial phenomena, and then slowly setting up different formations according to the specific situation.

While there are diagrams and blueprints for formations, they are essentially formulas. To truly apply them in a specific environment requires considerable effort and study.

The rabbit buried its head and continued carving.

Upon hearing the music, Li Qi frowned, put the Qi Ya aside, stood up, and went outside.

Hearing the noise, Piaoxu quickly came out, but Li Qi waved his hand, signaling her to go back.

Piaoxu had no choice but to retreat, leaning against the doorway, watching Li Qi walk out.

I had just stepped out the door when I saw a line of cars parked outside!

The caravan was drawn by two chestnut-colored steeds, all top-quality horses. The carriages behind them were fully loaded with large, heavy red leather trunks.

In front of the carriage were sedan chairs, golden lanterns, torches, and offerings of vegetables, fruits, and livestock, all surrounding the carriage.

Beside the spirit horse, dozens of people stood in attendance, with singing and drumming, creating a lively and festive atmosphere. If Li Qi didn't know their purpose, he would have thought they had come to propose marriage and take a wife.

Li Qi went out and looked up, only to see a master of ceremonies standing at the door. Upon seeing Li Qi, the master immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Mr. Li! I am a servant of the Jin family. I have come here on the orders of the young master to present a gift for the matter from last time!"

Li Qi hadn't reacted yet.

But after speaking, he immediately stood up straight and, without waiting for Li Qi's reaction, ordered the servants beside him to unfold a long couplet.

The two servants each held one end of the long scroll and paced to the left and right, slowly unfurling it.

The long red banner was three zhang long, and it could only be unfolded by two people each holding one end; one person definitely could not carry it all.

The master of ceremonies walked to the far right and loudly announced, "Today, we present this especially to Mr. Li—!"

"Three thousand catties of gold!"

"Six thousand bolts of colored silk!"

"Eight hundred Spirit Flower!"

"Twelve Xuande incense burners!"

"Fifteen cartloads of calligraphy and paintings!"

"Eight and a half cartloads of fresh fruits and vegetables!"

"Ironwood, thirty-three feet long!"

"The red coral from the East China Sea is eighteen feet long!"

"Thirty catties of stone!"

"Six Beauty-themed Gu (wine cups)!"

Two peony variants, 'One Foot Snow'!

"Twenty amber beads wrapped in insects!"

"Twelve jade ruyi scepters!"

As he read out a name, someone would step forward and open the box.

Each box, when opened, seemed to shimmer with a precious light.

But inside the box on the vehicle, a hundred treasures appeared: pearls swirling in amber, white snow emitting smoke, coral forming trees, rosy clouds blooming, pearls shining like stars, and jade seemingly spewing forth blue flames, like a thousand layers of fire. Countless rare treasures were piled up like mountains, and one could only see the radiant light emanating from them, making it difficult to see all the treasures inside.

Li Qi was also stunned.

He had never seen such a... such a horrific scene.

This scene truly stunned him.

Is this what rich people are like?

But that wasn't all. The gift list was three zhang long, and it took a quarter of an hour to read it aloud.

The treasure chests were opened, and they stretched for half a street.

Finally, the official in charge of ceremonies roared again, "A fragment of eighth-grade golden energy, Innate Divine Weapon born in nature!"

The box at the very back of the carriage was opened, revealing a long knife. As soon as it was revealed, it seemed as if blood and flesh were flying everywhere, with shouts of killing and screams echoing, and severed limbs and carcasses scattered all around!

Immediately afterwards, a sliver of crystalline light pierced through the sea of blood, unmoved by the thunder, rain, wind, and clouds, piercing through the entire sea of blood.

All the treasures paled in comparison to this object!

All the previous dazzling light was suppressed.

Even Li Qi was surprised.

Eighth rank!?

Are you kidding me!

This can be given as a gift!?

What does the eighth rank mean? Even in a large city like Clear Mist City with a floating population of tens of millions, how many people can be ranked eighth?

Li Qi estimated that there were only about a hundred or two hundred of them.

The entire Clear Mist City.

If it's the ninth rank, it's one in a thousand.

An eighth-rank official is one in a million!

The saying "one rank, one level" is no joke; each promotion is incredibly difficult.

Rank 8 items and Rank 9 items are completely different. It's basically impossible to fight across ranks unless you're a powerful figure like Shen Shuibi who has fallen from a higher rank and still has a high-grade Law Treasure.

Li Qi boasted that he could defeat dozens of ragtag ninth-rank soldiers without proper lineage, but when faced with a self-taught ragtag eighth-rank soldier, he only had one thought in his mind: to run away.

This is absolute suppression, an insurmountable chasm.

The first spirit he communicated with, that Elder Li from the Great Deer Kingdom, was an extremely low-ranking eighth-grade being.

However, his abilities were enough to orchestrate events after his death, allowing him to continue to retain his memories, cultivate the path of ghosts, and easily Curse a wealthy family to ruin and die, severing their fortune.

Li Qi can't do any of that now. He's still keeping the ghostly energy that Elder Li gave him as Trump Card.

Thinking of this, Li Qi couldn't help but take two steps forward to see the divine weapon.

It was a long knife.

His body moved with the strength of a snake's spine, twisting and bending, his expression filled with intense anger.

The hilt of the knife is like scales and claws, grasping and seizing, unrestrained and righteous, its mane bristling like needles, bared in anger like a halberd, seemingly Blood Qi.

Just one glance is enough to feel the sharpness hidden within!