Scheming

Two hours later.

With the ten thousand taels in banknotes Lord Sinan had given him tucked in his clothes, Xia Qi'an swaggered out of Si Nanyue Manor with Yang Wei.

The negotiations went exceptionally smoothly this time.

Yang Wei and Si Nanyue each generously contributed ten thousand taels as the initial investment.

Xia Qi'an now had more than thirty thousand taels of silver in total.

Part of it had to be used to purchase the raw materials for making soap.

The rest of the silver could be freely allocated.

Now that he had money, Xia Qi'an naturally had to waste no time completing his cultivation of the Golden Body Technique.

As luck would have it, he had Yang Wei reserve eight bottles of Bone Tempering Fluid for him.

Those eight bottles of Bone Tempering Fluid were enough to temper all the bones in his body.

Afterward, Xia Qi'an went to inspect the workshop producing Scented Soap.

It had originally been a dilapidated tofu workshop, but after careful renovations, it had been transformed into a workshop for making Scented Soap.

As for the workers making Scented Soap, Xia Qi'an arranged for them to study in batches.

Three people were assigned to each individual step of the process. They neither interfered with one another nor met one another.

As for the most crucial raw material in making Scented Soap—the fragrance—Xia Qi'an carefully refrained from entrusting it to anyone.

After all, each bar of Scented Soap only required a few drops of fragrance.

He could easily refine a large quantity of fragrance in one go, then safely hand it over to the workers for use.

That way, he could sleep soundly without worry.

In truth, Xia Qi'an had also considered the possibility that the technology might leak in the future and competitors might emerge.

That was precisely why he had recruited Si Nanyue as a partner.

After all, in Jinling City, no faction dared offend Si Nanyue.

Once all the production arrangements for the Scented Soap workshop had been settled, Xia Qi'an returned home and devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation.

For the next three days, he stayed at home cultivating.

Having already tempered the bones in his hands before, the process of tempering all his bones went extremely smoothly this time.

After finishing the tempering, Xia Qi'an eagerly performed an inner inspection.

He saw that all the bones in his body were crystal-clear and translucent, as though carved from the finest jade. He was utterly amazed.

Afterward, Xia Qi'an rose and went into the courtyard.

After cultivating the Golden Body Technique to the second layer, Xia Qi'an's entire bearing and aura had undergone a heaven-shaking, earth-shaking transformation. The muscle lines across his body were as though cast in bronze and forged in iron, giving him a rugged, rock-solid air.

Not only that, but his figure had also grown tall and upright.

A rough estimate put him at around one meter eighty-five.

Unfortunately, this bone tempering had not brought about the effect of blood exchange.

Xia Qi'an guessed that perhaps the requirements for the final blood exchange were extraordinarily harsh, and that he would need to find some special heavenly treasure to assist him before he could complete it.

After this breakthrough, Xia Qi'an's blood vitality had nearly doubled, while his strength had increased by more than a factor of two.

Next, Xia Qi'an began practicing the Great Strength Vajra Fist.

This fist art was fierce and tyrannical, capable of smashing through anything.

According to the classification of martial arts into Heaven, Earth, and Human grades, it belonged to the external hard skill category of Human-grade martial arts.

Techniques like the Extreme Wind Thunder Force, which could mobilize the power of nature, belonged to Earth-grade martial arts.

The cultivation of fist arts valued perseverance, like water dripping through stone.

During practice, it was like a spring breeze brushing the willows or rain and dew moistening flowers, serving to temper the bones and muscles throughout the body.

With his daily hundred repetitions of the fist art, breaking through the realm came as naturally as ripe melons dropping from their vines and water flowing along its course.

Xia Qi'an remained calm and composed as he slowly assumed a fighting stance.

Then the muscles in both his arms tensed, and a faint golden halo rose over his long, sturdy arms.

Next, his entire body shook. The pale golden radiance burst forth like fireworks, then transformed into specks of starlight and dispersed.

At this point, the Great Strength Vajra Fist had broken through to the minor mastery realm.

Once the Great Strength Vajra Fist reached minor mastery, it could, driven by the force of his blood vitality, condense two illusory Vajra Arms.

When facing an enemy, it would be as though he possessed four arms, greatly enhancing his combat power.

After completing one hundred repetitions of the Great Strength Vajra Fist, Xia Qi'an did not rest for even a moment before throwing himself wholeheartedly into cultivating Ghost Shadow Trace.

This marvelous movement technique greatly increased his combat power. Just imagine—a martial artist with Bronze Skin and Iron Bones and immense strength who also possessed a movement technique as ghostly as a specter. How terrifying would that be?

Xia Qi'an's seclusion cultivation this time lasted a total of seven days. During that period, Liu Qing had come to look for him. But seeing that he was cultivating behind closed doors, she did not disturb him. The moment Xia Qi'an emerged from seclusion, Liu Qing came knocking.

"You've already become the Snake Guard Commander. Do you still need to come personally to deliver missions?" Xia Qi'an teased when he saw her arrive in person.

"Heh... I'm no Chu Shiqing..." Liu Qing was completely at ease in front of Xia Qi'an. She plopped herself down on the stone table, stretched lazily, and spoke.

"But you really are a freak. It's only been a few days since we last met, and your martial cultivation has advanced again..."

"Seriously... maybe one day you'll be able to become a Tiger Guard!" Liu Qing could naturally see the changes that had occurred in Xia Qi'an.

"A Tiger Guard? Isn't it too early to talk about that?" Xia Qi'an said dismissively.

"Not early at all. Even a Tiger Guard needs people working under him!"

Stirred by Liu Qing's words, Xia Qi'an asked curiously, "What... could it be that you don't want to sit in that position yourself?"

Liu Qing shook her head. "With my aptitude, at most I'll become the Chief Snake Guard Commander in the future. Become a Tiger Guard? That's a pipe dream!"

"But you're different. You have extraordinary talent, so perhaps you really can sit in that position! When the time comes, I and all the Snake Guard brothers under me will support you with everything we've got!"

Xia Qi'an hurriedly waved his hands. "Forget it... you're drawing the pie far too big. I don't have the fortune to enjoy it."

"However!... The Snake Guards of Jinling City are willing to support you on one condition: let us participate in your Scented Soap business! We only want ten percent of the profits!" Liu Qing's eyes gleamed as she finally revealed her true aim.

How could Xia Qi'an fail to understand what Liu Qing meant? He complained, "Could you Snake Guards stop watching me like ghosts? We're colleagues, after all. Isn't what you're doing a bit too much...?"

Liu Qing smiled. "The Snake Guards are responsible for surveillance in the first place. This isn't excessive... But if you agree to my request, I can stop sending people to watch you!"

Xia Qi'an deliberately put on a troubled expression. "Well... this business isn't mine to decide alone right now! Yang Wei goes without saying—you've definitely already approached him. The main issue is Lord Sinan..."

However, Liu Qing seemed to have expected Xia Qi'an to say this long ago. "As for Lord Sinan... go and pass on a message to her. Tell her that our Snake Guards are willing to cooperate sincerely with the Hound Guards and ease relations!"

Xia Qi'an hurriedly tried to refuse. "What kind of status does Lord Sinan have...? I'm just a lowly Hound Guard. How could I possibly be qualified to pass on a message to her?"

Liu Qing wore a sly grin. "You've been frequently entering and leaving Si Nanyue Manor lately. You're already Lord Sinan's right-hand man. How could you not be qualified to pass on a message?"

"When did I become Lord Sinan's confidant? Why didn't I know?" Xia Qi'an protested.

"Heh... stop explaining! Go ask around yourself—among the Hound Guards of the Jinling Wei Dao Si, is there anyone who can enter and leave Si Nanyue Manor at will?"

"So what? I go to Si Nanyue Manor purely on official business!" Xia Qi'an argued, standing on reason.

After joking around, Liu Qing grew serious. "Fine... official business it is! As for this message, are you going to deliver it or not?"

"I'll think about it!..."