Five Years of Feudal Rule, Three Years of Rebellion

Li Xingluo turned her head and asked thoughtfully, "Auntie, you know him?"

The beautiful woman smiled languidly. "He's Qin Kaijiang's son. How could I not know him?"

"That's true."

Li Xingluo smiled faintly, then turned away and said no more.

The two of them didn't mean the same thing by "know."

But since her aunt was pretending not to understand, she'd better not ask either.

After all, someone who'd supposedly been confined for over a decade shouldn't know anything about the outside world.

It was just...

Li Xingluo turned back, curious. "Auntie, I remember you spent a fortune buying a Xuanmen puppet just last month. Why are you buying another one today?"

"Xuanmen? Hah..."

Li Runyue gave a soft snort. "Calling it a Xuanmen puppet is generous. It's not even fit for firewood. Your father's really gone senile. He takes any charlatan from the martial world for a true heir of Xuanmen."

Li Xingluo pondered this.

The person who'd made the puppet was no charlatan. When she'd helped Li Runyue buy it, she'd personally inspected it. It was capable of the strength of a fourth-grade expert.

The puppet's spirit core had recorded several exquisite sword techniques. With only a wisp of intent to control it, the puppet could perform the formations on its own, using far less energy than other puppets.

Yet even a puppet like that wasn't fit for firewood, according to Li Runyue.

She wondered what kind of puppet Li Runyue was looking for.

There was a puppet from the Ghost Region Kingdom at today's auction. She wondered whether it would meet her standards.

Never mind.

She was only helping her look for a puppet.

Whether she found one or not, she'd already earned the favor.

Li Xingluo glanced at the auction list and frowned slightly. It seemed the puppet wouldn't come up for quite a while.

In another private room.

"Brother Shen, you're a generous man!"

Holding the box containing the core, Yu Shanjun grinned so broadly his mouth nearly split. It felt wonderful to have something back after losing it!

Shen Jin's heart was bleeding. He'd spent two hundred top-grade spirit stones on a lousy core.

Damn bandits. They just had to choose my Flower Boat to rob.

You rob someone, then saunter off without a care, while I'm the one they shake down. And not just me—they're shaking down all my customers, too. In the end, I have to pay up just to keep this little boat of friendship afloat.

He forced a smile. "What's yours won't run away! Remember your promise. That young flood dragon from the West Sea seems to get along well with you. Bring him to the Flower Boat sometime and introduce us."

"Him? He's devoted to cultivation. He might not be willing to come."

"Hmm?"

"I'll try!"

With a favor owed, Yu Shanjun could only agree readily.

Just then,

a woman with a sinuous waist wrapped her arm around Shen Jin's. "Brother Shen Jin, I'm on good terms with that vixen from Green Hill. Could you bid for my poison sac, too?"

"Of course, of course!"

Shen Jin grinned and gave her waist a squeeze.

She smiled sweetly and squeezed him several times in return.

When Bai Yuji saw the poison sac sell for a high price, a smile tugged at her lips. "Looks like we're going to make a lot today! The gifts you collected today were all bought by that private room. That should be Shen Jin, right?"

Qin Muye curled his lip. "Who else would it be? That bastard sure doesn't mind spending money to win people over!"

Bai Yuji mused, "There's something I've never quite understood. Shen Kui has held the position of prime minister for so long that hardly anyone in court dares oppose him. Yet he still lets his youngest son go around currying favor with young talents among the Demon Race. Everyone knows the ruler and his minister are on good terms, but surely they can't be this close?"

"Who knows?"

Qin Muye brushed it off carelessly, seemingly uninterested in the matter.

But in truth, he had the same questions. The emperor seemed to have an unusually high tolerance for Shen Kui, while Shen Kui's tolerance for his ridiculous son was downright absurd.

He'd been aboard that Flower Boat. Though Shen Jin had deliberately toned things down, the air still reeked of debauchery, and the decor had an unmistakably suggestive feel.

He'd always assumed that when he wasn't around, those people must get up to some wild stuff.

But at today's birthday banquet, he'd glanced at those Demon Race wastrels, and his brain had instantly shut down.

Because those useless Demon Race types in his eyes would, after the new ruler ascended the throne, become the great heroes who led the demons and barbarians in overthrowing Great Gan.

What the hell?

When I wasn't around, were they not having wild parties at all?

Were they all together doing Five Years of Feudal Rule, Three Years of Rebellion?

That's some serious self-discipline!

Qin Muye didn't understand. He was deeply shaken.

But that was a distant concern. He cared more about something else.

He looked toward Bai Yuji and put an apple in her hand. "Looks like we're going to have a bumper crop today. After converting the spirit stones, we should get at least forty thousand taels of silver. I'll add another five thousand. Tell me who was behind the attempt on my life, will you?"

Bai Yuji: "..."

Five thousand taels!?

She couldn't help glaring at Qin Muye. The bastard knew perfectly well she'd never sell out her own people, yet he'd deliberately named a price to tempt her.

What a vicious scheme!

She gave a soft snort and simply looked away.

Qin Muye curled his lip but didn't press further. After all, this was their internal business. No matter how many dirty tricks they'd played against each other, the Nanzhao Remnants led by Bai Yuji were outsiders through and through. They couldn't stir things up in Capital City without the support of a local big shot.

Forget it. Back to watching.

He leaned against the window and continued watching the auction. A one-way light-passing formation was engraved on the window: those inside could see everything outside, while no one outside could see in. There was no need to worry about anyone watching them.

The consigned goods sold one after another, and the smile never left his face.

Those young Demon Race members might be treated well in Capital City, but they were a bunch of country bumpkins without any organization behind them to make money. When they suddenly got shaken down, they'd all had to cough up their savings for marriage. Without Shen Jin, their cultivation would've been delayed.

Shen Jin was a real friend, spending all that money to win them over, while the collectibles that had been stripped from Qin Muye were bought up by everyone else.

Once all the consigned goods had been put up for sale, Qin Muye stretched and started to head back to his seat for a rest.

But before he could take a step, the auctioneer's excited voice rang out. "Up next is a puppet personally crafted by the head of the Gongshu Clan. Its entire body is made of black iron.

"It contains forty-nine offensive secret arts, and its spirit core was inscribed by seven experts working together. It's powered by a spirit-stone formation, and even someone with no cultivation can operate it and unleash near-grandmaster-level strength."

Whoa!

The Gongshu Clan!

They were masters of the puppet-making tradition.

Qin Muye was interested. The best thing about the Thread-Crafter was its capacity to embrace all things, incorporating any puppet-making techniques from the outside.

This puppet had been personally crafted by the head of the Gongshu Clan. It had to represent the pinnacle of their craft. If he could buy it and take it apart for a good look, he'd surely learn a lot.

Bai Yuji looked at him in surprise. "You want it?"

Qin Muye put on an excited expression. "It's the head of the Gongshu Clan's masterpiece, powered by a spirit-stone formation, with a spirit core packed with battle techniques. And its entire body is made of black iron..."

The auctioneer's voice rang out from outside. "Bidding starts at one thousand spirit stones. Each bid must go up by at least one hundred."

Qin Muye grew even more excited. "And all it can do is reach near-grandmaster level? What the hell is near-grandmaster? Isn't that still just fourth-grade? All those fine materials piled together to make this piece of junk. It's a heap of garbage. Only an idiot would buy it."

Bai Yuji: "..."

"Pfft!"

She couldn't help laughing aloud.

Money could turn friends into enemies.