Li Fugui's plan had fallen apart before it even began.
"That damned demon!"
Lu Guan ignored Li Fugui's grumbling, however. His attention had been caught entirely by what Wang Muzhi had just said.
Great Li had endured for three thousand years, yet Fruitless Cave had existed even longer than the dynasty?
It truly was a deeply rooted demon of venerable standing.
"But don't panic, everyone."
Seeing their varied expressions, Wang Muzhi hurriedly collected himself and offered reassurance:
"This ape demon has surrounded us without killing us, and deliberately released its presence. What for? To draw the higher-ups here to negotiate, of course.
"So there is still room for things to turn around."
Hearing this, Li Fugui felt somewhat reassured.
He understood what Wang Muzhi had left unsaid.
The other party was primarily after Lu Guan. The three of them were merely incidental extras and would most likely be fine.
But it wasn't the ten thousand likely outcomes one feared, but the one unlikely exception...
What if negotiations with that old ape broke down?
What if it thought nothing of killing a few more True Qi Realm martial artists?
Who could fathom what these demons were thinking?
He glanced at Lu Guan, his lips moving, but ultimately said nothing.
Just then, Lu Guan suddenly spoke. "Patriarch Li, could we speak in private?"
Li Fugui froze at his words.
He had never known this young commandant before. Today was their first meeting, and they had barely exchanged pleasantries. What could they possibly have to discuss in private?
Besides, all he wanted right now was to stay far away from this troublemaker, Lu Guan.
If the ape demon attacked later and he stood too close, even getting splashed with blood would be bad luck.
Wang Muzhi and Meng Shuo also cast questioning looks their way.
The two exchanged a glance, each finding confusion in the other's eyes.
What connection could these two possibly have?
Yet Lu Guan was firm. Seeing the youth rise, Li Fugui's mouth twitched, and he could only steel himself and follow.
In the rear hall.
"Lord Lu, you can speak plainly now."
Li Fugui stood with his hands behind his back, looking over with a smile.
His words, however, were full of formality and detachment.
Lu Guan casually shut the door and turned around, looking at him calmly without beating around the bush:
"I want to trade for the Li Household's True Qi Realm internal cultivation heart method."
As his words fell, Li Fugui's expression changed. He could no longer maintain even his superficial smile.
"Absolutely impossible!" he blurted out almost instantly.
How could a method handed down through generations pass into another's hands?
To take a darker view, what if the other party exploited its flaws to attack members of the Li Household?
With sufficiently deep study, one could find weaknesses in the meridians through a heart method.
This cultivation method was what had allowed his Li Household to establish itself in Qianqiu County for a hundred years. He could sell anything but this.
This was his bottom line!
Besides, could a newly promoted commandant like you afford it?
When words found no common ground, even half a sentence was too much.
His face dark, Li Fugui snorted coldly and turned to walk past Lu Guan and push open the door.
An arm barred his path, utterly motionless.
"I offer a Gang Condensation Realm body-refining martial art."
"..."
The room fell so silent that a falling pin could have been heard.
Then came the sound of hurried breathing.
Li Fugui silently retreated half a step, his entire body seemingly struck by an immobilization technique.
Only his eyes remained fixed on Lu Guan, flames dancing deep within his pupils.
"Lord Lu, you're not joking with me?"
Although he wanted nothing to do with Lu Guan, then again...
How could a mere True Qi Realm heart method compare with a Gang Condensation Realm body-refining martial art?
In fact, even if a Gang Condensation Realm internal cultivation heart method had been placed before him, Li Fugui would not have lost his composure like this.
Internal cultivation heart methods depended on natural talent. Who knew how many generations of Li descendants would pass, or how many sticks of incense they would have to burn, before someone with the aptitude for Gang Condensation appeared?
Body-refining martial arts were different.
They demanded far less comprehension and placed more emphasis on piling up resources.
As it happened, money was what their Li Household lacked least.
Gold and silver-they had as much as anyone could want.
It was simply a match made in heaven!
"Patriarch Li, wasn't it absolutely impossible?"
"..."
The dark clouds cleared from Li Fugui's face, and his mouth spread into a brilliant smile. His expression changed as quickly as turning a page. "I was merely jesting."
"Since Lord Lu has asked, of course I must show you some respect."
"It's only a True Qi Realm heart method. At your request, my lord, I won't utter a word of objection!"
Lu Guan gave a faint chuckle at that.
Li Fugui's decision had been entirely within his expectations.
As long as this patriarch of the Li Household was no fool, he would never pass up this deal.
After all, the stakes each side offered were on entirely different levels.
His reason for choosing Li Fugui rather than Wang Muzhi or Meng Shuo was simple-
Those two practiced official heart methods. The court's regulations were strict, and privately teaching them was a serious crime.
Otherwise, how would Li Fugui ever have had the chance to scoop up such an enormous bargain?
How could a small aristocratic clan's heart method compare with those Great Li had painstakingly compiled through smashing mountain strongholds and razing temples?
Lu Guan took the paper and brushes he had prepared from his sleeve and spread them on the table.
Each took a weasel-hair brush, and they began writing out their cultivation methods' mnemonics from memory at the same time.
He had personally derived the Nine Heavens Dragon-Elephant Secret Record through the panel and had long since cultivated it to perfection. Now his brush flew, flowing like clouds and water.
Across from him, Li Fugui wrote just as swiftly. He had practiced this inherited heart method for most of his life; it had long since been carved into his bones.
Once the ink had dried, Lu Guan reached out first and took what Li Fugui had written.
The strokes on the paper were rounded, the structure upright, with the bearing of a master evident between the lines.
He raised an eyebrow. This wealthy old landlord certainly wrote an elegant hand.
By contrast, the handwriting he had produced through his predecessor's muscle memory, though legible, looked like ghostly scrawls beside the other man's.
[True Qi · Mountain-Moving Heart Method (uninitiated)]
Lu Guan skimmed it, and the panel recorded it.
Meanwhile, Li Fugui gently caressed the calligraphy in his hands, his gaze unwavering, as though looking at some peerless beauty.
His fingers slowly slid across the paper, his lips moving as he silently recited the mnemonics written there.
"Wonderful... wonderful..."
To his eye as a True Qi Realm martial artist, the body-refining mnemonics in the first two volumes were clear and easy to understand. His eyes shone as he read, and he wished he could start practicing the movements on the spot.
Only when he reached the Gang Condensation Realm portion in the third volume did he find it somewhat taxing, but every word and sentence accorded with martial principles. It was certainly no forgery.
This truly was a supreme martial art leading to the Gang Condensation Realm!
The more he read, the more worthwhile he found the deal, and his grin nearly reached his ears.
"Oh? Patriarch Li, do you also think my handwriting is good?"
Lu Guan glanced at his expression and asked casually.
Li Fugui emerged from his wild delight, frowned, and instinctively blurted out, "The martial art is excellent, but unfortunately, the handwriting isn't."
"Still, that's no matter. I'll simply make a fresh copy when I get back."
After all, this was a new family heirloom. He could not be careless with it.
He glanced at Lu Guan, wondering where this young commandant got his confidence.
Still, on account of this body-refining martial art, the young face before him suddenly seemed friendly and approachable.
Li Fugui hesitated for a moment, then decided to offer a little goodwill.
"Lord Lu, do you know why the three of us came to the Demon Suppression Bureau?"
Lu Guan's expression did not change as he replied calmly:
"Of course I do. Didn't the three of you come to keep watch over me?"