Li Qiang smiled. "Then I'll have to ask Princess Lanqiu to put some effort into spreading the word." He handed Kubo another four bottles of perfume. "Auction these four. Each one has a different scent."
Kubo asked, "What's this perfume called? I think it needs a lovely name to make a sensation at the auction."
Li Qiang nodded. "Right! Hmm, let's call it 'Dreamy Night.'" He couldn't care less what the perfume had originally been called.
Everyone burst into cheers of approval. Dreamy Night-the name had a mysterious feel to it.
Kubo said, "I think this grand auction will be absolutely spectacular. Dreamy Night... wonderful!"
Princess Lanqiu toyed with the bottle of perfume, unable to contain her delight, and smiled. "No problem. Since it's an order from Boss, this little lady will certainly obey." Taking Boboran's hand, she smiled. "Sister Bobo, I'm going to see Big Sister An Shi. Could you come with me? Or could I rent a flying board from the Grand Alliance? Please?" Her last words had a distinctly wheedling tone.
Boboran smiled. "All right. I'd like to see that crazy girl An Shi too, so I'll come along. Heehee, you little minx, you want me to be your bodyguard, don't you?"
Li Qiang had no idea how much potential Princess Lanqiu had. It was precisely because of her publicity that Dreamy Night fetched a terrifying, sky-high price at the grand auction. The people she associated with were all either rich or noble.
Kankanqi was frantic, constantly scratching his head until his green hair was a complete mess. He really liked Boboran. Once they left, it would be difficult for him to see them again.
Li Qiang saw it all and said, "Hey, I know the warriors of the Fan Kingdom are pretty formidable. How about this? Kankanqi, you go too. Remember, protect Princess Lanqiu and the others. Understood?" He added, "Kubo, could you find a set of flying wings? Old Kan used to be one of the Heavenly Strike Soldiers. With flying wings, he'll be much more formidable." He didn't dare give him the flying wings he had snatched and stored in his bracelet. Those were standard military-issue wings that any soldier would recognize at a glance. Letting him wear them would only cause trouble.
Kubo agreed and immediately sent orders to find him a good set of flying wings.
Kankanqi was so excited that his face turned green. He said happily, "Yes, Boss! I'll make sure the princess is safe!"
Nashan snorted with laughter, then pretended nothing had happened, looking around as he said, "Hmm, this room is pretty big. Hey, Old Pa, am I blushing...? It seems too hot in here. Hehe... heh-heh." He went over to Kankanqi and whispered, "Old Kan, what a lovely assignment. Congratulations! Next time, I'll have to fight for one myself."
Kankanqi nodded nonchalantly. "Hmm, it is a good assignment..." He kicked Nashan aside and laughed. "Go cool off somewhere!"
Nashan called for help. "Tange, lend a hand! Old Kan's temper is blazing. How about we help him cool down?"
Tange waved a hand. "What the hell does his temper have to do with me...?" The two old rivals started another war of words.
Kankanqi quietly took his place behind Boboran, waiting in complete contentment for them to leave.
After seeing Princess Lanqiu and her party off, Li Qiang discussed things with Hong Qian and the others. They decided not to provoke the Banshou Trading House for now. The grand auction was about to begin, so they planned to demand the captives from the Banshou Trading House afterward.
Li Qiang asked Tange, "You used to be a logistics officer. Are there any workshops in Fengnan City you know? I'd like to have a look."
Tange said, "I'll need to find someone I know to take us. I'm not very familiar with Fengnan City's equipment refiners."
Hong Qian asked curiously, "Martial Uncle, doesn't our Chongxuan Sect have better equipment-refining methods? No master craftsman in any weapons workshop on the Tanbang Continent can match us. They can't even compare. Why do you want to seek them out?"
Li Qiang smiled. "I know that. But the Tanbang Continent's weapon and armor manufacturing has some very distinctive features too. We can learn from them. The more you see, the more you know."
Hong Qian lowered his head to receive the lesson. "You're right, Martial Uncle. I understand."
Li Qiang shook his head. Another disciple in the mold of Zhao Hao.
Kubo said, "Boss, I know Fengnan City fairly well. There's a very famous private weapons workshop we could visit."
Hong Qian asked, "The Zhenhou Spear Workshop?"
Kubo nodded. "Yes, Master. We know him well, and hasn't he always wanted to see you? Their workshop should be considered quite good."
Li Qiang smiled. "All right, let's go have a look."
The Zhenhou Spear Workshop was one of the most famous weapons workshops on the Tanbang Continent. Its owner was very mysterious, and several of its equipment refiners were rated as grandmasters on the Tanbang Continent.
In fact, weapon manufacturing wasn't the Zhenhou Spear Workshop's greatest strength. Its trump card was armor. Every year, it entered one exceptional piece in the auction, and the price it fetched left people speechless. The proceeds amounted to a third of the workshop's regular income. It was said that the armor entered in the auction was personally made by the workshop's owner.
The Zhenhou Spear Workshop stood in an inconspicuous alley in Fengnan City. Anyone unfamiliar with it would have a hard time finding it. Li Qiang asked in puzzlement, "This is the famous Zhenhou Spear Workshop? Why was it built somewhere so out of the way?"
Hong Qian explained, "Martial Uncle, all private spear workshops on the Tanbang Continent are illegal. But with famous private workshops like this one, the local authorities keep one eye open and the other shut. Even so, the workshop can't openly set up a stall or shop. If it did, the authorities would certainly shut it down. This isn't where the workshop does business. It's the owner's home."
Tange added, "There's only one place where private spear workshops can openly set up shop. They've got a complete range of weapons and equipment there, though it's quite chaotic."
Kubo cut in. "Do you mean Hundred Rocks Market? Hehe, that's a place no authority bothers with. I've been there before, and even got into a few fights. It's all ordinary merchandise there, hardly any exceptional pieces."
Li Qiang looked around. It was a very deep alley-or rather, a passageway. It was quiet, with hardly anyone coming or going. Faint yellow light stretched their shadows long. The dark door was utterly ordinary, with no sign or lettering to attract customers. Something resembling a copper rod, half a foot long, hung on it. A single-line hexagonal decoration adorned the door, with a small hole at each corner. The overall impression was rather eerie.
With practiced ease, Kubo picked up the copper rod, inserted it into one of the holes, and flicked it with a bent finger. Then he stepped aside and waited quietly. Before long, the door slid gently open. Kubo beckoned and went in first, with Li Qiang and the others following closely.
Since Fengnan City was a semi-underground city, the courtyard beyond the entrance looked like a hall. Soft white light spilled from the ceiling. An unusual blue-black rock, a full six meters tall, stood in the center. Most remarkably, green climbing plants covered it, their vines bearing numerous pale blue, five-pointed little fruits. The ground was paved with a milky-white material and looked exceptionally clean.
Li Qiang felt comfortable the moment he entered the courtyard. He smiled. "I didn't expect anyone here to like unusual rocks like this. It's quite nice. People back home enjoy collecting and admiring rocks too, though I've rarely seen one this big. This one's fairly good, but back home, it wouldn't count among the best."
"Haha, someone actually came here to discuss rocks instead of weapons! Oh, it's Brother Kubo. Who's this young fellow...? Oh my, Senior Hong has graced us with his presence! This junior is truly honored. Please, come in! Come in!" An old man with a deeply wrinkled face, graying hair, and a snow-white beard walked out of a room into the courtyard, his face full of excitement and joy.
He wore a clean white short-sleeved outfit with short trousers. All sorts of tools hung from his broad belt, and the guards on his forearms were filled with unfamiliar tools and similar objects, as were both sides of his thighs. Broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, he looked full of vigor. Without looking at his face, one might have thought he was a young man.
Hong Qian smiled. "Old Beetle, whenever I see you, you're always fully equipped. How is it going? Have you reached the Nascent Soul Realm? Hmm, still a little short, but you're close. Come... let me introduce you. This is an elder of my sect, my Martial Uncle Li Qiang." He pulled the old man over and told Li Qiang, "He's the true owner of the Zhenhou Spear Workshop. He's from the Western Continent, and his name is Nanzi Dong. He's a cultivator too. Hehe, his nickname is Old Beetle."
Out of all those words, Nanzi Dong took in only one thing: Li Qiang was actually Hong Qian's senior. Of course he knew which sect Hong Qian belonged to. The Chongxuan Sect was the Cultivation Realm's most famous equipment-refining sect, the only sect that entered cultivation through equipment refining. Long ago, he had received some pointers from Hong Qian, and his equipment-refining skills had immediately leaped to a new level. If Li Qiang was Hong Qian's senior, wouldn't he be even more formidable?
His two little eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled and respectfully offered a greeting. "Old Beetle pays his respects to Senior!"
Li Qiang regretted not having spoken to Hong Qian and the others beforehand. Any casual identity would have done. Ever since becoming brothers with Fu Shan, his seniority had become frighteningly high. At the slightest occasion, people treated him as an elder, leaving him feeling constrained and uncomfortable. "Old Beetle, I won't stand on ceremony with you. I'll call you Old Beetle, and you can call me Brother or Boss. Just don't call me Senior!"
Kubo smiled. "Brother Nan, call him Boss like I do."
Nanzi Dong readily agreed. "All right, Boss rolls off the tongue. Hello, Boss! Hehe, let's all go inside to talk."
Only a few close friends knew about Nanzi Dong's residence. It was where he lived in seclusion and refined equipment. His workshop was hidden underground. He led Li Qiang and the others through the house to a tiny empty room, crouched down, and fiddled with something in a corner. A passage leading downward suddenly appeared in the floor.
Kubo smiled. "Old Beetle is going to show off his treasures. This is his workshop. Ordinary visitors can't get in here. We're all basking in Boss's reflected glory."
On the stairs, Nanzi Dong said, "Senior Hong came here many years ago. It's still fresh in my memory."
Hong Qian smiled. "You tricked me that time. Oh, right, you said you'd give me a good pair of armguards. Hehe, shouldn't you give them to me now?"
Nanzi Dong protested, "Oh dear, Senior Hong, would you really think my handiwork worth having? I thought you were joking. All right... how about this? Once we're downstairs, pick anything you like."
Hong Qian patted Nashan's shoulder. "I'll give this item to you. Pick whatever you like downstairs."
Nashan asked in surprise, "Senior Brother, why give it to me? Hehe, looks like I carry quite a bit of weight." He began basking in self-admiration again.
Hong Qian said solemnly, "First, you're my junior brother. Second, you're far too unrestrained when you talk, so I intend to seal your mouth with a gift. Third, this is a favor that costs me nothing. It isn't my property anyway..."
No one had expected someone as serious as Hong Qian to tease Nashan. Tange was the first to burst out laughing. "Right... right... he's famous for his foul mouth. Once words pass through his mouth, their whole flavor changes... hahaha!"
"Hehe... whatever the reason, once I've got the goods, I've got everything... and I won't leave out a single word I ought to say. Haha!" They joked and laughed all the way down to the workshop.
It was a spacious underground workshop, with a black refining furnace standing in its center. Though this was his first time seeing one, Li Qiang knew it was a Xun Wind Furnace, an equipment-refining furnace fueled by Immortal Stones, indispensable to the Instrument Refining method.
Li Qiang carefully examined the waist-high furnace. Its shape was strange, with irregular edges and a flat top embedded with Immortal Stones of various attributes, seemingly arranged in an unusual formation. Its sides were blue-black, while its top shone like a mirror. Light from the surface reflected through the multicolored Immortal Stones, giving it a hazy, mist-wreathed air of mystery.
Old Beetle Nanzi Dong followed closely behind Li Qiang, watching this equipment-refining expert from the Chongxuan Sect with trepidation. He asked cautiously, "Boss, is there anything that needs improving?" Hong Qian and Kubo both pricked up their ears, staring at Li Qiang to hear what insight he might offer.
Li Qiang reached out to touch the furnace. It was scorching hot. An ordinary person who touched it carelessly might suffer burns that split the skin and flesh. Nashan reached over curiously too, but Li Qiang slapped his hand away. "Nashan, go play somewhere else. This thing is hot."
Nashan refused to believe it. He went around to the other side and touched it. A miserable howl immediately rang through the workshop. "Aah! Boss, it really is hot... Old... Old Beetle, where's some cold water...? Aaaah..."
Li Qiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Tange, take Nashan to find some water to rinse it. This fellow's far too curious. I told him not to touch it, but he had to do it anyway."
Li Qiang asked, "Old Beetle, this is the Instrument Refining method. I don't know much about it. I only know some Heart Refining methods, so I may not be able to suggest any improvements."
Nanzi Dong nearly collapsed onto the floor. "Boss, Heart Refining is the supreme equipment-refining method in the Cultivation Realm. Ah, of course you wouldn't be interested in Instrument Refining."
Li Qiang smiled. "There's no need to belittle yourself. Instrument Refining has its own distinctive qualities. Old Beetle, could I see the armor you've made? I'd like to learn a thing or two."
Hong Qian said, "Old Beetle's work really does have its distinctive features. It should rank among the very best on the Tanbang Continent." A hint of pride appeared on Nanzi Dong's face. Hong Qian hadn't exaggerated. The Zhenhou Spear Workshop's equipment was famous on both continents.
Nashan came over cradling his hand. "Senior Brother, there's nothing here except that black thing that burns your hands. Hey, what about that favor you were giving me?" Though he spoke to Hong Qian, his eyes were on Nanzi Dong.
This was Nanzi Dong's first encounter with such a character. He was a master-level figure on the Tanbang Continent. Everyone who met him was nervous and respectful; who would dare joke so glibly? But Nashan's status was different. Strictly speaking, he was a senior too. Nanzi Dong hurriedly said, "The things are over here. Let me show everyone around."
He walked to one side and made a hand seal toward the wall. The wall slowly became transparent, then soon vanished without a trace.
Nashan cried out, "Damn, so much stuff!" Tange was so astonished that his mouth hung open, speechless.
Nanzi Dong said proudly, "All the Zhenhou Spear Workshop's finest pieces are here. Please take your time looking. Oh, Old Na... you don't mind me calling you Old Na, do you? Go pick something for yourself."
The space covered over three hundred square meters, with all sorts of equipment neatly displayed. Offensive weapons occupied only one corner. Everything else consisted of various suits of armor, shields, protective barriers, and oddly shaped equipment that even Li Qiang didn't recognize.
Nashan looked around with undisguised greed. After hesitating for a moment, he went straight to a row of armor and tilted his bald head, looking back and forth. In truth, he had no idea how to judge quality, but he had one brilliant trick: he kept glancing at Nanzi Dong. He noticed that when he stopped in front of one particular suit, Nanzi Dong went slightly still. He laughed inwardly. This one had to be a treasure. Without any ceremony, he took it down and said nonchalantly, "Hmm, never mind, I'll take this one. I'd feel bad taking anything too good."
Li Qiang took it for a look and was greatly surprised. "Hey, Nashan, who would've thought? You really have a good eye. This armor is excellent, much better than the others here. You've found a treasure." He handed it back. "How strange. You shouldn't know anything about this. Your luck is just too good."
Nashan laughed smugly. "Haha, Boss, I don't know anything, but he does." He pointed at Nanzi Dong.
Nanzi Dong smiled ruefully. "That's the armor I prepared for this year's grand auction. I watched you choose without saying a word. How did you know what I was thinking? How strange."
Nashan said with immense satisfaction, "Precisely because you kept watching me."
Li Qiang suddenly understood. "I see. He was watching your reactions. Hey, Nashan really is clever."
Paben looked unimpressed. "Old Na learned that trick in the Black Prison. When he was the boss, it was hard for anyone to hide a good crystal. That sharp eye of his could spot it at a glance..."
Nashan shouted, "Brother, I turned over a new leaf long ago, and you're still bringing up... those... painful memories... boohoo..." He covered his face with his hands, peeking at Li Qiang through his fingers with his lone eye. "Ever since I pledged myself to Boss, I've been a good man."
Tange laughed. "That crying is far too fake. Still, our Old Na really is well-behaved now... come... good boy, Uncle has something tasty for you..."
Nashan indignantly lowered his hands. "Tange... you! Boss, Tange's taking advantage of me!" Tange turned and ducked behind Li Qiang, pulling a face at Nashan. These two fellows now got along extremely well, and their jokes had become even more unrestrained.
Li Qiang swatted him. "You got a bargain and you're still playing innocent. You're asking for a beating... Oh, Old Beetle, I'd like to order a hundred suits of armor, a hundred arm shields, and various weapons from you. How about it?"
Nanzi Dong jumped. "Boss, are you planning a rebellion? No... that's not what I meant. I mean, what do you need so much equipment for? There are only a few of you..."
Hong Qian asked curiously too, "Martial Uncle, what do you need so much armor for...? Oh, are you planning to sell it on the Western Continent?"
Li Qiang said, "I have a group of brothers stranded on the Tanbang Continent. They can no longer return home. With the Tanbang Continent in such chaos now, I have to arm and train them, so they'll at least be able to protect themselves. Old Beetle, your equipment is just right. Their abilities are very limited, so they can't use cultivators' weapons and armor. How about I trade you two weapons for the equipment?"
Nanzi Dong's eyes lit up. "Were they made using Heart Refining?"
Li Qiang smiled. "I refined them myself. I can't tell you how, but with these two weapons, you'll be able to work out some of the principles."
Nanzi Dong wasn't the only one excited. Even Hong Qian and Kubo were envious. Weapons from a sect like this were things one could encounter only by chance in the Cultivation Realm, not obtain by seeking them out. Yet Li Qiang was actually offering two in exchange.
Kubo's longing became impossible to bear. Putting on a shameless smile, he said, "Boss, getting equipment is easy. I'll order it. Hehe, why not give those two immortal artifacts to us, master and disciple?"
At those words, Nanzi Dong leaped high into the air, his old face crimson, letting out one strange cry after another. From the look of him, he had already gone berserk.
Everyone burst out laughing...