Immortal Refiner

After being exempted from the wine fee, the wine drinker smiled contentedly and began to recount the recent events at Small Jade Ridge.

”At first, Small Jade Ridge was sealed off for a few days. The Prince’s Mansion, along with people from various martial arts schools, started excavating the tomb of a former dynasty’s Inner Strength master.”

”Everything was going smoothly, but then one night, a fierce tiger descended from the mountains and killed quite a few people!”

Hearing the words ”fierce tiger,” Li Qing’s eyes lit up slightly, but he restrained his emotions and continued listening.

”The tiger took advantage of the night to launch a sneak attack, injuring several Outer Strength masters before it was finally driven away.”

”With so many casualties, the progress of the tomb excavation slowed down. The Prince’s Mansion, unwilling to wait any longer, called all the people who had sealed the mountain to join in the digging.”

”Just as the tomb was about to be opened, guess what happened?”

It must be said, this wine drinker had the makings of a storyteller, captivating everyone with his words.

”Tell us, tell us! Don’t keep us in suspense, what happened next?”

”Yes, what exactly happened?!”

Hearing the crowd’s urging, the wine drinker took a satisfied sip of his wine and said cheerfully, ”Then the Nine Lotus Sect stormed the mountain, and along with them were many martial artists from the Jianghu. The entire Small Jade Ridge was thrown into chaos!”

”I heard that the Nine Lotus Sect sent two Lotus Protectors this time, and with the help of those skilled martial artists from the Jianghu, they completely overwhelmed the Prince’s Mansion’s forces!”

”That’s all I know. The specific casualties will probably be reported back to Sheng Tian in a few days, but in my opinion, the Prince’s Mansion is likely to lose face this time.”

After hearing about the recent events at Small Jade Ridge, the people in the inn began to discuss fervently, each with their own opinions.

”The Nine Lotus Sect is really audacious, daring to openly attack the Prince’s Mansion.”

”Tsk tsk tsk, I wonder which martial arts master from the former dynasty is buried in that tomb, making it so attractive?”

”It’s hard to say. The former dynasty was founded on martial arts, and it’s said that even masters at the Grandmaster level were quite common back then.”

”...”

Li Qing sat in the corner of the inn, alone, swirling the fine wine in his cup, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

Unlike the others who were focused on the tomb of the former dynasty’s martial arts master, Li Qing was concerned about the appearance of the fierce tiger at Small Jade Ridge.

Since obtaining the two wine recipes, he had almost gathered all the ingredients for the medicinal wine at Quanshan Medicine Hall, but he had never received any news about tiger bone.

After all, in this era, no one would keep a tiger as a pet. To obtain tiger bone, one would have to venture into the deep mountains and hunt a wild tiger.

This was no easy task. Even an ordinary Outer Strength master, if not well-prepared and protected, would find themselves in a dire situation if they encountered a tiger in the forest.

After sitting quietly in the inn for a while longer and finishing the wine in his cup, Li Qing left.

Returning to his shop, Li Qing furrowed his brow slightly, pondering and digesting the information he had received today.

”Hunting a fierce tiger... This matter cannot be rushed. It must be carefully planned and approached with caution.”

Now, Small Jade Ridge has become a chaotic battleground, with numerous martial arts masters gathering there, making it a veritable quagmire.

To say nothing of other factors, the mere presence of Prince Yu’s residence and the Nine Lotus Sect is enough to make Li Qing keep his distance.

”No rush, becoming a tiger-slaying hero isn’t that easy. Before that, I need to retrieve the fine iron armor.”

”Then, after Prince Yu’s tomb excavation is over, I’ll find a way to obtain the tiger bone. It would be best to find an old hunter locally.”

Thus, Li Qing finalized his plan to acquire the tiger bone in his mind.

Ever since he obtained the two medicinal wine recipes, he had been eager to start brewing as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, after arriving in Shengtian City, although he gathered all the ingredients for the Five Poisons Blood-Activating Wine, he had to wait until summer to begin brewing.

As for the Tiger Bone Nourishing Wine, after such a long time, he finally received news about the tiger bone today.

”Whew, I thought it would take at least several more years to gather all the materials to start brewing. I didn’t expect that by next summer at the latest, I can begin.”

”As expected of Shengtian, truly a land of outstanding people and spiritual treasures!”

Li Qing muttered to himself with satisfaction, as if he could already see his martial path turning into a smooth and broad road.

Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, several days had gone by.

During these days, Shengtian was anything but calm, with significant movements throughout the city.

First, Prince Yu personally took up his sword and stormed the Nine Lotus Sect’s headquarters in Shengtian, engaging in a fierce battle with the Green Lotus Protector stationed there.

In the end, with the support of the masters from Shengtian’s three major martial arts schools, Prince Yu defeated the Green Lotus Protector.

This incident shook the entire Shengtian, and countless martial artists marveled at the prince’s formidable skills, as he had personally defeated one of the Nine Lotus Sect’s Lotus Protectors! At the same time, many became even more wary of the Nine Lotus Sect, a faction rooted in Maple Country that dared to snatch food from the tiger’s mouth even in the face of a prince.

After the incident, the Emperor was furious, and Emperor Taiwen directly issued a decree demanding a thorough investigation of the Nine Lotus Sect’s influence throughout Shengtian.

For a time, the entire Shengtian was in turmoil.

Unfortunately, the Nine Lotus Sect had received advance notice, and all its members withdrew from the capital overnight, rendering the imperial decree ineffective.

The next day, Prince Yu, disregarding all advice, led his men straight to Small Jade Ridge, intending to personally oversee the deep excavation of the tomb.

This caused even more unrest among the martial arts community, as they speculated about what could be buried in the tomb of that former dynasty’s master that would make a prince so concerned! Instantly, the entire martial world was set in motion, with more and more people rushing to Small Jade Ridge, creating a chaotic situation.

Now, Shengtian seemed to have emptied out, with many martial arts masters gone.

But in reality, this was not the case. The Nine Lotus Sect had previously controlled nearly half of the capital’s underground forces, with almost half of the city’s merchants paying them protection fees.

Now that the Nine Lotus Sect had angered the royal family and withdrawn from Shengtian overnight, this half of the profits was left up for grabs.

The only factions qualified to eye this lucrative prize and compete for it were the three major martial arts schools.

Thus, the three martial arts schools, which had coexisted peacefully for many years, gradually began to exude a thick scent of gunpowder.

In the blacksmith’s shop, Li Qing couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh upon learning all of this.

”What a turbulent time! The peaceful days haven’t lasted long, and now chaos is brewing again!”

Fortunately, the turmoil showed no signs of reaching his side, so Li Qing simply chose to ignore it. He remained calm and composed, quietly observing the changes in the situation.

The current state of affairs in Sheng Tian was even beyond his comprehension. It involved too many forces, and who knew what kind of deals were being made in the shadows.

(End of the Chapter)

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