Immortal Refiner

Yun Province, Falling Cloud City.

As the most severely affected city during the war, it had been rebuilt over the past four years, restoring order.

However, the streets were now filled with more and more faces from the grasslands, swaggering through the city with an air of superiority.

Since Tuwa Ha’er’s ascension to the throne, this trend had become unavoidable.

People from various grassland tribes now held considerable status, and even former citizens of the Maple Country had to give way when they saw them.

”It’s my honor that you enjoy these Osmanthus Cakes, sir. No need to pay,” the vendor said, forcing a smile.

”Hahaha! You Maple Kingdom people know how to treat people right! I like that!”

The freeloader was naturally from a grassland tribe. His mouth was stuffed with pastries, making his speech slurred.

After stuffing himself, he pocketed a few more tender, fragrant Osmanthus Cakes before turning to leave.

Just then, a tall, upright young man approached and deliberately bumped into the grassland man.

”Damn it, can’t you see where you’re going? You damn Maple Kingdom People, look at me!”

The burly man from the grasslands stopped mid-sentence.

Standing before him, the Maple Kingdom man who had bumped into him carried a massive set of deer antlers in his left hand and a huge warhammer on his back.

His attire clearly marked him as a Martial Artist.

”Hmph, another one of those Martial Artists,” the freeloading Grassland man snorted, silently memorizing the unremarkable face of the Maple Kingdom man. He planned to check the latest wanted posters later to see if he could find a likeness.

The man carrying the massive deer antlers was Li Qing. He had witnessed countless scenes of Grassland people bullying former Maple Kingdom people during his journey.

Unfortunately, he was only one person, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

”Shopkeeper, pack two portions of Osmanthus Cake for me to go.”

Li Qing held the deer antlers in one hand, while in the other, he had somehow acquired a pouch filled with silver coins, embroidered with the totem of a Grassland tribe.

”Right away, sir! Please wait a moment!”

Not long after, two portions of Osmanthus Cake were wrapped up. The shopkeeper, beaming with genuine sincerity, handed them to Li Qing.

”Two portions of Osmanthus Cake, that’ll be five copper coins in total. Hey, sir, five copper coins is enough. Why are you giving me so much silver?”

Li Qing accepted the cakes, then waved his hand and said, ”Consider the extra as payment for the man earlier.”

With those words, Li Qing began strolling through the city, munching on his Osmanthus Cake.

The newly established Wu Dynasty was struggling in every aspect. The common people barely managed to survive, far from thriving. The incident just now was a clear indication of their plight.

Having spent over four years in the mountains, Li Qing decided to find a place to gather more information.

He soon arrived at a medicinal materials shop at the end of the street.

”Shopkeeper, do you buy this? Deer antler from a male deer!” Li Qing entered the shop, carrying the antler.

The shopkeeper’s eyes narrowed immediately at the mention of ”deer antler.” He turned to examine the tall, upright young man who had just walked in.

Thump!

Li Qing placed the antler on the counter, allowing the shopkeeper to examine it.

”Hehe, sir, you’re mistaken. This isn’t deer antler velvet; it’s just a pair of deer antlers.”

”Deer antler velvet is the newly grown, still soft antlers, which have medicinal value. But these antlers... they’re probably not worth much!”

”Still, your pair is quite impressive. It’s just a shame that part of one has been cut off. If you want to sell them, I’d be willing to offer three taels of silver to buy them as decorations.”

Li Qing’s face immediately darkened.

So this wasn’t deer antler velvet at all? No wonder it felt different when he cut it earlier.

He’d been so excited to brew a jar of Bitter Ginseng Deer Antler Wine. Now he’d have to remove the ”deer antler velvet” part and just call it ”Hundred-Year Bitter Ginseng Wine.”

”So that’s how it is...”

”Hahaha, Little Brother, you must be a Martial Artist, not a hunter. Experienced hunters would never make such a mistake,” the shopkeeper chuckled.

Li Qing didn’t deny it. He nodded and said, ”Yes. Four years ago, when Marauders attacked, I fled deep into the mountains to take refuge. I’ve been gone ever since. I have no idea what the Wu Dynasty is like now.”

”How about this, shopkeeper? Could you tell me about the major events that have happened since the Wu Dynasty was founded?”

As he spoke, Li Qing pulled out a few coins of silver and handed them directly to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up at the sight of the silver. He cleared his throat and began recounting the major events that had occurred since the founding of the Wu Dynasty.

The shopkeeper spoke for over half an hour, transforming into a storyteller with a torrent of words.

”And so, at the urging of that dog of an official, Gao Yudong, the court reinstated the Martial Artist Pursuit Order. This time, however, it only targeted Martial Artists who disrupted public order. Those Jianghu warriors who kept to themselves were left alone.”

”That’s why you see those wanted posters hanging on the streets.”

”With such generous rewards, those Jianghu warriors actually started fighting among themselves, all for the sake of earning the bounty.”

”That’s just outrageous!”

Hearing this, Li Qing stroked his chin, his gaze growing cold.

”But I heard these Jianghu warriors’ assassinations of Wu Dynasty officials seem meticulously planned and organized.”

”The Sage Ruler suspects the Southern Dynasty is behind it. Recently, there have been signs of impending military action against the Southern Dynasty. Rumor has it that major cities and strategic strongholds near Small Jade Ridge are now heavily garrisoned.”

As the pharmacy owner spoke, he lowered his voice, as if fearing eavesdroppers.

”That’s about it, sir. Anything else you’d like to know? Since we lost contact with Quanshan City in the Southern Dynasty, business at my pharmacy has been slow. But when it comes to this situation, you’ve come to the right place.”

Seeing the owner’s confident demeanor, Li Qing shook his head, handed him a few silver coins, and left the pharmacy with the deer antler.

He had no intention of selling the antler. After all, it was the horn of a Male Deer King that had roamed the mountains. Even Fan Tong had spent three years hunting it down. Selling it for just a few taels of silver would be a terrible waste.

Besides, he wasn’t really short on money. He was just carrying the Male Deer King’s antlers as an excuse to gather information about the Wu Dynasty.

”Who would have thought Commander Qian would actually expose the mastermind behind the embezzlement of military funds before the Southern Migration? It’s a pity he couldn’t catch the culprit, who instead found refuge in the Wu Dynasty,” Li Qing thought to himself. He had already made his decision: he would travel to the Wu Dynasty’s current Imperial Capital.

Rumor had it that Shengtian still harbored many Jianghu Warriors, and many of them carried hefty bounties on their heads. Li Qing found himself curious. Who would be the most wanted individuals now? Would he recognize any familiar faces?

With this in mind, Li Qing bought a horse in Falling Cloud City and hid the Male Deer King’s antlers in the World of Eternal Night. The next day, he rode out of the city, heading toward the Imperial Capital he hadn’t visited in ages.

(End of the Chapter)

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