Immortality begins with becoming a master weapon refiner

Chapter 10 The Chaos Resumes
Zhao Huaiyi's intelligence source was not Fengming Prefecture, but the neighboring Qingmu Prefecture, where his youngest daughter was married to the son of a wealthy merchant from three generations of Qingmu Prefecture.

Unlike Gu Qing, who could foresee the coming chaos from military preparations.

Aoki Prefecture is the birthplace of the chaos.

"The Heavenly King Zhou, whose divine might is unparalleled?"

Gu Qing listened to the name of this traitor with complete bewilderment and asked in confusion.

"Could it be a powerhouse above the Grandmaster level?"

"No."

Zhao Huaiyi shook his head.

"King Zhou is a martial artist who has cultivated his internal energy to the peak. He is born with superhuman strength. He used to be a river bandit, but he did not become a big shot."

"Later, they colluded with local officials to set up private tax stations on waterways, recruit soldiers and horses, and took over the four rivers and eighteen mountains of Qingmu Prefecture, claiming to have 100,000 righteous men, and came with great force."

Gu Qing was speechless.

"Has he openly rebelled?"

"Of course, otherwise how would that nickname have come about?"

"Do you think he can conquer both Qingmu and Fengming prefectures?"

Zhao Huaiyi hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

"No."

"Then why are you hiding? Aren't you afraid someone will steal your business?"

"Brother, you're here too. Money is not as important as life. Better safe than sorry. We local gentry, who lack power, want to take a cut from both the imperial court and rebels."

"You're quite open-minded."

Zhao Huaiyi was greedy by nature and meticulous about every penny, but at crucial moments he knew when to advance and retreat and never coveted a single needle or thread. No wonder he was able to manage the Zhao family so well.

However, it's a bit too absurd for a mere Qi Refining Realm martial artist to want to claim territory and become king; there might be other players behind the scenes.

Just like Gu Qing's cultivation experience before.

The twelve states of Yan are mostly mountainous and wetland, rich in various precious medicines. The difficulty of martial arts cultivation is not as high as imagined. Even people of average talent can cultivate rapidly with the support of the Zhao family.

Not to mention the wealthy and powerful.

It's reasonable to assume that the Zhao family also has a martial arts background. Just because Zhao Huaiyi isn't a practitioner doesn't mean the Zhao family lacks experts; their cooperation with Gu Qing is simply a win-win situation.

"Speaking of the famous Grandmasters in Yan Kingdom, almost all of them are old. Are there any young Grandmasters?"

Gu Qing's sudden change of topic surprised Zhao Huaiyi.

He paused for a moment, as if he were thinking.

"They probably do, but their record isn't outstanding and they're not very famous."

"I remember that more than ten years ago, Fengming Prefecture produced a genius who reached the peak of the Inner Qi Realm at the age of eighteen. Later, he joined the Sword Forging Manor and then disappeared without a trace."

"Sword Forging Manor?"

"Yes, its master is a Grandmaster at the Great Perfection of the Grandmaster Realm, known as the Number One Swordsman of Yan Kingdom. Its power is rich in sword-making masters, and many young swordsmen are willing to serve it for many years in order to obtain a precious sword."

After Gu Qing's livelihood was secured, he basically never left Qishan County, so he didn't know much about the outside world and was even a bit ignorant.

The Sword Forging Manor was hearing about this for the first time and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"My smelting skills are better or worse than mine."

"Ha, Brother Gu is young and fearless."

"To put it simply, the ten most famous divine-level swords in the Yan Kingdom all came from the Sword Forging Manor."

That's not bad, Gu Qing thought to herself.

"Let's not get into the digression. Brother Gu, you've come at this time to inquire about the Five Beasts' Heart Blood?"

"That's one of them."

"Secondly, Brother Zhao is trying to avoid trouble. Why don't we go into the deep mountains together?"

The war came unexpectedly.

If Gu Qing were to forge weapons alone, he would lack the raw materials. It would be better for him to go into seclusion with the Zhao family, avoiding disasters while continuing to accumulate weapon-building points to replenish his lifespan.

The only reward would be some weapons.

The two sides have been cooperating for about half a year, and the foundation of trust is quite good. Zhao Huaiyi was pleasantly surprised to hear this.

"That's perfect. With Brother Gu by my side, you'll be worry-free."

This question is aimed at Gu Qing, asking whether he should pledge allegiance to the Zhao family.

"Once the chaos subsides, I will naturally travel to the twelve states of Yan. I will entrust this trip to Brother Zhao." Gu Qing's answer was temporary, not a complete surrender.

Disappointed, Zhao Huaiyi started discussing the compensation again, meticulously calculating the cost of food and lodging, down to every single meal, which made Gu Qing both helpless and amused.

"The matter of the blood of the five beasts."

"It's all collected. I originally intended to send it to my younger brother."

"Why don't you come with me to our ancestral home in the mountains? The environment there is no worse than in the county, it's just a bit quieter."

"It's better if it's quieter then, it's settled."

"it is good."

"We'll set off after sunset at 7 PM, brother. You can go back and prepare now."

…………

…………

Sunset.

As dusk fell, the streets of the county town were quiet and deserted as pedestrians returned home.

Gu Qing carried a box on his back, which contained only three hundred taels of silver besides Bin Tie. This was all his wealth. His Blood Refining Realm limit made him incredibly strong, with endless and powerful strength.

Moving things weighing over 100 kilograms is no problem.

After joining up with Zhao Huaiyi's group, they secretly left the county town through the Zhao family's secret passage and disappeared from the town.

Ordinary people, not being as perceptive as the elders, remained oblivious to the deeper undercurrents and were even discussing the increase in land tax.

The next day.

County Commandant Song Long sent someone to find Gu Qing, hoping that he could move to the military camp and devote himself to forging weapons to meet the needs of Fengming Prefecture.

The place was deserted, and he was furious when he learned of the message from his subordinates.

He knew about the Zhao family's cooperation with Gu Qing.

But since he had already warned them, and they found a new way to make money, he couldn't say anything. He figured he might be able to get a share when the time was right.

Little did they know that the two had become so intimate in just a few months.

Even the Zhao family held a grudge against them.

"Leave? If you've got the guts, don't come back."

After making a harsh statement, Song Long hurriedly went to the smelting room to have someone else fill the gap in the weapons supply.

Gu Qing has run away. His business of smuggling weapons with the county magistrate won't last long. After all, not everyone has Gu Qing's speed and quality, and Fengming Prefecture has increased its demand.

Let alone selling them, it would be good enough if we could just meet the targets set by our superiors.

at this time.

Outside Qishan County.

The group, who had been walking all night, did not take a carriage. Instead, the strongmen of the Zhao family carried bundles taller than themselves on their backs, winding along the mountain road in a long snake formation. There were nearly a hundred of them, and they moved at a moderate pace, with no one falling behind.

He has an extremely rich experience in fleeing.

Overnight, they had already ventured fifty miles into the mountains and forests.

The difficulty of traversing the mountain paths at night is no exaggeration; the fact that we were able to advance so quickly speaks volumes.

There are still more than 100 miles of mountain road to our destination.

On the mountain road.

Gu Qing walked beside the panting Zhao Huaiyi and reminded him.

“I have a private business relationship with Song Long. If the chaos is quelled, be careful of retaliation. He is not a magnanimous person.”

"Oh? Brother Gu is righteous, but my Zhao family is no ordinary family either. He, a mere county magistrate, can't touch me."

"How to say?"

Taking a sip of water from the leather bag, Zhao Huaiyi looked at the verdant mountains and reached out to embrace them.

"My Zhao family started out by gathering medicinal herbs, with the mountains as our home."

“We harvested no fewer than twenty precious medicinal plants of the quality of blood ginseng, but only a small number were ever sold.”

At this point, those who understand will get it.

The Zhao family is not without military strength; they just don't show it in the open.

(End of this chapter)