"Young Master."
Early in the morning.
Qian Shiyao came to visit in a hurry.
"What is it?"
Zhu Ju, dressed in a simple robe and barefoot on the wooden floor, picked up a wooden hairpin and casually fastened his waist-length hair:
"Why the rush?"
"The Sanhe Gang sent word. They’ve found the cloth that was stolen from us and told us to go pick it up," Qian Shiyao said with a bow.
Her gaze swept over Zhu Ju’s long hair, a flicker of envy in her eyes.
The longer hair grew, the more prone it was to becoming yellowed, dry, and difficult to manage—something she knew all too well as a woman.
And yet.
Zhu Ju’s hair was not only long but also incredibly smooth, like a waterfall of ink, and seemed to require almost no maintenance. It was truly something to be envied.
In Qian Shiyao’s old impression, the Zhu Family’s eldest legitimate son had been scrawny and ignorant.
Aside from his decent looks, he was utterly useless.
But after the Qian Family’s misfortune, when she and her brother Qian Hu had to live under another’s roof, she realized something was wrong.
Zhu Ju was strikingly handsome with an extraordinary air, a true gentleman, refined and gentle as jade.
Hmm...
’He was just a little cold. No matter who he was with, his expression remained indifferent. He didn’t seem like a young man, but more like an otherworldly Daoist.’
"That’s good news."
Turning around, Zhu Ju spoke slowly:
"Have Steward Liu go pick it up. Tell him to take a gift."
’He had already killed the three Demons that plundered the merchant ship, so it was only natural that the missing cloth would be recovered. He’d seen the cloth in the Demon Cave, but with no way to store it, he had been forced to leave it behind. Now that the Demons were dealt with and the Demon Catchers from the Demon-Slaying Hall were involved, the goods were bound to be found.’
"Yes."
Qian Shiyao was already used to Zhu Ju’s astonishing Qi Cultivation Skill, and she immediately brought up the second matter:
"Wang Rui, Young Master Wang, is asking to see you."
...
"You should’ve just come. You didn’t have to bring a gift."
Zhu Ju shook his head, had someone take what Wang Rui had brought, and gestured for him to sit down.
"You’ve lost more weight recently. That’s a good thing."
"I’ve been training hard lately. I’m already mid-Ninth Grade. If I keep at it, I might have a shot at reaching Seventh Grade in this lifetime," Wang Rui said with a smile, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"It’s all thanks to you that my life in the Wang Family has gotten a little better."
He had married a prostitute.
This had gotten Wang Rui thrown out of the Wang Family, and he was even stripped of his right to inherit the family fortune.
All he got was a single street-facing storefront.
He even had to borrow money from Zhu Ju and Hek Yongzhang just to cover his wedding expenses.
Fortunately, the young couple’s life was sweet. Wang Rui practiced martial arts and received medical treatment, and Li Ping became pregnant not long after.
Ever since the Sanhe Gang took over from the Qingyi Gang and Zhu Ju’s status rose, Wang Rui had once again found favor with his father.
Now, life was becoming more and more comfortable.
"I’m not here today without a reason."
Setting down his teacup, Wang Rui sighed softly.
"I’ve come today to ask for a favor."
He was no longer the ignorant youth he once was and had matured a great deal, but he still retained a boyish innocence.
That’s why, even though he knew that associating more with Zhu Ju would benefit him, he was still reluctant, not wanting to taint their friendship with too much self-interest.
But sometimes, he had no choice.
"Tell me about it."
Zhu Ju smiled faintly.
"Is it about the Wang Family?"
’If it were a personal matter, he wouldn’t have been so formal or brought such an expensive gift.’
"Yes." Wang Rui nodded and sighed.
"A few days ago, a shipment of our family’s medicinal herbs was stolen by Demons. Yesterday, men from the Sanhe Gang came to our door and said they had found the goods."
"Mm," Zhu Ju nodded.
"Yesterday, some Demons outside the city were killed by Demon Catchers from the Demon-Slaying Hall. A lot of goods were recovered from their Demon Cave."
"A shipment of cloth from my Zhu Family was among them."
"Oh!" Wang Rui’s eyes lit up, and he said hurriedly:
"Then..."
"Brother Zhu, could you help get the Wang Family’s herbs from the Sanhe Gang? The Wang Family will reward you generously."
"I understand," Zhu Ju said, realizing what was going on.
"The Sanhe Gang is demanding money?"
"It’s more than just demanding money," Wang Rui said, shaking his head with a bitter expression.
"That shipment is worth a total of five thousand taels of silver. After accounting for shipping and costs, the profit is at most a little over one thousand taels."
"And the Sanhe Gang..."
"They’re demanding we pay three thousand taels of silver."
If they don’t pay, they lose five thousand taels of silver for nothing.
If they do, the loss is still significant.
"Oh!"
Zhu Ju frowned.
"That’s quite an outrageous demand."
Asking for some silver coins after recovering the items would be understandable, but demanding this much was pure extortion.
* * *
"Haaa..."
The Elixir entered his stomach.
A warm current rose from his abdomen.
As the Dragon Elephant Force circulated, Zhu Ju’s Skin and Flesh trembled slightly, and the Qi Blood in his body circulated rapidly.
In his Dantian.
The shrunken Bright Armor, enveloped by his Qi Blood, rose and fell.
A Qi Blood Divine Weapon was like a second Dantian, accelerating the circulation of Qi Blood and better tempering the Physical Body.
A moment later.
Zhu Ju felt a slight tingling pain in his Meridians and knew at once that he had reached his limit for today’s Cultivation. He slowly stopped the Method.
’The benefits of a Qi Blood Divine Weapon exceed my imagination. Even someone of ordinary talent can reach Seventh Grade with one. Why are such things so rare?’
In the vast Taiyuan Prefecture, top-tier Sixth Grade experts were few and far between, and Seventh Grade was already considered a master. Yet with just one Qi Blood Divine Weapon, an ordinary person cultivating a common Method would have a high chance of reaching Seventh Grade. Logically, such a Treasure shouldn’t be so scarce.
At least... in Zhu Ju’s opinion, refining a Qi Blood Divine Weapon wasn’t difficult.
But on this point, he was mistaken.
For someone like him, who once possessed a Third-Grade Cultivation, refining a Qi Blood Divine Weapon wasn’t difficult, but in reality, it was extremely hard.
This was especially true for Qi Blood Divine Weapons of the Fifth Grade and above; even for top-tier Sects, they were rare Treasures.
Moreover,
the two-thousand-plus catties of Demon-Devouring Iron used to refine the Bright Armor was the culmination of decades of accumulation by the Sanhe Gang.
Zhu Ju had obtained it easily, but he didn’t know how much effort the Sanhe Gang had poured into acquiring that Demon-Devouring Iron.
Even if such a great Treasure could be refined into a Qi Blood Divine Weapon, it was not something an ordinary person could ever hope to obtain.
Furthermore,
Taiyuan Prefecture was, after all, just an unremarkable place under the Divine Dynasty’s jurisdiction. It was normal for Qi Blood Divine Weapons to be rare here. If this were a Major Sect like True Martial or Divine Heaven, although not every person would have a Qi Blood Divine Weapon, they wouldn’t be considered scarce.
WHOOSH...
Zhu Ju made a grasping motion with his hands.
The Bright Armor inside his body trembled lightly, then quickly materialized and enveloped him completely.
A sense of profound weight settled over him.
’Wearing the Bright Armor, my explosive Qi Blood Power increases by another level. For a short time, I can match an upper-Seventh Grade Martial Artist.’
’Still, I’m far weaker than that Poisonous Flood Dragon.’
A Demon’s physical form was usually much larger than a human’s, and its Qi Blood was naturally more robust. However, Demon-Devouring Iron could suppress Demonic Power. Otherwise, even with his extraordinary Sword Technique, Zhu Ju would have found it difficult to slay that Demon.
"Young Master."
A servant’s voice came from outside the door:
"Steward Liu has returned."
"Oh!" Zhu Ju retracted the Bright Armor.
"So soon?"
’It seems things didn’t go smoothly.’
"Yes," the servant replied.
"The Sanhe Gang is demanding four thousand taels of silver to release the cloth. Steward Liu didn’t dare make the decision himself, so he came back to ask for instructions."
"Four thousand taels of silver?" Zhu Ju chuckled lightly.
"Even if we sold the entire shipment, how much profit would that even be?"
He shook his head.
He pushed open the door and walked out.
"Prepare the carriage. I’m going to the Zhou Mansion."
"Yes, sir."