We made you practice martial arts, and you've mastered the Great Golden Body?

Or.

When Li Gongfu learns that his family of four includes two snake demons, one of whom has thousands of years of cultivation, one wonders what he will think.

Regarding how Li Gongfu viewed Bai Suzhen, Shen Bailian seems to have not seen any relevant descriptions in the original novel.

Anyway, what impressed him most was when Xu Xian first saw Bai Suzhen's true form, he was almost scared to death.

Although he didn't die immediately, he was not far from it.

One of the three souls and seven spirits has been lost.

"However, if things continue as they are, I should probably start working on breaking through to the Moon Embracing Realm now." Shen Bailian was multitasking, paying attention to the conversation between Fahai and the other two while pondering to himself.

Although, Shen Bailian is now...

No, to be precise, a month ago, Shen Bailian only used two or three tenths of his full strength to defeat Fahai, who was going all out.

however.

In this world where immortals, gods, and Buddhas sit high in the heavens, Fahai is nothing more than an ant.

In the presence of true immortals and gods, they are utterly insignificant.

High risk, high return.

High risk comes first, high reward follows. In short, only by striving to survive amidst high risk can one enjoy high returns.

Shen Bailian's current strength is roughly equivalent to that of Fahai in the eyes of immortals and gods.

However, the former is just a slightly larger ant.

Therefore, if Shen Bailian wants to gain the greatest benefit from this plan, what he needs to do is to improve his own strength as much as possible.

The leap from the Sea-Opening Realm to the Moon-Embracing Realm is essentially a leap in the origin of life.

Once Shen Bailian advances to the Embracing Moon Realm, his strength will increase dozens of times.

Furthermore, Shen Bailian's Embracing Moon Realm is completely different from that of ordinary Embracing Moon Realm martial artists, so his strength when he unleashes his full power will become even more terrifying.

"Alright, let's stop here for today." The magistrate of Lin'an City, seeing the discussion had subsided, decided to end the conversation abruptly, as he hadn't intended to delve into the matter in the first place.

"Next, let's proceed according to the agreed-upon plan. Xiao Shen, Officer Li, you two must cooperate well with Master Fahai during this period to capture that snake demon as soon as possible."

"Yes, I will definitely cooperate fully with Master Fahai's actions." Li Gongfu, of course, dared not be negligent and said solemnly and righteously.

After all, that was a thousand-year-old snake demon!

He didn't know how panicked the common people in Lin'an would be after hearing the news, but he was very panicked right now, extremely panicked.

They were in a panic and wanted to capture the snake demon and bring it to justice.

Almost all martial artists know that what monsters like best are innate martial artists like Li Gongfu and his ilk. They have abundant qi and blood, are easy to deal with, taste good, and have many other uses...

In short, from any perspective, any innate martial artist can be considered a great tonic for any monster.

Therefore, Li Gongfu was much more anxious about this demon-catching operation than Fahai.

They wished they could find the snake demon right now and bring it to justice.

"I'll pass," Shen Bailian said calmly.

The sound, though neither loud nor soft, was resounding and clearly echoed throughout the house.

A look of shock flashed across Li Gongfu's eyes. He never expected that Shen Bailian had such a good relationship with the magistrate of Lin'an City who was sitting in a high position.

They dared to reject such a crucial task concerning the well-being of the people of Lin'an so directly.

Fahai was stunned. Li Gongfu's thoughts were exactly what he was thinking. He was now somewhat glad that he hadn't revealed that Shen Bailian was colluding with the snake demon.

Otherwise, there is a high chance that Shen Bailian will turn the tables on them.

At that time, let alone getting the magistrate of Lin'an to cooperate in capturing the snake demon, he would probably be accused of slandering an official of the imperial court.

Thankless.

As for the magistrate of Lin'an City?
A faint look of disbelief flashed across his calm eyes. Having spent many years in the corrupting influence of officialdom, he had long since developed the habit of not showing his emotions.

Shen Bailian's words suddenly gave him a bad feeling.

It's like a dog that has been domesticated for many years suddenly reverting to its primal nature and turning into a wolf.

"What? Do you have some family matters to attend to?" The magistrate of Lin'an City tried his best to keep his voice calm so that Fahai and the other two would not notice his sudden change in tone.

"No." Shen Bailian cupped his hands, smiled slightly, and explained, "It's a personal matter. After sparring with Master Fahai, I gained some insights. After more than a month of reflection and refinement, I have already begun to grasp the threshold of a martial arts grandmaster."

Therefore, I need to go into seclusion for more than ten days to break through to the level of a martial arts grandmaster. I believe that at that time, I will be able to better carry out the order to protect the county magistrate.

"What?! A martial arts grandmaster!!!" Upon hearing this, Li Gongfu exclaimed in shock, disregarding the occasion, his eyes flashing as he looked at the young man opposite him in disbelief.

what?
Has he really become an actor on stage, someone to entertain people?

A martial arts grandmaster—that's a martial arts grandmaster! Even a Xiantian martial artist is a realm that many martial artists struggle to reach in their entire lives, let alone a martial arts grandmaster.

not to mention.

Li Gongfu knew that Shen Lian's current age was definitely no more than twenty-two.

A martial arts master of this age is even more terrifying!

He dared not even imagine what he could achieve in the future; perhaps reaching the realm of the celestial being was not impossible.

As for Fahai, upon hearing Shen Bailian's nonsense, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

It's ridiculous. It's really ridiculous.

He didn't understand how Shen Bailian could say such things without changing his expression, blushing, or skipping a beat. A martial arts master? He probably had already broken through to the Celestial Realm long ago.

As for why Shen Bailian chose this excuse to go into seclusion at this time, instead of striking while the iron was hot and going into seclusion right after the sparring match, that remains to be seen.

Fahai also had his own ideas.

The reason is simple: to avoid suspicion.

This is easy to understand: in this world, there are some things that can be done, but they must never be spoken of or exposed.

Otherwise, that person might face condemnation from everyone.

According to Fahai, only he and Shen Bailian themselves knew about the intricate connection between Shen Bailian and the snake demon.

As for the others, including Li Gongfu, they were all kept in the dark.

Therefore, it was naturally inconvenient for Shen Bailian to participate in this demon-catching operation, but this matter also made Fahai breathe a sigh of relief.

After all, he had no idea how strong Shen Bailian really was. The internal injuries that Fahai sustained during his last sparring session with Shen Bailian took him more than a month to recover.

Shen Bailian used the excuse of going into seclusion, which would not have any impact on his demon-catching plan in the short term.

This also eliminates the risk of leaks.

This breakthrough came at just the right time.

Shen Bailian observed the changes in the expressions of Li Gongfu, the magistrate of Lin'an City, and Fahai, and immediately felt a sense of bewilderment.

He had already mentally prepared himself for the changes in the expressions of the first two people before he even mentioned it.

What about Fahai?

Shen Bailian couldn't understand it, nor did he want to delve into it. In any case, when he woke up from his seclusion, he would make sure that the sky and the clouds could no longer obscure his vision.

"A breakthrough in seclusion?" Upon hearing Shen Bailian's words and seeing his expression so calm and unwavering, devoid of any respect, the magistrate of Lin'an City rolled his eyes and could only reply in a lukewarm tone:
"Alright, alright, since Xiao Shen has said so, of course it's fine. This is a good thing. But when such a joyous occasion occurs, why not go to Fengle Tower for a good drink before going into seclusion?"

Upon hearing this, Fahai looked at the magistrate of Lin'an City with a puzzled expression, trying to find a clue.

What is this nonsense?

Is this breakthrough as simple as having diarrhea after eating, something that can be dragged out?
Furthermore, if diarrhea is left untreated for too long, it can even lead to soiling one's pants, let alone something as important as breaking through to the "Martial Arts Grandmaster" level.

Fahai simply couldn't understand why, if the strength of his constables had been enhanced, they would be able to better protect his safety. Why were they obstructing him at this crucial moment?

Li Gongfu shared the same thought: why not celebrate after Shen Bailian's successful breakthrough, instead of rushing it at this crucial moment?

He was about to speak when the magistrate of Lin'an stopped him with a look.

Li Gongfu hesitated for a moment before continuing to speak.

however.

"Alright, Officer Li, go and inform the servants first, so as not to delay Xiao Shen's seclusion." The magistrate of Lin'an City revealed a sly smile, appearing amiable.

Li Gongfu was helpless, but since the magistrate of Lin'an had said so, there was nothing he could do.

So he could only nod to Fahai and Shen Bailian, and at the last moment he gave Shen Bailian a look, hoping that he could fight for his future.

A martial arts master in his twenties has every chance to break through to the Celestial Realm in his lifetime.

One must never make a mistake that leads to a series of mistakes.

"Alright, as you say, sir." Shen Bailian smiled slightly, completely unconcerned about the matter.

Others thought he was in seclusion, but he was practicing normally, needing to seize that hard-won inspiration in order to break through to the level of martial arts grandmaster.

But only he himself knows the true truth.

That's what a life of extraordinary success is like; there's no need to explain it to others, much less.

"Sigh~" Li Gongfu, who was slowly about to walk out the door, heard the voice behind him and immediately shook his head helplessly and sighed, muttering to himself, "It's going to be tough, it's going to be tough..."

"Hahaha...Good, good, good." The magistrate of Lin'an City relaxed his tense nerves upon seeing Shen Bailian's unwavering answer, and praised him with a smile: "I knew you weren't someone who didn't know manners, little Shen."

Upon hearing this, Shen Bailian's lips curled up slightly, and he gave a perfunctory reply with a forced smile.

The words were kind.

However, the magistrate of Lin'an City's little schemes were now laid bare in his excitement, and even the naive Fahai sensed something was amiss.

This clearly shows a lack of trust in Shen Bailian, and a fear that Shen Bailian would break free from his control after breaking through to the Martial Arts Grandmaster level.

However, as Shen Bailian's superior, the magistrate of Lin'an City could not directly refuse the latter's request to go into seclusion to break through his cultivation, otherwise it would affect the morale of his subordinates.

Therefore, they could only use this lame excuse to buy time and try to make Shen Bailian lose that opportunity for a breakthrough.

"Master Fahai, rest assured, I understand." The magistrate of Lin'an City felt a pang of unease seeing Fahai about to speak again. He was extremely familiar with the temperaments of these upright martial artists, and quickly changed the subject:

"I will instruct my subordinates that there will be absolutely no meat dishes on Master Fahai's table at this gathering. As for the drinks, Master Fahai can have whatever he likes."

Having said that, he walked out of the room with a smile, not giving Fahai any time to react.

His actions and words flowed smoothly and naturally.

It was as if I had experienced it many times before.

Fahai was speechless and choked with emotion. Watching the departing figure of the magistrate of Lin'an City, he didn't know what to do for a moment. In terms of catching demons, he had indeed not failed in his duty.

However, the battles within the Song Dynasty court were entirely different from the physical labor of catching demons.

What you need is cunning, and lots of cunning.

"Amitabha~" Fahai glanced at Shen Bailian with an apologetic look, then clasped his hands together and slowly walked out of the room.

"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous." Through his divine eye, Shen Bailian clearly saw the arrogant face of the magistrate of Lin'an City and couldn't help but sneer a few times.

Power is indeed a treasure, something people can't bear to part with.

However, in the world of extraordinary martial arts, power is merely a product of the compromise that force has to make, if it weren't for the humane protection of the officials in the Song Dynasty.

Shen Bailian had already killed that greedy old man who couldn't swallow an elephant.

In real life, he had never actually encountered such a greedy person.

However, this old guy is still useful and can be used for some time. Killing him like this would be too easy on the other side.

"Hmph..." Shen Bailian sneered and immediately followed.

He wanted to see what tricks this old fox was up to, or if he had run out of ideas and was just trying to stall for time.

……

early morning.

"Slow down, slow down, Xiao Shen, walk slowly..."

"Don't stop me, I, I... I can still eat another pound..." Supported by Li Gongfu and another person, Shen Bailian swayed as he walked unsteadily into the alley.

His face was flushed, and his cheeks were especially rosy, as if they had been painted with a layer of red rouge.

"Why is this guy so heavy? I should have known better than to take this chore." The scarred constable beside him silently complained as he supported the incredibly heavy Shen Bailian.

There's nothing else to it but that Shen Bailian's weight is simply too heavy.

Even with only half of his body pressing on his shoulder, it felt like it carried the weight of a thousand pounds, and even his breathing became rapid as his strength was severely depleted.

He wanted to give up, but he didn't dare.

The magistrate of Lin'an City had sent him to monitor Shen Bailian's every move, and also to find out if he was truly drunk. If not, he could administer some more medicine. (End of Chapter)