The Heavenly Court is gone, I don't want to be a True Lord.

Having successfully passed the initial stage, Zuo Qi temporarily focused his training on martial arts techniques.

He still has an ice bead left behind by a water ghost with twenty years of cultivation, but after refining it, the Ice Nether Fist Seal has not broken through to the third level. It hasn't rained recently either, so the Ice Nether Fist Seal hasn't made any progress for the time being.

The training of the Dragon-Slaying Halberd Technique has also begun.

This martial art is extraordinary; due to the weapon, its power is even greater than the Ice Sea Fist Imprint.

Zuo Qi didn't have any fire-attribute spiritual items needed for cultivation.

It's not that there isn't one...

He took out a small, exquisite jade ruyi from his pocket.

It was bought as an add-on when I first went to the black market to buy the Lady Bottle. Zuo Qi also saw it after Dongzhen was able to identify inanimate objects.

[A century-old fire jade, imbued with a trace of Samadhi fire, ignited with the blood of one's heart, impervious to all evil.]

But this thing cannot be touched for the time being, because the Samadhi True Fire Qi within it is his most important trump card for destroying the demon's lair.

It's impossible for it to be used to cultivate the Dragon-Slaying Halberd Technique.

Zuo Qi took some time to visit the Wang family's escort agency and asked Yin Jiu to help him obtain some fire-attribute spiritual items, whether they were dropped by demons or rare and precious materials.

Yin Jiu patted his chest and agreed.

However, there are relatively few places in the entire Great Yue Kingdom where fire-elemental demons exist.

There is a volcano deep in Fushan that erupted many years ago; I wonder if it contains any fire-related spirits.

It is unknown where the tomb robber obtained this jade ruyi-shaped fire jade, or where it was imbued with the Samadhi True Fire Qi.

The legendary Samadhi Fire! How could Zuo Qi not be curious and envious?

……

The next day.

Huanyu Restaurant.

Wei Zhenzhen sat opposite, staring intently at Zuo Qi, her face flushed.

"Fifty taels of silver a month, what do you think, Senior Brother Zuo?"

Huanyu Restaurant is quite large, and its monthly profit is naturally not small. Logically speaking, Wei Zhenzhen's family are all martial artists, and Wei's father has many connections in the city, so there is no need for them to seek an affiliation.

However, Wei Zhenzhen somehow learned about what happened to Zuo Qi at the Lin family's training ground and that Zuo Qi was about to become the patrol commander. So she came to their restaurant wanting Zuo Qi to be affiliated with them.

"Thank you, Junior Sister Wei."

After the deal was settled, Wei Zhenzhen began to introduce the dishes on the table to Zuo Qi and the other two. Only then did Zuo Qi realize that the ingredients in each dish on the table were not simple.

Many of them are made from the flesh of naturally occurring exotic beasts.

For example, in Tiancheng there is a kind of naturally occurring exotic deer called the Flower Branch Deer. When they grow up, they become exotic beasts, and some of the stronger ones are equivalent to ten years of cultivation.

The Wei family then captured it and raised it, making it a signature dish at Huanyu Restaurant.

In fact, such naturally different species are not uncommon. The most famous example is the mountain tiger. Once a tiger reaches adulthood, it is at least equivalent to a level three martial artist. In fact, due to its talent, a level three martial artist cannot last more than one round when ambushed in the mountains.

These naturally different species share a common characteristic: they are rare and do not grow in large herds like cattle and sheep, nor are they found everywhere.

During the meal, Zuo Qi and his companions learned a great deal.

On their way back, the three of them walked back to the Lin residence.

The surrounding streets are lined with all kinds of shops and stores.

Jewelry, antiques, dried goods, grains and oils, and ready-made clothing are all available.

The crowd was bustling, and everyone was dressed neatly, at the very least, and it was clear at a glance that they were not poor.

In this area, restaurants like Huanyu Restaurant, which specialize in exotic beast meat, are naturally frequented by ordinary people.

This is not even the inner city centered around the city garrison; one can only imagine how prosperous the inner city is.

Just then, I heard a series of rapid hoofbeats.

Soon after, a group of twenty or thirty riders passed by menacingly. Several horses had ropes tied to their backs, with people tied to them. These people were actually running alongside the horses. Some of them couldn't keep up with the horses' speed and fell to the ground, dragged until they were bloodied and mangled. They were barely breathing, but the riders in front of them paid no attention to them.

"Is this the river bandit we were wanted for a while back?"

"That's right, I've seen that bearded guy before. He even robbed us of a batch of goods last time. It was truly gratifying!"

Ni Heng went forward curiously to watch the commotion, and soon returned to tell Zuo Qi and the other two what they had found out.

Fushan City is nestled against the mountains and beside the river. The Liang River flows gently and is an important waterway for transporting grain. Water bandits often roam the area. In order to appease the merchants in the city, every time a water bandit is caught, there is a process similar to parading him through the streets.

The sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the distance, and Zuo Qi and his two companions brushed past the pedestrians.

Zuo Qi suddenly stopped in a blind spot.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to him, he slightly opened his third eye.

[Life or death: Unknown]

[Spiritual Essence: 20]

[Life or death: Unknown]

[Spirit/Soul: Unknown]

He was looking at two people dressed in blue. The reason he was looking at them was because, as they passed each other, he noticed an inconspicuous red mole on one of their necks.

Before arriving at Fushan City, he killed a man claiming to be from the Xu family at the dock. Upon seeing the same sign as that man, he couldn't help but take a second look.

A master with four or more levels of skill...

Zuo Qi was deeply shocked.

I'll have to ask Lin Yuchan when I get back what the Xu family's background is.

He killed Xu Dong swiftly and cleanly, and disposed of the body perfectly, but it's hard to guarantee that the investigation won't trace it back to him. If something really happens, he can't be unaware of who his adversary is.

……

early morning.

Lin Yuchan, who was fiddling with the incense burner, paused, her eyes instantly sharpening.

"The Xu family? Are you sure it's the Xu family?"

Her emotions became extremely unstable, and her tone was filled with deep hatred.

After thinking it over, Zuo Qi told the whole story about the Water-Avoiding Pearl and Xu Dong.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuchan's lips curled into a mocking smile. "It seems these people still won't give up!"

She suddenly turned around, staring intently at Zuo Qi. "Zuo Qi, can I trust you?"

Zuo Qi didn't speak, he just stared at her intently.

"From this day forward, if you see a member of the Xu family, kill them all. Can you do that?!"

Zuo Qi's expression remained calm, but his tone was unusually serious. "I, Zuo, will do my best."

It was just murder. The favor Lin Yuchan had shown him at the beginning was enough to warrant assassinating the emperor.

Lin Yuchan stared blankly at Zuo Qi for a long time before slowly recounting the origins of the Xu family and the grudges between her and the Xu family.

Zuo Qi could understand her hatred for the Xu family, given that her father died under mysterious circumstances and she was forced to enter the palace.

"I didn't expect the Xu family to be active at the docks."

Zuo Qi then remembered something and mentioned the discovery of the list of experts from Fushan City at Feng Yuan's house, as well as the secret letter he obtained when he killed Xu Dong a few days ago.

Lin Yuchan's eyes brightened slightly. "Don't make a fuss about this. I'm going to find Lu Xuntong. He won't treat you badly."

Once she regained her composure, she smiled and said to Zuo Qi, "If things go well and we manage to catch a big fish, this achievement will be enough for you to join the Six Doors."

Zuo Qi smiled and didn't take it to heart.

Yang Nuo and Feng Yuan may be related to the remnants of the Xu family. Lu Xun wants to use this as a pretext to lure people into a trap, but it will take some time to work out.

As for Xu Dong's secret letter, he didn't even know who Du Ming was; he only reminded Lin Yuchan out of caution.

It's best to find out Du Ming's identity first, and don't rush to give the secret letter to Lu Xun.

"Miss, there are some things I don't understand. Even the Xu family at its peak was suppressed by the city garrison. Now, only remnants remain. Yet, the Xu family has started to have ambitions. Aren't they afraid of death? Or have they found some means to deal with the soldiers of Fushan City?"

Lin Yuchan pondered for a long time, then shook her head slightly, "I don't know either."

……

In short, after learning about the Xu family's existence from Lin Yuchan, Zuo Qi became somewhat wary. Although he was currently just a nobody, the Xu family might still try to take action against him because of Lin Yuchan.

I need to start cultivating as soon as possible.

Once we become powerful, the Xu family is nothing but dog shit.

With this in mind, he consulted He Xiao and Ni Heng. He Xiao stayed in the city to help with the preliminary preparations for the patrol and some affiliation matters.

He and Ni Heng took the dog back to the dock to hunt down as many water ghosts as possible before winter, and also to get rid of the alligator turtles in the river and seize the ginseng.

Neither of them had any objections.

Ni Heng even envied He Xiao, because Chunniang had also moved to the city, and the two planned to buy a small courtyard in the city and live a life together.

Of course, despite his envy, he still enjoyed doing exciting things with Zuo Qi.

The matter was settled.

Zuo Qi quickly entrusted Chen Xun to Lin Yuchan, and from now on he would go to the Lin family ancestral home academy with Lin Yujun to study.

After everything was settled, Zuo Qi and Lin Yujun went out together.