Situ Gu turned back and gave a nod to the library before leaving, saying it was Sect business.

He had just accepted an apprentice, and left without even spending the night, not allowing anyone to see him off far. A group of people escorted him to the end of the alley, watching Situ Gu disappear into the distance, as the expressions of the Dong Wenshu family became somewhat complex.

As someone in the know, Li Xianghong saw this and shared a little, revealing, "The curator need not mind, Elder Situ isn't speaking falsely. There truly has been a change within his Sect, and I was the one who conveyed the message to him personally. He likely needs to urgently return to confirm the situation."

Wei Mo and Young Master Nan exchanged glances, both curious about what was going on, planning to check back later to confirm.

The Dong Wenshu family, upon hearing this, realized that it was not blatant disrespect, and their expressions slightly eased.

"I also have some matters to handle, so I shall take my leave first." After slightly nodding to Dong Wenshu, Li Xianghong flashed away and left.

Seeing the guests leaving one by one, Wei Mo and Young Master Nan found it inappropriate to stay any longer, so they also took their leave.

The remaining people returned to the courtyard, only to find Li Hongjiu still seated, drinking by himself, seemingly disinclined to give face to the first artifact refining master of the Cultivation World, Situ Gu, compared to the fine wine.

Sword Saint Fu Que also did not see him off, having already called Dong Liangze for an assessment of his fundamentals. This master was evidently more serious than the other masters who had come here before, taking responsibility for this disciple no matter his foundation.

Hiding behind the window in the Book Collection Pavilion, Shi Chun observed all of this, shaking his head as he found these people quite unique. If it were him, as long as he could establish a good relationship with Situ Gu, he wouldn't mind making Wu Jinliang call someone "dad" while kneeling.

And Wu Jinliang would certainly be willing, having such an extraordinary father is better than anything else, isn't it?

Having had his fill, Li Hongjiu finally returned to the Book Collection Pavilion, slightly intoxicated. It seemed he was staying here day and night.

Sword Saint Fu Que also stayed here, meditating and resting when tired, and looking for books to read once awake.

The two, each with their unique personalities, were unexpectedly captivated by these scraps of paper that the world looked down upon.

Shi Chun wasn't in a hurry to leave with Situ Gu; he was waiting for Li Hongjiu to come back, especially now that was the perfect opportunity with Sword Saint Fu Que having gone to Dong Liangze's place and the Book Collection Pavilion being empty.

Head-strong, Shi Chun waited at the staircase, and as soon as Li Hongjiu came up, he rushed over, holding Li Hongjiu's arm flatteringly, "Brother Jiu, not too drunk, are you?"

Li Hongjiu paused, staring at the forward actions, feeling sober instantly. "I'm telling you, I'm not used to this. Whatever you have, lay it out straight, don't play dirty with me."

Having said that, he quickly shook off Shi Chun's arm and walked away briskly, seeming to want to get some distance.

Shi Chun naturally hurried to catch up, climbing to the third floor, only stopping once Li Hongjiu had stopped, appearing solemnly, "Brother Jiu, I won't hide it, I have a favor to ask."

In front of the bookshelf, Li Hongjiu ran his fingers along the row of books, cautiously watching him, rejecting outright, "Your kind of errand isn't something ordinary people can handle, forgive my incompetence, I can't help you with that."

Shi Chun seemed not to have heard the rejection, as he continued, "Brother Jiu, it's like this, remember our first encounter in the Divine Fire Domain? In that tornado-like wind pillar, when you struck me with the Thunder Sword."

With him speaking like this, it was hard not to respond, even Li Hongjiu couldn't help but show curiosity, looking him up and down, "Can't quite recall, what about it?"

In his words, there was a defense line, ready to claim forgetfulness if anything seemed amiss.

Shi Chun leaned in and whispered, "Could I trouble you, Brother Jiu, to strike me again?"

"..." Li Hongjiu was stunned for a moment, it was the first time he had heard such a request, seeking a beating of his own volition.

Immediately he felt something was off; this rogue, however roguish, wouldn't itch himself into seeking a beating, he promptly questioned, "Speak plainly."

Well, Shi Chun continued to whisper, "I won't hide it, Brother Jiu, it seems like I had some enlightenment after being struck by your Thunder Sword. I heard you created your own cultivation method, and your Thunder Sword struck me with some insight. I also want to create my own cultivation method, but I don't know if it's possible, so I want to try."

"..." This time Li Hongjiu was truly surprised, looking him over as if he'd seen a ghost, as if asking, with just you?

He didn't believe someone who wormed their way through everywhere could have such insight; a person whose focus was scattered, no matter how clever, was useless, with a fluctuating mind lacking the foundation of wisdom, gaining external benefits but not internal ones. Wasn't talking about creating a cultivation method a joke?

So he remained skeptical, "If you want something, just say it, stop beating around the bush with me."

Shi Chun feigned a pitiful tone, "Really, no hidden agenda. After you struck me with the Thunder Sword last time, I had some ideas, so I've been trying to sort them out. That's also one of the main reasons I've been laying low in the library, hoping to find the answer in books, but I'm always just a little short. So I thought, why not let the Thunder Sword strike again, and maybe I could find that feeling?"

Really? Li Hongjiu's face was full of suspicion, so he remained wary, "Do you think your words are believable?"

Shi Chun immediately clasped his hands in prayer, "Why is there anything unbelievable about it? Lying to you is pointless for me, what could I cheat from you? To be honest, even as an individual, you might not be as wealthy as I am right now; weigh your own worth, what could you offer me? Truly, I just had a flash of inspiration today and a thought; I'd really like Brother Jiu to help confirm it. If it works, Brother Jiu, I'm not boasting, I might very well create the world's first extraordinary cultivation method."

The world's first? This boast had Li Hongjiu both disbelieving and a bit intrigued; he also wanted to see what kind of cultivation method this rogue could come up with.

Of course, the intrigue had its reasons.

The main reason lies in Shi Chuan's so-called encounter. When a Thunder Sword of Heavenly Thunder struck him, he seemed to see the shadow of an ancient lotus on Shi Chuan's body. Such a Dharma Aspect is extraordinary; could it be that he realized something in an instant?

He reached up and scratched his chin, suddenly asking, "I can help you, but what's in it for me?"

Shi Chuan immediately knew things would work out, so he didn't haggle with the other party because he didn't want to give anything. Thus, he promised openly, "How about this, next time something happens, I can also help you once. As long as I can do it, I won't refuse, how does that sound?"

Li Hongjiu scratched his chin for a while, unable to think of anything he could get from the other party that he genuinely wanted. The key was that he himself didn't have many personal desires, so after thinking back and forth, asking for a promise would suffice.

As for whether the promise would be fulfilled, that was a matter for the future. Crucially, he was intrigued enough to want to see what self-realized cultivation method this guy was trying to get a Heavenly Lightning Strike for; understanding it would also be quite a gain for him.

So, after thinking it over for a while, he glanced towards the nearby window and said, "To condense the Thunder Sword, not just any place will do; this area is probably unsuitable. We need to find a place with more water."

Shi Chuan quickly cupped his hands in thanks first before asking, "How about going to the seaside?"

It was just a matter of going a bit farther; Li Hongjiu made a sound of acknowledgment, turned, and said, "Let's go."

"Hey, Brother Jiu, Brother Jiu." Shi Chuan quickly stepped forward to stop him, saying, "Wait a moment, let me make some arrangements and have someone come to cover us."

It wasn't a problem to pretend to be reading during the day, but now it was nighttime. Suddenly opening the door to go out as a stranger could easily attract attention, so he had to be careful.

Li Hongjiu was doubtful, "Just leaving directly is fine; why the need for cover?"

He didn't have many worries or concerns, as he saw it, as long as Shi Chuan was guarded against, there wouldn't be a big problem.

Shi Chuan hurriedly explained, "It's not that, it's just that possibly many people are targeting me now. Leaving so openly might cause trouble. Wait a moment; I'll arrange for a carriage to come. Later I'll have the driver come in and switch clothes with me, and I'll disguise myself as the driver and leave with you."

"..." Li Hongjiu was both speechless and somewhat amused, shaking his head, "Shi Chuan, Shi Chuan, I tell you, going around causing trouble everywhere, darting forward like a dog at a hint of a benefit, daring to snatch anyone's advantage, taking liberties from anyone, even daring to con the treasures of the Ten Great Sects of the Artifact Refining World. I'm truly impressed with you. Now look at you, hiding all day, sneaking around as if you can't stand in the light. Is it fun being mixed up like this?"

Shi Chuan grinned just like Wu Jinliang, "Born under bad circumstances, you know, couldn't even find work doing odd jobs. Now, it's already quite good."

"..." Li Hongjiu's expression calmed down slightly. After bowing his head for a while, he said, "Alright, you make the arrangements."

After saying this, he picked out a favorite book, found a place to move a lamp, and began to read.

With people at their disposal, things were arranged quickly. It wasn't long before a carriage arrived outside the Chao Yue Hall with its doors and windows tightly closed.

The driver, wearing a bamboo hat, with his hat brim pressed down and shoulders draped in a vest, knocked on the library's door, and when the door opened slightly, he slipped through.

Very soon, he came out again, followed by Li Hongjiu, who boarded the carriage, and the driver whipped the horse and set off.

Deep within the inner courtyard, in the darkness, the Second Miss Dong Liangyu, sitting cross-legged meditating, slowly opened her eyes.

The two drivers had not been gone for long when someone quickly entered the room of Wei Mo and Young Master Nan from a nearby inn. The two were playing chess since the plot of land they purchased was new and the house had not yet been built, requiring time.

The person who knocked and entered whispered a report to Wei Mo, "A carriage suddenly arrived, picked up Li Hongjiu, and left."

Wei Mo pondered a chess piece in his hand, asking casually, "In the city or out of the city?"

The reporter said, "Looking at the route, it seems like they're taking the main road out of the city."

"Leaving the city by carriage at night..." The chess piece in Wei Mo's hand stopped flipping, his eyes slightly flashing, and suddenly he slowly placed the piece down, saying, "Situ Gu and Li Hongjiu are both people connected to Shi Chun. Both are here; saying it has nothing to do with Shi Chun, I, for one, don't believe it. Send someone to follow them and see what they're up to, and prepare the appropriate manpower. In case we encounter Shi Chun, we can avoid any mishaps."

"Yes." The reporter took the order and left.

Opposite, Young Master Nan, who was staring at the chessboard, appeared somewhat serious and distracted.

On the quaint pavilion and towers in the city, the red-clothed woman was also keeping a lonely lamp while reading a book brought out from the Book Collection Pavilion in the library.

After Lan came up, she reported, "Those two men have been identified. One is Young Master Nan, and the other is a Traveler of East Victory, the former Shengzhou Domain Master named Wei Mo, also an old acquaintance of Shi Chuan. There are people from the East Victory Royal Court secretly cooperating with him."

The red-clothed woman seemed not to have heard, gently turning the page, reading seriously.

Suddenly, Lan took out the Mother-child Talisman. After reading the message on it, she quickly reported again, "Lady, Li Hongjiu has left; a carriage just picked him up, and it seems like they're heading out of the city."

She didn't know why the lady attached such importance to Li Hongjiu but had been instructed to inform her immediately upon finding out that he left.

"Oh, is he leaving?" The red-clothed woman placed the book against her chest, tilted her head towards Lan, and said indifferently, "This fellow is indeed a talent, what a pity... We can't let him leave alive. Send someone to deal with him, be careful. It's said that when he was in the High Martial Realm, even those in the Earth Immortal Realm couldn't do anything against him. Execute the plan properly; don't mess it up."

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