Lin Xuan Qi could feel the awkwardness in the air.

As he poured the tea, the ironsmiths standing in a row were silent, and he could only hear the sound of the tea pouring down into the teacup.

When he picked up the teacup and took a sip of it, he noticed that the ironsmiths didn't seem to be tired.

After he placed his teacup onto the table, he glanced at them and asked, "Are you cultivators?"

They shook their heads in unison.

"Master Lin, we wouldn't be here if we were cultivators.

"Only those like us without any hope of becoming an Artifact Cultivator could be tasked to help someone that's not from the Sima Family," one of them said.

Lin Xuan Qi nodded at the man's reply.

It made sense to him.

Sima Long was, after all, not favored in the Sima Family.

Getting help for him with these ironsmiths, even though they weren't Artifact Cultivators, must have taken him some effort.

"What are the equipment and resources you need to forge the items that I need?" Lin Xuan Qi changed the topic and asked.

"Master Sima Long will be providing us with what we need," one of the ironsmiths answered.

"That's good news." He nodded his head at what he had heard.

Seeking help from Sima Long was definitely the right choice for him.

"Can you get these done and deliver them to the address listed below?" He stood up and passed his drafts for what he needed to one of the ironsmiths.

The ironsmith unrolled the piece of paper and glanced at the draft.

He had the same reaction as Song and the others.

This Master Lin knew exactly what he wanted.

A rare case for him, as usually, requirements for them would come verbally, requiring him to make guesses as to what was needed.

He passed the drafts to the others, and they were impressed with what they saw.

After they were done, one of them said, "Give us a day and we can complete the task. They will be delivered tomorrow to the designated location."

"A day?" Lin Xuan Qi was surprised at their efficiency.

He had expected it to take a few days or more.

"Then I shall not take up more of your time," he said, and the ironsmiths bowed at him.

They turned around and left the mansion.

Now that he was done with them, he finally had time for a little peace and quiet.

He sipped a mouthful of tea as he glanced at the scenery in front of him.

A cool breeze blew into the main hall, and he closed his eyes to savor the relief from the morning sun.

After everything was stable, he would go and take a tour of the surroundings, he thought to himself silently.

When he opened his eyes, a familiar figure appeared in his sight.

It was Xue Cong.

She had come into the main hall to dust off the dust from the furniture.

He quickly turned away his glance from her and looked at the ground instead.

The dream he had about her was still fresh in his mind.

Xue Cong frowned at him when she saw him with his head down.

He must be feeling stressed from so many tasks in his hands, she thought.

There must be something that she can do for him.

...

Governor's Residence.

Seated in the guest room were a few officials.

Among them were Governor Tan, Magistrate Ho, and other officials.

Some of the officials grinned and snickered at Magistrate Ho.

They'd heard of what happened between Magistrate Ho, Governor Tan, and the Sima Family.

They shook their heads at him as it was a grave mistake to try and go against the Sima Family, costing him a year of his remuneration.

Magistrate Ho ignored them.

He sat slumped in his corner and sulked by himself.

Servant girls had to bring bottles of wine to him as he was downing the wine, one cup after another.

"Governor, could we be honored enough to have a glimpse of the birthday present for Lee Zhen Ren?" one of the officials said.

"There's nothing much to see. I'll be sending a humble gift to him," Governor Tan waved his hand and said.

The officials nodded their heads.

"I guess for Lee Zhen Ren, who's lived for hundreds of years, he's seen it all."

"True. If I was as old as he was, I wouldn't be surprised by precious stones or valuables by now."

"You can gift Spirit Stones if you want."

"Maybe we can think of something else."

They burst out in a string of laughter.

Spirit Stones, which were crucial to the progress of cultivation for the cultivators, were precious and priced very expensively.

A piece of Spirit Stone could cost up to a few hundred taels of silver.

Magistrate Ho didn't laugh, and he had thought of something.

The poems his son recited might be able to help.

If he could find the person behind the poem, he could get the person to write one for Lee Zhen Ren.

The poem would be of Lee Zhen Ren's legacy and longevity.

And if Lee Zhen Ren liked it, he would then be able to get into the good books of Lee Zhen Ren.

Governor Tan would have to think twice next time if Governor Tan wanted to punish him.

He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Governor Tan.

"You."

To his surprise, Governor Tan was looking back at him.

Governor Tan pointed his finger at him and said, "There are reports of robbers picking on those coming to attend the birthday celebration. You'd better get to the bottom of it soon.

"I don't want anything bad to happen during the birthday celebration," Governor Tan said.

In Da Qian Dynasty, cultivators like Lee Zhen Ren who couldn't reach the next level in cultivation would be tasked to help the mortal empires by their respective sects.

And in return, the emperor would try to provide the cultivators with what they needed, as much as they could.

Lee Zhen Ren, who was assigned as the guardian of Hong Feng City by the imperial court, held sway and influence in the court.

It would impact Governor Tan's path of ascension to a higher level in the system if he offended Lee Zhen Ren.

"I will make sure my men clear the robbers," Magistrate Ho bowed and said.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.