Laws and Regulations

"Brother Chen, how's your comprehension going?" the brother-in-law asked impatiently.

Chen Lu smiled and nodded, carefully releasing a wisp of sharp golden sword energy from his finger sword, which landed on the blank material to the side.

With a soft whoosh, a faint trace was left behind.

"Alright, alright, after living for so many years, let alone me, even among all the people in Red Bamboo Immortal City, there are probably not many who have ever seen someone comprehend sword intent out of thin air."

The brother-in-law picked up the blank, examined it carefully for a while, and nodded approvingly.

He then raised his chin and said to Chu Liutang in a commanding tone, "Brother-in-law, bring me the sword."

Then, the bluish-green longsword was handed to Chen Lu.

"Here, Brother Chen, this longsword is of mid-grade quality. I had a weapon refiner specially craft it for you based on your condition. Try it out after refining it and see if it suits your taste."

"This... Fellow Daoist Song, I cannot accept this magic weapon without merit. Besides, I use finger techniques, so I have no use for this long sword."

Chen Lu held the longsword in his hand, feeling a smooth and effortless control, as if it were an extension of his own arm; both its weight and length were perfectly suited to his needs.

He was already quite satisfied with being able to observe the weapon-making process and had no other desires.

This long sword must have been obtained through a favor from Chu Liutang, and every penny of this gift will have to be repaid in the future.

The brother-in-law was very firm: "If you understand sword intent, you can be considered a sword cultivator no matter what you use."

Since you are a sword cultivator, how can you not have a suitable sword? Besides, this longsword was forged for you; only you in the world are truly suited to use it. If I were to accept it, I would feel unworthy…”

He glanced at his sister and Chu Liutang: "How about we consider this as payment for the hiring?"

"Hiring what?"

Chen Lu glanced at Chu Liutang subconsciously and noticed that he looked somewhat listless and frowned slightly. He looked like he had been drained of his energy by a woman.

In my memory, Chu Liutang mostly stayed by my side and rarely left the weapon-refining room. He would leave for at most two hours each day before returning.

But upon closer reflection, he mostly left at night, could it be...?

A small horse pulling a large cart is extremely physically and mentally taxing, and it's even rarer to pull a cart every day.

Thinking of this, Chen Lu felt a sense of admiration for Chu Liutang's physique.

The brother-in-law explained, "Xin Xin and Chu Liutang are already engaged and have decided that after their marriage, they will open their first alchemy shop in Fenglinfang."

The head of the workshop is Xin Xin, and the deputy head is Chu Liutang. They both said they'd like you to be in charge and help out on a regular basis.

"So fast?"

Chen Lu was somewhat incredulous; the Song family's efficiency was truly remarkable.

The original plan was to open a pill-making workshop after the child was born, but now she's only pregnant, so why...?

Chu Liutang noticed Chen Lu's confusion, and with dark circles under his eyes, he forced a smile:

"Xin Xin is already pregnant. I have discussed it with both families, and the Danfang project will start construction next month."

The announcement of the marriage will be made public after the child is born, and several prominent families, as well as the Wang family of Fenglinfang, will be invited to attend.

Song Linxin linked her arm with Chu Liutang's shoulder, her face beaming with happiness.

"Yes, Brother Chen, I still have family businesses to take care of in Immortal City, so I can only visit occasionally."

When we're not around, we'll need your help looking after things.

Consider this mid-grade magic artifact a gift for your engagement; you will certainly not be treated unfairly.

"But..." Chen Lu still hesitated. He didn't want to tell others, especially his family, about his identity as an alchemist.

But after seeing Chu Liutang's signal that his identity would be taken care of, he finally felt relieved.

"Then I shall respectfully accept your offer. I thank you all in advance."

"That's good!" His brother-in-law patted his shoulder lightly.

"Brother-in-law, is the quiet room ready yet?"

Chu Liutang gently broke free from Song Linxin's shackle-like arms, said something to the siblings, and then led Chen Lu alone to a quiet room a little further away.

Upon entering the quiet room, Chen Lu discovered that the surrounding walls were covered with many broken or old longswords.

Upon closer inspection, each weapon exuded a faint killing intent and a chilling glint.

"These were specially prepared. The owners of these longswords were all skilled swordsmen who had served them for at least several decades, and they contain a great deal of spiritual essence."

Chu Liutang walked to the side, activated the spirit-gathering array, lit calming incense, and continued:

"I was worried that you might fail while observing the weapon forging process, so I thought it would be better to try other methods. However, it seems that these are no longer necessary."

Chu Liutang was as considerate as ever, and his considerations were very thorough.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Chu."

After bowing, Chen Lu cleared his mind of distractions, immediately picked up the long sword that had been given to him, sat upright in the center, and began to refine the magical artifact.

Chu Liutang did not go out, but sat outside the formation to block out the chaotic atmosphere from the outside world.

A moment later, the longsword hummed slightly, adding a sharp edge to the previously tranquil atmosphere.

Holding it in his hand, the sword intent flowed out from his sea of ​​consciousness, slowly nurturing itself on the sword's body.

Given time, this longsword may undergo a qualitative change, becoming more in line with the essence of sharp metal swordsmanship.

He stood up and found a sword sheath to fasten at his waist.

Now that the important matter has been accomplished, a great weight has been lifted from Chen Lu's heart.

He leisurely examined the many longswords hanging on the shelf one by one.

Chu Liutang introduced:

"The Song family really likes to collect the swords of famous sword cultivators, and the good ones are naturally placed in important places."

Most of the swords here are sold by down-on-their-luck sword cultivators. The Song family pays them by forging a new sword and adding a few spirit stones.

As he spoke, he walked toward the most complete and best-preserved sword rack.

"These are spoils of war that the Song family seized when they participated in the destruction of the Yuansheng Sect a few years ago."

Although the Yuansheng Sect is known for its archery skills, some members also prefer to use swords.

It is said that dealing with those people took a lot of effort, and many cultivators from the participating forces died.

Chen Lu frowned slightly. After a long time, he heard the words "Yuansheng Sect" again and couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Senior Brother Chu, what about the remaining cultivators of Yuansheng Sect? Where are they now?"

"Now..." Chu Liutang recalled carefully for a while and said, "After the destruction of Yuansheng Sect, Chizhu Immortal City issued a bounty order, but in recent years, most of them have been reported dead. On the surface, they are almost all dead."

But in reality, they seem to have been recruited by another force and have all been given new identities.

Your family should know best that the escort agency that has been competing with you for market share was established by cultivators from the Yuansheng Sect.

Chen Lu was taken aback. He had only guessed that the cultivators of Yuansheng Sect and that escort agency had only a cooperative relationship, but he did not expect that they were all their people.

He couldn't help but ask, "Then...who absorbed their forces?"

Chu Liutang paused for a moment, hesitated, and then slowly said:

"Based on speculation, it should be the City Lord's Mansion of Red Bamboo Immortal City that has taken them in, because only they can give cultivators new identities."

"The city lord? How could someone with such cultivation level get involved in such a trivial matter?"

Chen Lu was somewhat puzzled. It was said that, in terms of strength, the city lord could rank among the top three in Chizhu Immortal City.

How could someone like that get into a conflict with a group of Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators? Isn't that using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?