Young Master Pei, you actually possess such skill!

"Knock knock knock".

The dull sound of horses' hooves came from afar.

Tian Qianyou arrived late with his troops.

"General!" Tian Qianyou dismounted and bowed slightly in a gesture of respect.

"Look at that young master Pei in the river, slaying the ghost leader, he has the same spirit you had back then." Shao Shuyun pointed towards the Ink River.

Tian Qianyou looked in the direction Shao Shuyun pointed.

What a dashing young man!

Pei Si stood on the dock and handed the fat water ghost's head to Shao Shuyun, saying, "I have fulfilled my mission."

"Pei Si, you've done a great service again tonight! We must throw you a celebratory banquet!" Lu Pinghai said with a loud laugh.

"County Commandant, this was not my achievement alone. If it weren't for General Shao's three arrows securing the dock, County Commandant Lu's strategic planning, and the combined efforts of everyone present, how could we have possibly slain the Ghost Leader?"

Pei Si touched his nose and said in a serious tone.

"Good! Well said!"

Lu Pinghai clapped his hands, his eyes full of admiration as he looked at Pei Si.

Shao Shuyun looked at Pei Si with considerable surprise. For someone of his age to say such a thing, he must be well-versed in the ways of officialdom.

If he were to enter politics or the military, he would surely reap a considerable share of the power and influence of the court!

The gazes of the martial arts community were complex, a mixture of envy, indifference, apathy, and jealousy, all converging on Pei Si.

Some people muttered under their breath, "Hypocritical, what are you pretending to be? I can't say something like that."

Lu Pinghai hung the head of the water ghost leader above the dock, which was enough to intimidate the water ghost.

At this point, the water ghost's power waned.

A group of river patrolmen stood on their bald heads, their eyes gleaming, watching the movement on the river surface.

Pei Si was going to be in the limelight tonight, and Lu Pinghai invited him to ride in a carriage together.

Lu Pinghai held a string of white jade lotus petal prayer beads in his hand, his gaze toward Pei Si growing increasingly satisfied.

He is a fellow disciple of Shouhuai, brave and resourceful, and has a good relationship with Qingzhitang.

It is worth cultivating.

Lu Pinghai was delighted to see the talent and a thought arose in his mind.

"Young Master Pei, in all these years you've traveled all over the country with your master, have you met any artisans in the Yin-Yang trade?" Lu Pinghai asked intentionally.

Upon hearing this...

Pei Si was taken aback at first, then connected the dots.

The Paper Making Family is a leading family in the funeral industry of Qingcheng County. Their paper-making skills are superb and they are considered a treasure trove.

The Zhang family members have always been known for their domineering and tyrannical behavior in the county.

Du Shouzhen, the newly appointed county magistrate, is the Marquis of Baili in Qingcheng County. He prioritizes political achievements above all else.

This achievement encompassed many aspects, but because the Zhang family paid a reasonable amount of taxes each year, the government repeatedly tolerated it and turned a blind eye.

But this time, the Zhang family members actually intended to murder the soldiers of Yingyang Prefecture.

The government certainly doesn't want to downplay the matter; they want to escalate it, whether the Zhang family did it unintentionally or intentionally, to spread the fire to the entire paper-making industry.

We need to make the paper maker spit out this piece of fat meat from his mouth!

If the Zhang family is eliminated, a loophole will be created.

Perhaps because his performance tonight was too outstanding, Lu Pinghai wanted to give himself a chance.

No, it shouldn't be just him; the Zhang family isn't the only one engaged in the underworld business.

He had a friendship with Lu Shouhuai, who was from the same school, and performed outstandingly in the winter hunt and the killing of the water ghost, which caught the eye of this county magistrate Lu.

My luck is so good!

As soon as I learned the art of paper making, business came knocking on my door!

It truly proves the saying: When fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their strength; when luck turns, even heroes are powerless!

These thoughts flashed through Pei Si's mind in an instant.

Pei Si took a deep breath and, under Lu Pinghai's surprised gaze, took out a paper figure from his treasure bag.

"Lord Lu, it's quite a coincidence. I've traveled all over the country, and my master was very strict with me. So before he died, he made me learn a skill to keep myself safe."

"It is indeed paper effigies. These are paper figures I made recently. What do you think, sir?" Pei Si said modestly.

"Excellent, excellent, Young Master Pei, you've truly surprised me!" Lu Shouhuai put away the prayer beads, touched the paper figure with his hand; the texture was truly excellent, and it even looked like a real person.

Its quality is comparable to that of Zhangjia Paper Figurines!

Pei Si's decision to reveal this was made after careful consideration.

First, although his paper-making technique was learned from the Zhang family, after being modified by the "Comprehensive Mirror of All Trades" and enhanced by the "Mastery of Paper Making" Daoist arts, his paper-making technique became so natural that it showed no trace of the Zhang family.

Secondly, if he fabricates the identity of a paper maker, wouldn't he have to go through the trouble of coordinating with the government if they need to contact the paper maker?

Why bother with an alias? Let's just expose ourselves!

As for why the technique of paper-making came about, it was attributed to the old blind man.

Lu Pinghai isn't some kind of necromancer, so how could he possibly resurrect the old blind man and ask him questions?

If you have any questions, ask Old Blind Lin.

"Can you recreate that paper beauty that the Zhang family made?" Lu Pinghai asked, his eyes filled with hope as he picked up his prayer beads.

Pei Si was somewhat speechless.

Lu Pinghai's gaze reminded him of his leader in his previous life.

Without the technology or the budget, where am I supposed to find the equipment?

Pei Si replied, "My lord, I only learned this paper-making technique in my spare time for two or three months. It takes time to make those paper beauties."

Lu Pinghai grunted, not disappointed. He could learn the skill in two or three months when he had free time. If he could settle down and study it, he would definitely be able to make paper beauties!

Lu Pinghai also had his own ideas.

Selling paper men and women, paper houses and paper cars will only allow you to profit from the lower and middle classes.

Paper beauties, worth a fortune!

One set of incense money! Three thousand coins! It's practically a highly profitable business.

It's pointless to only prey on the lower and middle classes; we should also take money from the rich!

Not only that, but it also needs to be given a limited edition title to prove the rarity of this beauty, so that it might even be sold at auction houses in the future after leaving Qingcheng!

Lu Pinghai's movements as he twisted lotus petal prayer beads became faster and faster, his thoughts wandering further and further, and his smile grew wider and wider.

"Young Master Pei is a man of exceptional talent; I believe the Lu family can cooperate with you."

"Wait for my letter in the next few days."

…………

In the blink of an eye, three days have passed.

Pei Family Courtyard.

Pei Si moved nimbly, his steps as nimble as a monkey.

"This agile monkey leaping and bounding step has finally been mastered!"

During these three days, Pei Si was not idle either. Every night at midnight, he would unfold the "Old Ape Hanging Seal Contemplation Picture".

The old ape taught him a movement technique, which Pei Si named the "Monkey Leaping Step."

It must be said that this movement technique greatly enhances actual combat skills, adding to Pei Si's confidence in challenging the school.

With the help of the Howling Monster's flesh and blood and precious blood, Pei Si has now opened up all twelve meridians!

Besides the twelve primary meridians, there are two other meridians that are quite special.

The Ren and Du meridians!

The twelve primary meridians are each divided into yin and yang.

Only the Ren and Du meridians are both Yin and Yang. The Ren meridian governs all Yin meridians, while the Du meridian governs all Yang meridians.

If these two channels can be opened, a martial artist's foundation will be more solid, and their potential will be higher!

Pei Si asked Sect Master Ruan, who said that to open up the Ren and Du meridians, one must either be exceptionally talented, receive initiation from a martial arts master, or possess a rare treasure that is over a hundred years old, relying on its medicinal power to break through the Ren and Du meridians!

Pei Si's pupils suddenly dilated as he saw the image transmitted by Bai Xiao.

In a dark cave, a stalactite hanging from the ceiling was slowly dripping liquid.

Stalactite! Amazing!

Beside the stalactite lay a weasel the size of a calf, its body yellowish-brown and its back gleaming with silvery light, fast asleep.

The crypt was filled with snow-white skeletons.