Qiao Gongliang, weighed down by his shackles, turned back to smile at me before leaving.

For some reason, Qiao Gongliang’s smile left me pondering for a long time.

Qiao Gongliang deserved to be called a remarkable man, with outstanding methods and calculations. Putting aside other factors, if we were to have another showdown, I might not be his match.

But such a man, in life, couldn’t bring back his ancestor’s remains from the Confucian School. In death, he couldn’t escape the fate of being used as a pawn.

Man can conquer nature?

How many people in this world can contend with fate?

What if Ye Yang and I break through the Transcendent Realm? Transcending doesn’t mean we can win every battle. Maybe we’ll stumble into someone’s trap, and the opponent might even be someone with a lower cultivation level than us.

Qiao Gongliang was defeated!

Although he was defeated with reluctance and endless regret, he didn’t blame heaven or earth. He had the awareness of a martial world figure. Whether he lost due to luck or strength, the result was already determined, so why leave behind a cry of despair before departing?

Qiao Gongliang left, and Xia Mengying bid farewell to me not long after, leaving Liangjie Tang (Two Realms Hall). I specifically instructed Feng Ruoxing and Wang the Butcher to keep in touch with Xia Mengying, hoping to maintain this connection. Perhaps when I go to the Confucian School in the future, I can borrow Xia Mengying’s strength.

Wang the Butcher said to me, “You should keep in touch with her yourself. It’s easier for men and women to communicate.”

I immediately rejected it, “I haven’t had enough of the women here at Liangjie Tang? Do I have masochistic tendencies? Why would I drag another girl into Liangjie Tang to collude with you guys and beat me up for fun? No way, absolutely not!”

Wang the Butcher looked at me strangely for a long time, making me feel uneasy.

During that time, Feng Ruoxing and the others looked at me with strange eyes, and I didn’t know what they were thinking.

Of course, that was later. The first thing I did after returning was to take stock of the spoils of this battle.

I directly chopped up Qiao Gongliang’s coffin, not bothering to study the mechanisms. The treasures inside the coffin were what I wanted.

Most of the corpse inside the coffin had already dissolved, but the long sword in its hand was intact. The rear half of the sword was no different from an ordinary long sword, but the last foot or so near the tip was curved, looking like a flame drawn from hell.

Leng Yan (Cold Flame)!

The sword lived up to its name, carrying the coldness of hell but with the heat to burn everything.

I threw Leng Yan to Ye Yang, “Take it and play with it! It’s a soft sword, just right for you. Saves you from spending money on forging swords, not to mention burying them like you’re burying a wife every time.”

Ye Yang took it with a look of disdain, “A true swordsman doesn’t need a famous sword.”

“Don’t take it!” Just as I was about to reach out to take it back, Ye Yang wrapped Leng Yan around his waist and sat down expressionlessly.

Hehe, this scumbag!

He was obviously the kind of person who wouldn’t acknowledge you after getting what he wanted.

I couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.

I then picked up the military book I brought back from the tomb, “Lao Liu, why can’t I understand this thing? It doesn’t seem like military strategy.”

Lao Liu picked it up and flipped through a few pages, “This book shouldn’t be written by a disciple of the Military School; it looks like it was written by a Confucian exorcist. However, if this thing is used well, it might be worth a thousand troops!”

I looked at Lao Liu hopefully, “Can you use it?”

Among us, Lao Liu was the only one who had any connection to the Confucian School. Most of the strategists in his era read the books of sages. There weren’t many people who received Western education.

Lao Liu shook his head, “I’m not a disciple of the Confucian School; I can’t use this military book.”

“Isn’t this useless then?” I couldn’t help but rub my eyebrows.

The "useless things" I’ve brought back from these few businesses could be put together to make soup. The two clappers from the Chen family and the two sets of Ghost God Armor are still collecting dust in the warehouse! And now there’s this book.

I tossed the book to Lao Liu, feeling unenthusiastic, “Find some time to make a wooden box and enshrine the book. See if there’s a chance to sell it later. Let’s all rest! We’ve been busy for several days; a good night’s sleep is what we really need.”

I went back to my room and fell asleep. I was woken up in the middle of the night by Lao Liu, who said, “Shang Xingyan is here.”

I went to the living room and saw that Shang Xingyan was kneeling there waiting for me, “What are you doing?”

Shang Xingyan didn’t dare to look up, “Master Li, I’ve come to apologize. It’s my fault for not being able to send the message out this time, putting Master Li in danger.”

“Get up! It’s nothing serious!” I helped Shang Xingyan up, “Sit down and have a cup of tea.”

Shang Xingyan knelt down again, “Master Li, please give me another chance. This time, I was really watched too closely, and I didn’t have a chance to send you a message!”

I was immediately dumbfounded, “What’s wrong with you? I didn’t even take it to heart, and you’re kneeling again.”

Lao Liu shook his fan and smiled, “Lao Shang! We, at Liangjie Tang, don’t do things like saying the opposite of what we mean. If the Master says he doesn’t blame you, then he doesn’t blame you.”

Shang Xingyan didn’t dare to get up, his eyes fixed on me, waiting to see what I meant.

I walked over and helped him up, “Lao Shang, it was right for you not to send the message. A true hidden agent doesn’t need to report everything in detail, but needs to protect themselves first. Without orders, what you need to do is protect yourself. Try to get promoted as much as possible. Understand?”

“Understood, thank you, Master Li!” Shang Xingyan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

I poured him a cup of tea myself, “How did you get out at this time?”