The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 331: Chapter 323: Seeking Qi

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG...

The clang of a hammer on steel rang out from a blacksmith shop, just not from Tang Tie’s.

The hammering was loud, but Bai Yuan heard it clearly.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Give me a reason."

"I am proficient in the Weapon-Casting Technique," Tang Tie replied. "With Ling Province in turmoil, I can certainly be of use. I swear I won’t disappoint you, my lord."

"I mean, why do you want to pledge allegiance to me?"

"..."

"Because you, my lord, are strong enough. And cold-blooded enough."

"..."

This time, it was Bai Yuan’s turn to be speechless.

But the silence didn’t last long. He remained as impassive as ever.

"Fine. I’ll give you ten days. After ten days, I want to see you in Ling Province."

"Yes!"

Joy spread across Tang Tie’s face. He hadn’t expected Bai Yuan to agree so readily.

After the incident with the Sun Alliance, he understood that he had to choose a side. If not for himself, then for Tang Yue.

Although he was a strong warrior, his skill couldn’t compare to his renown as a master blacksmith.

He himself was like a treasure, coveted by many, yet he lacked the power to protect it.

He was like a child carrying a priceless gem—disaster was inevitable if he remained alone for too long.

He had actually encountered this situation a few times before and had always managed to resolve them cleverly.

But now, as his fame grew, it was becoming more and more difficult.

Today it was Hu Sanyang, and tomorrow there would be a Hu Siyang. There was no end to it. That’s why he had started to consider pledging allegiance to someone, and Bai Yuan was the perfect candidate.

Bai Yuan’s reputation was great enough, his strength formidable enough. In the Northern Territory, aside from a few behemoth factions, he was a figure who could already see the summit of power.

And just as Tang Tie had said, Bai Yuan was cold-blooded enough, ruthless enough.

Since he had chosen Bai Yuan as his target, he had naturally done his homework.

Bai Yuan was known to the outside world as Ren Tu. However, Tang Tie felt that Bai Yuan was a very calm person, always prioritizing results; his past massacres had all been purposeful. Therefore, as long as Tang Tie could provide his own value, he would earn sufficient respect.

He wasn’t completely unscrupulous like people such as Hu Sanyang, though with any master, there was always the possibility of being cast aside as a pawn.

...

Bai Yuan’s identity had been exposed, so naturally, he couldn’t stay in Yan Province for long.

His status as the Lingzhou General was too sensitive.

That same day, he headed north back to Huanglong Prefecture.

Tang Tie, meanwhile, stayed in Yan Province to pack his belongings, set to arrive in Huanglong Prefecture in ten days as agreed.

「Dusk the next day.」

Bai Yuan returned to Huanglong Prefecture.

Somehow, Yang Fangyu and the others had gotten word and were already waiting for him at the city gates.

"You punk! You got your hands on something good and didn’t even think to include us brothers!"

Yang Fangyu was the first to step forward.

Li Huan also wore a look of righteous indignation, while Yan Lei, not being as close to Bai Yuan, remained silent.

Far too many people had witnessed the appearance of the Life Qi of Withering Wood Reviving in Yan Province. It was impossible to keep secret and had long since spread throughout the Northern Territory.

The three of them were practically green with envy.

That was the Life Qi of Withering Wood Reviving!

One of the world’s greatest fortunes! If they had obtained it, their chances of breaking through to the Brightheart Realm would have increased dramatically.

Unfortunately, Bai Yuan could only give a helpless shrug.

When he had followed Qiu Yang to Yan Province, he hadn’t known that the divine object this time would be the Life Qi of Withering Wood Reviving.

"Let’s drink!"

"We must drink!"

Yang Fangyu and Li Huan clamored, making it clear they intended to drink Bai Yuan under the table.

"Fine."

Bai Yuan didn’t refuse.

The four of them immediately went to the Peach Fragrance Inn.

Of course, Yang Fangyu and the others weren’t going to pay for the drinks. Fortunately, Bai Yuan was a man of great wealth and property now, so he didn’t mind paying for a few pots of Rice Fragrance Wine.

The four of them drank late into the night.

Yang Fangyu, Li Huan, and Yan Lei were naturally out for revenge, taking turns trying to force-feed him wine.

After dozens of rounds, they fell into despair.

The three of them couldn’t even sit up straight anymore, yet Bai Yuan was completely unaffected.

In the end, Yang Fangyu’s devious plot did not succeed.

Bai Yuan wasn’t drunk, but the other three were dead drunk and unconscious.

Bai Yuan looked at the three of them, slumped over in every direction, and smiled faintly.

’Well, since they weren’t playing fair, they couldn’t blame him for cheating.’

With the capacity of the poison stomach from his Manggu Zhuhe Technique, holding twenty jin of wine was more than easy.

’With this tolerance, I could have at least been a fifth-rank official in my past life.’

Bai Yuan stood up, bored, and called for Shopkeeper Pang to have Yang Fangyu and the others sent back to their respective residences. He then went downstairs to return to his room at the Peach Fragrance Inn.

Just as Bai Yuan was about to open his door, the door to the room opposite his was pushed open.

The old Daoist was standing in the doorway, looking at him.

Bai Yuan said apologetically, "Daoist, I apologize for disturbing you."

He thought his footsteps had been too heavy and had disturbed the old Daoist.

The old Daoist gazed at Bai Yuan, studying him for a long time before saying, "The Life Qi of Withering Wood Reviving. Lord Bai is truly fortunate."

Bai Yuan said, "Your foresight is truly divine, Daoist. To think you could even tell that I obtained the Life Qi of Withering Wood Reviving."

"I heard it from the other patrons in this inn."

"..."

His flattery had completely missed the mark. For a moment, Bai Yuan didn’t know what to say.

Bai Yuan suddenly spoke up. "Daoist, within the Life Qi of Withering Wood Reviving, I saw a palace that resembled an Immortal Cave Mansion."

The old Daoist’s expression didn’t change. "The Life Qi of Withering Wood Reviving is a form of worldly fortune, born of heaven and earth. It is not surprising that it has the ability to imprint images of all things. It was merely an illusion."

The old Daoist’s words were not much different from what Wei Yang, the Prefect of Yanzhou, had said.

"Daoist, is there a way to find that palace?"

"The qi of heaven and earth is ethereal and illusory, leaving no traces to follow."

Disappointment welled in Bai Yuan’s heart.

He had hoped that with the old Daoist’s vast knowledge, there might be a way to find the Divine Mansion through the Life Qi of Withering Wood Reviving.

Then the old Daoist added, "Although I cannot do it, there are some who can."

Hearing this, Bai Yuan’s eyes lit up again.

"Who?"

"Demon Hunters. To be precise, a branch of the Demon Hunters known as Qi Seekers."

Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow.

He never would have expected that Demon Hunters were the ones who could find the Divine Mansion.

"Qi Seekers?"

"Yes. The Demon Hunter lineage is ancient, stretching back to antiquity. Because of this, they have preserved many mystical arts, and Qi Seeking is one of them. It’s just a pity that the qi of heaven and earth has grown thin in this era, and Qi Seekers have all but vanished."

Bai Yuan nodded.

As the Martial Dao flourished, never mind Qi Seekers, even Demon Hunters themselves had disappeared for a thousand years.

As a Demon Hunter himself, Bai Yuan knew a great deal about their kind, but he had never once heard of these Qi Seekers.

Even Zhou Siming had never mentioned the name.

’Perhaps in the tens of thousands of years of the Demon Hunter lineage, the Qi Seekers had long since been wiped from the world. That might be why even a pure-blooded Demon Hunter like Zhou Siming no longer knew of their existence.’

"Thank you for the guidance, Master."

"It was nothing. I was just passing the time."

...

「Ten days later.」

As promised, Tang Tie traveled north with his sister, Tang Yue, and arrived in Huanglong Prefecture, Ling Province.

Because Bai Yuan’s true identity had been exposed, the people from the Sun Alliance didn’t cause much trouble. Coupled with the fact that Tang Tie himself was a powerful Entering Martial Artist, no bandits dared to attack the siblings along the way.

Bai Yuan smiled. "Very good."

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