Chapter 26

Zhao Ying nodded: "Open a tavern... Will the mansion agree?"

"You don't know, do you? The mansion actually encourages such things," Chu Li smiled. "Sister, don't worry, leave it to me, I'll handle it."

After all, he had lived two lives and had a heart that yearned for power, so he paid more attention to the big picture and had carefully analyzed these matters.

The mansion had strict orders, prohibiting the use of one's position to bully others or to use the identity of a mansion guard to oppress people, or else they would be punished according to the mansion's rules.

Most people thought the mansion did not allow guards to engage in business, but Chu Li understood that it depended on the industry. General businesses were not allowed, but taverns were an exception.

"Thirty thousand taels of silver..." Zhao Ying shook her head and sighed. "Those guys really deserve to die!"

It was clear without asking that this silver was all from their robberies. How many people had they robbed, how many had died under their blades? The Tiger Gang always killed their victims, leaving no survivors, which is why their crimes were not widely known, allowing them to remain at large until now!

"Using this silver to build them a place to live is a righteous path."

"Okay, let's give it a try!"

"Leave it to me!"

"By the way, Brother, what level is your martial arts now?"

"Xiantian."

"Isn't it true that without a foundation, you can't cultivate internal energy?"

Chu Li smiled.

"Brother, did you have some kind of extraordinary encounter?"

"Sort of."

"What kind of encounter?" Zhao Ying's bright eyes sparkled, excitedly asking.

Chu Li shook his head and smiled. "Nothing much, just ate a strange fruit, and that's it."

"What kind of fruit?"

"I don't know, maybe a Transcendence Fruit."

Zhao Ying tilted her head and looked at him curiously. "Can the Transcendence Fruit help build a foundation?"

Chu Li smiled. "You'll understand when you read more books."

"Brother, your luck is really good, isn't it?"

Chu Li smiled bitterly and shook his head. "If I had good luck, I wouldn't have missed the foundation stage and wouldn't have suffered so much."

"That's true." Zhao Ying nodded lightly.

She had seen Chu Li's predicament with her own eyes. Because he couldn't build a foundation and couldn't cultivate, he had suffered a lot, enduring the cold eyes, ridicule, and contempt of others.

"When did you eat the Transcendence Fruit?"

Chu Li shook his head and changed the subject. "The Transcendence Fruit can only make up for the foundation stage. Xiantian still requires personal cultivation and can't be achieved overnight. There is no miraculous medicine in this world that can make you reach Xiantian just by eating it."

"Xiantian..." Zhao Ying sighed.

Thinking of the Xiantian realm, she felt like standing at the foot of a towering mountain, feeling intimidated and lacking confidence to climb it.

Chu Li smiled. "Your foundation is very solid, you'll be fine!"

"Okay!" Zhao Ying nodded vigorously, encouraging herself.

Brother had given her many Tendon Strengthening Pills, making her meridians much stronger than ordinary people, giving her a huge advantage, so she could definitely reach Xiantian!

The two used their lightness skills, running as fast as riding a horse. After half a day, Zhao Ying's internal energy was exhausted, and Chu Li placed his hand on her back, continuously injecting his internal energy.

Feeling the purity and depth of Chu Li's internal energy, she curiously asked him what cultivation technique he was using. When she heard it was the Boundless Sea Technique, she was surprised.

The Boundless Sea Technique was famous, but few cultivated it because it was very dangerous. It was said to be extremely powerful, capable of sweeping away peers, but cultivating it was like drinking poison to quench thirst, akin to suicide.

"Brother, the Boundless Sea Technique is very dangerous."

"I know."

"Then why do you still practice it?... Oh, I get it, Tendon Grass!"

She slapped her forehead, suddenly understanding. Tendon Grass made the meridians extremely resilient, capable of withstanding the stacking of internal energy, which could mitigate the dangers of the Boundless Sea Technique.

Chu Li smiled.

"No wonder." She also understood why Chu Li was so formidable and invincible. The power of the Boundless Sea Technique was not just a rumor.

The two rushed back to the Duke's Mansion in one breath. After entering, they separated. Zhao Ying went to the Martial Hall to turn in her mission, while Chu Li returned to the East Garden to rest. They agreed that she would visit the island in a few days.

In the evening, after dinner, Chu Li entered the Moonlight Orchid Garden. The Moonlight Orchids emitted a warm, luminous glow, like crescent moons, beautiful and magnificent.

The White Dream Flower, without his spiritual energy nourishment, grew very slowly, but it would bloom tonight. The Moonlight Orchids, however, were growing vigorously, already having sprouted three new shoots. Li Yue had done a good job.

Light footsteps brought a faint fragrance. Chu Li turned to see Su Ru approaching in a light yellow silk robe, exquisitely beautiful.

She waved her hand, indicating that Chu Li didn't need to be formal, and sat opposite him. "You did well!"

Chu Li sat down and poured her a cup of tea. "You received it?"

"Yes," Su Ru took the cup, sipped it lightly, and smiled. "Li Yue's tea is really good, with a unique flavor... The young lady is very satisfied."

Chu Li smiled.

"Was the journey smooth?" Su Ru looked at him with a smile. "Was the guard competent?"

Chu Li bowed and smiled. "Thank you, Chief Steward!"

Su Ru waved her hand. "Don't thank me. I gave you the opportunity, but whether you can seize it depends on you."

"This time was really dangerous, we encountered the Tiger Gang."

"The Tiger Gang... I've heard of them."

Chu Li sighed. "Does the mansion know what the Tiger Gang has been doing?"

Seeing his expression, Su Ru frowned. "Did they offend you?"

"Offending me is not the issue, but they..." Chu Li huffed and recounted their deeds. Su Ru pursed her lips and stared at him, her face darkening, and the air around them seemed to freeze.

She was also a Xiantian expert, with a formidable aura, capable of combining her cultivation with the environment to form a tangible force.

"Damn!" Su Ru said coldly. "The mansion's inspectors are damn useless!"

Chu Li shook his head. "This is the responsibility of the government, but since they kill their victims directly, no one reports them. If the government turns a blind eye, it's hard to hold them accountable."

In any dynasty, any government, officials were similar, preferring to avoid trouble rather than solve it.

Su Ru huffed. "Inspectors have this responsibility. If they don't do their job, I will report to the young lady and investigate thoroughly!"

"The Tiger Gang has been destroyed." Chu Li shook his head and recounted what he had done, leaving Su Ru wide-eyed and incredulous.

Chu Li shrugged. "Now the Tiger Gang only has some pitiful women. The young lady can send someone to check."

Su Ru frowned and pondered for a moment, then asked, "The Tiger Gang had Xiantian experts, right?"

Chu Li nodded and recounted his extraordinary encounter, the same as he had told Zhao Ying.

"So you are now a Xiantian expert?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to challenge the Nine-Grade Tower?"

"I don't want to be a guard, being a bodyguard is fine."

"Being a bodyguard is fine... interesting!" Su Ru smiled. "You are a rare smart person. Most are blinded by the high salary and benefits of being a guard."

Chu Li said, "These women are very pitiful. I want to open a tavern in the city to help them support themselves. The Tiger Gang had a lot of silver."

He didn't hide his gains. A place like the Tiger Gang would definitely have a lot of wealth. Hiding it would be unwise, as the Duke's Mansion's rule was that all gains were personal and didn't need to be turned in.

"Opening a tavern... it's not that easy," Su Ru frowned and shook her head. "But your idea is good. They should support themselves to avoid idle thoughts."

As a woman, she appreciated Chu Li's approach.

"The key to a tavern is the taste. If the food is bad, it won't work." Su Ru thought aloud. "We need to find some top chefs from the capital!"

"Understood."

"Alright, I'll help you with this. For their sake, I'll give you a hand!"

"Thank you, Chief Steward!" Chu Li bowed. After a moment, he added, "This time, destroying the Tiger Gang has stirred up a hornet's nest."

"Good job!" Su Ru huffed. "What hornet's nest?"

Chu Li shook his head. "The leader of the Tiger Gang knew the Golden Buddha Deliverance Technique."

"What?!" Su Ru was stunned, her face changing. "The Golden Buddha Deliverance Technique?"

Chu Li nodded slowly.

"The Great Thunderclap Temple... this is a big problem!" Su Ru stood up. "No, I need to report this to the young lady immediately!"

"There were no survivors, so it shouldn't spread."

"The four major sects have a long history, with countless secret techniques. They are unpredictable!" Su Ru turned and walked away, waving her hand at him.

Chu Li sighed. This was indeed a big problem. The leader had the secret manual of the Golden Buddha Deliverance Technique, and the Great Thunderclap Temple would not sit idly by.

He walked to the lakeside, standing under a willow tree, lost in thought. The moonlight reflected on the lake, the ripples shimmering on his calm face.

The Great Thunderclap Temple was not an ordinary sect. According to the books he had read and the intelligence he had gathered, the Duke's Mansion was not as powerful as the Great Thunderclap Temple.

After a while, Xiao Qi and Su Ru arrived together, standing side by side on the boat. Xiao Qi, dressed in white, looked like a fairy from the mythical Mount Gu.

The moonlight made her face as smooth as jade, her eyes like stars, shining brightly.

The two women, carrying a faint fragrance, floated to him.

"Miss." Chu Li bowed.

Xiao Qi waved her hand and said coolly, "The Great Thunderclap Temple?"

Chu Li said, "Actually, that guy had the secret manual of the Golden Buddha Deliverance Technique."

Su Ru turned to Xiao Qi. "Miss, this is bad!"

Xiao Qi frowned, looking at Chu Li. "You found it?"

Chu Li nodded.

Su Ru showed no joy, stomping her foot. "This is a big problem!"

Xiao Qi frowned. "What do you think?"

Chu Li said, "I think I can cultivate it."

Su Ru glared at him. "Dream on! If it were that easy, the Great Thunderclap Temple's martial arts would be widespread!"

Xiao Qi waved her hand. "Not necessarily. The Great Thunderclap Temple's martial arts manuals have been leaked, but no one can cultivate them."

Chu Li frowned. "It doesn't seem that hard."

After reading the manual, he felt it wasn't difficult to cultivate and progress was fast.

"The Great Thunderclap Temple's martial arts, the more powerful they are, the more profound the Buddhist teachings required. Without sufficient Buddhist cultivation, you can't cultivate them," Xiao Qi said. "The monks of the Great Thunderclap Temple are divided into scholars and warriors. They study Buddhism for ten years before cultivating martial arts, building their foundation simultaneously. Only with sufficient Buddhist cultivation can they practice martial arts to protect the temple and subdue demons. Without deep Buddhist cultivation, they are not allowed to practice martial arts."

"So they don't fear the spread of their martial arts?"

"The secret manual of the Golden Buddha Deliverance Technique is not hard to find, but no one dares to practice it," Xiao Qi shook her head. "That's why it's not kept in the library or the Martial Hall."

"Why?" Su Ru asked curiously.

"The Golden Buddha Deliverance Technique causes one to go astray as soon as they start practicing. Some suspect the manual is flawed, but later it was discovered that the problem is insufficient Buddhist cultivation."

Su Ru asked curiously, "What's the real reason?"

"The martial arts of the Great Thunderclap Temple have a demonic nature, requiring Buddhist cultivation to counteract. Without sufficient Buddhist cultivation, practicing the Great Thunderclap Temple's martial arts is suicide."

Su Ru quickly said, "Chu Li, don't take risks!"

She looked at Chu Li with concern. The Golden Buddha Deliverance Technique was famous, a top martial art of the Great Thunderclap Temple, incredibly powerful, and no one could resist its allure. Chu Li had already started practicing, and it would be hard to stop!

Chu Li smiled.

Xiao Qi looked at him with a strange expression.

Chu Li smiled. "Yes, Miss, my Buddhist cultivation is quite good."

Su Ru clapped her hands, suddenly understanding.