Chapter 145 First Meeting with Ao Shan, Treasures and Divine Use

This battle was swift and decisive, lasting only a moment. Zhou Long, Tie Xiong, Mei Rendu, and Hu Shengnan all wailed in agony, their faces ashen.

They thought themselves clever and devised a scheme.

However, he underestimated his opponent and deserved this fate.

Li Xian said, "Seniors, how was my plan? Do you all agree with it?"

Iron Bear, blind in the eye, was once a mighty and powerful figure who dominated the village. Yet, he was a coward with the body of a bear and the courage of a rat. Upon their encounter, he witnessed Li Xian's extraordinary abilities, his power and martial arts far surpassing his own. Filled with fear, he was the first to submit: "I admit it, I admit it! Commander Wu, you are right!"

Even if the rest of the group were dissatisfied, what could they do? They could only soften their tone and change their attitude drastically.

“Lord Wu, we were blind to your greatness. If you want this treasure, then take it.”

"Yes, you don't need to go to so much trouble. We came here with the treasures because we wanted to give them to you."

"Oh dear, look at this misunderstanding. It's our fault for not explaining things clearly. We martial artists are rough around the edges, so we hope you won't take offense, Commander Wu."

...

This open strategy allows for both advance and retreat.

If Li Xian is weak, then advance. At best, you'll force Li Xian to retreat; at worst, you could take his life. If Li Xian is strong, then retreat, only discussing the treasure and not mentioning that everyone intends to target Li Xian.

Li Xian smiled and said, "Since that's the case, there's no better time than now. Since everyone is already here, please take your seats."

"Sit down?" The crowd asked, puzzled.

Li Xian said, "Now that I have been promoted to the rank of Military Commandant, I should be in frequent contact with you all and exercise my authority. I was planning to host a banquet and invite you all to sit at the same table and talk."

"We've come at the perfect time, everyone's here, so we'll skip the banquet. But there are some rules we'd like to discuss with everyone."

"Lord Wu...Lord Wu, please...please draw your sword. I am willing to obey your orders." Hu Shengnan's face was as white as paper.

Her arm was pierced by a black knife, pinned to the wall. The excruciating pain was unbearable; she tried several times to pull it out, only to realize the immense force within. It wasn't just embedded in the wall, but seemingly locked to it.

This move... is beyond her reach. In the path of martial arts, whether one is strong or weak can be determined in a single battle.

Li Xian smiled. The slash he had just thrown possessed both the projectile power of the [Cloud Soaring Hand] and the internal energy circulation of the [Azure Palm]. The internal energy, like tangled threads, coiled and locked into the wall.

Li Xian drew his sword.

Hu Shengnan, having sealed her blood and closed her orifices, glanced at Li Xian in fear, then obediently carried a wooden stool and sat down in the hall.

Iron Bear, Zhou Long, Mei Rendu, and other powerful figures who dominated Qingning dared not resist and sat obediently in a row. They all had injuries, but Li Xian had already held back, so their lives were not in danger.

“Master Miao, you are the same,” Li Xian said calmly.

Miao Xichun witnessed the whole thing and swallowed hard. It was clearly his own territory, yet he felt like a stranger.

Sit still.

Li Xian got straight to the point, his imposing manner even stronger. His heroic bearing was dazzling as he declared, "As a military officer, I must establish rules."

"I don't care about the past, I only care about the present and the future."

"From now on, any conflict between factions must be reported to me in advance. Ordinary people must not be harmed. If any do, I will personally visit them to offer my condolences."

"From now on, all gangs and factions must restrain their members and apprentices. Gang disputes, injuries and deaths are common, but if they infringe on the lives of ordinary people, I will punish them severely."

"As for protection fees and apprenticeship fees... they can be collected, but they need to be regulated. They can't be collected arbitrarily!"

...

Li Xian established these rules one by one. He was originally from Qingning and had grown up there since childhood, experiencing firsthand the hardships of the people. The rules he established now were based on the realities of life and were not empty rhetoric.

This matter harms the interests of various factions and groups, so they naturally don't want it. But under duress, how could they dare to disobey?

With numerous rules established, Qingning County is now under control.

Li Xian said, "In addition, the Martial Arts Hall manages many gangs, which requires a considerable amount of manpower and resources. All martial arts schools and gangs in Qingning County are required to pay fifty taels of silver per month for expenses."

The various gangs have long held sway, robbing others of their money. Today, they've finally fallen, and they have no way to express their grievances.

"good!"

"Brother Li is right!"

Suddenly, a shout rang out. Lin Guolong jumped over the threshold, turned around, and said, "Good grandma, watch out for the threshold." He then helped Lin Aoshan into the house.

Lin Aoshan said, "I can walk by myself." She glared at him and refused to be helped.

Lin Guolong straightened his chest and walked towards Li Xianxing, saying, "Brother Li, what you say is absolutely right. Every word you say is for the people, and it moves me deeply. I, Lin Guolong, support you, and the county soldiers also support you."

"If you need anything, just tell me. Our county soldiers aren't pushovers!"

The leaders of various gangs and martial arts schools paled in shock. No matter how strong Li Xian was, he was still just one person, and human strength has its limits. But with the support of the county soldiers, the tide had turned!

Li Xian smiled and said, "Brother Lin, what brings you here?"

Lin Guolong said, "How could I not come to such an important event? How is the situation? Is there anything I can do to help?"

“No need, everyone is very kind. We had a very pleasant conversation,” Li Xian said with a meaningful smile, then turned to Lin Aoshan and asked, “And this is…”

Lin Guolong introduced, "This is my grandmother, Lin Aoshan, the dignified Marquis of the Celestial Patrol Division!"

"Greetings, Senior Lin." Li Xian cupped his hands and smiled. "It's really strange. Forgive my poor eyesight, but no matter how I look at you, Senior Lin doesn't look like Brother Lin's wife. Instead, you look like a young and beautiful female knight-errant."

Lin Aoshan glared at Lin Guolong, then turned and said, "Your attempt to flatter me is quite unfortunate. It backfired. Although I am his grandmother, I am only just over twenty this year."

Li Xian exclaimed in surprise, "So it wasn't Grandma Lin, but Sister Lin. My apologies, my apologies."

Lin Aoshan smiled. She had found Li Xian's actions quite interesting; he was far from being a rigid, rule-abiding person. He was also ruthless and domineering. It was truly unexpected that such a figure could emerge from such a small county as Qingning.

"So you're going to call me Sister Lin now?" Lin Aoshan said with a sweet smile.

Lin Guolong interjected, "No, no. Brother Li, you and I are brothers. You should naturally call her Grandma."

"Pah, pah, pah!" Lin Aoshan said, "You little potato, I don't mind you calling me grandma. But Li Dalang is tall and handsome, and I won't accept him calling me grandma."

"Just call me 'older sister,' I'm older than you."

"No, no, this will cause chaos." Lin Guolong said with a bitter face, "This will create a mess."

Li Xian smiled and said, "In that case, let's each discuss our own matters. Sister Lin, Brother Lin, please come inside for a chat."

Chunye Martial Arts Hall.

A pavilion in the courtyard.

Lin Aoshan smiled and said, "I arrived in Qingning a few days ago and have been curious about Li Dalang for a long time. I only got to meet him today."

"I wonder if Sister Lin is disappointed?" Although Li Xian addressed her as "Sister," intending to build rapport, she showed no ill will upon their first meeting. However, she had no intention of currying favor; it was all a normal form of address.

Lin Aoshan felt no disgust and laughed, "Not disappointed. You're even more..."

"Don't follow the rules."

His gaze was somewhat strange.

Just now, Li Xian forcibly seized the treasure, and Lin Aoshan initially thought he was just a domineering and arrogant young man. She had seen many such people before, so this was nothing unusual.

Later, Li Xian established rules, every word of which surprised her and even gave her a fresh perspective.

That's why he couldn't wait to talk to Li Xian and actually meet him.

"Disobeying the rules?" Li Xian asked in surprise, "But those who know me well all say I am honest."

Lin Aoshan chuckled, her beauty as radiant as a flower. She thought to herself, "It would be strange if you were honest. I wonder who managed to manipulate those people so easily." She said seriously, "I'm not going to argue with you about these things. Honesty isn't something you can just talk about; it's about what you do."

"May I ask what brings you here, sister?" Li Xian asked.

Lin Aoshan said, "It's my little grandson. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to handle things, so he asked me to come. He didn't come specifically to see you."

Lin Guolong hesitated, not daring to refute.

Li Xian said, "I see." Seeing that Lin Aoshan's teacup was empty, he poured it back to half full.

Lin Aoshan raised her eyebrows slightly, "Speaking of which, you and my Lin family actually have a lot of connections."

“Your younger brother is currently in the prefectural city. His master, Fu Haoran, has a close relationship with the Lin family.”

Li Xian thought to herself that her younger brother might have some connection with the Lin family, but the entanglement might not be very deep. Although the Lin family was powerful, she didn't need to rush to rely on them.

Without making a sound, he changed the subject. Lin Aoshan didn't mind, and the two chatted for a long time, talking about the lake view and poetry. Li Xian's conversation was quite refined, and Lin Aoshan actually got along quite well with him.

Before I knew it, it was already evening.

This first meeting went fairly well.

We parted ways at the end of the street at dusk.

Li Xian dusted off his clothes, realizing that this trivial matter had delayed his studies for the entire day. He returned to the Martial Arts Hall and diligently practiced his martial arts.

"Lord Martial Commandant, you look quite impressive today!"

Zhang Hou's vision was still hazy.

Upon returning to the Martial Arts Hall, he immediately spread the news of his exploits. He had truly subdued three schools and dominated two factions. Yet he handled everything with ease, seemingly with his strength still intact.

"If you study hard, you too can achieve this day," Li Xian encouraged.

He entered the inner courtyard to learn martial arts.

He went through the Qingfeng Leg, Sifang Fist, Biluo Palm, and Daluo Saber, and also learned two martial arts techniques: Zongyun Hand and Canyang Shuixue Sword.

Proficiency has steadily increased.

The Qi Lake has reached fourteen zhang in length.

"My martial arts skills are still too limited, mostly basic ones. Today, during our daytime fight, Iron Bear's Bear Body Technique truly amazed me."

"If I have the opportunity, I should learn new martial arts to expand my strength. Although I have the superior martial art of the Sunset Blood Sword, it is limited by the characteristics of the sword technique. Whether I can achieve the intermediate level when I use it alone is still unknown."

"Unfortunately... it's not easy to enter Madam's Leisure Martial Arts Pavilion. Taking Madam's things comes with a price. I now have some power and wealth in the county. Those gangs will be sending money over soon..."

"Perhaps I can obtain a martial arts manual through my own abilities. I won't need to ask anyone for help!"

Li Xian clenched his fist.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes. Martial artists, though inevitably relying on external forces, must ultimately possess true strength and wealth to go far in the end.

The sky gradually darkened.

Li Xian ordered Wang Wu to buy some crispy chicken and duck, and some fine wine from the wine alley. The six of them drank and ate meat together, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, they enjoyed a pleasant conversation.

After the dinner.

Li Xian returned to her bedroom.

The Wuwei Hall occupies several acres and contains numerous buildings. Some of these buildings have fallen into disrepair over the years and are now uninhabitable. Li Xian has no money to repair them, so he has left them standing.

The west wing is relatively well-preserved. It is displayed as Li Xian's bedroom.

Li Xian closed the doors and windows, took out the [precious treasure] from his bosom, and a blue halo filled the room.

I'd like to see just how rare this treasure is.

(End of this chapter)