The theft of treasures from both sides immediately enraged the Sacred Jade Serpent and the Vajra Ape. They roamed the forest searching for the damned thief. When the two beasts met, they immediately began to fight, each blaming the other.

Furthermore, the long-standing grudge between the two magical beasts finally erupted at this moment, and the two giant beasts began to fight fiercely throughout the forest. The Golden Ape used its physical strength to attack the Sacred Jade Poisonous Python, while the Sacred Jade Poisonous Python kept circling around the Golden Ape. Both sides were familiar with each other's moves. The Golden Ape kept dodging the Sacred Jade Poisonous Python's entanglement, climbed up the tree, and smashed the python's body wildly.

The Golden Apes were no match for the Sacred Jade Serpent, but they had the advantage of numbers, with seven or eight of them, making the two sides evenly matched.

After several fierce battles, neither side could gain the upper hand. In the end, they even lost their tempers and wanted to kill each other. A giant tree in the forest fell down, the Sacred Jade Python had its tail broken off by the Vajra Ape, and many parts of its body were also seriously injured. Three Vajra Apes died from the Sacred Jade Python's coils.

After several hours of fighting, only two of the Golden Apes remained, both severely injured. The Sacred Jade Python had one eye blinded and its deadly venom in its teeth depleted. Only then did Qi Yu appear from the trees not far away.

Holding a sword, he charged forward. The Vajra Ape and the Sacred Jade Python both possessed crystal cores, priceless treasures that could enhance one's strength.

As soon as Qi Yu appeared, the magical beasts on both sides realized they had been tricked and rushed towards him.

The man climbed onto the python's body, ignoring the danger of being entangled by the giant python. He moved up and down its body with incredible speed, and at first glance, one could even see the shadow of Li Xiaoxiao. He was extremely fast, while simultaneously dodging the attacks of the King Kong Ape.

The python grew faster and faster, and finally managed to entangle Qi Yu. To avoid any further accidents, the python decided to swallow the obstacle in front of it whole and digest it slowly when it got back.

The others kept fleeing, while the giant python relentlessly pursued them. Several times, Qi Yu was nearly bitten in the mouth. The golden ape took advantage of the chaos to leave the battlefield, leaving only Qi Yu and the giant python to fight.

When the giant python opened its mouth again, Qi Yu rushed straight into it. The python swallowed him whole and swam back into the cave. Inside the python's stomach, Qi Yu traversed the river of blood and headed towards a spot where there was a stone. Obtaining this stone would bring him one step closer to regaining his strength. He had found this stone by chance before, and it was thanks to this stone that his strength had suddenly increased.

In a dark corner, there is a stone that shines with a black light. This stone is called the Lacquer Stone. As long as he collects a hundred Lacquer Stones, he can reach the top faster and then he will dare to stand upright in front of Li Xiaoxiao.

The snake's stomach contains a large amount of gastric acid. The longer it stays there, the more its body will be corroded, and its flesh will rot step by step. Qi Yu endured the pain, inserted his sword into the snake's flesh, and climbed up step by step. The giant python felt its stomach being pierced and rolled around in pain, constantly twisting and turning.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Qi Yu finally reached the middle of the snake. He desperately used his sword to cut open the stone, took it out, absorbed the power inside, and injected it back into the sword. He then unleashed the move, "The True Dragon Emerges."

Qi Yu held the sword, continuously infusing it with spiritual power, and jumped onto the stomach, repeating the moves over and over again. A black dragon roared out from the sword, and the dragon's roar rang out. The giant dragon grew larger and stronger inside the venomous python's body, and then exploded, tearing a large hole through the python's body.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he escaped from the snake's stomach, using his legs, which were covered in skulls and soaked in blood, to leap onto the snake's vital spot. He unleashed his attack again, summoning a giant dragon from the sword once more. The dragon's roar rang out once more, and the sacred jade python's vital spot was pierced. The python immediately fell to the ground, struggling desperately. Qi Yu didn't care about any of that and directly used his sword to pierce through the bloody wound at the vital spot, digging deep into the crystal core inside.

After a quarter of an hour, it was finally unearthed. Qi Yu sat down and absorbed the energy from the crystal core. His bottleneck in the Foundation Establishment stage finally had enough energy.

The guards immediately appeared. Upon seeing this scene, they were initially surprised, but then obediently followed suit and retrieved the venomous python's body.

The next day, Qi Yu finally broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage. He opened his eyes during the breakthrough, used his spiritual power to write the three characters "Li Xiaoxiao" in the air, and then smiled blankly.

......

The next day, Li Xiaoxiao was planning the selection of new shop owners. She needed to control some shops in the Duke of Kaiguo's Shengcheng so that Chen Xueqing and Gu Lan could enter Shengcheng smoothly.

Chen Xueqing and Gu Lan sat together, never expecting the shop to be so successful. Their master's method of controlling the raw ingredients had turned the Li family's restaurant into a specialty.

Yunli County is now more prosperous than before, but it still can't compare to the capital. Sooner or later, they will have to go out and make their own way in the world.

"Master, all projects in Yunli County have been handed over."

Chen Xueqing knelt on one knee, and Gu Lan quickly got up from the stool and squatted down. "Master, we will be heading to Shengcheng in no more than four days."

"It's just about the Rongguo Mansion."

Chen Xueqing hesitated, as it would be a real mood killer to talk about these things now, but she was getting more and more anxious. Recently, they had some clues in hand. The brothel Yihong had been closed, and the casino had been cleared out of Yunli County. Yunli County was now completely safe.

Li Xiaoxiao covered her head. The Third Prince was about to ascend the throne, so it was not the right time to take action against the Rongguo Mansion. The Third Prince relied on the Rongguo Mansion, and her current power was not enough. She still needed to wait for the Duke of Kaiguo Mansion to make a move.

"Continue to investigate the evidence. I will personally go to the Rongguo Mansion in the next few days. Don't rush."

These words reassured Chen Xueqing. She finally understood that the reason she went to the mountain stronghold was because Wan Hai, the leader of the stronghold, had a distant relative who was in charge of the Rongguo Mansion. In addition, the suppression of the Chen family was also because the Rongguo Mansion wanted to make a fortune.

Most importantly, Gu Lan was severely persecuted by the Rongguo Duke's Mansion.

They worked together day and night on business matters, and the two were of one mind and had a perfect understanding. She had fallen in love with this man, but unfortunately, his legs had healed, and he was now the ideal husband for many girls. She, a woman who had been to a mountain village and had been with so many men, was not worthy of him.

Seeing Chen Xueqing's strong sense of justice, Li Xiaoxiao found it strange, "You seem to care a lot about Gu Lan."

Gu Lan knelt to the side, glancing at Chen Xueqing with surprise, as if verifying the truth of the matter.

"No, Master. I'm just worried. I'm also practicing martial arts, so I won't hold you back."

Chen Xueqing hurriedly changed the subject, which made Li Xiaoxiao even more curious. Had something big happened while she was away?

"Gu Lan, do you know what's been going on with Xue Qing lately?"

The more Chen Xueqing tried to hide it, the more curious Gu Lan became. Gu Lan thought about it for a while, but finally shook her head.