The wine customer, having been exempted from the bill, smiled contentedly and began recounting the events that had transpired in Xiao Cuiling during this period.
"At first, Xiao Cuiling was sealed off for a few days, and the Prince's residence, along with various Martial Halls, started excavating the tomb of a former dynasty's inner strength master."
"Everything was going smoothly, but one night, a fierce tiger descended from the mountain and killed quite a number of people!"
Upon hearing the words 'fierce tiger,' Li Qing's eyes brightened slightly, but he still restrained his emotions and continued to listen.
"The tiger launched a surprise attack under the cover of night, injuring several external strength masters, but it was ultimately driven back."
"Many people were injured or killed, and seeing the progress of the excavation slow down, the people from the Prince's residence were unwilling to wait any longer. They called everyone who was sealing off the mountain to join in the excavation."
"Just when the tomb was about to be opened, guess what happened?"
One couldn't help but say that this wine customer had a knack for storytelling, as he managed to draw everyone's attention with each word.
"Quickly, tell us! Don't keep us in suspense, what happened next?"
"Yes, what exactly occurred?!"
Hearing the crowd's urging, the wine customer took a satisfying sip of his drink and said, "Later, the people from Jiulianmen stormed the mountain, and among them were many who roamed the rivers and lakes. The entire Xiao Cuiling was thrown into chaos!"
"I heard that this time, Jiulianmen sent two Lotus Guardians, and with those skilled in the rivers and lakes, they managed to turn the team from the Prince's residence upside down!"
"That's all I know. The specific casualties will probably be reported back to Shengtian in a few days. But in my opinion, the Prince's residence is going to lose face this time."
After hearing about the events in Xiao Cuiling, the patrons in the inn began to discuss fervently, each with their own opinions.
"Jiulianmen is truly audacious, daring to openly target the Prince's residence."
"Tsk tsk tsk, I wonder what kind of martial arts master from the former dynasty is buried in that tomb to attract so much attention?"
"Hard to say. The former dynasty was founded on martial arts, and it is said that even masters at the Grandmaster level were quite common back then."
Li Qing sat alone in a corner of the inn, swirling the fine wine in his cup, his expression contemplative.
Unlike the others who were focused on the tomb of the martial arts master from the former dynasty, he was concerned about the fierce tiger that had appeared in Xiao Cuiling.
Since obtaining two recipes for medicinal wine, he had gathered nearly all the ingredients for the medicinal wine at the Spring Mountain Apothecary, but he had never received any news about tiger bones.
After all, in this era, no one would casually raise a tiger. To obtain tiger bones, one would have to venture deep into the mountains and hunt wild tigers.
This was no easy task; an ordinary external strength master, without sufficient protection and preparation, would find themselves in a very awkward situation if they encountered a fierce tiger in the forest.
After sitting quietly in the inn for a while, once his cup of fine wine was finished, Li Qing left.
Returning to his shop, Li Qing furrowed his brows slightly, contemplating and digesting the news he had received today.
"Hunting a fierce tiger cannot be rushed; it must be planned carefully. Caution is key."
Now, Xiao Cuiling was a chaotic battleground, with many masters from the rivers and lakes gathering there, making it a treacherous place.
Not to mention, just the two factions of the Prince's residence and Jiulianmen were enough to make Li Qing keep his distance.
"No rush; being a tiger hunter is not an easy task. Before that, I need to retrieve the fine iron armor."
"Then, after the Prince's residence finishes excavating the tomb, I can find a way to plan for the tiger bones." "It would be best to find an old hunter locally."
Thus, Li Qing solidified his plan to acquire the tiger bones in his heart.
Ever since he obtained the two recipes for medicinal wine, he had been eager to start brewing.
Unfortunately, after arriving in Shengtian City, although he had gathered the materials for the Five Poisons Blood-Activating Wine, he had to wait until summer to begin brewing.
And for the Tiger Bone Nourishing Wine, he finally received news about the tiger bones today.
"Ha, I thought I would have to wait several more years to gather the materials to start brewing. I didn't expect that by next summer at the latest, I could begin."
"Truly, Shengtian is a land of exceptional people and resources!"
Li Qing muttered to himself with satisfaction, as if he could already see his path in martial arts transforming into a broad avenue.
Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, several days had gone by.
During these days, the entire Shengtian was bustling with activity, far from peaceful.
First, Prince Yu personally took up his sword and broke through Jiulianmen's headquarters in Shengtian, engaging in battle with the Qinglian Guardian stationed there.
In the end, with the support of the three major Martial Halls, Prince Yu defeated the Qinglian Guardian.
This incident shook the entire Shengtian, and countless people from the rivers and lakes marveled at the prince's impressive martial skills, able to personally defeat a Lotus Guardian from Jiulianmen!
At the same time, many began to regard Jiulianmen with greater caution, as this faction rooted in Maple Kingdom dared to snatch food from the tiger's mouth even in front of a prince.
Afterward, the emperor was furious, and Emperor Taiwen directly issued a decree to thoroughly investigate Jiulianmen's influence in Shengtian.
In an instant, the entire Shengtian was in turmoil.
However, unfortunately for the authorities, the people of Jiulianmen received news in advance and evacuated the imperial capital overnight, rendering the decree ineffective.
The next day, disregarding the advice of others, Prince Yu led his men directly to Xiao Cuiling, intending to personally supervise the deep excavation of the tomb.
This caused some in the rivers and lakes to become increasingly anxious, speculating about what treasures might be buried beneath the tomb of that former dynasty master, to warrant such attention from a prince!
In an instant, the entire rivers and lakes were stirred, with more and more people rushing towards Xiao Cuiling, creating a chaotic situation.
And now, Shengtian appeared to be empty, with many masters from the rivers and lakes having left.
But that was not the case; Jiulianmen had previously occupied nearly half of the underground forces in the imperial capital, and nearly half of the merchants there had to pay them protection fees.
Now that Jiulianmen had angered the royal family and evacuated Shengtian overnight, wouldn't that leave half of the profits up for grabs?
Only the three major Martial Halls had the qualifications to eye this piece of fat meat and compete for it.
Thus, the three major Martial Halls, which had been harmonious for many years, gradually began to feel the tension in the air.
In the blacksmith shop, upon learning all of this, Li Qing couldn't help but shake his head in exasperation.
"What a time of turmoil! The peaceful days haven't lasted long, and now chaos has erupted again!"
Fortunately, the turmoil did not seem to affect his side, and Li Qing was too lazy to pay attention, simply sitting back and watching the changes in the situation.
Now, the situation in Shengtian was so complex that even he couldn't fully comprehend it, as it involved too many forces. Who knows what transactions were happening behind the scenes?
(End of Chapter)