"Stop the carriage!"
Hearing a topic that people on the street were passionately discussing, Li Qing's heart suddenly trembled. He immediately shouted for the carriage to stop, wanting to listen further.
"Such a clumsy attempt at using a knife to kill someone. I think the Black Shaman Gang's leader, seeing no hope for revenge, just made up this story."
"However, if those old, muddled Jianghu experts hear this rumor, they will probably be unable to resist going to find Sun Qi to investigate the truth."
"To cultivate into an immortal and attain longevity, every dynasty has had emperors who fantasized about such things, but what was the final outcome?"
"Indeed, even emperors couldn't obtain the methods to become immortals; how could the Lei family possibly get it!"
It was clear that this was the hottest news in Qingzhou recently, spreading through every street and alley, becoming common knowledge.
However, the vast majority of the populace maintained a skeptical attitude, believing it was merely the Black Shaman Gang's leader trying to use someone else's hand to kill.
Yet, one thing made some people ponder: the first sword of Qingzhou, Sun Qi, who had killed the entire family of the Black Shaman Gang's leader, had yet to appear to clarify the situation.
"Let's continue on. Find an inn to stay at."
Only when Li Qing's voice lazily echoed from within the carriage did it slowly start moving again.
Opportunities for immortality? Methods of cultivation?
At this moment, Li Qing's mind was constantly echoing these phrases.
Could it be that the treasure taken by the Black Shaman Gang from the Lei family was related to such mysterious matters?
No wonder the two major forces were fighting to such an extent, almost to the point of mutual destruction.
Suddenly, Li Qing recalled something.
When he was besieging the Yan family with the Righteous Gang in the Eternal Night World, that old master of the Yan family, in a moment of crisis, pulled out a piece of yellow paper that resembled a talisman.
That talisman-like yellow paper had erupted with a strong golden light, directly enveloping the old master of the Yan family. The several death warriors raised by the Righteous Gang's Tianlong had no way to deal with him; he was practically invulnerable.
If it weren't for the fact that the golden light shield soon shattered, the old master of the Yan family would definitely not have died so easily.
"Could that be an immortal technique?"
"And the Tianliang Mountain, even in that world of extreme food scarcity, the Yan family actually had to maintain a fixed time to offer sacrifices to Tianliang Mountain."
Li Qing silently recited this in his heart, deeply engraving this matter into his memory.
The secrets hidden in the Eternal Night World were undoubtedly more profound than he had imagined; it seemed he needed to find an opportunity to explore further!
As for the opportunity for immortality in Sun Qi's hands, regardless of its authenticity, Li Qing had no intention of harboring any thoughts about it.
Not to mention, he was, after all, the first sword of Qingzhou, a master at the inner strength level.
Even if it were true, so what? As a mere outer strength cultivator, Li Qing knew he was not qualified to compete for such opportunities!
"Sigh, in the end, it's still a matter of insufficient strength!"
Li Qing suppressed these thoughts, only wanting to quickly conclude matters in Qingzhou, fulfill his master's instructions, and then return to quietly practice martial arts and grow stronger!
Soon, the carriage stopped in front of a grand inn.
Unexpectedly, it was another Dragon Gate Inn!
This establishment turned out to be a chain brand, leaving Li Qing stunned for a while. He thought to himself, no wonder that previous waiter said that whether it was the Lei family or the Black Shaman Gang, they had to give the Dragon Gate Inn some face.
In this chaotic place known for its fierce populace, being able to conduct business on such a scale was impossible without some strength!
Although it was a bit expensive, it was reassuring to stay there, and Li Qing was still very satisfied as he booked two top-quality guest rooms.
Not long after checking in, Li Qing began to inquire about news under the pretense of looking for distant relatives.
"Waiter, let me ask you, are there any families with the surname Gu in the city?" Li Qing held a few copper coins in his hand, playfully watching the waiter’s greedy expression.
"Ah, this is quite a tough question, sir. With so many households in the city, how could I know them all? But there must be families with the surname Gu."
That was indeed the case, so Li Qing changed his question: "Then where should I go to inquire about this matter?"
In order to earn those copper coins, the waiter used all his wits.
"The simplest way is to go to the county office to check the household registry, but you might have to pay a bit more to those officials."
"However, if you have more clues, you can find those informants in the city; their fees for services are not high."
Upon hearing these two suggestions, Li Qing pondered for a moment and then nodded in satisfaction, tossing two copper coins to the waiter.
Li Qing wasn't very keen on dealing with those officials at the county office; if it wasn't necessary, it was best to avoid contact.
"Let me think... My master once said that he was sent to the border military because he offended the county magistrate here."
"This matter has been at least a decade or two ago, right? I wonder if that county magistrate has been transferred."
Thus, Li Qing summarized a few recognizable characteristics.
Surname Gu, possibly a blacksmith, offended the county magistrate a decade or two ago, and was later sent to the military to atone for his crimes.
With these points, it should be about right.
Without further ado, Li Qing directly sought out a well-known informant in the city.
In Chongning County, within an old residence.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Coming, coming!"
Inside the residence, a brisk voice came out, followed by a middle-aged man, around thirty or forty years old, with sparse hair.
"Ah, what does this esteemed guest want to inquire about? The news of Qingzhou's first sword is quite hot right now; I have insider information!" He Baosheng greeted with a smile.
Li Qing directly stated, "I want to find out about a person."
"Please come in! As long as it's someone who has lived in Chongning for more than a year in the past thirty years, I can definitely help you find them!" He Baosheng confidently replied.
So confident? It seemed he had come to the right place.
This residence, although a bit old, still had some clean furnishings, and several homing pigeons could be seen in the courtyard, indicating a level of professionalism.
He Baosheng brought over a cup of steaming tea. Li Qing merely glanced at it and had no intention of tasting it. He spoke:
"I'm looking for someone with the surname Gu, who was possibly a blacksmith. Later, he offended the county magistrate and was sent to the border to serve in the military to atone for his crimes."
"To be precise, I'm looking for his family. I wonder if they are still in the city?"
At this point, it was already quite clear.
He Baosheng pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "This esteemed guest, please wait a moment. The person you mentioned should have some leads, but I still need to confirm."
After a long while, He Baosheng finally walked out of the room, wearing a confident smile.
"The person you are looking for, is it named Gu Tianxing?"
(End of Chapter)