I Killed Gods and Demons in Song Dynasty

Chapter 17 Xuanxin Hall Master
"This thing was given to you by the Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain. Would it be bad if I use it for cultivation?"

Li Qingyun suppressed the joy in his heart, remained calm on the surface, and asked casually.

He had to figure out whether practicing this would attract the attention of the Taoists in Mount Longhu, and whether there would be any consequences.

Song Ke shook his head:
"This first half of the foundation-laying method is not something extraordinary, otherwise I would not dare to give it to you. In fact, the Taoist who wrote down the mantra for me once said that if I met someone with a predestined relationship, I could give this method to him, and anyone who could break through the four major barriers and draw qi into the body before the age of thirty could go to Longhu Mountain to become a disciple and practice Taoism.

"The real secret of Mount Longhu is actually the method in the lower volume of the Heavenly Book to contain the heavenly thunder to forge the body. If there is no guidance from an elder with high cultivation, it is easy to be affected by the extraordinary power from outside the sky and become corrupted and degenerate."

That's good... Li Qingyun nodded to Song Ke:
"Thank you..."

As he spoke, he pulled over a chair and sat down, leisurely flipping through the martial arts manual in his hand.

"Boss... there is one more thing..."

Song Ke said hesitantly.

Li Qingyun glanced at him sideways, and seeing that he seemed to be hesitant to speak, he waved his hand and said:
"Just say what you want to say, don't be so shy."

Song Ke pondered for a moment, as if he was organizing his words, and finally squeezed out a few words:

"The one hundred taels of silver that Jinfengxiyulou just paid as compensation was taken away by Deputy Gang Leader Wei."

Li Qingyun looked puzzled:
"Is there anything wrong with this? Wei Xiuwen is the head of Xuanxin Hall and is in charge of the public finances. Shouldn't this money be given to him?"

The Changle Gang has six major halls, among which the Xuanxin Hall is responsible for the two key matters of finance and personnel, handling the gang's internal affairs, and is the most powerful department.

The real leader of the gang is Deputy Gang Leader Wei Xiuwen, who has the highest martial arts skills and the longest seniority in the gang.

After all, the Changle Gang is a gang that emphasizes martial arts and seniority. Only a capable old man like Wei Xiuwen can take charge of the power and convince everyone.

Li Qingyun also knew about this, so he didn't find it surprising.

Song Ke bit his lip and said reluctantly:
"This money did not go to the public. It was borrowed by Deputy Gang Leader Wei in his personal name."

"Ok?"

Li Qingyun's mind was still on the [Heavenly Thunder Body Tempering Technique], and he came to his senses after hearing these words.

One hundred taels of silver is not a small amount. The Changle Gang's monthly revenue is only about one thousand taels, and they have to feed hundreds of mouths.

"Did he tell me what he wanted so much money for?"

Song Ke shook his head:

"No, he just said he borrowed it. He's my senior, so I didn't ask too many questions, but I still think I should tell you."

If it were before, you would definitely not tell me these things. Now you acknowledge me as the gang leader?
Li Qingyun secretly complained and said calmly:
"Wei Xiuwen is borrowing 100 taels of silver, so he won't make you hesitate, right? Have you checked the account?"

Song Ke smiled bitterly:

"You can't hide anything from me. It's not convenient for me to go to Xuanxin Hall to check the accounts, but I just asked the Chu Hall Master and the Shi Hall Master privately. They found that some of the money they recently handed over to the public was taken away by Deputy Gang Leader Wei, and the amount was not small."

He was referring to Chu Jinxiang, the head of Shan De Hall who ran the gang's business, and Shi Yuan, the head of Di Zang Hall who was responsible for intelligence gathering and investigation.

Li Qingyun bent his middle finger and tapped the table lightly:

"Did he write you an IOU when he got money from you?"

Song Ke said quickly:
"There is an IOU. I understand the rules. I also have it from Master Chu and Master Shi. But the total is probably more than one hundred taels of silver. However, Deputy Boss Wei only gets ten taels of silver per month..." Li Qingyun nodded.

"I know about this. Wei Xiuwen is a veteran, and I don't want to rush to question him face to face. First, check what he has been doing recently. Is he in debt from gambling or doing business? Find out the whole story and then tell me."

Song Ke nodded and looked at Li Qingyun who was moving slowly and steadily. He suddenly felt that the Changle Gang was about to make a comeback.

In the past, he was the only one with his sword, fighting against all the big and small forces in Bianliang City, but he was often overwhelmed and on the verge of collapse.

But now, this gang leader, whom he once regarded as a good-for-nothing, suddenly tore off the mask of disguise and stood out openly. Not only was his martial arts skills incredibly high, but he was also very experienced and smooth in his dealings. If the Changle Gang was not so poor, he would even think that Li Qingyun in front of him was another person in disguise, who came here for some ulterior motive.

After dealing with this matter, Li Qingyun turned his attention back to the [Heavenly Thunder Body Tempering Technique]. He first carefully checked his remaining Qi and blood:

[Remaining Qi and Blood: Four Souls]

When he was attacked by Bai Yunrui, he activated the magical power of "burning blood" and lost the blood and energy of two souls for no reason.

If he wanted to sacrifice himself for cultivation now, he would have to face the problem of insufficient Qi and blood, and the possibility of becoming weak and losing control.

Li Qingyun subconsciously touched the puppet in his arms. Although he felt the cold and foul aura from it again, it was far from satisfying his needs.

"Master Song, do you know where I can buy pills or items to replenish qi and blood?"

In desperation, he could only start from other aspects to solve the problem of insufficient qi and blood.

Song Ke didn't think much about it. He knew that his leader had endured humiliation and indulged in alcohol and sex for many years. He might be in urgent need of a way to replenish his foundation. So he thought for a while and said:
"These things are strictly controlled by Kaifeng Prefecture and cannot be bought openly. However, there will be an underground trade fair in the East Market tomorrow night. If you are interested, I can bring you to have a look."

"Underground trade fair?"

When Li Qingyun heard this, he immediately became interested.

Song Ke nodded:

"The methods and paths of cultivation are controlled by the big sects, but not everyone wants to sacrifice their freedom to join them. Some big gangs in Bianliang City have the tradition of holding underground trade fairs regularly for practitioners who lack resources to exchange what they have.

"Of course they charge a certain fee, but they can also provide guarantees for transactions. The items that appear there are not fixed each time, but they are all the medicinal materials, items, and techniques that practitioners need. I can't guarantee that there will be things that replenish qi and blood at the trade fair, but at least I can ask about some channels."

Li Qingyun nodded:
"Okay, I want to go and have a look. Please take me there tomorrow night."

……

The two chatted for a few more sentences, and Manager Sun had already prepared lunch. After they ate and drank, Li Qingyun took his leave.

He wanted to find Bai Yunrui and Fang Shuan, inform them of his recent trance dream, and see if he could use the power of Kaifeng Prefecture to find the old man who gave him the puppet.

But when he arrived at the Southern Yamen Kaifeng Prefecture, Li Qingyun gave his name, but was told that General Bai and Captain Fang were out investigating a case and were not in the yamen.

The person who received him was a young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a heroic and generous appearance and extraordinary bearing. He called himself Ai Hu and was a fifth-rank captain in Kaifeng Prefecture.

Li Qingyun described to him in detail what had happened to him, but Ai Hu's face immediately turned ugly after listening to it.

"Boss Li, you have been forced into a dream. Your situation is very bad..."

……

(End of this chapter)