Catching Monsters

Chapter 677 will definitely make a fortune.
Upon hearing this, Long Qixing nodded in satisfaction. His eyes held a hint of anticipation as he slowly said, "Qu Wushang, I have been looking forward to fighting you for over ten years! I hope you will not disappoint me!"

After saying this, he slowly turned around, dragged the coffin, and slowly left the place. The crowd that had been watching also made way for him. Who would dare to stop this Dragon Sword God?

Jiang Yun watched Long Qixing's departing figure, narrowed his eyes slightly, and touched his neck. "That was close," he thought, "I almost got killed by that guy with a single sword strike."

"Let's go inside and talk." Jiang Yun turned around and was about to enter the East Garrison Command when a familiar voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

"Brother-in-law!"

Jiang Yun was somewhat surprised and looked towards the sound, only to see Xu Xiaogang and his deputy.

Jiang Yun's eyes lit up with joy. She hurriedly stepped forward and hugged Xu Xiaogang tightly, asking, "Why did you suddenly come back? I hadn't heard the news yet."

"Didn't His Majesty say he was going to throw a welcome-back party for you? You..."

"What's the point of a welcome feast?" Xu Xiaogang said, glancing at Long Qixing's retreating figure, "Are you alright?"

"Come on, there are too many people here, let's go inside and talk."

Soon, the group of Imperial Guards hurriedly returned to the Eastern Garrison and closed the gate.

The crowd of people watching the commotion were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

“Look at them, these Imperial Guards usually act all high and mighty, but when they encounter Dragon Sword God, they don’t dare to utter a single word.”

"Nonsense, Dragon Sword God is practically one of the strongest swordsmen in the world."

"If these Imperial Guards really anger Dragon Sword God, even if they were all together, they probably wouldn't be enough for him to kill."

Just as everyone was discussing this, someone quickly reminded them, "Alright, let's disperse. This is the gate of the Eastern Garrison Command. Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble by gossiping here?"

Upon hearing someone remind them, the people who had been speaking dared not say anything more and hurriedly dispersed.

The news that Long Jianshen wanted to challenge the Sword God from twenty years ago quickly spread throughout the capital.

The impact of this matter is enormous.

Long Qixing and Qu Wushang were both so famous that even gambling dens quickly followed the trend and opened betting games on whether the two would win or lose.

Meanwhile, inside the East Garrison Command, in the small courtyard outside the archives room, Qu Wushang sat calmly on a recliner in the archives room.

Jiang Yun was a little anxious. He glanced at Dong Qiaofeng beside him and said, "Old Dong, three days from now, have our men set up an ambush at the training ground. I'll go and invite the experts from the Tongyou Guard."

"This man is so disregarding our Embroidered Uniform Guard, we have to teach him a lesson."

Qu Wushang gave a wry smile and said, "Lord Jiang, this matter will soon spread throughout the capital, and even throughout the Zhou Kingdom."

"The world's best swordsmen will probably all come to see this."

"If you send someone to ambush and capture him, not only will the reputation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard be ruined, but my own reputation will also be tarnished."

Jiang Yun frowned: "Our reputation as the Embroidered Uniform Guard isn't great to begin with, how much worse can it get?"

Qu Wushang sat on the recliner, rocking gently: "A person lives a lifetime for nothing more than fame, fortune and power."

"I have no interest in power. In this life, I have nothing left but a little bit of face."

Jiang Yun quickly advised, "Senior, you can't risk your life just for fame."

Seeing this, Xu Xiaogang said to Jiang Yun, "Brother-in-law, you can't say that. Only you are shameless. For a master like Senior Qu, sometimes reputation is more important than life."

Of those present, only Xu Xiaogang and Qu Wushang could say such a thing.

Jiang Yun touched his nose, finding it difficult to refute, and then offered another plan: "Then, I'll find out where Long Qixing lives. On the day of his martial arts competition, I'll drug him..."

Qu Wushang knew that Jiang Yun was worried about his safety. He took a deep breath and slowly said, "Alright, in three days, I may not even need to take action."

His words caused a slight pause among those present.

"If he wants to beat me, he'll have to get past Qin Shujian first."

After speaking, Qu Wushang slowly got up and went to a tree in the corner of the courtyard. There was a birdcage hanging on the tree, with a homing pigeon inside.

Qu Wushang used a brush to write two words on the paper: "Return quickly."

Then the white dove was gently released, and it fluttered and flew into the sky.

"Senior Qu, from what you're saying, Shu Jian is now capable of fighting Long Qixing?" Jiang Yun looked at Qu Wushang in shock: "What is Shu Jian's cultivation level now?"

Qu Wushang slowly shook his head and said, "I don't know either."

"Even if Shujian is no match, he can still benefit greatly from fighting Long Qixing."

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Seeing that Qu Wushang seemed quite confident about the situation, Jiang Yun felt somewhat relieved...

……

"Excuse me!"

"The old and new sword gods are about to have a final showdown! The latest news from Beijing News! An exclusive interview with an unnamed insider reveals the cause of the duel between the two sword gods."

"Sanlin Daily, the latest edition of Sanlin Daily! We've invited a master swordsman to analyze who is stronger at their peak, the two sword gods."

Putting everything else aside, the newspaper industry in the capital city flourished instantly because of this big news. Regardless of whether they practiced martial arts or not, everyone bought several copies of the newspaper.

Whether it's the official Beijing Daily or a roadside tabloid, this matter is on the front page and headline.

The next morning, as soon as Jiang Yun woke up, many high-ranking officials and nobles sent their servants to ask him for an admission ticket.

The Imperial Guards' drill ground in the north of the city has been guarded by Jiang Yun's men, and seats have been built there.

It's not about selling tickets—tickets aren't that expensive—but rather about arranging for skilled individuals to secretly protect Qu Wushang and Qin Shujian.

Jiang Yun naturally made Yun Pingchuan agree to all their requests and then sent the goods to their residences one by one.

Furthermore, sword masters from all over the country rushed to the capital as soon as they heard the news.

I want to witness the duel between these two people firsthand.

Swordsmanship and talismans are different from Confucianism; you can truly learn something from fighting opponents or watching strong opponents fight.

Meanwhile, in the imperial study where Xiao Jingzhi was, he was meeting with Xu Xiaogang.

Xu Xiaogang also talked about the subsequent suppression of bandits in the southwest.

"Your Majesty can rest assured. I have basically wiped out the bandits in the southwest. Before I left, the local area received Your Majesty's decree to exempt them from taxes for three years."

"The people all kowtowed towards the capital, expressing their gratitude for the Emperor's grace."

Hearing this, Xiao Jingzhi smiled and said, "General Xu, please stay a little longer this time. The Hu people in the northern border are not making any moves, so there is no need to rush there."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I did come back this time because I wanted to spend more time with my mother." Xu Xiaogang nodded.

"By the way, this morning, the matter of Long Qixing's duel with Qu Wushang caused quite a stir in the capital. What do you think of it?" Xiao Jingzhi picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and asked. "My brother-in-law is in charge of this matter. Why is His Majesty also interested?" Xu Xiaogang asked.

"A duel between two sword gods is a rare occurrence," Xiao Jingzhi said with a smile.

Jiang Xing, standing to the side, seemed somewhat nervous and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, there will likely be a large number of people from the martial world coming to watch. If there are assassins..."

Upon hearing Jiang Xing's words, Xiao Jingzhi immediately felt disappointed and said, "What is the Tongyou Guard for? Why not just have them send more experts?"

The emperor's life was simple, monotonous, and dull; apart from handling state affairs, he had very few entertainment activities.

He would either stroll around the Imperial Garden or, at most, spend the night favoring a beautiful concubine.

This time, such an interesting event finally happened in the capital, how could Xiao Jingzhi miss it?

"Yes." Jiang Xing lowered his head slightly and said respectfully, "Then I will go to find Eunuch Qin later and inform him that His Majesty will also be going to watch."

Qin Hong, who was guarding the tomb, has now been invited back to the palace and has resumed command of the Tongyou Guard.

……

Qiao Haotian, who was in the outer city, was lying in his room, needing to rest for a while to recover from the injuries he had sustained.

At the same time, her mother's voice could be heard from outside the courtyard.

“Miss Jiang, Miss Jiang, let us rough men do these chores. How can you chop wood with your delicate body?”

In the courtyard, Jiang Qiaoqiao was helping Qiao's mother chop wood.

"Auntie, it's alright. I've been good at chopping wood since I was little."

As she spoke, Jiang Qiaoqiao picked up a piece of wood, placed it on a wooden block, put the axe on the firewood, and chopped it down with force, her movements clean and swift.

Qiao Haotian's mother, Qi Shan, was extremely anxious.

She didn't know Jiang Qiaoqiao's true identity, only that she was Qiao Haotian's classmate, and judging from her clothes and appearance, she must be a rich young lady.

Moreover, she wasn't just any ordinary rich girl.

Outside their courtyard gate, there were two men in plain clothes, who looked like they knew martial arts, standing guard over Jiang Qiaoqiao.

If you have someone who practices martial arts to protect you when you go out, what kind of family is that?

"Auntie, where should we put this firewood?" Jiang Qiaoqiao wiped the sweat from her forehead, then secretly ran to the window and looked at Qiao Haotian, who was resting inside.

Qiao Haotian quickly picked up a book from the side and used it to cover his face.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Qiaoqiao soon entered the room and asked with a smile, "Qiao Haotian, why are you blocking the way with that tattered book?"

"I'm reading a book."

“You’re holding the books upside down.” Jiang Qiaoqiao said, then squatted down by the bed and asked with a smile, “My sister-in-law has sent someone to talk to Renyi Academy. Once you’ve recovered, you can continue your studies.”

Qiao Haotian took a deep breath, put down the book, and frowned, saying, "Miss Qiaoqiao, there is a huge difference in our social status. Perhaps you are interested in me, but..."

"Oh, you think I'm not good-looking?" Jiang Qiaoqiao asked.

"No no no."

Jiang Qiaoqiao blinked and laughed, "So you feel my family is too rich and you're not good enough for me?"

“Yes, since ancient times, marrying someone of equal social standing has been extremely important.” Qiao Haotian took a deep breath: “Moreover…”

"Silly girl." Jiang Qiaoqiao rolled her eyes, too lazy to continue trying to persuade her.

In this respect, she is quite similar to Jiang Yun; both of them have a stubborn streak in their personalities.

Watching Jiang Qiaoqiao leave, Qiao Haotian sighed. How could he not like Jiang Qiaoqiao, such a well-behaved and understanding girl?

But deep down, Qiao Haotian couldn't shake off the inferiority complex he felt towards Jiang Qiaoqiao's family background.

After helping with the chores, Jiang Qiaoqiao didn't feel tired at all; on the contrary, she felt happy.

He hopped and skipped away, leading two disguised Imperial Guards away from the place.

Mrs. Qiao breathed a slight sigh of relief after they left, but to her surprise, a bodyguard soon returned.

The bodyguard frowned and asked, "Aunt Qi?"

"Is something the matter?" Qi Shan's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the patriarch of this family had secretly instructed and warned them not to try to climb the social ladder?

"What time will you chop wood tomorrow?"

"Huh?" Qi Shan was taken aback, not expecting the other person to ask this question: "That's hard to say, it depends on when my man brings the firewood back from outside."

Qi Shan hurriedly said, "I'll come earlier next time to help chop the firewood, so that Miss Jiang won't have to work hard."

"No, that's not what I meant," the other person said. "The firewood in your house is a bit hard to chop. We'll bring some next time. If Miss Jiang likes it, she can chop as much as she wants."

After saying that, the Imperial Guard said, "Also, if your family is lacking anything, you can tell Miss Jiang next time. It's not easy to meet such kind people as my master and Miss Jiang."

The two Imperial Guards protecting Jiang Qiaoqiao received simple orders from Jiang Yun: as long as Jiang Qiaoqiao was happy, they didn't need to stop her from doing anything.

"this."

After watching the other person leave, Qi Shan went into Qiao Haotian's room.

"My child, just who is Miss Jiang? I think the two men protecting her are both quite distinguished."

Qiao Haotian hadn't told his mother yet, for fear of scaring him. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"Hiss." Qi Shan's face turned pale upon hearing the words "Imperial Guards," which showed just how bad their reputation was.

"So Miss Jiang likes you?" Qi Shan said worriedly, "What should we do? If we anger her, our family won't be able to handle it."

Qiao Haotian quickly said, "Mother, don't worry, I'll handle it."

……

Jiang Yun is indeed too busy to deal with Jiang Qiaoqiao's affairs right now, but of course, her subordinates will still report on Jiang Qiaoqiao's schedule and what she has done every day.

Inside the study of the Northern Garrison Commander, after Jiang Qiaoqiao was sent back to the Jiang residence, a member of the Imperial Guard came to report to Jiang Yun on Jiang Qiaoqiao's itinerary for the day.

"Chopping wood?" Jiang Yun smiled when he heard this and said, "If Qiaoqiao likes it, don't stop her. Life is only a few decades long, and it's not easy to meet things and people you like."

"Yes." The subordinate nodded.

Soon, Zidane rushed in, his face beaming with joy: "My lord, my lord, we've struck it rich! We've struck it rich!"

"What kind of fortune?" Jiang Yun looked at Qi Da.

Zidane said, “Tickets, on the black market, a single ticket is almost worth a hundred taels of silver. I’ll only release a few dozen tickets, and when they’ve driven the price up to the highest point, we’ll release a large number of tickets at half the highest price. We’re sure to make a fortune.”

(End of this chapter)