The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 228 Receiving Favors

Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai were shocked and couldn't help but think to themselves.

I used to think my family was rich.

But now it seems that, to the truly powerful and wealthy, the Xue family's meager fortune is incomparable to that of others.

Even if the Duke of Xingguo's mansion doesn't have as much money as the Xue family now.

But since they have power and influence, they don't worry about not having income at all.

The money they can earn each year is likely to be more than the income from the Xue family's many shops.

Otherwise, if they just wanted to live more comfortably, why would they be willing to buy a big house?

The mother and daughter sighed inwardly; it seemed they still had to become officials.

Just thinking about Xue Pan's character gave the mother and daughter a headache.

After understanding all this, the mother and daughter were no longer surprised that Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun wanted to buy a fine mansion in Jinling.

Li Jingxiao was the hereditary Duke of Xingguo. At this time, apart from the four princes of different surnames, even the eight dukes of that time were not as high in status as Li Jingxiao.

Among the descendants of the Eight Dukes of this generation, besides those of the Duke of the State, even Niu Jizong of the Duke of Zhenguo, who held the highest rank at the time, was only a First-Class Earl.

Whether in terms of military achievements or power, he was far inferior to Li Jingxiao.

It is entirely accurate to say that Li Jingxiao is the most powerful nobleman in the court.

However, Li Jingxiao usually doesn't care about the affairs of the court. Even when attending court meetings, he will ask for sick leave whenever possible.

Only when all else fails, would they stand in the court as a substitute at important national ceremonies or similar events.

Only the Left Garrison Command, because it was in charge of matters concerning demons and monsters, would occasionally listen to reports from Zhao Junmin and others.

He would occasionally inquire about matters concerning the Daolu Division.

Since Li Jingxiao's status is so high, in the eyes of Aunt Xue and her daughter, the proper Lady Xingguo, Qin Keqing, is probably only slightly lower in status than the old lady of Rongguo Mansion.

The mother and daughter grew to respect Qin Keqing even more.

After some polite exchanges, Qin Keqing called out Jingxi, Jingyue, and Jingrong.

This immediately made Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai's eyes light up.

The mother and daughter were already amazed by Qin Keqing's appearance and temperament.

Seeing the three Jingxi sisters, each of them was exceptionally beautiful, and their air of nobility and elegance was impossible to conceal.

Aunt Xue immediately began to praise him enthusiastically.

Jingxi will be 13 years old two months after the New Year.

According to the customs of the South, one can call someone 14 years old, and he immediately started thinking about it.

After much deliberation, he finally gave up the idea of ​​asking Xue Pan to marry Jingxi.

It's not that Jingxi is bad, it's just that her family background is too good.

Even if Aunt Xue was confused, she knew that her precious son was not good enough for Jingxi.

Jingxi, Jingyue, and Jingrong also developed a strong liking for Xue Baochai, who was not much younger than them.

In terms of interpersonal skills, Xue Baochai is considered to be exceptionally good at them in *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

However, Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun were both extremely intelligent women, and they could easily see that Xue Baochai was deliberately getting close to the three Jingxi sisters.

Fortunately, Yuan Chun was Xue Baochai's cousin, and Qin Keqing felt that no matter how beautiful or intelligent the girl was, she posed no threat to her.

If the Xue family were truly so foolish as to send their daughter to Xingguo Mansion as a concubine...

Qin Keqing even felt that it was better than her husband being attracted to women in brothels while he was away.

Or it would be much better to be bewitched by fox spirits or female ghosts outside.

Especially after meeting Hu Xian'er and Liu Cuitong, who had been staying at Zhenwu Temple, Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun had always had this concern in their hearts.

She even suspected that her husband might have had intimate relations with those two female demons.

Otherwise, why bring those two vixens back to the capital?
As we chatted, the conversation finally turned to buying a house.

Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai were secretly delighted. Last time, Xue Pan had only received a few words of praise and some pointers from Li Jingxiao.

The managers, stewards, and employees of the Xue family in Jiangnan and the capital all became much more obedient.

Over the past six months, the accumulated accounts have not only turned losses into profits.

Many wealthy merchants and officials in Jiangnan were keen to befriend the Xue family.

Business suddenly became much easier.

Let alone just helping to find a nice house, Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai would be willing to give it away for free.

The mother and daughter were not like Xue Pan, a reckless fool; they knew the Xue family's servants, managers, stewards, and shop assistants.

After his master passed away, he began to conceal information, embezzle funds, and even deceive the Xue family.

If they don't find a powerful backer soon, the Xue family will only decline further.

After thinking for a moment, Aunt Xue said to Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun, "Madam, Second Madam, I have heard my elder brother mention it casually."

During a banquet, the president of Tiren Academy, Mr. Zhen, mentioned that the former Jinling Provincial Administration Office had been renovated more than a decade ago and had been vacant for many years.

The Zhen family wanted to sell but were worried about attracting criticism.

But if we don't sell them, leaving them empty will just be a waste of money.

This really gave the eldest patriarch of the Zhen family a headache.

"Mother," Xue Baochai interrupted her aunt with dissatisfaction after she finished speaking, "That garden is nice, but it was used to receive the Emperor Emeritus when he went to the south."

Although the retired emperor never lived there, but instead resided in a garden in Suzhou, there were still some taboos surrounding it.

Aunt Xue smiled and shook her head, "Good daughter, your mother is not some ignorant country woman."

What your uncle said is true; it's not that the house can't be sold, but the Zhen family looks down on salt merchants and wealthy businessmen.

Retired officials of lower rank felt that living in that garden was too ostentatious and did not want to attract criticism.

But the Duke of Xingguo was different; he was a dignified hereditary duke.

He wants to buy it, and the Zhen family will definitely be willing to sell.

They might even be willing to give it away for free.

Even the emperor and the emperor in the capital would think that only the Duke of Xingguo living in that courtyard was of a high enough status.

Moreover, His Majesty might even be eager for the Duke to move in.

Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun were taken aback, but Aunt Xue remained silent and looked at her daughter instead.

After thinking about it for a while, Xue Baochai suddenly realized what was going on.

He said with a smile, "My two sisters don't know, but that garden was originally built by the Zhu Emperor of the previous dynasty for the Prince of Zhongshan."

During the Great Zhou Dynasty, it underwent two more expansions.

It took more than a hundred years to reach the present size of the East and West Gardens, which together cover 30 acres.

It was bought by the Zhen family more than 30 years ago as a villa, but it has been vacant for many years.

It wasn't until more than a decade ago, during the Emperor Emeritus's fourth trip south, that it was renovated again.

Since it was built for the Prince of Zhongshan, His Majesty should indeed be pleased to see the Duke of Xingguo move in.

Upon hearing the name of the Prince of Zhongshan, Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun understood what Aunt Xue meant.

Xu Da was the Duke of Wei during his lifetime, and posthumously granted the title of Prince of Zhongshan, with the posthumous name 'Wuning'.

He was honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and his portrait was placed in the Temple of Meritorious Officials.

My husband is the Duke of Xingguo of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If he were to live in that garden, he would be as loyal to the Great Zhou Dynasty as the King of Zhongshan.

The emperor would gladly give this garden to the Li family for free.

Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun repeatedly questioned the Xue family mother and daughter, and couldn't help but be tempted by that garden.

Ultimately, however, the decision rests with Lee Kyung-hyo, the head of the family, upon his return.

So Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun began chatting with the Xue family mother and daughter about everyday matters. As dusk approached, the mother and daughter got up to say goodbye.

Meanwhile, Li Jingxiao was still in the Demon-Locking Tower in the forbidden area of ​​Maoshan, locked in a fierce battle with the Eight-Armed Demon.

Li Jingxiao went to Maoshan at noon and entered the Demon Locking Tower. Naturally, he first went to find the wild boar monster on the first floor.

The sect leader didn't rush to tell him about helping to repair the Maoshan sect's divine artifact, so as not to distract Li Jingxiao.

Li Jingxiao then lured Dang Kang with wine and meat, and they fought several times. After being beaten five times, the wild boar monster refused to fight anymore.

Having gained 6 experience points, Li Jingxiao thought there was plenty of time in the future, so he didn't push the wild boar spirit too hard.

After glancing at the experience points of level 68 (8/38), I went straight to the second level and took out two repaired level 10 longswords.

He tossed one to the eight-armed demon, who then drew his sword and attacked.

Yesterday, Dugu Nine Swords was upgraded to Grandmaster (5240/2). If it could be upgraded to the same level as "Wildfire Hundred Strikes - Modified", it would be great.

This means that we have gained another powerful killing technique.

It is also beneficial to sword control techniques.

As the battle progressed, Li Jingxiao temporarily forgot that his primary goal was to gain experience.

His proficiency with the Dugu Nine Swords was also steadily increasing.

The Eight-Armed Demon is indeed a super expert and master of cold weapons. This process of fighting monsters above his level greatly improves his proficiency.

In Li Jingxiao's memory, this demon had used more than twenty different sword techniques since they started sparring.

And each one is incredibly powerful.

At least in Li Jingxiao's eyes, any sword technique that appears in the martial arts world will definitely be a peerless sword technique that stirs up the martial arts world.

However, the strength of the Dugu Nine Swords lies not in the sword techniques themselves, but in the understanding of swordsmanship.

In addition, the sword control technique also involves how to use a sword. With the two complementing each other, they gradually became evenly matched in swordsmanship with the Eight-Armed Demon.

Their proficiency increased rapidly.

In just one afternoon, it was upgraded to 'Legendary'.

Dugu Nine Swords - Legend (10/5)

Now, Li Jingxiao's understanding of swordsmanship improved more and more, and he continued to break the sword techniques used by the Eight-Armed Demon.

At first, he was able to suppress the eight-armed demon.

As you defeat the eight-armed demon more often, you also gain more experience.

The character level has reached 68 (28/38).

Li Jingxiao couldn't help but feel a surge of elation.

That means I gained a total of 26 experience points in just one afternoon today.

The speed of this upgrade made Li Jingxiao's heart race.

It was already 6 p.m. when Li Jingxiao forced the eight-armed demon back with a single sword strike.

They took the longsword from his hand, left behind a jar of 5-jin liquor and a leg of lamb, and left the Demon-Sealing Tower.

Just as he was about to fly to Jinling, he was stopped by the disciples guarding outside the tower.

"Reporting to my master, the sect leader has instructed me to tell you to go to the main hall."

Without much thought, Li Jingxiao nodded and appeared several hundred meters away in a flash.

After a few more flashes, they were already several miles away, and soon arrived at the main hall.

Master Xuanming, along with more than a dozen elders of the Xuan generation, came out of the main hall to greet him, which immediately made Li Jingxiao feel uneasy.

Fortunately, after some polite exchanges, he realized that all he was asking was for help repairing the sacred artifact that Maoshan Sect possessed.

Only then did Li Jingxiao feel relieved.

Just the fact that I have to help out by entering the Demon-Sealing Tower to grind monsters every day makes me feel obligated to do this.

Moreover, Li Jingxiao was actually quite looking forward to seeing what Maoshan's most prized treasure was.

But after he saw the Jade Target Fire Thunder Sword, the White Jade Talisman, the Three Mao Golden Bell, the Five Directions Five Emperors Golden Coin Sword, and the Shangqing Suppressing Evil Banner.

They soon discovered that in the short term, they could only repair the Jade Target Fire Thunder Sword and the White Jade Talisman.

After these two magical artifacts were added to the inventory, a message appeared indicating that they were level 70 artifacts.

In other words, you have to go to the blacksmith shop in the level 70 map to repair it.

The other three items, including the Three-Haired Golden Bell, are level 80 equipment.

The Five Emperors' Golden Coin Sword and the Shangqing Suppressing Banner are level 90 equipment.

Li Jingxiao was envious.

But then I thought, once I reach level 80 or 90, the equipment I get might not be any worse than these magic items.

Even better than that.

Therefore, there's no need to covet the Maoshan's inherited magical treasures.

Li Jingxiao pretended to examine the five magical artifacts for a while before frowning and speaking in an uncertain tone.

"Master and fellow disciples, I am only about 70-80% confident that I can repair the Fire Thunder Sword and the White Jade Seal."

Moreover, to be on the safe side, we should prepare for at least ten days to two weeks, lest we accidentally cause even more serious damage.

Master Xuanming and the others were overjoyed upon hearing this, and then nodded repeatedly with smiles.

“It’s good that you’re being cautious, junior brother. Don’t worry about ten days or half a month, even if we wait another year or two, it’s fine.”

The others nodded in agreement, and then began praising Li Jingxiao one after another.

As for the reward, for each sect's sacred artifact repaired, Li Jingxiao would be granted a branch of Maoshan Taoist magic, which was indeed very attractive to him.

I'll be able to level up to 69 tomorrow, and in another three to five days, I should be able to level up to 70.

Li Jingxiao couldn't help but wonder what kind of Taoist teachings Maoshan would pass on to him.

Upon returning to Jinling City, as soon as they landed in the front courtyard of the Rongguo Mansion, Old Man Jin hurriedly stepped forward and bowed deeply.

"Lord Duke, the young lady ordered me to wait here."

Li Jingxiao nodded, knowing that this old man was the most favored personal maid of Grandmother Jia, and the biological father of Jin Yuanyang.

I've been thinking about Yuanyang for quite some time now.

She smiled and casually tossed him a silver ingot, then asked, "Did the First Madam and Second Madam mention the house today?"

Jin Cai nodded hurriedly: "After the two ladies invite Mrs. Xue and Miss over this afternoon for a chat."

The young lady also asked me about the Zhen family's large mansion.

When Li Jingxiao thought of the Zhen family's immense wealth in Jiangnan, he immediately became interested in that mansion.

They followed Jin Cai towards the second gate and began talking about the house.

After listening, Li Jingxiao thought for a moment and suddenly realized that the garden-style house was likely Zhan Garden.

If my guess is correct, if I had the chance to buy such a magnificent garden, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it without even considering it.

As for the price, I believe the Zhen family certainly won't ask for an exorbitant amount.

As Li Jingxiao entered the backyard, the first thing he saw were four golden-armored warriors standing guard at the entrance.

Using his clairvoyance to scan the area, he indeed saw four golden-armored warriors at the back gates of both courtyards.

With these eight giants, each two meters tall and clad in golden armor, present, the servants and old women of the Jia family certainly wouldn't dare to harbor any improper thoughts.

Of course, even without these eight golden-armored warriors, given the power and status of the Duke of Xingguo's mansion, unless they were desperate criminals, no one would dare to harm Qin Keqing and the others.

But it's not necessarily a bad thing that the wives are wary.

Upon entering the courtyard, Qin Keqing, Yuan Chun, and the others were indeed still tidying up with people. When they saw Li Jingxiao return, the group of women immediately surrounded him and went to the dining room.

Then, while watching him eat, I talked about what happened that afternoon.

(End of this chapter)