Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

"Okay!"

Wang Er's face was filled with high spirits.

"Don't tell anyone about this."

"Don't worry, Uncle Cao, you know my mouth is very tight."

Wang Er left the blueprints behind and left the barracks with light steps.

Cao Xiong stared at the blueprints for a long time and couldn't help but admire that Wang Er was indeed a genius inventor.

"It's all my fault for not studying hard in my past life, otherwise I could have developed some weapons that were ahead of their time."

Cao Xiong's memories of his past life were very faint; he had forgotten many things.

He put down the blueprints and took out the Yin Thunder Pearl that Nie Xiaoqian had given him. It was about the size of a fingernail and felt icy cold to the touch. Upon closer inspection, he could almost feel the destructive aura contained within the pearl.

"I hope I'll never need to use your help."

During his breaks from martial arts training, Cao Xiong had been trying to cultivate the "Golden Spirit Technique" he obtained from the troupe of acrobats, but unfortunately, he made no progress.

There are two possibilities: one is that he has extremely poor talent or no talent for spiritual cultivation at all; the other is that the spiritual energy in Guobei County is thin, which leads to slow cultivation.

Early the next morning, Cao Xiong brought Wang Er to Lu's blacksmith shop.

"You're here so early."

Old Lu was surprised to see Cao Xiong. He looked back and, not seeing Cao Man, breathed a sigh of relief.

During this time, he was making weapons and armor for Cao Man, which made Old Lu subconsciously not want to see that big guy again.

"Old Lu, you have to help me."

Cao Xiong grasped Old Lu's hands with a serious expression, speaking earnestly.

"Stop it, just say what you have to say."

Old Lu withdrew his hand and subconsciously took two steps back, sensing that he might be falling into an even bigger trap this time.

"As you know, during the previous bandit suppression, Commander Wei was seriously injured, and the officers and soldiers suffered heavy losses. Of the three captains, only I am left."

"I'm suffering!"

Old Lu's face had turned completely dark. "Just say it!"

Cao Xiong pulled Old Lu to the stone table and unfolded the blueprints for the improved musket.

"This is Wang Er's improved method for making a musket. Take a look and see if you can make it."

Old Lu looked at Cao Xiong speechlessly, "Don't you know that researching firearms without authorization is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family?"

"How can this be considered private research? You were commissioned by the Guobei County Hundred-Household Office."

Cao Xiong looked indifferent. What time is it? The imperial court doesn't have time to care about these things.

"If anything goes wrong, you'll have to take responsibility."

Old Lu hesitated for a while, but still agreed, fearing that Cao Xiong might really die at the hands of demons one day.

If improving the musket could provide some help to this old friend, it might increase his chances of survival.

Old Lu focused his attention on the blueprints, and after a moment, a keen interest shone in his eyes.

"This idea is highly feasible, but manufacturing the musket barrel and its construction is a difficult problem. The imperial court still has capable people."

Cao Xiong rolled his eyes at Old Lu. "Nonsense, do you think the Ministry of Works is just for show?"

"I'll give it a try, give me some time."

Old Lu's eyes seemed glued to the blueprints, unable to look away.

"I've run into trouble and need to go to the county seat. It will take anywhere from twenty days to a month. I need you to finish it within a month."

"I'll have Wang Er in charge of this for a while. Just contact him if you need anything."

Cao Xiong pulled Wang Er to Old Lu's side.

"Is it a big problem?"

Old Lu's face showed concern for his old friend.

"It's alright, I'll handle it."

Cao Xiong didn't want to tell Old Lu about Zhuquanzi.

Wang Er stayed at the blacksmith shop to discuss the details with Old Lu, while Cao Xiong left the blacksmith shop and went to Wei Qiang's residence.

"This humble official pays his respects to the centurion."

"Commander Cao is here."

Cao Xiong looked at Wei Qiang on the bed; his face was ashen and bloodless.

This is not a normal state for a martial artist who is injured or whose dantian is destroyed.

Wei Qiang's injury was not as simple as he claimed.

Cao Xiong's mind was in turmoil, but his face remained expressionless.

"Baihu, Fang Zheng practiced evil arts and committed multiple murders in the western district of the outer city. He resisted arrest and fled, but I captured and killed him on the spot."

"I already know about this matter, but I didn't expect Fang Zheng to go astray."

Wei Qiang sighed. There was a time when he had a high opinion of that young man.

Cao Xiong came to see Wei Qiang mainly to talk about this matter. He originally wanted to ask Wei Qiang to find a way for him to go to the county town's thousand-household office for a while.

Now that Fang Zheng has been executed, he needs to go to the Thousand Household Office to report this matter, which has given him the opportunity.

With Wei Qiang's consent, Cao Xiong drafted a preliminary case file of Fang Zheng's case from the Hundred Household Office and affixed the Hundred Household Office's seal.

After leaving Wei Qiang's residence, Cao Xiong went to the county government office and obtained the county government's stamped file on the case of the mutilated corpse from the county magistrate.

After everything was prepared, Cao Xiong left Guobei County alone and headed to Linya City, the county seat.

After leaving Guobei County, Cao Xiong rode his horse at full speed. The nearby area was fine, but as he got closer to the county town, he saw refugees fleeing from disaster, mutilated corpses, and piles of white bones everywhere.

"Guobei County is considered to be in a stable state."

In these chaotic times, he needed even greater strength.

Guobei County is about 400-500 li away from the county seat, which takes about three days by horseback.

On the evening of the second day after Cao Xiong left Guobei County, a torrential downpour suddenly began. He had no choice but to find a place to take shelter from the rain and spend the night. At this time, he was in the middle of nowhere, in the desolate wilderness. He finally managed to find an abandoned temple to rest.

Most of the temple buildings have collapsed, with only the main hall remaining relatively intact.

Cao Xiong led his horse closer. Wild grass grew on the steps, and a few wildflowers grew in the cracks of the wall.

Upon entering the hall, the vermilion walls faded to grayish-brown, and the beams and rafters were covered with cobwebs.

The plaster has peeled off, revealing the mottled blue bricks underneath. A broken incense burner lies askew on the stone platform, covered in thick layers of ash, long since devoid of any trace of incense.

Several Buddha statues were broken and incomplete, covered with a thick layer of grime.

The wind howled through the broken window, carrying raindrops to the ground.

Cao Xiong tied his horse to a pillar in the main hall and dismantled the badly damaged wooden windows and the scattered wooden components on the ground.

The burning fire illuminated the scene inside the hall even more clearly.

The main hall was in ruins, with only a painting on the opposite wall standing out from the crowd.

The murals are brightly colored, with carved beams and painted rafters, shrouded in mist, and depicting several beautiful women dancing with flowing sleeves.

Cao Xiong only glanced at it a few times, but he was unconsciously drawn in.

Suddenly, he felt a moment of mental confusion, and the scene before him abruptly changed.

No longer are dilapidated temple halls, but pavilions and towers stretching endlessly, with mountains and rivers connecting in the distance, as if one were in a fairyland.

Except for the absence of a woman flying in mid-air, it is exactly the same as the murals in the main hall of the abandoned temple.

Cao Xiong gripped the hilt of the Evil-Sniffing Blade, his heart filled with extreme vigilance.

He looked around, trying to find a way out.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he felt the world spinning around him again. When he opened his eyes again, he was in front of a temple.

The plaque reads "Liuguan Temple".