Sweeping Through Martial Arts: My Clone's Extraordinary Talent

Chapter 98 Bargaining, Armor Blueprints

"Mr. Ugly Face, you're too kind!"

He Guitu hurriedly said, "Mr. Ugly Face, your martial arts skills are absolutely my greatest asset."

Just kidding, he could kill so many experts.

Besides the ugly-faced man in front of us, who else in the vast Sanhe County could do that?

"Magistrate He, you flatter me."

Shen Han immediately got to the point, "Without further ado, Magistrate He, please tell me the specifics of the matter?"

He paused on his way back.

After a moment, he frowned and said, "This matter—is related to the Moon Worship Cult!"

"I would like to hear the details."

Upon hearing the words "Moon Worship Cult," Shen Han became interested and wanted to know more about it.

Previously in Shiyang Town, Qingfeng, a disciple of the Taoist Sanmiao, said that each of the eleven towns under the jurisdiction of Sanhe County had a deputy incense master, while Sanhe County had a chief incense master.

"Mr. Ugly Face, you've heard of the Moon Worship Cult, haven't you?"

He Guitu sighed, "They are a cult that opposes the imperial court and commits all sorts of evil deeds. I only recently discovered that they actually have a stronghold in Sanhe County."

Shen Han didn't speak.

He Guitu continued, "Originally, the followers of the Moon Worship Cult always acted discreetly in secret."

But for some reason, they suddenly started causing widespread chaos.

That Three Mysterious Demonic Pathists are a typical example.

He used toads to poison people, but fortunately, you, Mr. Ugly Face, killed him in time, saving the entire city.

"It's the incense master's order," Shen Han thought to himself.

Qingfeng once said that Naxiang was mainly preparing for a major event that required a huge amount of money.

"well----"

He Guitu then said, "The Moon Worship Cult is causing trouble in Sanhe County. As the local official, how can I ignore this?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Han asked, "So, what does Magistrate He mean?"

"Cut off every last member of the Moon Worshippers in the county!"

He Guitu clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

As he spoke, He Guitu's face was full of compassion, and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened.

"Does Magistrate He know their background?"

"As far as I know, they are deeply entrenched and have a total of eleven deputy leaders."

"Oh?"

"You're quite well-informed," Shen Han said deliberately.

He Guitu looked at Shen Han's ugly face and said, "Aside from the three dead demonic cultivators, there are ten more. Ugly-faced Mr., I would like to ask you to kill them!"

Actually, Bai Wei, the deputy leader of the incense shop, is also dead, leaving only nine—Shen Han didn't answer, but instead smiled and changed the subject: "Magistrate He, since you are the local official, what is your opinion on the Black Dragon Gang and other gangs?"

The Black Dragon Gang has come to the clinic three times to collect protection fees, so why is the government not doing anything about it?

"Forehead----"

He Guitu was speechless.

Shen Han sneered: "Magistrate He, are you too lazy to care? Then I'd like to ask, why are you going after the Moon Worship Cult?"

"My officer----"

He Guitu's face flushed red again.

Little did they know, this was precisely He Guitu's way of being an official.

The Black Dragon Gang, the Green Robe Gang, and even the Iron Fist Martial Arts School, despite being the three major forces in the county, along with four other mid-level sects including the Blood Transformation Temple, are indeed not good people.

But at best, they were merely local bandits.

They pose no threat to imperial power, nor would they provoke him, the county magistrate, without cause.

As long as they don't go too far, he lets it go.

Moreover, even if he exerts great effort to destroy them, new forces may emerge, like wildfire that cannot be extinguished and will spring up again with the spring breeze, endlessly and never-ending.

It would be better to let them fight each other, which would actually help them keep each other in check.

For example, He Guitu has been closely monitoring the recent conflict between the Green Robe Gang and the Black Dragon Gang.

The Moon Worship Cult is different.

Such organizations could not be accepted by the imperial court, and once the Moon Worship Cult gained momentum in Sanhe County, his official position as county magistrate would be over.

Therefore, suppressing the Moon Worship Cult was his top priority.

However, the strength of the deputy leader of the Moon Worship Cult should not be underestimated. Not to mention ordinary constables, even the cultivation levels of Xuan Yangzi and Linghu Chuan, the swordsmen, were no match for the deputy leader of the Moon Worship Cult. Helpless, he could only seek help from someone more capable.

"Mr. Ugly Face, this wasn't done in vain."

He Guitu, being the county magistrate, quickly recovered and began negotiating terms.

Tell me about it.

Shen Han remained calm and unhurried.

He Guitu said, "If Mr. Ugly Face is willing to take action, I will give you three hundred taels of silver for every deputy incense master you kill!"

Three hundred taels — Shen Han didn't reply.

He Guitu explained, "Mr. Ugly Face, this price is already quite high. Xuan Yangzi and his group only get one hundred taels at a time, and the yamen's treasury isn't well-stocked either."

Shen Han remained unmoved.

He thought to himself: They are both deputy incense masters, and their martial arts skills should be similar to those of Bai Wei San Miao Dao Ren. He can handle them completely. But business is business. Since we are negotiating terms, I must bargain as much as possible to get more benefits!

You must understand that money will be the primary driving force for your future cultivation.

If you want to negotiate a better price, it's best not to say anything at all.

as predicted.

Seeing that Shen Han didn't react much, He Guitu chuckled twice: "Is Mr. Ugly Face not quite satisfied?"

"You never burn incense normally, but you expect me to fight you when something happens?"

Shen Han said casually, "Magistrate He, where in the world is there such a cheap deal?"

"this----"

He was speechless, wondering where he would end up.

A short while later, he took out a wooden box and respectfully handed it to Shen Han: "Mr. Ugly Face, if you agree, this armor blueprint will be given to you."

Shen Han opened the wooden box, inside which was a scroll.

Unrolling the scroll, Shen Han glanced at it. The scroll was rich in illustrations and text, detailing the crafting method for close-fitting armor.

He Guitu hurriedly said, "To tell you the truth, this scroll is a divine object. Especially for martial artists, a good piece of close-fitting armor can withstand half of the enemy's attacks."

Mr. Ugly Face only needs to find suitable materials and have a craftsman create it according to the design.

Of course, the better the materials, the better the armor's effectiveness.

"This is good," Shen Han thought to himself.

Despite this, he was still not satisfied: "Magistrate He, I can accept the scroll, but to tell you the truth, three hundred taels for the head of a deputy incense master is too little."

"How much does Mr. Ugly Face want?"

"Five hundred taels!"

Shen Han extended a five-finger palm.

He Guitu looked troubled.

Shen Han was in no hurry and patiently waited for He Guitu to make a decision. He had finally found a chance to make money, and he was determined to make the other party bleed a lot.

"Alright, five hundred taels it is!"

Finally, He Guitu gritted his teeth and said, "If we can kill all the heretics of the Moon Worship Cult, I, the official, will pay for it!"

Once the deal was settled, He Guitu immediately informed Shen Han about his first potential partner.

Tu Sangui, the deputy incense master in charge of Shishe Town, used to be elusive, but recently he suddenly appeared. He not only single-handedly destroyed the Shishe Chamber of Commerce, but also seized Lingshe Tower, demanding that every household in the town send him silver, or else he would kill their entire family.

"Alright, I'll bring Tu Sangui's head tomorrow. Magistrate He, please prepare the silver notes."

Shen Han said no more and got up to leave.

Tomorrow is the 13th clinic's day off, so he'll have time to go to Stone Snake Town.

"I wish Mr. Ugly Face every success!"

He Guitu bowed and scraped, personally opening the inner door and seeing Shen Han out.