I Have A Martial Dao World

By evening, the crowds had completely dispersed.

After today's events, Liao Qe had a very high opinion of Li Pei, "It's all thanks to Sister that we didn't get overrun by those harlots from the Joyful Sect!"

Li Pei replied with restrained amusement, "It's nothing, it's what I should do."

If she couldn't get the first taste of the soup, she at least had to be the second in line—of course, she couldn't let those harlots barge in.

Liao Ya intended to remind her sister, but the Commandery Princess had been so kind to her from the beginning, treating her truly as a sister.

She found herself in a dilemma, unsure of what to do.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

At this moment, the sun was about to set, and the three women were tired from a day's work and were about to go back to rest. Suddenly, they saw a car slowly approaching, flying the flag of Izumo.

Li Pei's face showed a look of disgust: "It's the Izumo People! These people are constantly recruiting our experts with nefarious intentions. I won't show my face; you deal with them."

The sisters shared a dislike for the ambition-filled Izumo and immediately put on cold expressions.

~~~~~~~

Kuki Ryuichi stepped out of the car, his eyes squinting into slits.

He was a "Cultural Relic Collector" from Izumo, whose main job was to thoroughly scour the Shun Dynasty for cultural artifacts and ancient books.

Kuki Ryuichi had a great respect for Lu Yao. A Spirit Refining Expert, apart from assisting others in cultivation, could also use their Mind Force to become an outstanding "exploration specialist," easily locating underground tombs.

"If we can recruit this person, it will allow us to excavate wantonly within the Shun Dynasty's territories!"

When a country declines, it cannot afford to protect its cultural heritage.

This ancient land, with its long history, held countless treasures underground—not only wealth but also many extraordinary secrets!

~~~~~~~

But Kuki Ryuichi's venture was not off to a good start. The sisterly duo at the gate had cold eyes and a clear hostility towards him.

He quickly handed over a visiting card from An Dehai, carefully watching the women's expressions, hoping that the Chief Eunuch's card would take effect.

Unfortunately, it backfired, as their looks of disgust grew even stronger. The slightly younger sister muttered under her breath, "Whom An Dehai is giving his cards to..."

In a hurry, Kuki Ryuichi called out in fluent Shun Dynasty language, "I urgently seek an audience with Great Master Lu, concerning the leader of the Great Vehicle Sect, Hong Renkun."

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Recognizing the gravity of the matter, the sisters exchanged glances and promptly went to notify Lu Yao.

Kuki Ryuichi knew he was guaranteed an audience, for the secrets of the Great Vehicle Sect's leader were something no one, especially a Spirit Refining Practitioner, would want to miss.

Sure enough, when the women returned, Liao Ya said, "Please follow me."

Kuki Ryuichi's smile widened, and he bowed deeply, saying, "Thank you for your trouble," before following them both.

~~~~~~~

Lu Yao hadn't expected the Izumo People to come knocking, especially with a visiting card from Eunuch An.

"This country began its infiltration twenty years ago; indeed, it cannot be underestimated. Let's see what he has to say."

It wasn't long before Kuki Ryuichi arrived. Bowing on meeting, he said, "Lord Lu, I am Kuki Ryuichi, an advisor to the Izumo Empire's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thank you for meeting with me amidst your busy schedule; I humbly seek your guidance."

Lu Yao spoke indifferently, "Get to the point, I have to continue my cultivation."

"Yes!" Kuki Ryuichi said gravely, "Our Izumo Empire has always revered and yearned for Spirit Refining experts, and we would like to invite you to become a 'patron.' Should you accept, we will provide one thousand taels of silver annually, as well as guidance from experts who have reached the Out-of-Body stage."

Kuki Ryuichi paused, then added, "Minister Komura is a well-known Out-of-Body expert, currently in the capital. If you agree to become a patron, he can offer free guidance three times a year."

Lu Yao lowered his head to look at the ground and said, "You just mentioned something about the Mahayana sect's leader?"

Kuki Ryuichi smiled and said, "That is our highest secret, but I can reveal a little to you.

We brought together the best of advisory teams, diligently researched Hong Renkun's life trajectory, and essentially deduced where he found that fortuitous ancient site.

To go from an ordinary person to astral projection in just five years, calling that site 'divine technique' is more appropriate. If you become a sponsored worshipper, you will certainly have first dibs on entering."

Is that it? Lu Yao thought the other party might have some incredible secret. He himself had Hong Renkun's diary, what didn't he know?

Suddenly, he lost interest in continuing the conversation and directly said, "I'm not interested, you may leave."

Kuki Ryuichi was shocked! In his view, no Spirit Refining Expert could refuse the conditions he offered.

Plus, it was just about being a sponsored worshipper, what Spirit Refining Expert wasn't "holding multiple positions," serving as worshippers, elders and the like under countless powers; adding one more with him wouldn't make a difference.

Kuki Ryuichi hurriedly bowed deeply and said, "Master Lu, as a worshipper, you get one hundred "Victor" entries every year. I will duly bring women of the age group you designate to your doorstep, and you may do as you please with them."

Lu Yao's head hung even lower, and after a while, he said coldly, "Please leave, I'm not interested."

Kuki Ryuichi floundered, "Please reconsider carefully. If you change your mind, you can contact me anytime through the Izumo Consulate in Yunzhou."

After speaking, he bowed deeply and retreated.

~~~~~~~~

After leaving Jin Garden, Kuki Ryuichi took out a straw man from his bosom and respectfully said, "Minister Komura, he clearly isn't interested."

This straw man harbored a thread of Minister Kotaro Komura's mind force, and in a very human-like manner, it now twisted its head and said:

"[Kuki-san, without me, you would already be dead.]

"Eh?" Kuki Ryuichi was startled and a bit confused.

The straw man continued: "[This man harbors immense hatred and disgust for you... and even for Izumo. He kept his head down while speaking to conceal such emotions. He didn't strike right away because his Danger Sense as a Spirit Refining Cultivator detected my presence.]

Kuki Ryuichi was full of astonishment: "Why is that? It's our first meeting..."

"[The reason doesn't matter; the outcome does. Give up on recruiting this person and make him the prime target for elimination.]

"[His ability to sense my presence indicates extremely excellent talent for Spirit Refining, and he harbors strong malice against our country, he must be eliminated.]

Kuki Ryuichi bowed in agreement, "Yes! I will arrange it immediately."

Then, as if thinking of something else, he added, "I suggest we capture that pair of sisters alive to lure this man to Hong Renkun's ancient site. The place is very peculiar, and if a Spirit Refining Expert can scout ahead, it can greatly reduce our own losses."

The straw man nodded: "[Do so. Our country is about to go to war with the Shun Dynasty; you may adapt as needed.]

~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Lu Yao and his two companions were witnessing through a drone the bizarre scene of Kuki Ryuichi speaking with the straw man.

"Good thing I didn't make a move, the man indeed has something that could threaten me!"

At that moment, Lu Yao's disgust reached its peak, and he was about to signal the sisters wielding the Fire God Cannon to take action.

Fortunately, he was wearing the "Ice Jade Ring." The magical ring sent a strong chill that spread from his finger throughout his body.

Leveraging this cool sensation, Lu Yao clearly sensed an immense threat, which is why he didn't act.

Otherwise, even if he could kill the visitor, he would have exposed too many secrets!