Nandu.
After catching up with Hong Qing and the others and handing the survivors over for them to take along, Li Hao returned to Nandu with peace of mind.
As for how Hong Yitang would arrange over a hundred people... Li Hao trusted he could handle it.
It wasn't that many people anyway.
At worst, he could just kill a few more pirates later and allocate some funds over—problem solved.
Old Hong was gathering refugees anyway; me gathering them for you is just the same, and it saves you some time. What could be better?
Over in Nandu, Kong Jie had already departed. It seemed inconvenient for him to stay away from White Moon City for too long. Before leaving, he had mentioned to Li Hao that there was no need to worry excessively about the White Shark Pirates.
In truth, Li Hao hadn't been worrying that much either.
...
Inside Nandu City.
Since the Demon Hunt Corps had been granted a day off today, Li Hao didn't shut himself away to cultivate. Instead, he gave himself a chance to relax.
Inside a small tavern.
Li Hao sat alone in the highest private room, drinking by himself.
In the past, he never drank.
Whenever he had stolen a sip back then, it tasted only bitter and harsh.
Yet having drunk a few times recently, he found himself somewhat fascinated by it. As a martial master, one shouldn't drink too much alcohol, but that applied to beginners; Yuan Shuo never cared how much he drank.
The wine wasn't of great quality.
It carried a hint of bitterness, much like this world where everyone suffered. People might not starve, but outside was chaos, filled with dread and anxiety. With supers rising to prominence, the lives of ordinary folk were spared as if by charitable whim.
All living beings suffered.
Li Hao took a small sip. As the bitter wine entered his throat, he looked out the window. Nandu remained bustling, boiling with the noise of the crowds. Bitter though life was, people had to keep living, finding joy amidst hardship.
He knew that as long as there was hope, as long as there was an objective, the vitality of these people was immensely resilient.
The real terror was when hope was extinguished.
Silver Moon still had a glimmer of hope.
In his hand appeared a book: the *Five Bridges Construction Method*. Li Hao began reading once again. Within his five viscera, the golden origin point was far stronger than before and continued to grow.
Unfortunately, his other three momentums were slightly weaker.
As for the wood momentum of the five elements, he had no clue where to start.
His four momentums were already showing signs of imbalance.
A small plate of fruit appeared before Li Hao: Spirit Nourishing Fruits. He had exchanged for a full twenty of them.
Originally, he had intended to wait until he gathered the wood momentum before consuming them.
Yet right now, Li Hao decided not to wait any longer; he would let nature take its course.
In martial arts, there was no need to cling obstinately to a single path—all great paths led to the heavens.
The threat of the White Shark Pirates loomed right before him.
From Kong Jie's tone, Silver Moon might have some preparations in store, but... Li Hao had his own thoughts. If he didn't have to trouble outsiders, he didn't want outsiders stepping in. If he could resolve it himself, he would resolve it himself.
Sipping the bitter wine and reading the book, he swallowed a Spirit Nourishing Fruit.
A refreshing cool energy surged into his body.
Compared to the Heavenly Gold Lotus, its effect was much inferior. Li Hao felt that its enhancement to him was not particularly intense. This time, he did not choose to strengthen his metal momentum.
Li Hao hoped to temper his other three momentums to bring all four into balance.
He wondered whether roughly seven Spirit Nourishing Fruits could match a single petal of the Heavenly Gold Lotus.
Judging from the exchange price at the quartermaster depot... they couldn't.
At the quartermaster depot, exchanging for a Heavenly Gold Lotus cost 1,000 points for a whole flower, or 125 military merit points per petal.
Meanwhile, a Spirit Nourishing Fruit cost only 10 military merit points.
The price difference was more than tenfold.
However, value couldn't always be measured purely by price.
Li Hao swallowed another Spirit Nourishing Fruit, silently feeling and experiencing the strengthening of his momentum. There was still a disparity between momentum and spirit; spirit was merely a pure form of power.
Momentum, however, was a higher embryonic form and application of power.
Having read quite a few ancient texts by now, Li Hao compared modern martial arts to the ancient cultivation systems. The momentum of modern martial masters was a very unique new system—or rather, modern martial masters had taken the concept of momentum, which only a handful of people in ancient times ever spoke of, applied it across the entire ancient-to-modern cultivation system, and vastly expanded upon it.
The Spirit Nourishing Fruits went down smoothly with the wine, feeling quite pleasant.
His fire, earth, and water momentums each drew a small portion of the energy. Li Hao sensed that sheer abundance of energy alone was not enough. Momentum was not purely energy; it also carried comprehension and state of mind.
If you saw much and witnessed great power, majesty naturally arose within you.
If you sat at the bottom of a well gazing at the sky, even if you comprehended momentum and absorbed countless energies, in the end your momentum would remain merely a bundle of raw energy.
After meditating on this for a while, Li Hao continued eating.
At the same time, he resumed his journey of self-enhancement.
His five viscera and physical body needed to be tempered to the level of 10,000 cubic meters. During his earlier clash with Sea Shark, Li Hao had already realized that even while wearing silver armor, the other man could still shock and injure his internal organs.
Supers at this stage were formidable.
Even in a direct contest of inner strength against supernatural power, Li Hao couldn't best a powerful mid Rising Light. He had continually relied on the Blood Blade Technique, but as his overall strength grew, the relative boost provided by the technique began to decline, no longer as staggering as before.
At this stage, the fastest way for Li Hao to elevate his strength was likely nurturing the wood momentum.
Once the five momentums fused, a tremendous leap in strength was guaranteed.
However, he still had few clues regarding the Willow Fluff Sword. Li Hao could perform the sword moves, but he hadn't grasped its essence, so naturally it was hard to comprehend anything from it.
Apart from comprehending the wood momentum through the Willow Fluff Sword, the second avenue was strengthening his physical body.
The third was saturating his supernatural locks. If he could achieve what Southern Fist and the others had done—unsealing them and then sealing them again on his own—Li Hao could also grow far stronger. But that required reaching an extreme limit; despite absorbing so much energy earlier, he still hadn't reached that limit, and his supernatural locks were not yet saturated.
The final method to elevate his strength... the Demon Hunt Corps!
Yes, the Demon Hunt Corps.
Throughout this battle, Li Hao had already sensed that some members' momentums were on the verge of forming. Giving the Demon Hunt Corps a day of rest was partly to allow them to unwind.
Successive battles had spurred the corps members' advancement at a rapid pace. Currently, every single member was in the late Hundred-Breaker stage, yet not a single one had reached peak Hundred-Breaker!
However, in this clash with the pirates, Li Hao noticed they were even more fired up and passionate than when fighting the Three Great Organizations. Clearly, they harbored their own convictions, especially those from the Sword Gate.
If nothing unexpected occurred, a small batch of peak Hundred-Breakers might emerge in a few days.
Furthermore, Li Hao hadn't let them use the enlightenment ancient weapons yet. Once everyone returned, he intended to let them try. Using an enlightenment ancient weapon when completely clueless was unwise, but once someone already had some nascent insights, an enlightenment ancient weapon would serve as an incredible catalyst.
If all these people grew stronger, one or two might not make a huge difference.
Yet if fifty people formed the Ten Rings Mountain-Sealing Formation, turning themselves into a single unified array centered on Li Hao, it would undoubtedly bolster Li Hao's inner strength. How much it could augment him depended on whether those people were formidable enough.
Right now, fifty Hundred-Breakers didn't produce a massive leap.
But if it were fifty Thousand-Battlers... that would be extraordinary.
Reading his book, pondering these matters.
Along the way, he also ate many Spirit Nourishing Fruits. Outside, the sky gradually darkened; the day was drawing to an end. It was October 5th, the second day after Hou Xiaochen's departure.
On this day, under Wang Ming's arrangements, some of the Demon Hunt Corps members went feasting and drinking, some went singing, and Wang Ming even took a few to certain special entertainment establishments... Li Hao could actually locate them, but he had no desire to interfere.
They were all adults and martial masters brimming with vital blood who had just fought a brutal battle. As long as it was consensual, he had no interest in meddling.
Having finished reading the *Five Bridges Construction Method*, Li Hao picked up another text.
He looked at the third book he had brought back last time: *Basic Swordsmanship Analysis*.
As for the book's authors... Li Hao glanced down and raised an eyebrow. This book was extraordinary. He hadn't examined it closely before, but now he noticed several notations on the title page:
Chief Editor: Longevity Sword Venerable
Executive Editors: Underworld King, Imperial Prince Hong, Academy Director Chen
Only four people, yet Li Hao felt momentarily dazed as he looked at the names, his mind wandering.
Longevity Sword Venerable once again!
And the three below him... didn't seem simple either!
A king, an imperial prince—both were surely extraordinary figures. And that director of some academy—none of them had personal names listed. He wondered whether their names couldn't be written, or if they were withheld out of reverence for the exalted.
Turning the page, the very first line made Li Hao lose his train of thought:
"The sword is an instrument of slaughter. At the end of slaughter, what lies ahead?"
What lay ahead?
Li Hao didn't know, yet vaguely had an inkling.
It was just basic swordsmanship—why make it sound so profound and mystical?
The next sentence caused his thoughts to drift once more:
"Some say it is duty, the protection of life, benevolence... Wrong! The sword is an instrument of slaughter! In cultivating the sword, keep the heart pure. First kill the enemy to cleanse your spirit, and speak of the rest once the killing is done..."
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Li Hao burst into a fit of coughing. From the first sentence, he had assumed this was a profound book teaching enlightenment in the Great Dao. From the second sentence... he felt the compilers must have held such notions in utter disdain, as if saying: *Why think so much nonsense?*
The sword was made for killing.
As for duty or protecting life, those had nothing to do with swordsmanship. Those were human concerns. A sword was dead, while a human was alive; such matters were for people to contemplate, not for a sword to ponder.
In that moment, Li Hao found it fascinating.
He read on.
These editors possessed an exceptionally profound understanding of the sword. They did not merely expound upon the essence of swordsmanship; the book also detailed some of their own unique philosophies.
Li Hao already knew a bit about the Longevity Sword Venerable's sword path: the Sword of Severing the Self—drawing the sword must draw blood.
The book didn't say much about Imperial Prince Hong's sword path, only briefly outlining it as a path of sheer dominance, sweeping and unrestrained.
The Underworld King's sword path was a pure dao of slaughter: the more one killed, the heavier the slaughter qi grew. It seemed suited for military warfare on the battlefield.
Academy Director Chen was somewhat different: his sword leaned toward lightness and gentleness. The book described his sword as being like a mountain stream, flowing gently, starting weak before turning powerful; from serene trickle to sudden roaring waterfall, bursting forth in an instant. It bore some resemblance to the philosophy of the Jade Light Sword:
Start weak, end strong, erupting in a flash.
The philosophies of these powerhouses were only briefly outlined, yet all different paths led to the same destination—in the end, the ultimate goal was to slay the enemy.
...
Li Hao ate the Spirit Nourishing Fruits, read the book, and took an occasional sip of wine.
He found himself reading a basic swordsmanship manual with immense relish.
The book was remarkably profound. Often, the more fundamental something was, the more profound it proved to be, requiring immense mastery to articulate concepts in a way that anyone could understand.
Given an advanced sword technique manual, someone like Li Hao could understand it.
Yet if asked to explain the core philosophies of that sword technique, he wouldn't be able to put it into words.
His foundation wasn't deep enough.
How could a beginner possess such profound theoretical understanding?
Yet did learning martial arts require theory?
It did!
Within this book were insights well worth Li Hao's deep study and contemplation.
This included certain special techniques. For instance, the angle at which the same sword was thrust under different environmental conditions could actually affect the strike's power—this was the first time Li Hao had ever encountered such theoretical concepts.
Different angles, different stances, and different points of eruption would all influence the strike's destructive force.
Pure speed did not necessarily equate to absolute power.
Synthesizing this with his own practical combat experience, Li Hao nodded repeatedly. His Metal Sword momentum was, in essence, extreme speed followed by an explosive burst... yet at times, achieving that peak speed was impossible.
In those situations, the resulting eruption would be noticeably weaker.
One needed to build up momentum.
The book also introduced a niche technique: sword nourishing!
Train troops for a thousand days to use them for an hour.
Here, the "troops" could refer to soldiers, or to weapons.
Use your spirit, your intent, your vital blood, your inner strength, and your killing intent to nurture and temper the sword. When the moment comes to face a formidable foe, draw the sword to slay them. In ordinary times, one must store up a breath—a breath of killing intent!
The book also recounted several anecdotes regarding the Longevity Sword Venerable, something Li Hao had previously read a bit about in *The Battle of Nanjiang*—slaying foes across realms, severing golden bodies with a single sword strike.
"Nourishing the sword..."
Li Hao drew the Starry Sky Sword, lost in thought. The book noted that while a sword was a weapon, it also possessed a consciousness—a consciousness of slaughter.
Do not always keep it hidden in a storage ring; do not always draw it inside the body.
Simply wear it at your side.
"This theory is rather interesting."
Li Hao found it intriguing. Nourishing a sword to unleash greater combat power—could that really work?
Nourishing a sword was not so simple either.
Following the book's instructions, Li Hao channeled his vital blood into the blade, but nothing happened. However, the book also stated that this was a long-term process that could not be rushed.
Ordinary people couldn't nourish a sword.
As a swordsman, you couldn't simply refrain from using your sword unless you stopped fighting altogether. But if you didn't fight... you weren't a swordsman anymore.
The Longevity Sword Venerable had laid low due to severe injuries, going ten years without drawing his sword.
True swordsmen needed to fight regularly.
Li Hao put those thoughts aside. After a moment of contemplation, he infused a wisp of sword momentum into the weapon. The small sword vibrated faintly, letting out a soft hum as if leaping with joy.
Next came Earth Sword momentum, Fire Sword momentum, Water Sword momentum...
The various sword momentums entered the small sword in turns, circulating slowly. Li Hao consulted the book again. It didn't mention specific sword momentums, as ancient practitioners might have differed from modern ones, but it noted that this process also tempered the swordsman himself.
Maintaining a prolonged output of vital blood and spirit, if sustained, was a test and refinement of one's precision in wielding personal power.
By that logic, a sustained output of sword momentum should likewise temper the momentums themselves.
The small sword gleamed in his hand as the various sword momentums rotated through it. Yet Li Hao frowned slightly. Keeping this up for a short while was fine, and he could even sustain it for several hours.
However... nourishing a sword over the long term like this... Li Hao feared he would exhaust himself to death.
Sword momentum consumed far too much energy, which might not recover in a short span.
"Nourishing a sword this way is too difficult!"
Yet since he had read about it and the book claimed remarkable results, Li Hao decided after some thought to give it a try—he would nurture it for now and abandon it if it proved unfeasible.
Sword momentum could also be restored to some degree using sword energy and similar resources.
Moreover, Li Hao had never truly experienced the concept of nourishing spirit and momentum within the five viscera. His teacher had spoken of nourishing spirit in the five viscera, and Li Hao knew his own comprehension was likely incomplete. Perhaps the five viscera truly could nurture momentum, but at present he felt no obvious sensation of it.
"A pity Teacher isn't by my side."
Li Hao felt a twinge of regret. The Spirit Nourishing stage was proposed by his teacher, but his teacher moved too fast, leaving certain aspects for Li Hao to fathom on his own.
Nourishing spirit... Teacher certainly hadn't brought it up offhandedly.
The five viscera could definitely strengthen momentum.
Yet how?
*Sigh, Teacher... never finishes what he's saying... Perhaps the theory wasn't complete back then.* Pondering the matter, he felt it might be connected to the supernatural locks.
At this moment, Li Hao had formed some judgments of his own.
Supernatural locks were a seal placed on potential. Fearing that martial masters might grow too strong while their five viscera and physical bodies were insufficiently tempered, excess internal power was sealed away and prevented from releasing.
Those were supernatural locks!
The human body inherently harbored a reserve of power locked within these supernatural locks. Thus, Teacher's concept of nourishing spirit likely incorporated the philosophy of using the supernatural locks to nurture momentum.
"Nourishing spirit is a release of potential, a gradual, progressive process. Strengthening momentum while tempering the five viscera avoids a great deal of trouble, preventing the awkward dilemma faced by Hou Xiaochen and the others—possessing immense potential yet not daring to unseal it."
Li Hao mused inwardly. The more he considered it, the more he felt Teacher's path of nourishing spirit was far more intricate than he had imagined!
It wasn't simple at all!
Teacher had probably formulated ideas long ago and only put them into practice later.
"Supernatural locks and momentum... The supernatural lock binds momentum, but is locking momentum merely meant to contain it?"
Li Hao pondered. Locking momentum was not necessarily just to restrict it; it could also be to nourish it!
Yet how could one release a portion of the power sealed within the supernatural locks to nourish momentum?
Snap some of them like Southern Fist and the others did?
That was far too unreliable!
Thought after thought surfaced in his mind. Having read through the basic swordsmanship treatise, Li Hao gained numerous new insights into the martial path. Ideas from his teacher that he had once considered simple now appeared unfathomably profound!
His teacher's Spirit Nourishing stage was far from straightforward.
Of course... Yuan Shuo himself might not have fully perfected it.
*Forget it. Teacher is nowhere to be found, and his theory might not be completely perfected anyway. Perhaps... I can try supplementing and perfecting it myself.*
His teacher had already laid out preliminary signs and theoretical groundwork.
From here, Li Hao only needed to overcome a few hurdles—such as how to use the power within the supernatural locks to nourish the five viscera and momentum. One couldn't just take in energy without releasing any!
Otherwise, if only he could rely on sword energy for extra tempering, and aside from Blood God Seeds... would ordinary martial artists have no qualification to step into Spirit Nourishing?
Teacher had said that a path everyone could cultivate was a true martial path.
Only then could it be called a realm!
Therefore, the current boundary of martial masters still ended at Thousand-Battler. The paths above were not standard routes; the Spirit Nourishing stage was used only by Yuan Shuo and Li Hao. Others lacked the qualifications to cultivate it.
"The crux still lies in the supernatural locks."
Li Hao thought to himself. By now, he had finished most of the Spirit Nourishing Fruits. All four of his momentums had grown somewhat stronger, but Li Hao remained unsatisfied; this was still not enough.
With his four momentums reinforced, if his physical body could also be tempered to the 10,000 cubic meter level, he might thoroughly surpass the previous Sea Shark. Yet if he encountered a late Rising Light, he would still fall short.
And if the Faceless Shark was already a late Rising Light, then White Shark was either at the peak or in a transitional phase like the Golden Eagle... Li Hao felt the likelihood of a transitional phase was slim.
At this stage, those in such a realm seemed to be people like Hong Yitang; before unsealing their locks, the maximum power they could unleash was roughly at that level—a transitional phase, an ongoing metamorphosis.
With Li Hao's current strength, matching White Shark was impossible.
As for the dog, Li Hao could tell that in a direct one-on-one fight, it might not be able to slay a late Rising Light either, though it was close to that level; via ambush, it could execute one.
It was likely slightly stronger than him, but not by much.
If he and the dog joined forces against an expert who already knew they had killed a late Rising Light, pulling off another victory would be exceptionally difficult.
"Moreover, there might not be just one Rising Light—there are also Three Suns experts. Ants can bite an elephant to death... Picking a fight with the White Shark Pirates right now is practically suicide."
Li Hao gave the small sword a gentle flourish. It drifted like a willow leaf, yet Li Hao's brow furrowed. Using the Willow Fluff Sword to comprehend the wood momentum felt like it would take an agonizingly long time.
Because after his other four momentums had grown so strong, performing the Willow Fluff Sword felt inherently awkward.
"The Five Animals Art..."
Li Hao thought of the Five Animals Art again. In Yuan Shuo's version of the Five Animals Art, the deer momentum corresponded to the wood momentum.
Yet regarding how deer momentum corresponded to wood momentum, everyone held their own interpretation. Yuan Shuo's thinking differed from Li Hao's; Li Hao felt it was natural for the Deer Prance technique to correspond to wind momentum.
Corresponding it to wood momentum was something he simply couldn't reconcile in his mind. You couldn't claim a creature possessed the wood attribute just because it ate grass, could you?
This too required personal comprehension.
Just as Yuan Shuo's tiger was a water tiger, while Li Hao's was a fire tiger.
"The ape art corresponding to wood momentum makes a bit more sense. At least apes are experts at climbing trees and roaming through forests..."
Li Hao chuckled at the thought.
He didn't dwell on it further and returned to reading. Perhaps ancient texts would offer some hints and inspiration.
Outside, the darkness deepened completely.
The tavern keeper didn't dare go upstairs to hurry the patron who had monopolized his best private room. The reason was simple: the boss had recognized who he was. He was eager to flatter him, so how could he dare drive him away?
Of course, he couldn't help grumbling inwardly that the man was rather stingy.
*A pot of cheap wine and a few pastries, and you sit there all day... You're a big shot after all, are you really this poor?*
If he hadn't feared offending the man by seeming condescending, the boss would have sent up some complimentary fruit. Sitting there all day and ordering only that little bit was truly shabby.
Only when night fell pitch-black and the neon lights outside flickered to life did Li Hao finally walk down the stairs.
The tavern keeper hurried forward to greet him. "General, would you like something to eat?"
"No need."
Li Hao smiled, taking out a hundred-star-coin bill. "A pot of wine and some refreshments—is this enough?"
"..."
The tavern keeper was somewhat speechless. It was enough, but... oh well!
You didn't count the private room fee.
"Enough, more than enough! You've overpaid!"
"Business isn't easy; it's only right."
Li Hao paid and took his leave. Stepping out of the tavern, he sighed softly. The cost of living in Nandu was remarkably high—a hundred star coins for just that. He recalled when he had been an inspector... well, just a few months ago during his internship, his monthly salary was only a thousand star coins.
Ten pots of cheap wine would wipe out an entire month's wage.
Shaking his head, he mused that it was no wonder the city could support thirty million people; the living expenses were exorbitant, enough for him to enjoy a lavish feast back in Silver City.
Leaving the tavern, Li Hao wasn't in a hurry to head to the seashore.
He wandered through the city. It was rare to have such a mood, such an inclination, and such free time. Taking in the dazzling nightlife of Nandu was a fine way to cleanse his mind.
Comparing Nandu to the town in Linjiang he had seen earlier today...
Li Hao smiled faintly. He had never felt this way before, but looking at it now, Silver Moon truly wasn't bad.
...
Throughout this day, Li Hao wandered through Nandu.
On this day, the members of the Demon Hunt Corps also ate, drank, and lived it up.
...
Meanwhile, in White Moon City.
Several high-ranking figures initiated a video conference.
Several figures were projected onto a massive, crystal-like screen.
Kong Jie leaned back in his large office chair, looking somewhat fatigued as he glanced at the figures on the screen. "Li Hao slipped away last night, and none of you noticed a thing?"
On the large screen, Huang Yu raised his eyebrow slightly. "No."
"Then that means Silver Moon's security system has flaws!"
Kong Jie said bluntly, "You're always defending against supers, but you must remember that martial masters... are the real hidden danger! The fact that Li Hao and his group could depart without a sound means martial masters could infiltrate just as undetected!"
Huang Yu nodded slightly, offering no rebuttal. After a moment of thought, he said, "Our vigilance against martial masters is indeed lacking in rigor. I will take this into consideration; the military will strengthen targeted measures against martial masters."
With that, he didn't dwell on the topic, asking instead, "Were both the Faceless Shark and Sea Shark killed by Li Hao?"
"That black dog was present; it might have been the dog's doing."
"That is a great demon..." Huang Yu hesitated slightly. "How could a great demon appear in Silver Moon? And one outside the supernatural system at that. From its presence, it actually feels somewhat... like the martial master system."
To the side, Director Zhao coughed lightly, his projection expanding over Huang Yu's. "Perhaps it is the descendant of an ancient demon whose bloodline has awakened. Demon bloodline inheritances are inherently stronger than those of humanity, and Silver Moon may well harbor descendants of ancient demons. You've seen the dossier on that dog; Li Hao took it in by chance... in Silver City. Since Silver City preserves the bloodline inheritances of the Eight Great Families, the presence of an ancient demon descendant's lineage is entirely normal."
The others nodded slightly.
Kong Jie didn't pursue the point further, musing, "With Hou Xiaochen gone, our four-way framework has developed some cracks. Originally, Old Zhao handled civil administration, Old Huang managed external enemies, I oversaw inner-city security, and Old Hou took charge of mobile response, clearing out the chaotic riffraff..."
"But with Old Hou gone, the Night Patrollers system lacks sufficient strength, as well as a prominent expert to make crucial decisions... Hao Lianchuan is simply too weak..."
Kong Jie continued, "I initially recommended Wang Henggang as his successor, but Old Hou refused. Before leaving, he caught us completely off guard by insisting that Li Hao take over. Li Hao isn't weak, but previously I felt... he wouldn't do!"
"He's just like his master: fine as a lone wolf, but when it comes to shouldering responsibilities, he's unreliable. If Hong Yitang were willing... he would have been the best choice to take over once Old Hou left, but the man simply has no interest..."
Kong Jie went on, "So... I was thinking that this time, we might have seen some hope and change. I'm considering whether we should bring Li Hao into this system and restore Silver Moon's four-way framework."
The Inspectorate, the Night Patrollers, the garrison, and the General Administration Bureau.
These four major institutions had governed Silver Moon for many years.
Bringing him into this system meant officially recognizing Li Hao's status; going forward, he would replace Hou Xiaochen as a chief figure among Silver Moon's enforcement authorities.
At these words, even Director Zhao frowned. "No! That's too fast! You're pulling up shoots to help them grow. Don't assume Li Hao can shoulder such grave responsibilities based on a single operation; that's inappropriate! As a descendant of the Eight Great Families, we also hope he can protect this ancient sacred land... but right now, his strength is insufficient, his seniority is lacking, his mindset is unrefined, and his foundation is shallow... He is still far from ready."
Huang Yu also furrowed his brows. "Old Kong, you're being somewhat rash. Li Hao performed well this time, but it was merely well. Promoting Li Hao off the back of a single operation might not be a good thing."
Kong Jie considered this and nodded. "Fair enough! However, I think we can wait and see. The White Shark Pirates won't let this go easily. For one, their strength is formidable; second, behind the White Shark Pirates stands the Jiang family, doesn't it?"
"That's not entirely confirmed, only a possibility," Huang Yu said. "What is your point?"
"No matter what, the White Shark Pirates must seek vengeance against Li Hao. Otherwise, they won't even be able to maintain their footing in the North Sea and will sooner or later be swallowed up by the other seven pirate factions... So I want to see how Li Hao handles it. He provoked this trouble, but he claimed he would resolve it... I'm thinking, if we don't intervene and leave it alone, and Li Hao manages to resolve the White Shark Pirates crisis on his own, could we bring him into our fold?"
"..."
The two stared at him. After a long pause, Director Zhao smiled. "That's acceptable... with one condition: Hong Yitang must not interfere. Li Hao has close ties with Hong Yitang, and Hong Yitang's daughter is in his squad. If Hong Yitang steps in... it loses all meaning."
Huang Yu added solemnly, "What we need is someone who can resolve trouble and swiftly extinguish crises, not someone who stirs up trouble and then can't clean up the mess. That would only bring immense turmoil to Silver Moon. The higher the status, the greater the trouble!"
He also agreed, but on the premise that Li Hao resolved the White Shark Pirates threat by himself, treating it as an assessment.
A moment later, Kong Jie suddenly chuckled. "Tell me... what if we invite him to join, and he's not even willing?"
Huang Yu said impassively, "Then so be it. It must be voluntary. Forced melons aren't sweet; if he truly isn't willing, we shouldn't let him join in the first place!"
Director Zhao nodded in agreement.
Kong Jie dropped the subject of Li Hao and continued, "In addition, regarding Old Hou... his troubles likely won't be small. He set off on his own, and though he took Golden Spear and the others with him, that is the Central Region. Over in the Night Patrollers, Huang Long probably won't be pleased to see Old Hou gain a foothold and establish himself... Old Hou hasn't asked, but shouldn't we do something?"
He glanced at the two, seemingly waiting for their decision.
Huang Yu furrowed his brows, sinking into contemplation.
Director Zhao seemed to be writing something. Sensing the quiet atmosphere, he looked up and saw both men watching him. He smiled. "Why are you looking at me?"
"Old Zhao, don't you have any ideas?"
"Me?" Director Zhao replied helplessly. "What ideas could I possibly have? Besides, Little Hou isn't weak; there's no need for everyone to worry so much..."
Kong Jie laughed. "You, your pettiness... Sigh! Isn't it just over some minor disagreements? Just because he didn't share your view? Embrace diversity, discuss across all four quarters. If he wasn't keen and didn't listen to you, just leave him be; why insist he align with you..."
Director Zhao chuckled wryly. "Listen to you. When did I ever force him to align with me?"
"Fine, fine, fine!" Kong Jie didn't mince words. "Do you have a plan or not? If not, hang up. Look how busy you pretend to be—anyone watching would think you're managing world-shaking affairs, when in truth nothing major has happened in Silver Moon lately..."
"What do you know!" Director Zhao scolded. "All you know how to do is run your mouth and wash your hands of everything!"
Kong Jie couldn't be bothered to reply.
After a moment's thought, Director Zhao said, "Since he went to the Central Region, we are beyond arm's reach... There's no great recourse... How about this: in my capacity as Silver Moon's Chief Administrator, I will send a private letter to Heaven Sword. As fellow Silver Moon natives, if Hou encounters trouble... let's see if Heaven Sword is willing to lend a hand."
"That guy..."
Hearing this, Kong Jie recalled something and nodded. "That works! Rumor has it Tyrant Saber is still alive too. Do you know where Tyrant Saber is?"
"No." Director Zhao shook his head slightly.
Huang Yu thought for a moment and said, "Tyrant Saber... almost everyone who has ever seen him is dead; he's hard to find. However, Tyrant Saber might go looking for Yuan Shuo now."
"Oh?"
"Did you forget? The Zhang family's saber is in Yuan Shuo's hands!" Huang Yu wore a meaningful look. "Given Tyrant Saber's overbearing nature, learning that the Eight Great Families' saber fell into Yuan Shuo's hands might pique his interest enough to seek him out for a duel."
"Then Yuan Shuo is likely no match for Tyrant Saber right now."
"Hard to say," Huang Yu replied, shaking his head. "If Yuan Shuo's Spirit Nourishing stage reaches grand attainment... there's still hope. Fusing the five momentums and nurturing them—if Tyrant Saber keeps his locks sealed like us, he might not necessarily win!"
"Forget it, he's hard to find anyway," Kong Jie said, dropping the topic. "Let's write to Heaven Sword first. Aside from Heaven Sword, let me think... who else is in the Central Region?"
He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is Northern Fist actually in the Central Region? Or did he go somewhere else—like Dali?"
"Unknown."
"Uncertain."
Kong Jie felt powerless to complain. "Forget it, your intelligence gathering is abysmal. Still, these Silver Moon fellows are far too good at roaming around. The only one whose location is confirmed seems to be Heaven Sword. That fellow has always been flamboyant, which is just as well—at least we can locate him."
The others were elusive dragons, showing their heads but never their tails.
"As for Hou Xiaochen, I personally feel there's no need to fret overmuch," Director Zhao said casually. "Jade Rakshasa and Golden Spear are accompanying him. Jade Rakshasa certainly has strength, while Golden Spear..."
He hesitated slightly. "As for Golden Spear, we'll see. He's currently trapped in self-doubt. If he can't walk out of it... he's practically half-ruined. Nothing more can be done."
He shook his head with a touch of regret.
Nearby, Huang Yu spoke up: "I plan to have Mad Saber leave for the Central Region. If he stays with me any longer, he'll be ruined too."
The other two said nothing; that was his prerogative.
"What about the Bright Light Sword?" Kong Jie thought for a moment. "Her going to the Xu family... is likely to resolve the issues with her cultivation technique. This time, Xu Feng was killed. Although we don't know the exact details, it might be related to a rumored treasure of the Xu family. Will she make a move?"
"Beyond arm's reach!" Director Zhao answered. "We can't control it, nor would she submit to our control. We can only take it one step at a time. Put all that aside for now. Before Southern Fist left, he reached out to me, telling Silver Moon to be prepared: the Sword Gate is going to expand, turning a thousand li around them into Sword Gate territory. Southern Fist and Hong Yitang seem to have reached an agreement... What are your thoughts?"
Both men were startled. Huang Yu frowned.
Kong Jie pondered for a moment. "I can't say for sure, nor do I know Hong Yitang's goal. We can negotiate appropriately. As for the candidate to handle it? Have Li Hao go ask... What do you think?"
The two exchanged glances and nodded.
Having roughly settled the recent major matters in Silver Moon, Huang Yu finally spoke: "As for Cross-Cut Gorge, I've had the military completely seal it off, temporarily barring anyone from entering or leaving. Battle Heaven City has shown some unusual movements; sooner or later, I suspect we'll need Li Hao to resolve that trouble as well."
Having finished their discussion, they ended the call promptly.
And so, Li Hao was tentatively designated as a candidate to lead the Night Patrollers, one of the four governing pillars.
At this moment, Li Hao naturally had no idea about any of this, let alone that he might be receiving another promotion. Right now, he was still in Nandu, watching a troupe of long-legged girls dancing by the roadside in the late evening... Li Hao couldn't help admiring them; the weather was rather chilly, yet they weren't even afraid of their legs freezing.
Chapter 174