The red fox laboriously turned its head, looking towards the temple door.
Xie An had already left, and only a vast expanse of flying snow remained outside.
"This person is indeed cautious, always maintaining a distance of more than twenty meters. He's been lurking by the wall all night, clearly coveting the treasures in the box beside me, but even though I pretended to be sound asleep all night, he didn't make a move."
"My injuries are too severe, and I can't move my body. I can only wait for him to get close before I can catch him…"
The red fox sighed, feeling slightly disappointed.
"That little white thing even said he had this guy completely under control, and that he was a simpleton. I think you're the simpleton… leaving clues for people to find you, and you don't even know it."
"But it doesn't matter. I'll just have Little White cooperate with me in putting on a show, and I'm not afraid he won't take the bait."
After muttering a few words, the red fox lay down on the ground and continued to sleep.
…
By the time Xie An returned to the county town, it was already broad daylight.
The flying snow had subsided slightly.
The stalls selling breakfast on the streets had already opened, setting up their stalls at the entrance, and the fragrant aroma of meat buns wafted through the streets.
Xie An rubbed his rumbling stomach, bought two meat buns, and walked home while munching on them.
Although Xie An had killed a dog demon, the feeling that the red fox gave Xie An was extremely different.
Xie An didn't plan to tell anyone else, and he didn't plan to report it to the Demon Suppression Division to exterminate the red fox.
He was still thinking about the large box of treasures beside the red fox. The white fox casually took out a few items from it, and they were already so amazing. If he could take them all… how incredible would that be?
It's just that he always felt that this red fox was hiding very deeply, and it would be dangerous to act rashly.
This wasn't a big problem, as long as the treasure plant continued to sprout, continuing to trade wouldn't be bad.
Everything would wait for the treasure plant to sprout.
In the days that followed.
Xie An began to get busy.
Besides practicing his skills and visiting Tangjiabao, Xie An also had to go to the Demon Suppression Division from nine to five because there were spies from the Imperial Inspector. Fortunately, Xie An also had an independent courtyard in the Demon Suppression Division, which didn't delay his practice.
In addition, Xie An also had to browse through the classics, histories, philosophical works, and collections in the library to understand the history of the Great Qian Dynasty and cram on knowledge about martial arts.
Living in the Great Qian, he needed to understand this world.
Although the days were busy, they were fulfilling.
After several days of hard work, the progress increased to: Start of Winter 20 / 100.
Xie An roughly estimated the blessing effect of the second-level Longevity Fate on the Nineteenth Section of the Bright Jade Skill: about five days, there would be one point of progress increase.
It seemed slow, but in fact, Xie An was too busy during this period, and he didn't spend much time practicing the Bright Jade Skill every day.
If he put everything down and focused on grinding, he could probably get one point of progress in two days, and raise one solar term in half a year!
This was already quite exaggerated!
If it was a first-level Longevity Fate, facing the Nineteenth Section of the Bright Jade Skill, even under full grinding conditions, it would probably take more than half a month to get one point of progress increase.
As for the Water Drop Inner Strength Method, there was almost no improvement.
Once it involved martial arts practice, it just didn't work.
Xie An was not discouraged, and still diligently persisted in hard practice.
If talent was not enough, then he would make up for it with hard work.
Anyway, he was idle when he was idle…
Since he had no talent in martial arts, Xie An didn't expect to see immediate results. Instead, he had expectations for the treasure plant, hoping that it would sprout soon and complete the next transaction.
Two months passed in a flash, and it entered the twelfth lunar month.
The flying snow falling from the sky became heavier and heavier, and the weather became colder and colder.
Every morning, Xie An's first task was to check whether the bare tree stump had grown any new buds.
The result was very disappointing.
No new buds had grown for two whole months.
What made Xie An even more surprised was that the white fox had not tracked him for the past two months, and had not even come to Xie Mansion. This couldn't help but make Xie An feel puzzled…
Could it be that… something had happened.
Had the red fox's injuries worsened?
Or had it died?
After this thought appeared, Xie An became a little excited.
If the red fox was gone, wouldn't the box be easily obtained?
The mere white fox, although fast, was definitely not his opponent. It couldn't protect that box.
"I'll pick a time in the next few days to go to the stone temple again!"
After making up his mind, Xie An began to plan:
Last time was just reconnaissance, this time Xie An would still focus on reconnaissance, but he also made plans to pick up treasures. Foxes are cunning, so he had to prepare more.
Heavy bows were difficult to handle, and they weren't very useful at close range. He could consider not using them for the time being.
The famous saber, Demon Suppression, Xie An already had it. This Demon Suppression saber was perfect for seventh and eighth level martial artists to use, and it was very handy.
But he lacked inner armor and long, round needles.
It seemed… that Chen Tie was the son of a great craftsman?
Arriving at the Demon Suppression Division early, he drank tea with Wei Haoran, Zhao Qing'er, and Chen Tie on the seventh floor.
After drinking several pots of tea, Zhao Qing'er looked at the copper pot's drip leak and said, "Wei Haoran, it's time for you to go out on patrol. Otherwise, people will say we're lazy again. Remember to go out in a big way. Let everyone know."
As the lowest-ranking official present, Wei Haoran, although resentful, still carried his spear and trudged out to patrol.
Originally, the Deputy Division didn't need to go out on regular patrols.
But after Li Hao came, he insisted that the demons of the Great Yin Mountain would come down the mountain at any time, and divided Qingwu County, which was close to the Great Yin Mountain, into four major areas, with each Deputy Division responsible for one area. If a demon injured someone in the area, the Deputy Division would be held accountable.
This suddenly put a lot of pressure on the several Deputy Divisions.
In Wei Haoran's words, it was all superficial political achievements.
Not long after, Zhao Qing'er looked at the drip leak: "I also have to go out on patrol, Chief Xie, Senior Brother Chen, goodbye."
Chen Tie said, "Be careful on the road. The area you are responsible for is close to the neighboring Black Marsh County. There is a large area of the Huai River there, and it is also close to Hongze Lake. According to local residents, water monsters often appear there, so don't be careless."
"Understood."
Zhao Qing'er responded and then left in a hurry.
This Princess, once she became serious, still had some heroic spirit.
Once the two sons of aristocratic families left, it became much more spacious and quiet. Chen Tie poured tea for Xie An while smiling faintly, "Since Li Hao came, he has been making demands of us everywhere in the name of the Imperial Inspector. Suddenly, everyone's tasks have become much more burdensome. And Li Hao does everything himself, which makes everyone afraid to say more, but instead gives rise to some admiration. Everyone says he is a capable official."
Xie An muttered in his heart.
A good official?
He was just good at acting.
However, it was true that Li Hao, as a prince, was decisive in his actions and strict with himself. Apart from the initial incident of punishing Chen Tie, which was excessive, his performance in the following two months could be described as a workaholic, earning praise from the Demon Suppression Division.
In a sense, because of Li Hao's strict governance, the entire Demon Suppression Division was more like a ruthless machine. Everyone became much colder.
"Does Chief Xie know what the Demon Suppression Division is secretly calling Li Hao?"
"What?"
"Iron-Faced Yama."
"…"
"Hey, Li Hao is managing things too strictly, and everyone's life is not easy. Many people are complaining. And generally, the Imperial Inspector will leave after inspecting for a few months, after all, staying for too long will affect the operation of the local government. But looking at Li Hao, I'm afraid he doesn't plan to leave." Chen Tie said while drinking tea, "If Li Hao's actions are all for the public good, it may not be a bad thing. But I always feel that it's not that simple."
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Xie An explained his intentions.
Chen Tie was very surprised to hear this, "You want to make a needle?"
It's no wonder Chen Tie was surprised.
The needles of the Great Qian were mostly used for needlework, sewing, fishhooks, acupuncture, etc. Apart from that, they were rarely used elsewhere. For martial artists, it was even rarer to use this thing.
Chen Tie really didn't know where Xie An got his whims from.
"Can Vice Chief Chen make it?"
Chen Tie's father was a great craftsman, and he himself was a highly skilled blacksmith, making knives and weapons was just a piece of cake. Moreover, he liked this. But needles… he had never made them before, but he knew the production process.
After a moment of consideration, Chen Tie said, "I can make it. However, what Chief Xie wants to make is definitely not an ordinary needle, right?"
Xie An took out the blueprints he had prepared and showed them to Chen Tie.
It was a straight needle with a very fine tip, about three inches long, with spiral patterns in the middle and a slightly thicker end resembling a lotus bud.
Xie An had put a lot of effort into designing this needle.
He referred to the silver hairpin in the shape of a penholder from the Miao ethnic group in Sansui during the Republic of China as the basis for his drawing.
Ordinary embroidery needles are fine for mending clothes, but when making shoes, rural women often need to wear hard objects such as leather on their fingers to push the needle and pierce the sole, otherwise they will hurt their hands.
This is because although the eye of the needle has been dulled, it is still too thin, and it will still pierce the skin under force. They can only hold the sides of the needle and push it with friction.
How much force can friction generate?
Xie An was using the needle to kill.
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Naturally, the end of the needle needs to be dulled and thickened. The Miao penholder needle is very suitable.
What kind of person was Chen Tie? At a glance, he roughly knew Xie An's idea, "Chief Xie is planning to make it into a hidden weapon?"
Xie An did not hide it, "I'm getting old, and when I go out, I always have to be careful."
Chen Tie expressed his agreement, "Chief Xie is indeed cautious. The shape of this needle looks very beautiful. It's not difficult to make, but the material..."
Xie An immediately said, "I will bear the cost of the materials."
However, Chen Tie shook his head, "Needles are not like large weapons, and they require very little material. I would be embarrassed to accept money. I wanted to say... if a small piece of the Mysterious Iron that Chief Xie sold to Master Ye some time ago could be cut off and used to make this needle, it would be most suitable. Ordinary wrought iron would greatly reduce the effect."
Xie An suddenly remembered this matter and couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
Making needles indeed doesn't require much material, a small piece is enough.
If he had known, he should have tried to cut a piece off the Mysterious Iron in the first place. A small piece shouldn't affect the transaction value.
"Is it possible to buy Mysterious Iron?"
Chen Tie frowned, "Mysterious Iron is extremely precious. It's rare even in Nanyang Prefecture, let alone Qingwu County."
Xie An felt a little disappointed.
He sighed that Third Brother Yi Qiutang was good to him, the gift he gave was really valuable.
In the end, Xie An had to settle for second best, "Then use wrought iron instead and make a few first."
Chen Tie stared at the blueprints for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth, "This needle looks beautiful, and since Chief Xie wants it, I will shamelessly go to Ye Luo and cut a little off that Mysterious Iron."
Xie An cupped his hands, "Thank you, Deputy Commander Chen."
Chen Tie quickly got up, "I can't afford Chief Xie's grand courtesy. You are older than me, just call me Brother Chen."
Now that things had reached this point, Xie An didn't act coy.
"Brother Chen."
"Brother Xie, don't worry, I can make it in about three days."
...
Three days later.
Xie An came to the Demon Suppression Division as usual. When he reached the seventh floor, he saw Chen Tie sitting behind a long desk, writing in a booklet with a wolf hair brush.
Seeing Xie An, Chen Tie leaned the wolf hair brush on the mountain-shaped pen rest and enthusiastically got up to greet him, "Brother Xie, you've come much earlier today than usual."
Xie An smiled and said, "My left eye has been twitching non-stop since early morning, I thought something good was going to happen."
"Hahaha, Brother Xie, come and take a look." Chen Tie led Xie An to a tea table next to the railing.
On the tea table were three silver needles.
They were all silver and bright, with a transparent luster. They were three inches long, with needle tips as fine as hair and a chilling light. The needles gradually thickened from the tip to the back, and the back half of the needle body had spiral patterns, with a round lotus bud shape at the end for easy grip.
Xie An praised, "Good craftsmanship! As expected of the son of a great craftsman!"
Getting Xie An's praise made Chen Tie even happier, "This is the first time I've made needles, and I've even consulted some ancient books for this. Brother Xie, please take a look."
"Okay."
Xie An stretched out his hand and picked up a silver needle.
It was icy cold and felt excellent in the hand.
Especially the round flower bud at the end, the grip was excellent, allowing one to push directly with force without hurting the hand.
At that moment, Chen Tie brought a steel plate, "Brother Xie, try its sharpness."
Mysterious Iron is not an ordinary precious iron, it mostly comes from extraterrestrial meteorites, and its hardness far exceeds steel.
Xie An held the flower bud position and suddenly stabbed the steel plate.
With a sudden "thud", the needle tip pierced the steel plate.
Without much effort.
"Mysterious Iron is indeed amazing. A good needle."
Xie An accepted the three silver needles and cupped his hands again, "Thank you, Brother Chen. This material must be expensive, right?"
"It's a small matter. If you get any precious iron in the future and Brother Xie wants to make it into a weapon, feel free to come to me at any time." Chen Tie waved his hand generously.
Xie An originally wanted to give some silver notes, but on second thought, Chen Tie wasn't short of money.
He would have to find a way to make up for this favor in other ways.
At dusk, Xie An returned to the Xie residence. As usual, he had dinner with Chunlan, Yuhe, He Chunli, and Han Li, and chatted with everyone for a while before returning to the central courtyard to practice his Kung Fu.
At the beginning of Hai hour.
Xie An stopped practicing his Kung Fu, then put on night clothes, took the Demon Suppression Saber, fire starter, and especially carried the three large needles with him.
With these large needles, if he caught them by surprise, even if he faced a Grandmaster who had just entered the ninth rank, Xie An felt that he could stab the other party to death.
Just in case, Xie An found a hidden place to hide the Seven Treasures Exquisite Box and the Appraisal Mirror.
If an extreme situation occurred and he was caught by the Red Fox, he could at least use the Immortal Treasure as bait to lure the other party to the Xie residence, where Su Yuqing could take it in.
Xie An made sure he hadn't missed anything before going out.
When he arrived at the top of Stone Mountain, it was already the end of Hai hour, and the sky was gray.
Heavy snow was falling.
Xie An clenched the hilt of his saber, activated his Bright Jade Skill and walked towards the Stone Temple. Before he even got close to the courtyard wall, he heard a miserable fox wail.
The voice was melodious and mournful.
Huh?
Why is the little white fox crying?
Did the Red Fox kick the bucket?
Xie An gently climbed over the courtyard wall and poked half of his head out to look.
He saw that the Red Fox lying in the hall had completely lost its movement, and the White Fox was crying beside it with tears streaming down its face, extremely miserable.
Did the Red Fox really kick the bucket?
Then Xie An's gaze fell on the wooden box next to the Red Fox.
If it were a young person, they would have rushed over at this moment.
But Xie An didn't, he was still lying on the courtyard wall watching. For a full hour, the White Fox kept crying, which was really heartbreaking to hear.
Xie An always felt that the White Fox's crying seemed a bit deliberate.
But he was human, after all, not a fox, and couldn't completely empathize with the fox's mentality.
To be sure, Xie An lit a pile of wood in the courtyard, creating a large fire. At the same time, Xie An exerted his eyesight and stared at the White Fox and the Red Fox's every move.
If the Red Fox was really dead, then it wouldn't move.
If it wasn't dead... then it definitely couldn't hold back.
And Xie An could also make a judgment based on the White Fox's performance in the fire.
Soon, the White Fox panicked, looked at the fire outside the door, and then looked at the Red Fox next to it. In the end, it chose to ignore the fire and continue to lie in front of the Red Fox and cry.
Xie An was immediately pissed off.
This was too fake.
Let's go, let's go.
As soon as Xie An left, the Red Fox opened a pair of golden eyes, "Idiot! You've been exposed. Go put out the fire."
The White Fox "woo-awooed" and ran to put out the fire.
Because it was snowing heavily, and the fire wasn't big enough, putting out the fire wasn't difficult. The White Fox kept rolling up large snowballs and threw dozens of them into the fire, and the fire was extinguished by seventy or eighty percent.
Then the Little White Fox returned to the Red Fox's side with a embarrassed look, very guilty, and gestured. It said that it didn't have any experience in this area, and since the Red Fox wasn't really dead, it couldn't get into character and didn't know how to act.
Eh.
The Red Fox sighed, "It's really embarrassing for you. It's not your fault, the main thing is that this person is too cautious. I spent two months letting you not follow him, not appear. To make him think I'm dead. Come and snatch the treasure. As long as he gets close to me, I can catch him. I didn't expect that he set a fire to test the truth, and he didn't even bring the Soul Mirror with him, he's a smart cookie."
Getting the Red Fox's forgiveness, the White Fox felt a little relieved, gestured, and asked what to do next.
Heh heh ~
The Red Fox spat out a mouthful of blood, its breath very weak, "I can't hold on much longer. There's no way to deal with such a smart person, we can only be direct. You go find him and use this box of treasures to exchange for a tree stump from him. See if he's willing."
