Translator: AnubisTL
Even though the borderlands were embroiled in war, Shengtian City remained as splendid and prosperous as ever, as if it were a completely different world.
Here, there was no trace of the dark clouds of war, as if the recent breaches of Wangyuan City had never happened.
On the rippling surface of the lake, one could see merchant women dancing gracefully on painted boats and floating pavilions.
Inside the taverns, talented scholars and beautiful ladies composed poetry, played the qin, and blew the flute, truly a scene of a flourishing golden age.
After waiting in a long line at the city gate, Qi Kang finally entered the city, his eyes dazzled as he looked around, eager to take in every sight.
"Young master, what should we do next?" Qi Kang asked Li Qing.
Leading his horse and wandering through the city streets, Li Qing calmly replied, "First, find an inn to settle in. Then, you'll go out and gather some information about the city. For example, find out which martial arts schools are famous in Shengtian City, and which people or forces should not be provoked. These are the tasks you'll need to handle."
Although Qi Kang came from humble origins, he was quite clever and well-suited for gathering intelligence.
Throughout their journey to Shengtian City, much of the information they obtained had been gathered by Qi Kang.
"Understood, young master. Leave it to me!" Qi Kang declared confidently.
Thus, Li Qing took Qi Kang to a large and impressive inn in the city, where they booked two upper rooms.
Although he had mentally prepared himself, Li Qing was still shocked by the inn's prices—they were several times higher than those in Wangyuan City! After paying, Li Qing couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Living in a big city is not easy, not easy at all."
After settling into the inn, Li Qing, who had been traveling for a long time, finally got the chance to enjoy a good night's sleep.
He slept straight through until noon the next day. By the time he woke up, Qi Kang had already gone out to gather basic information about Shengtian City as instructed.
The neighboring room was empty, and Li Qing himself didn't plan to idle any longer. He hadn't forgotten the purpose of his visit to Shengtian.
Blacksmithing! Brewing! Martial arts training!
"From the current situation, Shengtian seems relatively peaceful. It seems I've chosen the right place," Li Qing thought with satisfaction, finally feeling that he could settle down and develop for a while.
Carrying the gold and silver he had brought from the World of Eternal Night, Li Qing wandered through the bustling streets of Shengtian.
The streets were filled with the sounds of vendors and the lively atmosphere, with children occasionally running through the middle of the road, adding to the joy.
Li Qing casually inquired about the largest herbal medicine shop in Shengtian, and the answer was surprisingly unanimous—Quanshan Medicine Hall.
After passing through several streets, Li Qing arrived at the street where Quanshan Medicine Hall was located, based on the directions given by passersby.
As soon as he stepped into the area, he could clearly smell the strong scent of medicinal herbs.
Quanshan Medicine Hall!
Known as the largest herbal medicine shop in all of Maple Country, its name hinted at its origins in Quanshan City.
It was said that any medicinal herb found in Quanshan City could also be found here, and even those not found in Quanshan City could be traced here.
Unexpectedly, the first thing Li Qing saw upon entering was not precious herbs, but a wanted poster.
Beneath this wanted poster, a crowd had gathered, pointing and discussing it.
"The Star-Stealing Divine Thief has really come to Shengtian City and even stole the most precious four-hundred-year-old wild ginseng from Quanshan Medicine Hall!"
"This is a big deal. Isn't that the wild ginseng the Prince's Mansion specifically requested some time ago? It was actually stolen by the Star-Stealing Divine Thief!"
"This is going to be interesting. The Prince's Mansion and Quanshan Medicine Hall probably won't let this go easily. They'll likely turn Shengtian City upside down." "I heard that in his early years, Prince Yu pursued martial arts progress but left hidden injuries in his body, severely damaging his vitality. He places great importance on such precious herbs that strengthen the foundation and nurture vitality. Someone once exchanged a two-hundred-year-old herb with the Prince's Mansion for several thousand taels of silver!"
"That's right. Even the Emperor has searched for rare medicinal herbs for Prince Yu several times. This Star-Stealing Divine Thief is probably in for a rough time."
Listening to the details of the story from the others, Li Qing glanced at the wanted notice with great interest.
Quanshan Medicine Hall was offering a hefty reward for the capture of the Star-Stealing Divine Thief. As long as the four-hundred-year-old wild ginseng was recovered, Quanshan Medicine Hall would not only provide a generous reward but also fulfill an additional condition for the person who recovered it.
After all, it was something the Prince's Mansion wanted, and with Prince Yu being the Emperor's younger brother, they couldn't afford to take it lightly.
However, Li Qing wasn't particularly interested. After scanning the notice a couple of times, he took out the list of medicinal herbs he needed and approached the shopkeeper to request them.
"Sir, apart from tiger bone and tiger penis, we have everything you need here," the shopkeeper casually mentioned.
Hearing this, Li Qing felt a slight surge of joy. As expected of Shengtian City, the herbs he couldn't find in Wangyuan City were all available here in one go.
Even the five highly toxic substances needed for the Five Poisons Blood-Activating Wine were available here. What a pleasant surprise! "I'll take them all. But can I leave the five toxic substances here with you and come back to collect them next year when I need them?" Li Qing asked with a serious expression.
"No problem. I can give you a receipt, and you can come back to collect them whenever you need them. However, we don't accept IOUs or credit."
As soon as he said this, Li Qing pulled out a gold bar from his pocket and handed it to the shopkeeper.
"Pack them all up for me."
The gold bar worked better than anything else. Without hesitation, the shopkeeper instructed his staff to pack up the herbs Li Qing needed.
During the wait, quite a few people entered Quanshan Medicine Hall, all burly and muscular.
"It's true. Quanshan Medicine Hall is offering a reward for the Star-Stealing Divine Thief."
"This is a chance to get involved with the Prince. Let's go back and inform the guild master!"
In no time, Quanshan Medicine Hall became bustling with people coming and going, as lively as the announcement of imperial examination results. All of them were martial artists interested in the wanted notice for the Star-Stealing Divine Thief.
Just like that, the Star-Stealing Divine Thief's reputation instantly spread throughout Shengtian City, becoming almost universally known.
Anyone daring to target the Prince's Mansion was undoubtedly no ordinary person.
However, all of this had little to do with Li Qing. He had no interest in capturing the Star-Stealing Divine Thief. Instead, he leisurely strolled through the city with the herbs he had purchased.
After resolving the issue of the brewing herbs, Li Qing planned to open a blacksmith shop in the city to earn a modest living.
Although the wealth of gold and silver he had acquired in the World of Eternal Night was enough to sustain him carefree for ten lifetimes, he was not the type to sit idle and deplete his resources. Earning a little extra was always beneficial.
The most crucial aspect was that by forging weapons for others, he could also gain a significant amount of lifespan. After all, no one would complain about living longer.
"The imperial court's control over iron is too strict. Opening a blacksmith shop requires all sorts of procedures, which is really troublesome."
"It would be best to directly take over someone else's existing shop. That would save a lot of effort."
(End of the Chapter)
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