Chapter 439: Li Shentong

Chapter 439: Li Shentong

Li Shentong weighed the gourd of wine, turning it over and over in his hands for a while, then leisurely pulled out the stopper and sniffed it. His expression shifted slightly, and he took a small sip.

Then, as if savoring the memory, he tilted his head back and thought for a moment, smacked his lips, and gulped down a large mouthful.

From the look of it, he seemed to have downed nearly half the gourd in one go...

Finally, he set the gourd down with a thud, replaced the stopper, and said, "Mediocre."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Li Shentong leaned back, lounging comfortably in his chair: "Wanting to stand aloof from the world and quietly observe the clouds and waters, yet forced to deal with mundane affairs—that's the old Daoist's contradiction. The wine is the same: wanting a misty, lingering aftertaste, yet unable to shed that bit of fierceness within, which explodes straight into the spirit platform, impossible to shake off. The aftertaste unexpectedly finds its meaning right there. If I said I actually like that unwanted rigidity, I wonder what expression he'd make."

A true drunkard. Zhao Changhe had also drunk this wine from Yuxu before, and all he found was that it was tasty and mellow; he had never discerned so many nuances.

Li Shentong suddenly stared at the gourd again, furrowing his brow, as if thinking of something else.

Perhaps what he was pondering now was the true meaning this jug of wine was meant to convey, but Zhao Changhe could never decipher the secret signals between these two seniors.

He also had no intention of delving into their bond, so he tentatively asked, "Senior, is there any message you'd like me to take back?"

"No." Li Shentong said flatly, "He didn't intend for me to send any message back either."

With that, he sized up Zhao Changhe once more, lost in thought: "This isn't newly brewed; it's been aged for three years. He has plenty of people around him, and in three years, someone must have sent him wine, yet he specifically had you deliver it—he just wanted me to take a look at you..."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Li Shentong waved a hand: "I've seen you now, and that's that. I thought you'd be more imposing, but from this look, you might not even match up to Situ. They said you had a scar on your face, figured you'd be a real man, but upon closer inspection, you're actually quite handsome—boring."

Zhao Changhe: "?"

Are you buying a pig?

Li Shentong continued: "Since there's the courtesy of sending wine, I ought to repay it. What do you want?"

Zhao Changhe knew in his heart that this act of sending wine wasn't much of a favor; it was more like a favor from Yuxu... Yuxu sending him to deliver the wine was essentially an elder's recommendation: take a look at this junior and give him a hand.

That was why Zhao Changhe had earlier thought he could even ask Li Shentong to help deal with Maitreya, given this connection and his friendship with Situ Xiao. But Tang Wanzhuang had cautiously refused, seemingly harboring some reservations about Li Shentong, though the reason was unknown for now.

If he didn't bring up such requests, what could he seek from the Divine Firmament Sect? Naturally, it would be experience in body forging. This was likely Yuxu's original intent—Yuxu himself wasn't a body forger and couldn't offer much guidance in that area, so sending him to the Divine Firmament Sect for advice was fitting.

The Blood God Sect, due to its incomplete formation array, had a fragmented inheritance. It didn't even specify what medicines were needed for body forging, leaving that to the Heavenly Book to fill in, let alone specific methods. The basic techniques from his early years—like horse stance, lifting stone locks, and soaking in medicinal baths—were they still suitable now? Were there other secret methods? He didn't know. The Heavenly Book only guided him on what items to seek, but the experiential knowledge during training was something the book couldn't provide.

By now, aside from forcibly enhancing himself with items like the Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng, Zhao Changhe had essentially stopped body forging because he didn't know how to proceed. In fact, even now, searching for the Jun Tian Blood Jade and the Sharp Blade Grass felt aimless—he didn't know what to use them for or how to use them, lacking the urgency of "I must have this." This was precisely due to the lack of clear guidance.

Yet, with such an important matter right before him, Zhao Changhe didn't hesitate: "I'd like to ask Senior for a favor."

Li Shentong nodded: "Speak."

"I have a close friend who went missing in Bashan. The last clue suggests she was injured... I don't know where she is now or what powerful enemies she might face, but the area shouldn't be far from here. I hope Senior can keep an eye on this matter and, if necessary, lend a hand at a critical moment. I would be deeply grateful."

Li Shentong was taken aback, sizing up Zhao Changhe with a curious look: "Do you know what you could have gotten instead?"

Zhao Changhe said firmly, "It doesn't matter."

"Ha..." Li Shentong chuckled: "You don't even know where she is. I could agree and then just say I couldn't find her, and it would be as good as nothing. Wouldn't that be a waste?"

Zhao Changhe replied, "What Senior does is Senior's business. I'm just saying what I want."

"Ha ha ha ha..." Li Shentong finally burst into laughter: "Fine, I'll take this on."

Zhao Changhe said, "Thank you, Senior. Oh, this friend is..."

"Yue Hongling." Li Shentong said casually: "She once passed through the Emei region. Given your connections, it's easy to guess."

Zhao Changhe was overjoyed.

Having passed through Emei meant his judgment was correct—Yue Hongling had indeed headed toward the Miao border. This direction wasn't a wasted trip.

And since Li Shentong knew about it, that gave him even more confidence.

Zhao Changhe rose from his seat and bowed: "Then I'll trouble Senior to keep an eye out... Well, I won't disturb Senior any longer. Farewell."

Li Shentong smiled: "If Situ were here, I might keep you for a few days. Since he's not, I doubt you'd find it interesting to stay here either. The town at the foot of the mountain is mostly property of my Divine Firmament Sect. Feel free to make use of it—room and board are on the house."

"Thank you, Senior." Zhao Changhe bowed again and turned to leave.

Behind him, Li Shentong said, "Horse stance, bow stance, running, lifting locks—though you may not need to do them daily now, you can't abandon them entirely. The training of muscles and qi and blood is always effective... You've probably neglected it for a long time, feeling a sense of discontinuity and stagnation in your body forging path."

Zhao Changhe stopped in his tracks.

Li Shentong continued: "The Blood God Sect's methods lack targeted tempering and honing... For instance, in external training, you need to constantly endure various attacks to forge your iron skin and bronze bones. If the Blood God Sect leans toward offense, have you ever repeatedly pounded against trees, rocks, and such?"

Zhao Changhe thought it over. The Blood God Sect did have repeated blade chopping, but that was basic sword technique, which, though it trained specific muscles, couldn't really be considered body forging.

After a moment's hesitation, he replied, "Guiding the special effects of blood energy and killing intent through the Blood Fiend Art—that counts as one aspect, doesn't it?"

"Hmm... that also counts as muscle and qi-blood training." Li Shentong said: "When you first learned this technique, you were always mindful of the changes in your qi and blood. But now that it's become second nature, have you continued to pay attention and guide it?"

Yes and no... Whether it was the fruit given by Xia Longyuan or the later Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng, they seemed to digest naturally, but in truth, they followed the operation of the Blood Fiend Art. However, this wasn't conscious—it was just the foundation of the technique at work, happening on its own. He hadn't deliberately observed how the energy from these heavenly treasures entered his body and catalyzed changes, nor had he intentionally guided it to bring about targeted transformations.

This wasn't active body forging; it was passively absorbing the energy of heavenly treasures, far inferior to the meticulous attention he'd paid during his early days of horse stance and medicinal baths.

In fact, the method of body forging had always been there; he had simply overlooked it.

With this reminder, he quickly realized that if, when consuming the Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng, he had deliberately observed and guided it, he would have been able to perceive the process of his muscles advancing layer by layer and his strength increasing—the "dragon-elephant transformation." That was the essence of body forging: mastering every detail of his body's changes, not just taking a pill and being done.

Extending this logic, if he later obtained the so-called Sharp Blade Grass, he should guide the medicinal energy into his body and observe how the power sharpened, turning killing intent into blades and splitting one slash into thousands. This would actually be suited for use with "Blood Floods the Mountains and Rivers."

His previous power had been suited for "Gods and Buddhas Disperse."

Every step had a clear ladder, and suddenly everything became clear.

Zhao Changhe felt as if he'd been enlightened. He bowed deeply: "Thank you for your guidance, Senior."

Li Shentong waved his hand: "I taught you nothing. That's your Blood God Sect's own knowledge; I just reminded you not to neglect it. Go on."

Zhao Changhe bowed and left.

An old man entered from outside, brushing past Zhao Changhe. Zhao Changhe politely cupped his hands, and the old man nodded in acknowledgment, then turned to watch Zhao Changhe's retreating figure as he walked out. Slowly approaching Li Shentong, he asked with some confusion, "Why guide him? Isn't that stabbing Situ in the back..."

"Situ needs strong opponents to compete with each other and gain something from it. Beating someone without a master's guidance—would that be a glorious victory? Would it make him a hero?"

"Well... he might not be without a master. His external training may have been interrupted, but internally, he's always had the shadow of Tang Wanzhuang and even the Four Symbols Sect, especially Tang Wanzhuang, who has taught him without holding back." The old man emphasized the name "Tang Wanzhuang," as if reminding Li Shentong of something.

"His meridians have some obstructions. No matter how much internal method Tang Wanzhuang teaches him, his main cultivation still lies in external techniques." Li Shentong seemed to ignore the reminder, too lazy to dwell on it: "What brings you here?"

The old man glanced outside the door again and lowered his voice: "Zhai Muzhi's men are conscripting laborers again. Those who don't go have to pay... People can't afford it anymore. Even the outer disciples have come crying to us..."

Li Shentong's expression turned cold.

"And the spring tax silver being sent from the Miao border to Shu Commandery is already nearby... Should we this time..."

The old man made a cutting gesture.

Li Shentong knew why the old man was wary of Zhao Changhe and had emphasized Tang Wanzhuang's name. With Zhao Changhe staying at the foot of the mountain, the old man was even considering giving up on this matter.

Because Zhao Changhe's current impression was very pro-court.

In the Maitreya campaign, although Tang Buqi was the commander and the battle involved many on the Heavenly and Earth Rankings, those in the know understood how crucial Zhao Changhe's role had been.

And what the Divine Firmament Sect was doing was no different from the Maitreya Sect.

In theory, killing Zhao Changhe and framing Zhai Muzhi would be the proper course for the Divine Firmament Sect.

Li Shentong said nothing, only smiled: "Do what needs to be done. Why so many scruples? You're getting more timid as you age."