"Hmm? No, your demeanor immediately suggests you're a person of status and influence. I'm just a humble commoner, how could I possibly have the fortune to know someone like you!" I chuckled. Kuaishu Ge
"Not at all, everyone who comes here is a devout follower. Before the gods and Buddha, all beings are equal." Governor He waved his hand, signaling me to come closer to talk.
I didn't stand on ceremony, walked over, took a business card from him, and then pretended to be surprised, saying, "Ah, it's Governor He! My apologies, my apologies!"
"What do I call you, young man? What's your profession?" Governor He offered me a soft Zhonghua cigarette. Just like when I took the business card, I accepted it with both hands, and then politely bowed to light his cigarette first.
"My name is Wu Chenfeng. Wu from martial arts, Chen from ear knife, and Feng from sharp and prominent. I'm a freelancer, leading a streamer team." I said this for Li Jingxiang to hear, as this was the name I'd used to lie to her last time.
"Wu Chenfeng, a good name, I'll remember it. If you ever need to do business in Fucheng, feel free to look me up. Streaming is a good profession, it's related to the cultural tourism industry, which I happen to oversee."
"With your words, I feel much more at ease. Thank you, Governor He!"
After a few pleasantries, and under Mrs. He's urging, Governor He left the Taoist temple. I then noticed that he was still in the same official car as last time. It had been parked discreetly, hidden in the woods.
"The road back to Fu is far, safe travels, Governor He." I bid him farewell.
"My home is in the provincial capital, it's not far," Governor He replied.
I nodded. There were quite a few like him, people stationed at the frontier whose families lived in the provincial capital – effectively commuters.
After seeing off Governor He, an old acquaintance, I handed the gift to Jingxiang. It wasn't a high-end item, just a mink coat. It seemed to match Old Qi's scarf, and with autumn and winter approaching, Li Jingxiang didn't always wear her Taoist robes and had to go down the mountain for activities in the city.
It was clear Li Jingxiang loved the mink coat – indeed, all Northeastern women seem to love mink. She asked me why I was here again, was it to burn paper offerings for Master Qi?
I said burning offerings would be fine, it could be considered strengthening our bond. As for that Master Qi, Xie Bi'an, who appeared and disappeared without a trace, I had no idea what his purpose was in seeking me out.
After burning the paper offerings in the backyard, I casually glanced at her weapon rack and said it looked good, asking Li Jingxiang where she had them made.
"Didn't I tell you last time? I had them made in Benxi. What, are you also interested in weapons?" Li Jingxiang asked.
"Me... I'm purely interested as a hobby." As I spoke, I found a picture of a pair of Yuan Yang Zi Wu Yue on my phone and sent it to Li Jingxiang, "Can you ask that weapon master if they can forge something like this?"
"Huh? Dong Haichuan's weapon? This thing is not easy to use." Li Jingxiang, a martial arts expert, naturally recognized it. "It's also not easy to forge. Don't look at my weapons, they are crudely made, but each one still costs tens of thousands. Their weapons from the Jin Qiang Sect are even more expensive! Yours, I estimate, would cost at least a million, and that's a friendship price because I introduced you!"
"That expensive?"
"If you don't believe me, watch. I'll ask them on the spot." Li Jingxiang then sent the picture to someone named "Jin Qiang Xiao Mei" to inquire about the price, mentioning that I was her old friend.
The other party quickly replied: 1.2 million.
Li Jingxiang bargained. The other party said: "For Daoist Li's sake, 1 million. No less, otherwise, we won't even cover the material costs."
"Materials? What kind of materials are so expensive, meteorite iron?" I couldn't help but ask.
"You guessed right. Their family truly uses meteorite iron for their genuine weapons, but they don't call it meteorite iron, they call it 'Tiangang Steel'."
Tiangang, it sounded quite cute.
I gritted my teeth: "Alright, then ask her to forge it!"
Cheap goods are no good, and good goods are not cheap. This has always been the case.
"You'll have to go there in person to pay them before they'll use the meteorite iron. Otherwise, if you break your promise, and they ruin a piece of meteorite iron, who will they sell it to?"
"That's fine. Then give me the address, and I'll go pay them right away." I said. Benxi and Shengjing are adjacent, and it's only about a half-hour drive.
Li Jingxiang gave me the address and contact information. I returned to Xijiang Yue. Yao Yao felt that if it was truly meteorite iron, it would be quite a good deal. However, we weren't just forging one weapon; we also needed to craft weapons for the demons, and it seemed the money wouldn't be enough.
There was no other way, so I had to bite the bullet and call Teacher Xie again, asking if there were any clients willing to pay eight million for the Cloud Hairpin.
When I asked, that potential buyer was also in Benxi.
That's good. One trip, to sell some things and buy some things, all at once...