"Here at your command!"
A middle-aged martial artist knelt on one knee, fist clasped, and said.
Pei Jing spoke, "You shall go to Gu Family Manor on behalf of me and tell Gu Qingfeng that as long as he is willing to assist me, all past grudges can be written off. Additionally, if he has any demands, he can feel free to voice them.
Whether it's a Grandmaster's Secret Manual or the Secret Technique of Evil Refining, I can satisfy them."
Had Gu Qingfeng been just an ordinary Little Master in the Refining Organ phase, Pei Jing would never have cared so much.
A half-step to Master is different.
Such a figure, who comprehends the True Intent of a Master, would become one of the most formidable Grandmasters upon breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm.
In the absence of a Great Grandmaster, a True Intent Master could be king.
Though martial artists are inferior to magicians, a strong individual at the True Intent Master level could not be compared to the mere magicians of the Spirit-controlling Realm.
The benefits of winning over such a strong practitioner were obvious.
Pei Jing was willing to set aside past grievances and pay a greater price to recruit Gu Qingfeng.
Those who aspire to great endeavors do not quibble over trifles.
In Pei Jing's view, such petty grudges were hardly worth mentioning.
Zuo Li promptly accepted the order and withdrew.
Watching his receding figure, Pei Jing stepped out of the command tent, his gaze falling upon the ancient city in front of him, with numerous generals gathered behind him.
"I want you to take this Danshan City within three days and completely breach the gateway to Liuyun Prefecture!" Pei Jing said with a grave voice.
Danshan City was the gateway to Liuyun Prefecture, and Liuyun Prefecture was an important area bordering Taishan County and Dan Yang County. Taking Danshan City would mean that one could truly mobilize against Liuyun Prefecture as a whole.
Once Liuyun Prefecture was occupied, Taishan County would also be laid wide open.
The strategic location of Danshan City was important, and it was also heavily guarded.
To breach Danshan City, Pei Jing did not hesitate to personally lead an army of three hundred thousand, but even so, after two days of fierce attack, the city had not been taken.
From this, one could see.
How staunch the resistance at Danshan City was.
No matter how staunch the resistance of Danshan City, Pei Jing had to conquer it in the shortest possible time; otherwise, if time dragged on too long and the reinforcements from Taishan County arrived, taking this place would not be so easy.
Such a critical moment in the war naturally would not be missed by Pei Jing.
The Divine Martial Army valued swift and decisive action.
If they were to fail in Danshan City and possibly lose the Qi Fortune that should be theirs,
Was something Pei Jing could absolutely not accept.
Upon Pei Jing's command, the many generals all nodded.
"Rest assured, Your Highness. Within three days, we will surely take Danshan City!"
Guangyang Prefecture.
Inside the Evil Suppression Bureau.
Lu Wenxuan also had intelligence about Gu Family Manor before him.
"The Domineering Blade Gu Qingfeng, suspected to be half-step to Master, slew the Peak Master Wen Jiao of the Red Flame Sect's Red Flame Peak with a single stroke. His strength is astonishing, thus earning him the title of Domineering Blade!"
"Vice Envoy Jiang initially said that Gu Qingfeng was just a Little Master in the Refining Organ phase, but it seems now that he has been hiding his depth!"
Caused Jiang Qin's face to change once again.
He, too, had not expected that Gu Qingfeng's prowess would be so profoundly concealed.
Taking a deep breath.
Jiang Qin said, "Gu Qingfeng indeed deeply conceals his strength, and I have indeed underestimated him, Lord Lu. What do you think we should do next?"
"A half-step into the Master realm is no small feat; once he breaks through to become a Master, he will be a True Intent Master and can be considered one of the strongest beneath the rank of a Great Grandmaster. Recruiting such a powerful figure to the Evil Suppression Bureau would certainly be a great achievement.
Thus, the task at hand is to trouble Vice Envoy Jiang to pay another visit to the Gu Family Manor; the conditions and treatment can also be improved.
Furthermore, Gu Qingfeng acts without any restraint. If Vice Envoy Jiang cannot recruit him, there's no need to burn bridges!"
Lu Wenxuan gave the other party a deep look before he spoke up to remind him.
Jiang Qin's face turned slightly unsightly, but he could only lower his head and reply, "Lord Lu, rest assured, this subordinate knows full well how to proceed!"
"That would be for the best."
Lu Wenxuan waved his hand, and Jiang Qin immediately withdrew.
"Half-step into the Master realm, eh!"
"This person has a mysterious background; he might have a true Master backing him. And to instruct such a strong figure, at the very least, one must be a True Intent Master.
In fact... there's a possibility he might be a Great Grandmaster!"
Lu Wenxuan murmured softly.
Although Great Grandmasters are rare in the Martial World, it doesn't mean they have vanished.
If Gu Qingfeng were just an ordinary Refining Organ Little Master, Lu Wenxuan would only think that it was due to some fortuitous encounters that the former had reached this stage.
It's different with a half-step into the Master realm.
This couldn't be explained by mere chance.
Additionally, considering the individual's current age, Lu Wenxuan had reason to suspect that there were powerful backers behind Gu Qingfeng.
The so-called Gu Family Manor might just be a facade.
Facing a figure suspected to be a True Intent Master or even a Great Grandmaster, Lu Wenxuan had to take him seriously.
That's why he had Jiang Qin go to the Gu Family Manor once more, to invite Gu Qingfeng to join the Evil Suppression Bureau.
Even if the latter was unwilling to join, it could be considered a friendly gesture from the Evil Suppression Bureau, to avoid any future conflicts and troubles.
It's the same principle.
If not necessary, it's better not to offend a half-step into the Master realm.
Even if one cannot recruit such a person to the Evil Suppression Bureau, it's still best to maintain good relations.
Within the Gu Family Manor.
Gu Qingfeng was still mostly cultivating.
The cultivation he focused on was primarily the Five Internal Organs Scripture, followed by the Green Sun Skills and the Mixed Yuan Treasure Manual.
As for the Red Flame Divine Skill he had originally obtained, Gu Qingfeng had not yet delved into it.
The reason was simple.
A person's energy is limited.
Gu Qingfeng was already practicing several martial arts simultaneously, which was about his limit; if he tried to cultivate more, he would struggle to cope with so much.
Gu Qingfeng would occasionally give some martial arts instruction to Gu Yang.
Although the latter had already broken through to the mid-level of the Blood Refining Realm, Gu Qingfeng was now a powerful practitioner at the second stage of the Refining Organ realm; guiding someone in the Blood Refining Realm was an easy task for him.
Gu Qingfeng was also collecting various Medicine Bath Elixir Recipes required for martial arts cultivation, along with some precious medicinal materials needed to aid cultivation.
Higher-level Medicine Bath Elixir Recipes were rare, held under the control of various major sects and noble families; Gu Qingfeng had only collected some for the Refining Skin Realm and Blood Refining Realm.
Even so, it was temporarily sufficient.
Gu Qingfeng handed over all the collected recipes to Gu Yang, who was left to manage them.
Gu Qingfeng didn't want to be too distracted or become involved in the affairs of the Gu Family Manor. He delegated all matters that did not require his personal attention to Gu Yang.
Gu Yang naturally would not refuse.
"This is the Gu Family Manor!"
Zuo Li looked at the manor before him, his eyes slightly grave.
He approached a guard, handed over his visiting card, and then waited quietly.