Chapter 155: [Everyone Made a Fortune!] (Double Chapter)

Not only the Li family, but the Zhou and Qi families as well, would be overjoyed.
Nobody likes having a sword perpetually hanging over their head.
Now, that "sword" might have vanished, a fact known only to Su Jingxing.
To verify whether this "sword" had completely disappeared, Su Jingxing took a photograph of the file containing Hagu Ren's image.
He then contacted Li Lilou, arranging to meet on the south bank of the western suburbs of Tianshui River.
Having previously joined forces to deal with Shi Zhinie, they had exchanged contact information afterwards.
If anyone in Qinghe City was most familiar with the background of the He family, it was undoubtedly the Li family.
Su Jingxing contacted Li Lilou specifically to leverage the Li family in confirming Hagu Ren's true identity.
True or false, the Li family should find this of great interest.
If false, nothing was lost.
If true, however, Su Jingxing could use this intelligence to strike a deal with the Li family.
A transaction involving energy-gathering stones!
...
"Beep, beep~"
The south bank of Tianshui River.
By the side of the road.
A car sounded its horn and pulled over to the edge of a platform.
Clack, clack~
Li Lilou opened the car door, stepped out, and waved to signal the driver to take the car away.
He strode towards the edge of the platform, his gaze falling upon Su Jingxing, who was clad in a cloak and wearing a mask.
"Guest Elder Lin, it has been a long time."
Li Lilou laughed heartily as he walked over.
"Fourth Master Li."
Su Jingxing turned, looked at Li Lilou, and spoke in a lowered voice, "I asked the Fourth Master to come here today because there is a matter I wish to consult you about."
"There is no need to be so formal, Guest Elder Lin. Just call me Old Fourth Li."
Li Lilou smiled. "I wonder what Guest Elder Lin wishes to know? As long as it is within my knowledge, I shall tell you everything without reservation."
"The Zhuangyuan Restaurant, the He family!"
Su Jingxing spoke calmly, his eyes fixed steadily on Li Lilou.
True enough, the moment he uttered the five words "Zhuangyuan Restaurant, the He family," Li Lilou's expression shifted slightly, a strange look flashing through his eyes.
"The He family? What He family?"
Li Lilou feigned complete ignorance. "Is Guest Elder Lin referring to the martial arts family established by He Xiaofeng in the South District?"
"Heh, Fourth Master knows full well which He family I am referring to, so why ask a question to which you already know the answer?" Su Jingxing said calmly. "A He family with a heritage spanning four hundred years, keeping such a low profile that hardly anyone knows they even exist. Do not tell me the Li family has never heard of them?"
Li Lilou fell silent.
After a long moment, he sighed, "Forgive me, I have contradicted myself. Guest Elder Lin is quite right; we do indeed know of the He family's existence. A four-hundred-year-old He family, tsk tsk."
"Everyone in Qinghe City says that the Li family is the preeminent martial arts family in Qinghe. Yet, the true premier martial arts family is none other than the He family! Lurking in the shadows, keeping a low profile for four hundred years, a He family known to very few outsiders!"
"Because the He family possesses a Third-Grade supreme expert?" Su Jingxing interjected.
"Yes and no." Having dropped his guard, Li Lilou looked out over the surface of the Tianshui River and said in a low voice, "Although the He family produces a Third-Grade expert every few decades, what truly makes us wary is their secret."
"What secret?" Su Jingxing asked with curiosity. "If it is inconvenient to speak of, Fourth Master need not say."
"There is nothing inconvenient about it, because we do not know it either." Li Lilou smiled. "The He family's secret is known to no one; even their own people are clueless. Only the head of the family in each generation learns of it. Before the previous family head passes away, they transmit the secret to the successor. Excluding all others, it is passed down by word of mouth, keeping the secret alive for four hundred years."
"This secret is the key to the He family's enduring prosperity, and the trick behind their ability to produce Upper-Third-Grade experts."
"Our Li family has always tried to probe into it, but we have never dared to openly come into conflict with them."
"Guest Elder Lin, you too have experienced the terror of an Upper-Third-Grade expert. Shi Zhinie was merely a pseudo-Third-Grade who forced his breakthrough by practicing demonic arts, yet he almost suppressed all of us."
"The He family, however, has a genuine Third-Grade guarding them!"
"Our Li family has a strict injunction: until we produce a Third-Grade of our own, we must never disturb the He family."
"Therefore, your Li family must know a great deal of information regarding the He family, then? Aside from that secret." Su Jingxing seized the moment to ask.
"Most circumstances, indeed we do know." Li Lilou nodded. "What aspect of the He family does Guest Elder Lin wish to inquire about?"
"The previous family head." Su Jingxing said in a deep voice, "The previous head of the He family—does the Fourth Master know his name, what he looked like, and do you have a photograph of him?"
"He Rengu. The previous head of the He family was called He Rengu."
Li Lilou replied, "As for what he looked like, I have forgotten, but we do have a photograph—a picture of He Rengu when he was fifty years old."
"Might I see the photograph?" Su Jingxing suppressed his surging excitement.
He Rengu, Hagu Ren.
Su Jingxing would never believe it if anyone claimed these two names were unrelated.
"This..." Li Lilou hesitated.
"I have news regarding He Rengu." Seeing this, Su Jingxing maintained his composure and said, "He Rengu is a Third-Grade expert, a fact the Fourth Master surely knows. Now I have intelligence concerning him; would the Fourth Master care to hear it?"
...
"......I would!"
Li Lilou ground his teeth. "Guest Elder Lin, wait a moment. I will call the family head right now and have him dig out He Rengu's photograph, take a picture of it, and send it to me."
With that, he pulled out his mobile phone, walked a short distance away, and dialed the number of the current head of the Li family.
Su Jingxing stood in place, choosing not to activate the "Voice-Imbued Eardrum" secret technique, and simply listened to Li Lilou's whispered report.
A few minutes later, Li Lilou finished the call and waited briefly.
Accompanied by a distinct chime, his phone received an image.
Tapping to open it, Li Lilou held the phone, walked back to Su Jingxing's side, and handed the device over.
"This is He Rengu. It was taken when he was fifty years old."
Li Lilou pointed to the enlarged image on the screen and said, "At that time, he had not yet reached the Third-Grade realm and was still traveling outside. This photograph was taken when he was sightseeing with his wife. Cameras back then could not automatically print film. After taking the picture, He Rengu went to a roadside photo studio to have it developed, and so we took the opportunity to keep a copy."
Su Jingxing remained silent, taking the phone and gazing at the middle-aged version of He Rengu displayed upon it.
In his mind, he slowly extrapolated what He Rengu's appearance would be like in old age.
Then, he compared it against the photograph of "Hagu Ren" he had just snapped from the crematorium records.
Side by side, the proof was undeniable!
Hagu Ren was He Rengu!
This previous head of the He family, a Third-Grade realm powerhouse, had died of old age yesterday.
His appearance at fifty versus his appearance at one hundred and eighteen—without a direct comparison, no one would ever have connected the two.
Yet this kind of extrapolation for facial aging was very simple.
With Su Jingxing's current soul power, it was easily accomplished.
The comparison confirmed the truth beyond doubt.
He Rengu had adopted the alias "Hagu Ren" and died under the surname He. To maintain their low profile, the He family had clearly paid a heavy price.
...
"Well, Guest Elder Lin? Have you discovered anything?"
When Su Jingxing remained silent after a while, Li Lilou could not help asking.
"It is enough."
Su Jingxing withdrew his gaze, handed the phone back to Li Lilou, shifted his focus, and changed the subject. "May I ask, Fourth Master, does the Li family have any surplus energy-gathering stones?"
"Ah..."
Li Lilou was momentarily stunned, then his eyes rolled as he connected the dots. "Could Guest Elder Lin be the major client who has been spending a fortune acquiring energy-gathering stones?"
"If you are referring to the person who recently offered five million per kilogram to buy energy-gathering stones, then yes, that is me."
Su Jingxing replied frankly, "I am currently in need of energy-gathering stones. If the Li family has any to spare, I am willing to purchase them, and the price can even be slightly higher than before."
"This is not a matter of price, even though Guest Elder Lin's offer is very generous."
Li Lilou smiled. "Since Guest Elder Lin desires energy-gathering stones, and we indeed do not lack them, there is actually no need to use news of He Rengu merely as a bargaining chip for the right to purchase them. As long as the information Guest Elder Lin provides is true, our Li family is willing to offer five hundred kilograms of energy-gathering stones outright!"
As expected of Qinghe's foremost martial arts family.
With three centuries of heritage, their accumulated reserves of energy-gathering stones were unfathomable.
Though the Shi family also boasted a century of history, the remaining energy-gathering stones they left behind amounted to only a little over one hundred kilograms.
Of course, the Li family's wariness towards the He family also exceeded Su Jingxing's expectations.
A single piece of news in exchange for five hundred kilograms of energy-gathering stones.
It just showed how wealthy the Li family truly was!
"Fourth Master, look at this first."
Without answering immediately, Su Jingxing took out his own phone, opened the photograph of Hagu Ren he had taken that morning along with the related information, and showed it to Li Lilou.
The latter took the device, enlarged the image, and examined it while asking in bewilderment, "Is there something wrong with this person? Hagu Ren, died of old age at ninety-eight, quite ordina—"
"Wait!"
Abruptly, Li Lilou's expression shifted drastically. His eyes widened as he stared fixedly at Hagu Ren's aged visage.
As he looked, he rapidly pulled out his own phone, trembling slightly as he opened the photograph of He Rengu he had just received.
Placing the two phones side by side, he carefully compared the two images.
The next instant—
"This... this..."
Li Lilou trembled from head to toe, his face a swirl of shock, astonishment, and sheer disbelief.
"He... he..."
After finishing the comparison, he raised his head to look at Su Jingxing, his eyes burning with intense agitation.
"Indeed, it is precisely as you think."
Su Jingxing calmly stated, "Hagu Ren is He Rengu. He died yesterday and was cremated this morning."
"Splendid!!"
Li Lilou let out a roar, his head tilted back towards the sky, consumed by an irrepressible frenzy of joy.
"Splendid, splendid, absolutely splendid! Hahaha!"
Amidst his wild laughter, Li Lilou spun around in circles on the spot.
Seeing this, Su Jingxing did not rush him, quietly waiting him out.
Though he did not know the Li family's exact stance toward the He family, judging by Li Lilou's loss of composure, the Li family had feared the He family for far too long.
Everyone in the Li family prayed for He Rengu to drop dead!
After a long while.
Li Lilou reined in his elation, took a deep breath, and said with impassioned vigor, "Guest Elder Lin, this piece of news you have brought is simply too timely, too wonderful! Five hundred... no, eight hundred kilograms! For this piece of intelligence, we are willing to give you eight hundred kilograms of energy-gathering stones! They can be delivered immediately!"
Without waiting for Su Jingxing to reply, he pulled out his phone right in front of Su Jingxing and forwarded the photographic data of Hagu Ren to his own device.
Then, returning the phone to Su Jingxing, he grasped his own, walked quickly to the side, and reported the situation to the current family head.
Su Jingxing calmly accepted his phone, listening in as Li Lilou excitedly relayed the news and transmitted the images.
Ten minutes later, Li Lilou turned back and called out, "Guest Elder Lin, eight hundred kilograms of energy-gathering stones have already been loaded into crates and will be transported here within fifteen minutes."
"Then I offer my thanks in advance." Su Jingxing smiled.
"No, no, it is we who should thank you." Li Lilou emotion was evident. "Although I am unaware of how Guest Elder Lin came by the He family's intelligence and managed to acquire the records of the Third-Grade realm He Rengu's death, as long as the news is true, that is all that matters. Our Li family has profited immensely, and Guest Elder Lin, this great debt of gratitude shall be forever engraved in our hearts."
"The Fourth Master need not make such of it. I merely had good fortune, accidentally stumbling upon Hagu Ren's records and thereby learning of the He family's existence." Su Jingxing's expression remained steady as he calmly replied.
Though Li Lilou spoke pleasantly, the eight hundred kilograms of energy-gathering stones handed over were, in reality, simply the payment for the information Su Jingxing provided.
Of this, Su Jingxing was well aware, and he held no grievances.
After all, it was a business transaction from the start.
Furthermore, the fact that Hagu Ren was He Rengu—that this former head of the He family and Third-Grade realm powerhouse had perished—could still be sold to the Zhou and Qi families!
Selling a single piece of intelligence multiple times.
Su Jingxing was reaping a massive profit.
...
When the Li family's men arrived in a truck bearing two heavy crates, Li Lilou personally unloaded them, brought them before Su Jingxing, and opened them himself to display the neatly arranged energy-gathering stones of uniform size inside.
After confirming everything was correct, Li Lilou handed the two crates over to Su Jingxing, climbed back into the truck, and departed swiftly, returning to the Li family estate.
Su Jingxing glanced around, and ensuring no one was paying attention, swept both crates into his palm space.
Shortly after, he contacted Zhou Wen岑, arranging to meet on a platform along the south bank of the next river section.
Su Jingxing arrived first, waiting half an hour before Zhou Wen岑's car pulled up.
Without wasting words, he similarly tested Zhou Wen岑 to see if the Zhou family was aware of the He family's existence. Once confirmed, he produced his phone, opened Hagu Ren's photograph, and had Zhou Wen岑 compare it against the youthful pictures of He Rengu.
The Zhou family also possessed photographs of He Rengu from his youth.
Pictures of him in his youth, middle age, and even at seventy—before He Rengu broke through to the Third-Grade—were all archived by the Zhou family.
Placing the two images side by side for comparison, Zhou Wen岑 was likewise struck dumb with shock and awe.
The news of He Rengu's death stunned him just as thoroughly.
Following that, predictably, when Su Jingxing brought up purchasing energy-gathering stones, Zhou Wen岑 represented the Zhou family and freely gifted Su Jingxing three hundred kilograms of energy-gathering stones.
Just like the Li family, the Zhou family rushed a delivery of three hundred kilograms of energy-gathering stones right to Su Jingxing's location.
Having accepted the three hundred kilograms, Su Jingxing followed the exact same formula and contacted Qi Xinjue.
Arranging a meeting at yet another river platform, upon Qi Xinjue's arrival, he broke the news of He Rengu's demise.
The Qi family also maintained a collection of He Rengu's photographs. After Qi Xinjue verified the comparison, without another word, he represented the Qi family and gifted Su Jingxing four hundred kilograms of energy-gathering stones.
Five hundred, three hundred, four hundred.
A grand total of one thousand two hundred kilograms of energy-gathering stones!
The news of He Rengu's death had yielded this staggering quantity of energy stones.
One wondered if the He family would die of anger upon finding out.
Su Jingxing chuckled inwardly.
Naturally, whatever the He family might do was none of his concern.
Even though He Rengu was dead, the He family undoubtedly still possessed numerous Fourth-Grade experts.
It would be no easy feat for the Li, Zhou, and Qi families to deal with them.
How those factions fought had nothing to do with Su Jingxing.
Bearing one thousand two hundred kilograms of energy-gathering stones, Su Jingxing returned to the Taiming Mountain Reservoir and descended into the subterranean cavern.
Arranging all the energy-gathering stones around the Spirit-Concentrating Fruit Tree according to the paths of a foundational formation, he buried them layer by layer underground.
Once everything was completed, the radiance emitted by the Spirit-Concentrating Fruit Tree abruptly brightened by several shades.
Based on the density of these energy stones, Su Jingxing estimated the ripening time of the Spirit-Concentrating Fruit.
He finally arrived at an approximate timeframe.
A month and a half—around fifty days!