Supreme Emperor of Mist

"Hall Master. I find it difficult to trust this Marquis." said the third-floor elder called Da Xun. From how he was seen, this elder had a deep, negative impression of Qin Lan.

"Shut up. Had you not get enough from almost ruining our plan? What was in your mind at that time by trying to attack the Marquis? Was your brain filled with water and prostitutes back then?" Da Yuan stared at the elder as he warned him.

If they weren't still on their way back to the building, he would be giving Da Xun a slap on his face for bringing up this matter.

"Luckily... I brought this mandate back in coincidence. Without this, our plan to monopoly the production from this Obsidian Volcanic Vein would be just a dream. It is good now..." the Hall Master then rubbed his beard as he couldn't help but smiled at what just happened.

"Elder Lu, Elder Peng, the hall will be depending on your effort to get more miners to work day and night. Let's take over this town within one year as we planned." the Hall Master waved his hand as he ordered the two to do his bidding.

"It will be done." the two elders cupped their fists together in reply.

"Good. And you! Visit the brothel less and stop creating trouble in the meantime. Right now, it was not the correct time for you to ruin our plan." the Hall Master said as he stepped into the building that belonged to their Hall of Treasures.

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"Milord, what are you planning to do with the 'scrap' they're going to bring here? Are you serious about letting them leave all these things here?" Secretary Qian asked. His tone was filled with concern and concern because nothing will go accordingly. Especially when Da Kui was the one assigned to supervise the entire operation.

"Yes. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Have you not heard about it before?" Qin Lan replied to the secretary with an idiom and a question.

"Bring me to a nearby blacksmith. And prepare me some ores, beast scraps, and a few blacksmiths that you trust. Let me show you something I had in my mind." Qin Lan chuckled and took a sip from the wine jar after he finished with his reply.

"Right away, Milord!" Secretary Qian replied. He left almost immediately to arrange for what Qin Lan asked for.

"Milord, this subordinate had a few questions in his mind. Will it be appropriate for me to ask?" the officer said as he came in front of Qin Lan.

"Go ahead. There's nothing inappropriate as long what you're asking for does not involve me becoming a matchmaker between you." Qin Lan laughed as he replied to what the officer just said.

"Milord, this subordinate of yours is married, so that would be impossible to happen." the officer smiled. Judging from Qin Lan's reply itself, it means he can speak what he is in his mind freely.

"Do Marquis have a plan on using the scrap they're bringing over? From what this subordinate can see, Milord will not do something voluntarily without asking for some benefit," he said.

"No wonder people say that the one that understands me the most is none other than my closest subordinate." Qin Lan chuckled. His gaze was deadlier than before after he was done chuckling.

"Yes. Let's make this between us. I am aiming to use this Da Kui as my chess piece for my plan. Do you know where I am looking at currently?" Qin Lan said as he took another sip from the wine jar.

"From the way I'm looking at Milord, I think you're looking forward to the one after the City of Ye?" the officer was smart enough to guess what was in Qin Lan's mind.

Since the Hall of Treasures seems eager to contribute to the Country of Shu, why would I stop them from continuing to do so? It will take them a year at least to fully armed the Royal Army. And before that, where will they get their equipment provision from?" Qin Lan asked.

"From the counties surrounding them?" the officer said.

"Correct. Won't this be a beneficial exchange of interest? I give the mountain to them. In return, I take another one closer to the City of Ye. They'll take a year, at least, to complete the order. But for me, half a year is all we need to build our army." said Qin Lan.

"Milord is wise." the officer was impressed by what Qin Lan has planned in such a short period.

"Leave two men here to help us monitor the situation and report back to the City of Ye accordingly. This won't take too long," he added as footsteps are coming over to the door.

"Marquis, the preparation is ready. We can pay the smithy at any time you wish." Secretary Qian reported the moment he came into the audience hall.

"Good. Let's go there. I'll show you something that might be beneficial to the Heishi Town." said Qin Lan. It seems that the jar of wine in his hand was finished by the time he's ready to show them something.

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"Disciple, can master come in?" a female elder said as she knocked on the door that leads to a private courtyard. Her name was Shuxian, an elder of the Ice Maiden Temple. She's also the one that brought Zhou Mei away from the Demon Mountain Fortress previously.

"Please come in, dear master." Zhou Mei's reply can be heard from the inside. There's a lack of warmth behind her reply, which likely indicates that she was still disappointed with what happened months back.

"The Maiden Fruit Tree planted on the back temple grown some fruits lately. I've brought a few over for you to taste them. From what this master remembered, it was your favorite fruit, correct?" Elder Shuxian said and placed a platter of three beautiful, translucent, sparkling quartz jewel fruit on the table.

Based on the quality alone, this was the treasure that only available from the Ice Maiden Temple. On the bottom of the fruit was a slightly wide blade of grass. It was another treasure of the Ice Maiden Temple, known as the Spiritual Serenity Grass.

"Zhou Mei appreciates the master's kindness in bringing these treasures here. But right now, this disciple is not interested in tasting them. If there is someone else that worthy of them, please let them have it first." she replied her master.

"Are you still angry at master's decision for forcing you to follow me back?" Elder Shuxian asked. She looked like a mother figure right now as she sat right beside Zhou Mei. A hint of restless and sadness is noticeable on her facial expression as she searched for the correct word to use on her beloved disciple.

"Disciple doesn't dare. As a teacher for a day, a mother for life. This disciple has treated my master like my mother since the day you brought me into the temple. How can disciple be angry at your decision?" Zhou Mei said. Knowing that her attitude might make her unhappy, Zhou Mei held her hands as she speaks.

"Your disciple will get better. Please be patient, my master," Zhou Mei said as she put Elder Shuxian's palm on her face. This was how the two expressed what's in their mind from the day Zhou Mei followed her to the Ice Maiden Temple willingly.

"Regarding the engagement with Xihou Ren... Have you think about it?" Elder Shuxian asked.

"En... This disciple gave it a thought. Please give him a reply that Zhou Mei will not marry anyone else except Qin Lan. If Qin Lan is alive, then I'll wait for him to come and bring me away as his bride. If Qin Lan was dead, then I'll live here until I left the Ice Maiden Temple as his unwed bride." Zhou Mei answered.

Her reply seems to be final. From her expression, it seems she's been giving it a proper thought for a while.

"Ai... I will inform your decision to the other elders and sect master accordingly." she wanted to convince this disciple to reconsider her decision. But the elder also knew how stubborn is Zhou Mei when it comes to things like this.

For the first time, she had a hint of blaming herself for indoctrinated this disciple to become a copy of herself when she was young.

There was also a question in her mind that puzzling her.

'Just what in the world has that brat done to make this disciple, who was brilliant and sly, to selflessly devoting herself to him willingly?' she pondered.

As she was doing it unconsciously in front of her disciple, her eyes randomly scanned Zhou Mei's room. But she failed to notice the painting on the only side of a windowless wall.

'Teacher... Please forgive this rebellious disciple of yours for putting her man above you... Although you're like a mother to me, he's the person that owns my body and soul right now. Unless it's him, I will not give myself out, even if it cost the lives of everyone else around me.'

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"Can this even be done? What in the world is this technique?" the two blacksmiths that came with Secretary Qian were awed by what Qin Lan showed them. It was surprising to the point it made the officer and the two blacksmiths kneeling on the ground.

This is because the anvil was cut into two by the thin blade in Qin Lan's hand.

"Mi - Milord! Is this?" one of the blacksmiths heard about a rumor told by the blacksmiths from the Hall of Treasures. He was going to ask, but Qin Lan stopped him from doing so by putting a finger in the middle of his lips.

"Shh..." Qin Lan smiled.