Aside from elixir, there were also some talismans and magical artifacts in the box.

Getting rich overnight isn’t just a saying—there were actually three middle-grade magical artifacts, two array discs, and a pair of black boots.

One array disc was an illusion array disc, pretty much like the one Shen Hao had investigated as the murder weapon in the missing persons case before, but this one had composite attack abilities. The other disc was a defense type, built with a Five Elements defense array inside.

This was Shen Hao’s first time seeing a boot-type magical artifact; generally, wearable magical artifacts are more sought after than those like weapons. And as for jewelry, that’s even rarer. It’s all due to the difficulty of refining them—these types of magical artifacts are fairly scarce.

This pair of boots is called "Divine Boots," engraved with the wind-breaking array, which lets the wearer move faster while walking.

Shen Hao tried them on. After channeling his True Qi, he really did feel lighter while moving around, and after darting around the room a few times, the improvement was obvious—about twenty percent faster.

But what really made Shen Hao’s eyelids twitch was the talisman collection.

Qi Concealing Talisman, seventeen pieces.

Thunder Charm, a stack—twenty sheets.

Thunderbolt Talisman, ten sheets.

Golden Body Talisman, one sheet.

The Qi Concealing and Thunder Charms, Shen Hao didn’t need to elaborate—he’d seen plenty in the Xuanqing Guard. Thunderbolt Talisman is an advanced technique marking of the Thunder Charm, much stronger. Back at Bai Dang Mountain, Jingnan Army smashed a Primordial Pill Realm expert to death with just over thirty Thunderbolt Talismans. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Last was the Golden Body Talisman; only one, but it’s a tough one to get. Like magical artifacts, defense types are much rarer than offense types. Golden Body Talisman is a defense talisman, rumored to withstand a full-power attack from a Primordial Core Realm Perfection expert. In terms of value, this single Golden Body Talisman beats all the other talismans in the box combined.

Shen Hao packed everything away, and realized he really ought to buy a storage bag. Otherwise, if someone stole all this expensive stuff from the house, he’d cry himself to death. Especially since just a few days ago, a neighbor on the same street got robbed—not far from his place at all.

But storage bags aren’t cheap; they’re basically top tier among middle-grade magical artifacts, and always in demand. You can’t buy one with just silver coins, spirit stones are out of the question, but luckily Shen Hao had plenty of elixirs on hand. Trading a few auxiliary middle-grade elixirs as "substitute currency," there’s a good chance he could snag a storage bag at auction.

Before dawn, Shen Hao dragged Xia Nu out of bed, lifting the blanket only to realize this goofy slave’s assets were way bigger than he remembered—almost blinding.

"Go boil some water, I want to take a bath."

"Huh? Oh, oh, I’ll go right now." The goofy slave crawled out of bed in a daze, and tripped over the threshold on the way out.

Each cultivation breakthrough sheds a layer of impurities. Small realm breakthroughs shed less, big realm breakthroughs shed more. It’s a slow process of tempering the body—that’s why higher cultivation means longevity and an extraordinary physique.

Having often bathed and massaged Shen Hao, Xia Nu quickly found her master’s skin had improved. After rinsing off the grayish grime, it even seemed crystal clear.

"Master, how did you do it?"

"Hmm?"

"Your skin is so smooth!" The goofy slave’s own skin was like silk too, but she was just as surprised Shen Hao’s could be so good. And not just dumbly exclaiming—she kept rubbing his back and shoulders, making moves like she had a hook, nearly getting Shen Hao all flustered.

"Keep groping and I’ll strip you naked and mess you up." Shen Hao turned his head with a snort, scaring Xia Nu straight so she stopped messing around and got back to massaging properly.

But when Shen Hao wasn’t looking, the goofy slave’s lips curled up, and she even bit her lip in smug delight.

After breakfast, Shen Hao had just entered the Public Office, only to bump into Liu Kuan—whom he hadn’t seen for several days.

This "inside collaborator" obviously came prepared this time.

"Lord, both of them sent word to me saying they’ve already connected with their respective Hundred Households of the Guard. On paper, they only respond to the Guard, but won’t listen to you at all. Besides those Hundred Households, they’ve linked up with a bunch of Nobles. The alliance is basically set. As soon as you issue an order, they’ll formally petition and start pressuring the Thousand Households Station."

"Heh, pressure? How are they planning to apply pressure?"

"They’ll file complaints to Households Commander Wu."

"Hmm?" Shen Hao squinted. Those guys really believe they can get Wu Changhe to help them? Is that even possible?

Turning the thought over, Shen Hao realized Wu Changhe really might side against him.

After all, Wu Changhe parachuted in from the Commander’s Office, and who knows if he respects Jiang Cheng at all. Plus, the importance of the Black Banner Battalion is obvious to everyone except the blind, so nobody would willingly let it go. Didn’t Jiang Cheng rise to Governor all thanks to the sudden rise of the Black Banner Battalion?

"Alright, I get it. You keep them steady. You can also probe your Guard’s Hundred Households, just like they’re doing. Report anything new to me."

"You mean I can take another step?"

"Yep, another step. I just want you keeping me updated on their movements."

"Alright, Lord, I’ll go sound out our Guard’s Hundred Households, and if there’s any news, I’ll come back to report."

"No, don’t come directly anymore—I’ll have someone contact you."

"Understood, Lord."

Once Liu Kuan was gone, Shen Hao leaned back in his chair and started rubbing his forehead.

Headache. He thought getting the Hundred Households position, holding the leadership of the Black Banner Battalion in all of Fengri City’s jurisdiction, meant he could finally spread his wings and chase a bright future. Who could’ve guessed that after less than a month, he’d be handicapped—and by internal forces, no less.

...

The next day, Shen Hao met Brother Bald Flying Dragon, whom he hadn’t seen for months, in a private room at the restaurant.

Compared to before, Flying Dragon had put on weight. His previously fierce face was now round, and he had lost some of that ferocity, replaced with a greasy look—especially when he smiled, his pair of sinister eyes became mere slits.

"Flying Insect greets you, Lord!" Flying Dragon bowed, hunched over with hands clasped to Shen Hao.

"Enough, sit down." Shen Hao grabbed a jar of wine and slammed it on the table: "I’m buying today. This wine is Wuliangye—had it before?"

"Whoa! Good stuff! It’s famous these days—expensive as hell, and sold in small batches. Oh right, almost forgot it’s your shop."

Shen Hao didn’t waste words, popped the bottle open, had the waiter bring over two horn cups, filled them up, raised his glass: "Let’s drink a toast. Bottoms up!"

Flying Dragon quickly clinked his glass and downed it in one go. His stomach burned a little, but his heart was more anxious. He had no idea what business the newly promoted Lord Hundred Households wanted with him.