Chapter 119 Changqing Tower's "Hellish" Recruitment: War Breaks Out in the Southern T

Su Changqing looked at the longbow, which could be described as a divine artifact, and nodded in satisfaction.

Xiao Se is shrewd and possesses an exceptional strategic vision, making him perfectly suited for delivering devastating, long-range strikes from a distance where he can strategize effectively. With the "Thunderbolt Bow," he's practically a mobile artillery platform on the southern battlefield!

After doing all this.

The sky outside was already beginning to lighten.

Su Changqing put away the Phoenix True Fire, wiped away non-existent sweat from his forehead, and casually put the three divine-level pieces of equipment, which were enough to stir up bloodshed in the martial arts world, into an ordinary cloth bag.

"Consider this a late-night shift for you guys. I hope you brats don't let me hear about your defeat in Tianqi City. Otherwise, I'll dock your pay."

Su Changqing yawned, pushed open the iron door of the ice cellar, and stepped onto the ground.

……

The lobby of Changqing Building in the early morning.

The three teenagers, still hungover, had woken up. They washed their faces with cold water; though their heads were still a little dizzy, their eyes were filled with the determination and excitement of embarking on their journey.

"Xiao Se, is your carriage ready? The journey to the Southern Territory is long, we need to hurry." Lei Wujie asked while packing his belongings.

"It's all been arranged."

Xiao Se dressed in an extremely smart black outfit, with a fox fur coat draped over it. He didn't bring much with him, only a few changes of clothes besides the Wuji Staff.

"Wushuang, what about you? Aren't you going to say goodbye to your master?" Xiao Se looked at Wushuang, who was wiping the sword case beside him.

"We already said goodbye last night." Wushuang pouted. "The old man cried his eyes out and insisted on giving me his Broken Water Sword, but I thought it was too heavy and refused."

Just as the three were about to leave.

"Oh, so you're getting ready to run away already?"

Su Changqing, wearing pajamas and carrying a tattered bag full of divine equipment, yawned as he walked out of the backyard.

"Brother-in-law!" Lei Wujie quickly went to greet him. "We were just about to say goodbye!"

"Alright, alright, stop with the nonsense."

Su Changqing casually tossed the tattered bag onto the table with a loud thud.

"Since you're leaving, I won't stop you. However, you've been eating and drinking for free here for the past few months (actually, you've been working for me), so I don't have much to give you before you go. This bag contains some local specialties; take them with you on your journey for self-defense."

"Local specialties?"

Lei Wujie curiously leaned closer and opened the cloth bag.

I only glanced at it.

The lobby fell into a deathly silence.

Lei Wujie's eyes widened like copper bells. With trembling hands, he took out the "Red Lotus Calamity" sword pendant from the cloth bag. The pendant emitted terrifyingly high temperatures, yet was extremely restrained.

Wushuang's gaze was fixed on the pitch-black "Netherworld Sword Sheath" that exuded a righteous aura, and his breathing became more rapid than ever before.

And desolation...

This former prince, who was usually unfazed even by the collapse of Mount Tai, found his hands trembling uncontrollably as he looked at the "Thunder Bow" flashing with purple-gold lightning.

These three things...

Even someone who knows nothing about weapons can see their extraordinary nature at a glance!

This isn't some local specialty! This is clearly a legendary artifact!

"Sir..."

Xiao Se's voice was hoarse. He looked up, staring at Su Changqing in shock, "This...this is too valuable! We can't accept it!"

"Valuable my ass."

Su Changqing waved his hand dismissively, "These are just some scraps I casually made from leftover scraps. I gave them to you because I was afraid you'd embarrass my Changqing Tower when you got to the Southern Territory. After all, you'll be carrying my Su Changqing label when you go out."

"Remember my words."

Su Changqing's eyes suddenly became extremely serious, and the pressure of that peerless expert flashed by, but it deeply shocked the minds of the three of them.

"I don't care if the enemy is an army of 300,000 or some kind of evil spirit."

"Once you reach the Southern Border, beat them so badly they'll be terrified, so badly they'll never dare set foot in Northern Li again!"

"If you lose, don't say you know me. If you die..."

Su Changqing snorted coldly, "I'll go to the underworld, drag your souls back, and make you wash dishes at Changqing Tower for the rest of your lives!"

Overbearing! Arrogant! Yet fiercely protective of his own!

Lei Wujie's eyes instantly reddened.

He did not refuse again, but solemnly hung the "Red Lotus Calamity" on the hilt of the Killing Fear Sword.

"Brother-in-law, rest assured! Lei Wujie will never disgrace the reputation of Changqing Tower!"

Wushuang also held the "Netherworld Sword Sheath" tightly in his arms, his fighting spirit burning to the extreme.

"I will forever remember your teachings, sir!"

Xiao Se took a deep breath and reached out to grasp the "Thunderclap Bow".

The moment he grasped the bow, the imperial dragon energy within him seemed to resonate strongly with the bow, emitting a joyful dragon roar!

"Xiao Chuhe will surely return in triumph!"

Xiao Se bowed deeply to Su Changqing.

……

Outside Changqing Tower, the first rays of dawn were just beginning to appear.

An inconspicuous carriage slowly drove away from the south gate of Tianqi City.

Inside the carriage sat three young men who were about to change the course of the world.

At the entrance of Changqing Tower, there stood two figures, one tall and one short.

"Daddy, Brother Dahong and the others have left." Little Nuomi rubbed her eyes, holding a small wooden horse that Su Changqing had just carved for her yesterday. "When are they coming back?"

"Very soon."

Su Changqing picked up his daughter and watched the carriage disappear into the morning mist, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"Once they win the battle, Father will take you to the southern border to see the elephants."

Just then, the side door of Changqing Tower was pushed open.

Dressed in coarse cloth and wearing an apron, Sikong Changfeng, the third city lord of Snow Moon City and a renowned spear master, walked out carrying a large swill bucket, looking miserable.

He looked at the empty lobby, then at Su Changqing standing at the door, and paused for a moment.

"Brother Su, where are Lei Wujie and the others? Those little brats haven't mopped the floor yet!"

Sikong Changfeng complained, "With them gone, who's going to clean this lobby?"

Su Changqing turned his head and looked at the once high and mighty Gun Immortal, revealing the purest smile of a capitalist.

"Isn't this what you're here for, Steward Sikong?"

"Lei Wujie and the others have resigned to fight in the war. From today onwards, you will not only be responsible for buying groceries and emptying swill, but also for serving as a waiter, doing accounts, and mopping the floor."

"By the way, your tuition fees have already been deducted, and you're now working for a living. Your salary is two taels of silver a month, with room and board included."

Sikong Changfeng: "..."

Clang!

The swill bucket in his hand fell to the ground, splashing his trousers with swill.

He stared blankly at Su Changqing's smiling face, feeling a sudden dizziness.

"I...I, a dignified master of spear fighting...you expect me to do the work of five people?! And only two taels of silver a month?!"

Sikong Changfeng looked up at the sky in grief and indignation and let out a long howl, the sound echoing for a long time in the early morning sky above Tianqi City.

"Su Changqing!!! You vampire!!! I quit!!!"

"You don't want to? Fine."

Su Changqing calmly picked at his ear. "Pay the penalty for breach of contract. Not much, 100,000 taels of gold."

Sikong Changfeng: "..."

He silently picked up the garbage can, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and turned to walk back to the kitchen.

"I'll go mop the floor right now..."

Watching Sikong Changfeng's desolate figure, Xiao Nuomi giggled.

"Daddy, Third Uncle is so much fun!"

"Yes." Su Changqing kissed his daughter. "Third Uncle is not only fun, but also very hardworking. Come on, Daddy will take you to have breakfast."

The sun shone brightly over Tianqi City, and a new day began.

The legend of Changqinglou continues.

…………

…………

In early winter in Tianqi City, the cold wind carried a biting chill.

However, in front of the Changqinglou Tianqi flagship store, a bustling scene unfolded. Long queues stretched from the entrance of the Taiji Hall all the way to the end of Zhuque Street, almost paralyzing traffic in Tianqi City.

"Have you heard? Changqing Tower is hiring again!"

"Nonsense, didn't you see the sign? I heard they're hiring not only waiters, but also accountants and bodyguards!"

"My goodness, this is an incredible opportunity! Didn't you see that silly kid from Lei Family Fortress and the young master of Wushuang City go in and wait tables for a few months, and they came out as half-step Divine Travelers? If they could go in and work for a year or two, wouldn't they just ascend to immortality!"

Among the crowd, whether they were splendidly dressed scions of noble families, wandering heroes carrying swords, or even some young officials of the imperial court, they all pushed and shoved forward as if their heads were about to explode.

In their eyes, Changqinglou was no longer a simple tavern; it was a "god-making factory" even more efficacious than the legendary overseas immortal mountains!

at this time.

Inside the gate, Su Changqing sat with his legs crossed on a grand chair, casually munching on a string of candied hawthorns.

In front of him was a huge table. Behind the table sat a middle-aged man with a lifeless expression and dark circles under his eyes like a panda's—Gun Immortal, Sikong Changfeng.

"Boss Su... Boss Su..."

With dark circles under his eyes and a hoarse voice as if it had been rubbed on sandpaper, Sikong Changfeng said, "We've interviewed over three hundred people already. What kind of person are you looking for? Among them are many geniuses from various sects, as well as elites from the Imperial Guard."

In the past few days, with the departure of Xiao Se and the others, the operation of Changqing Tower has been completely paralyzed. Sikong Changfeng has taken on multiple roles by himself: buying groceries, washing dishes, mopping the floor, serving food... and dealing with those eccentric high-ranking officials. The dignified Gun Immortal has been forced into becoming a "ten-item handyman," so exhausted every day that he doesn't even have the strength to hold a gun.

They had been waiting for Su Changqing to show mercy and say he wanted to hire someone, but this old man's requirements were even more outrageous than choosing a prince consort!

"Genius? Elite?"

Su Changqing spat out a hawthorn seed and sneered.

"Does my Changqing Tower lack geniuses? What I lack are hard-working oxen and horses! Look at that young master of the Diancang Sect just now. I asked him to carry a cup of water, and he actually used his internal energy to lift it? This kind of show-off, is he here to be a lord or to work?"

"And that Imperial Guard commander's son, when I asked him to do some accounting, he actually told me 'this kind of lowly profession is an insult to scholarship'? I slapped him out of there! Does someone with a brain full of shit even deserve to be in my Evergreen Brothel?"

Su Changqing grew angrier as he spoke, slamming his hand on the table: "Sikong Changfeng! Did you take bribes from them? You're just letting in scoundrels!"

"I'm innocent! How could I dare!"

Sikong Changfeng shuddered in fright and quickly picked up his brush. "Then...the next one?"

"Call him in, let's see what kind of oddball he is this time." Su Changqing yawned.

"Next!" Sikong Changfeng shouted in his hoarse voice.

A thin, young Taoist priest wearing a tattered robe walked in through the door. He carried a peach wood sword on his back and a broken compass in his hand, and looked shifty-eyed.

"Amitabha Buddha, I am Li Fansong, and I greet Mr. Su." The young Taoist priest bowed respectfully.

"Taoist priest?"

Su Changqing looked him up and down. "From Qingcheng Mountain?"

"That's right." Li Fansong's eyes lit up, thinking he had made a connection. "My master is Zhao..."

"stop!"

Su Changqing interrupted him directly. Hearing that name annoyed him. "Don't try to get close to me. Since you're here for a job interview, I'll ask you a few simple questions."

"Please ask, sir," Li Fansong said confidently. He was one of the most outstanding disciples of Qingcheng Mountain in this generation, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, Taoist magic, and swordsmanship.

"First, can you wash dishes? Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, without using any internal energy, can you clean one hundred plates covered in demonic whale oil using only the most ordinary loofah and soapberry?"

Li Fansong was stunned.

Washing dishes? And I can't even use internal energy? This Demon Whale Oil is notoriously sticky; how can I wash it off without internal energy?

"Well... I usually fast in the mountains and rarely wash dishes..."

"That means no. Next question."

Su Changqing continued bluntly, "Secondly, what if a customer tries to dine and dash, and that customer is a high-ranking official with dozens of guards? How can you expect them to obediently hand over their money and leave with a smile, without revealing Changqing Tower's background?"

Li Fansong broke out in a cold sweat.

What kind of deadly question is this?! A high-ranking official dines and dashes? And he can't reveal his background? Doesn't that mean he has no choice but to accept his fate?

"This humble Taoist...this humble Taoist can use Taoist magic to bewitch their minds..." Li Fansong replied, forcing himself to speak.

"Use Taoist magic? Do you think this is a shady business?"

Su Changqing rolled his eyes. "Doing business requires persuading people with reason and virtue, don't you understand? If you resort to sorcery all the time, who will dare to eat here in the future?"

"Get out! Next!"

Li Fansong felt as if he had been granted a pardon and slunk away.

Over the next hour, all sorts of bizarre applicants emerged. Some wanted to learn cooking skills secretly, some wanted to become apprentices, and there were even a few pretty female warriors who expressed their willingness to be Su Changqing's personal maids (but were blasted away by Li Hanyi's sword energy as she happened to be passing by).

"Alright, let's call it a day."

Su Changqing glanced at the sky, rubbing his temples in frustration. "These江湖人 (jianghu people) are all arrogant and conceited, completely unsuitable for the service industry. Looks like I'll have to go to the human trafficking market... ugh, the job market."

"Daddy, Nuonuo is hungry."

Little Nuomi ran over and hugged Su Changqing's leg, her little tummy making a "gurgling" protesting sound.

"Alright, alright, Daddy will go cook right away." Su Changqing immediately put on a loving father's smile, picked up his daughter, and headed towards the kitchen.

Sikong Changfeng was left alone facing the long queue, feeling like crying but having no tears.

"Heavens above! Am I, the Gunner, destined to be trapped in the sink for the rest of my life?!"

……

Just as chaos erupted in Tianqi City due to a recruitment drive by Changqing Tower.

Thousands of miles away on the southern border, war was raging and blood was flowing everywhere.

Sunset Pass.

This is the last line of defense for Beili against the invasion of Nanjue. The city wall is ten zhang high and is made entirely of hard obsidian. It is covered with crisscrossing sword marks and holes, telling the story of the countless brutal battles that this majestic pass has experienced.

At this moment, beyond Sunset Pass.

The massive, dark army of Nanjue stretched as far as the eye could see, like a surging tide. Their black battle banners, which blotted out the sky, fluttered in the cold wind, and the thunderous sound of their war drums shook the very earth.

Three hundred thousand troops!

This is not an empty number, but a real elite force! It includes not only the most elite Ironclad Cavalry of the Southern Clan, but also countless medicine people and corpse demons secretly cultivated by the Southern Clan's National Master, Lord Minghou (although he is dead, his influence remains, and other evil cultivators have taken over).

These monsters, mixed among ordinary soldiers, were tireless and fearless. Once they charged onto the city walls, the destructive power they caused was simply devastating.

And on the city tower of Luori Pass.

Although the defenders of Beili were still putting up a desperate fight, their casualties were already extremely heavy. Many sections of the city wall had collapsed, and they had long since run out of logs and stones. The soldiers' faces were filled with exhaustion and despair.

"General! Nan Jue's third wave of attack is coming! The breach at the east gate is about to fall!"

A blood-soaked lieutenant scrambled up the city wall and knelt before a burly general with a full beard.

It is indeed the butcher, Ye Xiaoying!

Ye Xiaoying was no longer the arrogant and domineering man he had been outside the brothel in Tianqi City. His signature gold-threaded soft armor was covered in knife marks, and even half a broken arrow was stuck in his left shoulder. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the dark mass of enemy troops outside the city.

"We must hold on, even if we can't! The word 'retreat' doesn't exist in my dictionary, Ye Xiaoying's dictionary!"

Ye Xiaoying pulled the broken arrow from his left shoulder without even flinching. "Tell the brothers! Even if we die today, we'll die on the city wall! Anyone who dares to retreat even half a step, I'll personally chop him up!"

"But General... those monsters... ordinary swords and blades can't kill them at all!" the lieutenant cried out in despair.