Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Fortunately, that lass Li Siying was also working under Zhao Xi at the moment. He could learn of any move Zhao Xi made through her.

Zhao Xi was likely well aware of this.

She had proactively placed Li Siying in a core position, allowing her to know all of her daily work matters, precisely to put Li Chang’an at ease.

Having finally dealt with the work that had piled up over this period, Li Chang’an was about to let out a sigh of relief and order the kitchen to cook something delicious to reward himself.

But just then, a stone-faced Su Ruobing arrived at the Cangxuan City Lord’s Mansion, descending in her airship.

After looking Li Chang’an up and down, making him feel rather uncomfortable, Su Ruobing finally spoke, her tone indescribably complex. "The Cave has been very unstable lately. A new Dark Tide could erupt at any moment. How is your weapons manufacturing coming along?"

Li Chang’an replied honestly, "For now, we’ve only produced thirty units. I plan to sell them to raise some capital and then resume production!"

When she heard that thirty units had been produced, Su Ruobing’s furrowed brow relaxed a little. She gave a slight nod. "It’s good that you have something to show for it. The period just before and after a Dark Tide is the peak sales time for military weapons. If you can supply high-quality weapons at this juncture, and they perform well during the Dark Tide, your future orders are guaranteed to skyrocket!"

Here, Su Ruobing paused, then said with a hint of displeasure, "Are you just going to let me stand here? Aren’t you going to invite me inside for a seat?"

Hearing this, Li Chang’an seemed to snap out of a daze and quickly invited Su Ruobing into the dining room.

To be honest, he hadn’t expected Su Ruobing to show up at his door.

After all, as the president of the Linjiang Reincarnator Association, Su Ruobing was an incredibly busy person. She wasn’t the type to go out of her way to visit him unless there was a specific reason.

He didn’t know if it was because they hadn’t seen each other in a while or for some other reason, but this time, Su Ruobing had actually come looking for him.

Glancing at the sumptuous spread of Spiritual Food on the table, Su Ruobing couldn’t help but comment, "You’re living better than I am, and I’m the president. This Rebirth mission lasted so long, you must have made a fortune again, didn’t you?"

Su Ruobing was truly amazed by Li Chang’an’s ability to make money in the Rebirth World.

Other people went through hell, barely surviving each rebirth just to get what they wanted. But every time Li Chang’an went through a rebirth, it was like he was going on a gold rush...

No, strictly speaking, he made money even faster than a gold rush.

Li Chang’an replied humbly, "Just a small profit. But now I have to buy more raw materials, so I have to make as much as I can!"

The two exchanged a few pleasantries before sitting down to eat.

Li Chang’an was still trying to figure out what Su Ruobing was getting at when she sat up straight and said with a grave expression, "Chang’an, I just received a notice from Kyoto. The Gu Family has put Gu Ruilong in confinement. All of his duties, including the sanctions and pressure against us, have been handed over to his uncle, Gu Yizhi. You just said you wanted to expand production, but I think it would be better to stockpile more funds and take a more conservative approach..."

Hearing this, Li Chang’an finally understood why Su Ruobing had suddenly appeared and spoken with such a serious tone.

Li Chang’an had met Gu Yizhi once before.

At the time, the man was the Vice President of the Dragon Country Reincarnator Association, a true big shot who had condescendingly tried to subtly recruit him.

Although Li Chang’an had rejected the offer, the man’s arrogant demeanor had left a lasting impression on him.

As the saying goes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Gu Ruilong was shameless enough as it was, willing to use any dirty trick imaginable to achieve his goals.

And as Gu Ruilong’s uncle, Gu Yizhi’s methods were unlikely to be much better. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left such a deeply negative impression on Li Chang’an during their very first meeting.

Li Chang’an’s expression remained unchanged as he said cheerfully, "Who cares? Would the Gu Family not have targeted us if Gu Ruilong wasn’t in confinement? As long as our product is solid enough and we can successfully produce and sell it, it doesn’t matter what the Gu Family tries to pull!"

Hearing Li Chang’an’s answer, Su Ruobing shook her head. "You’ve met Gu Yizhi. You know how he operates."

"As the Vice President of the Dragon Country Reincarnator Association, Gu Yizhi not only commands the Gu Family’s resources but also wields a portion of the Association’s public authority. With those two combined, the Energy he can mobilize is far greater than Gu Ruilong’s. He’s much harder to deal with..."

Li Chang’an didn’t speak.

But his brow furrowed involuntarily.

’Gu Yizhi is just a super-sized Gu Ruilong.’

Even more aggressive, in fact.

Of course, that wasn’t the crucial part. The crucial part was that Gu Ruilong was just a junior. Though his power was immense, it still had limits.

But Gu Yizhi was completely different.

Not only was he a Tier Eight Peak Great Mage, but he was also one of the three vice presidents of the Reincarnator Association, holding immense power in his hands.

Su Ruobing paused, letting Li Chang’an mull it over for a moment before continuing, "I hear he’s drafting new regulations for the military manufacturing and processing industry within the Reincarnator Association. He’s likely planning to use policy to restrict and suppress the factories in Cangxuan City. What’s more, I’ve heard he’s been in close contact with the upstream suppliers in the military weapons industry. Ten to one he’s still trying to cut us off at the source—raw materials. These are all deadly attacks; we have to be on guard!"

Hearing Su Ruobing’s words, Li Chang’an lost his appetite. He pulled out his communicator, dialed Qi Long, and asked directly, "Brother Qi Long, have you received any... ’special attention’ from certain parties lately?"

On the other end of the line, Qi Long initially tried to laugh it off.

But seeing Li Chang’an press the issue, he relented. "Brother Chang’an, not to hide it from you, but I have indeed heard some rumors. That old codger Gu Yizhi seems to be trying to find out who’s been shipping goods to Linjiang..."

Hearing him admit it, Li Chang’an’s tone grew serious. "Boss Qi, then our business...?"

’To be honest, Qi Long was a partner who had helped me out when I was just starting, and our partnership has been very pleasant.’

’If it’s not absolutely necessary, I really don’t want to break things off with him.’

’But if he can’t handle the pressure from the Gu Family, then I have no choice. I’ll just have to hurry and find another supplier.’

’No matter what, even if I don’t make a profit, I will absolutely deliver all orders on time.’

Hearing Li Chang’an’s question, Qi Long fell silent on the other end of the communicator for a long time.

The seconds ticked by.

Just as Li Chang’an was thinking he would have to find another supplier...

Qi Long suddenly burst out laughing. "Haha, Brother Chang’an, it seems you still don’t trust me. Since I dared to take on this deal, I naturally considered all the potential risks. If I were really afraid of the Gu Family, wouldn’t it have been better for me to not get involved in the first place?"

He paused, his tone becoming playful and intrigued. "Besides, I’m genuinely curious what kind of superweapon you’ve gotten your hands on to make the Gu Family raise such a fuss, trying to crush you in the cradle by any means necessary!"

Hearing this, Li Chang’an breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He couldn’t help but laugh in response. "As long as your raw material supply doesn’t have any problems, Boss Qi, you’ll find out soon enough what kind of superweapon I’ve built!"

Qi Long’s voice rose in excitement. "Oh? Really? Deal. I guarantee the raw materials will be delivered to you right on schedule. I’ll be waiting for your good news, my brother. And if you manage to topple the Gu Family in the future, don’t you forget to let your big bro here get a taste of the spoils!"

...