"Dragon Whisker Scissors?"
Ji Xia muttered to himself, "This pair of scissors is quite strange, missing one of its handles. When I use my Great Sun Spiritual Eyes, the scissors radiate immense spiritual energy, their energy as vast and unfathomable as an ocean."
"But with the naked eye, and when sensing with my own spiritual energy, these scissors appear to be nothing but scrap metal, devoid of any peculiar qualities."
Ji Qianqing and Pei Xian looked at Ji Xia, who seemed lost in thought while staring at an ordinary pair of scissors, and couldn't help but feel somewhat puzzled.
"It must be a valuable item. We can take it back and study it slowly," Ji Xia murmured to himself as he tucked the scissors into his clothes.
Only then did he have time to examine the extremely concealed treasury of the Kuqi Dog Kingdom. He saw boxes of spirit crystals neatly arranged in display cabinets, and piles of various-colored spirit gold stacked in the lowest levels, emitting faint light that illuminated the limited area.
The colors were vibrant and beautiful, a feast for the eyes.
"These spirit golds must be the products of rare and precious spirit ores, but like Taicang, Kuqi Dog Kingdom only has blacksmiths, not spirit weapon smiths, which is such a waste of these materials."
"Spirit weapon smiths are even rarer than spirit talisman masters, a group I've learned about in many ancient texts. They are capable of forging incredibly powerful treasures and weapons, and at the same time, they are formidable cultivators themselves."
"All the weapons in Taicang are mundane. Even the Qing Jun Sword that Ji Qianqing wields, though powerful, is still far from transcending the mortal realm. It can only be considered a semi-divine weapon."
"Spirit weapon smiths, on the other hand, can forge divine weapons. How valuable are divine weapons?"
"If Taicang had a divine weapon, and offered it to the Great Talisman Kingdom, the Great Talisman would certainly be willing to destroy all the neighboring kingdoms, including Kuqi Dog, Zhou Qing, and Crocodile Horn, in exchange for that divine weapon."
"Of course, there's also the possibility that the Great Talisman might be shameless and annihilate Taicang outright, with Taicang having no means of resistance. For higher-level nations, the lives of the people from a weaker nation and a divine weapon have no real comparison. The only thing that might make them consider it is their reputation and credibility."
"Unfortunately, in the boundless wilderness, different levels of races and nations seem to have no need to worry about credibility or reputation."
"Thus, it's clear how high the status of spirit weapon smiths is, how revered they are."
"But the threshold to become a spirit weapon smith is incredibly high. Even small countries, pouring all their resources into it, can barely cultivate one. Even in the mighty Great Talisman Kingdom, which suppresses the land for thousands of miles, there are only a handful of spirit weapon smiths."
"That's fine, I'll take it back for now. When I go to the Great Talisman Kingdom, I'll exchange all this spirit gold for spirit crystals," Ji Xia decided.
Meanwhile, Pei Xian, who had been counting spirit stones, spoke with excitement in his voice, "My lord, the Kuqi Dog Kingdom's treasury contains over 2,500 spirit crystals!"
Ji Xia was stunned. "There are that many?"
Pei Xian nodded vigorously, unable to hide his joy. "This isn't even the limit. The treasury contains 2,552 spirit crystals, and the Silver Guards also found 320 more spirit crystals from the various palaces and tents. Adding them together, we're not far from 3,000 crystals!"
Ji Xia clapped his hands and laughed. "The Silver Guards have many more hidden places that haven't been searched yet. There should be at least 200 more spirit crystals hidden there! I still have 137 in my own palace..." His face beamed with joy as he laughed aloud. "This means the people of Taicang can finally have enough food!"
Pei Xian laughed along, his joy evident. Taicang had been building its capital for over two hundred years, yet never once had the people been able to have enough food on a regular basis. But now, this issue, which had troubled every ruler of Taicang and seemed impossible to resolve, was easily and simply solved.
All of this was thanks to the young lord, who was about to turn 21.
"The lord truly deserves to be the favored one of the Great Wind Kingdom, with countless brilliant strategies. Even I, having practiced martial arts for decades, cannot compare to his cultivation. Taicang is so fortunate to have such a ruler!"
Pei Xian thought to himself, recalling how he had felt uneasy when he first received word of Ji Xia succeeding the throne. He had feared that an indulgent prince would lead the nation to ruin, but in fact, Ji Xia had proven him wrong time and time again, providing Taicang with countless benefits. Even the kingdom's strongest, Ji Qianqing, had been saved by him on several occasions.
Now, in Ji Qianqing's heart, all that remained for Ji Xia was admiration and gratitude.
"Anyone who benefits Taicang deserves my gratitude, and anyone who brings prosperity to Taicang deserves my wholehearted trust."
Ji Xia looked around for a long while, confirming there were no other noteworthy treasures. He then leapt out of the treasury with Ji Qianqing and Pei Xian, instructing Rong Lu to gather the Silver Guards and take everything from the treasury.
He then gave a series of precise locations, instructing Meng Yan to lead a team to search further.
Before long, Rong Lu had gathered all the treasures into five large sacks, which were carried by five commandants, all of whom had reached the Seventh Heaven of cultivation and were capable of astonishing feats of strength.
Each sack was several times the size of their bodies, yet none of them showed any difficulty carrying it.
"Does this world not have horses?" Ji Xia wondered aloud. "Even though the soldiers here are faster than horses and have more stamina and strength, horses are still useful for transporting things occasionally."
He thought for a moment. "Perhaps there were horses in the past, but they may have gone extinct during the long period of silence."
In the endless wilderness, any beasts that couldn't adapt to the long silence would eventually become extinct.
After a short time, Meng Yan returned, carrying a box and wearing the same serious, upright expression as always.
"My lord, you're truly extraordinary. I followed the locations you mentioned and found many valuable items, even more than 200 spirit crystals."
Ji Xia laughed. "Even when you're flattering, you still maintain that serious demeanor?"
Meng Yan bowed and stepped aside.
Ji Xia straightened his face, then commanded, "Take these treasures, bring the corpse of the Kuqi Dog King, and behead the tribal leaders and royal bloodlines of the Kuqi Dog Kingdom. We're heading back to Taicang."
Everyone immediately bowed and called out, "Yes, my lord."
As Ji Xia walked out of the hall, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Meng Yan, saying, "Since the entire Kuqi Dog royal family is dead, there's no need for the palace to remain. Burn it down."
Meng Yan, with a stern face, took the order and quickly gathered over ten Silver Guards. They lit torches and swiftly went to various parts of the palace.
The twisted smile on Meng Yan's face showed how much he relished this task.