[DD]: 164

In the Reception Room.

It should have been Lou Gao, the master, positioned in the center of the room.

He felt drenched in sweat, his chubby, round face stiff with tension.

"Let me explain," he said, nervously wiping sweat from his forehead with his hand, only to smear more dirt on it, making him appear even more ridiculous.

"Mm, I'm listening. However, in the trials conducted by the Spirit Hall, most people's opening statements sound quite similar to yours," Han Li said as he packed up the blueprints and sat back down in his chair. His expression remained unpleasant, which suited the situation perfectly.

"If I said these things were sent by a client asking me to analyze them, would you believe me?"

Lou Gao cautiously probed.

I believe you. Not only do I believe you, but I can even guess that these items were probably sent by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. But can I say that? Of course not.

"Is that your closing statement?"

Han Li asked.

"Your Holiness, you must be joking. Of course not," Lou Gao replied with an awkward smile, desperately trying to figure out how to navigate the situation.

There was no way out. The items had indeed come from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. They had assured him with great confidence that the items had nothing to do with other factions. And what happened? He had just finished analyzing one of them and was still working on the second, and now he was cornered by people from Spirit Hall. The worst part? They had the complete blueprints, so it was obvious where the items had originated.

But the real issue was that he couldn't afford to offend either side.

"Is it Star Luo? Heaven Dou? Or perhaps... the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?"

Just as Lou Gao was racking his brain, he heard Han Li speak.

He looked up and saw that the Holy Son was observing his expression.

"Oh, it's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, right?"

The Holy Son nodded with certainty.

Damn it, how did he figure out the client's identity so quickly?

Lou Gao's face fell, like a dejected cat.

"Hmm, I wasn't sure before, but now I am. It's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan," came the Holy Son's voice again.

Lou Gao's body stiffened. He stared blankly at Han Li, feeling utterly hopeless.

Young people these days—no sense of morality, tricking an old man like him. They're all heartless.

What Lou Gao didn't know was that, to Han Li, this was all an act. How hard could an open-book test be?

"So, President Lou Gao, what should be done about this matter? You wouldn't want to take a trip to the trial court, would you?"

Han Li's eerie voice sounded again, drilling into Lou Gao's ears.

Lou Gao couldn't help but shiver, despite the oppressive heat in Gengxin City. He suddenly felt as if he were standing naked in the cold.

Seeing this, Han Li chuckled inwardly. In this regard, he had to thank Bibi Dong.

In the past, except for the Pope herself, Spirit Hall's Titled Douluos rarely made appearances on the continent. Most factions didn't even know how many Titled Douluos Spirit Hall had.

But ever since Bibi Dong took power, and because she couldn't command the other Titled Douluos as easily, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo had become her enforcers, frequently making appearances and building their reputations.

As Yue Guan was the elder of the Punishment Hall, his subordinate, the Tribunal, had also come into view for the major factions on the continent. In short, all the dirty, tiring, and shady work was handled by them.

Typically, when the Tribunal was dispatched, evidence wasn't very important. To put it bluntly: no one taken by the Tribunal had ever walked out of Wuhun City alive.

The Tribunal of Spirit Hall was notorious on the Douluo Continent.

The last person they took was a Grand Duke from a duchy, accused of colluding with evil spirit masters. The Tribunal brazenly stormed in, right in front of the army, and took him away.

To this day, the Heaven Dou Empire has yet to make a sound.

This was exactly what Lou Gao feared. In terms of status, he wasn't much better off than that Grand Duke. If Spirit Hall wanted to capture him, even the Star Luo Empire wouldn't dare mobilize its army. They would probably be the first to distance themselves from him.

As for the Blacksmith Association, most of its members weren't combatants, and even if they were, who would dare stand up for him?

Take the last divine craftsman from the Clear Sky Clan, for example. He was a Titled Douluo, yet even he vanished without a trace. The Clear Sky Clan had sealed its gates.

"The blueprints for the Silent Sleeve Dart are still with me. I haven't handed them over to the client yet. As for the Flying God Claw, I haven't completely replicated it. I'll abandon my efforts to analyze its structure going forward," Lou Gao said cautiously, stealing glances at Han Li's expression.

Even at this point, he still referred to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan as the client. He had signed a confidentiality agreement, and even if others had guessed, that didn't mean he could admit it. This was his last bit of pride and dignity.

"But isn't that just a way to make up for being caught?"

Han Li's expression softened slightly as he looked at Lou Gao.

Upon hearing his words, Lou Gao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as they could talk things out, that was fine. No need to arrest anyone—he was just a craftsman, after all. It wasn't worth using such high-level methods on him.

"The items you're going to forge this time, I'll cover all the costs. Of course, this doesn't include large-scale, standard weapons—I can't afford that."

Lou Gao straightened his posture, ready to make a significant sacrifice.

Of course, he still had his wits about him, preemptively blocking any loopholes. Otherwise, he feared the Holy Son might demand equipment for three to five hundred people.

"One set won't be enough. How about ten sets? Then I'll pretend I don't know anything about this. How does that sound?"

The frosty expression on Han Li's face had thawed, replaced by a smile. Before Lou Gao could refuse, Han Li quickly added, "I'll provide the materials myself. If anything's missing, I'll buy it from the Blacksmith Association at market price."

Lou Gao glanced at him and nodded slightly.

"That's acceptable."

This essentially meant he only had to put in some effort to wrap up the matter, which made him feel much better. He had been prepared for a significant loss, but now he felt a bit more favorable toward Han Li.

"To forgive when possible is a virtue," Lou Gao mused. This young man knew how to handle things, which explained why he was the Holy Son.

He conveniently forgot that just a minute ago, he had been internally cursing Han Li for being heartless.

"Now that the deal is settled, Your Holiness, may I see the blueprints?"

Having reached an agreement, Lou Gao's demeanor shifted. His eyes gleamed as he glanced eagerly at Han Li's wristband, where the blueprints were stored.

Just from briefly examining the Silent Sleeve Dart and the Flying God Claw, he had already gained quite a bit of inspiration.

It was clear from Han Li's earlier treatment of the items and blueprints that he didn't regard them too highly. They were merely basic, entry-level weapons. Lou Gao couldn't wait to see the blueprints for the other weapons.

"No rush, Master Lou Gao. Before we look at the blueprints, there's something we need to do first. This is a treasure trove, wouldn't you agree?"

As he spoke, Han Li produced a piece of paper, but it wasn't one of the blueprints.

"Indeed, you're right. First, we need to sign the relevant agreements. Hand it over—I'll sign right away."

Lou Gao didn't hesitate, taking the paper from Han Li's hand, ready to sign. But when he saw the contents, he was stunned.

What he held wasn't a standard contract. It looked more like an oath, filled with dense clauses—there were at least a hundred of them.

"What's this?"

Lou Gao asked, puzzled, as he looked at Han Li.

"A Martial Soul Oath. Compared to conventional contracts, I place more trust in an oath made on one's martial soul. After all, I am the Holy Son of Spirit Hall. May the Angel God watch over us."

As he answered, Han Li made a pious gesture unique to Spirit Hall, radiating a certain charismatic aura.

"Moreover, a regular contract doesn't prevent information from leaking, does it? Just like earlier."

"Uh, that's true."

Lou Gao was momentarily at a loss for words. He had just realized that aside from being powerful, Spirit Hall was also a religious organization, which made sense.

"But aren't there a lot of clauses?"

Lou Gao glanced down again at the paper in his hand and groaned inwardly. It wasn't that he didn't want to agree.

To him, there wasn't much difference between signing a contract and swearing an oath on his spirit. He would never intentionally leak anything. But this… wasn't this a bit excessive?

"This is a display of devotion to the Angel God. Of course, if you have any objections, as the Holy Son, I can attempt to communicate with the deity. God loves all beings, and He will view your choices with compassion."

Han Li continued his eloquent speech, maintaining a saintly expression, yet his attitude was firm. He all but outright told Lou Gao, "No, this is non-negotiable."

"Fine."

Lou Gao lowered his head and began carefully reading through the oath. Since there was no way around it, he would just have to comply.

Of course, he still had to go over the contents. He could treat it like any other contract. It was essentially the same thing.

After reading it from start to finish, Lou Gao nodded.

He had to admit, while it was a bit complicated, the oath—or contract—was quite fair. The only issue was that the consequences of breaking it were all described as "being purified."

But considering Spirit Hall's usual methods, that wasn't surprising.

"By the grace of the divine," he thought to himself, "I could model future contracts after this one."

Lou Gao even unconsciously adopted the same reverent tone.

However, what he failed to notice was that throughout the entire contract, the title Angel God never once appeared. Instead, it was replaced with "the divine" or "Han Li's name."

"Alright, no issues. I'll swear on my martial soul. As for your part, would you…"

Lou Gao trailed off, looking at Han Li. The contract was one-sided. No one had confirmed the terms Han Li had promised. What if he went back on his word?

"Don't worry. I'll also swear on my martial soul."

Han Li smiled at Lou Gao and proactively filled in the missing part of the conversation.

Lou Gao nodded in agreement.

"Quite honorable," he thought. The Holy Son holds such deep reverence for his faith, willing to swear on his martial soul even for something like this.

It seemed there was no need to worry about Han Li going back on his word. Lou Gao felt reassured.

But what he didn't notice was the subtle look of pity in the eyes of the black-clad girl who had been standing silently beside Han Li the entire time.

In the end, someone had taken the oath voluntarily.

"Alright, let's begin."

Han Li still maintained that saintly posture as he looked at Lou Gao standing before him.

"Alright, no problem."

Lou Gao straightened up, adopting a more solemn attitude.

After a brief pause, two slightly different voices echoed in the reception room:

"By the grace of the Divine/Angel God, I, Han Li, I, Lou Gao…"