Chapter 180: Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion
Under Li Weiyi’s strong insistence, Zuo Qiu Ting did not change out of the women’s clothing skirt on their body, but instead altered their appearance.
It was only because the place they were heading to at this moment was the most bustling and prosperous fame and fortune field in the entire Qiu Zhou Prefecture City nowadays, Heaven Pavilion. Going there in the guise of Yin Ten’s maid would obviously bring her many unnecessary troubles.
But after Zuo Qiu Ting changed their appearance, Li Weiyi’s symptoms not only did not ease, but their head hurt even more.
They had actually become extremely similar in appearance to Li Weiyi. Turning their head, they said solemnly, “From now on, we are siblings. You are called Li Weiyi, I am called Li Weiyi Number Two, we are siblings who are rice persons from the same stock.”
“On your turf, of course you call the shots.” Li Weiyi felt utterly dejected, having never been so repulsed and averse to the words “siblings” before.
Zuo Qiu Ting smiled faintly, mimicking the demeanor of a woman to perfection: “Qin Li really is your hidden person. Her cultivation is pretty good, but she has no Hundred Veins. If the Jiu Li Hidden Sect’s hidden people are only at this level, it’s truly disappointing.”
Li Weiyi was greatly shocked. Yin Ten clearly could not have told Zuo Qiu Ting the number of veins in his body, so there were only two possibilities left.
Either Yin Ten had once fallen into Zuo Qiu Ting’s hands and had their body qualifications forcibly probed. Or Zuo Qiu Ting was deliberately saying this to bluff him.
Li Weiyi kept a straight face and said indifferently, “Others are hidden people, high above, like gods in the ninth heaven. A little hidden person like me, how would I know how many Dao Veins she has?”
Zuo Qiu Ting laughed, “With your talent and cultivation speed, how could you possibly be a little hidden person? If the Jiu Li Hidden Sect doesn’t give you good treatment, come to our Zuo Qiu Gatehouse’s hidden sect.”
Li Weiyi shook his head with a smile: “Betrayers don’t have good endings.”
Zuo Qiu Ting looked into his eyes: “Seeing you this time, I can clearly feel that your cultivation has advanced another major step. Such a cultivation speed, even I can’t catch up. Plus your identity as an insect tamer… The true hidden person of the Jiu Li Hidden Sect this Jia Zi cycle, hasn’t grown up yet? Is it you?”
A dragon does not dwell with snakes. How could Zuo Qiu Ting possibly be that easy to get along with, calling any low-realm martial cultivator brother? Their insight was sharp, they knew how to judge people, and naturally could see Li Weiyi’s mind and potential.
He didn’t believe that the elders of the Jiu Li Hidden Sect couldn’t see it.
At Thirty-three Mile Mountain, Zuo Qiu Bai Ming of the Nine Springs Pure Immortal Body at the Second Realm of the Five Seas Realm had lost a leg. Yet he, Li Weiyi of the First Realm of the Five Seas Realm, not only emerged unscathed, but also killed all the enemies. How could this not make Zuo Qiu Ting look at him in a new light?
Li Weiyi felt turbulent waves in his heart. No wonder he could be the first successor of the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse. He seemed approachable, open-minded, and straightforward, but in reality, not only was his cultivation at the peak, he also possessed extraordinary intelligence and delicate thoughts.
It had only been this short time of cooperation, and he had already figured out the details of the Jiu Li Hidden Sect’s younger generation bit by bit.
If he could quickly investigate allies so thoroughly, the effort spent on enemies would only be more.
And how much did the Jiu Li Hidden Sect know about the Zuo Qiu Hidden Sect?
Between allies, if they couldn’t go tit for tat, always being suppressed by the other side and unable to gain discourse power, then equality would be hard to maintain and would gradually turn into a master-servant relationship.
Yin Nine and Yin Ten were naturally not lacking in intelligence and martial arts, but Zuo Qiu Ting had the home field advantage, and in this invisible contest, they were already at a disadvantage.
Li Weiyi’s thoughts raced, and he smiled, “Yes, it’s me! In the future, if I become a hidden person, I will definitely have Qin Li Immortal Official dance a solo for me. Her dual sword dance immortal poise must be the finest in the mortal world.”
Zuo Qiu Ting clapped the back of their hand and laughed loudly: “You’re too bold. A hidden person dancing for you? Aren’t you afraid I’ll go tattle to her?”
“We are close siblings from the same stock of rice persons…”
Just as he said this, Li Weiyi glanced at her face so close at hand, and immediately his head ached terribly. He inwardly cried to heaven, there was no way to think deeply about it. Today he was destined to be tormented by this face and this alluring figure.
“It’s not noon yet. Going to eat now, isn’t it too early?” Li Weiyi said.
Zuo Qiu Ting said, “My good brother, this is a free banquet. If we don’t go early, we won’t get seats.”
Not long after the carriage left the inner city gate, the sound of waves came.
Qiu Zhou Prefecture City borders Bing Zu Marsh to the south, so the outer city area of the Southern City is very narrow, with no outer city wall and city gate. Along a straight avenue dozens of zhang wide, one can gallop on horseback straight to the seaside.
Heaven Pavilion was not built in the inner city, but on the sea.
This made the outer city area of the Southern City, several li wide, exceptionally prosperous. Vermilion towers and jade pavilions connected into clusters, market walls towered high, and roads were flat and broad.
The closer to the seaside, the livelier it got.
Various luxurious exotic beast carriages blocked the roads impenetrably. The talents inside were without exception experts at the Five Seas Realm level, some with beautiful maids and concubines, others with large groups of armored guards, all very imposing.
Li Weiyi woke that maid of Yin Ten’s and had her drive the carriage back, instructing, “Help me bring a message to Qin Li Immortal Official: say that I urgently need a Dao Lotus and hope she can apply to the higher-ups. Also, Qin Garden has been exposed!”
That maid who had woken up was wearing Zuo Qiu Ting’s outer garment. Looking at “Li Weiyi Number Two” beside Li Weiyi, how could she not understand what had happened?
After she drove the carriage away.
Zuo Qiu Ting said, “What realm are you exactly in now, that you need a Dao Lotus already?”
Li Weiyi had a smug expression: “Of course, the Fourth Realm of the Five Seas Realm.”
Zuo Qiu Ting was slightly stunned and shook their head: “That’s impossible. A few months ago in Zangxian Town, you were only at the Spring Gushing Realm… It couldn’t be real, could it? This cultivation speed is incomprehensible!”
Li Weiyi smiled but did not answer her, heading straight toward Heaven Pavilion: “I just heard martial cultivators in other carriages chatting that the one hosting the Five Seas Banquet today is the Eastern Territory Dragon Gate? They say they’ve booked the entire Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion. All the young generation Five Seas Realm martial cultivators and great mind masters in the city are invited. Dragon Ting is too bold. How much money must that cost?”
Zuo Qiu Ting shook their hand, realized they hadn’t brought a folding fan, and put it down, saying indifferently, “Dragon Gate is one of the ten million gateways. This bit of money is nothing to them. It can boost momentum for their own righteous army, display strength, win over the heroes under heaven, and collect chips for the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival.”
“You should know, the invitations issued by Du’e Temple number two hundred, but longevity pills, dragon seeds, and dragon bones added together absolutely won’t reach two hundred portions. And in this world, good things are never evenly distributed.”
“To get the rewards, it depends on how many experts you’ve gathered under you. Everyone is at the Five Seas Realm, so human wave tactics are useful.”
Li Weiyi’s heart stirred, and he asked, “Do you know the magic battle rules for the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival?”
Zuo Qiu Ting shook their head: “I don’t know. Everyone’s guessing now. But since it’s to find hidden dragons, how can it lack the ability to recruit talent? You’re so concerned about the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival and eager to break through realms—don’t tell me you want to participate too?”
“Who wouldn’t want a longevity pill? That would make one a total fool.”
Li Weiyi said candidly and earnestly.
Zuo Qiu Ting’s expression turned serious: “You must absolutely abandon this idea. This lantern festival, I’ve already smelled bloodshed and gore—it will be extremely dangerous. As long as you don’t participate, even staying in the city, no one will make a move to kill you. Otherwise… Why am I telling you this? Even if you cultivate faster, you won’t get an invitation before New Year’s Eve. Haha!”
Famous martial cultivators from various prefectures gathered in groups of three or five, whispering via magic energy transmission.
The two passed through the crowd and stood under the gate of Heaven Pavilion.
The Heaven Pavilion of Qiu Zhou Prefecture City was built on the sea, a gigantic seven-story pavilion-like tower carved from white jade, with flying eaves like dragons and a majestic aura.
Though only seven stories, it was as large as a mountain… truly as huge as a mountain, with each story’s height astonishingly great. It was unimaginable how vast each internal level was, a veritable architectural miracle.
It was said that the tower contained as many as seven thousand formation scripts. Once fully activated, it would form a spherical light shield. At night, it was like a brilliant bright moon on the sea, or an immortal palace in the moon.
Thus, this tower was also called “Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion,” one of the world-famous spectacles in Qiu Zhou Prefecture City.
From the seaside beach rose layer upon layer of jade steps and three plazas ascending in sequence, leading straight to the base of the tower.
Though it was still morning, martial cultivators arriving and ascending the steps were already coming in an endless stream.
“How about a bet? Before New Year’s Eve, if I get a Du’e Temple invitation, you lose me a Dao Lotus.” Li Weiyi gazed at the distant Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion, suddenly feeling heroic and said this.
Zuo Qiu Ting said, “Sure. If you don’t get one, you lose me ten jin of immortal soil.”
“Where would I get ten jin of immortal soil?” Li Weiyi said.
Zuo Qiu Ting said, “You don’t have it? Then no bet!”
“Bet!” Li Weiyi said.
Zuo Qiu Ting was surprised: “You actually have ten jin of immortal soil? I originally calculated based on fifty thousand jin of spirit soil that you’d only have five jin of immortal soil. How about you give me five jin first, and I’ll trade you with qi accumulating pills and thousand-year elixirs—not at thirty percent price, but market price.”
“You’re so eager for immortal soil… Could it be you want to shape flesh and blood organs to enhance your own strength? Has your physical body reached the Dao Body level?” Li Weiyi asked.
Zuo Qiu Ting laughed: “One’s own strength cannot be leaked. If enemies learn all the details, it’s very dangerous. Isn’t that why hidden sects exist?”
“Brother Chi? Ha, it really is you. It’s been almost a month since we parted in Juze City?”
Qi Wangshu’s voice rang out as they walked over with two young martial cultivators dressed in luxurious attire.
The two stopped talking.
Li Weiyi quickly cupped his fists and smiled, “What a coincidence. Brother Qi, you’re also here to eat this free grand banquet?”
After some pleasantries, Qi Wangshu introduced his two companions to Li Weiyi: “This one is the number one handsome man of our Zhizhou’s younger generation, Qian Yan Zhen, a pure immortal body at the Third Realm of the Five Seas Realm.”
Qian Yan Zhen was indeed outstanding in appearance, refined and courteous, in a deep blue long robe with a jade hairpin in their hair bun, giving a sense of a recluse from the mundane world, though their aura was somewhat soft.
“This one is even more impressive! A direct lineage outstanding person of the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse, Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan, with cultivation at the Fourth Realm of the Five Seas Realm.”
Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan was not a pure immortal body, just a mortal. Their face was long and thin, eyebrows thick, build tall and robust. Behind them followed two Five Seas Realm sword attendants, and they carried the pride and confidence of a great clan disciple.
Both of them merely nodded lightly, their attitudes arrogant, even somewhat impatient, their gazes occasionally turning toward the distant Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion.
Qi Wangshu introduced Li Weiyi to the two: “This is the second expert of the Jiu Li’s Chi Li Tribe, Chi Yongsheng, who has extremely deep ties with Cang Li’s sister—their relationship is quite unusual.”
After his latter half-sentence, Qian Yan Zhen and Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan finally looked straight at Li Weiyi.
Qi Wangshu looked at Zuo Qiu Ting and asked, “And this one…”
“My sister. Just call her Second Young Lady.” Li Weiyi said.
“Let’s go, we’ll talk inside the pavilion.”
Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan took the lead in ascending the jade steps, heading upward, with Qian Yan Zhen following closely.
The two sword attendants stayed outside.
