Chapter 76: Babbling Brook
Yaoguan City, Date Plum Manor.
As dawn approached, the sky was still dim, and many people had not slept all night.
Inside the manor, the lamps and candles had already been changed once, with layers of wax piled up. Nearly a hundred figures gathered in the front courtyard, surrounding the silver remains that had just been brought back and split in two at the center.
Half of those present were young martial cultivators from the Jiu Li tribe, all seasoned from long training, unafraid of the corpse and instead clicking their tongues in amazement.
“This is Xue Zheng!”
“Xue Zheng, even before metamorphosing into a Pure Immortal Body, could rank fourth in Seven Springs Hall.”
“These past few days, the Xue Clan and Sui Sect have been building momentum, claiming Xue Zheng would surely break through Nine Springs Ancestral Field. A Nine Springs Pure Immortal Body is exceedingly rare in any state, fit to be a successor for ten million gateways, clearly meant to be groomed to challenge our Jiu Li tribe in the arena.”
“If it were the work of the older generation, or a sneak attack from the Five Seas Realm, this matter would blow up big! The Xue Clan and Sui Sect absolutely won’t let it rest!”
…
Cang Li squatted down, carefully touching the spot split open by a single sword with his finger, sensing it with battle intent. In his mind, two figures took shape, faintly outlining the scene of Li Weiyi executing that final sword strike, as if witnessed with his own eyes.
A look of disbelief shone in his deep eyes. He stood and said, “It was his sword that did this! And the technique used was precisely that Heavenly Law Integration ultimate move he cultivated, matching the aura at the spot where Yao Zheng Sheng’s head was split open exactly.”
The spiritual light in the forehead spirit realm at Li Ling’s brow flickered like stars: “It was his aura to begin with; I could sense it. I told you he couldn’t possibly fear Xue Zheng, but you wouldn’t believe me.”
The young cultivators of the Jiu Li tribe around them all found it unbelievable and began discussing animatedly.
“Could he have broken through to the Five Seas Realm?” Li Qing’er said.
Cang Li shook his head: “The charm and aura of the same sword technique would be absolutely different between Five Seas Realm and Spring Gushing Realm. If he had already broken through to Five Seas, that sword would certainly have been even more domineering.”
Li Songlin’s face was grim: “Then there’s only one explanation: Weiyi broke through to Nine Springs Ancestral Sea and is a Supreme Person.”
“Boom!”
These words exploded like thunder in everyone’s hearts.
A Nine Springs Supreme Person was even rarer than a Pure Immortal Body. On the surface in Li Zhou, they were even scarcer; even million-strong clans, like local emperors, often took ten or even decades to cultivate one.
Li Qing’er’s expression froze as she recalled yesterday’s events, unable to connect that seemingly extremely destitute and introverted figure with a Nine Springs Supreme Person.
How radiant a Nine Springs Supreme Person was—any faction would groom them as a flagship and leader seed.
“Such a fine Supreme Person not even twenty years old, yet forced away by a pack of petty schemers. No wonder the Jiu Li tribe has declined—it’s all they deserve,” Li Songlin vented his pent-up frustration.
Where to find such a successor of excellent character and talent now?
…
The sky brightened, with the first rays of dawn appearing.
Four people hurried along a mountain path.
Shi Liuyu’s body was gaunt as dry wood, wearing even normal-sized robes loosely. He said to Shi Jiuzhai walking beside him, “Old Nine, I heard some news yesterday: the family head of the Cang Li Tribe’s direct lineage opened an otherworld coffin at Date Plum Manor and got something extraordinary.”
“What thing?”
Shi Jiuzhai, reborn as a miser, was obsessed with treasures and money and was instantly hooked.
Shi Liuyu said, “The coffin wasn’t opened… See, you’re impatient; let me finish. That otherworld coffin is said to come from Kunlun; the coffin itself alone is comparable to a thousand year elixir. Not one medicinal herb, but a pound of coffin equals a pound of thousand year elixir.”
Shi Jiuzhai’s pupils shrank sharply, breath held, and he immediately stopped: “Is the news reliable? Hmm… You’re not eyeing Li Songgu’s wife and trying to trick me into risking my life while you swoop in, are you? I’ve heard Li Songgu’s wife is a Pure Immortal Body, looks young and stunning, with a unique allure.”
“Pah! Pah… We’re brothers; why would I screw you over? What happened with the coffin opening yesterday has spread through Yaoguan City; ask anyone to verify,” Shi Liuyu said.
Shi Jiuzhai’s breathing quickened with genuine excitement. He turned to Li Weiyi: “You were at Date Plum Manor yesterday; you should know all about the otherworld coffin, right?”
Li Weiyi’s mind raced, instantly realizing who Li Songgu was baiting—besides the infamous money-grubbing Jiuzhai Law King, who else?
But he was still worried Shi Liuyu might have ulterior motives.
After all, this Six Desires Law King was notorious for lust in the Southern Territory, reviled by all.
Li Weiyi said, “The otherworld coffin is real; nothing to hide. But I must advise Law King Six Desires: best not touch anyone from Date Plum Manor, or even if I get the Jiu Li Hidden Sect news, I absolutely won’t hand it over to you.”
“You’re barely keeping yourself alive and you dare threaten me?”
Shi Liuyu bared his teeth in a cold grin, channeling magic power and rolling up his sleeve to teach Li Weiyi a lesson.
Shi Shishi blocked him: “Sixth Bro, he’s just worried you’ll go after his beloved; who could stand that? He’d fight you to the death. Why not target Yang Qingxi instead? Didn’t you say you wanted to make her flowing stream? I’ve been waiting to see it!”
“Get lost; you’re still a kid—don’t learn bad habits from that slutty Seven Emotions. What flowing stream? I’ve never said that.”
Seeing no fear in Li Weiyi’s eyes, only coldness, Shi Liuyu withdrew his magic power and soothed: “Relax; I, Shi Liuyu, am a thief with principles. I won’t target my own people, or I’d have been betrayed and abandoned long ago, not surviving till now. As long as you serve us wholeheartedly, not only will your beloved be arranged clearly for you, even if it’s your beloved…”
Shi Jiuzhai knew he was about to spout taboo nonsense that might backfire and coughed dryly.
Shi Liuyu narrowed his eyes with a smile: “Even if you want to personally try the flowing stream, long stream waters, sweet stream waters, I’ll arrange it for you.”
“I only seek peace of mind, nothing else.” Li Weiyi thought to himself that since Li Songgu knew the Earth Wolf King Army’s three law kings had come to Li Zhou and still dared fish, he must be fully prepared; his worries eased slightly.
Shi Liuyu took out three pill-sized beans and handed them over: “The Six Desires Talisman in your body acts up once a month; each time, take one pill to suppress it. So, heading to Jiu Li Hidden Sect, you have at most four months.”
“I hear you have a grudge with Yang Qingxi; complete the mission in the first month, and I’ll arrange her flowing stream for you.”
“What about completing in the second month?” Shi Shishi asked eagerly, eyes bright.
Shi Liuyu said, “Then you’d rank behind me, be Yang Qingxi’s second man.”
“And the third month?” Shi Shishi said.
Shi Liuyu said, “Then Yang Qingxi’s third man.”
“And the fourth?” Shi Shishi said.
Shi Liuyu laughed: “We’ve got four here; what do you think? Would Sixth Bro shortchange you?”
“Forget it; I’m more into food and drink.” Shi Shishi shook his head repeatedly.
Shi Liuyu said, “Fine; when the time comes, let you eat, let you drink.”
Li Weiyi wouldn’t believe Shi Liuyu’s empty promises and had no interest in them anyway; his heart was filled with worry. After taking the three pills, he asked, “If after four months I still can’t leave the hidden sect and the pills are gone, what happens when the Six Desires Talisman acts up?”
“When Six Desires flares, you’ll need six women a day to suppress the lust fire. Scared now?” Shi Liuyu said.
Li Weiyi visibly relaxed: “I thought it’d kill me outright.”
“See, young people have no grasp of the severity.” Shi Liuyu pointed at himself: “I was once fatter than Old Ten; just two months under the Six Desires Talisman, and the damage to my body was irreparable.”
Shi Liuyu patted Li Weiyi’s shoulder: “Best complete the mission within four months, then go to the Love Flower Painted Boat at the underground underworld market in Jiu Li City and find a woman named Bai Shu; she’ll bring you to me.”
Shi Liuyu continued leading the way ahead.
Shi Shishi suddenly realized something and exclaimed, “Sixth Bro, those two months—didn’t that mean hundreds of women? My god!”
Shi Jiuzhai’s lips curled in a smile, seemingly saying it for Li Weiyi to hear: “Your Sixth Bro suffered the Six Desires Talisman punishment for failing Heavenly King’s mission. Those two months, he was locked in the wolf den.”
“Old Nine, shut your mouth.”
Shi Liuyu was so furious he could kill Shi Jiuzhai; not only his eyes and hair green, but his face green as a vegetable.
Shi Shishi, hearing such a shocking secret for the first time, said with lingering fear: “Weiyi, the Earth Wolf King Army isn’t stingy with rewards for the meritorious, but the punishments for mission failures are brutally cruel.”
At this moment, Li Weiyi truly felt a chill down his spine, gripped by fear of the Six Desires Talisman’s side effects.
…
The black-robed mysterious old man of the Li surname sat in a carriage compartment, looking at the four approaching. His gaze swept over Shi Liuyu, Shi Jiuzhai, and Shi Shishi one by one.
His voice hoarse, masking his true tone: “You should trust me like Coffin Mountain. Sending another would only heighten the hidden sect’s suspicions.”
“No worries; this kid has good relations with your Jiu Li tribe; the hidden sect won’t suspect him,” Shi Jiuzhai laughed.
“If you insist, I can only bring him along.”
The black-robed mysterious old man then said, “But every year the nine tribes send at least one young man; in the end, only one survives. If he dies in the hidden sect at Li Qing’s hands, that’s just the hidden sect’s rules.”
Shi Liuyu chuckled: “If he dies in the hidden sect, we have no complaints. But… I’ve planted a Six Desires Talisman in him; if he dies, I’ll sense it subtly. If he dies on the way to the hidden sect, we’ll have plenty to say.”
“Still doubting me! The Earth Wolf King Army distrusts allies so much; afraid it won’t amount to much,” the black-robed mysterious old man said.
Shi Jiuzhai didn’t care, turning to Li Weiyi: “Go on! Relax; this senior is one of the Jiu Li tribe’s nine tribe leaders; he’ll safely take you to the hidden sect’s induction point.”
The earlier conversation stirred massive waves in Li Weiyi’s heart, impossible to calm.
How was Coffin Mountain involved?
Hadn’t the Earth Wolf King Army framed Coffin Mountain?
And why was a tribe leader colluding with barbarian thieves? What were they after with the hidden sect?
What terrifying storm brewed behind this?
He dared not think deeply; the more he did, the more uneasy. Not just worry for Cang Li Tribe’s safety, but also for Zhao Meng, Cai Yutong, and the others cultivating there.
Li Weiyi tried to calm himself and walked toward the carriage, eyes secretly observing the mysterious old man inside.
But the compartment was like a black hole, swallowing all light and heat; only a black, aged shadow was visible. And as he looked, it released terrifying pressure.
Li Weiyi’s mind jolted, nearly toppling over.
This old man was far more fearsome than Shi Jiuzhai or Li Songlin—absolutely one of Li Zhou’s top handful.
The black-robed mysterious old man sneered, then tossed out a black cloth bag from the carriage: “Get on the rear carriage; put the mind power cloth bag over your head—it seals all your senses. That’s the hidden sect’s rule!”
Li Weiyi reached the rear carriage and climbed on; inside already sat a tall, thin black-clad figure, head fully covered by a black cloth bag, back straight and upright.
This must be that Nine Springs Supreme Person, Li Qing!
Li Weiyi sat in the carriage, scrutinizing closely, memorizing Li Qing’s figure and aura.
An urging voice came from the front carriage: “Hurry and put it on.”
Daring not disobey, he pulled the cloth bag over his head.
“Whoosh!”
Spiritual light flashed at the black cloth bag’s lower edge, instantly tightening.
Li Weiyi panicked slightly, finding his entire world silenced—no sounds, no light, no smells, only feeling the carriage moving beneath him.
Fortunately, the bag was very breathable.
He had no interest in the route to the hidden sect, so he didn’t act rashly, instead lying down in the compartment to sleep. Anyway, Jar Master knew where the hidden sect was and surely how to enter and exit.
Besides, his fate was no longer his own; worry was pointless. Better to seize the chance to rest and recover.
The Li surname mysterious old man in the front carriage sensed Li Weiyi had fallen asleep in the rear and twitched his lips: “The Earth Wolf King Army sends its three law kings together, yet finds such a person? Truly a band of ruffians, won’t amount to much.”
…
Li Weiyi was exhausted; the recent days utterly draining. He’d planned a good sleep in Yaoguan City. Instead, troubles piled on—no sleep, plus a fierce battle, leaving him even more spent.
Covered by this black cloth bag, he slept deeply, as if making up for a whole month’s sleep.
He even dreamed back to Earth, playing baseball with classmates and friends.
The baseball bat was long and smooth, but always someone trying to grab it; luckily his strength held firm, grip steady—no one could wrest it from him.
When he woke, he felt his chest nudged uncomfortably; groggily, he reached out, quickly fondling, sensing its texture and material—realizing it was an extremely long, slender leg. His final squeeze reached the thigh root, thumb lightly touching the lower abdomen.
Not Li Qing.
Because there was no…
