Master Qi Yue immediately piled a smile onto his face and addressed Li Changyao, "Miss Changyao, this humble one has come regarding the matter of your family's junior on my sect's Spirit Mountain.
Sigh, fighting for the Heaven and Earth Spirit Spring on Spirit Mountain... when juniors contend with one another, accidents are unavoidable.
My Ethereal Immortal Sect merely opened our mountain gates; we did not participate in the conflict. At most, we are guilty of ineffective supervision..."
"Oh." A glint of coldness flashed through Li Changyao's eyes.
Still eating her pastry, she remarked casually, "I understand. The general idea is that your Ethereal Immortal Sect has nothing to do with this matter.
If our Li family elders can't even look after our own children, how could we possibly blame your Ethereal Immortal Sect? That is the logic, isn't it?"
Such a gentle tone made Immortal Master Qi Yue's heart skip a beat.
"Miss Changyao, that is not what this humble one meant. This humble one..."
"I understand those messy affairs of yours all too well."
Holding a pastry, Li Changyao slowly rose to her feet and walked out the door.
Immortal Master Qi Yue followed, cold sweat streaming down his face.
Li Changyao said indifferently, "All these years, the Ethereal Immortal Sect has been running circles behind our Li family and the Zhao Clan.
You don't want to offend either side, but if we really count it up, you still lean toward the Zhao Clan.
Life isn't easy for anyone these days, and for your Ethereal Immortal Sect, being right next to the Zhao Clan, it's even harder. I understand."
Li Changyao had finally spoken reasonably for once, yet Immortal Master Qi Yue's expression grew even uglier. "No... Miss Changyao, what are you doing with that bow?"
Twang!
Li Changyao tested the bowstring. Seeming not to hear Immortal Master Qi Yue's words, she took out an iron arrow inscribed with various seal scripts, radiating the aura of a supreme-grade spirit artifact.
She continued speaking as if to herself, "However, there is something I don't understand.
Your Spirit Mountain only permits cultivators below the Golden Core stage to enter and compete. So how did several Golden Core cultivators from the Zhao family pop up inside?
Tell me, which bastard let the Zhao family's Golden Cores in?"
"Miss Changyao, I..."
Terror filled Immortal Master Qi Yue's eyes, but the words stuck in his throat as he froze.
He suddenly remembered the few traitors who had been executed just before he arrived.
No wonder—no wonder the Supreme Elder had to get involved in this matter and mediate between the two families!
"Miss Changyao, this humble one knew nothing of this matter!
It must be that someone within the sect accepted bribes from the Zhao family and let the Golden Core cultivators in to seize the Heaven and Earth Spirit Spring!"
Immortal Master Qi Yue was drenched in sweat.
That Divinity Transformation aura—the very same that had once turned him into "Little Yueyue"—surged from Li Changyao's body.
Her Dharma Body, infused with icy qi, caused frost to spread throughout the Li family main hall, and a bone-chilling cold radiated from his feet to the top of his head.
"You seem sincere enough, so I'll give you a chance. Escape from my Merit City.
You'd best have the skill to do it; otherwise, I won't leave your Ethereal Immortal Sect with even a chance to continue its lineage."
Having spoken, Li Changyao held the pastry between her thin lips, nocked an arrow, drew her bow, and gathered her spiritual power!
"Miss Changyao, Changyao..."
Killing intent—boundless killing intent mixed with the icy wind in the hall, drilling into his bones.
Li Changyao was not joking; there was murder in this woman's eyes!
She was truly enraged. A person like her wouldn't care a whit about the Ethereal Immortal Sect or the Immortal Zhao Clan.
Flee!
"Old Daoist Puci, I'll screw your ancestors for eight generations!"
Immortal Master Qi Yue's furious roar echoed through the skies above Merit City.
Summoning every ounce of skill he had learned in his life, he gathered his spiritual power and fled frantically toward the city's perimeter.
Swish—
With the whistle of an arrow, every cultivator in Merit City frowned and looked up.
The spiritual power of the arrow formed a pillar of ice that pierced the sky.
High in the sky, a miserable scream rang out, and blood dripped down along the pillar of ice.
At that moment, the common folk tending the fields in Merit City all paused their work.
Among the farmers, Prince Feiheng, his face obscured by a bamboo hat, wiped the sweat from his brow.
Narrowing his eyes, he murmured, "Something has happened to the Li family."
Inside Merit City's Inner City.
The Wine Maniac was drinking in a tavern. His wine gourd was still raised high, but the wine spilled from the corner of his mouth.
He blinked, then, realizing a beat too late, frantically caught the dripping liquid and licked his palm.
Only then did he curse under his breath, "Damn it, time to get to work again. Old Zhuo, bring me wine."
Behind the counter, Zhuo Linlin frowned and waved his hand.
Gu Yinming, dressed in the garb of a waiter, brought the wine over with a face full of disdain.
"Old beggar, you've owed money for this wine for a long time."
"Heh, are you afraid I can't pay up?"
The Wine Maniac glared, pointing at the conspicuous pillar of ice outside.
"The people of the Old Li family have made a move right inside their own home. That means the trouble outside has grown massive. The time to make a fortune has arrived."
"You opportunistic old coot." Gu Yinming rolled his eyes.
After cursing under his breath, he walked to the counter and said to Zhuo Linlin, "Boss, only the Immortal Zhao Clan could make the Old Li family this angry."
"Mm."
Zhuo Linlin pulled his hood down to cover his face. "Cut the crap. I want some peace and quiet."
"I..." Gu Yinming's mouth twitched.
He just wanted to discuss whether they should make a run for it or what, but the Boss wouldn't listen to a single word.
Gritting his teeth, he ran to the back kitchen, where he saw the Old Man chopping vegetables.
Ever since moving to this kitchen, the Old Man's temper had grown increasingly explosive.
The moment he saw Gu Yinming, he lashed out with a kick.
"Scram, scram, scram! The kitchen is a restricted area; don't taint it with your corpse qi!"
Running out of the kitchen with a crestfallen expression, Gu Yinming arrived in front of Dongfang Xuan's calligraphy and painting shop.
Amidst the bustling market, Dongfang Xuan remained as tranquil as ever. Yet, upon arriving here, Gu Yinming couldn't utter a single word.
Miss Dongfang Xuan was painting a picture right there in the busy market. The scroll depicted Merit City.
It showed the farms filled with spirit seedlings and spirit medicines, like a paradise beyond the mortal world; it captured the vibrant smoke and fire of the human world, so rare in these chaotic times; and it portrayed the simple, honest common folk who lived in harmony with the world.
Gu Yinming sighed endlessly as he walked back to the restaurant.
"I fear that once we step out of this Merit City, there will be few peaceful days left. Where else could we find a place like this?"
---
Donate on Ko-fi ➡️ [https://ko-fi.com/darktea] ⬅️
Get Early Access to 70 Chapters: Search for "Dark Tea" on Ko-fi (Explore tab) and join my membership to read ahead!