May 17, 2017, still rain
Wang Jiu took some time and finally determined that Li Qingming really didn't plan to move, even if it meant resisting the family's orders and forfeiting all her monthly stipends. When he kindly placed the real estate section of the "Cyan Cloud Daily" beside the little girl's pillow, the newspaper was immediately shattered into powder by her profound inner strength. And when he persuaded Li Qingming to move back to the Li Family Mansion, he was answered with a bout of roaring that worsened her waist injury.
"I would rather die of starvation, die outside, or jump off from here than go to the Li Family Mansion!"
This stubbornness and willful self-isolation from the organization were hard for him to comprehend.
In the era Wang Jiu remembered, due to the cruel and intense Immortal Demon War, the entire Jiuzhou Continent was strictly mobilized and managed, the organization's will above all else, individual wishes were utterly insignificant before the big picture. Even figures as significant as the Jiu Immortal Venerables were not entitled to whimsy. The only exception was the Nameless Sword God, then reincarnated as the Celestial Divine Sword. But Wang Jiu himself was very principled. He was granted Supreme Divine Power to liberate from human form, so naturally, he had to fulfill his mission—win the Immortal Demon War before talking about personal will. So during the entire war...
"You're so annoying! Nagging endlessly! You don't even know what I've gone through before!"
Wang Jiu was intrigued, "What have you gone through?"
"I don't want to say."
"It's okay, I can see for myself…"
"Ahhhh! Get out of my head!"
"But you don't want to say, so I can only see for myself."
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you, okay?! You are truly annoying! Completely, completely wasting that face!"
"Seems you've finally realized that compared to my profound inner essence, this perfect external Sword Body is not worth mentioning."
You…" Li Qingming's vision darkened, only feeling that the perfect face before her, which used to make her blush, shattered with a boom in her mind. The girl clenched her fists, breathing in and out constantly, suppressing the surging Qi Blood from bursting out through the temples.
After a while, Li Qingming said, "My family's situation is quite complicated, let me briefly tell you. My father is Li Fengyun, the current head of the Li Family, a heartless and unfeeling scoundrel number one, and his wife Lu Xin is a jealousy-driven wicked woman made for him."
"Your modifiers occupy more than half of the text, which doesn't match the premise of speaking briefly."
"Do you want to hear it or not?!"
"Please continue."
Li Qingming said, "My mother… for some complex reasons, although the daughter of a wealthy family from Shen City, married my father as a concubine. Initially, they had a good relationship, but she passed away too early. My father, being heartless, officially married the young lady from the Lu Family in QingCyan Cloud yun City shortly after my mother's death, that is, Lu Xin. They later even had a son, since then, he never remembered my mother. But Lu Xin remembered clearly, she entered the Li Family after my mother had passed... Okay, is that enough now?"
Wang Jiu listened puzzled, "I recall you said you'd tell me what you experienced in the Li Family Mansion. What do these ancestral stories have to do with our main theme?"
"Don't you have any insight at all?! I've said this much, can't you think of it yourself?" Lu Xin couldn't stand me, constantly making things difficult. Li Fengyun not only did not stop her but actually cooperated in every way! I couldn't stay in the Li Family Mansion at all!"
Oh, I see."
"It's not just that! They were stricter with me than with other Li Family disciples by hundreds of times! When I practiced in the Inner Sect, almost every achievement was first among my peers — at least for the last two years. Yet I could never earn their commendation, and any little mistake in my lessons, even if trivial like needlework, would be mocked. But during those times, at least as the Inner Sect Chief, although they nitpicked, there wasn't much they could say. But later when my Inner Strength reached perfection and I prepared to break the Wind Barrier, I stalled before this bottleneck… For four whole years, during these years, the hard words and hard things increased greatly."
For example?"
Do I really need to give examples?!" Li Qingming was almost exploding, "For example, my monthly stipend! For example, my plain soup and rice! Do you think I'm embracing poverty by choice?"
Oh."
Besides, in my current state, how can I go back? At 14, unable to break the Wind Barrier, not to mention comparing with my previous Inner Sect peers, even within the Outer Sect I am... In short, I will never return to that cold mansion devoid of humanity."
Li Qingming concluded resolutely and added, "Now Lu Xin instructs those few family servants to force me to leave this small courtyard, all just to make me return to the Li Family Mansion for her to abuse. She has always resented my mother, but only got a chance to enter the Li Family Gate after my mother was gone. Unable to take revenge on my mother, she can only take revenge on me."
"In that case, if you quickly have a daughter yourself, you can share the pressure."
You…" Li Qingming felt her Qi Blood that had finally calmed down surge again, "Anyway, I've finished talking about my situation, are you satisfied?"
Wang Jiu said, "I understand your reasons for not returning to the Li Family Mansion, although I personally have some reservations, I generally agree with your judgment. It's better to stay here for the time being, I can help you deal with those three servants."
Those three people are actually not the problem, the trouble is their big brother Li Ping. He broke the Wind Barrier a few years ago and is a cultivator in the Wind-Rising Realm. Though just entering, he has broken the limits of the human body, coupled with mastering some basic techniques, combined with top-tier martial arts, he has an overwhelming advantage over ordinary people. Fortunately, he didn't come along the first two times, otherwise with just you and me, we'd hardly be able to stop him."
Wang Jiu tried to weigh the Early Stage cultivator in the Wind-Rising Realm against his own strength as the former supreme Celestial Divine Sword, feeling somewhat challenged by this 0.00001 versus 0.0000099 size game… But overall, with currently just a Shape Manipulation Array and Gentle Breeze, it indeed lacked any combat ability, and his ride Li Qingming bedridden with severe illness, truly troublesome.
"In this case, let's set traps."
Ah?" Li Qingming was surprised, "Traps?"
"Array Barriers, Qimen Dunjia, things like that, haven't you learned them?"
Li Qingming said, "I've learned them, but only at entry-level, unable to deal with a Wind-Rising Realm expert."
No problem, I've learned advanced ones."
You?"
"Among the Jiu Immortal Venerables, Feng You is a master of mechanical traps, from mouse traps and sticky fly papers to Heaven-Crushing Seal and Earth-Sinking Book, he's well-versed. Although I haven't systematically learned from him, I've seen him cultivate and practice, which is more than enough to deal with a mere chicken-level practitioner of the Wind-Rising Realm. First, prepare the Five Directions Celestial Decree Spirit Seal, a bottle of concentrated purple mist..."
"I haven't even heard of that! If I really had so many materials, I'd directly help you restore the full power you once had as the Celestial Divine Sword, blow the Li Family Mansion to the Nether Sea with a single sword, wouldn't that be better!"
Wang Jiu paused for a moment: "You've got a point, so what materials do you have?"
Li Qingming said irritably, "All my stuff is in this courtyard, if there's anything you can use, just go ahead."
"Hmm, well, we could chop down that tree at the entrance and make a Wood Spirit..."
"You are not allowed to touch Grandpa Tree!"
——
Because Li Qingming was completely uncooperative, Wang Jiu couldn't set up any decent mechanical traps for the time being. The little girl was dirt poor, and what her mother Shen Yue'e left behind were mostly hard currencies like gold, silver, jewels, and spirit stones, not any Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.
But this problem had a solution by noon.
"Is Li Qingming here?"
Upon hearing shouts from outside the courtyard, Wang Jiu perked up: "You got here so quickly?"
Li Qingming, lying on the bed, glared at him: "It's the food delivery!"
"Food delivery?"
"Yeah, I ordered a meal this morning. I haven't been able to cook these past few days, almost starving... well, I'll explain later, just help me get the food, and pay for it too."
Wang Jiu, bewildered, took the dozens of copper coins thrown by the young girl and went to the courtyard entrance to exchange for a large paper package from a young man looking like a servant. Inside were steaming hot buns.
Ignoring the dumbfounded expression of the food delivery servant who witnessed the Flying Sword fetching the meal, Wang Jiu leisurely floated back with the buns to Li Qingming.
Between bites, Li Qingming explained, "Ordering food in QingCyan Cloud yun City is quite common. Many restaurants provide talisman papers for ordering to distribute to wealthy families. You write your needs on it, and someone will deliver the food. When I first moved here, I was focused on cultivation and relied on food delivery for all three meals a day, until my monthly stipend got reduced, and I started cooking for myself."
"Wow, so convenient?!" Wang Jiu marveled at the wonders of the new world. During the Immortal Demon War Era, even though Immortal Dao civilization was prosperous, they never had such considerate services—of course, maybe they had, but back then he was solely focused on practicing swordsmanship, without time for external affairs.
"Aside from food delivery, there are many other delivery services. You can look at that Dobao Pavilion shopping manual that inexplicably appeared at the door a while ago... but just look, don't write anything in the order column. Right now, even buying these few buns is a pinch on my budget."
Li Qingming, while eating buns, thought it would be great if she could send the annoying Dull Sword away to read, gaining a peaceful afternoon.
And by evening, she was deeply regretful.
——
"Miss Li Qingming, your package has arrived."
"Wha..."
"Miss Li Qingming, your package." Another young voice.
"I..."
"Li Qingming, package!"
"What the heck?! What's going on? Wang Jiu, get over here!"
A moment later, the Celestial Divine Sword leisurely flew into the room dragging a large pile of packages.
Li Qingming almost jumped out of bed but restrained herself considering the multiple exacerbations of her back injury.
"Did you do this?"
"Yeah, the shopping manual is indeed convenient. Although quality high-end items are rare, there's plenty of variety in bits and pieces. I've already ordered all the materials for the mechanical traps, we can start working tonight."
"Where did you get the money?!" Li Qingming's expression could only be described as fearful, "You... you didn't use any sinister things like white slips or 'Hua Bei' credit, did you? God, that stuff is terrifying when collecting debts!"
"I paid in cash, don't worry. My shopping plan was perfect, exactly spending the money without credit."
Li Qingming was surprised, "You have money?"
Wang Jiu said, "You do."
"I have? How is that possible?"
"Your mother left some inheritance for you in a secret room under the kitchen. You said I could use whatever's in this courtyard, so I didn't hesitate."
"What!? My mother left me money? I had no idea! And how on earth did you... wait, why didn't you ever tell me?!"
"You always told me to speak less to you."
"I..."
"Oh right, speaking of which, I remembered something. There are love letters from your mom and dad in the storage room. I found them quite enlightening after reading them..."
"You even read their love letters!?"
"Yes, they earnestly discussed 'Wen Ai' in the letters, which I found quite rewarding."
"Ahhhhhh!"