Chapter 177: "Coincidence"

As soon as Wang Baiyan came down and saw Li Qi, his expression immediately turned joyful. He walked with light steps all the way to Li Qi, cupped his hands, and happily replied, "Brother, it's only been a few hours since we last met, and I didn't expect to see you again so soon. It seems the Buddhist saying about 'affinity' really holds some truth. Look, isn't this affinity between us?"

His face was all smiles, looking genuinely pleased: "Last time we parted, you were in a hurry, and I didn't even get to ask your name. May I ask your name, Brother?"

"Uh, I didn't expect to see Brother Wang again so soon. I am Li Qi. I had urgent matters to attend to, and I apologize for my rudeness earlier." Li Qi immediately stood up and replied with a smile on his face.

However, deep in his eyes, there was caution and suspicion.

What's going on? Is this person the Sect Leader of Jinlang Sect?

Could there really be such a coincidence?

The two walked into the room, while others waited outside, and the door was tightly shut.

Wang Baiyan pulled Li Qi to sit down: "Someone rumored that someone wanted to do big business with us, and I was wondering who it could be. It turns out to be Brother Li. I also didn't expect such a coincidence. Come, let's go inside and talk. Last time, I felt an immediate kinship with Brother Li and wanted to talk more, but Brother Li was busy with affairs, so I didn't force him to stay. Now it's good; I didn't expect to have a way to help Brother Li. Please speak frankly; if there's anything I can help with, I will not refuse!"

"Thank you, Brother Wang. You should have already heard about the matter from Diedanyi, right?" Li Qi sat down and asked.

Anyway, things had already reached this point, so it was meaningless to dwell on whether it was a coincidence. It was better to talk more with Wang Baiyan.

"Yes, as soon as I heard him, I knew it must be you, Brother Li. After all, at this time, besides Brother Li, who else would care about the lives of more than a hundred thousand Mortals? Brother Li is highly righteous, and I, your junior, admire you," Wang Baiyan said admiringly.

Li Qi shook his head and said, "Stop with the compliments; you're making me blush. Let's talk about the grain. Brother Wang controls Jinlang Sect, but you probably can't produce three hundred thousand piculs, can you?"

Returning to the main topic, Wang Baiyan smiled and replied, "Indeed, three hundred thousand piculs, it's not too much, not too little. The daily flow is certainly enough, but to really take it out all at once, basically every family would have to weigh it carefully."

"However, the Guangyang Zhang Family is different. They have their own unique channels. They can definitely produce three hundred thousand piculs. It can even be said that three hundred thousand piculs is nothing to them."

Hearing this, Li Qi found that Wang Baiyan's tone was very certain.

"Brother Wang, why do you say that? What are their channels?" Li Qi was a little curious.

Why was he so confident that the Guangyang Zhang Family could definitely produce three hundred thousand piculs of grain?

Wang Baiyan, however, mysteriously lowered his head, leaned close to Li Qi's ear, and said to Li Qi, "Has Brother Li ever heard of the Outside World?"

Outside World!?

Li Qi's eyes widened. He didn't expect to hear this answer.

"The Outside World miniature heaven and earth is one of the many strange existences beyond the world. As far as I know, the Guangyang Zhang Family holds an entrance to an Outside World miniature heaven and earth in their hands. Their grain comes from that place, which is why they can supply tens of millions of piculs of grain with their current sphere of influence," Wang Baiyan said.

Li Qi suppressed the shock in his heart and asked, feigning composure, "So that's how it is. Then if I go directly to the Zhang Family, will they sell me grain?"

"Of course not. Your identity is unknown, and your background is unclear. How could the Zhang Family sell you grain?" Wang Baiyan said with a smile, "Even if I introduce you, it's impossible. Grain, if there's little, it's nothing, but if there's a lot, it becomes strategic material."

"Furthermore, Brother Li, you probably don't know this, but you are currently violating taboos by trying to save these Mortals. Perhaps someone will come to trouble you soon. The Guangyang Situ stands behind the Zhang Family, and the Guangyang Situ is unwilling to see them alive."

Wang Baiyan's string of words left Li Qi bewildered.

Li Qi frowned: "Brother Wang, what do you know? And why are you telling me this?"

"I'm just telling you things that you outsiders don't know. I've been cultivating in Guangyang City for a long time, but Brother Li, you've just arrived and there are many things you don't know yet, so I have to explain them to you one by one," Wang Baiyan explained.

"Why?" Li Qi didn't understand.

Wang Baiyan, however, laughed heartily, took Li Qi's hand, and said happily, "Why? Haha, Brother Li and I feel like old friends at first sight, and I wish we could become sworn brothers. Why ask 'why'? Besides, Brother Li is running around for tens of thousands of people with such high righteousness, how can I stand by and do nothing? A righteous Dao attracts many helpers. As soon as I heard about Brother Li's deeds, I immediately regarded him as a true friend, and naturally, I will spare no effort to help!"

Li Qi's hands were held by him, and he only felt a chill, but he didn't show it, instead calculating in his heart.

Is what the other party said true?

Not necessarily.

But can the other party provide him with help?

Yes.

Then, for now, he would just listen as if it were true.

So, Li Qi also smiled and said, "Since that's the case, then I'm relieved. Then Brother Wang, please tell me, how many other things are there that I don't know?"

"The main thing, Brother Li should know, is that Guangyang City abandoned the border pass, gave up the people, and also demanded that the army immediately return to defend Guangyang City. This is actually the idea of the Guangyang Prefect. They believe that the border pass cannot be held, and they are preparing to retreat a certain distance, using the power of the mountains and rivers in between to set up a huge Formation to prevent the invasion of demons."

"Therefore, the Guangyang Situ, in order to implement this idea, will certainly not let you slowly evacuate and save people. As for you wanting to slowly transport grain, that's even more impossible," Wang Baiyan said.

"This is unreasonable. Evacuating the people and setting up the Formation are not in conflict," Li Qi frowned.

Wang Baiyan shook his head and said meaningfully, "But what if I told you that the people are part of the Formation?"

With a bang, the chair Li Qi was sitting on cracked, and the stone bricks on the ground also broke into several pieces.

Li Qi's face darkened, and he uttered two words: "Blood... sacrifice?"

"That's right. The Guangyang Prefect is a seventh-rank Shaman Dao strongman, so he naturally knows the method of Blood Sacrifice. So, do you understand now? Why you've repeatedly hit a wall. Brother Li, you are also a clever and astute person. Think again, in this situation, if you go to the Guangyang Zhang Family and ask them to sell you grain, is that possible?"

"What he wants is for all the people near the border pass to be wiped out, for everyone to die completely, otherwise the Formation cannot be set up."

Wang Baiyan said decisively, then looked at Li Qi: "Brother Li, what do you think?"

After taking a deep breath, Li Qi slowly said, "The Zhang Family is Guangyang Situ's people. He will never sell me grain, and I would also alert the enemy, just like now. If Brother Wang, you are also Guangyang Situ's person, then my whereabouts should have already been exposed to the Guangyang Situ. If he knows that I am still working on this matter, he might order me to be eliminated to avoid ruining his plan."

"Exactly, that's the point. Although I am not a person of the Guangyang City government and I deeply detest their methods, the entire Grain Alliance is backed by Lord Situ. He is an eighth-rank, and he can also mobilize several eighth-ranks. Brother Li should know the despair of facing several eighth-ranks, right?" Wang Baiyan fanned himself and said to Li Qi.

"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Wang. However, you shouldn't just be telling me that it's impossible, right?" Li Qi asked.

Wang Baiyan telling him so much surely wasn't just to make him retreat, otherwise it would be meaningless.

This person definitely had his own agenda; just the amount of inside information he revealed already made Li Qi feel something was off.

Looking at Li Qi's staring eyes, Wang Baiyan closed his folding fan and said earnestly, "Of course not. If it were just to make Brother Li retreat, let alone Brother Li being unwilling, even I would be unwilling."

"Originally, I was also worried, not knowing how to plan to resolve this matter. Now that I hear Brother Li has the same ambition as me, I immediately thought, why can't the two of us go to the Outside World ourselves to get grain?"

"If the two of us go find an Outside World miniature heaven and earth and get the grain to save people, wouldn't we be able to bypass them? This way, Jinlang Sect can also gain the same status as the Zhang Family, Brother Li can get the grain you want, and save so many lives. It's killing two birds with one stone, isn't it?"

Wang Baiyan said this, looking at Li Qi with some hope, waiting for his reaction.

Li Qi, however, was stunned.

He felt like he had been stunned more times today than in the past half a year combined.

"Brother Wang, aren't you thinking too simply? Finding an Outside World miniature heaven and earth, how can it be that easy?" Li Qi shook his head and said.

There were many worlds in the Outside World, but going to the Outside World was not something a mere ninth-rank could do.

"If I weren't confident, why would I say this to Brother Li? I happen to have a clue to an Outside World, but I've been struggling without a master to help subdue the Heavenly Dao of that miniature heaven and earth. Brother Li, could you...?" Wang Baiyan said.

Upon hearing this, Li Qi's heart began to murmur.

There's such a coincidence?

He's kidding, right?

Just the fact that this person is the Sect Leader of Jinlang Sect is already ridiculous. The fact that he shares the same interests as himself is barely plausible, but now, Wang Baiyan says he has an entrance to an Outside World in his possession?

Is he messing around?

A mere ninth-rank, qualified to interfere with the Outside World?

"Seeing Brother Li's expression, you don't believe it? Then take a look at this." Wang Baiyan said, taking out a jade pendant from his hand.

On the jade pendant, the two characters "Hundred Profound" were imprinted.

Just by glancing at this jade pendant, Li Qi suddenly felt a wonderful Qi flowing towards him.

He thought for a moment, realizing that this Qi had no power to harm him, so he activated his Mortal miniature heaven and earth and accepted this trace of Qi.

Then, he understood.

This trace of Qi, called "scholarly Qi," was a type of Qi that could carry divine will and information.

As soon as this scholarly Qi entered his body, Li Qi immediately understood the function of this jade pendant.

The jade pendant was the key to an Immortal Cave.

And that Immortal Cave was an Opportunity left behind by a Senior. He had achieved seventh-rank Dao and was about to leave the Baiyue region, so he decided to give his residence, along with unwanted furniture and Spiritual Artifacts, to future generations, thus scattering the keys, to be obtained by those with affinity.

Within the Immortal Cave, there was an unranked Outside World miniature heaven and earth.

This world was unranked; it could not support the existence of any cultivators, nor could it support the development of technology. It was almost entirely Mortals, with only a few scattered unranked individuals.

Such a miniature heaven and earth produced almost no Qi and had no resources to speak of; it was merely a potted plant of that seventh-rank big shot back then.

Keeping a miniature heaven and earth at home for ornamental purposes.

However, there was no doubt that there was also grain inside, and the grain could be eaten.

"I was originally ready to go inside long ago, but although the Heavenly Dao of that world is only ninth-rank, its resistance is extremely fierce. I couldn't take it down alone, and I didn't want to tell the other members of the Grain Alliance about this, so I've been looking for help until I met Brother Li. Only then did I make up my mind to inform Brother Li," Wang Baiyan said.

"Why me?" Li Qi asked.

"Brother Li's name, I've long heard of it. Shaman Li Qi, coming from the south, has performed righteous deeds and good works all along the way, and his reputation has spread far and wide. Now, he is single-handedly taking responsibility for the neglected people without seeking reward. Such a character, to be honest, I trust you."

"Working with Brother Li, as long as things are discussed beforehand, I believe you will certainly not break your promise. But cooperating with those jackals and tigers of the Grain Alliance, you have to be careful of being stabbed in the back and being completely devoured."

"This is what is called, a gentleman can be deceived in a proper way, and only with a gentleman like Brother Li do I dare to confidently bring out something like this without worrying about being schemed against." Wang Baiyan looked at Li Qi with a smile.

As he said this, Li Qi suddenly understood.

Last night at Tianning Temple, this person spoke to him, had he already recognized him then?

This way, it barely makes sense, but... it's still a bit too coincidental.

Could it really just be a coincidence?

Li Qi was suspicious in his heart, but he dared not be certain.

After all, it could indeed be a coincidence.

After several seconds of thought, Li Qi finally gave his reply: "Doing these things privately is, after all, a last resort. I will still go to the Zhang Family first. If the Zhang Family doesn't agree, then I will go with Brother Wang to venture into the Outside World."

"Alright, I'll be here these next few days, Brother Li can come anytime, and we'll leave anytime." Wang Baiyan stood up and said to Li Qi.

Li Qi also stood up, nodded to indicate he understood, then walked out the door, mounted his horse, and galloped away.

He would try both sides. If the Zhang Family was willing to sell, that would naturally be best. If not, he would come back.

Wang Baiyan watched from behind as Li Qi rode away.

Diedanyi walked over trembling, knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, looked up, and said, "Boss... why do we have to..."

"Call me Sect Leader." Wang Baiyan's smiling expression turned into a cold face.

"Yes, Sect Leader. What about the former Sect Leader?" Diedanyi asked tentatively.

"Tell him to roll as far as he can, and not to return within a month," Wang Baiyan said indifferently.

"Understood!" Diedanyi immediately stood up and ran towards the distance.

The manor once again returned to silence, leaving only Wang Baiyan leisurely brewing tea on the tea stove.