Chapter 202: Zhengjian Palace

Ignoring Guangyang Sicheng's attempts to make him stay, Li Qi left directly.

Everything was temporarily within his arrangements.

Guangyang Sicheng was weak and cherished his life, but he wasn't truly foolish.

If one were to truly try to recruit such a person, he would never trust you and wouldn't exert himself for you.

Thus, it was best to stop at a hint.

First, he displayed his confidence and showed his attitude. The other party would surely underestimate him while simultaneously fabricating a myriad of things in his mind.

Not making things clear was the most effective approach.

The five words 'Young Master of Shaman God Mountain' were enough for this person to conjure up many things.

Then, he told him some things about Chan Zhi, mixing in some indistinguishable falsehoods.

For instance, Li Qi said that Chan Zhi knew Guangyang Sicheng's location, making his concealment meaningless.

Was it true?

Who knows.

In any case, Guangyang Sicheng couldn't verify it. A weak, suspicious, and life-cherishing person fears such things the most.

Coupled with his final departure.

And Guangyang Sicheng didn't know how he found him.

These two elements, combined with Li Qi's rhetoric, were enough to make a cowardly, life-cherishing, and cunning person scare himself and ponder for a long time.

Li Qi was very confident that this person would come to find him later.

Of course, if he didn't come, Li Qi had other methods.

So, of the four forces he mentioned earlier, two would now pledge allegiance to him.

These were the local Guangyang forces and Wang Baiyan, who belonged to the Human Dao.

The remaining two forces were Chan Zhi and the Jianghu forces led by Orthodox Sword Palace.

Chan Zhi was an enemy, so there was no need to elaborate.

And the Jianghu forces led by Orthodox Sword Palace would also be ready soon.

Li Qi returned to the secret manor of Xi Jiu Men.

He sat down next to Shen Shuibi.

Shen Shuibi was in a daze, but upon seeing Li Qi return, she tilted her head and spared a bit of energy: "You're back? Are you done?"

"Only Orthodox Sword Palace is left, but I left a letter for Zhang Lan before I left, so it shouldn't be long." Li Qi nodded, then lay down beside the rabbit and stretched lazily.

The rabbit also flopped backward, sleeping next to Li Qi, then rolled over, facing him, and said:

"By the way, regarding that wisp of Heavenly Demon’s Dao Resonance, I've thought about it for a long time and searched through a lot of information. Although I haven't found anything conclusive, 'when Mortals desire something, it often manifests in dreams; this is a clear sign of delusion and confusion.'"

"When you conceal that thing, be careful of your dreams."

"Okay, I'll be careful." Li Qi committed it to memory.

Regarding that Heavenly Demon’s Dao Resonance, one could never be too careful.

"So, you're free now?" Shen Shuibi asked again.

"Temporarily, yes. Chan Zhi can also rest for a bit." Li Qi replied.

"I see." The rabbit heard this, stopped speaking, and then closed her eyes.

She was preparing to sleep.

Li Qi also let out a long breath. It was time to rest.

So, Li Qi, who hadn't slept for a minute in the past ten-odd days, directly pulled over a blanket, covered both of them, and began to sleep.

And his Physical Body in the Five-Tiered Pagoda naturally also began to sleep.

A long-awaited rest.

In the hazy state of sleep, Li Qi faintly felt his body floating.

But this was also a natural phenomenon.

He slept for a full four or five hours until he woke up naturally.

After a good night's sleep, he felt refreshed.

When he got up, the rabbit was already awake and meditating beside him.

Her posture was quite elegant, sitting cross-legged with both hands resting on her knees.

Li Qi knew that this was part of her cultivation, called 'Basking in the Sun's Warmth.'

When the sun is clear and the wind is calm, sit by a south-facing window with your back to the sun. A slight warmth on the spine can make the whole body harmonious. The sun is the essence of the sun, and its light strengthens one's Yang Qi, providing great benefit.

Collecting Yang Qi, was she preparing to condense her Yang Spirit?

Never mind, I won't disturb her.

Li Qi also got up.

Counting the time, it should be soon.

After getting up, bathing was a given. The Xi Jiu Men attendants even prepared Jiliang Water for him to wash his body.

Jiliang Water, taking the meaning of the five grains, mixed with High Grade various fragrances, brewed from the essence of the five grains. For washing the body, fragrance can open the orifices and release Origin Qi, so those who use it can remove dirt without losing vital essence, which is naturally better than other substances.

It was quite elaborate.

Of course, Li Qi usually didn't care much about these things. He usually didn't mind roughing it, at most washing with clear water.

But now in the city, when these people started to curry favor with him, the variety of things increased.

Not only was the water particular, but other things were too.

For example, food.

The Guangyang area favored sweet tastes, so daily meals were indispensable with dates, chestnuts, maltose, and honey, for sweet meals. According to the chef, this was called 'sweetness to please the spleen, smoothness to soothe the spleen's Yang, richness to benefit the spleen's Yin, consuming it is like taking medicine.'

Today's breakfast was like this: venison tail porridge with some side dishes.

The venison tail was of High Grade, then air-dried to remove fat and membranes. Inside, there was congealed blood, like tender liver, clearly a rare delicacy. Chopped finely and cooked into porridge, it was clear yet not greasy, with a unique aroma.

The side dish was large dates soaked in sugarcane juice, which nourished the spleen, harmonized the stomach Qi, moistened the lungs, stopped coughs, nourished the five organs, and harmonized all medicines. It was as tender as egg white, and the boiled juice was doubly sweet, also relieving thirst.

The meals were so elaborate, and after-meal rituals even more so.

After eating, tiny residues often remained between the teeth, which was a burden to the teeth. Xi Jiu Men specially carved willow wood into toothpicks, tied with tiger whiskers, and then brewed strong tea, waiting for it to cool before rinsing to clean the teeth.

If Li Qi hadn't strongly insisted that they not have people serve him, he probably would have had dedicated personnel for his every need, and even picking his teeth after meals would have been handled by several beautiful women.

Unfortunately, Li Qi wasn't very interested in such things.

He was too lazy to use the prepared items, like toothpicks. He didn't get food stuck in his teeth, so why use toothpicks?

After eating and rinsing his mouth, he lay in the courtyard with his eyes closed, resting.

Actually, he wasn't just resting his eyes, but freeing up energy for his Physical Body.

On the other other side, his Physical Body had once again started to get up and research Chan Zhi's Demonic Overlord and demonic thoughts.

The more he researched, the more he understood Chan Zhi.

Li Qi was making preparations in full swing.

Guangyang City also seemed to have returned to normal. People were living their lives as usual.

The blood sacrifice and the invasion of the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest seemed to have nothing to do with these people.

Li Qi's life continued like this for another day.

Then, finally, someone came to find him.

Still in the secret manor of Xi Jiu Men, Li Qi, who was 'playing dead,' suddenly opened his eyes.

A guard suddenly rushed in from outside, knelt on one knee, and reported to Li Qi with cupped hands: "Sir! According to your instructions about the Dragon Steed, we found the person! He's waiting outside now!"

Yes, for the past few days, Li Qi had been mobilizing the power of Xi Jiu Men to find the old horse.

The old horse was the marker Li Qi left for Zhang Lan. With the old horse, finding Zhang Lan wouldn't be difficult.

When he made this decision back then, Li Qi had already thought of this step.

"Bring him in quickly." Li Qi's Divided Soul stood up. After speaking, without waiting for an invitation, he quickly walked out.

He had waited so long! Zhang Lan finally came!

But before he could walk far, just two or three steps out the door, Li Qi heard a clatter, clatter, clatter.

This was the crisp sound of hooves on stone slabs.

Then, a whinny.

Li Qi's heart filled with joy.

This was the old horse's voice, he was very familiar with it.

So, he stood still at the door.

Soon, he saw Zhang Lan leading the old horse, coming around the corner.

Zhang Lan's face was full of surprise when he saw Li Qi.

But the old horse wasn't surprised, but delighted.

His big horse face was grinning, he broke free from Zhang Lan's reins, sped up, and ran towards Li Qi.

Seeing this, Li Qi's mouth split into a wide smile.

It had to be his own horse, so affectionate!

Li Qi stood still, waiting for the old horse.

The old horse galloped over like the wind, a wisp of green lightning swirling around him. This green lightning was a manifestation of the old horse's acceleration.

Li Qi smiled and stood at the door, simultaneously waving his hand to signal the Xi Jiu Men people around to retreat.

The Xi Jiu Men people all withdrew.

Then, the old horse glanced at Li Qi, didn't slow down at all, and directly knocked him, who was blocking the doorway, flying out.

Zhang Lan stopped and covered his eyes.

It looked so painful.

Li Qi's golden body shattered directly! His entire being flew out, struck by the green lightning emitted by the old horse, turning him completely scorched!

If it were his Physical Body, this would at most make him look disheveled, but his Divided Soul had no resistance whatsoever. He was directly knocked flying by the old horse. Thankfully, the old horse didn't use much force, so he could still recover.

As for the old horse, after knocking Li Qi aside, he wiggled his backside and went in to find Shen Shuibi.

The rabbit was awakened by the sounds outside and roused from her meditative state.

She looked at the old horse rushing over.

The old horse also braked continuously, stopping by the bed.

Then he took out a basket of carrots from his mustard seed pouch.

One for himself, a basket for the old horse.

The old horse whinnied happily, and Shen Shuibi stroked his mane.

Then, one horse and one rabbit started gnawing on carrots in place.

They even looked very happy!

Zhang Lan was overcome with laughter, guffawing as he walked forward and helped Li Qi up from the ground: "Haha, Brother Li, have you been neglecting your horse lately? Has Shen Guniang been taking care of him for you?"

Li Qi's golden body naturally healed, quickly returning to normal.

After all, it was merely formed from incense Qi; he didn't actually have a Physical Body. As long as that wisp of incense Qi wasn't damaged, it was all minor injuries.

Li Qi could only give an awkward laugh: "Hahaha... I've been busy lately, always unable to find free time, hahaha."

However, he climbed up from the ground and cleared his throat twice: "Ahem, alright, let's not talk about that, let's not talk about that. Brother Zhang, have you read my letter?"

When it came to serious matters, Zhang Lan was no longer in the mood to tease Li Qi. He also said:

"The common people have already been settled in the miniature heaven and earth. I have arranged for the White Rhinoceros Army to be broken up into smaller units and dispersed among the populace."

"Brother Li's thoughts are meticulous, and what he said makes a lot of sense, so I've completed all the arrangements you lacked. It's just, why didn't you let me seek out the Chief Sword Master?"

"The opponent is a Seventh Grade. If we don't find an equivalent Seventh Grade to assist in battle, there's no way to fight at all." Zhang Lan sighed.

The gap between Seventh Grade and Eighth Grade was too vast. Although it seemed like only one grade difference, if placed on a specific Dao path, it could be a difference of five or six Realms.

It was like the difference between Martial Dao Ninth Grade and Martial Dao Eighth Grade. Although there was only one grade difference, in reality, there were three major Realms in between: Intent Refining, Mind Refining, and Spirit Refining.

One had to cross three major Realms and then condense Martial Dao Divine Intent to be considered Eighth Grade.

The difference within was not as simple as a single grade.

Grades were merely for convenience of classification; one had to clearly recognize the enormous disparity within.

But Li Qi said: "Brother Zhang, don't ask. It's best not to notify anyone from Orthodox Sword Palace at this time. I know your concerns, but now is not the time."

"Why is it not the time? You probably don't know the strength of our Orthodox Sword Palace's Chief Sword Master. His cultivation has reached Martial Dao Seventh Grade, with mind, body, spirit, intent, and skill all unified. Although he is still one minor Realm away from Sixth Grade, he is definitely a strong contender among Seventh Grade. He's just a monk, if he comes, it definitely won't be a problem." Zhang Lan said confidently.

"How does the Chief Sword Master of Orthodox Sword Palace compare to Guangyang Sima?" Li Qi asked.

"Even with 30% of his power, he could take him down." Zhang Lan raised his head, extremely proud: "If all the Sword Masters gather and set up the Star Dou Sword Array, even two Guangyang Sima coming together wouldn't be a match!"

"Then I'll tell you, three experts of Guangyang Sima's level jointly attacked that monk, and the outcome was one dead and two escaped. The one who died was even refined into a Puppet, and that monk was completely unharmed, not even a scratch. Are you still planning to call that Chief?" Li Qi asked again.

At these words, the atmosphere immediately grew cold.

Zhang Lan's expression became serious. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head, disbelieving: "Impossible, being of the same Seventh Grade, no matter how strong, there's a limit!"

"Then how do you think my strength is among Ninth Grade? How many Ninth Grades can I kill at once?" Li Qi asked again.

Zhang Lan replied: "Brother Li, you're mistaken. Ninth Grade Realm is too low, and their strengths vary. It's normal for Cultivators with orthodox methods to differ greatly from Eclectic School Loose Cultivators. But by Seventh Grade, most Eclectic School Cultivators have been eliminated, everyone has a Legacy, so the difference won't be too great."

Li Qi retorted: "But what if the orthodox methods you believe in are also Eclectic School? From that monk's Dao Orthodoxy perspective, are your methods, which can only cultivate to Sixth Grade or Fifth Grade, considered advanced?"

This question stumped Zhang Lan.

He seemed to have never considered this question before.

He had traveled the Jianghu, journeyed through over a dozen countries, and across hundreds of thousands of miles. The methods of Orthodox Sword Palace might not be the absolute top-tier, but they were at least upper-middle, considered a respectable force wherever they went.

But...

What Li Qi said seemed to make a lot of sense.

"That monk's Legacy has been confirmed; he directly inherited from the Mahakala lineage. For him, ordinary Seventh Grade Cultivators are just easy targets." Li Qi said.

Li Qi also didn't mention one thing: the terrifying record of one against three, killing one and two escaping, was achieved by Chan Zhi while he was entangled with demonic thoughts and in extremely poor condition.

In other words, unless Li Qi brought a Sixth Grade expert, casually seeking help from Seventh Grade Cultivators would only lead them to their deaths.

Guangyang Sicheng was already in the local area, and Chan Zhi knew of his existence, so it didn't matter whether he was sought out or not; he was already in the game from the start.

But the people of Orthodox Sword Palace were outsiders. If they were rashly pulled in, the arrival of a Seventh Grade would not only alarm Chan Zhi, but Li Qi was also afraid they would be useless even if they came.

Therefore, Li Qi had no intention of summoning Seventh Grade outsiders.

Zhang Lan, however, gritted his teeth: "Then what if the Palace Master comes? That should work, right?"