Chapter 213: Follow-up

Two hours later.

Li Qi, Bo Yue, and Le Ya were all seated in a secret manor of the Xi Jiu Men.

However, to this day, most people in Guangyang City still don't know what happened, so apart from the slight disturbance caused by the recent earthquake and the flash of light beyond the horizon, it was actually… quite peaceful.

Of course, the heads of the major forces should already know about the Young Master of Shaman God Mountain, as Le Ya bowing in front of everyone could not be faked.

However, more ordinary people were just bewildered by this; they didn't know they had almost died, nor did they know that another group of people had fought desperately to secure a way for them to live.

Dying in confusion, living in ignorance—that was probably their current situation.

However, Li Qi did not intend to loudly publicize these matters, so he wasn't very concerned about them.

What he was more concerned about now was that he had finally connected with Shaman God Mountain…

Truly… he wanted to cry.

It was bittersweet.

Someone was backing him now.

The bitterness was because he was just an incidental part of it.

Le Ya had only come because he sensed Bo Yue was in danger.

Although Li Qi had this intention from the start when he called Bo Yue over, thinking Bo Yue should have a Senior… but now that he saw…

Indeed, his heart felt a little unbalanced.

But those were minor matters.

As soon as they sat down, Li Qi immediately spoke.

“Senior Le Ya.” Li Qi cupped his hands.

However, Le Ya waved his hand, stopping Li Qi from continuing.

Li Qi was stunned but still fell silent.

Bo Yue was spitting blood beside them, his face pale; the backlash from the Mountain and River Grand Formation being forcibly interrupted was too severe, and he hadn't recovered yet, so he could only listen, not speak.

His Human Body Minor Heaven and Earth had cracked open, and half his life was gone; it was fortunate he still had some precious Spirit Medicine on him, which he took to sustain his life, otherwise he might have truly died on the mountain.

He wiped the blood casually, but he still pricked up his ears, listening to Le Ya speak.

Both of them knew very well that although Le Ya was very respectful to them, bowing upon meeting and addressing them as Young Master, the other party was a Fifth-Rank, an existence that must be treated with respect.

To be arrogant and fail to recognize one's true situation merely because of status and potential was the mark of a truly mediocre person.

Le Ya saw that both Young Masters had stopped speaking and were ready to listen to him, so he nodded slightly and then said, “First, about Young Master Bo Yue, my appearance this time indicates that you have failed.”

Bo Yue gave a bitter smile.

He was spitting blood while smiling, looking utterly desolate.

“However—” Le Ya immediately changed his tone.

This startling way of speaking made Bo Yue cough several times, his face turning even paler, and he quickly pulled out a medicine bottle and took another sip.

Li Qi watched from the side, feeling sympathy, and couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow.

“However, I have generally understood the course of events. This time, the two of you collaborated, relying only on simple local resources, almost without any reliance on the sect, merely using a name to intimidate others. With a Ninth-Rank body, you managed to counter a Seventh-Rank; such a battle record is truly rare, a model of overcoming the strong with the weak. In the end, the opponent’s Master descended, a Fifth-Rank personally arrived, which was unavoidable, so the failure is excusable.”

These words made Bo Yue's face much rosier, and Li Qi was no longer so nervous.

“But!” He immediately put on a stern face again.

Li Qi reacted quickly, rushing forward to support Bo Yue, circulating Great Forest Wood Qi to help him soothe his Qi and blood, lest he die here from being startled.

To not die on the battlefield but be scared to death by one's own people would truly be a historical record.

Fortunately, Bo Yue couldn't speak now, otherwise he would probably be cursing.

But Le Ya seemed not to notice, speaking to himself, “But, this battle must still be counted as a loss. Young Master Yue lost due to an accident, which is excusable, but this Young Master…”

“I am Li Qi!” Li Qi immediately let go of Bo Yue and cupped his hands, stating his name.

Le Ya’s expression became serious, and he said sternly, “Hmm, Gongzi Qi, Gongzi Yue followed your actions and encountered an irresistible force. His failure is excusable, but you, you have no excuse.”

“A Ninth-Rank countering a Seventh-Rank, your spirit is good, and your courage is commendable, but do you not assess risks? To take a risky move just to prove yourself is absolutely not the act of a wise person.”

“You are a strategist and a military advisor, yet you only focus on showing off your skills, calculating human hearts, and strategizing, but from the beginning, you made a mistake that a wise person should not make.”

“You should have anticipated the arrival of a Fifth-Rank long ago. Why didn’t you prepare in advance? Why cling to your dignity? Where is your Senior? Why didn’t you invest more resources?”

“What a planner needs to do is to coordinate and allocate resources, placing everything and everyone in their most suitable positions, predicting risks, judging the situation, and then making decisions that best align with the strategic goals.”

“You did very well in other areas, whether it was coordination or command, and even in prediction, it would be difficult to do better, but tell me, why didn’t you predict the arrival of a stronger person? Why didn’t you prepare contingency plans? If I hadn’t come, would you two have died? And whether I come or not is not up to you.”

“Having no contingency plan for the worst-case scenario, and clearly possessing resources yet choosing to put yourself in danger for your own glory and achievements, is the act of a brave person, not a wise one. Now, Gongzi Qi, do you have anything to say in your defense?”

Le Ya stared at Li Qi with a stern face, awaiting his reply.

Li Qi, upon hearing this, could only smile bitterly, but he didn't try to defend himself. Instead, he cupped his hands and replied, “Senior's lesson is well taken.”

Seeing Li Qi's good attitude, Le Ya's expression softened a little, but he still said earnestly, “You are all favored children of heaven, destined to ascend to the Third-Rank in the future, unlike me, whose Dao has reached its end.”

“I also know that you are exceptionally capable and astonishingly talented, which is why your ambition is high, and you always want to prove yourselves.”

“Therefore, you must pay even more attention. No matter what you do, plan every step carefully. On the path of Dao, one wrong step leads to many wrong steps. You are still young now, so you must pay even more attention and not be blinded.”

Despite being a Ninth-Rank who used strategy and planning to counter a Seventh-Rank, an astonishing feat, in Le Ya's eyes, it was still not up to par.

This demand… was incredibly strict.

However, Li Qi still nodded: “Thank you, Senior, for your guidance. Li Qi will keep it in mind.”

Seeing Li Qi's sincere demeanor, Le Ya nodded reassuringly: “Then please, Gongzi Qi, step aside for a moment. I need to heal Young Master Yue, as constantly spitting blood is not a good thing.”

“Alright.” Li Qi stood up and patted Bo Yue’s shoulder: “Then I’ll go out first. We’ll talk privately later.”

When Li Qi patted him, Bo Yue spat out another mouthful, his eyes already hazy.

Seeing this, Le Ya waved his hand, and Li Qi was directly pushed out, crashing through the door and landing steadily outside.

He shrugged helplessly, then went to find Shen Shuibi.

There were still many aftermath matters to deal with; he couldn't stop now.

After Li Qi left.

Le Ya placed a hand on Bo Yue, beginning to heal him.

Reconstructing the Human Body Minor Heaven and Earth.

All the cracks were rapidly mended.

What would be a terrifying injury capable of severing one's Dao in other places like Orthodox Sword Palace was resolved within two minutes.

“Hoo…” Bo Yue let out a long breath, and his breathing became smooth.

Le Ya, however, did not stop, but stared at Bo Yue and said, “Alright, now that Gongzi Qi’s problem is settled, it’s time to talk about your problem, Gongzi Yue. You were invited by him to do this, did you not realize—”

Bo Yue, however, interrupted Le Ya, shaking his head helplessly: “Wait, Grandpa Le, you’ve misunderstood him… You ask why he didn’t mobilize more resources, but do you know who his Master is?”

“Who is it?” Le Ya frowned.

Bo Yue held up three fingers and then whispered, “Zhu…”

Then, he stopped abruptly, not continuing.

But Le Ya was stunned.

Then, he stood up, clapped his hands sharply, and suddenly understood.

So that’s how it is!

No wonder!

He had thought that Gongzi Qi had taken such a risky move for glory and achievements, to display his abilities.

Now he knew his Master.

So that's it—

No wonder, no wonder, Gongzi Qi's entire plan seemed meticulously cautious. Although it was risky, he tried his best to minimize the risks and incorporate every possible variable into the plan.

Someone who could make such arrangements should not be the type who is careless and likes to gamble.

He had thought he was young and impulsive, wanting to prove himself, but it seemed he had misunderstood him.

He wasn't young and impulsive.

He simply had no other choice!

So, bringing in Young Master Yue was also part of his plan? The purpose was to have a helper and a safeguard when Young Master Yue was brought in.

That safeguard was himself.

And he had indeed rushed here because of Gongzi Qi’s arrangement, blocking the final danger for him.

Each link connected.

Brilliant!

He had misunderstood him; not only had he not been thoughtless, but he had calculated everything quite thoroughly!

It's just that, besides taking a risky move, he really had no other choice.

Being that person's Disciple, he must have suffered a lot, right?

Seeing Le Ya like this, Bo Yue pouted: “It’s a good thing no one exposed you to your face, otherwise you would have been utterly disgraced.”

“Disgrace is not scary, what’s scary is misunderstanding him. No, I must hurry and apologize to him; I cannot misjudge others.” Le Ya heard this, quickly stood up, pushed open the door, and prepared to leave.

Bo Yue slapped the table behind him: “Hey! You are my Senior!”

Le Ya, annoyed, stroked his beard and said, “You won’t die here!”

With that, he hurriedly left, leaving Bo Yue alone in the room.

He didn't dare to move either.

His injuries weren't fully healed; he probably had to sit for an hour or two for the tiny cracks in his Human Body Minor Heaven and Earth to mend on their own.

Damn it, he didn't even help me lie down!

This old man!

——————

As for Li Qi, he was still walking along the road.

But then he saw Le Ya suddenly run out from behind him, come up to him, and then solemnly apologize to him.

Li Qi hadn't expected this at all.

He quickly waved his hands: “No, no, Senior, you exaggerate. It was indeed my fault for not making preparations in advance. Although this time appears to be a great victory, the process was actually full of luck and speculation, and the casualties were also very severe.”

Thinking of this, Li Qi sighed:

“Tens of thousands of Shanshui Di Qi in Guangyang were severely injured or even died, the White Rhinoceros Army and other Guangyang armies suffered nearly half casualties, Guangyang Sicheng was severely injured, Rat King was lightly injured, the Mountain and River Grand Formation collapsed and its reconstruction is far off, the Guangyang ley lines are severed, and the harvest will likely fail for ten years, during which wild beasts will be infertile, rivers will dry up, and fish and insects will not breed.”

“They say Guangyang was saved, but… was Guangyang truly saved?”

Li Qi sighed, looking up at the street.

The people of Guangyang had no idea what was about to happen.

If the people of Guangyang didn't flee to other provinces in the future, they would probably all starve to death.

Le Ya, who had just apologized, saw Li Qi like this, nodded slightly, and then said, “Since that is the case, then does Young Master still remember the duties of a Invoker? Do you still remember the Dao you have chosen?”

Li Qi immediately cupped his hands and replied solemnly: “To communicate with Heaven, Earth, Man, Gods, and Ghosts, to facilitate mutual exchange, to mediate, and to perfect the Righteous Path.”

After receiving the answer, Le Ya nodded, then raised his hand and pointed to the street outside the courtyard: “At this moment, Guangyang Province is lacking in Heaven Qi, its Earthly Qi is depleted, its deities are severely wounded, and its demons and ghosts are greatly harmed. Only humans remain intact. What should be done in this situation?”

Li Qi was startled!

That’s right!

Why hadn't he thought of it before!?

A Invoker does not just stand on the side of humans.

He must maintain the balance of the entire world, the entire ‘Dao’, for that is the situation that benefits everyone.

If the world itself tilts, it will only lead to destruction.

The Dao of balance is the key to the survival of all things!

Li Qi realized this, as if enlightened.

He quickly cupped his hands and said earnestly, “Thank you, Senior, for your guidance. I will go prepare immediately!”

He was going to organize the common people, gather popular support, perform the Grand Ritual, and sacrifice to the Heaven, Earth, Ghosts, and Gods to replenish Guangyang’s Origin Qi.

This was also for the good of everyone.

If Guangyang truly suffered ten years of failed harvests, could the people living there survive alone?

The entire ecosystem, the entire Heaven and Earth, are inherently interdependent.

The Righteous Path is the way to keep the entire world running smoothly.

Seeing Li Qi still so quick-witted, understanding with just a hint, Le Ya stroked his beard and nodded: “Go, Young Master. However, presiding over the sacrifices of an entire province’s people is still too much for your cultivation. If you need help, feel free to come find me. I will be here these next few days. As compensation for my earlier misunderstanding of Young Master, please accept the corpses of those two monks as offerings. After all, popular support alone might not be enough.”

“Thank you, Senior. I will go deal with it now.” Li Qi bowed respectfully, then hurried away.

He would leave the finishing touches to Wang Baiyan. Although that fellow would surely skim off profits in the process, if anything went wrong, he would just beat him until he coughed it all back up.

The most urgent matter was what Le Ya had said.

He had to prepare a sacrifice.

A Grand Ritual involving at least tens of millions of people, to gather popular support, to give back to Heaven and Earth, and to restore the severed mountains and rivers!