Chapter 241: Visit

Yang Ning also knew this.

Her cultivation was not yet healed, and her擅长 (strongest) combat methods were useless. Shaman God Mountain didn't lack a fighter like her.

Frankly speaking, Shen Shuibi, as a research-oriented talent, was much more valuable than her.

But now, to make Shen Shuibi do research and provide value to repay the debt was to burn away her life.

She was no longer an immortal.

However, at this moment, Yang Ning suddenly remembered something and immediately said, "Oh right, didn't you also escort a Young Master of Shaman God Mountain back? If this matter can be handled well, perhaps you can get a way to temporarily alleviate your injuries from him!"

However, Shen Shuibi didn't even finish listening, shaking her head without hesitation to refuse: "No!"

This was the first time she had 'shouted' during her conversation with Yang Ning.

Even her previous retorts were spoken in a calm tone.

"Why?" Yang Ning asked, puzzled.

When asked why, Shen Shuibi was speechless.

Yeah, why?

Now that Mount Luofu's survival was at stake, it was only natural to seek help through her connections. No one could criticize her for that.

But... her first reaction was 'no'.

No, she couldn't. She didn't want to find Li Qi, even though she knew Li Qi would definitely help her.

But the more certain she was, the less she wanted to.

"Li Qi is only Rank Eight; there's no use in finding him," Shen Shuibi shook her head, saying stiffly.

"I'm not a child. I have my own decisions. There's no need to say more about this. Go heal yourself, and then help me inform Granny Mei. I'll go organize the cultivation methods and Dao lineages. Let's each do our own thing and wait for Empress Luofu to awaken."

She didn't wait for Yang Ning to recover, standing up and preparing to leave.

Yang Ning said coldly, "Wait for Empress Luofu to awaken? Awaken to what? To see your True Spirit decaying and you about to die of old age as soon as she wakes up? Can you even live until Empress Luofu awakens?!"

Shen Shuibi didn't speak, just walked straight away.

She was speechless.

There were many burdens now.

But she didn't want Empress Luofu to bear them, nor did she want Li Qi to bear them.

However, burdens always had to be carried by someone. If she didn't want others to carry them, then she would carry them herself.

She had even stripped away all her cultivation; what else was there to fear?

Yang Ning looked at her back, furious but helpless.

Shen Shuibi was not a child; she had her own considerations.

What was Yang Ning? Was she qualified to make decisions for her?

No one could make decisions for another person.

The path of pursuing Dao could only be walked by oneself; this was something all cultivators knew when they first started.

The path one chose could only be walked by oneself.

To have fellow Daoists was a great fortune.

— — — — — — — — — —

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Time passed quickly.

It took Li Qi a full two days to familiarize himself with his new power.

Next, he needed to learn new spells and Divine Abilities to fill himself out.

Once these were done, he could try to touch the threshold of Rank Seven.

But Li Qi planned to learn these things slowly on his way to Tang Nation.

Old Ma was still in a deep sleep, but his Master said it was fine; this was his Opportunity, so let him sleep.

The Rank Seven Serpent Dragon Qi and blood were not so easy to absorb; it would probably take over a month.

So Li Qi spent two days peacefully, gradually stabilizing his surging cultivation, and also contacted Tang Nation to confirm the matters of his study abroad with Honglu Temple.

Then, he couldn't wait to do something big.

What big thing?

Of course, it was to find Shen Shuibi.

Li Qi stood outside his Master's Immortal Cave.

He didn't know where his Master got it from, but he had arranged a very luxurious set of clothes for him.

Li Qi usually wore very plain, mostly solid-colored clothes, but today he still wore something good.

White gauze silk lining, stone-blue gold trim, with black fox fur on the crown.

The fabric was silk woven from silkworms that ate castor leaves, embroidered with patterns, subtly featuring hidden dragons, and on the back, arched jade and Han tiles were embroidered, reflecting light like a jade mountain.

He wore Xuan Qiong Phoenix-patterned boots and was adorned with a gilded hook.

A jade pendant hung below, tied with a blue silk cord, the jade set in a jade green patterned gold hoop, suspended by his side.

At first glance, he looked handsome and enlightened, with a gentle and respectful demeanor. Aside from his slightly dark skin, he was entirely the image of a Young Master.

If someone knowledgeable were to see him, they would realize the price of these items.

The clothes were top-tier Rank Eight Spiritual Artifacts, the jade pendant was a Rank Seven protective exotic treasure, and the Xuan Qiong Phoenix-patterned boots were Rank Eight travel Spiritual Artifacts.

They were all top-notch treasures, each far exceeding the price of Li Qi's unrefined Rank Eight Jin Qi (Metal Energy), and they were perfectly suited for him.

As for the gilded hook at his waist, it contained the Rank Eight Jin Qi (Metal Energy), unrefined, merely hidden within the scabbard.

However, the only drawback was that he was too dark, which made him lose some prestige.

There was nothing he could do. After being a Lifter for three years, his skin had peeled off dozens of layers during that time, and with the wind and sun exposure, this skin tone wouldn't change anytime soon.

To get it back, it would take at least another three years.

Li Qi also didn't plan to forcibly change his skin color with spells; there was no need. It was natural as it was.

Li Qi was ready.

He took a deep breath.

He bowed with cupped hands: "Master, I am ready."

Then he heard Zhu Fengdan's voice from within the Immortal Cave: "Ready? Do you know what you need to be ready for?"

Zhu Fengdan didn't shout as usual but appeared before Li Qi, asking in a calm tone.

"I know," Li Qi nodded.

Of course, he knew what he needed to be ready for.

"Do you know that the higher-ups said we are not allowed to interfere with or disturb the people of Mount Luofu without permission, lest we appear unreasonable? If you go up there, it will seem like you are forcing someone into marriage. At that time, people might say you are overbearing, greedy, and forcibly marrying for beauty." Zhu Fengdan asked Li Qi.

Li Qi nodded again: "I know, but... this is probably my 'youthful spirit'."

Hearing Li Qi's answer, Zhu Fengdan laughed heartily!

That's right!

Youthful spirit!

That's what he wanted to hear.

Only such a Li Qi could inherit his Dao.

The previous steady, benevolent, and slightly clever honest child was not the Li Qi he first saw.

When did Zhu Fengdan first get the idea of taking a Disciple?

He initially went to Baiyue because of the Grand Ritual he performed, using it as a foundation for divination, which resulted in a very auspicious omen regarding external paths.

That's why he went to Baiyue, used a few tricks, and found external Dao items and people.

Originally, he only planned to see how auspicious it was, so he watched along the way.

But he saw a former Lifter, who struggled and rebelled, killing more than a dozen people, then handed over his cultivation method to the Gang members, and fled for his life.

He immediately became interested.

Then he continued to observe, and through this, he directly found the remnants of Mount Luofu, and even had the possibility of following the clues to find Empress Luofu, who was in hiding.

Was this where the great auspicious omen was fulfilled?

Then he looked at that Lifter, Li Qi.

Outwardly adaptable, inwardly principled; outwardly smooth, but also possessing integrity and persistence.

Most importantly, while maintaining these qualities, he still had a touch of Jianghu spirit, daring to kill and flee for the Gang's survival, and taking on the blood debt for the Gang members, leaving alone.

This was what Zhu Fengdan liked.

But along the way, Li Qi's youthful spirit wasn't shown much; instead, he became increasingly reserved, more like a sect member than Zhu Fengdan's Disciple.

However, ever since he promised to take Li Qi to find Shen Shuibi last time, that youthful spirit seemed to have been ignited.

Good thing.

Zhu Fengdan was very happy.

So he decided to fully support his Disciple in making a scene.

What's the point of young people always being so reserved?

They should be willful!

Zhu Fengdan himself still felt very young even now!

Although he had lived for an epoch, his psychological age remained twenty!

After laughing heartily, Zhu Fengdan waved his sleeve: "Alright, let's make a grand entrance today. Let's scare Luofu and give her a show of force, making her hand over the person willingly!"

"No one can stop us two today!"

Upon hearing this, Li Qi bowed deeply to his Master.

"Thank you, Master! Qi will remember this in his heart."

Of course, he knew that what Zhu Fengdan was doing was very inappropriate, even extremely inappropriate.

Li Qi could guess with his toes that Shaman God Mountain would absolutely not allow such a casual approach.

Going to the Mount Luofu people now would definitely incur great pressure.

Just as his Master said.

There would be criticism from all sides, for example, making everyone think he was bullying others with his power.

What would happen if a Grand Invoker of Shaman God Mountain was smitten by beauty and bullied the orphans and widows of Mount Luofu? How would that spread?

He didn't know, but it certainly wouldn't end well.

Li Qi could say he wasn't, but if rumors matched facts, they wouldn't be called rumors anymore.

Within Shaman God Mountain, it was fine, as people's characters were evident to each other. Although Zhu Fengdan was unreliable and always did baffling things, he was at least reasonable.

But if it spread outside, what then?

Furthermore, Mount Luofu was like a startled hedgehog now, having just been annihilated, and still possessing a great treasure, so they would naturally be wary.

Out of respect for their own reputation and for Mount Luofu, Shaman God Mountain had set rules.

Unless there were special circumstances, it was best not to seek them out, lest they become disliked.

What Li Qi and Zhu Fengdan were doing was indeed quite inappropriate.

Perhaps Li Qi could go alone, under the pretext of visiting a friend; that would be better.

But Li Qi's temper also flared up.

Over two years of living together, this was already close to one-tenth of Li Qi's short life.

What else was there to say?

Still friends?

This Young Master is here to propose!

So what if it's inappropriate?

The more inappropriate, the more it must be done!

Li Qi appeared mature and steady in other matters, always thinking twice before acting.

But only in this matter, his thought process was the same as Zhu Fengdan's.

Damn it!

Of course, he knew what Shen Shuibi's concerns were.

And he couldn't solve this concern, because he couldn't abandon his identity as a Shaman God Mountain member; this wasn't something he could just discard if he wanted to.

Even if he were kicked out, in the eyes of others, he would still be a 'Shaman God Mountain apostate'.

The three words 'Shaman God Mountain' could not be removed from his resume.

So what to do?

Li Qi thought for a long time, and the answer was—

Don't care!

What the hell, what's the use of thinking for so long?

Just charge forward with Master first, and then talk when they get there!

It seemed that Li Qi's spirit greatly pleased Zhu Fengdan.

This Grand Invoker let out a hearty laugh: "Hahaha! That's more like it, that's what a young man should be like! Let's go, depart!"

As soon as his voice fell, a gigantic Kunpeng spread its wings from Zhu Fengdan's hand, appearing directly beneath Li Qi and Zhu Fengdan's feet.

Immediately after, it rapidly expanded.

Covering the sky and obscuring the sun, its wingspan was nine thousand li!

The great roc carried a huge palace on its back, covering an area of over a thousand li.

Riding a ten-thousand-li long wind, it soared high into the sky!

Its feathers bristled as it ascended, swift as a bolt of lightning, its wings reaching the heavens.

It absorbed the magnificent Origin Qi.

It transcended the narrowness of the world.

It followed the four wildernesses, wandering freely!

Wind and tides surged, and all spirits and monsters concealed themselves!

The great roc soared, looking down upon the floating dust, suddenly feeling its vision broaden and its spirit invigorated.

"Isn't it majestic? I paid an extremely high price to hire this thing, just for this majesty. I lecture to it once every ten thousand years in exchange for this great roc as my mount, and it's stipulated that its attendance time must be less than a thousand years. If it exceeds that, I pay overtime. Isn't that a good deal? When you reach Rank Four in the future, I'll introduce you to one, but you'll have to pay for it yourself." Zhu Fengdan hooked an arm over Li Qi's shoulder, boasting.

This great roc was a genuine pure-blood Kunpeng, having achieved Rank Four Dao, with a body nine thousand li long, hired by Zhu Fengdan as a mount, and it had been ten thousand years to this day.

Then the great roc spoke: "Young Master, please stand firm, this concubine is about to accelerate."

It was also a female bird.

Before Li Qi could speak, the great roc immediately began to accelerate!

One flap of its wings covered ninety thousand li, and in the blink of an eye, it could cross half of Shaman God Mountain.

However, Li Qi found that he was still standing in place, not moving.

The Dao韵 in the universe gave him a special feedback.

"Oh?" The great roc uttered a surprised sound, then flapped its wings again!

But as she flew, the space around her rapidly expanded. When she flew ninety thousand li, the space ahead would expand by ninety thousand li accordingly.

So, no matter how much she flapped, she always stayed in place!

"Boss Zhu!" The great roc panicked, calling out to her employer on her back.

"Master?" Li Qi looked back at Zhu Fengdan.

Zhu Fengdan clapped his hands: "Don't worry, even if the Shaman God come today, they can't stop me, I said so."

With that, he directly leaped off the great roc's back, preparing to make a move.

At this moment, a majestic voice came from the sky.

"Zhu Fengdan, relying on the Shaman God and Ordained Invoker not being in the world, you dare to be so presumptuous? Do you really think there will be no consequences?"

Zhu Fengdan hovered in mid-air and spat: "What's it to you? Does my Disciple need your permission to get a wife?"

The voice said again: "Mount Luofu has suffered heavy losses. The Shaman God have promised to protect them. How can there be a principle of bullying guests?"

"What if we delay for a hundred years? A mere hundred years. Let him advance to Rank Seven, let the sun essence refine the sun, let him know that we have no ill intentions, and settle down. It's not too late to go then. Can't you even wait this long?" The voice reprimanded.

"Hey, you heard that, Disciple? Can you wait?" Zhu Fengdan turned to ask Li Qi.

Li Qi cupped his hands and bowed to Zhu Fengdan: "I cannot wait."

Then, he bowed to the heavens: "Great Senior, this junior is only twenty-eight years old. A hundred years is too long."

If it were normally, Li Qi might have waited.

But he always had a premonition that if he waited this time, he might not see her again.

Upon receiving Li Qi's answer, Zhu Fengdan's mouth curved into a slight smile.

Immediately, he directly rushed into the sky!