Chapter 431: Worldly

Paibo Gang… no, Paibo Gate, by now, must have recruited many more people.

Although only a few hundred people live behind the mountain gate, the entire mountain is home to more than that.

Counting the so-called Outer Sect Disciples, those who came to apprentice, female family members in the back quarters, guest rooms for visitors, and numerous servants and maids, there are actually a few thousand people.

For many, the so-called ‘Brother Li’ was a complete stranger.

Because the name was rarely mentioned within Paibo Gate, everyone knew that Li Qi had brought the cultivation method.

And what a cultivation method meant… there was no need to say more.

How the cultivation method came about was unclear.

Why Li Qi disappeared was also unclear.

So, after private speculation and discussion, everyone in the Paibo Gang believed that Li Qi had taken the burden of the cultivation method upon himself and fled for his life.

Therefore, they rarely spoke of Li Qi to outsiders and never mentioned that such a person had once existed within Paibo Gate, but all the elders clearly knew that everything they had now was brought by Li Qi.

Thus, when Li Qi returned, everyone was ecstatic.

They knew what this meant.

It meant that Li Qi was no longer being hunted, or that Li Qi now desperately needed their help.

Regardless of the outcome, the people of Paibo Gate gladly accepted it and were willing to step forward.

They could finally welcome their brother back.

Huang Si introduced Li Qi to the recent progress of Paibo Gate, the money they had acquired, their expanding influence, and the good life they were living.

A life that Boat Towmen once dared not even dream of: beautiful women, fine wine, delicious food, and splendid homes.

The place was exquisitely decorated, and along the way, they passed through many pavilions, towers, and winding corridors, with even more under construction.

Beside them were vermilion lacquered railings, adorned with countless exquisite objects, some for cultivation, others purely for amusement.

Various precious trees, such as willows, pines, elms, poplars, paulownias, bamboos, parasol trees, and locust trees, were planted all around.

The green pond was planted with lotuses, their fragrance incomparable, and the trees were lush, with magpies chirping on high branches.

“All of this is because Brother Li brought us the cultivation method.

Everyone remembers it and has never forgotten Brother Li!

Now that you’ve escaped trouble and returned, we brothers can finally enjoy a good life!” Huang Si happily patted Li Qi’s shoulder, showing him everything Paibo Gate now possessed.

But Li Qi did not look at the already completed pavilions and towers; instead, he looked at the people constructing new ones.

They took money from Paibo Gate to build new pavilions, and because of the cultivation method, they could move large amounts of stone materials, grunting and groaning from dawn till dusk.

They were the former ‘Paibo Gang’.

As if sensing Li Qi’s gaze, Huang Si patted his chest and said, “Brother Li is kind-hearted, everyone knows that.

You always shared meat with the children before, and you always helped us when you could.

So, Sixth Uncle said that one must not forget their roots, and since we also rose from the bottom, we pay them thirty percent more than the market price!”

“Hmm, good work.” Li Qi nodded, saying nothing more.

Huang Si seemed not to notice Li Qi’s emotions.

After all, Brother Li had always been a calm person, and he was no different now.

Passing through these pavilions, they arrived at the back quarters.

Li Qi pushed the door open, only to see many of his former brothers already standing inside, though only forty or fifty of them.

In its early days, Paibo Gang was daring and fought hard.

This essentially meant that many people had died before they could establish a firm foothold.

Sixth Uncle’s shoulders were much straighter now; he was dressed in silk and walked forward, raising a bowl of wine to Li Qi: “Little Li.”

Li Qi also set aside his previous thoughts, walked over solemnly, and, raising both hands, took the bowl of wine: “Sixth Uncle, I’m back.”

With that, he drained it in one gulp.

Cheers erupted all around, and everyone celebrated together, raising their cups and surging towards Li Qi.

“Brother Li! I toast you!”

“Come, drink!”

“Drink, drink!”

Dozens of people gathered together, beaming with joy, drinking heartily.

Dozens of servants, having received instructions, hurried to the wine cellar and brought out dozens of jars of wine.

They also freshly slaughtered five black-skinned, steel-bristled fat pigs, which only a strongman with a giant axe could cleave, and placed them in boiling water to cook.

All the provisions originally prepared for Huang Si’s wedding feast were used to welcome Li Qi.

They also sent people to the market to buy roasted duck, roasted goose, cooked lamb, grilled chicken, lamb heads, rice noodles, candies, and other foods, setting up a grand banquet for three days.

Several long tables were pulled out, laden with meat buns, spicy soup, steamed shrimp eggs, meatball, persimmons, cherries, green beans, green plums, yellow plums, loquats, golden apricots, and various fruits and snacks.

Subsequently, there was a continuous supply of fried meat, fried liver, frozen fish, frozen dried fish, frozen meat, mustard cakes, glutinous rice balls, steamed glutinous rice cakes, chestnut zongzi, and all other foods available in Li Prefecture City.

Sunflowers and pomegranates vied for beauty, gardenias and mugwort competed in fragrance, zongzi wrapped in golden leaves, calamus cut like jade.

They even specially invited local Shamanes to gather a hundred herbs, make medicines, and hang them on the walls to ward off plagues and welcome the returning son.

Thus, there were dozens of grand feasts, tens of thousands of candles, stretching like a winding dragon, with no one leaving until drunk.

Although the food was not exquisitely prepared, it was abundant in meat and oil, ensuring everyone was full.

The serving vessels were new and delicate, with carved bamboo cages, and everyone feasted until dawn, with no one showing weariness.

This drinking and celebrating lasted for an entire day.

Wine was spilled everywhere, and chunks of meat and grease were scattered about.

The members of Paibo Gang were utterly drunk, some simply collapsing on the ground to sleep, others leaning against the corners of the walls.

Many servants and young attendants were stuffing leftover grease, candle wax, uneaten meat, soup, and scraps into their pockets, and what wouldn’t fit went into their mouths.

When the masters held a grand feast, they naturally got to eat some of the leftovers.

The members of Paibo Gang ate until their bellies were full and drank until they passed out, but a few remained sober.

This included Li Qi and Sixth Uncle.

Li Qi, of course, needed no mention; he had eaten only a tiny bit of food.

As for the alcohol… this pure mortal wine had almost no effect on Li Qi anymore; no matter how much he drank, he wouldn’t get drunk.

The Martial Artists of Paibo Gate were so heavily drunk because they thought they had strength in numbers and wanted to get Li Qi drunk, but they ended up being completely incapacitated by Li Qi.

Li Qi sat on the chair, letting out a sigh of relief, looking at the moon outside, saying nothing.

He ultimately couldn’t bring himself to scold them or throw a tantrum in public to spoil everyone’s fun.

Although doing so might wake up some people, Li Qi’s heart wasn’t that hard.

His brothers in Paibo Gang had genuinely welcomed him back, and he truly couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh.

All of this… couldn’t be blamed on Paibo Gang.

“You seem very worried, but what is there to worry about now?

Everyone has food and clothes, servants, wives, and houses.

What more can a person ask for in this life?

What are you worrying about?” Sixth Uncle sat next to Li Qi and patted his shoulder.

The members of Paibo Gang had a tacit understanding and did not ask Li Qi where he had been all these years.

They knew Li Qi must have had his own reasons, especially since he had brought back a cultivation method like Carp Current Intent.

“Sixth Uncle, the current situation is very bad.” Li Qi turned to face Sixth Uncle and said.

“What? Are you still being hunted?

Who is it?

A few of our brothers have entered Innate Early Stage, no matter who your enemy is, we can always support you.

What’s more, we’ve allied with Qianji Gate this year.

It’s said that their Sect Leader has already surpassed Innate and entered the Divine Intent Realm.

When his Fist Intent is unleashed, it’s miraculous, capable of harming people from ten li away and instantly moving a hundred paces.

He can be considered one of the strongest in the Nine Lands Under Heaven.

Even the Carp Current Intent cultivation method at its peak is nothing more than that.

No matter who your enemy is, you will always have support.

Now, you no longer have to flee alone.

Whatever happens, your brothers can bear it.” Sixth Uncle sat beside Li Qi and said solemnly.

Li Qi heard these words and felt no mockery in his heart, only a slight warmth.

Sixth Uncle and Paibo Gang were indeed still the same as before.

When he had fallen onto the shore, swept away by the current, it was Paibo Gang who saved him.

For the next three years, whether it was for survival or finding a path, it had always been like this.

However, he still spoke: “Sixth Uncle, you said the Qianji Gate Sect Leader is one of the strongest in the Nine Lands Under Heaven, but do you know how big this Nine Lands Under Heaven is?”

“This Nine Lands Under Heaven… I heard there’s Song Kingdom beyond Great Deer Kingdom, and there should be other great countries, spanning several million li.

Thinking about it, it really is vast.

I probably won’t even be able to leave one country in my lifetime.” Sixth Uncle sighed.

“This Nine Lands Under Heaven… will only be larger than you imagine, and compared to the entire Universe, the Nine Lands Under Heaven… is too small.” Li Qi said.

“Universe, what is that?” Sixth Uncle was puzzled by this term.

He had never heard the pronunciation ‘Universe’ before.

It seemed to be some kind of special vocabulary, so he had no idea what Li Qi was talking about, nor could he understand what ‘larger than you imagine’ meant.

“It’s nothing, you’ll know later, Sixth Uncle.

Great Deer Kingdom is no longer suitable for you all to stay.

Do you want to come with me?” Li Qi said to Sixth Uncle.

This was the method Li Qi had thought of.

In Great Deer Kingdom, no matter how much the people of Paibo Gang struggled, they would only sink further.

Such was the general trend, such was this world.

The world…

Li Qi suddenly realized something.

Previously, Great Shaman Mi Xin had said to him: “I want to use my wisdom, my ability, and my knowledge to transform the world into the way I hope it to be.”

“I want to shape this world to fit my worldview, not just one world, but all worlds within my sight.

If I like the world to be that way, I will make it that way.” (Note: See Chapter 269)

The so-called ‘world’ (世道) referred to the Dao by which this society or group operated.

Li Qi suddenly realized why all Dao Orthodoxy established their own spheres of influence, even demarcating things like the Nine Lands Under Heaven.

However, before Li Qi could gain any insight from his contemplation, Sixth Uncle interrupted his thoughts and said, “Leave here? Where would we go then?

Everyone has put down roots here.

Where else can we go?”

“Let’s not talk about these things today.

Tomorrow, when everyone is up, Sixth Uncle, please gather the brothers you trust.

They don’t necessarily have to be the old brothers from before; those you trust now are also fine.” Li Qi said.

“You want to?” Sixth Uncle was puzzled.

“I want to give my brothers a better future.” Li Qi said.

Li Qi stood up: “Sixth Uncle has also drunk a lot today, so go to bed early.

We can talk about anything else tomorrow.”

With that, he left directly and walked towards the old horse.

Sixth Uncle looked at Li Qi’s retreating figure and suddenly shivered.

Why did it feel like… this kid suddenly exuded a sense of pressure?

He had only felt a similar sensation from the Qianji Gate Sect Leader.

The current Li Qi… he might be truly remarkable.

— — — — — — — —

Deep in the night, moonlight streamed down.

In the stable, Li Qi was brushing the old horse and feeding him some Spiritual Plants and spiritual seeds.

After all, being a Ninth-Grade Dragon Steed, eating ordinary grass, grains, and beans was already insufficient to meet his daily consumption; the old horse now ate only Spiritual Plants.

He could actually eat meat too, as a Dragon Steed’s sharp fangs were no joke, but he didn’t particularly like the taste of meat, saying he couldn’t stand the smell of blood.

The old horse snorted, half-kneeling on the ground, naturally enjoying Li Qi’s service.

Just as Li Qi could naturally ride on him, everyone was responsible for their own duties.

However, just at this moment, a stable boy suddenly came from outside, seemingly to clean the stable.

But upon seeing Li Qi, he immediately trembled.

“Sir, how can you do such rough work!?” The stable boy jumped in surprise and quickly ran over, disregarding the dirt on the ground, kneeling directly and kowtowing while saying, “Please go and rest, if the masters knew I let you brush the horse—”

As he spoke, the stable boy shivered all over, so stiff with the thought of such a consequence that he couldn’t continue speaking.

“I like to do it myself, it’s fine.

If anyone questions it, just say I told you to do it.” Li Qi stopped what he was doing and said.

“But, Sir…!” The stable boy remained kneeling on the ground.

He had been drinking all day and had heard from others that this Sir was someone even Master Huang Si called ‘Big Brother’.

If he were to let him brush the horse like this and be discovered…

Even if he offered an explanation, he probably wouldn’t escape misfortune.

“So, you’re afraid of them, but not afraid of me, is that it?” Li Qi glanced at the stable boy.

This sentence instantly made the stable boy’s body turn cold.

He immediately kowtowed like pounding garlic: “Sir, Sir, please be merciful! Please pity me!”

He didn’t know how to resolve this matter, but compared to facing Master Huang Si and his group, he preferred to beg this seemingly kinder Sir.

Li Qi sighed.

“Then go help me fetch water and pour water.

If anyone asks, just say I ordered it, not that I left you standing idly by.” Li Qi said.

Only then did the stable boy relax, quickly getting up to help Li Qi fetch and pour water, and wash the old horse’s body.

And through this incident, Li Qi also gained a clearer understanding of the current situation in Great Deer Kingdom.

Indeed, resolving such matters was not that simple.