Chapter 511: Opening a government office

Zhu Fengdan was right; there was nothing wrong with his judgment of Li Qi.

Li Qi was a smart person, but unfortunately, too smart.

In natural environments, a silverback gorilla’s weight and muscle far surpass those of a leopard; from a data perspective, a silverback gorilla should be stronger than a leopard.

But in reality, leopards often prey on silverback gorillas, making them a common food source.

Because silverback gorillas are too smart, their perception is very keen, and they feel danger and want to retreat even with slight injuries.

Meanwhile, a leopard, with half the gorilla's weight, can pounce and kill it.

Li Qi was like that silverback gorilla.

Smart, keenly perceptive, able to clearly distinguish danger, yet becoming timid and cowardly because of it, not even as good as a leopard weaker than himself.

Therefore, Li Qi needed to do something less smart.

Since Li Qi cared so much about Shen Shuibi, then put Shen Shuibi at the forefront; that way, Li Qi would naturally be forced to charge out.

Whether it was active or forced, it was all the same.

After Zhu Fengdan left, the two sat across from each other at the dining table, recounting what had happened earlier.

Feeling Shen Shuibi’s gaze, Li Qi only felt a surge of anger and regret.

The anger was that the matter had already been decided; the regret was… Li Qi’s own failure to live up to expectations, unable to seize the last opportunity.

Li Qi, of course, knew that the moment Zhu Fengdan displayed his Dharma Aspect, if Li Qi could have stood firm and faced it, Zhu Fengdan might have changed his mind.

So at that moment, Li Qi was prepared to show himself, display courage, demonstrate his boldness, and make Zhu Fengdan look at him with new eyes.

However, the instant the Dharma Aspect truly descended, Li Qi realized that some things truly cannot be changed by ‘resolve’ or ‘will’; subjective consciousness can achieve many things, but it alone cannot alter objective reality.

What is etched in the heart remains etched in the heart; no matter how bravely you pretend, you are not truly brave, and you will always be exposed.

At that moment… Li Qi, who had prepared himself and intended to perform well, saw the emptiness of the Demonic Dao in Zhu Fengdan’s Dharma Aspect.

The emptiness of the Demonic Dao! What did this signify?

Countless thoughts, countless ideas, countless plans and countermeasures instantly surged through Li Qi’s mind, and ultimately, this fear stemming from the Heavenly Demon and Zhu Fengdan instantly swept through his Spirit Soul and brain.

The Demonic Prince had said that the first reaction of the weak is to escape.

Undoubtedly, Li Qi fled at that moment.

Holding Shen Shuibi tightly, he couldn't help but wonder, if it were the Demonic Prince, would the Demonic Prince retreat at that instant?

Probably not.

He possessed the heart of a strong person that Li Qi lacked, which was also what Zhu Fengdan hoped Li Qi would acquire.

“Is it truly necessary to push me?” Li Qi asked.

Shen Shuibi replied, “I don’t know… but Grand Invoker’s actions must have a profound meaning. He doesn’t need to tell you all his purposes. To inform you of these things in advance is already out of consideration for you being his disciple.”

Li Qi said nothing.

Those words made a lot of sense, but speaking them always felt a bit hurtful.

“Don’t worry, he won’t harm you. Besides, I also have some life-saving methods, so it’s unlikely anything will happen,” Shen Shuibi said.

“No, I need to think of other ways, but… it’s not convenient to talk here, let’s go first.” Li Qi let go of her hand, stood up, and decided to find a solution later.

Shen Shuibi was puzzled: “Go? Where to?”

“We can’t stay here forever. Let’s go to the Ritual Patriarchs Temple and apply for an Immortal Cave. Then… we’ll live there. It’ll be like settling down,” Li Qi sighed, speaking thus.

No matter what, he had to face it. Even if he was afraid, he had to find a way. Slowly but surely.

“Settling down, huh… Oh right, it seems this is our first real home! Perfect, then let’s do that. You go to the Ritual Patriarchs Temple, and I’ll go look for furniture and decorative items.” Shen Shuibi clapped her hands, suddenly realizing that Li Qi intended to establish his own Immortal Cave.

She immediately cast aside Li Qi’s previous struggles; to be honest, she didn’t care about that at all.

Li Qi was extremely conflicted before she went online, with countless thoughts in his mind, tangled together, not knowing what to do. But for Shen Shuibi, there was nothing to think about at all.

Whether as a disciple of Mount Luofu, a descendant of the Sun-Moon True Lead Cauldron, or Li Qi’s wife, the conclusion from all three identities was only one: she definitely had to participate in the battle.

For the survival of Mount Luofu, for the Sun-Moon True Lead Cauldron not to be stolen, for Li Qi’s Dao path, it was only right. Since it was only right, then she should naturally do it. Why consider so many other things?

Would she not go just because she might die?

She still had to go, so why be so conflicted?

No good, no evil, true nature exists in one's heart—this was Shen Shuibi’s way of thinking about things.

So, compared to participating in the battle, she was more concerned about the Immortal Cave. After all, the Immortal Cave signified that the two of them had truly established a firm footing.

Establishing one’s own Immortal Cave was a major event.

This meant you had completed your apprenticeship, could live outside your Master’s Immortal Cave, had the ability to travel independently, were capable of establishing your own Immortal Cave, and were also qualified to be a Master to others.

Once you had your own Immortal Cave, you truly weren’t a child anymore. From then on, you would walk the world independently and bear your own responsibilities.

Daoism placed great importance on this. Generally, when establishing one's own Immortal Cave, a ceremony would be held, inviting guests to celebrate the completion of the Immortal Cave, symbolizing that one would henceforth shoulder a piece of the sky independently, growing from a sapling into a large tree, now lush and verdant, supporting and sheltering the affiliated residences below.

In the Human Dao, establishing a ‘Fu’ (府) was even more grand. Not everyone could establish one. A ‘Fu’ was an administrative institution, and ‘establishing a Fu’ meant becoming a regional official, truly gaining control over a territory, and becoming the highest decision-maker in that area.

Thus, the importance of the term ‘establishing a Fu’ is evident.

Therefore, Shen Shuibi attached great importance to this and immediately prepared to procure the items needed for the Immortal Cave.

Li Qi also understood this, but he simply couldn’t muster the enthusiasm for such things at the moment.

If going to the front lines was already a foregone conclusion, then he had to find other ways to ensure Shen Shuibi’s survival.

Compared to that, things like an Immortal Cave were merely a place to live.

The two finished their meal, tidied the dishes, left them neatly in place, and then separated again.

Shen Shuibi excitedly went to prepare the various items needed for establishing the Immortal Cave, while Li Qi went to prepare the Immortal Cave itself.

Establishing an Immortal Cave in Shaman God Mountain actually had many requirements. Not everyone was qualified to have a formal Immortal Cave in this place, after all, a formal Immortal Cave was not just a simple mountain peak.

It came with protective Formations, well-built Spiritual Qi sources, and then, the reason why an ‘Immortal Cave’ is called an ‘Immortal Cave’: generally, it would contain many Grotto-Heavens as internal space expansions. The cost of an Immortal Cave was not low.

If you had the money to build an Immortal Cave, then you could indeed be said to be independent.

But it was different inside Shaman God Mountain. These Immortal Caves were already built, ready for immediate occupancy, only needing allocation. As a Sixth-Rank, and also the Young Master of Shaman God Mountain, Li Qi basically met all these requirements. He just needed to go to the Ritual Patriarchs Temple and apply to the Ritual Patriarchs responsible for managing this area, then wait for approval.

Li Qi arrived at the Ritual Patriarchs Temple. The decor here was not luxurious, as luxury served little purpose, but Li Qi could still discern that the floor tiles were made of Fourth-Rank Divine Gold, and this was only the outermost layer.

The architectural style was simply not luxurious; in reality, this place should be a large fortress, after all, this was the Ritual Patriarchs Temple, storing all the information and data of Shaman God Mountain’s disciples. If this place were breached, the origins of most Shaman God Mountain disciples would be firmly grasped by others.

It was better to be well-prepared.

“Hello, I’m here to apply for an Immortal Cave. Here is my information.” Li Qi walked to the scribes’ desk and took out a wisp of scholarly Qi, which contained his information and his unique Dao path characteristics.

“Alright, please wait.” A Ritual Patriarchs with dead fish eyes took Li Qi’s scholarly Qi and began to read it.

It was quiet here. There were many people conducting business, but everyone was quite silent; even when speaking, they were careful and no one spoke loudly.

Because this was an important facility for the Ritual Patriarchs.

The Ritual Patriarchs, as one of the three orthodox branches of the Shaman, had widely known influence. Furthermore, the Ritual Patriarchs were responsible for all internal affairs of Shaman God Mountain, belonging to the management layer.

The Diviner did not manage affairs, mainly serving as strategists and consultants, and occasionally undertaking some tasks. The Invoker were responsible for external affairs, such as warfare and mediation. The division of labor was very clear.

While waiting, Li Qi looked around. The people at the Ritual Patriarchs Temple were not enthusiastic, but they were not difficult either; everything was handled professionally, according to regulations.

The Ritual Patriarchs were very efficient. Li Qi waited for only about fifteen minutes before an address and a key-shaped Spiritual Artifact were handed to him.

“This mountain has no name, it’s a Sixth-Rank Immortal Cave, containing three fixed Sixth-Rank Grotto-Heavens: one produces medicine, and two are empty, allowing for self-arrangement. However, if you plan to arrange high-risk items, such as raising fierce beasts or moving a piece of Hell inside, please report it in advance for a safety assessment,” the Ritual Patriarchs said indifferently.

Li Qi wiped his brow and said, “Has anyone done something like that before?”

“It happens every year, which is why safety assessments are very important,” the Ritual Patriarchs cautioned. “Previously, someone secretly raised a young Iron-Eating Beast, which resulted in the loss of two Fourth-Rank Grotto-Heavens, completely devoured. Such losses are self-borne, so you must be careful.”

“I will definitely be careful.” Li Qi nodded.

Which immortal was so brave?

Never mind, it didn’t matter; he just needed to get his Immortal Cave address.

Then, he used a spell to send a message to Shen Shuibi.

Li Qi stomped his foot, and a special fluctuation spread along the earth veins. Shen Shuibi would feel it with just a little attention.

He would go ahead first, open the Immortal Cave, and clean it up.

Flying all the way, he quickly arrived at the location.

This place was about forty thousand li from the Ritual Patriarchs Temple, considered a more central area of Shaman God Mountain.

It was a seemingly ordinary mountain peak, occupying a considerable area, with a hundred li radius around it. The highest point was where the Immortal Cave was located, the converging point of the mountain and water Qi of the hundred-li mountain range, a place of spiritual beauty, emanating an atmosphere of an immortal mountain.

Mist swirled, and standing there, one could feel the Spiritual Qi assailing the face. Not only that, but one could also feel vitality; some ordinary Mortals, common wild beasts, and normal Mountain Spirits and Anomolus Spirits lived around.

Li Qi sat on the mountain peak, took out the key-shaped Spiritual Artifact, and gently activated it.

He saw a mountain cave on the peak, its entrance stone falling away, revealing the cave within. The cave walls, mountains, stars, sun, and moon within were mysteriously profound, appearing like mundane scenery when gazed upon.

Three Sixth-Rank Grotto-Heavens operated independently within, like the circulation of heavenly principles.

This item was very valuable, but unfortunately, it was already fixed here, belonging to public property, merely temporarily given to Li Qi for use.

However, this ‘temporary’ period was very long, seemingly an epoch, and could be extended by declaration at any time. As long as Li Qi was alive and applied for an extension once every epoch, it would remain his.

If he died or disappeared for a long time, this Immortal Cave would eventually be given to others, after all, although there were many mountain peaks near Shaman God Mountain, their number was limited. An Immortal Cave occupying a hundred li would certainly not be wasted like that.

Looking at the Immortal Cave, Li Qi flew inside and found a stone to sit on.

Aside from the scenery, it was empty. The necessary items and tools were left for Shen Shuibi to procure, which should be done in two or three days.

But at this moment, Li Qi saw a thumping sound suddenly coming from the entrance of the cave.

It wasn’t the sound of falling rocks; there was someone outside.

“Hmm? The door isn’t closed. Please come in,” Li Qi said.

He had just arrived, and someone was already visiting? Was it a neighbor or something?

As he thought this, he saw an old ox walk in from outside.

It was truly a wondrous and majestic ox, three zhang long and one zhang tall, with white fur all over, horns like black gold, and bulging muscles that flexed with every movement. It exuded a sense of oppression, appearing to be around Seventh-Rank.

The old ox maintained its original form, lowering its head, cautiously walking in, then loudly declared: “This humble spirit is the Mountain God of Mystic Radiance Mountain, named Niu Huang, greetings to Invoker!”

“Earlier, when Invoker opened the mountain, this humble spirit learned that Invoker was coming to take over the Immortal Cave, so I specifically came to pay my respects. However, this humble spirit is merely a small Mountain God, unrefined and ignorant, with limited knowledge. My home is poor and I have nothing to choose from, and the mountain paths are neglected day by day. I did not bring grand gifts, only a few humble offerings. Please accept them, Invoker.”

As he spoke, the old ox immediately knelt halfway, and a ball of Qi floated over. It was a refined Heavenly Dao, likely control over an extraterrestrial world.

The gift he spoke of should be this extraterrestrial world, and he probably felt quite pained about it.

But Li Qi did not accept it; he just couldn’t help but smile.

This name… named Niu Huang, seriously?

He only smiled for a moment, then he couldn’t smile anymore. There was something on his mind.

Li Qi waved his hand and said, “Niu Huang, I merely came to establish an Immortal Cave. There’s no need for respects, nor gifts. Your visit to offer congratulations already pleases me greatly. Please take back your gift. Just trouble you to inform the Anomolus Spirits and beasts in the mountain who have entered the path of cultivation to come and have a light drink, as a celebration for me.”

“I obey Invoker’s decree!” The old ox bowed quickly, but didn’t rush to leave.