Chapter 892: Seeing the evil fight again

Li Qi, worried about Zhu Fengdan, arrived before her, only to be lectured on the matters she was dealing with before she waved him away, telling him to get lost.

This caused Li Qi to give a bitter smile, his expression somewhat helpless.

There was nothing he could do; it seemed he truly couldn't help.

However, Li Qi was not like Li Shiwei; he wouldn't feel there was something wrong with himself just because he couldn't help, nor would he shoulder the matter as a burden of pressure.

If he really did that, he would have gone mad long ago. Just consider that from Li Qi's youth, when he was still Unranked, until now—though Zhu Fengdan seemed to have managed nothing—one only needed to think about the monsters and demons Li Qi had encountered to know how much effort Zhu Fengdan had put in behind the scenes.

It could be said that every event Li Qi encountered was watched over by his Master; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to grow safely to this day.

And now, he had learned something regarding the essence of the Third Rank from the injured Zhu Fengdan, so he couldn't say this trip was for nothing.

However, he wasn't prepared to leave just like that. Instead, he sat down: "Master, I can leave anytime, but before I go, can you tell me how you and the Human Dao ended up fighting like this?"

"How did we end up like this? Didn't I take action right in front of you?" Zhu Fengdan seemed somewhat unwilling to talk.

"Do you think I could see clearly back then?" Li Qi sighed. "If you tell me, maybe I can help you hit them back."

"Are you serious?" Zhu Fengdan suddenly perked up, leaping up from her previously deathbed-like state.

"Hey, do you really want me to go challenge the Grand General of the Southern Command to a duel? That's a Dual Third Rank; what if I die out there!" Li Qi immediately cast a spell, pressing the jumping Zhu Fengdan back down.

"If you go looking for death yourself, what does it have to do with me?" Zhu Fengdan returned to her half-dead state, lying on her old-fashioned rocking chair like a corpse.

"Sigh, you clearly care so much and did so much behind the scenes, so why act like this to my face? This isn't very likable. By the way, where is my Master's Wife?" Li Qi looked around.

Just as Li Qi finished speaking, Huodou suddenly appeared outside the Grotto-Heaven.

"You certainly have a way with words, haha! I like people like you; you're different from your Master's corpse-like attitude." Huodou walked in happily.

As expected, Li Qi knew—even though he hadn't searched the area or used True Knowledge, since this was his Master's Immortal Cave and respect was necessary—that if he used his brain, he'd know... Zhu Fengdan had disappeared because after that great battle in Baiyue, she had clashed head-on with the Grand General of the Southern Command, resulting in mutual injuries.

Therefore, Huodou, who was right there at the time, could never have stood idly by. It was only natural for her to be by Zhu Fengdan's side while she recovered.

However, it was likely because Li Qi had arrived that she had temporarily stepped out.

Hmm... although everyone says Huodou is a Calamity Beast, she is surprisingly polite when it comes to matters involving Zhu Fengdan.

Seeming to notice Li Qi standing up to salute Huodou, Zhu Fengdan's 'corpse' twitched, her lifeless eyes staring at Li Qi.

That look was as if to say: "If you and Huodou continue to stay here, I'll die right in front of you."

Li Qi could only sigh.

Why bother.

As long as you, Master, pretend you're tricking Huodou, and Huodou pretends to be tricked by you, everyone could be happy once the boundaries are mastered. Wouldn't that be great?

Why keep people at such a distance.

But this sort of thing wasn't for Li Qi to comment on; he was worried Zhu Fengdan would jump up and expel him from the sect.

So, after saluting Huodou, Li Qi said, "Senior Huodou, let's not disturb Master's rest. Let's go outside to talk."

"You were just calling me Master's Wife a moment ago," Huodou said, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Haha, my calling you that doesn't count; whether it becomes reality depends on Master's wishes." Li Qi smiled and glossed it over, then made a gesture inviting Huodou to leave the Immortal Cave.

Huodou glanced at the corpse-like Zhu Fengdan—

She really was like a corpse. Currently, Zhu Fengdan's Physical Body was in a 'dead' state; if handed over to Fifth Rank worlds for an autopsy, they would find her to be undoubtedly a dead person.

Zhu Fengdan's 'playing dead' was 'playing dead' in the most literal sense—a death without the slightest flaw.

"Sigh, forget it. I really don't know how I took a liking to something like you. Let's go, little Disciple." Huodou pressed her hand to her forehead, sighed, and walked toward the door.

"Haha... although Master looks quite pathetic now, she must have been very charming back then." Li Qi followed behind Huodou and said.

These words caused a pair of ears to suddenly sprout on Huodou's head, and then those dark red beast ears twitched.

She turned her head happily: "Mm, kid, you understand well."

"To some extent, my wife and daughter are both very cute, so I can understand a little." Li Qi answered with a smile.

Huodou nodded thoughtfully: "True... in this regard, you are the Senior."

Between words, the two of them walked out of the Immortal Cave and arrived outside.

At this moment, Zhu Fengdan's corpse inside the Immortal Cave suddenly opened its eyes, her expression slightly subtle and hard to describe.

In her mind, she suddenly recalled experiences from many years ago.

At that time, high-spirited and as a famous Genius of the Nine Lands Under Heaven, as the third child of Zhu Rong, she often drove Zhu Rong's chariot.

In plain terms, as a young Genius, she liked to take her father's luxury car out for a spin.

Unlike her steady, music-loving eldest brother and her second brother, who had a bad relationship with their father and stayed away all year, she was quite pampered by her elders back then, just like Li Qi.

But unlike Li Qi, Fengdan was a very flamboyant person. Li Qi lived with his tail between his legs, paying attention to etiquette everywhere, not wanting to make enemies, and respecting Mortals.

But Zhu Fengdan was completely different; she had fully inherited the arrogance of the Heavenly Gods. She often drove her chariot across the Universe; where she passed, the clouds were as bright as day. She was surrounded by eight hundred different races, all singing in unison, breathing out clouds and mist. Where the chariot wheels rolled over, exotic fires would be born, accompanied by the sound of thunder, transforming into the shapes of rhinoceroses, elephants, lions, Dragons, snakes, dogs, and horses, or turning into tigers and wild oxen. From their mouths, infinite worlds were born, with strange gods appearing suddenly, incomparably dazzling.

The places she drove through back then would even become 'Extraterrestrial Wonders'.

After all, it was Zhu Rong's carriage.

At that time, the triumphant Zhu Fengdan noticed a wild dog that was always following behind the chariot.

When Zhu Rong's wheels rolled by, thunderous fire would burst from the wheels, filling the sky.

That poor wild dog would cautiously chase behind, swallowing the thunder-fire into its mouth to fill its belly. Although it ate happily, it would occasionally shrink its head and hide carefully, for fear of being seen by the Heavenly God atop the chariot.

But it was still discovered by Zhu Fengdan.

So, she stopped the chariot and walked toward that red-furred wild dog, which, finding itself exposed, had shrunk into a terrified ball... "Tsk." Zhu Fengdan waved her hand, dispersing the memories of the past.

Who would have thought that she would now be reduced to needing a wild dog to look after her injuries, and unable to even go out and support her beloved Disciple.

To end up like this today, it really is pathetic... ——————————

At the foot of the mountain outside the Immortal Cave, Li Qi walked behind Huodou, chatting about the past while taking a stroll.

"So, Master was very dazzling in the past?"

"You should have heard of it: those who possess the propriety of etiquette, the standards of dignity, the loftiness of appearance, and the quality of loyalty and faith are called 'Zhu'," Huodou said.

Li Qi nodded; he naturally knew this. In fact, someone had even said this to him back then.

Though it might sound a bit immodest, becoming a Invoker required talent, and one of the requirements was 'not being ugly'.

As a Invoker, you at least had to be handsome. This handsomeness wasn't necessarily just about looks; it could also be about temperament. But at the very least, when standing in a crowd, you had to naturally become the most eye-catching and dazzling one.

Back when Li Qi was a Boat Towmen, he was the most handsome guy in the Boat Towmen gang.

And Zhu Fengdan, even now, appeared elegant and unrestrained, despite being somewhat pathetic, unkempt, and having thrown her etiquette who-knows-where. Her reputation was even more completely ruined—stealing things, smashing windows, picking locks, and using force or trickery to seize things—she was simply the worst among the worst.

But from appearance alone, she was definitely a polished gem, far more handsome than Li Qi.

If she was like this now, then what about the past?

"In the past... back then, she was known as the 'Rising Star the Heavens Vie to Behold'."

When that past Zhu Fengdan was young, she must have had a face like a flower, unparalleled scholarship, plus her Heavenly God background and her attitude... elegant and unconventional, her voice like striking jade and gold, writing a thousand words while leaning on a horse, her talent and noble spirit already filling the world. So she was the 'Rising Star' that the heavens vied to see what she looked like.

Although no images had been passed down, Li Qi could imagine that a serious Zhu Fengdan would definitely have a majestic reputation, with an aura that suppressed even the fiercest beasts.

"The Rising Star the Heavens Vie to Behold..." Li Qi repeated, then looked back at Zhu Fengdan's Immortal Cave.

From a super nova that all the heavens and worlds paid attention to, to how she was now.

"Don't just look at her. Did you know? The attention you receive now is no less than what she had back then," Huodou said.

Between words, the two of them walked to a gazebo at the foot of the mountain.

There were some pedestrians resting in the gazebo, and their cultivation levels were not low; the lowest was Eighth Rank, and they looked like nearby farmers.

But that was also normal. This was the heart of Shaman God Mountain, where Spiritual Qi was abundant and the Great Source of Heaven and Earth was incredibly active. Even if one just did ordinary physical exercise here, like push-ups, digging soil, or planting vegetables, it was very easy to reach the Ninth Rank.

Yes, Ninth Rank—the kind that could split mountains and crack rocks in the outer realms, and could travel a thousand miles a day in the Nine Lands Under Heaven.

One didn't even need to do anything; just planting and eating vegetables daily was enough. Here, your 'upper limit' was different, and the strength your muscles could burst forth with was also completely different.

"The attention I receive now? To be honest, I don't have much of a sense of it. In fact, although it seems everyone has heard of me, not many come looking for me." Li Qi sat down and poured tea, giving a cup to Huodou and the resting farmers around them.

"How could they look for you?" Huodou shook her head and drank the tea in one gulp. "Those who want to know about you already pretty much know. Third Ranks aren't street thugs; it's impossible for them to really crowd around and chatter."

"True." Li Qi said, refilling Huodou's tea. "But, Senior Huodou, for you to suddenly tell me this, is there some deeper meaning?"

"Just small talk; how can there be so much deeper meaning in this world?" Huodou leaned against the gazebo. "I just saw the way Zhu Fengdan looked when she was young in you, and felt some sentimentality, that's all."

"So you want to chat more with me? Hmm... that actually counts as a kind of deeper meaning, but it's quite rare." Li Qi smiled and said.

"True, you've encountered too many things as a kid; I'm afraid you rarely have the chance to talk with people like this," Huodou said. "By the way, stop pouring tea. I don't like it; it's watery and boring."

"Then eat some of this." Li Qi took out his Smoldering Fire and then some Divine Wood.

Regarding Divine Wood, Li Qi's collection was actually quite large. Whether it was things like the World Tree from the outer realms or the 'Great Peach Wood' from the Nine Lands Under Heaven, he had collected some. He even had some pieces from the overseas regions where Shen Tu and Yu Lei resided, as well as the immortal trees of Penglai, all collected during his daily travels.

In this regard, perhaps he really was very much like Zhu Fengdan.

Except, Master Zhu usually took things without asking, while Li Qi usually collected or bought them himself.

Li Qi took out the Divine Wood and the Smoldering Fire that symbolized 'Fire Virtue', ignited it, and burned it into glowing red charcoal. He used Wind Qi and Thunder Qi to fan the flames, then used a spell to hold it, making it suspend in the air. "Consider these as some snacks; please enjoy."

Li Qi's hands couldn't touch this charcoal; even he would be burned. If it weren't suspended in the air but placed on the table, it would probably melt through immediately and drop to the center of the earth.

Charcoal made from Divine Wood ignited by a Third Rank's Proof of Fire Virtue could be exchanged for many worlds in the outer realms.

"This is more like it." Huodou picked up the charcoal with her bare hands and ate it like chewing on candy; such things suited her taste.

The two continued to chat, the topics basically revolving around Zhu Fengdan and what she was like when she was young.

This conversation lasted for about two quarters of an hour. It was clear Huodou didn't usually talk about these things with others, as it would seem out of place, but with Li Qi, it was no problem, so she appeared quite happy.

As the topic progressed—

"Speaking of which, I'd like to ask Senior Huodou to do me a favor," Li Qi suddenly said.

"Oh? Saying such things at a time like this? What, do you have some big plan?" Huodou swallowed the last piece of fire charcoal and looked at Li Qi curiously.

"I've been doing some things in the Desire Realm lately and have learned a lot about the Demonic Dao, but there's one thing I'm curious about."

"The term 'Yaomo' is often used; why is the Demonic Dao mentioned alongside the Yao? As a Great Yao, Senior Huodou should know some of the reasons, right?"