“Oh? When then?” Ye Weiyang asked.
“When I undergo the third heavenly tribulation and become qualified to inherit the position of Shadow Queen!” Ye Liusu said calmly.
Li Qingshan could not help but burst out laughing. She truly was a woman who had followed him for all this time. She also had her own lofty aspirations!
Ye Weiyang said, “What bold words! Do you have any idea just how difficult it is to take that step? If you had my assistance, then perhaps you might still have a chance. Have you also been deluded by this kid?”
“Ma’am Shadow Queen, do you have any idea just how many hardships we’ve faced as we made our way here step by step? You wouldn’t be wrong to call it being deluded, but more accurately, it’s repaying favours. Around a decade ago, we were still dragging out an ignoble existence underground, split into six clans that killed one another. We were treated as slaves and playthings. For a very long time, no one could even undergo the second heavenly tribulation. Yet today, we’re able to live in peace under the great banyan tree, in this blessed land of cultivation, all because of him.”
Ye Liusu looked at the Great Banyan Tree King before looking away and looking at Li Qingshan. Her gaze was filled with sincerity.
Ye Weiyang frowned. “He’s just using you.”
“That’s what I hope too, but unfortunately, our value to him is far so limited. He’s always been very busy too, with absolutely no time to even bother with us. Most of the time, we only rest and build up strength in the places he’s provided to us. There’s no longer a lot of aspects we can assist him with now.”
Ye Liusu sighed glumly.
“Don’t you want to return to your race? I’m your clansmen, your senior!” Ye Weiyang pressed down on Ye Liusu’s shoulders, but from both her height and outer appearance, she seemed younger than her.
“It’s like being a big fish in a small pond compared to a small fish in a big pond. I know that night roamers should gather together, which was why I agreed to return to the Shadow palace and follow your lead. However, the Shadow palace won’t be all peaceful either. After going through all that, how can I not understand that status is earned through strength?” Ye Liusu bowed.
Ye Weiyang could tell that Ye Liusu was determined, and she could not be persuaded with words, while Ye Liuxing stood firmly by Ye Liusu’s side too, so she simply gave up on them. She arrived on the huge, twisted roots of the banyan tree and said loudly, “I am the master of the Shadow palace, the king of night roamers. Who is willing to return to the Shadow palace with me?”
The night roamers all gathered beneath the tree. When they heard that, they looked at one another, but no one stood forward. Regular night roamers respected Ye Liusu very much, and they were reluctant to give up on their current, peaceful lives, while the stronger night roamers had all lived through the age when they killed one another in Cobweb city, so they had their doubts.
Ye Weiyang finally realised these night roamers were different from the night roamers she had absorbed in the past. None of them were in a hurry to return to their clansmen. She looked at Li Qingshan. “Looks like you’ve really been treating them well.”
“As you’ve seen.” Li Qingshan took a sip of tea with a smile.
Ye Weiyang returned to her seat rather agitatedly. She said to Ye Liusu, “Little one, looks like you’re determined to stay here. I know that lowly scum has taught you a lot of things from the Shadow palace, but do you know that a man like him can’t come into contact with the true, central secret techniques?”
Ghost Shadow, who had been holding his breath and playing dead the whole time, shuddered. The Shadow Queen even refused to mention his name, clearly holding great resentment towards him. If he returned to the Shadow palace again, there definitely would not be anything good waiting for him.
“Please guide me, master!” Ye Liusu bowed in front of Ye Weiyang.
Ye Weiyang became exasperated too. She pointed at her. “You sure have made quite the calculations! You refuse to listen to me, yet you want to take me as your master!”
Ye Liusu said, “I believe you share the same mentality as me.”
“What mentality?”
“You hope the night roamers can develop and grow in strength so that they can gaze at the moon and stars freely, no longer oppressed by anyone!”
Ye Liusu raised her head and directly met Ye Weiyang’s eyes. Because that originated from the bottom of her heart, she seemed extremely sincere. This was her dream that had undergone countless tests but had never changed. Compared to her personal interests and sense of honour, she placed greater priority on the entire race. Even if many of her clansmen wanted her to die, she would not change this mentality.
Ye Weiyang was touched by her. Some things could not be faked, let alone fool her eyes.
Li Qingshan said, “Fellow Shadow Queen, they’re still night roamers at the end of the day.”
“We night roamers are talking! We don’t need an outsider like you butting in!”
Ye Weiyang barked. Before she knew it, she had already begun treating Li Qingshan much more kindly. Moments prior, she had been filled with killing intent towards Li Qingshan, even refusing the Great Banyan Tree King’s intervention, primarily because he had enslaved her clansmen. Now that this misunderstanding had been cleared up, she understood everything was completely different from what she believed. Not only was he no oppressor, but he could even be interpreted as their liberator and protector from a certain perspective.
“Then I better take my leave first as an outsider! Liusu, spend some time with this senior of yours and have a proper talk.”
Li Qingshan shrugged with a smile. He stood up and pulled Ye Liusu into his original seat.
A major reason for the success of this intervention was her ingenious tongue. With how much the Shadow Queen valued her people, she would never give up until she reached her objective, but if they submitted to the Shadow palace so easily, not only would it leave him humiliated, but it would also risk many of his secrets as well. This could be described as the best outcome.
“Alright, Qingshan,” said Ye Liusu.
Li Qingshan was taken aback, and he touched her cheek. He smiled. “Sure enough, you’ve found some courage when someone is backing you up. I wanted to leave you at ease earlier, but actually I don’t really want you to go either.”
He had never been a person who cared much about how he was referred to anyway. From a certain perspective, he was actually a person who sought equality very much. Back in the Clear River prefecture, even when his cultivation completely surpassed Hua Chengzan and the others, he never considered strutting around above them. He continued to treat them like equals.
But in this world, you could not get along with everyone like that. There would always be some scoundrel who thought they were better than you. There would always be enemies where you needed to talk with the fist. If you did not tread over them, they would not know what you were made of.
Ye Liusu reddened slightly. She only wanted to show the Shadow Queen that their relationship was not as simple as a master and a servant in hopes that the Shadow Queen could drop her guard and pass on the secret techniques to her.
Li Qingshan felt his arm tighten. Xiao An’s slender fingers dug in deeply, so he let out a laugh, turned around, and left.
Ghost Shadow really was like a shadow, drifting away with Li Qingshan. He prayed inside that the Shadow Queen had placed all her attention on Ye Liusu and the others and had not noticed his actions.
“You lowly scum, stop right there!” Ye Weiyang glanced over and barked.
Ghost Shadow stiffened and became utterly silent, turning around and kneeling.
“Li Qingshan, this lowly scum is from my Shadow palace. He’s spent the past few years messing around in the south, even calling himself the greatest assassin of the south. Why doesn’t he take a piss and check himself in the reflection? How humiliating! Please remove the blood oath so that he can return to the Shadow palace with me and continue with what he’s supposed to be doing.”
Ye Weiyang was talking to Li Qingshan, but her eyes were locked firmly on Ghost Shadow, like a black panther eyeing its prey. Women were very vengeful!
“Save me, my king!”
ps: 经过虎魔炼骨之后，感觉好多了!什么时候再来个凤凰涅槃呢?^_^
