Qian Rongzhi listened to Li Qingshan’s plan and asked, “Won’t you just be walking into a trap? The greatest parlour of the Sect of Clouds and Rain is located in Clear River city. They won’t spare you, nor will they spare Xiao An, unless you have Xiao An enter the Academy of the Hundred Schools too.”
“That’s what I intend to do. The sect might be strong, but they won’t be able to directly touch me in the academy.” Li Qingshan rubbed Xiao An’s head. With her talent, entering the Academy of the Hundred Schools should not be difficult.
Qian Rongzhi said, “The Academy of the Hundred Schools is the foundation of the empire, so it’s the last place where they’ll let sects interfere. The most dangerous place also happens to be the safest. There are still a few days until the academy begins to accept students, so what are you planning to do?”
“Secluded cultivation,” Li Qingshan said calmly. He needed to use the resources in his possession to break through to a higher level. In this world, only strength served as the greatest safeguard.
“That’s clever. There are special dwellings for secluded cultivation on the mountain. As long as you don’t leave the mountain, the Sect of Clouds and Rain won’t be able to do anything to you.”
This was another reason why Li Qingshan chose to return to the Hawkwolf Guard. The human world was different from the daemon world, and the laws were much more complicated. Having lost Milliped’s protection, the Hawkwolf Guard would be much safer than underground.
It was completely possible for Li Qingshan to go from somewhere safe to another safe place and avoid conflict with the Sect of Clouds and Rain altogether until he possessed enough power. However, that was only if he could gain a footing on the mountain.
Qian Rongzhi smiled. “Leave that up to me. I’m technically a commander right now, after all!”
Temporarily leaving Xiao An in the residence, Qian Rongzhi tidied herself slightly in front of the mirror. Without putting on any cosmetics, she took Li Qingshan to see the current Black Hawk commander.
Li Qingshan felt that Qian Rongzhi’s transformation was no smaller than his own. She had completely lost her flirtatiousness, as well as the arrogant temperament of a young miss she displayed when he first met her. It was as if she had ascended from vulgarity, becoming dignified and simple but elegant.
However, calling this transformation an internal change would be taking it too far. It was more like putting on a new disguise to adapt to the new environment. Because of the Method of Clouds and Rain, this disguise had become even more difficult to see through, and her thoughts were now hidden deeper too. In her hands, she had managed to completely unleash the value of the arts of charm. It was nowhere near as simple as seducing men.
However, Li Qingshan bore in mind that this woman was definitely not a good person. Regular bad people might have been able to repent on their ways and become a saint, but only the cleverest and dumbest would remain stubborn in their ways. Regular people could all be captivated and led astray, becoming indecisive and uncertain. Only the cleverest and the dumbest people would persist with what they believed in and remain the same.
While he disliked this woman, he had to admit that she was basically one of “the cleverest”. Once a person like that had believed in something, it was basically impossible for them to change their minds.
It just happened to be early in the morning right now. A few Hawkwolf guards emerged from their residences to go eat breakfast.
Li Qingshan discovered that he was familiar with most of them. Qian Rongzhi introduced, “After you left, we held another large-scale recruitment process to fill in the empty spaces. It was very intense, so it is a pity that you couldn’t see it for yourself. Though, it’s not like you lack spectacles like that.”
“Good morning, commander!” Some of the newcomers greeted Qian Rongzhi enthusiastically when they saw her. Seeing Li Qingshan beside her, they were all rather surprised. This young man was also a Black Wolf guard, so why had they never seen him before? What was his relationship with the commander?
On the other hand, the few who did recognise Li Qingshan reacted much more violently. Their eyes widened as their mouths dropped. The two commanders of Jiaping city, along with a group of elite Hawkwolf guards, had basically been annihilated, and it all traced back to Li Qingshan.
“Good morning,” Qian Rongzhi replied with a smile. She was gentle like an elder sister of the neighbourhood, such that she gave off a good impression as soon as people saw her. They could not help but develop some respect for her.
Li Qingshan felt like even if he told these people about Qian Rongzhi’s viciousness, none of them would believe it. It made him think of a saying. People who actually hid their thoughts well would never appear like they were good at hiding their thoughts. As a matter of fact, they would appear to be even gentler than regular people.
Zhuo Zhibo completely paled in comparison to her in this aspect. When a venomous snake hid its venomous fangs, or even the fact that it was a venomous snake, it would be when it was the most terrifying.
“Commander, who’s this kid?”
At this moment, a group of four or five Black Wolf guards blocked the way. They were brimming with hostility. The leader was a fifth layer Qi Practitioner, around thirty years of age. He had a fearsome appearance and was extremely ugly. He studied Li Qingshan curiously.
Qian Rongzhi said, “This is your senior.”
“Hah. He’s still wet behind the ears, and he’s my senior? We sure have a lot of seniors, including a woman and a child. The position befitting women is beneath men!”
The ugly man and the Black Wolf guards around him roared with laughter.
Li Qingshan originally thought they had nothing better to do and were just trying to fight for Qian Rongzhi’s favour, but at a closer glance, he realised that they had come for Qian Rongzhi. The ugly leader was also a fifth layer Qi Practitioner, so he probably was not particularly happy with Qian Rongzhi as his commanding officer.
Li Qingshan had guessed correctly. In order to fill up the ranks of the Hawkwolf Guard quickly, they had loosened the standard in the recruitment process this time. They accepted all sorts of people, so it was impossible to avoid both the good and the bad. This ugly man was not an easy nut to crack. He originated from a tiny sect and gathered a group of his seniors and juniors who specially targeted Qi Practitioners to kill. They never touched regular people, which was why they had not made it onto the blacklist.
He was a fifth layer Qi Practitioner just like Qian Rongzhi. He personally believed he had spent plenty of time and effort on cultivation, and he had the support of his seniors and juniors too, so why would he be willing to remain below Qian Rongzhi? As a result, he provoked her many times to disrupt her authority.
Qian Rongzhi frowned slightly. She seemed both pitiful and helpless. The Black Wolf guards who walked passed all showed displeasure, but they were afraid of speaking up. They all sighed inside over how she was just too soft-hearted.
Li Qingshan glanced at her. “Looks like you haven’t managed to win everyone over with the recruitment this time.”
If a person was just too good at enduring abuse and disguising their emotions, some people would find them weak and also an easy target. Nothing could be done about this.
The ugly man pointed at Li Qingshan. “Kid, you hang with us!” Originally, he planned on recruiting people as soon as he joined the Hawkwolf Guard; he wanted to pull all the newcomers to his side. However, while this damn woman was weak, she knew how to win over people, so a lot of people ended up detesting him instead. He had to do her properly sooner or later.
Suddenly, he saw how Li Qingshan was quite powerful, a fourth layer Qi Practitioner. Moreover, he was young, so he was easy to control. As such, he wanted to rope him in.
Li Qingshan said, “Piss off.”
“Brother, this kid doesn’t know how to appreciate kindness.”
“You’re looking to die!”
The ugly man lost his temper too. He spat out a few threats before suddenly meeting Li Qingshan’s eyes. The blazing anger in his heart suddenly cooled off. What kind of eyes were they? As they looked at him, it did not seem like they were looking at something alive. He began to perspire for some reason.
Who knew how many Qi Practitioners below the sixth layer Li Qingshan had killed. When he was underground, he even broke his own limit and started a massacre. Looking at these people now, they seemed no different from livestock. If he were in the wilderness, he would not even bother with telling them to piss off. He would just kill them all.
There was no need for him to purposefully display his murderousness. This aura arose naturally, stunning and frightening the enemy.
Qian Rongzhi was extremely skilled at observing and reading the minds of people. She trembled slightly. He was becoming more and more terrifying. She had to be even more careful in the future. Just what had he gone through in the past few months?
This was the dignity of a tiger.
