Li Qingshan had never thought that the place where Gu Yanying wanted to see him would be Cloudwisp island.
Within the flickering bamboo forest were clothes even whiter than snow. It was another winter.
Her illusionary figure was already right before him. Li Qingshan focused his mind and walked over. “Greetings, commander Gu!”
Gu Yanying looked back. Her gaze was like a hawk’s, as if she wanted to see through him completely.
Li Qingshan raised his head and met her gaze. His memories from two years ago were suddenly verified. None of it was fake or a dream. He was just wet behind the ears in the past, but after going through so much and witnessing so much, did he still possess the same courage?
Gu Yanying suddenly smiled, like the breeze of early spring. It seemed warm, but it was still cold, passing by freely.
“You…” The white clothes drifted past before him. Li Qingshan was slightly surprised. She had specially called him here, yet she said nothing to him at all. What was the meaning of this?
Gu Yanying stopped and looked back. “I was originally prepared to tell you something, but it looks like there’s no need for that now.”
There was no fury or dissatisfaction, nor was there abjection or self-deprecation. There was only firm determination. To a man like that, there was no need for her to say anything at all. All she had to do was watch and see which step he could make it to.
Li Qingshan said, “You might as well say it.”
“Then I’ll give you a word of advice. A piece of trash like you won’t have the right to drink tea with me even in a hundred years’ time. How’s that?” Gu Yanying could not help but laugh.
Li Qingshan remained silent for a while. He replied, “That’s quite old-fashioned.”
Gu Yanying tapped her chin with her fan. “Really? I can’t think of a worse way to say it. As long as you get what I mean!”
Those who were truly powerful would not go around everyday calling others ants. All they would do was step over the ant nest unwittingly. Why would anyone purposefully crouch down on the ground and point at a group of ants, saying “You stupid, weak insects.” unless there was something wrong with their head?
Li Qingshan said, “Is that the second word of advice you’ve gifted me?”
“The Green province spans fifteen thousand kilometers. The jianghu is only but a corner.” This was the first word of advice she had given him, and he had already achieved it. He had emerged from the conflict of the jianghu and arrived in the Academy of the Hundred Schools, the stage where cultivators clashed.
Gu Yanying raised her folding fan. Atmospheric winds swept around it and carved a sentence into a verdant bamboo stalk to the side. “A piece of trash like you won’t have the right to drink tea with me even in a hundred years’ time.”
She waved her fan again, and the piece of bamboo was carved out, arriving before Li Qingshan.
“Keep it. You’re welcome to throw it before me in the future with your head held high. Good bye, little bro Qingshan!”
Her voice still lingered in the bamboo forest, but she had already taken to the skies, without leaving a single trace behind.
During the battle this time, the White Lotus cult almost faced complete destruction. Only the White Lotus Mother managed to escape. However, it was at a tremendous cost to her cultivation, and she even sustained heavy wounds. She could no longer pose any harm anymore. Perhaps she would recover her strength in the future and come out to stir up a storm again.
However, she no longer possessed the right to be her opponent. To her, this game of chess was already over. When the White Lotus Mother fled, she did not even pursue her. All she did was watch this old rival of hers leave one last time. Hopefully, she would be clever enough to not show up again, or bide her time until she had left the Ruyi commandery at the very least!
Li Qingshan returned to the bamboo courtyard. Hua Chengzan was waiting in there. He asked, “What did she say to you?”
“Here!” Li Qingshan passed the bamboo piece to Hua Chengzan.
Hua Chengzan’s expression became quite strange.
“Do you want me to pass this to you instead? I think it suits you better than me.”
“Piss off. Keep it for yourself!” Hua Chengzan tossed it back to him.
Liu Chuanfeng emerged from inside. He rubbed his bleary eyes. “Qingshan, you’re back. Ah, it’s already so late. The alcohol’s got quite the kick.”
Li Qingshan and Hua Chengzan smiled bitterly at one another. As others were shaking in fear, fighting for their lives, he was having the snooze of his life.
……
Hua Chengzan said, “It’s just a joke, but it’s also the truth. Do you understand what I feel now?”
Li Qingshan said, “That’s the truth for you. Don’t pull me down to the same level as you. If it weren’t for the fact that you’re a little handsome, I would have cut a piece of trash like you off a long time ago.”
“You’re saying I’m a piece of trash?”
“Piece of trash. If you think you’re so capable, why don’t you go establish a foundation?”
“Alright, just you wait!”
The next day, Hua Chengzan entered secluded cultivation.
He might not have shown it, but the mental shock he had experienced was probably even greater than Li Qingshan’s. No one had told him any details from the beginning till the end. He had almost lost his life in the attack, and in the end, that person did not even bother to talk to him anymore than she needed to. He even paled in comparison to Li Qingshan in this aspect.
If you’re thinking that my special treatment in the past is a reason for you to abandon yourself, then I’ll just treat you like a Qi Practitioner! Since we’re already destined to be worlds apart, why should I waste this time on you?
……
Li Qingshan carefully studied the black seed pod under the lantern light. He also tried to remove a lotus seed. It seemed like a black pearl, shining like a gem. It seemed to contain a strange power.
However, it was not a pill or medicine he could directly convert into daemon qi or true qi. Since the black lotus had only grown with the sacrifice of the entire Ancient Wind city, several tens of thousand lives, did that mean it was the essence of flesh and blood? He had to show it to Xiao An.
As he thought of that, a petite figure appeared at the door silently. She leapt into Li Qingshan’s arms again. It was Xiao An.
“What’s wrong?”
“I was scared I won’t be able to see you again.”
A clash between two Golden Core cultivators was like a natural disaster. No matter how powerful a Qi Practitioner was, they would still be in a precarious situation, constantly in fear. She had no choice over how she reacted either. She found death meaningless, but she was unable to find separation meaningless.
“Don’t worry. You’ll always be able to see me again. Let’s venture beyond the Nine Heavens together!” Li Qingshan pecked her hair and showed the lotus pod to her. “Is this of any use to you?”
As soon as Xiao An held the seed pod, she felt the surging life force inside. This was the only power that she could convert into her own cultivation through her flames.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Looks like I didn’t return with nothing this time. I don’t know why, but Altar Lord Black Lotus didn’t take the entire seed pod with him, making it easy pickings for us.”
Back then, the Altar Lord had unleashed all the power of the black lotus. He was ready to perish together with them. If he had plucked the entire seed pod, then the black lotus would immediately lose its core, and it would not be able to unleash any more power. The school leaders were not ignorant children. They could not be scared off by a mere demonstration of power.
It was exactly that violent explosion that had reduced Ancient Wind city to ruins, and in the centre of the explosion was absolute darkness. Even with the school leaders’ eyes, they were unable to see what was going on in there. The seed pod had fallen into the pond at this exact moment.
The carp had leapt up and swallowed it, but it was unable to digest it, which was why it spat it back out. The lotus pod did not give off any light or spiritual qi either, such that Li Qingshan had failed to notice it even when he stood beside the pond. The various school leaders were in a hurry to hunt down the Altar Lord or provide assistance to the academy, which made it even more impossible for them to look around carefully. This was how it had fallen into the great carp’s possession.
