On the tree branch under the white hawk’s talons were several structures. They were all tree houses built into the branch. There were huge baskets woven from vines hanging beneath the branch with people moving about. They had completely transformed a tree branch into a floating garden, which was filled with an exotic vibe.
White Wolf guards in white uniforms embroidered with white wolves moved between the strangely-shaped structures. Despite all being first heavenly tribulation cultivators, their valiant, handsome uniform just seemed like they had stolen it from somewhere when they wore it.
They either rolled up their sleeves all the way up their arms, or they tied the hem of their uniform to their waists. Basically all of them moved around with bare feet. Out of the ten people there, eight of them stared at Xiao An beside Li Qingshan. From how they ogled at her, they did not seem like cultivators at all. They seemed more like perverts that had never seen women before for their past eight lives.
Out of the remaining two, one was ready to take pleasure in Li Qingshan’s misfortune. He seemed unconcerned, like he was watching a show.
The last one was filled with surprise. He asked with a strange tone, “White Wolf commander? White Wolf commander of what?”
“The White Wolf commander of the South Sea commandery, obviously. Send your White Hawk commander over to see me!”
Li Qingshan was rather surprised. He had been appointed as their White Wolf commander, yet these guards actually had no idea, or were they just putting on an act?
“That’s quite a big mouth you have, sir. You’re just a White Wolf commander, so it should be you who sees our commander instead!” said an undisciplined White Wolf guard.
It was a mystery just how many rings he had through his ears and nostrils, and he was even covered in green paint. It only took a single glance to tell he came from a shaman tribe. His face was filled with contempt.
“Who are you supposed to be? How can you speak to me like that?”
Li Qingshan frowned. Even a mere White Wolf guard was provoking him, so his confidence must have come from somewhere. Was the White Hawk commander trying to test him? Or did he have some powerful background? From the cultivation he had achieved at such a young age, he must have had the guidance of a master. Perhaps he came from a demonic sect.
“You’ll obviously find out about my name in the future. Commander, why don’t you tell us the name of the beauty beside you instead?” The White Wolf guard was indolent and disrespectful. He did not take Li Qingshan seriously at all.
Xiao An glanced at Li Qingshan, and Li Qingshan smiled. Suddenly, he vanished from where he was and appeared in front of the White Wolf guard, reaching over with his hand.
“You-”
Even the White Wolf guard had never expected Li Qingshan to attack him at whim as soon as he arrived. Green smoke rose up from his body, and a foul smell assaulted the nose. It was clearly poison.
Li Qingshan ignored the poisonous smoke and gripped him firmly by the throat, lifting him up.
“Do you know who my master is?” The White Wolf guard’s face turned purple; he struggled with his feet, but his face was just as vicious as before. “If you even touch a hair on me, you won’t be able to take another step in the South sea.”
“I’ll obviously find out when he comes for revenge. Moreover, it’s not like I’m going to be walking around, so why would I be afraid of being unable to take another step?” Li Qingshan smiled. He did not give off any murderousness or malice. Someone like him was not worth getting serious over.
“This one is Chen Junyan. Sir, you are the bigger man, so please spare my lowly life. I’ll never do it again! From today onwards, I’m willing to serve you like a horse and follow you wherever you go. I’m most familiar with the South Sea commandery!”
To Li Qingshan’s surprise, the White Wolf guard who had been so aggressive just a moment ago suddenly changed his attitude and began pleading loudly for his life. He was completely unfazed by all his colleagues watching from the surroundings, sucking up to Li Qingshan as much as possible.
He cursed inside viciously, This unlucky bastard who got transferred to the South sea is no joke, and he actually wants to kill me. A clever man avoids troubles he can easily avoid. Once I escape today, there’ll be plenty of suffering waiting for him in the future. He’s come to the South Sea commandery, yet he doesn’t know how to tuck his tail between his legs and watch himself. Does he really think he’s invincible just by undergoing the second heavenly tribulation?
“Heh, your name is pretty elegant. I’ll send you off today!” Li Qingshan did not waver, picking him up off the ground.
“Release him!”
A streak of light rushed over from the lush canopy and turned into a small, skinny old man with slanted eyes. His white clothes depicted a soaring, white hawk, making him the White Hawk commander of the South Sea commandery.
“Subordinate Li Qingshan greets the commander. May I ask for your esteemed name, commander?” Li Qingshan said, but he showed no respect at all. He continued to hold the White Wolf guard.
This old bastard was clearly watching from above. Maybe he’s even behind what happened today.
“I’m Huang Siqin. So you’re Li Qingshan. I’ve heard about you, I’ve heard about you!” Huang Xiqin studied Li Qingshan before glancing at Xiao An beside him. The message he had received from prince Si Qing a few days ago crossed his mind again.
They were the two genius disciples of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga; they were both under the age of thirty and had undergone the second heavenly tribulation. Their future prospects were immeasurable. Because one of them had offended prince Si Qing, he had been transferred here.
Prince Si Qing wanted Li Qingshan dead. He said he would definitely give Huang Siqin heavy thanks afterwards and would even potentially transfer him back to the Dragon province! Huang Siqin had absolutely no interest in returning to the Dragon province. He had been transferred here many years ago, and he had already adjusted completely to the lifestyle here. He had contact with the various organisations in the South Sea commandery, and he was even secretly a guest elder for several sects.
Now that the empire was declining and the demonic path was rising up once more, his status grew with it. No matter who, as long as they wanted to unite the demonic cultivators of the South Sea commandery, they would need him pulling strings from within. Even the Mist capital had a use for him. Having lost the motivation to push for the third heavenly tribulation, he used almost a century to build a network of connections.
He possessed extraordinary power here. When he needed to, he could even make certain powerful cultivators that had undergone the third heavenly tribulation take action for him. As a result, he did not care too much about prince Si Qing’s heavy thanks, but he still decided to do this for him.
The two of them had identities that were far too dazzling. Since they had come to the South sea, the more of a genius they were, the more they could forget about leaving this place alive. Two orthodox disciples coming here was basically like throwing two embers into the boundless ocean. No matter how powerful they were, they could not avoid the fate of being extinguished.
All he was doing was abiding to the circumstances!
Of course, there was always a way out of this. He also gave them a chance to survive. As long as they obeyed his orders, understood their limits, and behaved like two good dogs that knew how to wag their tails, he did not mind helping them out and leading them on a path of survival.
He could completely neglect prince Si Qing’s rage. Everything depended on the benefit he could derive from it.
But looking at it now, the two of them really did not know how to behave themselves. They had missed out on the fantastic opportunity he had given them. In particular, that Li Qingshan had actually laid his hands directly on his subordinate. He really had no idea what kind of situation he was in.
Huang Siqin felt sorry for them inside, Since you’re determined to set off on a path of death, I’m not going to stop you. That one called Li Qingshan is arrogant and stubborn, so he’s easier to deal with. In comparison, that woman with the dharma name “One Will” hasn’t demonstrated anything just yet, and she’s an unbelievable beauty. Even he became interested after seeing her.
However, all of this was merely trifles. The Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga was tens of thousand kilometers away, but standing behind them were still two Monk Kings after all. He still had to handle this matter carefully, just in case he attracted trouble.
Huang Siqin made up his mind and smiled. “I didn’t expect you to come so soon, so I didn’t notify the boys. Release him and come with me. I’ll go arrange a banquet right now to welcome you after your long journey! The Mist province might be a land of wilderness, but it has its own charms too.”
“Alright!”
Li Qingshan tossed Chen Junyan in his hands towards the ground with a bit of force.
With a thunk, a living person was smashed to a pulp. Blood splattered, and he did not even have the time to howl out.
“All he said were a few words of disrespect! Aren’t you going too far?” Huang Siqin’s face changed drastically. He never expected Li Qingshan to actually kill him, and he did so right in front of him. That was basically no different from slapping his face. Meanwhile, the girl remained as expressionless as ever. Was she really a buddhist disciple?
“Then you better make sure they watch their words in the future, commander!” Li Qingshan said.
Li Qingshan did not come to the South Sea commandery to compromise. The fifth layer of the tiger demon did not arise from discretion either. Instead, it came from fighting and killing, the more enemies the better!
If he were still in the Green province, he would never kill a White Wolf guard so casually. The fact that the Mist province was a lawless land was instead a good thing to him. He was trying to force Huang Siqin into flipping out and attacking him. Then he could be promoted to White Hawk commander.
“Do you know who his master is?” Huang Siqin asked with a sunken face.
“I’ll obviously find out when he comes for revenge. Don’t you think so, commander Huang?” Li Qingshan stared at Huang Siqin and smiled.
“Then have you heard about the concept that even great external forces might struggle to triumph over local powers?”
Originally, Huang Siqin planned on expressing good will at first and winning over Li Qingshan. Then he would make use of his identity as a White Hawk commander to send him off on various dangerous missions. If Li Qingshan died, it would not be his fault, and if he survived, then that would be equivalent to gaining a powerful bruiser. However, he never expected Li Qingshan to not take him seriously at all. He had no intentions of befriending him either, making his plan fall apart completely.
“Shut your mouth! I could tell with a single glance that an old bastard like you was up to no good! I, Li Qingshan, have come to the South Sea commandery, have become the White Wolf commander, not to waste time blabbering nonsense with you! Instead, I’ve come to purge demons and maintain justice. Those who abide by me will prosper, and those who defy me will die! Hahahaha!” Li Qingshan laughed madly.
His voice echoed through the forest, reaching everyone’s ears in the commandery city of South Sea, which made them all look over. They wondered just who was bold enough to boast like that. Were they crazy?
He tried to put on a righteous act, but his words and actions made him seem like a major villain instead.
Huang Siqin was dumbfounded. He had never imagined that an orthodox sect of the Green province, a buddhist holy land of cultivation, could actually produce such a disciple! He completely ignored any rules of etiquette and was completely unreasonable.
“Huang Siqin, as the White Hawk commander, not only do you abuse your privileges without doing a stroke of work, but you even collude with demonic cultivators to bring harm upon all. Your crimes will not be forgiven today, and you will be punished with death. What do you have to say?”
Li Qingshan’s laughter stopped, and he pointed straight at Huang Siqin, berating him furiously. A magnificent red light poured out of his eyes, and he surged with demon qi.
I don’t have any idea whether Huang Siqin is actually colluding with demonic cultivators, but who cares! I’ll be promoted as soon as I kill him. If I see that bird woman again, we’ll be on equal footing.
“What evidence do you have? You’re making an unfounded accusation against me!” Huang Siqin was furious. Suddenly, a great sense of danger filled his heart.
“You traitor of the orthodoxy and scum of the demonic cultivators! Go explain yourself to the king of hell!”
