Peng Jingni arrived before the pool first, only to see two people seated below the waterfall. One of them was a large, tall man. He wore a set of white clothes with his black hair draping down. He sat there casually, but he gave off the same weight as a mountain, seeming unshakeable.
That must be Li Qingshan. He really does live up to his reputation!
The other person made Peng Jingni squint his eyes, leaving him astonished.
The Sickly Prince also hurried over. He saw Xiao An immediately and praised inside, To think that a beauty like that actually exists in this world. The wonders of creation truly are unbelievable!
“I am indeed. I wonder who the two of you are?” Li Qingshan studied the two of them and asked with a smile.
“Peng Jingni of the South Sea Sword pavilion.” “Qian Liangmu of the Myriad Poison cult.”
The two of them stated their identities at the same time, but they both felt rather dissatisfied. Isn’t this Li Qingshan a little too arrogant?
They possessed extraordinary backgrounds and exceptional talent, having made a name for themselves many years ago. No matter where they went, everyone would show them some respect, but not only did Li Qingshan not invite them to the main peak for discussion, he did not even stand up, gazing at them from above with absolutely no manners to speak of, asking for their names right from the get-go.
“So why have you travelled such a great distance to come here?” Li Qingshan leaned against his fist and looked away. He was rather curious about why they had come.
“I’ve covered a great distance to come visit because I have great riches and honour I wish to give to the commander, but there hasn’t even been a cup of hot tea or a chair. Isn’t that far too stingy of you? It doesn’t really match the title of King of Savages,” said Qian Liangmu.
Peng Jingni stood with his sword and remained silent. For once, he agreed with Qian Liangmu. He had specially come from the sea, playing the role of an envoy, so his personal sense of honour was of lesser importance, but he had to hold his ground and avoid bringing disgrace to the South Sea Sword pavilion’s reputation. How was he still supposed to negotiate if he was already getting off on the wrong foot, starting on uneven footing?
“Oh, I didn’t notice that. My apologies! Though, I don’t have any tea here, only alcohol. If you’re used to it, then we can drink together. If you’re not used to it, then the pool water is quite sweet and refreshing too.”
Li Qingshan smiled and fished out two jars of alcohol from his sumeru ring, tossing them to the two. He took out a jar of alcohol for himself and took a great swig.
Peng Jingni caught the alcohol and was mildly surprised. He said, “Why would I drink water if there’s alcohol?” He removed the seal and took a few gulps, praising, “That’s some fine alcohol!”
He did not say that out of courtesy. The taste of the alcohol needed no explanation, but when it came to the density of the spiritual qi, it was on par with pills and medicines. The alcohol could cause much bloodshed in the south. If he possessed a jar of alcohol like that, he would have never given it to anyone else to drink.
Li Qingshan went on a rampage in the south and obtained many spoils. The alcohol was only part of it. He had obtained it without much difficulty anyway, so he did not believe there was much to cherish.
Qian Liangmu took a few sips and also had nothing to say. He was confused. If Li Qingshan wanted to leave a powerful and vicious first impression, he would not have taken out such precious spiritual alcohol, but if he intentionally wanted to befriend them, he should not have been so haughty either.
He raised his head and met Li Qingshan’s bright eyes. Suddenly, he realised that Li Qingshan simply did not care. He did not care about how precious the jar of alcohol was, nor did he care who they were, much less how powerful the organisations behind them were.
You came here, so I invited you to a drink, to hear you out. That’s all.
Peng Jingni noticed this too. Even he who was renowned for his boldness and generosity could not help but feel admiration. It’s said that Li Qingshan is extremely arrogant, even saying something along the lines of ‘Those who abide by me will prosper, and those who defy me will die’. Now that I see him for myself, it’s more like bold and generous and not arrogant and haughty. If it were some other time, I’d definitely befriend him. However, the more he is like this, the harder he is to deal with. It probably won’t be easy to achieve the objective of this visit.
Peng Jingni glanced at Qian Liangmu, and Qian Liangmu happened to look over too. Their eyes met before parting immediately. They were instead more willing to see Li Qingshan call all ten cave masters here, whether it was to strengthen his appearance or to leave a powerful and vicious first impression. The more extravagant of a show he put on, the more it demonstrated he was trying to hide his weak position. Having been received like regular people really was troublesome. They felt like neither intimidation or promises of reward could achieve their expected outcome.
“As for chairs, there aren’t any here. You two can sit wherever you want. If you’re afraid of being positioned below me, you can just hover in the air.”
Li Qingshan said as he tilted the jar in his hand, feeding it to Xiao An beside him. Unlike how crude he was earlier, his movements were very delicate. He asked, “How does it taste?”
“Very nice.” Xiao An took a few small sips. Actually, to her, neither fine alcohol or foul water were any different to her senses. She just liked the alcohol he fed to her.
Peng Jingni flew up and sat down with his legs crossed on a boulder in front of him. Qian Liangmu smiled rather helplessly and chose another rock.
Peng Jingni said, “Fellow, the first cave master under your command, Yu Wufeng, is a traitor of our South Sea Sword pavilion. Ever since he was expelled thirty years ago, he’s been lying low in Savage mountain, only to unexpectedly submit to you. I’ve come under my master’s orders to ask you to return him to our South Sea Sword pavilion so that we can punish him.”
“I see. No Wind, you’ve been listening along for such a long time, so why don’t you come and meet your former junior brother?” Li Qingshan nodded.
A streak of light flew over from the main peak and landed in front of the waterfall. He said in correction, “It’s Wufeng!” After a moment of silence, he lowered his head. “My king.”
TL: “Wufeng” in Chinese can be translated literally as windless, while Li Qingshan had called him “Meifeng”, which means no wind. 无 (wú) and 没 (méi) basically mean the same thing, except wu is much more archaic and thus more formal, hence windless vs. no wind. Li Qingshan completely butchered his name.
“It’s all the same. Fellow Peng, is this the person?”
Peng Jingni saw Yu Wufeng and his eyes lit up. He immediately stood a little straighter and pulled his gaze back, saying to Li Qingshan, “That’s the person. You’ve helped us capture a traitor, so the South Sea Sword pavilion will definitely give you its thanks.”
“Yu Wufeng, are you willing to return to the South Sea Sword pavilion with this junior brother of yours?” Li Qingshan asked.
“I’m willing,” Yu Wufeng said after another moment of silence.
“I see!” Li Qingshan stroked his chin.
“This fellow Yu is not a traitor of the South Sea Sword pavilion, but a hero,” Qian Liangmu interrupted.
Peng Jingni glared at him. Sure enough, this bastard is trying to ruin everything for me.
“Why do you say that?” Li Qingshan asked.
“This is a public secret in the south. This brother Yu of the South Sea Sword pavilion is tasked with an important mission. His expulsion from his sect is all fake, and he’s joined Savage mountain to unify Savage mountain under him so that this place can serve as a springboard for the South Sea Sword pavilion to enter the southern region. That way, they can contend against our Myriad Poison cult.”
“Commander, if you let him go and he undergoes the third heavenly tribulation, becoming the pavilion master of the South Sea Sword pavilion, he’ll definitely seek revenge for the humiliation he’s suffered!”
Qian Liangmu glanced at Peng Jingni with a smile, mocking the South Sea Sword pavilion for their futile scheme, which ended up in everything falling apart. They had even lost their genius disciple.
Peng Jingni was about to rebuke him when Yu Wufeng sighed. “Junior brother, there’s no need to say anything more.” He smiled. “Deceiving others with a silken tongue has never been your forte. I’ve been tasked with an important mission, yet I’ve ended up like this. I’ve really let down our master as well as the sect.”
“Yes, senior brother.” Peng Jingni felt his heart heat up. He lowered his head.
Then Yu Wufeng said to Li Qingshan, “Commander Li, if you’re willing to show some benevolence, I’ll swear that I’ll never seek revenge for what happened recently, nor will I divulge any of your secrets. I’ll even lend you a hand such that you will have no more enemies in the south.”
His words hid killing intent, directed at the Myriad Poison cult.
Qian Liangmu asked, “I wonder how this oath compares to the blood oath? What a great plan, brother Yu. Is this trying to kill with a borrowed blade? Commander Li, a moment of mercy can lead to endless troubles.”
“There are many things that can replace the Blood Oath Scroll in the south, such as the Poisonous Oath gu, the Thousand Needle curse…”
Qian Liangmu interrupted him and said, “I wonder if any of these items can bind a third heavenly tribulation cultivator? Don’t tell me you’re trying to take advantage of the fact that the commander is unfamiliar with the shaman gu, curses, and techniques of the south?”
The two of them engaged in a verbal battle, but at the end, Qian Liangmu possessed a silver tongue, striking the core of the issue with every word that he said. He completely shut up Yu Wufeng, forcing him to just bow deeply towards Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan answered with a question, “If you were in my shoes, what would you choose to do?”
Yu Wufeng had nothing to say in response to that. He was dejected.
“Then I’ll make the same response,” said Li Qingshan.
“Fellow Li, are you really looking down on our South Sea Sword pavilion?” Peng Jingni straightened himself up and barked furiously.
“Please calm down, fellow Peng. It won’t be a good idea to leave no more room for negotiation.” Li Qingshan glanced at him quietly. There was no killing intent, but it made Peng Jingni shiver inside. Yu Wufeng’s gaze towards him became even more solemn. It made him remember how it was like when he learned the sword many years ago.
“I’ve lost my composure. Please forgive me, fellow!”
Peng Jingni glanced at Qian Liangmu from the corner of his eye. Sure enough, he was smiling in his eyes. If they really fell out and the South Sea Sword pavilion ventured deep into the south to attack Savage mountain, it would only make Li Qingshan lean towards the Myriad Poison cult. Additionally, he still possessed a hostage that the South Sea Sword pavilion could not give up on.
“You don’t need to hate me. When your senior brother drew his sword against me in the past, didn’t he want to kill me? The path of cultivation has always been about doing all that you can for a chance at survival. I won’t hate him either. It’s not impossible for me to release him in the future, but definitely not right now. I don’t need to explain the reason why. You probably know the reason why.”
Li Qingshan maintained a sliver of hope for Yu Wufeng and the South Sea Sword pavilion as he spoke.
“I’m clumsy with words, so there are many things I won’t be able to explain clearly. I’d like to invite you to the South sea. Our master will definitely give you a satisfying outcome, fellow,” said Peng Jingni.
“Commander, be careful of the trap,” Qian Liangmu said nonchalantly, which made Peng Jingni grind his teeth furiously.
“Alright, we will go.”
The speaker was not Li Qingshan, but Xiao An, who had been listening along silently the entire time.
Peng Jingni rejoiced inside and looked at Li Qingshan again.
“If she agrees, then I’ve agreed.”
Li Qingshan had been fine with both. Since Xiao An had spoken, she definitely had a plan in mind. As long as they did not enter the South Sea Sword pavilion, then even if he faced the powerful sword cultivator there, he was confident enough to take a stand, not to mention there was the spirit turtle to forebode fate.
Qian Liangmu opened his mouth, but he closed it again. When a woman like her spoke, even he would find it very difficult to turn her down, let alone changing his mind after turning her down. Li Qingshan was clearly a resolute person too, and this matter could potentially present an opportunity.
Peng Jingni let out a sigh of relief. This result could be regarded as barely satisfactory. He never thought he would feel so pressured when he faced Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan said, “Prince Qian, let’s hear what your great riches and honour are.”
Peng Jingni was in no hurry to report back. He simply sat there, waiting for Qian Liangmu to speak.
