Chapter 213 – Safe and Sound (1/2)

Li Qingshan struggled to believe his eyes. He had already thought of many predicaments Yu Zijiang could potentially be going through, such as carrying several hundred kilograms of firewood on her shoulders as she trudged through the snowy path. Or, perhaps she would be looking in the direction of her home sadly.

As for her father, Yu Shukuang, his imaginations probably ran a hundred times wilder.

However, not only did Yu Zijian face no hardships right now, but she was even smiling happily instead.

She was strolling through the streets happily with a few Qi Practitioners. The Qi Practitioners varied in gender and strength, but they all wore green robes. Their collars and cuffs were all embroidered with green vines.

Li Qingshan had seen that disciple Liu who had come out to run errands before, so he knew that this was the uniform of the Green Vine mountain.

Yu Zijian was among them. While they were not exactly following her around, he could tell that everyone liked her very much. They introduced the various strange products on the sides of the streets to her patiently.

Apart from changing her twin buns to a hairstyle more befitting of a female cultivator, she basically had not changed at all. She did not seem like she was suffering abuse at all.

Yu Zijian felt that someone was looking at her. She turned around and noticed Li Qingshan’s colossal figure that stuck out like a sore thumb immediately. Her small mouth hung open from surprise before all of it turned into joy. She called out, “Niu Juxia!” Everyone on the streets looked over.

She jogged over to Li Qingshan. “Why have you come? Where’s my father? Has he come too?” As she said that, she looked around Li Qingshan.

Li Qingshan said, “Your father hasn’t come. I’ve come to see you. You’re… still well, right?” As long as he had not gone blind, she seemed to be doing rather well.

“Yep, yep!” Yu Zijian nodded.

“Zijian, is this your friend?” A few Qi Practitioners made their way over as well. The leader of them was a young man, a sixth layer Qi Practitioner, who asked in surprise.

Yu Zijian glanced at Li Qingshan first, as if she wanted to confirm that she was his friend. Seeing how he did not object, she smiled boldly. “Yeah!” After that, she glanced at him again to see if he was angered by that or not.

Why would Li Qingshan decline having such a cute girl as a friend?!

Yu Zijian introduced everybody. Only then did Li Qingshan learn that the leading sixth layer Qi Practitioner was called Mu Zhicong. Although he behaved in a rather modest manner, he gave off a natural sense of superiority. It did not just come from his superior strength, but his pride and arrogance as a member of a sect. The three companions beside him gave Li Qingshan roughly the same feeling.

Yu Zijian felt that introducing him as Niu Er was rather inappropriate, so she just said, “This is Niu Juxia!”

The disciples of the Green Vine mountain mistook that for Li Qingshan’s name. They thought, That’s a rather strange name, but it does seem to be rather befitting of his figure.

Mu Zhicong recalled something. He asked in surprise, “Are you that Niu Juxia who tossed Song Ming over the wall in a single stroke?!”

Li Qingshan smiled and admitted to it. He knew that Song Ming referred to the senior brother Song. The news had spread pretty quickly. Unbeknownst to him, although the three mountains were in an alliance, they also competed against one another. The humiliating matters among the disciples would spread the fastest. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Liu Fengrui to have visited the Proud Sword manor so quickly.

The disciples of the Green Vine mountain immediately treated Li Qingshan with deep esteem. A grin of white teeth appeared on his face that was as dark as the bottom of a pot. It seemed rather mysterious.

The only female disciple there, Cheng Jiali, probed curiously, “May I ask which mountain you happen to cultivate on? And what is your current cultivation?”

Li Qingshan smiled. “I was naturally endowed with tremendous strength, and I came across a cultivation method for Body Practitioners by chance in the mountains. In terms of cultivation, I’m nowhere close to fellow Mu.”

Independent cultivator, Body Practitioner.

They rapidly summarised these two phrases from what Li Qingshan had told them, and their attitude changed once again. They recovered their faint sense of superiority as disciples of an orthodox sect.

Body Practitioners in the world of cultivation were like practitioners of external martial arts in the jianghu. They would always be looked down upon. Of course, practising both internal and external martial arts was a method that existed as well. However, to them, Li Qingshan clearly did not fall into that category, and he was an independent cultivator without a sect. He was no different from a blade of grass in the wind. People from sects would pressure and abuse him often.

While Li Qingshan did stand tall, he was already lower than them in their hearts.

In particular, the displeasure that Mu Zhicong felt from how familiar Yu Zijian behaved with Li Qingshan had basically completely vanished. While he was quite strong, he was just a martial artist who used brute force. If his cultivation as a Qi Practitioner could not develop any further, it was useless no matter how powerful he was. He was so ugly as well. To think that I had compared myself to him. I sure have underestimated myself.

Li Qingshan could clearly sense the changes in their attitude. He maintained his smile and lamented about the fickleness of the world slightly, but he did not take this too seriously. Temporarily accommodating for people was common in human relationships. There was nothing for him to be displeased about.