Chapter 14 A Sneak Attack (1/2)
Xue Shaoli nodded seriously. He was about to take away the messaging jade note, but he suddenly thought of something and turned to look in the direction of the yard. With such a glance, his expression changed, and his eyes opened wide.
Aside from him, the other three cultivators also put on unbelieving expressions and looked at each other.
”This is impossible, right?”
”Did I mistake it?”
”One could, but we all saw it!”
Xue Shaoli was grim-faced. He hesitated for a while before he took out the messaging jade note and stuttered, ”Master, have you heard it?”
”Say it. Be quick!”
”This... You might not believe it if I tell you that...” Xue Shaoli said in a trembling voice. He looked doubtful. If it was not his companions who confirmed this, he was unable to say those words. ”Li Ye, that guy has just made a breakthrough to the Level 2 Qi-refining Stage...”
”Fuck off!”
”Master, what I said is true...”
”Xue Shaoli! Are you f*cking dreaming? Li Ye, such a good-for-nothing has just reached the Qi-refining Stage for a few days. How is it possible to break through so quickly? F*ck, do you want to quit this job? If you do, come back then!”
”Everyone has seen it.”
”...”
After the banquet, Li Ye came back to the courtyard where he lived.
Shangguan Qingcheng followed him and walked into the courtyard. She hesitated a little before she said, ”Heir Apparent, after the interrogation, we know that it was Li Yao who ordered Song Ziwen and others to set the fire tonight. I guess they probably wanted to steal the Taoist priests. Now we have Song Ziwen and his accomplices in our hands, it's safe in our mansion.”
Li Ye came to the hall and sat down, ”That's for sure.”
”But Heir Apparent wasn't prepared for it!” Shangguan Qingcheng widened her eyes as she said, ”You didn't allow me to lay enough soldiers around you.”
Li Ye looked at Shangguan Qingcheng and responded with a smile, ”Because I was giving my opponents a chance and wanted to tempt them to make a move.”
Shangguan Qingcheng was confused. ”Duke Xing invited quite a few guests, but Heir Apparent, you've just reached Qi-refining Stage, so you might not be able to defeat all of them.”
She said those words in a euphemistic way.
Li Ye replied, ”Most of the guests in Duke Xing's Manor haven't exceeded Level 3 Qi-refining Stage. Duke Xing hasn't returned from his duty trip and his Level 3 Qi-refining practitioners have also been out with him, so Li Yao could only ask Level 2 Qi-refining practitioners to help him.”
”If many Level 2 Qi-refining practitioners had come, you would have gotten into trouble.” Shangguan Qingcheng bit her red lip.
Li Ye said, ”They came to steal people, not to capture the manor, so he would not send many people here. I thought Level 2 Qi-refining practitioners would not be more than three.”
”Heir Apparent, you've just achieved Level 2 Qi-refining Stage. Are you sure that you can defeat three by yourself?” Shangguan Qingcheng asked with her mouth shaped in a small ”O”.
Li Ye smiled. ”Li Yao must be shocked to hear that I caught his people. In order to rob the Taoist priests or rescue his cultivators, he had to act on his own, for he was the highest-ranking cultivator in Duke Xing's Manor. This is my real purpose.”
”Heir Apparent, do you want to lure Li Yao to here?” Shangguan Qingcheng felt she was a bit unable to keep up Li Ye's thinking. ”Doesn't he think that each of the steps is difficult?”
Li Ye said, ”Li Yao wants to compete with me for Prince An's title. I don't have the time to play with him. Tonight is the best time to solve this problem.”
Shangguan Qingcheng responded with surprise. ”Heir Apparent, are you sure that you can beat him?”
Li Ye gave no response.
After Shangguan Qingcheng left, Li Ye began to practice the skill, Purple Clouds from the East.
Purple Clouds from the East was a supreme art Li Ye had practiced on earth. It was a superb and powerful skill.
For the coming challenge, Li Ye had to seize the time to review.
Fortunately, he only needed to review the skill. Hence, he quickly got the hang of it.
”The sun rises in the east, rosy clouds are gathering, mountains and rivers are bathed in purple, the splendid view...” Li Ye recalled the cultivation method of ”Purple Clouds from the East”. ”When Laozi rode a green buffalo through the Hangu Pass, purple clouds came from the east and floated over the pass. Seeing this spectacle, the guard Yin Xi realized that Laozi was not a mortal. People only learnt that Yin Xi begged Laozi to give him 5,000 words, but they did not know that Laozi left this superb skill 'Purple Clouds from the East' before he became the leader of the three greatest immortals.
”There were lots of gifted cultivators on earth in the Age of Dharma Decline. Various top-grade cultivation methods were created in the world, but the position of the technique ”Purple Clouds from the East” had never been shaken.
”In those days, the archbishop of the west Mathis came to visit our country. With his peerless cultivation, he consecutively defeated our famous Great Cultivators and shamed our Cultivation World. Although my cultivation was inferior to him, I managed to beat him with my skill ”Purple Clouds from the East” and let him get out of my country.”
Li Ye put his thoughts aside and immersed himself in practice.
Shortly after, he opened his eyes, which glittered with excitement. ”Level 1 of 'Purple Clouds from the East'—Cloud-gathering Punch!”
At this point, several white figures glided into the courtyard. They were Xue Shaoli and his companions.