Chapter 134: Chapter 130: The Method of Harming People Is So Crude, Not at All Like a Member of the Demon Sect
A spring shower had just passed, leaving the sky looking as if it had been washed clean. The pure, clear blue was enough to lift anyone’s spirits.
Tender green shoots of grass poked through the earth, dotted with red and purple wildflowers.
It made this Spirit Stone Vein seem even more vibrant than usual.
The sight of the fresh green, red, and purple brought a rare smile to the sallow faces of the low-level Qi Cultivation Cultivators on their way to work in the mine, even though they hadn’t received any tangible benefit.
If one had to point to a benefit, it was that the air was a little fresher than usual.
There was less of the stench that inevitably arose when Magic was used to break down hard rock during the mining process.
Everything was so peaceful and harmonious.
Except, that is, for the luxurious residence on the mountainside.
"Insolent brat!"
"A monkey in a crown!"
"A petty man enjoying his moment!"
Accompanying the furious roars was a series of CRASHES and SMASHES.
The servants assigned to Miscellaneous Tasks stood outside, craning their necks to see, but none dared to enter and invite his wrath.
They merely exchanged glances.
"That was probably the Ice Pure Jade inkstone. The sound was very crisp."
"And that was the pen holder carved from Red Willow Wood Core."
"Whoa, he even smashed the screen carved from Sea Soul Jade! He must be absolutely furious."
"Go on, try to calm him down!"
"You think I’m an idiot? You go if you want to talk him down."
The sounds of smashing and crashing continued for a while longer.
Then, an angry voice bellowed, "Someone, get in here!"
The servants looked at one another, none willing to sacrifice themselves to save the others by facing Li Garrison’s wrath alone.
So, they could only shuffle their feet, entering the room together.
"Greetings, Garrison! How may we be of service?"
The Spirit Stone Mine Guardian, Li Tai, was a stern-looking middle-aged man. He had a pair of impressively large ears, a short, thick neck, and a long beard. His eyes were a bit small, but they were exceptionally sharp.
As a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator who came from the background of an ordinary Inner Disciple and lacked a Core Formation Master for a master, he was getting on in years and had limited potential. Forget Core Formation; his chances of even reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection were infinitesimal.
But in this Garrison, he was the supreme authority.
His expression was now one of utter heartbreak. "You saw me smashing my favorite screen, and not one of you tried to stop me? What’s the point of keeping all of you around?!"
Then followed a torrential, stormy tirade of curses that lasted for a full hour.
The servants could only endure it.
Finally, when Li Garrison grew tired, he found a surviving chair, sat down, and barked irritably, "Brew me a pot of tea!"
A quick-witted servant immediately seized the opportunity and scurried away to complete the task.
The rest of them felt like they were sitting on pins and needles under Li Garrison’s dangerous glare.
Finally, one of the servants couldn’t take the pressure anymore and asked tentatively, "Lord Guardian, may I ask why you are so furious today?"
"Hmph!" Li Tai nearly leaped into the air like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "It’s that new Guardian Envoy! He actually gave me an unsatisfactory evaluation and ordered me to return to the Sect to explain myself!"
At this, he couldn’t contain his anger any longer and slammed his hand on the Red Wumu Wood table.
’Well, add another item to the list of broken things.’
The servants lowered their heads in silence, but inwardly they were all disdainful.
’The Guardian Envoy has been in his post for over two years, and you haven’t done a damn thing.’
’Forget sending gifts; you haven’t even sent him a single letter.’
’If he’s not going to come after you, who else would he come after?’
’You’re sitting on a cushy post like the Spirit Stone Mine Garrison, overflowing with profits.’
’And yet you don’t know how to show a little courtesy.’
’Unless that Guardian Envoy is a Mudman, he was bound to make an example of you.’
’What’s the use of throwing a fit of impotent rage here if you can’t even figure that out?’
’Will your impotent rage make the Guardian Envoy give you a new evaluation?’
Of course, these were things they only dared to think.
If they were to say it out loud, it would just mean one more corpse from a "sudden death" in the mine.
Li Tai was breathing heavily. When the tea arrived, he disregarded how scalding hot it was and chugged several mouthfuls—with his level of Cultivation, he naturally wouldn’t be burned.
But the surge of Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Tea, instead of calming him down, only made him angrier the more he thought about it.
"Son of a bitch..." Li Tai slammed down his teacup, splashing tea and leaves everywhere. Fortunately, the room was already a complete mess, so it didn’t look any worse. "All of you, get the hell out!"
The servants hastily scrambled over one another to get outside.
They wanted to move faster but didn’t dare to run, lest Li Tai use it as an excuse to lash out at them.
The way they moved was utterly ridiculous.
Li Tai, however, bent down, picked up a blank Jade Scroll, and began inscribing it with his Divine Sense.
After a moment, he bent down, picked up another scroll, and inscribed it as well with his Divine Sense.
Only then did he shout again, "Someone, get in here!"
The servants came running back in, looking utterly wretched.
"My lord, please give us your orders."
Li Tai pointed at one man and tossed him a Jade Scroll. "You. Deliver this Jade Scroll to Yu Fei."
"Yes, sir!" The man who took the order left with a grimace.
’Whatever Li Tai put in that Jade Scroll,’ he thought, ’it can’t be anything good.’
’When I deliver the Jade Scroll, if the Lord Guardian Envoy gets angry after reading it, I’ll probably be the most convenient punching bag.’
After that man left, Li Tai’s gaze swept over the remaining servants. Finally, he singled one out, tossed him the other Jade Scroll, and said flatly, "Go to Two-Finger Mountain, find the Tribulation Cultivator leader Feng Bin, and give this to him."
This servant’s face went pale.
In the Cultivation Realm of the Wu Kingdom’s Eastern Region, Feng Bin was a name that made people’s faces change color just from hearing it.
He was rumored to have been a Cultivation genius of the Feng Family, a Foundation Establishment Family in the Qi Kingdom. Then, for some unknown reason, he betrayed his family to become a Tribulation Cultivator.
Although his Cultivation was not exceptionally high—merely Foundation Establishment Middle Stage—he was extremely skilled in Magical Combat. No one knew where he had learned his skills, but he had an endless arsenal of various Killing Secret Techniques.
Rumor had it that he once fought a True Inheritor of the Chongzhen Sect who was at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. He was only at a slight disadvantage and still managed to escape with ease.
’Why are you sending me to deliver a message to such a vicious man?!’
’And more importantly, Lord Li, how do you even know Feng Bin’s hiding place?!’
’This... this means I know something I shouldn’t, doesn’t it?’
As the servant hesitated, Li Tai burst into action.
He suddenly produced a Copper Lamp that burned with an eerie red flame. The body of the lamp was covered in mottled green patina.
The moment they saw the lamp, the servants lost even the courage to flee. They all dropped to their knees and begged for mercy. "Lord Li, Lord Li, spare us!"
"Lord Li, I’ve always been completely loyal to you!"
"I won’t say a word, you have to believe me, Lord Li!"
Li Tai’s expression was cold as he simply blew on the lamp.
The eerie red flame on the wick split into several smaller motes of fire. They seemed to drift slowly but moved with incredible speed, reaching the kneeling servants in an instant.
Screams had just begun to ring out when they were abruptly cut off.
The servants collapsed one by one, their faces frozen in expressions of terror, yet their bodies were completely unmarked.
Only the servant holding the Jade Scroll was left unharmed, though he was shaking like a leaf and on the verge of wetting himself.
"Aren’t you leaving?" Li Tai glared at him.
The servant shuddered, turned, and bolted.
He stumbled at the doorway, nearly falling over.
But he didn’t stop. He pushed off the ground with his hands and continued to accelerate, scrambling away as fast as he could.
Soon, even his shadow was gone from sight.
A sinister smile spread across Li Tai’s face.
’Guardian Envoy?’
’Powerful background?’
’His master is a Core Formation Ancestor?’
’I certainly can’t afford to provoke him.’
’But Tribulation Cultivators don’t care if you have a powerful background.’
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fang Hua entered with a cold expression, cradling her sword. She saw Du Youqian sitting in the master’s chair, holding a Jade Scroll and reading it with his Divine Sense.
A man knelt prostrate at his feet, trembling so violently he didn’t dare lift his head.
Fang Hua said nothing. She simply stood to the side, cradling her sword, and closed her eyes as if the matter had nothing to do with her.
However, she couldn’t resist sending out her Divine Sense to secretly observe the situation.
Du Youqian finished reading the Jade Scroll and smiled. "Understood. Tell your master I’ll be there shortly."
The kneeling man looked as if he had been granted a pardon. "Thank you, Lord Guardian Envoy! Thank you, Lord Guardian Envoy!" he said repeatedly.
As he spoke, he slowly rose and backed out of the room.
The moment he was outside, he spun around and fled without a backward glance, as if he’d had the fright of his life.
Du Youqian shook his head with a helpless smile. He tossed the Jade Scroll aside, took out three Copper Coin Spiritual Artifacts, and performed a divination.
Looking at the result of the divination, he shook his head and couldn’t help but laugh. "This guy... how did he ever cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage? Is his brain full of holes? Or did cultivating Demon Sect Secret Techniques fry his mind? His method of trying to harm someone is so crude, not at all like someone from the Demon Sect. It’s one thing to try and harm me, but you could at least try to conceal the heavenly secrets. Did you really think there are no masters of the Divination Art in the Sect?"
At this, he suddenly recalled that eccentric Master Chen who claimed his Divination Art was second to none. Du Youqian pursed his lips, his expression turning peculiar.
’Perhaps people from the Demon Sect really don’t like to cultivate the Divination Art?’
Listening from the side, Fang Hua felt a pang of irritation.
’"People from the Demon Sect" this, "people from the Demon Sect" that... do you have some kind of misunderstanding about your own identity?’
’And concealing heavenly secrets... what Foundation Establishment Cultivator even knows how to do that?’
’That’s something only a Tier Three Divination Technique can accomplish!’
After a moment’s thought, she asked, "Is someone trying to harm you? Who is it? I’ll go take care of them for you."
Du Youqian performed another divination, confirming that the upcoming trip held no fatal dangers, then looked at her with a smile.
He stared until her skin began to crawl and she subconsciously smoothed out her clothes. Only then did Du Youqian speak. "No need, it’s a trivial matter. However, I do have to go out for a while. The trip will take half a month at the minimum, and one or two months at most. Are you coming with me, or will you stay here to focus on your Cultivation?"
Fang Hua answered without a second thought, "Of course I’m staying here to cultivate. Hmph."
’Why would I go out with you?’
’You won’t teach me how to comprehend Sword Intent anyway. I can’t be bothered with you.’
Over the past two years, Fang Hua’s attitude toward Du Youqian had grown progressively more casual.
Her true nature was gradually revealing itself.
She was just a simple-minded girl, a blockhead obsessed with Cultivation.
Perhaps some men might like this type of adorably clueless woman.
Du Youqian, however, preferred them a bit smarter.
But not too smart... like that certain woman from the Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect who was always walking around barefoot.
In front of Du Youqian, that woman might be a bit of a love-struck fool, but with others, she was so shrewd she could sell them down the river and they’d still be thanking her for it.
