Chapter 135: Chapter 131: Du Youqian Fishing
In fact, Du Youqian was quite pleased.
He had laid low for two years, sending Luo Jinyu and Gu Xiaofang to gather intelligence on the various Garrisons, sort out the relationships between them, and map out their networks of connections.
Now, he was preparing to make an example of a few easy targets to establish his authority.
And just then, a living target had jumped out, the perfect opportunity to make an example of someone.
This Li Tai’s background was not complicated; he had no major backer.
His master was merely a Foundation Establishment Perfection Cultivator nearing the end of his lifespan.
As for Li Tai himself, his Cultivation wasn’t particularly high, and his Magical Combat abilities were mediocre at best.
There were no rumors of him possessing any powerful Secret Techniques or Demon Artifacts either.
A dime-a-dozen Cultivator like him might be at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, two minor realms above Du Youqian, but handling him was a sure thing.
After arranging for Fang Hua to stay behind and guard the place, Du Youqian wasted no time. He called for Luo Jinyu and Gu Xiaofang, hopped onto his Flying Boat, and set off.
As for preparations?
’What’s there to prepare?’
’Fly over, kill the guy, bury the body, loot the place, and call it a day.’
’Then I’ll come back early, continue my daily Cultivation, mix some Spiritual Liquid, tease Fang Hua a little, and wait for the tribute offerings from the other Garrisons to roll in.’
The life of a Guardian Envoy was just that simple, unadorned, and tedious.
When the Flying Boat should have turned east, it instead headed straight south.
It hovered over a large mountain for a long time without landing.
Luo Jinyu was filled with curiosity but didn’t ask any questions.
He was beginning to understand Brother Yu’s style.
If Brother Yu thought he should know something, he would naturally be told.
If Brother Yu didn’t think he should know, no amount of questioning would work. In fact, it would only make Brother Yu see him as unreliable.
Gu Xiaofang was grimacing as he practiced a Secret Technique for strengthening his Divine Soul. Such techniques that could be cultivated during the Qi Cultivation Stage were exceedingly rare, and every single one was incredibly precious.
Furthermore, practicing it was extremely difficult and accompanied by immense pain.
Gu Xiaofang really didn’t want to cultivate it.
But Du Youqian was forcing him to.
"If you don’t cultivate this, even if I gave you a Foundation Establishment Pill, your chances of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment would be less than thirty percent."
"If I can’t reach Foundation Establishment, then I can’t. Brother Fei, I’m really not cut out for this."
"In the future, I will surely hold a high and powerful position within the Sect, and I might even reach Core Formation. If you’re just a Qi Cultivation Cultivator, what right would you have to remain by my side?"
"Brother Fei, don’t be so heartless, huh?"
"What do you think."
And so, Gu Xiaofang could only cultivate as if his life depended on it.
At this moment, he didn’t have a shred of curiosity. If he were to open his mouth, it would probably be to let out a miserable groan.
Cultivating this Secret Technique for strengthening the Divine Soul was just too painful.
Du Youqian stood at the prow of the Flying Boat, gazing at Soul-shaking Mountain below.
After a long moment of thought, he ultimately decided not to descend, instead ordering the Flying Boat to turn and head east.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
「Guiyan Mountain Spirit Vein, Garrison Office.」
On this day, the office welcomed an unexpected guest.
Hearing the report from the attendant, Li Tai frowned. "You’re saying that Yu Fei didn’t come himself, but sent a little follower instead?"
Seeing his foul expression, the young Cultivator, who had only just been assigned to Miscellaneous Tasks but was extremely perceptive, quickly said, "It is said that Guardian Envoy Yu is fishing at the nearby Shiying Lake. He plans to personally prepare a fish soup to treat you, Lord Guardian."
Li Tai’s mood improved slightly.
He had frowned not out of anger, but out of worry. He had thought that Yu Fei might have discovered something.
’Fish soup?’
’Too late!’
A cold sneer appeared on Li Tai’s lips.
’For the sake of the fish soup, I suppose I can tell Feng Bin to leave you a complete corpse when he makes his move.’
With this thought, Li Tai hurried to the reception hall.
A thin Qi Cultivation Middle Stage Cultivator with shrewd eyes was waiting. Seeing Li Tai approach, he gave a brazen half-bow. "Li Garrison, I’ve heard much about you. I am Gu Xiaofang. Brother Yu sent me to inform you that he is awaiting your presence at Shiying Lake. He hopes you won’t be ungrateful for the honor and will head over soon."
A blaze of anger flared up in Li Tai’s heart.
’What the fuck! Are those words a human should be speaking?’
’Who taught a little Qi Cultivation bastard like you to spout such nonsense in front of me, a great Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator!’
’Believe it or not, I could kill you with a single finger!’
The spiritual pressure of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was released without reservation.
Caught completely off guard, the monkey-thin young Cultivator’s legs went weak, and he nearly fell to his knees.
He almost shrieked, "Li Tai! Are you trying to rebel? I’m here representing Brother Yu! You dare harm me?"
Li Tai heard the false bravado in his voice and sneered inwardly.
However, considering that Yu Fei hadn’t fully walked into his trap yet and it wasn’t time to show his hand, he merely snorted. "Junior, this old man is just teaching you a lesson. It’s best to be more restrained in front of someone who can kill you with a wave of his hand and doesn’t have a good temper. If you truly enrage me, this old man won’t care about any Guardian Envoy. I’ll crush you first and ask questions later. Lead the way!"
Gu Xiaofang didn’t dare provoke him further, only cursing him inwardly: ’When Brother Yu is done with you, I hope your mouth is still this tough!’
Without another word, he mounted his Flying Sword and left.
Li Tai sneered repeatedly, released a shuttle-shaped Flying Spiritual Artifact, and followed close behind.
Less than an hour later, Gu Xiaofang brought his Flying Sword down, landing on the shore of Shiying Lake.
Li Tai saw a young man by the lake, sitting on a large rock and fishing with a green bamboo rod.
To his right sat a plain wooden box.
A faint smell of blood seemed to be wafting from it.
A young Qi Cultivation Perfection Cultivator stood behind the young man, looking around vigilantly, clearly a guard or an attendant.
Li Tai extended his Divine Sense to check the area but found no hidden soldiers. He then scanned the box and found only a few dead fish inside.
So he landed brazenly.
"Yu Guardian Envoy," Li Tai naturally didn’t dare use his first name to his face, "forgive me for not coming out to greet you."
He did not refer to himself as a "subordinate," because strictly speaking, while the dozens of Garrisons within the Wu Kingdom were all supervised by the Guardian Envoy, they were not his direct underlings.
The Guardian Envoy had no authority to transfer the Garrisons or order them to do anything; he only held the power of supervision and evaluation.
In the past, there had been no shortage of powerful Garrisons who completely ignored the Guardian Envoy, and there was nothing the Guardian Envoy could do about it.
Cowed by their backgrounds, the Guardian Envoy wouldn’t even dare to tamper with their evaluations.
If not for these precedents, how could Li Tai have felt so confident, ignoring Du Youqian for the past two years?
He had certainly enjoyed doing so, but he had completely forgotten that he himself had no background to speak of.
Back in the day, in the Outer Sect, he hadn’t shown any outstanding potential and no one had taken a fancy to him.
After much difficulty, with thirty percent effort and seventy percent luck, he managed to reach Foundation Establishment, but he could only find a Foundation Establishment Perfection master. No Core Formation Ancestor had thought him worthy.
Although he had some understanding of the ways of the world and had paid a hefty price to obtain the position of Garrison for this Spirit Stone Vein...
...it was merely a transaction!
There was no one powerful behind him who was willing to protect him at all costs.
A person like him, standing before Du Youqian...
...compared to those Cultivators who, despite their low Cultivation, had connections to Core Formation Ancestors...
...fit the image of an easy target even better.
Du Youqian continued to fish without turning his head, just letting out a chuckle and saying without a hint of sincerity, "Ah, Li Garrison, I’ve heard so much about you."
Suppressing his anger, Li Tai said, "I presume the Guardian Envoy received my Jade Scroll."
"I did."
Li Tai feigned displeasure. "Then why is the Guardian Envoy still here fishing so leisurely? You should know that there’s a problem in the Spirit Stone Mine. If it affects this year’s output, I’m afraid the Sect’s upper echelons won’t be very pleased."
Du Youqian laughed. "Is that so? Then shouldn’t Li Garrison hurry up and find a way to solve it?"
Li Tai gave a bitter smile. "I am at my wit’s end, which is why I wanted to ask for the Guardian Envoy’s help."
Du Youqian asked him, "A few mere Foundation Establishment Realm Stone Carp, could they truly render Li Garrison helpless? Surely Li Garrison isn’t that incompetent."
A cold glint flashed in Li Tai’s eyes. He repeated to himself, ’A little impatience can spoil a great plan,’ before lowering his head and saying softly, "Yes, I am indeed incompetent. I must ask the Guardian Envoy to intervene."
Du Youqian finally turned his head, looking at Li Tai with a smile. "So, Li Garrison hopes that I will go down into the mine pit."
"Yes."
"And then the men you’ve arranged can rush out and hack me to death?"
Li Tai’s heart pounded wildly. For a moment, he almost attacked, but a sliver of wishful thinking held him back.
Instead, he asked with a puzzled expression, "I don’t understand, Guardian Envoy Yu. Have you misunderstood something?"
"Misunderstood?" Du Youqian grinned and casually picked up the wooden box, handing it to Li Tai. "Li Garrison won’t give up until he’s at death’s door, I see. Why don’t you take a look at what’s inside?"
Full of suspicion, Li Tai opened the unlocked wooden box. His expression changed drastically, and he looked at Du Youqian with alarm. "Guardian Envoy Yu, who is this? Why are you showing me his head?"
Du Youqian smiled faintly. "Who is he? Don’t you know already? Didn’t you send him to kill me?"
As he spoke, he carefully observed Li Tai’s expression.
Li Tai stared at Du Youqian for a long moment, then suddenly shook his head and laughed. "I originally didn’t want to get my own hands dirty, so I hired him. I never expected this Feng Bin, so famous yet so incompetent. No matter. I’ll have to do it myself. Guardian Envoy Yu, rest assured. Although you are not worthy of becoming my Demon Artifact, I will treasure your soul, your flesh, and your bones!"
As he spoke, he took out the Copper Lamp.
An eerie red flame flickered. Du Youqian looked at the Demon Artifact, stunned.
Li Tai wouldn’t waste such an opportunity. Seeing Du Youqian seemingly distracted, he opened his mouth and blew.
Three small flames separated from the main red flame.
With lightning speed, the three flames landed on the foreheads of the three men.
"AH! AH!" Screams of agony rang out.
The two Qi Cultivation Cultivators barely struggled before collapsing, dead.
Guardian Envoy Yu, however, clutched his head and struggled for a moment before his soul was burned away, leaving him as dead as could be.
’Hmph!’
"This is the price for opposing me!"
Li Tai couldn’t be more satisfied with this Soul-Extinguishing Lamp, a creation he had spent countless efforts on and had even orchestrated several wars in the Mortal Realm to barely refine.
Of course, his Soul-Extinguishing Lamp couldn’t compare to Elder Pang’s.
Elder Pang had single-handedly orchestrated the Qi Kingdom’s invasion of the Wu Kingdom, nearly annihilating the country and slaughtering countless people, just to refine his Treasure.
But among Spiritual Artifacts, his Soul-Extinguishing Lamp could be considered quite powerful.
’Hmph, a mere Foundation Establishment Early Stage Guardian Envoy dared to lord it over me?’
’You got off easy, dying so quickly.’
’Now let me see what goodies you’ve scraped together over the years.’
Li Tai approached the "Guardian Envoy Yu’s" corpse. Just as he was about to bend down and search for the Storage Treasure Pouch on the body, he felt a sharp pain in his sea of qi. He couldn’t catch his breath, let alone circulate his Magical Power.
Li Tai knew something was terribly wrong, but it was too late to do anything.
He felt as if ten million steel needles were piercing his entire body, and in the next instant, he lost consciousness.
