Chapter 96: Chapter 95: Their Respective Wishes
As they listened, looks of fascination appeared on their faces. The glorious, splendid Ancient Era was simply too mysterious, too captivating for them. Even the supreme experts of the Mysterious Lands treated Ancient Ruins with the same reverence as ordinary people like them!
When Qin Li mentioned being hunted by two Celestial Level Martial Artists from the Qin Family, even though he was sitting here safe and sound, the story made even the normally unflappable Hu’s heart pound with anxiety.
A Celestial Level Martial Artist... What did that even mean?
Celestial, Earth, Profound, Yellow. These four levels might not seem far apart, but in reality, the gap between each tier was an insurmountable chasm for a Martial Artist!
In the eyes of an ordinary person, becoming a Yellow Level Martial Artist was already a great achievement. A Yellow Level Martial Artist was known as an Entry Grade Martial Artist!
In other words, a Yellow Level Martial Artist was someone who had achieved a rank and a certain status!
Upon reaching the Profound Level, one could hold a respectable position even within a great family, earning a high salary and living an enviable life. Of course, their work also came with a certain degree of danger, like the hundred or so men Qin Li had slain just last night... but the probability of such an event was not high. In the thousand-year history of Yellow Sand City, the Qin Family was the only major clan to have been annihilated.
Other clans like the Shangguan Family and the Fang Family had always been safe. Even the small and medium-sized families had never encountered such a thing. Deaths occurred, of course, but the chances were extremely low.
A Martial Artist who truly reached the Earth Level could attain a considerably high status in any family, at least on par with the direct descendants of the main line. Even if they joined the Royal Family, they would be granted a high noble title and receive frequent rewards.
Reaching the Earth Level was enough to bring immense glory to one’s family name!
And Celestial Level... What was a Celestial Level Martial Artist? They were figures who represented the pinnacle of the Martial Dao! They were experts who could split mountains and shatter rock with a casual wave of their hand!
Ordinary people might live their entire lives without ever seeing a Celestial Level Martial Artist. They tended to deify the power of such figures!
True, legends spoke of realms beyond the Celestial Level, but those were just legends. They were far too removed from the lives of ordinary people, completely unattainable!
And yet, Qin Li had actually managed to escape from the pursuit of two powerful, High Tier Celestial Level Martial Artists completely unscathed!
That... was simply... too incredible!
Hu, Bu Yunyan, and even Leng Yao stared at Qin Li with wide eyes. If they didn’t know he was an honest person, if they hadn’t seen the Qin Family thrown into the eye of the storm by his single shout, and if they weren’t clearer than anyone that he must have been the one to frame them, they would never have believed Qin Li could accomplish such a feat!
Qin Li didn’t mention that one of the Celestial Level Martial Artists had been severely wounded by his sword. If he had, their jaws would have dropped to the floor, and they would have refused to believe it, even on their deathbeds.
When he finally spoke of his lucky escape, finding a place to enter secluded cultivation for nearly half a year, and at last breaking through to the Earth Level, the expressions on the three’s faces became even more spectacular. They were all completely stunned.
Bu Yunyan’s lips twitched violently. Her beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief as she said, "You... you just reached the Earth Level like that? Heavens... that’s unbelievable. Your rate of advancement is a little too hard to accept."
Hu and Leng Yao nodded in agreement. Even Leng Yao voiced her doubt, "Even with the help of high-quality Primordial Power Pills, you shouldn’t be able to advance that quickly, right?"
It wasn’t until Qin Li stood up, focused his energy, and let out a low shout as a faint blue light flashed across his body that the three of them were finally convinced. A strong sense of inadequacy washed over them as they all thought the same thing: ’Qin Li... is just too monstrous!’ This was followed by a surge of ecstasy. Following a young man like this was the only way to have a truly promising future!
Hu could already see his future, and it was dazzlingly bright!
Qin Li then asked about their recent situation. After learning they had been living in seclusion and keeping a very low profile, he smiled and said, "Don’t worry, these days will soon be over. By the way, Leng, take a look at this. Would it be very difficult for us to refine the elixirs in this Pill Formula Secret Manual?"
Leng Yao opened the book with the reverence of a pilgrim. She turned to the first page and saw the first Pill Formula. Her expression froze for a moment, her eyes widening slightly. Then she flipped to the second page, then the third... Unconvinced, she started flipping through the middle, then turned to the last page.
Finally, Leng Yao let out a long breath, raised her slender, fair hand to wipe the cold sweat from her brow, and said, "It won’t be very difficult..."
Qin Li was overjoyed. His greatest fear was having the Pill Formula but none of the materials! But Leng Yao’s next sentence plunged him into the abyss.
"It’s true, it won’t be very difficult—because with our current wealth and power, it’s completely impossible! We can’t afford to refine even a single one of these elixirs!" As Leng Yao spoke, her eyes began to shine with excitement. "This is a true Ancient Pill Formula! This is true ancient civilization! It’s incredible! Why didn’t I ever think of this? It’s turning the mundane into the miraculous! The intelligence and talent of the people from Ancient Times were truly on another level..."
Qin Li, Bu Yunyan, and Hu all stared at Leng Yao, speechless. It was rare to see such an expression on the face of this cool beauty.
Bu Yunyan’s delicate brows furrowed as she mumbled softly, "What’s the use of it being miraculous if we don’t have any money... We can’t do anything."
Hu nodded. He had thought that after all these years, they had become successful. But Qin Li’s Elixir Formula had given them a harsh reality check. They suddenly realized just how poor they still were.
Leng Yao’s cool expression returned. She stared at Qin Li and asked slowly, "Young Master, if I may be so bold, what are your plans for the future?"
Hu and Bu Yunyan were taken aback for a moment, but then they too looked at Qin Li with anticipation. This miraculous young man’s decision would directly affect all three of their futures; they couldn’t help but take it seriously.
"The future..." Qin Li repeated softly, falling into deep thought. ’If they had asked me this half a year ago, I probably would have just spouted some nonsense off the top of my head: My future is to storm Profound Island, bring my wife back, and from then on the prince and princess will live a blissfully happy life together, without a care in the world...’
But after living in this world for a full year, Qin Li had come to understand many things. With his current strength, he was fine in the Mortal Realm, where Celestial Level Martial Artists were not a common sight. But if he really went to Profound Island, that legendary place, could he still thrive like a fish in water as he did now?
That wasn’t the most important thing. After his strength had risen to the Earth Level, Qin Li’s confidence in himself was still quite strong. The most important thing was that the three people before him had decided to follow him. It was like the gangs in his previous life. People didn’t join a gang just for the fighting and killing, nor to dominate the Martial World!
In this life, what people seek is nothing more than fame and fortune!
Those who truly saw through fame and fortune would have become monks in some ruined temple. The ones who sought out famous mountains and ancient monasteries hadn’t truly seen through it all...
"What is it you seek?" Qin Li asked in return, looking up at the three after a long moment of thought.
"I want great wealth and high status!" Hu was the first to speak. "I’m a simple man without much culture. That’s what my mother taught me when I was a child. She hoped that one day I could become rich and powerful, and return home in glory!"
Qin Li nodded. Hu’s wish might sound vulgar, but it represented the innermost desire of most people. This would be difficult for others, but for the current Qin Li, it wasn’t a problem at all. It would be very easy to achieve!
"And you? Bu." Qin Li asked, looking at Bu Yunyan.
Bu Yunyan’s usual playful demeanor vanished. She said seriously, "I hope to find my father within my lifetime..." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, but she smiled and said, "Do you all think I’m a frivolous woman most of the time?"
"Of course not!" Qin Li and the others answered in unison. Qin Li looked at Bu Yunyan and said, "Although I don’t know what you’ve been through, Bu, we all know that you’re actually a very good woman. You aren’t lacking in gentleness, kindness, generosity, or righteousness. We all like you very much!"
Bu Yunyan smiled and nodded. "Thank you. I’ve always liked you all, too. I’m proud to have companions like you!" With that, Bu Yunyan began to softly recount her past.
Bu Yunyan grew up in a single-parent home. She had great natural talent and was excellent material for martial arts. Her mother, however, was a... a courtesan in a brothel who had yet to receive clients. Eventually, she would have had to, but after a chance encounter with Bu Yunyan’s father, the two fell in love.
Bu Yunyan’s father was a Profound Level Martial Artist. He was very young at the time, only in his twenties, and considered to have a bright future. Unexpectedly, after a moment of passion, Bu Yunyan’s mother became pregnant. And that young man with a great future ahead of him, knowing full well what had happened, simply left behind one hundred taels of silver, a combat Technique, and a Heart Method, and then vanished without a trace.
Until she was ten, Bu Yunyan was raised in the brothel. Her mother never took another client, but she didn’t leave either. Instead, she chose to serve the brothel’s top courtesan, hoping that one day, that man would come back for her. But he never appeared again.
When Bu Yunyan was ten, her mother died of overwhelming grief. She wasn’t even thirty years old... still in the prime of her life.
Having finally spoken the secret she had hidden in her heart for more than a decade, Bu Yunyan was overcome with tears. "I don’t expect anything from that man. I just want to ask him why he was so heartless back then, to abandon my mother. Even if he had a great future, my mother never even thought of marrying him. Couldn’t he have at least kept her as a mistress on the side?"
Leng Yao gently pulled Bu Yunyan into her arms, patting her trembling shoulders. She said softly, "There, there, it’s all in the past now. If we ever meet that heartless man, I’ll help you confront him!"
Bu Yunyan’s emotions gradually calmed. Wiping her red eyes, she managed a smile. "Sorry to make a fool of myself in front of you all."
Qin Li felt a wave of emotion. ’It seems the life of an Adventurer and a Hunter is indeed filled with suffering people,’ he thought. His gaze turned to Leng Yao, burning with intensity. "Leng, what is your wish?"
Leng Yao looked up, thought for a moment, and faintly uttered two words: "Get revenge!"
