Chapter 27: A Grandmaster’s Disciple
Purple-streaked Gold was a spiritual material, and it was ideal for forging weapons.
Although the ring only contained the slightest quantity of Purple-Streaked Gold, if melted and mixed into ordinary metal, he could forge a blade sharp enough to cut iron as easily as it sliced through mud!
As for the chunks of Spirit Obsidian that formed the dragon’s eyes, although they were only the size of sesame seeds, they contained abundant spiritual energy, each on par with a tier-one spirit stone!
In the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, spirit stones were an indispensable part of cultivation.
Based on their size and quality, they were divided in accordance with strict standards. There were nine tiers in total, with tier one at the bottom and tier nine at the top.
Within the Four Realms of the Martial Dao, spirit stones tier three and below were enough to satisfy one’s cultivation needs.
But of course, that was within the Nine Provinces of the Wilds.
Spirit stones existed even within a mundane nation like the Great Zhou. However, practically all of them were tier one, or tier two at most.
Even so, they were seen as priceless treasures, and only peak-level clans possessed them.
Guangling City’s Three Great Clans monopolized practically every lucrative industry in the city, yet each family had no more than a hundred or so tier-one spirit stones in reserve!
The ring had two pieces of Spirit Obsidian. This was equivalent to obtaining two tier-one spirit stones. Combined with the Purple-streaked Gold used to forge it, and it was naturally worth a fortune.
I need to find some free time to visit a blacksmith and use the Purple-streaked Gold to forge a sword to wear at my side….
As he pondered, Su Yi tapped the tips of his fingers against the ring. The two pieces of Spirit Obsidian popped from their sockets and rolled in the palm of his hand, catching the light and glinting.
Afterward, he sat in the lotus position, one piece of Spirit Obsidian in each hand, and began circulating his energy.
A torrent of pure spiritual power flooded into him, then circulated throughout his body alongside his energy. His blood and qi flared in sync, producing a powerful rhythm.
This result was many times better than when he cultivated in the mulberry grove along the banks of the Great Azure!
Su Yi could clearly sense that his blood and flesh were currently undergoing a deep tempering, as if he sat within a furnace of spiritual energy, reforging himself over and over again. His progress was terrifyingly quick.
The moon cast its light over the world. Some families rejoiced, while others worried.
The night sky was equally beautiful above the home of Guangling City’s number one clan, the Li Family, but their clan hall was rife with tension.
Bang!
Family Head Li Tianhan flung his teacup, shattering it. “There’s no way we can just let this go!”
His expression was dark and murderous.
The Li Family higher-ups seated on both sides of the hall shook from head to toe. None of them dared speak.
They naturally already knew what had happened at the Wen Family matriarch’s birthday banquet.
None of them would have guessed Family Head Huang Yunchong would suddenly turn on them.
Even more surprising, City Lord Fu Shan and Commander Nie Beihu had personally stepped in to support the Wen Family!
This resulted in Family Head Li Tianhan and his son, Li Moyun, slinking off in disgrace.
What a huge embarrassment!
There was no need to even question it; word of this incident would inevitably spread throughout Guangling City, dealing an enormous blow to the Li Family’s prestige and reputation.
“Reporting in! Family Head Huang responded to our message.” An elder retainer scurried into the great hall and bowed in greeting.
“What did Huang Yunchong, that geezer, have to say for himself?” asked Li Tianhan grimly.
He hadn’t let his anger overcome his rationality. He was well aware that there was something fishy about what happened at the Wen Family banquet today. There had to be something strange going on.
That was why, immediately after returning home, he’d sent an envoy to the Huang Family to try and learn “the truth” from Huang Yunchong.
The elderly retainer hesitated, then stuttered, “Family Head Huang said that he urges us not to oppose the Wen Family going forward, or else we’ll inevitably invite grave peril upon ourselves….”
The entire room was in uproar. Everyone was astounded.
Even Li Tianhan froze, stunned. Then, his expression turned incomparably dark and sinister. “That old fool really said that?”
The retainer hurriedly nodded. “I wouldn’t dare say a single word out of turn.”
“He didn’t say why?” Li Tianhan tried pressing for detail, but the retainer shook his head.
“Huang Yunchong definitely knows something, but he refuses to tell us. He’s clearly up to no good!” said one of the Li Family higher-ups indignantly.
The others nodded in agreement. They increasingly felt that there was something amiss about Huang Yunchong’s response!
“Father, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you in private,” said Li Moyun, speaking up for the first time.
Li Tianhan’s brow furrowed. Then, he waved his hand. “All of you can leave.”
The Li Family higher-ups discreetly rose and left the hall. None of them dared express the slightest displeasure.
In the Li Family, Family Head Li Tianhan was a sovereign. His word was law.
When they were the only ones left, Li Tianhan turned to his son. “What is it you wanted to say?”
“I think all of this can be traced back to Wen Lingzhao!,” Li Moyun said calmly. “Do you remember? When we stood in the Wen Family’s clan hall, even after you demanded the Wen Family give up half their medicinal herb business, Huang Yunchong didn’t voice any objections.”
Li Tianhan vaguely remembered that, and he nodded. “You’re right. It was only after I attempted to call upon the Huang Family’s power to help us suppress the Wen Family that he had no choice but to clarify his position.”
“But when I suggested voiding Wen Lingzhao’s marriage contract, he voiced his objections, entirely unprompted. That’s what’s really strange here.” Li Moyun’s eyes flashed. “That’s between us members of the younger generation. Why would a family head like him intervene? Especially since that particular matter doesn’t involve the Huang Family in any way.”
Li Tianhan’s?pupils constricted. By now, he was completely calm. When he recalled the various details of what happened at the banquet, he immediately sensed that something strange was afoot.
Li Moyun took a deep breath, then continued, “After that, neither Fu Shan nor Nie Beihu voiced any objections to our plans to divide the Wen Family’s medicinal herb business between us either. Instead, they both unanimously objected to my attempt to intervene in Su Yi and Wen Lingzhao’s marriage. Don’t…. Don’t you think that’s a bit strange?”
“Could it?be that the?source of all this strangeness….?Really is Su?Yi and Wen Lingzhao?” Li Tianhan furrowed his brow. “But that Su Yi is nothing but a cripple; he’s not even worth a second thought. As for Wen Lingzhao, although she’s already entered Heaven’s Origin Academy, she’s just another disciple. She’s not worthy of old fogies like Huang Yunchong, Fu Shan, and Nie Beihu going to such lengths to protect her.”
Li Moyun shook his head. “Father, you might not know this yet, but I’ve been keeping tabs on Wen Lingzhao’s affairs for a long time now, and just yesterday, I received major news about her.”
“What news?” Li Tianhan was stunned.
A flicker of barely discernible heat flickered within Li Moyun’s gaze. “Vice Palace Master Zhu Guqing has taken a liking to Wen Lingzhao, and it’s been decided that three months from now, at the academy’s grand opening ceremony, she’ll officially be accepting Wen Lingzhao as her disciple!”
Li Tianhan’s expression shifted, and he sucked in a breath of cold air. “So that’s it!”
Zhu Guqing!
She was one of Heaven’s Origin Academy’s three vice palace masters, one of the mere handful of same-generation Martial Dao Grandmasters within Cloudriver Prefecture.
Furthermore, it had been only thirty years since she began her cultivation. It was fair to say her talent transcended the masses!
Rumor had it, her attainments in the Dao of the Sword were profound and inscrutable. The style she’d mastered, “the Misty Haze Sword Stance”, was famed far and wide. Even Grandmasters of the older generation endlessly sang its praises.
If Wen Lingzhao became her disciple, she’d be like a carp leaping over the dragon’s gate, rising to prominence in a single bound! Her status and position would undergo a cosmic shift!
The disciple of Martial Dao Grandmaster had a status so lofty, even some family heads would welcome them as a distinguished guest!
“No wonder Huang Yunchong and Fu Shan went to such lengths, even if it meant standing at odds with our Li Family. So, a Grandmaster’s disciple has emerged from within the Wen Family….” Li Tianhan finally understood, but his heart was incomparably heavy.
He’d coveted the Wen Family’s medicinal herb businesses for years, and he’d tried to annex them on multiple occasions.
Take tonight’s incident at the Wen Family matriarch’s birthday feast. If not for those unexpected interventions, the Wen Family would have had no choice but to give into his demands!
But now, the situation?had?changed entirely. With a “Grandmaster’s disciple” like Wen Lingzhao, who in Guangling City would dare set their sights on the Wen Family?
“My son, how do you plan to respond to this?” After a moment’s silence, Li Tianhan glanced at Li Moyun.
She was a Grandmaster’s disciple, and moreover, she was already married. Pursuing her was sure to be prohibitively difficult.
Li Moyun said calmly, “Father, the more dazzling Wen Lingzhao’s talent, the more jarringly obvious Su Yi’s ineptitude is. He’s like a black mark on her life, and he’s sure to do enormous damage to her reputation.
He paused, then continued, “Although I don’t know why the Wen Family matriarch refused to annul the wedding contract, I can say with certainty that the higher Wen Lingzhao’s status, the more she’ll reject Su Yi.”
Li Tianhan furrowed his brow. “Moyun, what exactly are you trying to say?”
“Lingzhao and I grew up together,” said Li Moyuan with a smile. “You could even call us childhood sweethearts. My feelings for her have never wavered in the least! I’d do?anything?for her.”
He spoke calmly, but with the utmost determination.
Li Tianhan’s?pupils constricted. “You plan to kill Su Yi?”
“That’s right. So long as Su Yi dies, their marriage will ‘die of natural causes’ along with him. That’ll be good for Wen Lingzhao, and for me, too. It’ll even benefit the Wen Family as a whole!” Li Moyun’s eyes flashed with grim determination. “Therefore, Su Yi must die! He’s nothing but a cripple; there’s no need for him to remain in this world!”
Li Tianhan fixed his gaze on his son. Then, suddenly, he broke into a gratified smile. “My boy, you’ve really grown up! You have your own thoughts, and you’re making your own choices.
“But if you want to kill Su Yi, you must not be hasty! Everyone knows you only have eyes for Wen Lingzhao, and furthermore, you revealed your interest at the banquet. If Su Yi dies suddenly at a time like this, everyone will suspect you.”
Li Moyun nodded, his gaze calm and self-assured. “Father, you can relax. A lion uses its full strength even when catching a hare. I naturally won’t be the least bit complacent, nor will I do anything to bring suspicion upon myself!”
“Alright. I’ll wait for you to bring the Wen Family’s ‘Grandmaster’s disciple’ home! Li Tianhan laughed heartily and patted his son on the shoulder. “When the time comes, I’ll personally act as a go-between. I trust that the Wen Family won’t refuse a marriage alliance with us.”
Despite hearing this, Li Moyun sighed to himself.
Wen Lingzhao was to become the disciple of a Grandmaster; it was already set in stone.
With this incomparably dazzling status, would she really want to be with a childhood sweetheart like him?
Li Moyun took a deep breath, then steeled himself.?No matter the outcome, I have to strive with all my might!
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