noffsinger Chapter 219: Leveraging Power
Chapter 219: Leveraging Power
The Zhu family is now thriving.
However, we are still missing a second-tier alchemist.
She believes that with Yang Jiuli joining, they will surely achieve great things in Nanling in the future.
After all, the development of a clan requires not only military strength, but also, and is extremely important, financial resources.
A second-tier alchemist can not only enhance the clan's military strength but also increase its wealth.
Such talent is rare and hard to come by.
Therefore, taking advantage of Ye Chongli's death, Zhu Yaqin couldn't wait to win over Yang Jiuli.
"As long as Master Yang joins 'Huanyuan Peak,' why should we worry about not being able to establish our foundation?" Luo Tianyi echoed.
Although he did not want Yang Jiuli to join, adding another rival, in recent years they had been recruiting many retainers, but had not been able to recruit any second-level alchemists, which caused Huanyuan Peak's financial resources to be unable to expand and had fallen into a predicament.
"I appreciate your kindness!" Yang Jiuli picked up his wine cup and gestured to the two men. He then took a sip of wine and said, "However, I have grown accustomed to the peaceful life at Lingxi Peak and have no intention of moving elsewhere."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yaqin frowned, thinking to herself, "This guy is really impervious to reason. Is my 'Huanyuan Peak' really that incompetent? Or is there something I did wrong that made him dislike me?"
She was suspicious, but upon reflection, she realized that she had always treated him with courtesy since they met and had not offended him in any way.
"Hehe, comfortable?" Luo Tianyi took a sip of wine and said, "Master Yang, let me tell you the truth, in five to eight years, the Southern Ridge will change drastically! At that time, I'm afraid your 'Lingxi Peak' will also find it difficult to remain unscathed."
"A change of regime?" Upon hearing this, Yang Jiuli's gaze sharpened as he looked at Luo Tianyi and Zhu Yaqin.
Zhu Yaqin smiled slightly, took a sip of wine, and then looked at Luo Tianyi, saying meaningfully, "Master Yang probably knows that Fellow Daoist Luo's elder sister is from Nanling Immortal City, so she can naturally obtain some secrets that ordinary people do not know."
"Could it be that the Lord of Nanling City wants to unify the seventy-two peaks of Nanling?" Yang Jiuli wondered and asked tentatively.
"Hehe, I didn't say anything about this. It was all just your speculation, Master Yang... Don't spread it around and cause misunderstandings." Luo Tianyi said with a laugh, but his words did not seem to deny the matter, clearly indicating his acquiescence.
Upon hearing this, Yang Jiuli understood.
"How about it, Master Yang? If you join our 'Huanyuan Peak,' we can guarantee your safety!" Zhu Yaqin said with a smile.
"Hehe, I appreciate Fellow Daoist Zhu's kindness, but this Southern Ridge is merely an inn on my journey. I will leave in a few years. As for joining a certain force... I have grown accustomed to freedom and will not consider it!"
Yang Jiuli laughed.
Upon hearing this, Luo Tianyi's expression darkened. He spoke into his mouth, transmitting his voice to Zhu Yaqin, "Fairy Yaqin, this brat is refusing to listen to reason. Why don't we tie him up and take him to 'Huanyuan Peak'? Then we won't have to worry about him not honestly refining pills for us."
"Foolish... If Yang Jiuli goes missing... how will you deal with the Ice River Valley's investigation?" Zhu Yaqin rebuked him telepathically. "That Qin Zhixue is not someone to be trifled with. Back then, she overpowered a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator while only at the early Foundation Establishment stage."
"Now that she has entered the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, she is likely comparable to the late-Foundation Establishment stage..."
"Moreover... she's a disciple of a Core Formation cultivator; her foundation is far beyond that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator!"
She was wary.
She was unwilling to take any risks before she could ascertain the depth of the relationship between Qin Zhixue and Yang Jiuli.
"This..." Luo Tianyi wanted to say something, but when he heard that he was a Core Formation True Person disciple, he fell silent.
A fake Dan Master bestowed upon him the "Meteor Chasing the Moon Bow," which allowed him to shoot and kill Fu Yun, who was in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
If Qin Zhixue possessed a treasure bestowed by a Core Formation True Person, how powerful would it be?
Therefore, he felt a chill run down his spine and dared not say anything more.
Yang Jiuli kept the changes in their expressions to himself.
He did not use his divine sense to intercept their telepathic communication, lest he reveal the secret of possessing a powerful divine sense.
As for what the two of them will say.
Without even listening, Yang Jiuli knew that nothing good could come of it.
He had nothing to fear.
Luo Tianyi looked at Yang Jiuli, his brows furrowing occasionally, his eyes filled with resentment.
A moment later, his gaze sharpened as he looked at Zhu Yaqin and transmitted his voice, "If Yang Jiuli and Fairy Qin are merely casual acquaintances... and he's been using her influence to bully us, then haven't we missed a golden opportunity? After all, if they were truly close friends, how come they haven't even found him a Foundation Establishment spirit item? Even arranging a job for him in the Ice River Valley would be better than staying here!"
His older sister had originally wanted to arrange a job for him in Nanling Immortal City.
If it weren't for Zhu Yaqin's efforts to win him over and help him build a great empire, why would he have gone out to make a living?
However, Yang Jiuli's current visit to the Ye family is marked by his lack of interest in external affairs, clearly indicating that he is not here to establish a powerful empire.
"This matter is indeed intriguing!" Zhu Yaqin also harbored doubts.
Just then, a ripple appeared on Lingxi Peak.
The array's protective shield was activated.
Yang Jiuli's eyes flickered, and an array plate appeared in his palm. He then released a wisp of his divine sense into it.
His divine sense merged into the protective array light shield above Lingxi Peak through the array plate.
But inside the light shield, there was a ball of light that was enveloping a sound transmission talisman.
Sensing outwards, he saw a woman outside Lingxi Peak, riding a second-tier cold lotus flying artifact. The person was Lu Wenqing. Upon seeing this, Yang Jiuli immediately activated the formation, manifesting a portal of light.
"It's Wenqing! Please come in!" Yang Jiuli's voice came from within the array's light barrier.
Outside the formation, Lu Wenqing rode the Cold Lotus and flew into 'Lingxi Peak', heading straight for the living room halfway up the mountain.
Once inside the courtyard, she glanced at the hall.
"We have guests..." Lu Wenqing's heart stirred slightly.
He immediately put away his magical weapon and floated down to the blue stone training ground outside the courtyard.
"Hehe, we have guests visiting, so I'll have to excuse myself!" Yang Jiuli stood up and bowed to Zhu Yaqin and Luo Tianyi.
"Hehe, please go ahead, Master Yang!" Zhu Yaqin smiled sweetly.
Yang Jiuli straightened his clothes and walked out of the hall. He opened the courtyard gate and saw Lu Wenqing outside.
"It's a Foundation Establishment cultivator!" Luo Tianyi's eyes flickered as he glanced at Lu Wenqing outside the courtyard and whispered.
"This woman... looks familiar..." Zhu Yaqin murmured, looking out of the courtyard.
"Ninth Brother..." Lu Wenqing greeted Yang Jiuli with a cupped hand in greeting from outside the courtyard.
"Hehe, it's been a long time. Your cultivation has improved quite a bit!" Yang Jiuli smiled slightly.
"Just a slight improvement, nothing to mention!" Lu Wenqing smiled, then asked, "Are there guests?"
"It's alright..." Yang Jiuli said, "Let's go!"
Then, he led Lu Wenqing into the courtyard.
The two entered the hall.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Yaqin and Luo Tian stood up.
"This is Zhu Yaqin, Fellow Daoist Zhu, the clan leader of the Zhu clan of Huanyuan Peak in Nanling..."
"This is Luo Tianyi, Fellow Daoist Luo, Elder of Huanyuan Peak in the Southern Ridge!"
"This is Lu Wenqing from Ice River Valley, Fellow Daoist Lu!"
Yang Jiuli introduced Lu Wenqing and the others to each other.
"Fellow Daoist Zhu, Fellow Daoist Luo!" Lu Wenqing cupped his hands in greeting.
"So you are the immortal master from Ice River Valley... I apologize for not greeting you properly!"
Upon hearing this, Luo Tianyi's heart stirred, and he immediately bowed and greeted the speaker with a fawning expression.
"Greetings, Fairy Lu!" Zhu Yaqin also bowed in greeting.
"So it's her, Qin Zhixue's personal maid... Legend has it that she only has a low-grade spiritual root, but she was forcibly built up to Foundation Establishment with resources. Why is she here?" Zhu Yaqin thought to herself as she bowed, vaguely sensing something.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
Zhu Yaqin had naturally investigated the people around Qin Zhixue.
Therefore, I had seen Lu Wenqing's portrait before, which is why it looked familiar just now.
"Hehe, I apologize for my abrupt visit, Wenqing!" Lu Wenqing said to the two with a smile.
"It's alright, it's alright!" Luo Tianyi quickly replied.
Yang Jiuli invited Lu Wenqing to sit down next to him.
Zhu Yaqin and Luo Tianyi took their seats.
"Fellow Daoists, is there something important you need to discuss? If so, Wenqing may excuse himself for the time being," Lu Wenqing said after taking a sip of wine.
"Hehe, it's nothing serious, Fairy Lu, there's no need to avoid me!" Luo Tian said with a smile, his words full of humility.
Born in the Nanling Mountains.
He naturally knew what a third-tier immortal sect meant.
That was the ruler of the entire cultivation world of the Chu Kingdom.
When the immortal sects are enraged, corpses can litter a thousand miles away.
None of these small clans dared to challenge his authority.
Even though Luo Tianyi had managed to attach himself to the Southern Ridge Immortal City, the fear that came from his heart still lingered.
Therefore, it manifested itself without our knowledge at this time.
This caused Zhu Yaqin, who was standing nearby, to feel a subtle, almost imperceptible, disgust towards Luo Tianyi.
Upon hearing this, Lu Wenqing looked at Yang Jiuli.
"The two fellow Daoists' visit is nothing major; they merely reminded me that chaos is brewing in the Southern Ridge and advised me to find a better place to go!" Yang Jiuli said casually, taking a sip of wine. His words, however, caused Lu Wenqing to raise an eyebrow.
She naturally understood that Ninth Brother's words had a hidden meaning.
"Oh? The Southern Ridge is about to descend into chaos? I wonder which place you two would like to invite my Ninth Brother to?" Lu Wenqing's beautiful eyes flickered, a hint of sharpness in them, as she looked at Luo Tianyi and Zhu Yaqin, speaking with a half-smile.
"Hehe, we just want to find a way out for Master Yang. If he is unwilling, naturally no one can force him."
Luo Tian smiled.
Seeing Lu Wenqing looking at him like that made him feel uneasy.
As a third-tier immortal cultivator, Lu Wenqing had unknowingly cultivated the aura of a superior over the past thirty years.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, you are overthinking it. My ninth brother is a second-tier alchemist; where can't he go?"
"My Glacier Valley once wanted to hire him as an advisor on foreign affairs, but he politely declined."
As for coercion...
In the cultivation world of Chu, anyone below the Core Formation Ancestor who wants to harm my Ninth Brother has to first ask the Ice River Valley for their opinion...
After all, Lingxi Peak is under the jurisdiction of Ice River Valley.
Before you think about how captivating it is to be here, you should first consider whether you can withstand the wrath of the Glacier Valley.
"If you can't, then prepare to be expelled from the cultivation world of Chu!"
Lu Wenqing said coldly.
As she spoke, a powerful aura of icy coldness swept out from her body.
This created a rather awkward atmosphere in the hall.
"What Fairy Lu says is quite true... I was overthinking it, I was overthinking it. Here, I punish myself with three cups!"
Luo Tianyi smiled awkwardly and immediately drank three cups. Although they were both at the Foundation Establishment stage, he would never dare to offend the cultivators of Ice River Valley openly, even if this was the Southern Ridge. Some things could only be done in secret.
Seeing this, Lu Wenqing didn't say anything more.
Immediately, the group exchanged a few pleasantries.
Zhu Yaqin and Luo Tianyi then made an excuse to get up and say goodbye.
"Fellow Daoists, please take care!" Yang Jiuli stood up and cupped his hands, but made no attempt to see them off.