Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 1590: Different Entry Levels

After the noise and activity, the people in the capital fell into shock. Attention from all the various residences was now focused on Marquis Chongwu Mansion.

As important court officials of the West Desolate, they were one with the nation. Although they were not able to directly see the golden incense power vortex, they could sense the incense power flowing into Marquis Chongwu Mansion…it was more than they could imagine!

No one expected that Marquis Chongwu Ning Qin, someone from the fragmented area, could be so loyal to the nation even though it had not been long since he entered the West Desolate.

But the incense power could not lie. What they were witnessing today was the best proof.

Other than shock, their eyes also filled with admiration. As loyal court ministers of the country, they had personally experienced the benefit of the incense power to their own cultivation.

Marquis Chongwu Ning Qin was undergoing a huge change. Although he had just broken through to the Ruler realm, his actual power would not be like that of normal early level Rulers.

Beyond these court ministers, even His Majesty looked solemn. He could not help but doubt his own assumption and he was uncertain.

Taking a deep breath, he was calm again. “Go to Min Residence. I have always stuck to the promise with the Imperial Clan and have never bothered Lord Min. But today, it was Lord Min who broke the rules first. I have to ask what is going on.”

In the shadows, the young eunuch appeared. He bowed, “Yes Your Majesty.”

He turned and disappeared.

……

Li Family Residence.

Li Ge was unconscious. He was covered in blood and his aura was faint.

Although he was alive, he was basically handicapped after his sword cultivation was destroyed.

Li Zicheng withdrew her hand and stood up, “Second Lady, don’t worry. I have already given Young Ancestor Li Ge the Nine Reversal Pill. His condition is stable.”

Li Ruhua was expressionless, “Understood. You can leave.”

Li Zicheng respectfully nodded and left.

As the door was shut, Li Ge opened his eyes. His eyes were bleak, “I won’t go back.”

Li Ruhua frowned, “When you return to the clan, with the elders’ power, they may be able to help you fix your ruined sword cultivation.”

Li Ge shook his head. This small action caused his wounds to hurt and he coughed violently. Blood spurted out of his mouth and nose and he looked extremely miserable. But in his eyes, he looked calm. Amidst the calmness, there was even a hint of ridicule.

“Second Lady, it is not like we don’t know the clan elders’ attitude. Why would you say this to comfort me? If it was just a normal injury, or even a serious one, the clan could just give some treasure to heal it. It would not be a big deal. But now, my sword cultivation was cut by the West Desolate King using the Nation Subduing Sword. The power of an incense item…at the minimum, it would require an elder to be willing to risk losing his own sword and dropping a realm to help me regain my sword cultivation.”

Li Ge’s eyes grew even more bleak, “Second Lady, do you think the clan would be willing to pay such a huge price to rescue me? Even if the clan is willing, which elder sword cultivator would be willing to sacrifice for me? Or my parents?”

He could no longer hide the ridicule in his eyes. He expressed it openly in front of Li Ruhua. This made Li Ruhua, who knew what he meant, fall silent.

“What do you want?”

“To leave the Li Family.” Li Ge looked at her, “You should know very well that this is my only choice if I want to become a sword cultivator again. If not, I will just be treated as a disabled person when we return to the Central Desolate. I will be a disgrace to my family till the end of my life.

“This is not the path I want to take…so Second Lady, I am begging you to help me!”

Li Ruhua was silent before she looked at him and nodded, “Okay.” She turned and left. Li Zicheng was frowning outside the room as he had obtained news from elsewhere.

“Second Lady, Marquis Chongwu has broken through. The situation has changed again!”

Li Ruhua frowned even more. Bad news was pouring in. It seemed like Li Cangzhou’s death was truly a trap.

……

Lord Min sighed and occasionally stole a glance in the direction of Marquis Chongwu Mansion. He felt his heart ache to the point that it was hard to breathe.

The essence of a nine-tailed fox. He had yet to even take a bite before he had to give it all away. Now, the more he looked, the more painful it was. He could only drink to numb himself.

But even if he was drinking to drown his sorrows, he did not feel good. Lord Min sighed as he threw the cup onto the ground. He lifted his hands to massage his head.

“Young lad. It has been many years. Since you are already here then enter.”

In a flower patch outside the house, a figure shifted and the young eunuch walked out. He bowed respectfully, “Greetings, Lord Min.”

Lord Min glanced and him and sighed, “According to our identities, I should call you uncle. There is no need to degrade yourself.”

The young eunuch remained neutral, “A disabled person is naturally a servant of the imperial family. The past is the past.”

Lord Min grunted, “As long as you believe it. You don’t have to tell me.” He knocked the table, “Why don’t you sit for a cup of tea?”

He did not seem to care that the table was in a mess.

The young eunuch bowed, “Thank you Lord Min but I am on His Majesty’s orders and do not dare to have a drink.” Looking at his expression, he seemed to be sincerely happy for the invitation but also regretful that he could not accept it.

As a special person in the palace, the young eunuch knew Lord Min better than others.

He knew clearly that being invited for a drink; disregarding how messy the table was, even a cup being thrown by his feet was a huge honor.

“Okay, if you are not willing to drink, then let’s get straight to it.” Lord Min looked at him, “Are you here because of the nine-tailed fox?”

The young eunuch bowed, “His Majesty wants to know why you would break the peace that had existed for more than a thousand years.”

Lord Min sneered. Of course it was because of the lady from Marquis Chongwu Mansion who was so scary that she made him despair.

But this remained only in his thoughts and he did not say it out loud. He wanted to live for a long time and treasured his life.

“Go back and tell the West Desolate King this. I made a move because I did not want to be dragged into the vortex. His Majesty should understand what I mean.”

The young eunuch bowed, “Yes. Thank you Lord Min. I will take my leave.” He stepped into the shadows and disappeared.

Looking at the cup he threw out, Lord Min hesitated and picked it up. He poured himself a cup of wine and drank it in one go.

The stuffy feeling that he had slowly disappeared. What he said was the truth. As for how far the king wanted to take and think about his words, that was the king’s problem. It had nothing to do with him.

Tsk tsk, I am so smart!

……

The young eunuch relayed what Lord Min said. His Majesty was behind the beaded curtain above the Nine Layers. There was a cold look in his eyes.

Proof!

Alas, it was that clan colluding with the Central Desolate Li Family to use each other.

Thinking of the top secret messages sent from the Central Desolate Divine Area recently, the king seemed to have some understanding.

That clan was originally from the Central Desolate Divine Area and their ancestors had a close relationship with the Li Family.

It would not be difficult for them to join hands given their history.

That sword mark in the palace was that clan’s true objective. Targeting Marquis Chongwu Ning Qin was just a distraction.

And the Li Family probably worked with them to find something…or rather, someone…he could find out more about this after reviewing the information sent by his spies in the Central Desolate Area.

“Call Lord Chengtian. Tell the Li Family that I am still waiting for their explanation.”

There was a glimmer in the king’s eyes.

……

Qin Yu opened his eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling. There was a strength and a pressure that he had never felt before. These two conflicting feelings were tangled in him and his expression was complicated.

Before breaking through to the Ruler realm, he had never thought that he would face this…how should he continue?

If the Ruler realm was like this, what about the King realm? Would he explode and burst before he could even break through?

Rourou sneered, “You haven’t even eaten and you are thinking about what to do if you are full? Little Qin Yu, though it is important for cultivators to have a good understanding of their sufferings, you are going a bit overboard.”

She paused for a while as her tone became cold, “Even if the sky falls, there will be taller people to deal with it…moreover, cultivation is going against the heavens and changing your fate. It is natural to deal with it as the problem arises. You don’t have to worry about things in the future.”

What she said at the end seemed to be wanting to cover up and end the matter. Rourou was not someone who was patient and liked to explain things.

Qin Yu looked at her thoughtfully.

This made Rourou grit her teeth, “Now that you have broken through, your mind should be clearer. You should understand the rationale behind all these cliche things!”

This was a clear indication. Qin Yu smiled and put his hands together, “No pain no gain. I understand.”

“Hmph!” Rourou could not stand how he was being and turned to throw something at him, “It is done but it is mine…I can lend it to you to use for now. You better not spoil it.”

Qin Yu reached out to take it and his eyes lit up. His smile widened, “Yes yes. If I spoil it I will be in big trouble right?”

He lowered his head to look at the thing in his hand. There was a look of admiration in his eyes. He looked up and said, “Good move.”

Rourou’s expression improved. She made a ‘hmph’ sound, “Of course. Since I am the one that made it, it has to be good.” She yawned, “You can explain yourself when you head out later. I am tired, don’t bother me if there is nothing important.”

Woosh –

She turned and disappeared.

Qin Yu was already used to her supernatural behavior. He flicked out a finger and a drop of blood flew into the item in his hand.

It vibrated slightly and the seemingly frozen surface appeared to melt. It spread outwards and covered Qin Yu’s entire body. Following his wishes, it transformed into a white robe.

Reaching out to touch the robe’s material, Qin Yu looked satisfied.

What a great thing!

With this robe and his own strong physical body, his defensive side could finally catch up to his strange realm now.

Early Ruler realm…but this was a very different early realm!