Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 1579 – Intelligent Man

Under a willow tree by the lake, a calm breeze passed by. Li Ruhua’s eyes were closed and she used her senses on the surroundings. She found some remnant aura left here.

Li Ge held his sword upright. His expression was calm but his eyes were shining brightly.

All of a sudden, the calm breeze grew faster and it continued to become more violent.

Turning his head around, he frowned slightly and his heart started to grow more heavy.

A few moments later, Li Ruhua’s eyes opened and her complexion was slightly pale. Her voice sounded haggard as she slowly said, “Li Cangzhou truly died here. However, the aura of the murderer has been altered by a Great Divine Way. I tried to trace it but I only encountered chaos.”

As she explained, she could not help lifting her hand to rub her forehead and reduce her discomfort.

Li Ge’s expression darkened.

Li Ruhua was naturally born with a Divine Way and she was looked highly upon by the clan. The two of them cooperated together but they also had a rivalry. As such, Li Ge knew Li Ruhua’s capabilities well.

Back then, he was making an excuse by mentioning the nine-tailed fox that appeared in the capital when he was talking to Li Chenghao.

The excuse had been haphazard and it seemed like the Li Family head was cowardly and timid. Yet, he was intelligent and he already realized that something had been amiss.

Now that he looked back at it, Li Ge found the situation more strange. Someone who could use a Great Divine Way to alter auras and block Li Ruhua from investigating…was this incident really unrelated to the nine-tailed fox in the capital? Furthermore, the murdered Li Cangzhou was a member of the Li Family in Parasol County. If karma existed in the West Desolate, who would kill him casually…the murderer had some background!

“Who are you?”

There was a shout. A pair of guards by the river had spotted the two of them.

Guests that came to the few houses by the lake were approved beforehand. The appearance of two strangers made the guards uncomfortable. If the strangers were bad people and were here to target any guests, the guards would not be spared if anything went wrong!

However, the guards did not have to worry for long. The flash of a sword lit up the sky and two heads rolled to the ground. Blood spurted all over the area and the two Young Ancestors of the Li Family turned and left.

Moon Brothel was instantly thrown into chaos. The manager had a deep background and he often handled matters for the city governor. His face was as cold as steel and he gritted his teeth as he tried his best to appease the guests. At the same time, he demanded that there be an explanation for the incident today.

However, before long, the city governor learned about the killing at Moon Brothel. Yet, he did not do anything. This silence made the Moon Brothel’s manager’s heart clench and a thick feeling of unease cross him. He did not dare to stir up this matter anymore.

After all, people were inherently different. The dead were the dead.

Chen Yuanshen sipped his tea with a bitter smile. Although he did not have evidence, Xu Shen had seen the mark left by the fatal sword strike. Even at this moment, the fierceness in Xu Shen’s eyes made Chen Yuanshen’s heart jump. Who else could the murderer be?

He thought about the young man with the sword behind the Old Ancestor of the Li Family. He could not help sighing to himself. As expected of a man destined to hold the country up in the future, he was truly outstanding!

Li Zicheng sensed the arrival of the two Young Ancestors, but since they chose to remain silent, he chose to be ignorant too.

He closed his eyes and continued his cultivation.

The arrival of the Young Ancestors from the Li Family of the Central Desolate represented a chance for him to break through. If not for them, he would not bother showing up here. With his cultivation realm, everything was a passing cloud to him. Raising his cultivation realm was his priority.

Closing the door, Li Ge unsheathed his sword. There was a sword hum and the air in the room was sliced apart to form a seal.

He raised his head and looked at Li Ruhua.

“It seems that we have to head to the capital of the West Desolate.”

Although she was faced with a chaotic fragment when she investigated using a Divine Way, she was still able to lock onto a small thread of aura.

Its direction came from the capital!

……

Rourou was currently examining the three items that Qin Yu obtained from the internal warehouse of the Imperial Palace.

The wooden stick had sustained the strikes of a hundred thousand lightning bolts and it could be considered a top tier Lightning Withstanding Wood of the world.

The cicada wings were a mysterious object of the world. This was a pair of wings that the cicada left behind after being captured. It had taken three thousand years for its wings to form and it would have flown straight to the heavens.

Lastly, the Crimson Blood’s origins were unknown but it was sealed by a lotus flower.

“Not bad, these are all good items. Furthermore, there is an unexpected find.” Rourou tapped on the deceased jellyfish bubble containing the cicada wings and they disappeared and appeared at another location. “This deceased jellyfish is able to isolate itself from the world. After refining it, it can become a treasure that can cover your aura.”

She glanced at Qin Yu, “However, the most valuable item here is the lotus flower. If you are willing to give it to me, I can dismiss thirty percent of your debt to me.”

Qin Yu thought about it and came to his conclusion. The value of this lotus flower was one sixth the value of the Incense Child.

His eyes lit up and he asked, “What is the use of it?”

Rourou explained, “Once you refine it with your soul, evil will be averted.” She drummed her fingers and stared at the broken stem of the lotus flower. With a smile, she said, “Of course, if you can get the entire lotus flower, I will even waive all your debt to me. I may even owe you a favor after that.”

After pondering for a while, Qin Yu shook his head with resolve. Items in the Imperial Palace were guarded heavily, and not to mention the security in the internal warehouse, even if the treasures were placed on the roadside, no one would be permitted to touch them. Did they really think that the king of the Imperial Palace was a buddha?

Rourou pouted but remained silent. “The Crimson Blood is for you. Since you used the excuse of breaking through your realm, you have to do it. Furthermore, your cultivation realm is pretty weak now.

“As for the cicada wings and the deceased jellyfish, I believe I can help you to refine them into treasures. However, you ought to know that the price I charge is high.”

She lifted a finger and pointed to the Lightning Withstanding Wood. “This black thing shall be my payment.”

Qin Yu nodded without hesitation, “Alright. After the items are refined into treasures, I will trade them with you for items for the Incense Child.

“Cough, but you will have to lend this item to me for a while. Don’t worry, I will definitely compensate you.”

Rourou rubbed her face and she groaned painfully. She realized that Qin Yu was getting less and less cute.

He was so thick-skinned. He had truly improved lots in this aspect!

……

Seascape City was in a state of emergency. The Old Ancestor of the Li Family in Parasol County arrived with two juniors to investigate the murder of Li Cangzhou.

After one day, an urgent report was sent to the palace. The Old Ancestor was now leading the two juniors to the capital.

The report was written in a helpless and bitter tone. It also mentioned that because of the insistence of the Old Ancestor, Chen Sanglue would be accompanying them.

Behind the curtains, the king placed down the report and his eyes flashed coldly.

There was a sigh from the dark shadow by the study room. Chen Sanglue’s performance after all these years showed that he was not an intelligent man.

Today, he brought the damn chess piece with him. It cut off any way back for him.

“Hmph! You old fart, don’t act so outrageously just because I rely on you!” The king snapped angrily.

The feminine voice sounded, “I wouldn’t dare to. Please don’t be angry, my king. I simply feel that Chen Sanglue has let you down. He is dumb.”

The king scoffed coldly. “Li Zicheng came personally; the two with him must be people from the Li Family of the Central Desolate. I want to know the intentions for them to come here.”

He lowered his head but his gaze was high.

The figure in the darkness stepped forward and bowed, “I am currently investigating but the aura from the nine-tailed fox has completely disappeared. I believe that it has been blocked by something.”

“I want results.”

“I understand.”

……

The young master Min Xiangtai’s performance recently made everyone in the manor happy, including the old master. Unlike in the past, he did not spend a whole lot of money to go to entertainment venues to enjoy the fireworks there. Instead, he picked up books and studied in his room.

The master knew his son’s personality well and he did not trust him easily. However, after multiple investigations, he reached the same conclusion: Min Xiangtai had suddenly turned over a new leaf!

Demons and ghosts existed in the cultivation world. There was never a lack of strange and unexplainable things. The old master’s expression changed and he gritted his teeth and sought out the housekeeper.

As night fell, the gate to Min Xiangtai’s courtyard was opened again. He was dragged out of the room by two burly men in red.

He shouted, “Father, what are you doing?” All of a sudden, a bucket of blood from a black dog was poured over him. Although the pitiful young master was a cultivator, he was like a fragile lady in the hands of the two burly men. He could only thrash around like a kid, unable to fend them off him.

An old practitioner in a long yellow robe followed behind the old master. He stepped forward with a talisman in his hands. Then, he hit the body with black dog blood on it. He had struck Min Xiangtai’s head and he grunted, “Urgh! Is the beast still not going to show itself?”

With some hand signals, the talisman was ignited without a sound. Then, the practitioner lit Min Xiangtai’s hair with it, creating much chaos.

After some scrambling from the crowd, the fire was finally put out. The once charming and appealing Min Xiangtai was truly pitiful. After being burnt by the fire, he was kicked and beaten up like a pig.

A bucket of water and another round of beatings greeted him. After he regained consciousness, Min Xiangtai screamed in agony, “Father, my dear father, what are you doing?”

This voice and gaze. That’s right, he was definitely his son.

The old master sighed for a long time. Then, there was awkwardness. The old madame had heard the news and she rushed over to hug Min Xiangtai. She cried “My pitiful life!” Then, she turned around in a huff and grabbed the old master. She took her anger out on him and reduced him to a pitiful state.

The old master said, “Thank you ancestors. My son has really turned over a new leaf.” The old master burst into laughter as he held his head and squirmed in pain.

A few moments later, peace finally returned to the yard. After applying medicine from the practitioner, the purple bruises on Min Xiangtai’s face was not as swollen as before.

Once the two servant ladies in the study room, Shi Shu and Shi Qi, were dismissed, Min Xiangtai sat by the study table. His hands cupped his face and he was truly ashamed to meet other people.

A light laughter came to his ears, “Your father is truly…an interesting man.”

The two times he had intruded into this place were nights when it was a full moon. They also happened at the right time.

If this was merely coincidence, it was too coincidental. However, thinking about it, this was only normal. After all, how could any normal person hide a great demon in his study?

However, wasn’t this a splendid thing in an already wonderful scene? It was incredible that even she, the nine-tailed fox, was not able to sense the aura of the old master.

Min Xiangtai took it that the lady was teasing him. His face turned red and he cupped his hands, “Miss, please don’t tease me.”

The lady laughed but did not say much. Since he was an intelligent man, she ought to avoid him. The lady yawned and looked at the nervous but eager Min Xiangtai, “Young master, I am very tired. I shan’t accompany you tonight.”

She turned around and transformed into a cloud of mist that entered the books and disappeared.

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