Chapter 197 - A Fight of Life and Death

“You sure cultivated quickly!” The West Gate Granny squinted and studied Qian Rongzhi in deep suspicion.

A few young men surrounded the granny, ma.s.saging her hands and feet. They looked at Qian Rongzhi in her valiant Black Wolf commander uniform with envy and hatred.

Qian Rongzhi knelt and begged. “Rongzhi only managed this from obtaining a daemon’s core out of pure luck, but this won’t continue for long. Please, granny, let me back into the Sect of Clouds and Rain. I won’t disappoint granny.”

The West Gate Granny stroked a tender, handsome face gently. “If you’re telling the truth, then I might consider it. I still actually like you very much.” She felt very happy to be able to receive a bow from a Black Wolf commander.

A handsome, young man looked at Qian Rongzhi arrogantly and complacently, like Qian Rongzhi was kneeling to him.

Qian Rongzhi was overjoyed. “Rongzhi has only spoken the truth. I used the informants of the Hawkwolf Guard to find him after becoming the Black Wolf commander. Li Qingshan appeared in Ancient Wind city with that child before. I specially sent people to investigate this, and I found his hiding place after quite a lot of difficulty.”

“Not only does he possess the Zombie Daoist’s hundred treasures pouch, but it’s very likely that he was responsible for the deaths of Zhuo Zhibo and his subordinates too. He possesses a wealth of several thousand spiritual stones at the very least. You definitely won’t be disappointed, granny.”

This was her scheme. If a powerful Qi Pract.i.tioner learned that a weaker Qi Pract.i.tioner possessed tremendous wealth on them, they obviously would not contact their companions. Instead, they would find a way to obtain all of it for themselves.

Right when the West Gate Granny’s wrinkly face had curled into a smile, a croaky voice rang out from outside the window, “Old woman, how can you forget about me when there are all these benefits presented before you?”

The West Gate Granny’s expression suddenly changed, while Qian Rongzhi’s heart sank. It was the East Gate Granny’s voice.

The East Gate Granny walked in slowly with a happy grin.

The West Gate Granny and East Gate Granny were on bitter terms with each other, so they constantly kept an eye out for the other’s movements. As soon as the West Gate Granny left Clear River city, she was discovered by the East Gate Granny. She became suspicious, so she tailed her silently. The people who cared for you the most in the world were not your friends, but your enemies.

The East Gate Granny ignored the sunken-faced West Gate Granny. She said to Qian Rongzhi, “Girly Qian, lead the way. That kid’s very vigilant. We can’t afford to go with someone’s wretched idea and waste a few days for nothing again.”

Qian Rongzhi glanced at the West Gate Granny in a troubled manner. The West Gate Granny said with a sunken face, “Let’s go!” It had already happened, so there was no use fuming over this. She could only let this old coot win a round over her.

The three of them arrived on the other side of the mountain that the Ancient Wind city sat on. They stopped before the pitch-black cave.

Qian Rongzhi said, “Grannies, Li Qingshan should be hiding in there.”

“Lead the way!”

“Yes!” The setback from the failure of her plan had not deterred her. It did not make her give anything away. She planned and prepared carefully. As long as she could prove that Li Qingshan had appeared in the city in the past, the two grannies probably would not blame her too much.

And, before she had left, she had specially told the new Black Hawk commander that she would be going to Ancient Wind city with them. The investigation that followed any missing Hawkwolf Guards served as a protective talisman.

If she failed this time, then she still had next time. As long as she constantly tried, there would be a time when she succeeded.

They advanced forward along the winding path until they reached a large cavern.

Qian Rongzhi’s expression suddenly changed drastically. She almost broke out cursing.

Li Qingshan did not conceal his presence and hide. Instead, he just sat on a rock out in the open, meditating.

The West Gate Granny and the East Gate Granny walked past her. The East Gate Granny even patted her shoulder. “Good job!” She failed to notice her pale expression at all.

Qian Rongzhi said with difficulty, “Please capture Li Qingshan, grannies! I’ll be waiting outside the cave.”

The West Gate Granny nodded without caring too much. All she did was stare at Li Qingshan. “Go wait on the carriage. We’ll be out very soon.”

The East Gate Granny’s eyes shone. “Old woman, go easy. You don’t come across kids as healthy as him often. Let me try the Vitality Devouring technique!”

“The Vitality Devouring technique!” The West Gate Granny thought of something and glanced at Qian Rongzhi in thought.

Qian Rongzhi felt the sharp, sword-like gaze slide past her, but she did not seize up at all.

The West Gate Granny set her doubts aside before turning around and cursing, “I knew you’d become restless. You can have the kid, but I’m taking an additional ten percent of his possessions!”

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The East Gate Granny agreed with a sinister smile as she looked at Li Qingshan greedily.

“Though, don’t suck him dry. We still need to ask him about Yingjie’s whereabouts, along with that child with the Aspect of Heavenly Fragrance and Beauty.” The West Gate Granny looked around, but she failed to find Xiao An.

“Didn’t Wei Zhongyuan already get Ma Buyi to take a look already? That unlucky kid is probably done for. He’s probably dead already. The murderer was in the north, probably this kid, as a matter of fact.”

Qian Rongzhi’s heart trembled. There were actually such accurate divination techniques in the world. If it were not for Li Qingshan, who bore the blame for her, she probably would have been exposed already.

She made her way out of the cave while holding her breath; then she sat down slowly against a rock, like she had collapsed weakly. She slammed the rockface viciously and left behind a deep handprint.

If Li Qingshan were captured, she would definitely be exposed for murdering Wei Yingjie, and she would have to face the wrath of a tenth layer Qi Pract.i.tioner, along with the entire Sect of Clouds and Rain. The Hawkwolf Guard would be incapable of protecting her, nor would they try to protect her.

Right now, all she could do was flee immediately, the further the better. However, where was she supposed to go? There was nowhere she could go, unless she copied Li Qingshan and fled underground.

Why didn’t Li Qingshan flee?

“Look at that woman. No matter how high her cultivation is, she still looks like a b.i.t.c.h.” The handsome young men huddled together on an open piece of land with spa.r.s.e vegetation near the carriage as they jeered at Qian Rongzhi.

“You’re the b.i.t.c.hes!” Qian Rongzhi glanced at them in contempt.

The young men were stunned by that. One of them became enraged. “How dare you talk back!” Another one said in a sunken fashion, “Just that would have been enough for granny to cut you to pieces.” Under the protection of the West Gate Granny, rarely did anyone rebuke them.

Qian Rongzhi smiled. “But, the old woman’s not here right now!” She walked over with her Water-splitting barb. Even if she was going to flee, she wanted to take a few people with her.

“W- what are you planning on doing?” The young men became afraid. They retreated slowly before turning around and fleeing towards the carriage.

Qian Rongzhi swung her hand, and there was a flash of light. Four pairs of legs were chopped off together.

The fine horse that pulled the carried whinnied uneasily and reared its front legs. After Qian Rongzhi gave it a glance, it immediately settled down.

However, there were some people who could not settle down. The young men rolled on the ground in pain.

Qian Rongzhi stopped their bleeding wounds with great familiarity and injected some true qi into every single one of them so that they remained conscious. They would not faint, so they could properly enjoy the painful torture.

“You wh.o.r.e, you b.i.t.c.h! Granny will definitely kill you! Just you wait- ahhhh!” The young man in red clothes sobbed as he cursed. The Water-splitting barb swept past his face, slicing off his nose and destroying his handsome appearance.

Qian Rongzhi patted his b.l.o.o.d.y face. “I hope your granny will keep doting on you, you noseless, ugly boy!”

The other three young men immediately stopped cursing. They looked at Qian Rongzhi in fear and resentment. Their handsome faces were their most valuable possession. If they lost their legs, those could still be reattached, but if they lost their appearances, they would completely lose the granny’s favour.

Afterwards, shrieks and howls rang through the forest like ghosts in the pits of h.e.l.l.

Qian Rongzhi cut off another three noses, completely shredding and obliterating all of their hopes.

She did not choose to flee. Instead, she faced the nearby cave and meditated amidst the howls.

If the West Gate Granny emerged and saw what her beloved faces had become, she would definitely tear her to shreds.

However, she had already calmed down completely. She knew Li Qingshan’s character very well. Since he did not flee, he definitely possessed the confidence that he did not need to flee.

Since he was bold enough to fight, what was she supposed to be afraid of? At most, she would just die with him. Having reached this step, death no longer worried her. She refused to take a step back in retreat.

Qian Rongzhi had guessed correctly. Li Qingshan was fighting.

When he caught the two scents entering the cave, he knew that the plan had gone wrong, but it should not have been one of Qian Rongzhi’s schemes. If she wanted to get him, she could have called for everyone from the Sect of Clouds and Rain.

Against just the West Gate Granny, he was absolutely confident that he could emerge victorious, but if the East Gate Granny were added to the equation, his chances at victory fell to around seventy percent. If he was seventy percent confident and still refused to fight, would he still be a man?

This was why he did not hide, sitting there instead. He adjusted every single strand of muscle in his body to peak condition, like a tiger on the hunt, quietly waiting for its prey to get closer.

Li Qingshan glanced at the pale-faced Qian Rongzhi and confirmed his thoughts. After hearing what the two old coots said, he directly treated them like their heads were on the chopping block. He sat right where he was as his killing intent surged.

The West Gate Granny saw how Li Qingshan did not even move, so she asked in wonder, “The kid’s not running?”

“He must be stunned by fear. Don’t be afraid, my good child. I won’t hurt you.” The East Gate Granny used her arts of charm as she smiled. No matter how impressive the arts of Body Pract.i.tioners were, he was an easy target with his strength at the third layer.

The West Gate Granny sneered. She knew that the arts of charm were not particularly effective against Li Qingshan, but she purposefully did not warn the East Gate Granny so that she could make a fool of herself.

Li Qingshan laughed aloud, which reverberated through the cave. The spirit turtle’s daemon core bobbed up and down in his body, suppressing all distracting thoughts.

The East Gate Granny was alarmed. “What are you laughing about?”

Li Qingshan stopped laughing. “There are two old and ugly monsters who are trying to flirt like young girls. How hilarious. You can fool others, but have you fooled yourselves too? Why don’t you check yourselves in the mirror and count how many wrinkles you have?”

That hit a sore spot for the two grannies. They hated it the most when others reminded them of their appearances and age.

The East Gate Granny was enraged. “Kid, you’re looking to die!”

With a wave of her hand, colossal true qi, as black as ink, formed a huge wave that swept towards Li Qingshan.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The thick stalagmites that blocked the path of the true qi were smashed to pieces, knocking rocks into the air. It was like a huge, black snake that crawled across the ground, arriving before Li Qingshan in a single instant. It raised its head and bit down viciously.

With a boom, the rock that Li Qingshan sat on shattered.

Li Qingshan had already vanished. In that close moment, he had leapt into the air. He stared at the black true qi. “Profound Yin true qi!”