Chapter 1179: Hao Yuzhen
This girl was Hao Yuzhen, Teng Jiwen's strongest rival for the citadel lord's position. She had an ancient regal bloodline that made her qualified for the position.
She coldly sneered: "It seems like Senior Brother Teng is quite close to you to actually tell you so many things. You better be careful, revealing the secret of the citadel is a capital offense!"
At this time, she had other ideas to splash some dirty water on Teng Jiwen. 1
Of course, she didn't believe Li Qiye saw through everything about her. This man ahead couldn't reach the apex. It must have been Senior Brother Teng Jiwen who told him everything.
"I don't care for your Heavenvine Citadel's bullshit." He didn't bother to look at her as he said: "Your competition with him is your own business, do not touch me with your dog paw or I won't mind hanging your skull on the highest peak of the citadel!"
"You!" Hao Yuzhen's expression turned ugly to the extreme. She immediately wanted to burst out in a furor, but she managed to endure it. At this moment, the ancestors were still discussing whether they should let Li Qiye cure the ancestral vine or not. Taking a shot at Li Qiye was very unwise, and Teng Jiwen would take advantage of this!
She coldly looked at him and said: "Don't make porcelain without a piece of diamond. Curing this calamity is not a joke, don't even think about it if you are not capable. If you can't do it, the ancestors will become furious and at that point, Brother Teng will push you out to be the scapegoat… " 2
"I accept your goodwill." Li Qiye laughed and started before she could finish: "But this is as easy as breakfast for me. There's no need for you to worry, the calabash is as good as mine already."
Hao Yuzhen was quite unhappy. She initially wanted to scare Li Qiye away. If he had actually fled out of fear, it would have been quite beneficial for her. She would immediately use this to attack Teng Jiwen and accuse him of leaking the citadel's secrets.
However, Li Qiye simply didn't take her bait, so her efforts were for naught.
She snorted and said: "Even if you are capable and obtain the Heavenvine Calabash, you should know that paper cannot wrap fire. There are no secrets in this world; if people know that you have a calabash capable of replenishing life…"
"… You can easily imagine how many ancestors will salivate while staring at you. In less than three days, you will become prey in everyone's eyes, a piece of meat among a shiver of sharks. In just three seconds, they will tear you into pieces…" She continued to intimidate him.
He finally looked at her lazily and smiled: "Good, I have heard your advice and warning." With that, he went back into his room.
She, on the other hand, was quite unhappy. A nobody junior like him dared to look down on her — this was truly maddening.
After taking only a few steps, he turned back and laughed while issuing a warning: "By the way, stop your little noxious game. As I have said before, try to touch me with your dog paw and I'll off your head and put it at the citadel's peak."
"You!" Her face blackened from being livid while her entire body trembled. She would have killed Li Qiye already if she wasn't afraid of Teng Jiwen using this against her.
He ignored her and went back to his room.
On that same night, Teng Jiwen came back and asked: "Sir, I heard our disciples say that my junior sister visited you?"
Li Qiye noticed his tense demeanor and smirked: "Only a little matter, there's no need to be nervous. If she could do anything to me, I wouldn't be sitting here right now."
He heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Li Qiye's words. Li Qiye glanced over at him and asked: "How was your citadel's discussion? They should have an answer by now."
When this matter was brought up, Teng Jiwen rubbed his palms nervously and coughed: "Sir, my master has talked with the other ancestors. Now, we have to wait for the ancient ancestors to agree."
Li Qiye lazily drank his tea and asked: "Do you think those ancient ancestors will agree?"
"Well…" Teng Jiwen found it difficult to answer: "The ancient ancestors are wise; I trust that they will come up with something more sagacious than us juniors."
Li Qiye snorted and said: "A person will be afraid of death. Those who are in higher positions and have lived for a long time would be even more scared. For ages now, very few could see through life and death. These types of people are amazing and capable of having their names recorded in history."
In fact, Teng Jiwen was not certain in the least. After all, no one needed the calabash more than these ancient ancestors. It was just as Li Qiye had said, people would always be afraid of death. Those who were more powerful would try to prolong their lives regardless of the cost.
"I know that their penetrating insight will come through." Teng Jiwen quickly answered: "Sir, just be patient, they will give you a satisfactory answer."
Li Qiye gently shook his head: "I know this issue better than you. Those old buried geezers would take a year to make a decision. I'm not idle enough to wait for them and for you all to make a decision as the chance will pass by."
"Sir, you mean…" He asked with some confusion.
Li Qiye smiled and put up two fingers: "Two days. I will give your citadel two days. After that, I will take the calabash."
"Sir, this is too much." Teng Jiwen was a very good-natured person. He was hospitable, but he couldn't accept such an unreasonable demand.
Li Qiye nodded: "Yes, I am indeed pushy right now. To put it plainly, I have no time to waste at your citadel. I'll take the item after two days regardless of whether your citadel agrees or not!"
"Sir, are you trying to force us?" Teng Jiwen's expression quickly shifted.
Li Qiye placed the teacup in his hand back on the table and smiled: "You can view it as that since I want the calabash for sure."
Teng Jiwen thought of something and immediately took one step back while staring at Li Qiye in disbelief: "Sir, you wanted the calabash from the very beginning! Curing our ancestral vine was only an excuse. I, I have led a wolf into our home!" He breathed in hard at this point.
"You are right yet wrong at the same time." Li Qiye looked at the frightened youth: "You can indeed become the leader of this city. Your talents are not the best, but you aren't blinded by your noble upbringing. For someone with your background, it isn't easy to be free of complacency and arrogance. Although many geniuses put on an air of humility, they are still very arrogant inside. This makes you better than many people."
"Sir, I suppose I should be honored being praised by you." At this time, the youth was clearly showing his hostility.
Li Qiye smiled: "I can understand your emotions right now. You're right, I simply wanted the calabash from the beginning; it is very important in the process of life replenishment for the Peacock Tree. Very few things can replace it."
The boy murmured: "I knew it…" He had his suspicions earlier, but now, Li Qiye had confirmed it with his own mouth.
"You can think that you have led a wolf into your home." Li Qiye said: "But I don't agree with that notion."
Teng Jiwen coldly countered: "Sir, you have been scheming against us from the start, so how are you not a wolf?"
Li Qiye laughed in response: "Will your citadel not pay me after I cure your ancestral vine? Will you not hand the calabash over? Regardless of the process, I will get the calabash in the end, so is it a crime to be aiming for your calabash in the first place? If I didn't want it, do you think I would be sitting here wasting my time?"
"That's, that's different." He had maintained a strong front despite finding things difficult: "Sir, you are simply forcing us."
Li Qiye casually replied: "I am, but what is more important, the ancestral vine or the calabash? Without the vine, you will have nothing. Your citadel will be nothing."
The boy's face turned white. He didn't know what to say at this moment. In the end, he stared at Li Qiye and asked: "So you are saying you are one hundred percent confident in curing our vine?"
Li Qiye lazily answered: "Do you think the Peacock Tree's condition is more serious, or your ancestral vine's? If I can renew that tree's life, how can I not be capable of curing your ancestral vine?"
Smear, frame. ↩ Okay, this phrase requires some explanation. In ancient China, poor people would not throw away broken bowls and other pieces of ceramic unless they were unrepairable. There were specific artisans skilled in repairing these ceramics. Their most important and essential tool is a drill-like contraption with a little diamond at the tip. Thus, this idiom is an old one meaning if you don't have the ability, don't try to do it. ↩Chapter 1180: Fairness
After an internal deliberation for his next question, Teng Jiwen asked Li Qiye: "If the citadel doesn't hand the calabash over in two days, will you take it by force?"
"Correct." Li Qiye chuckled: "Two days is all you have before you must hand it over."
"You…" He didn't know whether to be scared or angry. Li Qiye was being quite blunt with his intentions.
Li Qiye raised his teacup again and took an elegant sip: "There's no need to be angry. Trust me, even though I am a fierce person that is unreasonable at times, I won't take your calabash for granted. I will cure your ancestral tree, a quid pro quo."
Teng Jiwen had been finding it difficult to choose his words when talking to Li Qiye. It was just as the man said, even if he took the calabash by force, as long as he were to cure the ancestral vine, the ultimate outcome would still be the same. The only thing different would be the process.
"But you should ready yourself." Li Qiye drank another mouthful and smiled: "I am not a nice guy. I won't show any mercy to those who try to stop me, and you are no exception." A light flashed in his eyes after uttering these words.
Teng Jiwen felt a cold chill after seeing the glint as if something sharp had pricked his heart. At the same time, he felt death looming over him. He took a deep breath and said: "The Heavenvine Citadel isn't a place where people can come and go as they please. Not even a Godking could tread freely within our walls, let alone become our enemy."
His statement was not a threat, he was simply telling the truth. The citadel was powerful enough to the point where no one could look down on it. Moreover, who would dare to do anything foolish while the ancestral vine was protecting it?
"You underestimate me too much." Li Qiye laughed and shook his head: "You still don't know who you are facing or the gravity behind your citadel's choice. Do you think I am scared of the citadel after choosing to come here all by myself? Do you think I even place it in my sight?"
Such words left Teng Jiwen breathless. They were arrogant and aggressive to the point of being humiliatingly offensive.
Someone was blustering and viewing his citadel in such a contemptuous manner. As its descendant, even though he was very well-mannered, a blazing fury still rose in his heart. Even a mud Buddha would become angry at times.
"Sir, your words are too outrageous. In the entire Heaven Spirit World, not too many people would dare to say them in front of me." He took a deep breath and glared at Li Qiye while deepening his tone.
"Look me in the eye." Li Qiye retorted: "Do you see the Heavenvine Citadel in there?!"
Teng Jiwen shivered and subconsciously stared straight into Li Qiye's eyes.
He immediately felt something with just a glimpse and took several thumping steps backward with a shocked expression.
What he saw was bloodthirst, a bloodthirst that blotted out the sun; one that would slay any god that attempted to block its path! This direct and naked bloodthirst couldn't be faked.
A wanton will to murder was the most terrifying emotion. It was a force that instilled an instinctive fear in others, thus it was also the most authentic sensation.
Teng Jiwen was frightened by this murderous aura. At this second, he understood that Li Qiye truly wasn't lying to him and that he would really kill anyone that stood in his way.
Regardless of where his confidence stemmed from, he knew that Li Qiye really didn't care for the Heavenvine Citadel. He would truly start a massacre in this place.
"You…" He stared at Li Qiye with awe and anger. At this time, he was full of regret for bringing a wolf into his own home, an unlucky star to the citadel.
Li Qiye withdrew his gaze and blinked before putting the teacup down again: "There's no need to feel regret or anger, you did not bring an enemy to the citadel."
The dazed youth asked: "What do you mean?"
Li Qiye smiled and said: "Think about it, even if you didn't bring me here, how would that stop me from wanting the calabash? I need it in order to heal the Peacock Tree, so whether you led me here or not doesn't matter at all."
Nevertheless, Teng Jiwen still felt guilty because it was him who took Li Qiye here.
Li Qiye began: "Instead of standing there hating me or feeling regretful, why not seize the opportunity?"
He looked at Li Qiye and asked: "What opportunity?"
"A chance to maintain the peace of your citadel." Li Qiye lightly said: "Me telling you to bring me here was to give you and the citadel a chance for peace. Complete the trade willingly and there will be no need for killing, for blood to stain these walls. This is a transaction beneficial to both sides."
"Take this chance and I won't have to bother cutting people's heads off one by one, and your citadel won't have to lose that many people. Finally, everyone would happily end this deal with a smile on their faces." Li Qiye glanced at the youth after saying this.
The boy blurted out: "But you are just forcing us! How is this a deal? Do we actually have a say in this matter—"
Li Qiye interrupted him with a wave of his sleeve: "What you are choosing is the trade or the collapse of the ancestral vine and your citadel turning into ashes! To be frank, right now, your citadel only consists of a bunch of idiots…"
Having said that, his glare turned cold: "A group of greedy fools that only want everything without paying the price. Your ancestral vine's calamity has lasted for how many years? Yet you all have failed to eradicate it. Were you willing to pay a fortune to look for an alchemist in the nine worlds? The answer is no, the effort has never been there. This so-called search for an alchemist was only a little sham…"
"… To be even harsher, the descendants of the Heavenvine Citadel are a bunch of parasites latching onto the vine itself! You're all only worrying about your own desires instead of thinking about the ancestral vine. Meanwhile, those undying geezers struggling to live till now, are they actually thinking about trading away the calabash? No, they simply don't want to die! In their eyes, their dog lives are more important than the calamity that is tormenting their ancestral vine!" He sneered with disdain.
"If you weren't the treefather's descendant, I'm sure it would have trampled all of you to death, a bunch of vermins and parasites!" He was particularly harsh this time.
This denunciation left Teng Jiwen's complexion red and white. At this moment, he had even forgotten to refute.
"We, we still have plenty of time…" He replied weakly. In fact, he didn't know if this was true or not. If Li Qiye was speaking the truth, then they didn't have that much time left.
"Plenty of time?" Li Qiye laughed: "How many times do you think those geezers have been repeating this phrase? Ever since the end of Immortal Emperor Bu Si, how many generations have passed?"
"Your ancestors only know how to spiel this worthless drivel and have never proven it with any actions! Just a bunch of trash!" Li Qiye sneered in disdain and said: "Go repeat every single word I have said to them. Let them know that they are all talk, a bunch of useless parasites! So what if they are strong? Using the calabash to prolong their own lives without doing shit, there is nothing more useless than them!"
Teng Jiwen was quite stimulated by this blatant disdain. He wanted to retort, but no words came out of his gaping mouth. He felt completely powerless to refute Li Qiye.
"If I didn't want the calabash to save the Peacock Tree, I wouldn't bother coming here. Your ancestral vine's fate has nothing to do with me. To be frank, if I didn't have to save the Peacock Tree, even if your ancestors prostrated before me while handing over the calabash to save your ancestral vine, I wouldn't care about your citadel's bullshit!" Li Qiye coldly stared at the youth.
Teng Jiwen stood there for a moment, speechless. At this minute, he felt his voice waning away. This was because Li Qiye's words had penetrated his innermost thoughts. He was right, the citadel had never cared or tried to save the ancestral vine.