Chapter 429: Explaining
Li Qiye calmly sat at the bow of the boat and smiled at Qiurong Wanxue, who sat down beside him. In terms of beauty and allure, Qiurong Wanxue was far from Chen Baojiao's level. However, Chen Baojiao didn't have the mature charm nor the dignified elegance of Qiurong Wanxue.
Chen Baojiao was a calamitous and kingdom-toppling beauty, a supreme enchantress that took away the souls of others with a single glance.
Qiurong Wanxue was also movingly beautiful, especially her mature charm no different from a ripe peach that causes hearts to beat faster; people will love her more and more the more they’re exposed to her.
"Does Chief Qiurong have something to say?" Li Qiye looked at her amorous features and calmly asked.
Qiurong Wanxue's heart was filled with emotions as she looked at this man who, despite being so much younger than her, seemed so mystical. Li Qiye was very ordinary when it came to his face and aura.
However, as one interacted with him more, they would find him to be full of mysteries. He would make others feel like they were being sucked in as if he was an inescapable black hole.
"What is Young Noble Li's goal for coming to Necropolis this time?" Qiurong Wanxue pondered for a moment before asking the question that had been haunting her.
Qiurong Wanxue hoped to have a real talk with Li Qiye if they were to continue to stay together at Necropolis since they knew nothing about him!
Li Qiye didn't answer her question but asked one instead: "What is Chief Qiurong's goal at Necropolis?"
She stared at him while he met her gaze, right into her clear and bright eyes. They gazed at each other for a bit, and Qiurong Wanxue was the first to turn away.
She then took a deep breath and thought for a bit before resolutely saying: "If we are on the same side, then we need to work together. If you wish to know, then I'll tell you. This time, I came to Necropolis to find something that my tribe had lost." Since she wanted a sincere conversation with Li Qiye, she revealed the truth after contemplating for a bit.
"So that is the case." Li Qiye smiled and replied. He understood her concerns, so he went on to say: "I don't mind telling you; I came this time in order to find a certain something."
"What are you searching for?" Qiurong Wanxue inquired further.
Li Qiye didn't answer. He stared at her amorous snow-white face and asked: "Chief Qiurong, what item did your tribe lose?"
Qiurong Wanxue became silent. This matter was of grave importance to the tribe, so she couldn't carelessly tell an outsider.
Li Qiye smirked at the sight of her careful contemplation. He then asked: "We won't talk about this issue anymore, we can talk about the sudden eclipse instead. On that day, did you see anything strange?"
Li Qiye found out a lot of things from Peng Zhuang, but he was now asking Qiurong Wanxue to confirm it. The reason was very simple; whenever Peng Zhuang talked about the gigantic hand from the Prime Ominous Grave, Qiurong Wanxue would yell at him to stop. This made Li Qiye believe that she knew a thing or two about it.
Qiurong Wanxue turned around to look at the young group of six. They were sitting at the other end with their backs turned towards Li Qiye and didn't seem to be paying attention to them.
"So Young Noble Li came because of this matter?" Qiurong Wanxue had speculated this possibility early on since Li Qiye had shown interest in this matter from the very start.
Li Qiye did not hide anything and smiled: "You can put it that way. I trust that you know a thing or two, so can you tell me?"
Qiurong Wanxue pondered for a bit while looking at Li Qiye who was calmly waiting for an answer. She then took a deep breath and nodded her head in agreement.
Right afterward, she recalled: "The monstrous hand that Peng Zhuang talked about… It was indeed there. On the day of the eclipse, I was absorbing worldly energy while looking towards the Prime Ominous Grave." She paused here for a moment.
"And then?" Li Qiye was not too anxious since he was quite sure about what had happened.
Qiurong Wanxue took a calming breath and eventually continued on: "Right when the sky was no longer dark, I saw… the Prime Ominous Grave open."
Peng Zhuang was not certain of this matter for he was completely horrified after seeing the gigantic hand, but Qiurong Wanxue was staring at the grave the entire time.
When the eclipse was over, Qiurong Wanxue was astonished at the grave’s opening since it seemed impossible. The grave had not been opened for a long time, and she had heard that a key was required. Her ancestor had not heard of anyone obtaining this particular key.
This was the reason why she found the whole thing quite strange; this whole thing contained secrets unbeknownst to her. Each time Peng Zhuang brought it up, she quickly silenced it since she didn't want to bring about any trouble to the Snow-shadow Tribe.
After listening to her recollection, Li Qiye smiled and said: "So that was the case." Now, he was completely certain of the events that transpired. This meant that he absolutely had to obtain the key to enter the grave.
Qiurong Wanxue glanced in his direction and asked: "Since I have revealed the things Young Noble wanted to know, can you tell me one thing?"
"Please go ahead." Li Qiye calmly said: "I'll happily reveal what I know to Chief Qiurong."
She then asked: "How did you know the locations of where the Yang Nightfish would appear?"
Their harvest was too shocking. There was once a descendant from an emperor's lineage who brought along a supreme treasure to Nightsea, but this person's harvest throughout an entire year was not comparable to the amount Li Qiye obtained in just a month. This matter had been hanging on Qiurong Wanxue's mind.
Li Qiye smiled and said: "So Chief Qiurong didn't believe me. I spoke the truth, my intuition had been very sensitive since a young age, especially when I stay in the same place for a long time. It is a natural gift from birth."
Qiurong Wanxue angrily glared at him since she had been tricked. She didn't believe his nonsense at all. If these fish in Nightsea could be caught by intuition, then they would have become extinct already.
Li Qiye only smirked in response to Qiurong Wanxue's red and beautiful angry glare. He couldn't tell this secret to someone else.
He spent countless efforts at Necropolis. In the past millions of years, at least half of the amount of times the grave had been opened contained traces of the Dark Crow, Li Qiye.
It was not easy to find the Prime Ominous Grave's key since one needed to deal with Necropolis' inhabitants. Although dealing with them was easy since one only needed sufficient Yang Nightfish to trade for the things they desired, the most essential requirement was finding the right person, no, the right ghost.
Li Qiye had opened the grave several times. Sometimes he was alone, sometimes he had companions; however, each time required a huge amount of Yang Nightfish. Because of these fish, Li Qiye had studied Nightsea for a long time. He had even stayed at Necropolis for a generation.
It could be said that currently, no one in this world understood Nightsea and Necropolis better than Li Qiye.
Qiurong Wanxue said in exasperation: "Young Noble Li, even if you don't wish to speak the truth, you don't need to come up with such an excuse to fool me." As the chief, she had always been shrewd and careful, but this time, being tricked by Li Qiye had done quite a number on her.
"Oh, it seems that I have hurt Chief Qiurong's feelings." Li Qiye startlingly exclaimed: "If that is so, then I should try to compensate to further amend our relationship. It is my fault for not noticing your affection earlier."
"You!" Qiurong Wanxue's tender breasts swayed up and down like a powerful wave as she glared at Li Qiye. She couldn't help but grip her fists; this little demon was too arrogant. He even dared to tease her! This was too much! Before, she felt that this little demon was very well-behaved. But now, it was clear that it was all an act, he was just a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Li Qiye was carefree as always and was unafraid of her fury. He looked straight into her eyes while putting on an innocent appearance.
Li Qiye's pretentiously pitiful appearance made Qiurong Wanxue helpless since it stopped her from acting out.
While they were speaking, Peng Zhuang and the other youths were whispering to each other about the two.
Peng Zhuang softly muttered: "Heh, I feel that Brother Li and our chief are quite a match."
"No way!" The female disciple tilted her head and replied: "Brother Li is about our age, but our chief is a bit older."
"The old saying goes: age is not a barrier." Peng Zhuang mischievously went on: "I feel that our chief holds Brother Li in high regard, do you guys not see it? She had been lost in thought while looking at him."
429 TeaserLi Qiye calmly sat at the bow of the boat and smiled at Qiurong Wanxue, who sat down beside him. In terms of beauty and allure, Qiurong Wanxue was far from Chen Baojiao's level. However, Chen Baojiao didn't have the mature charm nor the dignified elegance of Qiurong Wanxue.
Chen Baojiao was a calamitous and kingdom-toppling beauty, a supreme enchantress that took away the souls of others with a single glance.
Qiurong Wanxue was also movingly beautiful, especially her mature charm that was no different from a ripe peach; it would cause the hearts of others to beat faster and faster. People would love her more and more from further exposure.
"Does Chief Qiurong have something to say?" Li Qiye looked at her amorous features and calmly asked.
[collapse]Chapter 430: Scoundrel's Plot
If Qiurong Wanxue knew that her focus on Li Qiye had been misunderstood by Peng Zhuang's group, she would definitely go insane.
"I think that is true." Another disciple added: "How about after we return to shore, we give them some time alone?"
The six of them deviously grinned. They wanted to encourage and match their chief and Li Qiye together.
How would Li Qiye and Qiurong Wanxue feel if they knew about this mischievous matter?
Today was the last time the group of Li Qiye released their nets.
"Pull them up!" After a month had elapsed, the group was quite in sync with each other. With his command, everyone pulled up their nets.
A golden light appeared together with the nets as jumping Yang Nightfish could be seen everywhere. This was not their first harvest; it could be said that during this month, they had caught an unbelievable amount of fish. Nevertheless, seeing the net full of fish still left them in amazement.
The group was already very familiar with storing the fish in jars. Everyone was satisfied and excited with such a grand harvest.
Peng Zhuang emotionally said: "I'm afraid we caught more in one month than others in three years." He understood that this was all because of Li Qiye. Without him, they were no different from ordinary cultivators; there was no way they could be compared to the descendants from the great powers.
"Don't move!" At this time, Li Qiye was gazing intensely at the sea. Suddenly, he then shot out a terrifying gleam.
Qiurong Wanxue's group was startled by Li Qiye's attitude as they held their breaths. As they were completely lost, no one dared to move.
Li Qiye suddenly released his net and then pulled it back up again with an incredible speed.
"Crash!" Before the net was retrieved, the sea was already setting off waves as if a giant monster had been captured.
The rest were scared out of their minds. They had captured a lot of Yang Nightfish, but there had never been such a commotion.
Qiurong Wanxue wanted to help Li Qiye pull his net up, but he suddenly cried loudly as the ferry shook back and forth. He mustered all of his energy and flexed his body to pull the net up.
The moment the net was successfully pulled up, waves of bright lights painfully pierced the group's eyes. They then took a careful look and found that a turtle was inside the net.
The turtle was around the size of a palm and had fire blazing on its body. This fire was made from universal divine laws in the form of chains, and each chain was a very profound grand dao. The small turtle emitted dazzling rays of light that pierced the eyes of spectators like needles.
The group was astounded since they had been catching fish for more than a month, but they had never caught anything besides Yang Nightfish. Qiurong Wanxue had come to Nightsea several times, and she had heard that there were only Yang Nightfish in this sea, nothing else.
This was the truth and not something that was just limited to her alone. No one who had come to Nightsea had ever caught anything outside of fish.
So today, when Li Qiye caught a strange turtle, how could Qiurong Wanxue's group not become shocked? They had never heard of such a thing before.
"Good stuff!" Li Qiye was pleased to see the turtle in the net. He moved as fast as lightning to grab this turtle that intended to break free from the net.
"There's a treasure over there!" Right when Li Qiye grabbed the turtle, a voice came from the distance.
Qiurong Wanxue looked up and noticed two ferries swiftly approaching.
By the time they came closer, Li Qiye had already put the turtle away in a treasure jar. He gently patted it after closing the lid. This time was a very fruitful harvest; he didn't expect to be able to catch such a thing.
Many generations ago when Li Qiye was staying at Nightsea, he had caught a turtle like this before. That time, it required a long period of calculation to catch one, so this meeting could only be described as him being super lucky.
Qiurong Wanxue's heart sank the moment she saw the people on the two approaching ferries. Who else could it be besides the Black Cloud Tribe and the Yin Moon Tribe?
The fact that these two tribes were traveling together was not a good thing for the Snow-shadow Tribe.
The Yin Moon Prince was interested in Qiurong Wanxue, so after going out to Nightsea, he wanted to both catch fish and look for her, intending to go together.
The prince then coincidentally met the Black Cloud Young Lord. The Black Cloud Tribe was a lot weaker than the Yin Moon Tribe, so the young lord purposely made friends with the Yin Moon Tribe. He told the prince how he met the group of Qiurong Wanxue who managed to catch dozens of Yang Nightfish in just one session.
Compared to the idiotic young lord, the Yin Moon Prince was a descendant from a second-rate great power, someone who had vast knowledge. He immediately found it strange after hearing the story about this great catch.
People on the same boat all having such a great harvest had to be called a miracle. There was only one explanation, and that was that the group of Qiurong Wanxue had met a school of Yang Nightfish.
He had been thinking about this matter, but he didn't expect to see Qiurong Wanxue's group today. However, before he could greet her, he saw Li Qiye's yield.
Catching the turtle caused his heart to tremble. He had never heard of anyone catching anything besides fish in Nightsea. He immediately understood that this turtle was amazing — an absolutely world-shocking item.
Necropolis always had legends about its amazing items. Even though the Yin Moon Prince didn't know what this turtle was, an existence that lived in Nightsea amidst the Nightfish must be marvelous, so he immediately wanted it.
The Yin Moon Prince clapped his hands and smiled: "Congratulations to Miss Qiurong's group for having such a great harvest."
After seeing the Black Cloud Young Lord and the Yin Moon Prince traveling together, Peng Zhuang's group of youths immediately became restless. Although they were not afraid of the Black Cloud Tribe, they couldn't afford to mess with the Yin Moon Tribe.
With her heart beating fast, Qiurong Wanxue smiled in response: "Yin Moon Prince is too kind, it wasn't anything great. We only caught a bit more than ten fish in one month, so it is only so-so."
"That is already not bad." The Yin Moon Prince responded with a smile. He then looked at Li Qiye and asked: "Earlier, I saw this little brother catch a turtle with a strange shape. I wonder if you could take it out so that I can have a look?"
If it wasn't for Qiurong Wanxue's presence, the prince would be too lazy to bother talking to Li Qiye. At the eastern Nether Border, a human junior was nothing; he could easily and directly seize the turtle from him.
"No." Li Qiye was too lazy to look at the prince since he knew what was on the prince's mind.
The smile on the prince's face froze as he wryly spoke: "I like to collect strange things, and Little Brother's turtle matches my taste quite nicely. How about selling it to me? I will pay two thousand pieces of Ancient Saint Refined Jades."
His words annoyed the group of Peng Zhuang. Although two thousand Ancient Saint Refined Jades was indeed a very high price to a minor sect, even Yang Nightfish sold for an extremely sky-high price, let alone a mysterious turtle.
The prince's price was clearly trying to take advantage of them.
"Let us go back to shore." Li Qiye didn't bother wasting time, so he told the handler to head back.
The Black Cloud Young Lord wanted to curry favor with the Yin Moon Prince so he shouted at Li Qiye: "Hey, Human Junior, did you hear what the prince asked just now?"
Li Qiye ignored the young lord as well, prompting an ugly expression from the Yin Moon Prince.
The prince then said in a grave tone: "Little Friend, don't be so arrogant on the road. This place is the Nether Border, it's not a place for you humans. In this place, you have to know propriety. If you see a ghost tribe, you have to call them sir, understand?"
Qiurong Wanxue's heart sank. She knew that the Yin Moon Prince was only looking for an excuse. Although the Nether Border was the ghost race's territory, unless there was a conflict of interest, they rarely bothered to care about human cultivators. With the prince bringing up the ghost race, one could easily guess his intentions.
Li Qiye didn't bother to look at the prince as he calmly retorted: "So what if it is the Nether Border? Not to mention an insignificant Yin Moon Tribe, but even if the Myriad Bones Throne comes, I still wouldn't bat an eye! Keep on buzzing in front me and I'll throw you down into Nightsea!"
Although the group of Peng Zhuang wanted to cheer for Li Qiye's words because the Yin Moon Prince had no respect, they couldn't help but wryly smile when Li Qiye brought up the Myriad Bones Throne. They secretly shouted in their mind: 'Little Ancestor! One can eat anything, but one can't speak everything carelessly.' Offending the Myriad Bones Throne in the Nether Border… Not to mention a little tribe like the Snow-shadow Tribe, even a great power would become ashes.
Myriad Bones Throne — what a terrifying existence. One sect, three emperors… It was invincible in the eastern Nether Border!
Chapter 431: Plenty of Excuses To Frame Someone
Qiurong Wanxue didn't know what to say and could only reveal a bitter smile. She hated the Yin Moon Prince's group, but Li Qiye's attitude was too arrogant. He even offended the Myriad Bones Throne! If the throne heard these words, it would bring about a disaster.
She wanted to stop him from speaking, but it was already too late. If his words were made known to the public, then having nine lives still wouldn't be enough.
The Yin Moon Prince's expression turned cold after hearing Li Qiye's response. Although the Yin Moon Tribe was a second-rate sect at the Nether Border, they were still a monstrous existence compared to the human sects.
In the Sacred Nether World, outside of the southern Distant Cloud, human forces at the other regions were very weak. Second-rate human sects were already considered quite powerful at these places since first-rate human sects virtually didn't exist.
In the Yin Moon Prince's eyes, a human junior like Li Qiye was but an ant, so how could he not become furious in the face of such blustering?
The prince then angrily shouted: "Fool, the Nether Border isn't a place for an ant like you to boast!" His blood energy surged like a tidal wave. He didn't make a move and let his blood energy soar towards Li Qiye to turn him into a mist of blood.
An ant like Li Qiye could easily be crushed by a single finger of his.
The sudden attack from the prince left Qiurong Wanxue with a bad expression. Li Qiye also narrowed his eyes.
"Do not fight on my ferry!" At this time, the handler weakly stated.
Although his words were quiet, they carried quite a weight. The Yin Moon Prince's expression greatly changed as he withdrew his blood energy that attacked Li Qiye.
No one wanted to oppose the handlers or the local inhabitants at Necropolis for it was not a wise decision. It was hard to leave with one's life once a feud began.
"Hmph! Junior, I'll temporarily spare your life." The Yin Moon Prince snorted. It was hard for him to restrain this anger, but he didn't want to offend the handler.
Li Qiye didn't bother to look at the prince. The handler then rowed the boat as they disappeared above Nightsea while the prince coldly glared at their departure.
"Prince, wait until they come to shore. Then, we can punish them at any time." The Black Cloud Young Lord quickly said to the prince.
The prince only scowled and showed a glare as cold as ice that overflowed with murderous intent.
The handler eventually brought Li Qiye's group back to shore. The six youths took a sigh of relief the moment their feet touched the hard ground and immediately became excited.
Peng Zhuang patted his pocket and put on a look of a newly rich fella: "Hehe, we should go to the city to see if anyone is selling anything good." His excitement made sense since each of them had a crazy amount of Yang Nightfish. Even emperor's lineage descendants would not have as many fish as their group even if they spent three years straight on Nightsea.
At Necropolis, they were considered quite wealthy and could buy many things they wanted. Of course, in order to buy the real good stuff, good eyesight and luck were also essential.
Even after becoming rich, Qiurong Wanxue remained calm in contrast to Peng Zhuang's attitude. She also had a huge amount of fish, but she was not excited and restless like the young ones. She looked at Li Qiye who was standing next to her and asked: "Where does Young Noble Li want to go now?"
Li Qiye looked at the mature and beautiful chief and asked: "Chief Qiurong wants to go with me? Very well. Necropolis is filled with ghastly energy so going alone will be very sad."
His flirting caused her to become quite annoyed, but she restrained herself and put on an elegant and calm demeanor befitting of a leader. She then said: "We'll see you off."
Li Qiye smiled and said: "So Chief Qiurong is worried about my safety." Li Qiye understood her thoughts. She was afraid that the Yin Moon Prince's group was going to take care of him, so she wanted to go together for a while.
She looked at him and responded calmly: "Since Young Noble Li helped us catch so many fish, we should lend you our strength when you are in trouble."
She knew that protecting Li Qiye would bring about trouble for the Snow-shadow Tribe, but she still wanted to escort him for some distance. She was someone who knew how to be grateful after being given so much, so naturally, she would lend him a hand.
Peng Zhuang looked at Nightsea then quickly spoke to the chief: "Chief, we should talk while walking or else the Yin Moon Prince's group might catch up."
The group of youths was worried for Li Qiye. They weren't afraid of the Black Cloud Young Lord, but their tribe couldn't afford to provoke the Yin Moon Tribe. Of course, should Li Qiye face trouble, everyone was willing to help him.
"We'll get out of here." Qiurong Wanxue spoke and immediately led Li Qiye away from Nightsea.
Seeing their enthusiastic goodwill, Li Qiye only smiled and didn't deny their affection.
"You are in such a hurry to leave, do you have something to hide?" However, the moment they left Nightsea, a person led a team and blocked their path. This person was the Black Cloud Young Lord. He and a dozen disciples blocked Li Qiye's path with very aggressive postures. The atmosphere became extremely tense.
"It is this Little Black Ghost again!" Peng Zhuang sneered and said: "So? You want to stop us with your group? Are you tired of living?" He then rubbed his palms together.
Snow-shadows and Black Clouds had been enemies throughout many generations, so now that the young lord himself came to their doorstep to cause trouble, it caused the group of six to become very angry. They would not show mercy to their enemies.
As the chief, Qiurong Wanxue was much calmer and stopped the six from rushing forward. She then spoke in a serious manner towards the young lord: "What is your intention for blocking our path?"
The young lord revealed a malicious smile: "Chief Qiurong, we don't want to oppose your Snow-shadow Tribe, but our tribe had lost an extremely important item."
Peng Zhuang coldly smiled and asked in anger: "What does your tribe losing an item have to do with us?"
The young lord showed a sinister smile: "It indeed has nothing to do with the Snow-shadow Tribe, but it has something to do with him!" He then pointed at Li Qiye.
"And then what?" Li Qiye asked without a care. He didn't even bother to look at the young lord.
The young lord smiled insidiously and said: "Some time ago, a little human snuck into our tribe and stole a treasure. Although he hid his face, he couldn't change his body shape. Ever since we met, I've felt that your figure was very familiar. Now I understand, you were that human who snuck into my tribe!"
The young lord caused the expressions of the group of six and Qiurong Wanxue to sour while only Li Qiye remained calm as if nothing had happened.
"One cannot speak like this without thinking it through." Qiurong Wanxue resolutely spoke: "Black Cloud Young Lord, your claim requires evidence."
The young lord smiled and said: "Chief Qiurong, our tribe has evidence, this is why we are calling out this human boy. If he is innocent, then he can come and prove his innocence at our tribe. If we are wrong, then we are willing to accept our blunder."
Qiurong Wanxue's expression sank. She knew that the young lord's claim was only an excuse. Once Li Qiye entered the Black Cloud Tribe, there would be no exit. Even if Li Qiye stealing a treasure was a lie, once he steps into the tribe's territory, it would become the truth.
The young lord's words were merely excuses while his real intention was to bring Li Qiye back to the Black Cloud Tribe.
Qiurong Wanxue then exclaimed: "Black Cloud Young Lord, your words alone are insufficient. Young Noble Li will not go with you to the Black Cloud Tribe. If you have clear evidence, then you can present it at my Snow-shadow Tribe at any time. Right now, Young Noble Li is our tribe's esteemed guest."
The Black Cloud Young Lord's expression turned cold as he responded: "So Chief Qiurong is determined to protect this human? Do you understand that once word of this gets out, it will have a negative impact on your tribe? A ghost race protecting a human thief — do you think the Sacred Nether World will tolerate your tribe in the future?"
"You do not need to concern yourself with this matter." Qiurong Wanxue had firmly decided to protect Li Qiye and spoke frankly: "Please leave. As long as Young Noble Li is our Snow-shadow Tribe's guest, don't think about bringing him away in front of me."
"Chief Qiurong is making it very difficult for me." The Black Cloud Young Lord was not afraid at all: "All of my brothers are here, but if Chief Qiurong makes me go back empty handed, what am I going to tell my elders?"
The dozen disciples then surrounded Li Qiye's group. They were ready to fight the moment their young lord gave the order.
Qiurong Wanxue suddenly gave him a sharp glare as the dignified aura of a ruler enveloped her, making her seem like an empress. She then dryly said: "If the Black Cloud Tribe must fight against us, then we shall entertain you anytime."
The young lord knew that Qiurong Wanxue was stronger than him, but he still said without any apprehension: "It seems that we have to talk with our fists."
"We are all members of the ghost race, there is no need to be so tense. We should be unified with each other and coexist in peace." At this point, a voice suddenly appeared.