Chapter 625: A Tongue As Sharp As A Blade
"Reason this out?" The arrogant girl sneered and said: "Oh, this bumpkin who started by attacking me wants to reason it out? Did you lose your confidence?"
"Lose my confidence?" Due to his bad mood, he was more than happy to deal with someone who was asking for it. He lazily looked at her and said: "An ugly farm girl like you thinks you can make me lose my confidence? I don't see anything about you that can scare me. Your chest? You think your flat chest that resembles a basin can scare me? Or is it your ass that's as dried as tofu? Or is it…"
Normally, Li Qiye wouldn't act as crass as this, but who told this arrogant girl to encounter him while he was in a bad mood? Her aggressive and arrogant attitude made Li Qiye lose his will to act cordially.
The haughty girl turned red while trembling from anger. She was not only proud because of her strength, but also because of her beauty and figure. Even if she wasn't number one in the Stone Medicine World, she would be within the top five!
She indeed had many suitors and admirers in the Stone Medicine World; it was a common sight for her to be surrounded by young talents like the moon encircled by the stars. They fawned over her in hopes of the slightest sign of affection or caring words.
But now, this nasty man dared to say that her chest was as flat as a basin and her butt was as withered as dried tofu — these words were very hurtful to girls.
The arrogant girl pointed at Li Qiye while shivering in anger: "You… Brat, what is your name? I want to kill you even though I have never killed a nobody before!"
Li Qiye was too lazy to bat an eye and said: "Oh? Angry from being ashamed? Earlier, you wanted to reason it out, but now you want to go back on your words? In my opinion, someone at your level should just go back to your mother's arms and not come out to show off.
"Going back on your words and this untrustworthy… You must have just run out from some wilderness, right? At the very least, you don't seem like someone who comes from a great clan. Disciples from great clans do not stoop down to this level. Staying true to one's word is the most basic of etiquette for these great clans…
"Of course, if you want to fight, then I'll play along. After all, a village girl from the remote regions like you doesn't know anything about credibility and trust. Such an uncultured girl like you only knows how to use force to solve problems. Okay okay, I will do it your way. Let us fight and use our fists to resolve our quarrel."
Li Qiye continuously spewed out malicious words. However, he didn't give a damn since this arrogant girl was not worthy enough for him to maintain a gentleman's bearing. Moreover, he wouldn't even look straight at such a girl, so why the need to maintain a courteous persona? His tolerance and friendliness were dependent on the other party.
"You!" The arrogant girl wanted to vomit blood due to anger. She had always been aggressive, but no one had ever dared to talk back to her, thus Li Qiye's cruel rebuttal came as a shock.
She took a deep breath and finally contained her urge to kill as she stared at him with her arrow-like glare. She scowled and said: "Fine, today I will be a reasonable person and won't hold what happened earlier against you. But in the future, you better not fall into my hands, or I'll let you taste the cruel fate that awaits my opponents!" With that, the arrogant girl turned around and left very quickly. With a rumble, the carriage disappeared into the night.
Li Qiye didn't bother to give her a second glance. He stretched his back and didn't care for this matter. To him, it was even more insignificant than a speck of dust. With a gentle brush, this matter of the arrogant girl would be blown away; it was not enough to occupy his thoughts.
He looked at the scenery once more before murmuring: "Yan'er, with me here, the Giant Bamboo Country will continue to stand strong!" He then disappeared amidst the high moon.
That night, Li Qiye returned to Ancient Pine's mansion back at the capital. He went back to his room and slept without thinking about anything else.
Of course, no one in the mansion knew that Li Qiye had gone on a sightseeing journey throughout the night.
The next day, Li Qiye lazily woke up. Since it was rare for him to return to the capital of the Giant Bamboo Country, he had quite a good night's sleep.
A servant brought him a water basin to clean himself. Meanwhile, Bai Weng was waiting outside. Shi Hao woke up early as well and saw Bai Weng, so he also stood there, waiting with him.
Bai Weng greeted Li Qiye the moment he walked out: "Did Young Noble sleep well?" He felt that serving Li Qiye was an honor.
To an alchemist, following the future Alchemy Emperor was the greatest of glories. It was like an expert contributing to an Immortal Emperor. This would bring honor to their family!
"It wasn't bad." Li Qiye said with a grin. Only Li Qiye knew what happened last night.
Bai Weng respectfully said: "The demon monarch has not returned since he is meeting the other demon monarchs. I'm afraid he won't be back till noon. He said that after coming back, he will take Young Noble to see Her Majesty."
"There's no rush." Li Qiye smilingly said: "Today, we will go sightseeing. This is Shi Hao's first time at the capital, so we should buy a few items for him. For an alchemist, skills might be important, but so are the cauldrons and other items that are also required to doing a good job at refining."
Bai Weng quickly said: "If Young Noble wants to find a cauldron for Shi Hao, I can ask the monarch. He has a collection of good cauldrons so maybe one will be suitable for Shi Hao."
Li Qiye shook his head and said: "No need, let me pick one."
Bai Weng immediately knew that a regular cauldron wouldn't earn Li Qiye's grace, so he said: "I am very familiar with the capital and know of several shops with a lot of treasures. Let me lead the way so that Young Noble can pick."
Shi Hao was startled after hearing the conversation between the other two. With some difficulty, he finally managed to step in and say: "Brother Li, I also want… a cauldron… but I don't have many refined jades."
Bai Weng couldn't help but smile. He believed that if Li Qiye wasn't paying, he would be happy to do so. Of course, he didn't dare to make a decision before Li Qiye voiced his opinion.
Li Qiye smiled and said: "Don't worry, it is nothing. Leave it to me."
"But…" Shi Hao didn't know what to say. Li Qiye had given him too many things; not only did Li Qiye teach him pill refinement, he but also took him to the capital. To say that Li Qiye gave him another chance at life wasn't even close to enough. Shi Hao was a simple fella so he couldn't articulate his gratitude well.
"No buts." Li Qiye gently tapped Shi Hao's shoulder and said: "You've earned it. If you want to thank me, then keep on working hard on your pill refinement and do not shame me. That would be the greatest thanks, understand?"
Shi Hao took a deep breath while tightly gripping his fists and spoke in the most serious of manners: "Brother Li, rest assured, I will do my best and be diligent!"
At this time, Bai Weng was very envious of Shi Hao. As the proverb says, fortune favors fools. Even if Shi Hao's talents weren't the best, his future would be bright with Li Qiye's tutelage. Bai Weng had seen — with his own eyes — Li Qiye's skill, so Shi Hao would surely become an amazing alchemist in the future.
"Let us go." Li Qiye told the two and started walking. Shi Hao and Bai Weng quickly followed.
However, the moment the group took a step out from Ancient Pine's mansion, they were stopped. It was a young man blocking Li Qiye's path, someone with a very haughty appearance. He had more than ten disciples behind him.
The young man arrogantly asked: "You are that alchemist named Li, correct?"
Li Qiye didn't bother to look at this type of crowd as he replied: "What if I am?"
The young man sneered: "I heard that you want to compete for the alchemist position? Haha, you better open your eyes so you don't waste time. The candidates to participate in the Alchemy Conference have already been decided, and you have no part in it. Be smart and quickly leave, don't dawdle at the capital."
Li Qiye lazily looked at the young man at this time and asked: "Competition for the alchemist position?"
The young man thought that Li Qiye got the message and sneered: "As long as you know. The capital isn't a place for a human with a dubious origin like you to stay around. It is a dangerous place, so you better be careful or else you'll lose your life. That would be unfortunate."
Although it sounded like a warning, it was clearly a threat towards Li Qiye.
Li Qiye burst out in laughter. Such a threat was not worthy of serious consideration, so he didn't even bother asking who the guy was.
Bai Weng was slightly taken aback by the young man. He was familiar with the people in the capital so he immediately knew the young man's identity after seeing the crest embroidered on his vest.
Bai Weng responded quickly by inserting himself in the middle of the young man and Li Qiye, then he raised his voice and said: "Young Noble Lie Jie, please return. Our Young Noble does not wish to see you."
625 Teaser"Reason this out?" The arrogant girl sneered and said: "Oh, this bumpkin who started by attacking me wants to reason it out? Did you lose your confidence?"
"Lose my confidence?" Due to his bad mood, he was more than happy to deal with someone who was asking for it. He lazily looked at her and said: "An ugly farm girl like you think you can make me lose my confidence? I don't see anything about you that can scare me. Your chest? You think your flat chest that resembles a basin can scare me? Or is it your ass that's as dried as tofu? Or is it…"
Normally, Li Qiye wouldn't act as crass as this, but who told this arrogant girl to encounter him while he was in a bad mood? Her aggressive and arrogant attitude made Li Qiye lose his will to act cordially.
The haughty girl turned red while trembling from anger. She was not only proud because of her strength, but also because of her beauty and figure. Even if she wasn't number one in the Stone Medicine World, she would be within the top five!
[collapse]Chapter 626: Second Encounter With The Arrogant Girl
The young man immediately sneered, showing a cold and serious glare as he said: "You have some nerve for a servant! If you know who I am, then you should know that it would be nothing for me to end a servant like you. Scram, I have more to say to your master so that he will understand who this capital belongs to!"
If it was before, then Bai Weng would back down, but now was different. He didn't want Li Qiye to become annoyed and ruin all of their plans.
His expression dimmed as he said with a hardened attitude: "Young Noble Lie Jie, of course I know to whom this place belongs to. It is the territory of Her Majesty, the Demon King! If you have any issues with that, then go talk to the Ancient Pine Demon Monarch about it, but please take your leave right now." Bai Weng ended with a shooing gesture by swishing his sleeve.
With this gesture, a group of disciples surrounded the young man's group right away. Among them was Ancient Pine's oldest disciple who had a great bearing.
The oldest disciple coldly looked at the young man and said: "Young Noble Lie Jie, please go back and do not disturb our Young Noble. If not, then you can't blame us for any discourteous actions!"
The young man's expression became ugly at this threat, but Ancient Pine's disciples outnumbered his so he was at a disadvantage. He coldly glared at Li Qiye standing calmly to the side and deeply scowled.
Eventually, he pretended to be kind and smiled: "The capital is quite unpredictable. Watch out or you'll be caught up in the storm without any help. As someone who lives here year round, I am giving you a friendly reminder that it would be best if you leave the capital." With that, he turned around and left.
Bai Weng was quite unhappy with these threats. After the young man left, Bai Weng apologized to Li Qiye: "Young Noble, this was due to my lacking and I am ready to accept any punishment."
Li Qiye said dismissively: "It was only a little bickering, I am not that pompous."
Bai Weng continued on: "Don't worry, Young Noble, I will report this to the Demon King right away so that the people from the Lie Clan will not dare to cause trouble for Young Noble anymore."
To Bai Weng, Li Qiye was a peerless alchemist and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If he became unhappy and left, then Bai Weng wouldn't be able to bear the sin.
"More trouble?" Li Qiye laughed out loud and said: "If he wants more trouble, then let him come. I really like it when people come looking for trouble."
It was already a blessing that Li Qiye didn't go cause trouble, but now others wanted to provoke him? They could only be tired of living if that were the case.
Despite this answer, Bai Weng was still worried and reminded him: "Young Noble, that was the young noble of the Lie Clan. This clan is quite influential at the capital since they have a Fire Source; it's quite amazing."
"They have a Fire Source?" Li Qiye was slightly surprised and had to ask for confirmation.
Bai Weng quickly answered: "Yes. The Lie Clan became rich very early on, and they occupied a large piece of land in the middle of the capital. I heard that this was a treasure land with a Fire Source underground. Because of this, for some time now, the Lie Clan always produced amazing cauldrons, so they became quite good at alchemy. They are considered an alchemist clan in the capital."
Li Qiye couldn't help but smile after thinking about the Fire Source under the capital.
Bai Weng continued on: "The truth is that the Lie Clan in the Giant Bamboo Country is not considered a big power; their strength is not as great as a demon monarch's. However, it is worth mentioning that the Lie Clan and the Qing Clan, another alchemy clan in the country, are relatives. Sometimes, even the imperial family has to be cordial to the Qing Clan. Because of this, the Lie Clan became more arrogant from having this backing. But don't worry, this is not a big deal. With one word from Her Majesty, the Lie Clan wouldn't dare to touch Young Noble."
Li Qiye only chuckled and didn't say anything. To him, both the Lie and Qing Clans were only little characters not worthy of further inquiries. If these characters were smart, then they would stay far away from him, lest they suffer his crushing wrath!
Li Qiye, along with Shi Hao and Bai Weng, ventured into the commercial streets of the capital. Li Qiye smiled after seeing the busy avenue.
How many people knew that this prosperous capital was only a barren hill a long time ago? Once upon a time, this was an abandoned land with very few visitors.
It wasn't until a long time later when Li Qiye planted a bamboo tree then collected some life force at this land that people began to migrate here. Then, after some more years, the Giant Bamboo Progenitor established her country and built the capital right here. A big city came from this, protecting the prosperous land inside.
Bai Weng was very familiar with the capital, so he led Li Qiye to several old shops to find a good cauldron for Shi Hao. However, after going to several shops, they still couldn't find a suitable one for him.
During their trip, Bai Weng only acted as the guide and didn't dare to voice his opinion. Li Qiye's alchemy skills far exceeded his, so his vision for picking cauldrons was definitely more qualified as well.
They went to another old shop. Bai Weng left for a while as Li Qiye and Shi Hao looked around in the shop. The owner recommended several decent cauldrons that had great backgrounds, but they also couldn't enter Li Qiye's sight.
As for Shi Hao, he remained silent the whole time. He had limited knowledge as a Junior Alchemist. He felt that an ordinary cauldron was already very good. As for those with great backgrounds, he didn't even dare to imagine owning one. Li Qiye was in complete control during this shopping trip.
After they finished looking around, Bai Weng ran back while being completely out of breath. He quickly spoke to Li Qiye: "Young Noble, I went and asked around. There is an auction at the Golem Square. The first half of this big auction will contain a Heavenly Cauldron. It has already been running for a while now, but I obtained some tickets. Do you want to go and take a look?"
After hearing Bai Weng, the old shop's owner added: "The Golem Square is not only auctioning one cauldron."
When they reached the store, Bai Weng secretly told the owner that Li Qiye was an honored guest of Ancient Pine. Who in the capital didn't know Ancient Pine, one of the eighteen monarchs? Thus, the owner immediately understood that Li Qiye was an extremely esteemed customer.
The owner provided an introduction to the auction: "I heard that the place is auctioning two cauldrons. The first is in the beginning half as the main draw. The second has an unknown origin since the square won't release it to the public. However, people say that its origin could scare people to death! It is placed at the end of the auction. Only honored guests will be able to participate in this latter half."
Li Qiye stroked his chin and mused: "Scare people to death, hmm?" He wanted to see just what this cauldron might be.
Bai Weng was good at reading people. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to ask for more information at the Golem Square and obtain an entrance ticket for Li Qiye.
"Do you want to go, Young Noble?" Bai Weng asked.
Li Qiye smiled and answered: "Yes, we should go take a look at this cauldron with the frightening origin."
The purpose of this trip was to find a cauldron for Shi Hao. The best places to find cauldrons for alchemists were the most dangerous locations.
However, Shi Hao's cultivation was limited and couldn't go to these dangerous places, so Li Qiye decided that he would buy a good one for him.
The Golem Square was the biggest auction site in the capital. All the items here were either amazing or had a great origin.
Not just anyone could participate in the Golem Square's auction. For each of their auctions, they would release a limited amount of tickets. Only those with tickets were eligible to participate, and only the rich or the powerful were able to obtain these tickets.
It had to be said that Bai Weng was very attentive since it was not easy to grab a ticket from the square in such a short amount of time.
The auction had already started before the group arrived. There were all kinds of strange birds and carriages outside. Just from this sight, it was apparent that all the participants were quite influential.
Not long after their arrival, there was a rumbling in the sky as a carriage trod the sky above and landed at the square.
The carriage stopped and a girl stepped out. The moment she saw Li Qiye, her eyes became sharp like an arrow.
"The road is always narrow for enemies!" The girl coldly said.
Bai Weng was aghast and had quivering legs the moment he saw the crest on the carriage.
Li Qiye heard her voice and turned around to see this girl glaring at him, so he calmly asked: "Who are you? Do I know you?"
Li Qiye's attitude made the girl tremble with rage. She was the arrogant girl that Li Qiye had met last night. Li Qiye pretending to not know who she was was a bit exaggerated, but he really didn't pay her any mind. If he hadn't met her again today, then he would have already forgotten about last night's encounter.
The arrogant girl was even more furious because Li Qiye was acting as if he didn't even remember her. This enraged her even more than when he chose to oppose her!