Chapter 933: An Old Acquaintance Is Coming?
Yi Chuan called someone to fill Li Qiye's cup. Li Qiye drank it down in one gulp and sighed with emotion: "This is the taste. Great wine with great waterside sceneries, this is definitely different from other places. I always want to drink whenever I come by here."
Yi Chuan smiled and asked: "So little friend must not be from Southern Tang?"
"The four oceans are my home." Li Qiye leisurely answered: "However, Southern Tang is indeed a place worth remembering. It gives a very relaxed feeling and soothes the soul."
Yi Chuan continued: "You haven't had thoughts about staying here? To find a sect and embark on the path all the way to the door of the grand dao?"
"Are you saying you want to take me in as a disciple?" Li Qiye set his cup down and smiled while staring at Yi Chuan.
"Hmph, don't act so impudently in front of His Majesty!" A'Bao couldn't help but scowl after seeing Li Qiye acting so condescendingly.
Yi Chuan gently waved his hand to stop A'Bao. He smiled and said: "To tell the truth, I do have such a notion. If little friend is willing to join my sect… I won't dare to say that I can help you reach the top of this world, but I can definitely give you a stage to display your abilities." 1
Yi Chuan did like Li Qiye, so he wanted to take him in as a disciple. He thought that it was actually easier to find a talented disciple than one with great determination and perseverance.
"I appreciate your goodwill." Li Qiye smiled and shook his head: "But I like traveling. The entire world is my home, so settling down with new responsibilities would make me feel uncomfortable."
Li Qiye's answer was only half of the truth. The first half was made up while the latter was his real thoughts on the matter.
"Little friend thinks my sect is too small?" Yi Chuan smiled in response: "If that's the case, I don't really mind."
Yi Chuan was not a big shot at the Barren Earth, but he was still a relatively influential character. Despite not having supreme talents, he was a broad-minded person who was easy to get along with.
"Hmm! Our Suhang is a big country even in the Southern Border! His Majesty is a Heavenly King; it is your honor that he wants you to be his disciple!" A'Bao expressed his dissatisfaction after hearing Li Qiye's refusal.
In fact, the juniors behind Yi Chuan were unhappy as well; some were even glaring at Li Qiye. In their eyes, it was a great honor for a mortal like him to become His Majesty's disciple. So now, they were aggrieved by this refusal.
"Don't make such comments." Yi Chuan gently shook his head and told the group of A'Bao: "People have different aspirations. This is nothing strange."
He was a royal lord, but he didn't have the arrogance that the role would normally be accompanied with.
Li Qiye drank another cup and leisurely smiled: "You really are a good person. Today I drank your wine so I owe you one. In the future, you can come find me, Li Qiye, if you are ever in need of assistance."
When Yi Chuan heard the name "Li Qiye", he felt that it was a bit familiar, as if he had heard it before. However, he couldn't put his finger on it, causing him to think about it some more.
A'Li playfully blinked and asked: "We can come to you about anything?"
Li Qiye looked at the little lady and nodded his head: "Yes, anything. However, you may only come to find me once."
"Really?" A'Li chuckled and said: "This sounds a bit boastful. You are only a mortal, when would our master ask you for help?"
Li Qiye looked at her and blinked back. He smiled and said: "Well, you will find out later. Remember this, my favor is worth a lot of money."
The group, especially the male disciples, were very discontent. In their minds, Li Qiye was just teasing their junior sister!
"Hmph, such blustering. Our Majesty will never need the help of a mortal." A'Bao snorted.
Li Qiye only smiled, ignoring A'Bao while taking another sip of the wine. This infuriated A'Bao even more, but he couldn't do anything about it.
Li Qiye looked at the contemplating Yi Chuan and said: "You couldn't have been waiting here for me. If I recall correctly, Suhang is very far from here."
Yi Chuan returned from his thoughts and smiled: "It is a type of fate to meet little friend once more. We came to the Void Trap Desert so that they could train and were on our way back. However, it turns out that Her Majesty is on a patrol around here, so we came in order for the juniors to be graced by her presence."
"Her Majesty?" Li Qiye was a bit surprised to hear this. Yi Chuan was already the royal lord of Suhang, so not many people would be called Her Majesty by him.
Yi Chuan quickly replied: "Her Majesty Chuyun, the great lord of Southern Tang. Everyone refers to her by her imperial title. She is also our pride."
Li Qiye finally remembered someone and asked for confirmation: "Ye Chuyun, right? The inheritor of the Pure Lotus School." 2
"The great lord has taken over the Pure Lotus School and presided over Southern Tang for many years right after becoming a Virtuous Paragon." Yi Chuan elaborated.
Li Qiye finally remembered the person — Ye Chuyun! Back at the Heavenly Dao Academy, she was still just a little girl. She came with Bing Yuxia, and he even brought her to the World Tree!
Many years passed with the blink of an eye. She was already the lord of the Pure Lotus School, the royal lord of Southern Tang! Under her control was her sect as well as the entire land.
The Pure Lotus School could be considered an imperial lineage. Their progenitor had a deep relationship with Immortal Emperor Yan Wu. Moreover, their school had received part of the emperor's legacy.
It even built Southern Tang and governed the vast Southern Border. The school itself was affected by Immortal Emperor Yan Wu, so they didn't want to interfere with worldly affairs. This was the reason why Southern Tang was formed, to take their place in governing the world. 3
The disciples behind Yi Chuan were full of admiration when it came to Ye Chuyun. In their opinion, it was a great honor to be able to meet the lord of their region.
Li Qiye casually asked: "Miss Chuyun is coming here?" If Ye Chuyun was here, he must go see her as he had something that required her assistance.
Yi Chuan smilingly replied: "Her Majesty is on the southern patrol path. After she gained control of Southern Tang, she would go on these inspection tours every few years to alleviate the disputes between the countries here. She just so happened to be passing by this time. Many sect masters and royal lords of this region are organizing a banquet for her tonight, so I'll be bringing the juniors to see her."
Li Qiye came up with an idea, so he asked: "Where can I meet her?"
"Hmph." The unhappy A'Bao immediately said: "The great lord is our ruler. She is supreme and noble and not someone you can meet as you please!"
"A'Bao, do not be rude." Yi Chuan stopped him: "The leaders are holding the banquet at the Waterside Garden. From what I've heard, Her Majesty should be coming today. Does little friend want to see Her Majesty too?"
Li Qiye only smiled and didn't reply.
Meanwhile, A'Li chuckled and added: "It is understandable that you want to see Her Majesty. At our Southern Tang, everyone says that her beauty is peerless. Her Majesty is not only a Virtuous Paragon, she is also incredibly pretty. Who knows how many young geniuses lost their minds because of her? If you go see her, maybe you will be awestruck by her beauty as well."
Li Qiye couldn't help but smile at the innocent A'Li. He gently shook his head in response: "Little miss, you are mistaken this time. I'm afraid there are not many women who can charm me."
"Please!" The few male disciples looked at Li Qiye with one eye, especially A'Bao. He spoke with disdain: "No woman can charm you? That is because you haven't seen any beautiful ones! Just wait till you see Her Majesty, your soul will leave your body."
"A'Bao, stop your nonsense." Yi Chuan couldn't help but wryly smile at this conversation between the youths. He gently shook his head and told A'Bao to stop.
This ridicule was met with silence from Li Qiye who continued to drink.
"Oh? Isn't this Royal Lord Yi? What is it this time? Your Suhang Country has no inheritor, so you have to stoop to recruiting a beggar?" At this time, a group came down from the upper floors. The leader was a young man wearing an imperial robe decorated with a four-clawed dragon. He had an imposing appearance and a threatening aura. 4
His entire entourage consisted of powerful experts. It was easy to tell that their background was extraordinary.
"Minor-Form Crown Prince." Yi Chuan wasn't angered by this provocation. He only dismissively said: "A hero is a hero regardless of his background, material possessions, and sect."
This young man was the crown prince of the Minor-Form Country, one of the ten nations under Southern Tang's jurisdiction. Minor-Form and Suhang were next to each other. Both sides had been at odds even till now. Although there had never been a bloody conflict, these provocations upon them meeting were too common.
"Is that so? Then feel free to continue recruiting these beggars. I hope that you can find a descendant from the bunch of them." The Minor-Form Crown Prince looked down at Li Qiye and laughed: "Hopefully, it will be someone excellent. Otherwise, your mediocre disciples over there shouldn't even dream about competing with me. Royal Lord Yi, before you grow old, you better find someone before it’s too late."
Such words made A'Bao's group glare at him, but the prince didn't mind at all. He let out an arrogant laugh before leaving with his entourage.
The juniors behind Yi Chuan were incensed as they watched the prince leave. He purposely humiliated them!
933 TeaserYi Chuan called someone to fill Li Qiye's cup. Li Qiye drank it down in one gulp and sighed with emotion: "This is the taste. Great wine with great waterside sceneries, this is definitely different from other places. I always want to drink whenever I come by here."
Yi Chuan smiled and asked: "So little friend must not be from Southern Tang?"
"The four oceans are my home." Li Qiye leisurely answered: "However, Southern Tang is indeed a place worth remembering. It gives a very relaxed feeling and soothes the soul."
Yi Chuan continued: "You haven't had thoughts about staying here? To find a sect and embark on the path all the way to the door of the grand dao?"
"You are saying you want to take me in as a disciple?" Li Qiye set his cup down and smiled while staring at Yi Chuan.
"Hmph, don't act so impudently in front of His Majesty!"
[collapse] Very polite and humble pronoun usage here from Yi Chuan when referring to himself. "Old man" instead of the "I" for kings or for nobility/important people. ↩ World Tree Arc. ↩ This is a bit interesting. Yan is an interesting word because it has conflicting meanings by adding some strokes. It can mean satisfied/pleased, hate/tired from having too much, or just hate. You can see how problematic translating this name can be without context. But now, context was given. His title must mean "Tired/Hatred of All Things". ↩ The Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty emulated the Yuan Dynasty rules on the use of the dragon motif and decreed that the dragon — with five claws — would be his emblem. The four-clawed dragon would typically be for nobility and certain high-ranking officials. The three-clawed dragon was used by lower ranks and the general public (widely seen on various Chinese goods in the Ming Dynasty). The dragon, however, was only for select royalty that was closely associated with the imperial family, usually in various symbolic colors. It was a capital offense for anyone — other than the emperor himself — to ever use the completely gold-colored five-clawed dragon motif. Improper usage of dragons and colors was considered treason and punishable by the execution of the offender’s entire clan. ↩Chapter 934: Waterside Garden
A'Bao gritted his teeth and said: "Hmph! That Minor-Form Crown Prince is too contemptuous. His Majesty is still in the same generation as his father. He only got lucky drinking some treasure blood; that's the only reason why he is ahead of First Brother, he's nothing special. Without that fortune, he wouldn't be stronger than First Brother!"
"No need to be angry." Yi Chuan shook his head: "As long as you're strong enough, no one will dare to mock you. The Minor-Form Crown Prince's words are not all that unreasonable. His talents are indeed higher than your First Brother's. You all still have a long way to go before you can compete with him. This is true for your First Brother as well."
Yi Chuan didn't have exceptional talents, but he had great eyesight and kindness. Because of this, Suhang continued to grow under his leadership.
A'Bao only scowled without saying anything else. The other disciples couldn't swallow this anger from being humiliated either. Yi Chuan was the only one who took it in stride.
"Let us go. Since the crown prince left so early, it seems like Her Highness is about to arrive." Yi Chuan let a disciple pay the bill while ordering the other disciples.
These disciples immediately turned excited again after hearing about being able to see Her Highness.
"Little friend, I hope that we can meet again." Before leaving, Yi Chuan was still as polite as ever towards Li Qiye.
Li Qiye smiled and nodded. He continued to drink his wine and was in no hurry.
The group made their way towards the Waterside Garden. Along the way, A'Li curiously asked: "Master, why are you so courteous towards that Li Qiye? Does he really have that much potential?"
She wasn't the only one who wanted to know. The rest of the group wanted to ask as well.
Yi Chuan gently shook his head in response: "Child, you cannot judge and look down on other people based on appearances alone. Sometimes, the most powerful expert would seem like the most common bystander."
A'Bao said with skepticism: "Master is saying that Li Qiye is already very powerful? I feel like he's only a mortal, though."
Yi Chuan continued: "This Fellow Daoist Li might not necessarily be powerful, but his future will be bright or even unlimited. All of you think that you are strong. With regards to cultivation and background, this Fellow Li might be weaker than you, but the truth is that in terms of dao heart, wisdom, and perseverance, all of you can't compare to him at all. This isn't only because of his determination, it is because he would remain undaunted even in the face of a landslide." With that, Yi Chuan looked at the juniors: "Cultivation is not just about becoming more powerful. It requires strengthening your mind as well! Only when one's cultivation and mind are both powerful would one be able to walk even further on the dao."
"Remember well, geniuses aren't the only ones who will become the strongest." Yi Chuan thoughtfully explained: "For ages now, countless geniuses and brilliant experts were born into the world, but only one will become the Immortal Emperor in the end. Moreover, there were plenty who were even more incredible compared to the emperors, but in the end, they became nothing…"
He paused for a second before continuing: "More often than not, it wasn't because these geniuses were not strong enough. It was due to the fact that their dao hearts were lacking. Some couldn't rise again after a minor setback and forever disappeared among the crowd. I know you are all very prideful, but think about it, if you started as a mortal or a vagrant cultivator, would you be so carefree and relaxed as you are today?"
The group turned quiet after hearing this. This speech functioned as a warning for them.
In the winehouse, Li Qiye finished his fine wine before leaving. He asked for directions to the Waterside Garden and then headed there.
In fact, he wasn't the only one to do so; many cultivators were heading there. A lot of them were vagrant cultivators.
Prior to this, the news of the great lord's southern patrol had been spread far and wide. All the cultivators here came running in order to see her once.
Many people loved talking about Ye Chuyun. It could even be said that in the entire Southern Tang, many people saw her as their pride.
They spoke of her tales as if they knew it like the palm of their hand. For example, she had surpassed her Life Reduction many years ago and became one of the youngest Virtuous Paragons in the Barren Earth after the Difficult Dao Era ended!
"The great lord's story can only be described as brilliant." These cultivators couldn't contain their excitement as they discussed her stories.
A youth narrated: "That's right, our lord is the number one expert among our Southern Tang's younger generation. Way back then, she visited the Eastern Hundred Cities and trained at the Heavenly Dao Academy. She even became a student in the Sacred Era Hall!"
Another spoke while full of admiration: "Yes, the Sacred Era Hall! This is the gathering place of the greatest talents in the Mortal Emperor World. So many geniuses couldn't get in!"
"Her glorious deeds didn't stop there. Rumor has it that she had even climbed to the top of the World Tree, something that even imperial descendants couldn’t do. People said that only a few people like Deity Jikong Wudi and Goddess Mei Suyao made it to the top, yet our lord was able to do so as well. It is easy to imagine just how powerful she is…"
Self-restraint became a rare sight when the topic was about Ye Chuyun's past.
The Waterside Garden was located in the southern area of this city. It was surrounded by rivers and beautiful sceneries. Moreover, spirit energy was flowing all around. This type of land was not something a mortal could own.
This was the property of a great power. This sect immediately prepared it to greet the great lord that was about to make her appearance.
The moment Li Qiye arrived, many experts and vagabonds had already been quietly waiting.
Any cultivator was able to meet her during her patrol, no matter their background or current sect. Thus, the garden was completely packed and consisted of people ranging from royal lords and sect masters to cultivators with humble beginnings…
There was no other requirement to gain entry outside of being a cultivator. Nevertheless, the garden still had bodyguards to prevent any mishaps.
"Mortals cannot enter!" The guards immediately stopped Li Qiye at the gate. Without a doubt, he was included in the no-entry category.
Even if he was not a mortal, he still couldn't enter with his current shabby appearance. Letting someone like this in was an affront to their Southern Tang's reputation.
"Get out of my way." Li Qiye flipped his hair while looking at the two guards that blocked him with their spears.
The moment his calm eyes fell upon them, the two guards couldn't help but quiver. This pair of dull eyes didn't have any prestige. However, it exuded an unspeakable oppressive force that caused them to feel an instinctive fear as their legs grew weak!
The two had weak cultivations, so how could they withstand his glare? They simply didn't dare to stop him and let him in.
After Li Qiye entered, the two guards finally heaved a sigh of relief. They felt a cold chill and glanced at each other: "That, that was so bizarre!" 1
At this point, the cultivators quietly stood there, waiting for the arrival of the great lord. The leaders who knew each other started to converse.
As for the vagabonds and lowly cultivators, they knew themselves full well and chose to stay in the far corners. They didn't dare to compete against those experts and leaders for the better spots.
Of course, the powerful leaders were sitting at the front. They were qualified to meet the great lord first.
During their friendly greetings, someone saw Li Qiye coming in and asked with surprise: "Who is that?"
Suddenly, many looked at him. They noticed his appearance and frowned.
"Where did this beggar come from? Why was such a fellow allowed in?" A sect master saw him and furrowed his brows.
In their eyes, the reception for the great lord was a big event. How could they be happy to see a beggar in this place?
"Hmph, why is he here? Is this a place where he can come?" A'Bao, who had always been unhappy with Li Qiye, snorted.
Even Yi Chuan was caught off guard to see Li Qiye here.
"Junior, are you lost?" A sect master was completely disgruntled towards Li Qiye and raised his voice aggressively. A mortal would fall to the ground due to this aura.
Li Qiye slowly turned to face him and asked: "Is this the Waterside Garden?"
"Yes, this place is the Waterside Garden, but it isn't a place where you can come and go as you please…" The sect master spoke as a royal aura emerged from his body.
Li Qiye waved his hand dismissively and interrupted him: "Then it's right, I didn't come to the wrong place."
"Oh? Isn't this Royal Lord Yi Chuan's friend? What's going on, does your friend want to come here to beg?" A sarcastic voice came about. It was the Minor-Form Crown Prince.
The prince did this in order to humiliate Yi Chuan before everyone. He was deliberately causing trouble.
Raw was, "we've truly met a ghost!" But the meaning in the localized version has the same meaning in this case. The ghost expression feels a bit weird here for this usage. ↩