Chapter 935: Meeting An Old Friend
Many quickly shifted their gaze over towards Yi Chuan. A few sect masters who wanted to chase Li Qiye away looked to Yi Chuan as well.
As the old saying goes, one has to look at the owner before beating their dog. Yi Chuan was a big character in Southern Tang. Anyone would have to show some consideration towards him. The Minor-Form Crown Prince's frank attitude towards him was part of the minority.
A'Bao's group, at this moment, were angrily glaring at Li Qiye. In their eyes, Li Qiye was throwing away their country's face. He was purposely making it hard for their ruler to step down!
Yi Chuan was a bit embarrassed. He coughed and said: "I do know this little friend." He didn't deny being Li Qiye's acquaintance.
Li Qiye waved his hand and said: "Me coming here has nothing to do with Royal Lord Li. There's no need for all of you to worry, just do as you please."
"Haha, brat, if Yi Chuan didn't bring you here, how could you enter in the first place?" The crown prince provoked again.
"Which eye of yours saw Our Majesty bring him here?!" A'Bao couldn't help but glare at the prince's blatant attempt at shaming their king. 1
"A'Bao, do not be rude." Yi Chuan gently shook his head: "It is not a big deal even if I brought this little friend here. Our great lord's patrol is meant for everyone to see."
Li Qiye only smiled and proceeded to sit even in this situation.
"Junior, scram to the side, that isn't a place for you to sit!" A royal lord immediately shouted after seeing him sit down.
Cold glares fell upon him. In their opinion, Li Qiye was truly too outrageous to actually be sitting all the way at the front. They thought that someone like him should be sitting in some obscure corner. Perhaps even the vagrant cultivators wouldn't want to sit beside him.
But now, he did just the opposite and took the front row, grabbing everyone's attention. This was simply asking for a beating.
Li Qiye slowly turned around to look at this royal lord and leisurely said: "I can sit above the nine heavens, let alone this spot. Shut the hell up!"
"You…" The royal lord was shaking from anger and furiously glared at Li Qiye. It was too humiliating to be shouted at by a nobody such as him.
"Haha, it seems like someone is relying on Royal Lord Yi Chuan's prestige to act so arrogantly." The Minor-Form Crown Prince sneered. His country and Suhang had always been at odds, so he was fanning the flames to humiliate Yi Chuan.
The royal lord who yelled at Li Qiye earlier told Yi Chuan in a serious tone: "Royal Lord Yi, if this is your disciple, then discipline him to avoid being shamed before the great lord."
If Li Qiye was Yi Chuan's disciple, then it wasn't his place to discipline him, so he wanted to pressure Yi Chuan instead.
"Royal Lord Yi, you need to reign a disciple like this better, how shameful! Junior, go sit behind your senior, this is not the place to act disrespectfully!" Another sect master was very unhappy with Li Qiye's actions and coldly voiced his objection.
Even A'Bao's group was glaring at Li Qiye. Li Qiye's actions made it very awkward for their king and lost him all face.
Yi Chuan was a bit embarrassed. He couldn't help but wave at Li Qiye: "Little friend, come sit behind me. You are sitting in a sect master's spot."
Yi Chuan's attitude was very friendly towards Li Qiye. If it was someone else, they wouldn't bother protecting Li Qiye.
Li Qiye sat there firmly and motionless. He only smiled and said: "Royal Lord Yi, thank you for being considerate, but I rather like this seat right now."
Yi Chuan could only smile wryly at this while A'Bao indignantly said: "Your Majesty, just leave this ungrateful person alone."
All kinds of expressions were present among the crowd as they gazed at Li Qiye. Some felt that this brat was crazy while others thought that he was quite interesting. A few sect masters and royal lords thought that Li Qiye was challenging their authority by taking one of their spots.
"Junior, if you continue to not know any better, I will throw you out myself." The royal lord from earlier uttered with ill intent.
"Shut up." Li Qiye closed his eyes and interrupted him harshly: "If you keep buzzing in my ears, I'll twist you up like a piece of bread!"
The royal lord vomited blood from anger after hearing this. He immediately stood up while his blood energy erupted!
"The great lord is here." Right when this royal lord was about to take action, a message came from outside.
"The great lord is here." Everyone inside the garden stood up and went to greet their lord.
The royal lord that wanted to attack Li Qiye scowled and swallowed his anger, then he quickly went to greet the lord as well.
Under the receptive crowd, the current ruler of Southern Tang, the Pure Lotus School's Ye Chuyun appeared before everyone.
"Welcome, great lord." Everyone hurriedly greeted Ye Chuyun. It was not only because she was the great lord of the region, but also because she was a Virtuous Paragon.
Across the entire Barren Earth, very few people in the younger generation were Virtuous Paragons. It could be said that those who reached this level could be counted on one's hand, and she had become one many years ago on top of that. She was plenty powerful enough, someone worthy to become the pride and fear of her people.
Li Qiye looked for Ye Chuyun who was surrounded by the crowd. After so many years, her style was even more brilliant than before.
She was still wearing an aqua colored dress and her almond eyes contained a hint of charm and elegance. Her aura of nature was accompanied by a dignified and noble air that had a touch of indescribable femininity.
Unlike the past, the current Ye Chuyun's actions had a world-turning momentum as if she could cause rain to fall with the flip of her palm.
There was no doubt that reaching Virtuous Paragon carried a great significance. It was the first step into the supreme grand dao, the beginning of a deified title in the future!
Outside of the sect masters and royal lords gathering around her, even regular cultivators and vagabonds tried to find an opportunity to introduce themselves and leave behind a good impression. In the future, if they needed help from Southern Tang or the Pure Lotus School, at least they could pretend to be acquaintances.
Yi Chuan also brought his juniors to meet her. A'Bao's group was excited to see Ye Chuyun for the first time. For both the males and females, the great lord was their goddess and role model; it was their honor to be able to see her in person.
Ye Chuyun was not arrogant. She nodded her head as a greeting towards everyone. Before she knew it, she was surrounded by sect masters and royal lords.
At this point, her gaze paused for a moment as she inadvertently saw a lone person sitting at the front. His clothes were ragged, but that figure, that back was all too familiar.
Ye Chuyun was shocked because he had been missing for a very long time. No one knew his whereabouts, but now, he suddenly appeared in this place — this was quite astounding.
"Your Majesty, this beggar snuck in here, let me chase him out!" The Minor-Form Crown Prince thought that the great lord was angry from seeing the beggar and quickly headed for him in order to claim this merit.
"Fouled Beggar, get out of here, don't defile Her Majesty's view!" The prince shouted and reached for Li Qiye.
"Pop!" The prince couldn't catch him before a crisp slapping noise resounded. No one saw how Li Qiye slapped him. The prince spat out a mouthful of blood; all of his teeth were broken.
"Little bastard!" The prince became furious and wanted to behead Li Qiye.
Ye Chuyun composed herself and shouted: "Step down!" She was a Virtuous Paragon. Her shout alone was enough to cause the prince to take several steps backward before falling down. He was no longer able to stand up since the gap between the two was too large.
Li Qiye remained seated with dirt and grit all over his face. He looked at her and smiled: "Miss Ye, long time no see."
This address left many people breathless. In Southern Tang, no one dared to call the great lord by her name outside of Virtuous Paragons from the previous generation.
Ye Chuyun quickly walked towards him and replied: "Brother Li, long time no see. I didn't expect for Brother Li to make an entrance. If you told me, I would have personally gone to greet you." 2
This scene left the sect masters and royal lords present dumbfounded. One could imagine the person's identity if their great lord had to act so politely.
A'Bao's group behind Yi Chuan was watching on in disbelief. Li Qiye was completely filthy. No matter how they looked at it, he was not worthy of such grand treatment.
Li Qiye smiled and shook his head: "You are too polite. I have only recently returned and just happened to come across Southern Tang. However, I do have something to ask of you."
Ye Chuyun looked at Li Qiye. Though she didn't know what had transpired, she understood that Li Qiye had experienced something incredible. Just think about it, this man before her could nonchalantly destroy a sect. A slight gesture from him could trap many ancestors from imperial lineages to death. 3
"I will do my best to provide assistance for whatever you need." Ye Chuyun quickly answered: "You must be tired from the journey. If you don't mind, how about staying at my place for a few days?"
"Very well, since Miss Ye is showing such magnificent hospitality, I can only obey." Li Qiye smiled and nodded his head, intending to stand up.
Ye Chuyun quickly helped him up. She ordered the disciple next to her before personally accompanying him away.
935 TeaserMany quickly shifted their gaze over towards Yi Chuan. A few sect masters who wanted to chase Li Qiye away looked at Yi Chuan as well.
As the old saying goes, one has to look at the owner before beating their dog. Yi Chuan was a big character in Southern Tang. Anyone would have to show some consideration towards him. The Minor-Form Crown Prince's frank attitude towards him was part of the minority.
A'Bao's group, at this moment, was angrily glaring at Li Qiye. In their eyes, Li Qiye was throwing away their country's face. He was purposely making things hard for their ruler to step down!
Yi Chuan was a bit embarrassed. He coughed and said: "I do know this little friend." He didn't deny being Li Qiye's acquaintance.
Li Qiye waved his hand and said: "Me coming here has nothing to do with Royal Lord Yi. There's no need for all of you to worry, just do as you please."
[collapse] This expression is not used in English. I could have done "when did you see" to make it less jarring, but I left it in to maintain the disrespectful/angry tone. ↩ "I" here is "this little sister" from Ye Chuyun. ↩ Heavenly Dao Academy's arc. ↩Chapter 936: Ye Chuyun
In just a second, the entire Waterside Garden turned quiet as everyone watched the great lord help Li Qiye leave hand in hand.
They were shocked by this scene. No one knew the identity of this dirty youth. Such actions from their great lord were beyond being polite. It was at the level of being deferential!
Suddenly, their heads went blank and they felt suffocated. Ye Chuyun was not only the current ruler of Southern Tang, she was also a paragon. Among the youths in the Barren Earth, she was definitely among the top talents.
But now, she personally accompanied this young man away with full respect. It was easy to see how highly she thought of him.
No one here could believe such a thing, not even Yi Chuan. He only thought that Li Qiye was an ordinary vagrant cultivator.
As for the group of A'Bao, their mouths were wide open and wouldn't close for a long time. The great lord was their goddess who was completely unreachable. However, she was personally helping Li Qiye away. Such respectful attitude was too unbelievable!
Prior to this, they were very unhappy towards Li Qiye. But now, they thought that the ignorant ones were themselves!
"It's over…" The Minor-Form Crown Prince dropped to the ground with a completely paled complexion. Even their great lord was so respectful, yet he offended the person.
The royal lord who wanted to attack Li Qiye was drenched in cold sweat. He didn't think that this inconspicuous beggar had such a great background. At this time, a few people were reminded of Yi Chuan. He was the only person here who was Li Qiye's friend.
"Brother Yi, what is the background of that young noble earlier?" Many royal lords and sect masters quickly swarmed towards Yi Chuan to ask for Li Qiye's information. They actually thought that Yi Chuan knew his identity.
Yi Chuan smiled wryly and shook his head: "I don't know that young noble's exact background either."
Li Qiye was sitting inside Ye Chuyun's carriage. She noticed his ragged appearance and showed concern: "What happened to Brother Li?"
She was still a paragon, so she noticed a thing or two after a look.
Li Qiye smiled in response: "No big deal, it is just that I only got back from the Stone Medicine World with a bit of difficulty." Li Qiye answered in such a nonchalant manner, but Ye Chuyun's expression shifted. The pathways between the nine worlds have yet to be opened. Forcefully breaking through the world barriers was definitely courting death, even for a God-Monarch!
"Are you okay?" Ye Chuyun asked with concern.
Li Qiye gently shook his head: "There's no need to worry, Miss Ye. It was only a small matter. I only made a bet with someone and my dao foundation got sealed — just a minor inconvenience.
Ye Chuyun naturally understood that this "minor inconvenience" was definitely a heaven-shattering event to anyone else.
She welcomed him into the Pure Lotus School and prepared the best place for him as well. All of this was carried out with the most prestigious reception possible for an esteemed guest.
Ye Chuyun was already waiting in the hall by the time Li Qiye finished taking a bath. She saw him coming and immediately stood up then bowed: "I left in a hurry back then and couldn't show you my gratitude. Please accept this bow today."
Li Qiye waved his sleeve and smiled: "It is all in the past, there's no need to mention it. You didn't need to thank me for back then either."
"No, without your guidance, there would be no me of today." Ye Chuyun insisted on bowing and continued in a formal manner: "My achievements today were mostly given to me by Brother Li."
Back then, Li Qiye brought her to the World Tree which led to her obtaining quite a big fortune. This allowed her cultivation to suddenly rise after returning. Some even said that she was the first Virtuous Paragon of the young generation after the end of the Difficult Dao Era!
She left quickly back then and couldn't thank Li Qiye. Today, she bowed solemnly in order to express her gratitude after meeting him again.
Seeing her persistence, Li Qiye sat down and accepted her grand gesture.
After the bow, she sat down with Li Qiye. He looked at her and smiled: "Miss Ye is an acquaintance, so I won't be too reserved. First, I want to ask about the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect."
"Brother Li can rest easy about this." Ye Chuyun smiled. When a gentle girl like her smiled, it was especially pleasing to the eyes. She said: "The Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect is extraordinary in present times. Although I have not been to the Grand Middle Territory, I still hear some news from there. It is said that Miss Li and Miss Chen have reached half completion on their Immortal Physiques, and the same goes for your sect's Master Su. They are a threat to the Grand Middle Territory and even the entire Mortal Emperor World! Back when they reached half completion, the majority of the sects in the world went to congratulate them. Unfortunately, I was undergoing a cultivation session so I couldn't go and instead only sent disciples with gifts."
Her answer was not an exaggeration. One sect with three Immortal Physiques… It was no wonder that this would shock the entire world. Three half completion Immortal Physiques could force any Virtuous Paragon to back off! This was not taking into account the fact that it could be three grand completion physiques in the future.
If one sect could have three grand completion physiques, then even if an Immortal Emperor was present, they wouldn't carelessly start a fight. One grand completion Immortal Physique was enough to assail an Immortal Emperor. Just imagine the power of three in the same sect!
Of course, the world didn't know about Chen Baojiao's physique. However, someone gauged her physique's power and assumed that she was cultivating an Immortal Physique as well despite not knowing the exact one.
After hearing this, Li Qiye sighed in relief and nodded his head: "Then I'll ask Miss Ye for a favor."
Ye Chuyun quickly said: "I will do my best, just let me know."
Li Qiye responded: "Miss Ye is too polite. I only want you to help me send news to the Cleansing Incense Sect about my return."
"This is simple." Ye Chuyun replied: "I will let my disciples do so right away. However, Brother Li should know that we can't send this news to the Cleansing Incense Sect right away. Our sect and yours are not connected by a dao portal. I'm afraid we need to use the Eastern Hundred Cities as a transit point and the Icy Feather Palace's dao portal."
Directly teleporting was the quickest way for cultivators to communicate. However, this type of teleportation required the dao portals of the two sects to be connected. Only sects with great relationships would have such a thing.
There was another type of teleportation — blind teleportation. They would only know the approximate position and couldn't teleport accurately. This type of teleportation not only required a huge amount of refined jades, the chance for error was high as well. It could even teleport someone to dangerous locations.
"No rush, as long as it is being sent." Li Qiye nodded. He didn't intend on returning to the Grand Middle Territory for now. He had other plans at the Barren Earth that still needed to be carried out.
"We will definitely send the news for you." Ye Chuyun said: "May I ask how long you will be staying at the Barren Earth? If you are in no hurry and don't mind, then you can stay at my humble abode for a while. I still want to ask you for some pointers." Ye Chuyun was very forward with her intentions.
"Since Miss Ye has shown me such great hospitality, I will do as you ask." Li Qiye was not reserved. He looked at her and asked: "Have there been any big events at the Mortal Emperor World in these past few years?"
"Since Brother Li left, the Mortal Emperor World has been very peaceful." Ye Chuyun responded: "Your battle back then was a warning to the rest of the world, so in these recent years, many sects here had only been training and training. Very few people caused trouble."
She was correct in this matter. The battle back at the Heavenly Dao Academy acted as a deterrent to the entire world, especially when the Realm God easily crushed the Brilliance Ancient Kingdom. Many lineages didn't even dare to breathe loudly afterward.
With a powerful existence like the Realm God around, anyone would need to think twice before causing trouble in the Mortal Emperor World.
Li Qiye only chuckled and didn't comment on the matters of past.
"Recently, the most sensational news is the Buddhist Funeral Plateau announcing that the Nalanda Temple and all the other temples beneath its jurisdiction were opening again to enlighten all the destined ones in the world." Ye Chuyun told Li Qiye what she knew. 1
"The plateau finally opened." Li Qiye narrowed his eyes upon hearing this.
"The Difficult Dao Era is over, so the Nalanda Temple wants to welcome the world."
"Countless cultivators go to the plateau each day. However, in recent years, several geniuses have been converted so people have been very careful when they go there, especially the younger generation." Ye Chuyun explained.
Li Qiye couldn't help but gaze at the far horizon and murmur: "Buddhist Funeral Plateau…"
It was one of the twelve burial grounds with many secrets within. Some of them were beyond human comprehension.
"Brother Li wants to go there?" Ye Chuyun asked after seeing his expression.
Li Qiye slightly shook his head: "No rush, it will still be there. If the Nalanda Temple is opened again, they won't close their doors so fast. After I'm done with my business, it still won't be late to go there!"
"Will you need my assistance?" Ye Chuyun went straight to the point.
Li Qiye smiled: "I will definitely ask if I need help."
"As long as you need it, just let me know and both the Pure Lotus School and I will try our best." Although Ye Chuyun was born in the prosperous southern land, as the ruler of the region, she was not long-winded at all.
Nalanda is a real place, a large buddhist monastery in India. ↩