NOVPUB
Chapter 614: Chapter 620: Worry
"Fellow Daoist, I won’t disturb you any further since you’re busy,"
Having said that, Li Zhirui steered the Spirit Boat and departed.
"Do you really think just because your family has two Nascent Souls, we have no way to deal with you?!" Watching the receding Spirit Light, Han Chan said with a dark expression on her face.
The Profound Ice Sect had been holding back from taking action not because they feared the Li family, but because they were worried about the Devil Race taking advantage of any vulnerability. That’s why they had been trying to negotiate with Li Zhirui in good faith, hoping to make a trade with him.
But now it seemed that Li Zhirui had no intention of trading with them at all; he was always finding ways to sidestep and refuse!
It was only because their own Sect Master was in seclusion – with one to two hundred years left of his lifespan – yet, if he failed to make a breakthrough in the end, he would definitely act against the Li family without any hesitation!
"Such ingratitude!" Han Chan sneered. She planned to report this to the Sect once she returned, shattering the hopeful illusions of her fellow disciples and getting them ready to move against the Li family.
Han Chan was particularly invested in this issue because she was the one who initially dealt with the Li family for the trade. The failure of that trade caused her to lose face in front of her fellow disciples, which made her resentful towards Li Zhirui.
Meanwhile, Li Zhirui was already on guard against the Profound Ice Sect, but due to the huge disparity in strength, they could only defend reactively and stay on high alert.
Moreover, considering the gravity of the situation, he could not disclose it publicly to avoid causing panic among his clan members; he could only discuss it privately with a very few, including Jiang Fengwu and the Clan Leader.
As Li Zhirui was lost in thought, the Spirit Boat had already reached Wanxian Island.
But as soon as he returned, Jiang Fengwu pulled him aside and said, "Shuo returned recently, and not only has she taken a liking to Wei Ningchen, but the two are also in discussions about marriage. You must find a way to stop this!"
"Wei Ningchen is a pretty good kid, though." Li Zhirui didn’t understand why she was so adamantly opposed to their union.
"Appearances can be deceiving! How can you guarantee that the boy isn’t just after Shuo’s Tianyin Spirit Body?!"
Jiang Fengwu glared at him and said, "Didn’t you say before that the boy has already achieved Golden Core Perfection? Maybe he’s planning to use Shuo’s Primordial Yin Qi to break through to Nascent Soul!"
"Don’t think so ill of others."
Li Zhirui shook his head, saying, "Given Wei Ningchen’s background, let alone whether he needs Spiritual Objects to break through, even if he does, his family can afford much better natural treasures."
"Are you her father or are you that kid’s birth father! Why do you keep taking his side?" Jiang Fengwu was extremely dissatisfied with Li Zhirui’s attitude.
"Hahaha." Li Zhirui saw her reaction and couldn’t help laughing, saying, "I know you’re worried about Shuo, but you’ve never even met the person, how can you be so sure he’s not good for her?"
"Besides, didn’t I mention before that anyone who wants to marry Shuo needs to make a Demon Oath and a Heart Demon Oath? If you are still not at ease, then just have Shuo stay at home, under our watchful eyes, and forbid her from following him to the Wanxiang Sect."
Li Zhirui understood that Jiang Fengwu was overly concerned about Li Chengshuo, but since Chengshuo had already given her heart, as parents, they should respect her decision, at most being her strong backbone and helping to discern whether Wei Ningchen is a good person or not.
If they were to forcefully separate the two lovebirds, chances are it might lead to resentment between mother and daughter or father and daughter!
Seeing that Jiang Fengwu remained silent, Li Zhirui tried to reassure her, "Trust Shuo’s judgment, as well as mine. Could it be that I would push Shuo into a pit of fire?"
"We’ll talk when that kid comes over!" Jiang Fengwu was still not very supportive, but at least she was no longer as opposed as before.
At the same time, a rather clever idea came to her mind, which might help her test Wei Ningchen’s intentions.
Seeing this, Li Zhirui immediately changed the subject, saying, "Do you know the great gain I’ve acquired from my journey outside? I’ve successfully resolved the bloodline issue of Da Qing and Xiaoqing!"
"Really? You’ve only been gone for three to four years, and you’ve already had such a big gain?" Jiang Fengwu’s attention was instantly diverted.
Li Zhirui briefly recounted his cultivation experiences.
"Doesn’t that mean Da Qing and Xiaoqing could both break through to the fourth realm in the coming years?"
It would be a significant boost to the strength of the Li family and would also increase Li Zhirui’s mana by several years.
"Of course!"
Li Zhirui was brimming with confidence. The spiritual objects they had consumed over the years had accumulated a vast amount of mana, which was now ready to be utilized!
"Then, can they help you break through to the late Nascent Soul stage in one fell swoop?" Jiang Fengwu asked expectantly.
"No, the time isn’t right yet," Li Zhirui shook his head, "So for the next few years, I will stay at home and cultivate. If you want to go out and gain experience, feel free to do so."
Jiang Fengwu, who had previously planned to venture out, now refused, saying, "I won’t go out until I see Wei Ningchen with my own eyes."
"Alright then."
Li Zhirui had no way to persuade her and said, "I’m going to rest for the night. Tomorrow, there’s something important I need to discuss with you, remember to call Clan Leader Li Darong over."
"Understood, you go ahead."
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Li Darong, upon receiving the notification, immediately dropped whatever he was doing. It didn’t take long for him to appear at the door.
"Come in," Li Zhirui led him into the pavilion, then used a spell to isolate the inside from the outside, preventing the words he was about to say from being leaked.
Li Zhirui described his encounter with Han Chan, speaking earnestly, "The Profound Ice Sect hasn’t given up on the Five Elements Jade Peach, they might even resort to snatching it by force! Therefore, from now on, we need to be on guard against them and send someone to Profound Ice State to keep an eye on their movements."
"Darong, I’m entrusting you to arrange the manpower for this task."
Li Darong felt a shiver in his heart and said, "Please rest assured, ancestor!"
"Don’t worry too much, they probably won’t make a move anytime soon."
Li Zhirui comforted him, then moved on to another matter, "I learned that the Profound Ice Sect has discovered a Spirit Stone Vein at the bottom of the sea, and our clan hasn’t thoroughly searched our controlled waters for many years.
So, Darong, as soon as possible, organize people to search throughout our sea territory, and record all resources such as the Spirit Vein and mineral veins one by one."
"Yes!" This task wasn’t dangerous, given that the Li family had been developing this sea area for years and no traces of Water Devils had been found nearby for a long time. The only issue was the vast area which made the search quite laborious.
"By the way, the Spirit Pills we traded with Qianshan Sect and the Qiu Family over the past few years should be almost gone, right?"
A worrisome look appeared on Li Darong’s face as he replied, "Ancestor, you may not be aware, but a year ago, the Qiu Family cut their purchase volume by half, so now we can only trade for a few more months."
"Is the Qiu Family going to have another Nascent Soul?" Li Zhirui muttered to himself, then dismissed the thought.
After all, the two families were far apart, and whether the Qiu Family grew stronger or not didn’t affect the Li family.
"Send over all the spiritual objects the family has collected over the years. I need to enter closed-door cultivation and won’t have time for alchemy."
"Yes!"
