NOVPUB
Chapter 712: Chapter 718: Agreed
"Are you planning to go out alone again?" Bai Qiushan appeared out of nowhere and said with a chuckle.
Li Chengsheng’s brows furrowed slightly, and he immediately put some distance between them, asking with an unsightly expression, "Did you tamper with something on me?"
"Do I really appear so despicable in your eyes?" Bai Qiushan put on a look of utter despair, gazing at him pitifully.
If it were a woman making such a tearful and sorrowful expression, one might admire the sight, but for a man of eight feet tall, it felt nothing but uncomfortable to look at.
"Act normal!"
"What if I said that this is the fate between us two? Would you be willing to believe that?"
The moment these words were spoken, Li Chengsheng felt as if he were being crawled over by innumerable caterpillars, experiencing extreme discomfort in both body and mind. He felt that if he stayed any longer, he might not be able to resist lashing out. Suppressing the thought, he turned away expressionlessly and left.
In fact, their encounter was indeed a coincidence; Bai Qiushan had just returned from the Undying Volcano, but the words he said were truly unbearable.
"Don’t go, Taoist friend."
Despite his words, Bai Qiushan didn’t chase after him, only watching Li Chengsheng’s retreating figure and murmuring to himself, "One day, I will make you join my team!"
As a direct disciple from a major power, Bai Qiushan was incredibly selective. Ordinary cultivators didn’t even catch his eye, and unfortunately, Li Chengsheng had attracted his attention.
And among cultivators like him, aside from their pride and arrogance, they shared one more characteristic: persistence, or you could say, stubbornness.
"It seems I need to find a team to join soon," Li Chengsheng thought to himself.
The decision was to make Bai Qiushan, that madman, back off and stop bothering him, but also because being alone on the outskirts of the Undying Volcano, he couldn’t find anything worthwhile. The effort simply didn’t match the rewards.
However, finding a suitable team was not an easy task. He couldn’t just rush into any group; doing so could lead to an untimely death without even knowing how it happened.
Days later, Li Chengsheng returned to the Immortal City, looking utterly exhausted. His fatigued demeanor couldn’t hide the frustration and helplessness on his face.
Although previous excursions hadn’t yielded much, at least he had found some Spiritual Objects, but this time, everything he got was trash! There was nothing of value!
It was actually to be expected. After all these years, it was inevitable that the outer resources would be scarce.
"Judging by your look, you didn’t achieve much on this trip, did you?"
Bai Qiushan, who had been lurking near Li Chengsheng’s residence, brightened up when he saw his target, especially his expression, and approached with a smile, "That’s why I say, you should join my team as soon as possible. Only then can we venture deeper into the Undying Volcano and find more Spiritual Objects."
Li Chengsheng didn’t say a word, just looked at him steadfastly, making Bai Qiushan feel somewhat uncomfortable, "Taoist friend? Taoist Huang?"
"Fine! I accept," he said.
"What?" Bai Qiushan was taken aback by the response, thinking he was perhaps hallucinating from overthinking.
"What? Having second thoughts now?"
"No, no, it’s just more surprising than I expected," Bai Qiushan was still thinking about what to do if the proposal was rejected again, but he hadn’t expected the joy to come so suddenly.
Under the unwavering insistence of Bai Qiushan, or perhaps due to the disappointment from the recent trip, Li Chengsheng finally agreed to join this two-person team.
Not that he trusted Bai Qiushan all that much, but he seemed all right—coming from the direct lineage of a major power carries a higher credibility than that of Loose Cultivators.
The main reason was that Li Chengsheng couldn’t find a more suitable team in the short term and didn’t want to come back empty-handed again.
"You should rest well for now. I’ll come find you tomorrow to discuss our next moves," Bai Qiushan said with excitement and left.
Watching his back, a wave of regret suddenly surged in Li Chengsheng’s heart. Had he been too hasty in his decision?
Early the next morning.
Bang bang bang—
A series of loud knocks suddenly awakened Li Chengshuo, who was resting. With a gloomy expression, he walked out and opened the courtyard door.
"Good morning!" Bai Qiushan, as if oblivious to his sour mood, greeted him with a brilliantly sunny smile.
"What do you want?" Li Chengsheng asked him coldly.
"Didn’t we talk about it yesterday? We were to discuss our upcoming journey," Bai Qiushan said as he brazenly made his way into the courtyard.
His eyes roamed ceaselessly, appraising the yard and he praised, "Not bad, not bad. It seems that Taoist Huang is quite wealthy to be able to rent such a luxurious dwelling."
"What are your thoughts?" Li Chengsheng suppressed his anger and dragged the man to sit down in the living room.
Bai Qiushan spoke seriously, "With our combined strength, we can barely enter deep into the Undying Volcano. Although it’s somewhat dangerous, fortune favors the bold, right? Besides, we came here to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, and what we seek is excitement. It’s perfect for us!"
"Of course, if we encounter suitable cultivators later on, we can also recruit them into our squad. That way, we can venture even deeper for our tempering."
"Considering that you’re the first to join the squad, you’ll act as the deputy leader, with a status second only to mine! How does that sound? I’m treating you quite well, aren’t I?"
It sounded haphazard and crude, but it made sense, and Li Chengsheng didn’t know how to refute it.
"Then how will we allocate Spiritual Objects and spoils of war that we find?"
"Of course, whoever finds them keeps them. If the other person assists, then they should get a share," Bai Qiushan replied with his usual simplicity and directness.
Li Chengsheng had come to realize that his new ’generous’ team leader was a man of great simplicity masquerading as a fool, one who disliked making things overly complex.
"Fine, but I hope you’ll recruit more team members soon."
After all, if just the two of them encountered real danger, they wouldn’t even have the ability to resist; fleeing would be their only option.
"Don’t worry, the people I find will be to your satisfaction!" Bai Qiushan declared with full confidence.
Li Chengsheng, however, had an ominous feeling. He suspected that those willing to join such a team probably had some sort of issues.
"Get ready, Taoist friend. In a few days, we will embark on the Qiushan Squad’s first expedition!"
Having said that, he hurriedly left.
In the following days, Bai Qiushan did not come to see Li Chengshuo again.
Until the fifth day!
He brought with him two Golden Core Late Stage cultivators!
"They are?"
Li Chengsheng saw that one wore a grim green Taoist robe while the other donned a bright red robe; their garments were exceptionally vivid and glaring! Their expressions were also rebellious and unyielding.
"The teammates I’ve recruited!"
Bai Qiushan added in a hushed transmission, "Of course, you are the deputy leader, so if you disagree, I can send them away."
"You..." n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
Li Chengsheng was at a loss for words, utterly unable to understand why out of all the cultivators, these two... notably conspicuous individuals had been chosen.
