Chapter 17: Shocking News
Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Shocking News
Half a day later, Li Ping walked out of the Bai family’s old ancestor’s small courtyard, looking rather grim.
In truth, the Bai family’s old ancestor usually stayed within his clan’s estate to rest and recuperate. The main reason he had appeared in the Immortal City today was to meet Li Ping.
During their meeting, he had not only relayed a piece of news to Li Ping but had also invited him to become an Honored Guest Elder for the Bai family.
It had to be said, the terms of the Bai family’s invitation were quite generous. This was because their old ancestor was advanced in age, and the family had yet to produce a second Foundation Establishment Cultivator, putting them at risk of a generational gap in power at that level.
Li Ping asked for time to consider the invitation to become an Honored Guest Elder, and the Bai family’s ancestor did not press the matter.
What truly vexed him was the news from the Bai family’s ancestor: the Cyan Dragon Mountain sect had publicly announced their decision to reject Li Ping’s application to become an Honored Guest Elder of the Immortal City.
The Cyan Dragon Mountain sect explicitly stated that the reason they had blocked Li Ping from joining the Immortal City was because his successful Foundation Establishment was suspected to be connected to a Foundation Establishment Pill lost by one of their disciples.
This had displeased Fairy Dai, who was managing the Immortal City on her master’s behalf, causing her to reject his application.
Now, most of the major powers at the Foundation Establishment level and above within the Immortal City’s jurisdiction knew about this.
...
Walking back to his small courtyard, Li Ping silently pondered the implications of this news.
First, the Cyan Dragon Mountain sect hadn’t explicitly stated how their disciple lost the Foundation Establishment Pill. But everyone knew the story: the Qi Refining Cultivator named Lin Yue had been abducted by a mysterious individual, suffered a horrifying ordeal, and was left mentally broken, her future completely ruined.
Regardless of their relationship with the Immortal City, cultivators widely sympathized with the young woman.
Li Ping, however, had benefited from this affair. In the eyes of the uninformed, it seemed he had used Lin Yue’s stolen Foundation Establishment Pill to achieve his breakthrough, making him look like someone who profited from another’s tragedy.
As a result, Li Ping’s reputation would undoubtedly suffer.
Ordinarily, a reputation might not matter much. But in situations that required cooperation, like venturing into a mystic realm, it had an enormous impact.
No one would be willing to trust their back to a cultivator with a sullied reputation.
Second, Fairy Dai’s rejection of his application meant that he had earned her enmity. In the future, he might even be targeted by cultivators from the Cyan Dragon Mountain sect.
Being the target of a Perfect Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator’s enmity and hostility would make any powers or cultivators who might have wanted to befriend Li Ping think twice and carefully weigh the risks.
Most cultivators would likely avoid collaborating with Li Ping for fear of offending the Cyan Dragon Mountain sect.
...
Li Ping mulled it over for a long time but couldn’t understand why the Cyan Dragon Mountain sect would do such a thing.
During his previous conversation with Dai Sangyu, he had made himself perfectly clear: he didn’t know the mysterious person who was an enemy of the Cyan Dragon Mountain sect, and he had no intention of becoming their enemy either.
He had fully cooperated with their investigation and hadn’t told a single lie.
In the end, Dai Sangyu still refused to let him join the Immortal City. But from Li Ping’s perspective, he had thought it was a case of ’no deal, but no hard feelings’.
’So why did this Fairy Dai feel the need to broadcast her decision to reject me, and the reasons for it, to the world?’
’You don’t have to love me, but please don’t hurt me, okay?’
...
’There’s another problem,’ Li Ping realized with a jolt. ’The Cyan Dragon Mountain sect spreading this news has also exposed my identity as the buyer from the black market.’
He had hidden his identity when he bought the Foundation Establishment Pill on the black market.
The mysterious person who sold the pill had no idea who the buyer was.
But with the way things had unfolded, the mysterious seller must have figured out that he was the buyer.
Li Ping guessed that the mysterious person hadn’t kept the Foundation Establishment Pill for their own disciples or descendants. Instead, they chose to sell it in the Immortal City’s marketplace, not for Spirit Stones, but more likely to spite Dai Sangyu and disrupt her mental state.
’That’s it.’ A thought suddenly struck Li Ping. ’Now, the mysterious seller knows that I’m the one who bought the Foundation Establishment Pill. He also knows that after my successful breakthrough, I seem to be at odds with Dai Sangyu and was ultimately rejected by the Cyan Dragon Mountain sect. It’s very likely he thinks I now bear a grudge against them... He wouldn’t come out and try to recruit me to deal with the Cyan Dragon Mountain sect together, would he?’
Li Ping’s heart raced as he put the pieces together. ’Dai Sangyu is using me as bait to catch her fish!’
But just as he figured that out, more doubts surfaced.
’No, that’s not right. The mysterious seller isn’t an idiot. He won’t just reveal himself to find me. After all... how would he know I’m not just acting in concert with the Cyan Dragon Mountain sect to lure him into a trap?’
’Besides, Dai Sangyu’s mental state is currently damaged, so she can’t attempt to break through to the Core Formation Realm. The one who’s getting anxious as time drags on is her. He’s in the shadows; all he needs to do is wait patiently.’
’Why would he go to the trouble and take the risk of recruiting me?’
’So what is the Cyan Dragon Mountain sect’s goal in doing this? Could it be that Dai Sangyu is truly out of options, just a desperate person trying any remedy she can think of?’
...
Lost in thought, he didn’t notice as the sky grew dark.
Although he was fairly certain that Dai Sangyu’s attempt to use him as bait would yield no results and was doomed to fail...
...there were no absolutes in this world. He wasn’t one of the principal parties involved, so how could he possibly guess their true thoughts?
Because of this, Li Ping still felt uneasy, afraid that the moment he left the area covered by the Immortal City’s Array... the mysterious person preventing Dai Sangyu’s Core Formation would suddenly appear, and Fenglan Master would descend right after with his Tier Three Spirit Beast, ’Little Cyan Dragon’.
The two would erupt into a battle without a word, and he would be caught in the aftershocks, blasted into dust.
In a conflict between Core Formation powers, even the mere aftershocks would be enough to annihilate Li Ping completely.
’I should be safe within the city,’ Li Ping thought, his expression turning grim. ’The Immortal City is protected by a Tier Three Array. Even Core Formation Cultivators wouldn’t dare to run rampant inside. But outside the city walls... it’s another matter entirely.’
According to Daoist Ji’s letter, his master, Yan Guikai, was bedridden and didn’t have much longer to live. His dying wish was for Li Ping to hurry back and see him one last time.
He had originally planned to leave the Immortal City tomorrow for a trip back to the Jiang Kingdom.
But in a situation like this, how could he possibly dare to leave the Immortal City?
Let alone travel tens of thousands of miles back to the Jiang Kingdom to see his master one last time.
’Damned Sword Cultivators,’ Li Ping sighed. ’Why did your fight have to drag me into it?!’
He wasn’t a man driven by sentiment. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to see his master one last time after all.
If his master found out that he had risked his life just to see him one last time, he would have called him an idiot.
At the end of the day, even if he rushed back to the Jiang Kingdom in time, he couldn’t extend his master’s life. He could only ease one of his master’s final regrets.
When weighing the regrets of a dying man against the reality of a living one, reality was ultimately more important.
With a sigh, Li Ping abandoned his plan to return to the Jiang Kingdom.