White-Robed Chief

“You actually had the heart to kill them.” Chu Li drank his tea, shaking his head with a smile. “If it were anyone else, I’m afraid they wouldn’t have such a merciless heart.”

“No matter how infatuated or pitiful they were, they’re still my opponents.” Lu Yurong stared plainly at him. “As long as we’re enemies, I won’t go easy on any one of you!”

Chu Li laughed. “Are we opponents as well?”

“What do you think?” Lu Yurong asked. “I’ll remember what you did this time.”

“I know you’ll come back here.” Chu Li nodded. “However, now that Leng Feng has entered your Public House, aren’t you worried that he’ll be in danger?”

“You dare to do something to him?” Lu Yurong frowned, giving him an icy glare.

She could hear the threat in Chu Li’s words. If she were to get back at him for what he did, he would go after Leng Feng.

Chu Li waved his hand. “I still have no intention to cause King Jing any trouble.”

“If you act recklessly, you can be assured that the Yi Public House will no longer be peaceful!” Lu Yurong warned.

Chu Li smiled. “Let it be done with. We both are familiar with each other’s weaknesses, and neither of us is able to one-up the other. What was that secret technique you used in the end?”

“So you were watching from the side!” Lu Yurong scoffed.

Chu Li said, “How could I not join in on such an exciting scene? That fist was extremely powerful. I wouldn’t have been able to block it as well.”

“It’s good of you to realize that!” Lu Yurong cast a sidelong glance at him. “That was the Empyrean Fairy Fist. My cultivation level is still considerably low. If it was higher, I would be able to activate it immediately. I could just simply thrust my palm out anytime I need the Empyrean Fairy Fist!”

“The Empyrean Fairy Power really is amazing!” Chu Li praised breathlessly.

Lu Yurong knotted her eyebrows and looked at him. “Is the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait that amazing as well?”

She investigated the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait when she got back and discovered that practitioners of this technique were extremely uncommon. The one person who was cultivating it was killed by Chu Li who had snatched the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait and began cultivating it himself.

Chu Li nodded, heaving a sigh. “The Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait is endlessly powerful. I feel that everyone has gone down the wrong path. Torso tuning techniques are not as unbearable as one might imagine. Many ancient martial arts are also torso tuning techniques.”

“Things change. The present is much different from the past.” Lu Yurong shook her head. “How many antique studies managed to be passed down and survived until today? Many martial arts out there are no longer suitable for cultivation now.”

“The issue might be because they’re not personally qualified to cultivate them,” Chu Li said.

Lu Yurong nodded. “The bloodlines are getting weaker. If this phenomenon persists, even the martial arts we know today probably won’t be able to be passed down to the generation a thousand years from now.”

Chu Li laughed. “Miss Lu is very far-sighted.”

Lu Yurong rolled her eyes at him. “Aren’t there any disciples from the Holy Church of Light in your Public House?”

Chu Li shook his head.

“That’s impossible!” Lu Yurong scoffed.

Chu Li said, “From what I’ve seen, the disciples of the Holy Church of Light had not planned that much ahead. After all, there’s only one of them in the Imperial Residence of King Jing. Other residences might not have any.”

“I certainly hope so.” Lu Yurong felt uncomfortable whenever someone brought up this subject.

She thought again about how Chu Li had used her by persuading her to find and kill the assassins.

San Niang was a Grandmaster, as was Tian Shi. His intellect was much more valuable than his identity as a Grandmaster, though. Tian Shi alone could take on several Grandmasters at once.

Chu Li stretched his body lazily and gave her a small smile. “The eldest master is getting married very soon. When will the masters of the Ren Public House arrive? Will Miss Lu not partake in the festivities?”

Lu Yurong said, “I don’t wish to see that conceited and pleased expression on Xiao Tieying’s face!”

Chu Li chuckled. “That’s a shame.”

“It might not even be that entertaining!” Lu Yurong said.

Chu Li knew what she was implying.

What happened last time was that ten Grandmasters were killed all at once, and the Yi Public House was able to establish their position with threatening power. There might not occur any eye-opening disturbances at the wedding this time. It would most likely be very peaceful.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Chu Li said.

Both of them made small talk.

Although it seemed like they were just chatting, every sentence they spoke was calculated and reeked of ill intentions. They probed and searched each other’s words to try and find out the other’s weaknesses.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Xue Ling’s voice called, “Young master, there are two monks waiting outside the residence. They wish to meet His Royal Highness.”

“Two monks?” Chu Li frowned. He took a peek with the Omniscient Mirror and saw two monks outside.

One was a middle-aged monk with thick eyebrows and large eyes; the other was a docile, young but ugly monk.

Lu Yurong stared at him.

Chu Li said, “They’re from the Tempest Temple.”

“They’re here already?” Lu Yurong exclaimed in surprise.

Despite the fact that she did get in touch with her connections immediately after the conversation with Chu Li, she did not expect the Tempest Temple to have arrived so quickly. It had only been a few days, but they were already here. It seemed like the importance they had attached to the Asura Power Technique exceeded her expectations.

“Tell Chief Zhu to welcome them into the main hall,” Chu Li said.

“Yes,” Xue Ling responded.

“I shall meet these two senior monks as well,” Lu Yurong said.

Chu Li nodded.

They finished off the tea and went to the main hall.

The monks sat upright in the main hall, not touching the tea that was served to them. The curtains were drawn. The two monks sat in the armchairs, fiddling with their prayer beads as if they were meditating.

As Chu Li and Lu Yurong entered, the monk with thick eyebrows stood up to greet them with pressed palms. “I’m Fa Xiang, and I pay my respects to Almsgiver Chu and this lady almsgiver.”

“Great Master Fa Xiang, are you from the Tempest Temple?” Chu Li gave him a fist salute and smiled. “Thank you for coming all the way here. Who’s this young master?”

“I’m Ming Xing.” The ugly monk pressed his palms together and bowed.

Chu Li appraised Ming Xing with a few glances.

“Almsgiver Chu, we wish to meet His Highness King An,” Fa Xiang said with his palms pressed together. “We hope Almsgiver Chu will allow us to do so.”

Chu Li said, “Great Master Fa Xiang, my greatest apologies. But His Royal Highness is currently practicing Isolated Cultivation and is unable to receive any visitors.”

“Is His Highness King An cultivating the Asura Power Technique?”

“Well, I’m afraid I cannot answer that.” Chu Li shook his head as he smiled. “We don’t know what Martial Art His Royal Highness is cultivating.”

Fa Xiang raised his thick eyebrows and he looked at him calmly. “Almsgiver Chu, the Martial Art His Highness King An is cultivating is indeed the Asura Power Technique!”

“Oh?” Chu Li continue to smile. “How did Great Master know?”

“I’ve cultivated the Asura Power Technique before,” Fa Xiang said slowly. “I understand the pains of cultivating this technique, so I’m here to advise His Highness King An to stop his cultivation. If he continues, it’ll only bring him utter bitterness and there’ll be no turning back for him!”

Chu Li said, “That would still have to wait until after His Royal Highness completes his Isolation Cultivation.”

“I only fear that it would be too late when that time comes!” Fa Heng pressed his palms together and bowed. He said slowly, “Almsgiver Chu, I beseech you to grant us an audience with His Highness King An for the sake of the world.”

Chu Li shook his head. “His Royal Highness is currently in isolation, and no one is able to disturb him. The guardian is Revered Sir Xu Ning.”

“Xu Ning?” Fa Xiang frowned and lowered his voice to ask, “He has left the temple?”

“So the two Great Masters still remember him,” Chu Li laughed. “Your fates are quite intertwined. Since that is the case, maybe it would be better if we ask Revered Sir Xu Ning for his opinion.”

“Then we’ll have to trouble Almsgiver Chu to lead the way.” Fa Xiang bowed with pressed palms.

Chu Li gave a fist salute in return and exited the living room with Lu Yurong. Soon, they arrived outside the Cultivation Courtyard.

There was a cattail hassock placed outside the Cultivation Courtyard. Xu Ning sat as still as a statue on top of the hassock.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Xu Ning opened his eyes slowly. He looked towards Chu Li quietly, then at Fa Xiang and Xing Ming.

“Xu Ning!” Fa Xiang bowed with pressed palms. “I never thought you would leave the temple so quickly!”

Xu Ning said calmly, “What does the Tempest Temple want?”

“Is His Highness King An currently cultivating the Asura Power Technique inside?” Fa Xiang asked.

Xu Ning nodded calmly.

Fa Xiang’s face grew solemn, and he barked, “How dare you!”

Xu Ning simply stared at him, his expression unchanged.

Fa Xiang said, “It’s not as if you don’t know the consequences of cultivating the Asura Power Technique, and yet you still allow His Highness King An to cultivate it?!”

“His Royal Highness is aware of the consequences,” Xu Ning said. “I’ve told His Royal Highness before but he insisted on cultivating it. I couldn’t do anything to stop him.”

“Hah, your Titanium Temple doesn’t have any compassion at all. I bet your attempt to warn King An was done half-heartedly,” Fa Xiang spat coldly. “Since he saw how casual you were about your warnings, he would feel that it was nothing much to worry about. He was never told its true terror!”