Aftermath

Fifteen minutes later.

Li Qi, along with Bo Yue and Le Ya, sat together in the secret manor of the Lower Nine Gates.

However, to this day, most people in Guangyang City are unaware of what happened, so apart from the slight disturbance caused by the earthquake and the flashes of light beyond the horizon, things are actually quite peaceful.

Of course, the leaders of the major powers should already know about the young master of Wushen Mountain, since Le Ya bowed in front of everyone, which cannot be faked.

However, most ordinary people are completely bewildered by this; they have no idea that they almost died, nor do they know that another group of people risked their lives to save them.

They died without knowing why, and they live in a daze; that's probably their current situation.

However, Li Qi did not intend to publicize these things, so he did not care much about them.

What he cares about more now is that he has finally made contact with the Wushen Mountain...

I'm so... I want to cry.

Heartbreaking.

Someone is backing me up.

As for the sadness, it's because I was just an afterthought.

Le Ya came because he sensed that Bo Yue was in danger.

Although Li Qi initially had this in mind when he summoned Bo Yue, thinking that Bo Yue must have a protector... but now, seeing this...

Indeed, I feel a little unbalanced.

But those are all minor matters.

As soon as he sat down, Li Qi immediately spoke.

"Senior Le Ya," Li Qi said, bowing.

However, Le Ya waved his hand, stopping Li Qi from continuing.

Li Qi was taken aback, but he kept quiet.

Bo Yue, pale-faced, coughed up blood. The backlash from the forced interruption of the mountain and water formation was too severe; he hadn't recovered yet and could only listen, not speak.

His body and the surrounding world shattered, and he was half-dead. Luckily, he had some precious spirit medicine on him, which kept him alive. Otherwise, he might have really died on the mountain.

Even while wiping away the blood, he still pricked up his ears to listen to what Le Ya was saying.

Both of them were well aware that although Le Ya respected them greatly, always bowing when they met and addressing them as "Young Master," the other party was a fifth-rank official, someone who had to be treated with respect.

To be so arrogant as to fail to recognize one's true abilities simply because of one's status and potential is to be utterly mediocre.

Seeing that both young masters had stopped talking and were ready to listen to him, Le Ya nodded slightly and said, "Let's talk about Bo Yue first. My appearance this time means that you have failed."

Bo Yue smiled bitterly.

He was laughing while spitting out blood, looking incredibly pathetic.

"However—" Le Ya immediately changed the subject.

His startled speech made Bo Yue cough several times, his face turning even paler. He quickly took out his medicine bottle and took another sip.

Seeing this, Li Qi felt a pang of sympathy and couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow.

"However, I have a general understanding of what happened. This time, the two of you joined forces and relied on some simple local resources, almost without relying on any sect, just using the name to intimidate people. You, as ninth-rank cultivators, defeated a seventh-rank cultivator. Such a feat is truly rare and can be called a model of the weak defeating the strong. In the end, the opponent's master descended and a fifth-rank cultivator came in person. There was nothing you could do. Therefore, your failure is understandable."

These words made Bo Yue's face turn much rosier, and Li Qi was less nervous.

"But!" He immediately put on a stern face again.

Li Qi reacted quickly and rushed forward to support Bo Yue, using his Great Forest Wood Qi to help him regulate his Qi and Blood, lest he die here from a sudden shock.

If someone doesn't die on the battlefield but is scared to death by their own people, that would truly be recorded in history.

Thankfully, Bo Yue can't speak right now, otherwise he probably would be swearing.

But Le Ya seemed not to see it, and continued to say to himself, "However, this battle is still considered a loss. Young Master Yue lost due to an accident, which is understandable, but this young master..."

"My Xia Li Qi!" Li Qi immediately released Bo Yue, cupped his hands, and said his name.

Le Ya's expression turned serious, and he said with a straight face, "Well, Young Master Li Qi, Young Master Yue was following your lead when he encountered an uncontrollable force, so his failure is understandable. But you have no excuse."

"A ninth-rank official challenging a seventh-rank official is commendable in its Heart Qi and courage, but did you not assess the risks? Taking such a risky move just to prove yourself is not the act of a wise person."

"You are supposed to be a strategist and a wise advisor, but you only focus on showing off your skills, scheming against people's hearts and calculating strategies. However, you made a mistake that a wise man should not make from the very beginning."

"You should have anticipated the arrival of a Fifth-Rank cultivator. Why didn't you prepare in advance? Why did you insist on clinging to your dignity? Where are your protectors? Why didn't you invest more resources?"

"The task of a strategist is to coordinate and allocate resources, place the most suitable things and people in the most suitable places, predict risks, judge the situation, and then make decisions that best fit the strategic goals."

"You did a great job in everything else, whether it was scheduling, commanding, or even predicting, you could hardly have done better. But tell me, why didn't you predict the arrival of the stronger one? Why didn't you have a contingency plan? If I hadn't come, would you two have died? And whether I came or not wasn't up to you."

"To have no contingency plan for the worst-case scenario, and to choose to put oneself in danger for the sake of personal glory and achievements, is the act of a brave man, not a wise man. Now, Young Master Li Qi, do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Le Ya waited for Li Qi's reply with a stern face.

Li Qi could only smile wryly after hearing this, but he didn't argue. Instead, he cupped his hands and replied, "Senior is right."

Seeing that Li Qi's attitude was very good, Le Ya's expression also relaxed a bit, but he still said earnestly, "You are all the chosen ones of heaven, and you will climb to the third rank in the future, unlike people like me who have already reached the end of their Dao Path."

"I also know that you are all exceptionally capable and incredibly talented, which is why you are so Heart Qi and always want to prove yourselves."

"Therefore, you must be even more careful. No matter what you do, you must plan every step carefully. On the Dao Path, one wrong step will lead to a series of wrong steps. You are still young now, so you must be even more careful not to be blinded."

Despite being a ninth-rank official who managed to defeat a seventh-rank official through scheming and plotting—a truly astonishing feat—it was still considered a failure in Le Ya's eyes.

These requirements are... incredibly strict.

However, Li Qi still nodded. "Thank you for your guidance, Li Qi. I will keep it in mind."

Seeing Li Qi's sincere expression, Le Ya nodded in relief. "Then please step aside, Young Master Li Qi. I need to heal Young Master Yue. After all, it's not good for him to keep coughing up blood."

"Okay." Li Qi stood up and patted Bo Yue on the shoulder. "Then I'll go out first, and we can talk alone later."

Bo Yue was slapped by him, and then spat out another breath. His eyes were already glazed over when he opened them.

Seeing this, Le Ya waved his hand, and Li Qi was pushed out, crashing through the door and landing safely outside.

He shrugged helplessly and then went to find Shen Shuibi.

There's still a lot of cleanup work to be done; we can't stop now.

After Li Qi left.

Le Ya placed one hand on Bo Yue and began to treat his injuries.

Reconstructing the microcosm of the human body.

All the cracks were quickly repaired.

In other places like the Righteous Sword Palace, a terrible injury that could sever the Dao Path would be dealt with in just two minutes.

"Phew..." Bo Yue let out a long sigh of relief, and his breathing became smooth again.

Le Ya didn't stop there. Instead, he stared at Bo Yue and said, "Alright, now that we've discussed Young Master Li Qi's problem, it's time to talk about yours, Young Master Yue. You were invited to do this, didn't you realize—"

Bo Yue interrupted Le Ya, shaking his head helplessly. "Wait, Grandpa Le, you've misunderstood someone. I'm ashamed for you... Why don't others use more resources? Do you know who their master is?"

"Who is it?" Le Ya frowned.

Bo Yue made a three with his fingers, then whispered, "Wishing you..."

Then, he stopped abruptly and did not continue.

But Le Ya was stunned.

Then, he stood up, clapped his hands suddenly, and realized what had happened.

I see!

No wonder!

He thought that Young Master Li Qi was taking a risky move for glory and achievements, and to show off his abilities.

Now he knows his master.

I see--

No wonder, no wonder. Young Master Li Qi's entire plan was meticulous and cautious. Although it was risky, he minimized the risks as much as possible and incorporated every possible variable into the plan.

The person who made such an arrangement is probably not the carefree type who likes to gamble.

I thought he was just young and impetuous, wanting to prove himself, but I guess I misunderstood him.

He wasn't young and impetuous.

He had no other choice!

So, bringing in Young Master Yue was also part of his plan? The purpose was to have an accomplice and a guarantee when Young Master Yue was recruited.

That guarantee is yourself.

And he did indeed come here because of Young Master Li Qi's arrangement, and shielded him from the final danger.

Interlocking links.

Brilliant!

I misunderstood him. He not only didn't overthink things, but he also calculated everything very thoroughly!

However, he really had no other choice but to take a risky gamble.

After all, he was that person's disciple, so he must have suffered a lot, right?

Seeing Le Ya's expression, Bo Yue curled his lip. "It's a good thing no one called you out on it to your face, otherwise you would have embarrassed yourself terribly."

"I'm not afraid of losing face, I'm afraid of misunderstanding him. No, I have to go and apologize to him right away. I can't wrongly judge someone." Upon hearing this, Le Ya quickly got up, pushed open the door, and prepared to go out.

Bo Yue slammed his fist on the table from behind. "Hey! You're my protector!"

Le Ya, annoyed, stroked his beard and said, "You're not going to die here!"

After saying that, he hurriedly went out, leaving Bo Yue alone in the room.

He didn't dare to move.

The injury hasn't fully healed yet; it will probably take a Chen or two for the tiny gaps in the body's microcosm to close on their own.

Damn it, they didn't even help me lie down!

That old man!

As for Li Qi, he was still on his way.

But then he saw Le Ya suddenly run out from behind him, stand in front of him, and solemnly apologize.

Li Qi never expected this.

He quickly waved his hand. "No, no, no, senior, you are too kind. It was indeed my fault for not being able to prepare in advance. Although this victory seems to be a great one, the process was actually full of luck and speculation, and the casualties were also very serious."

Thinking of this, Li Qi sighed:

"Tens of thousands of mountain and water Earthly Deity injured or even killed. The White Rhinoceros Army and other Guangyang troops suffered nearly half their losses. The Guangyang Prefect was seriously injured, the Rat King was slightly injured, the mountain and water formation collapsed, and reconstruction is a long way off. The Guangyang earth veins were severed, and it is feared that there will be no harvest for ten years. During this period, wild animals will be infertile, rivers will dry up, and fish and insects will not breed."

"They say they saved Guangyang, but... was Guangyang really saved?"

Li Qi sighed and looked up at the street.

The people of Guangyang had no idea what was about to happen.

If Guangyang hadn't fled to other prefectures afterward, they would probably have all starved to death.

Having just apologized, Le Ya nodded slightly upon seeing Li Qi's expression and then said, "In that case, does the young master still remember his duty as Shaman? Does he still remember the path he has chosen?"

Li Qi immediately cupped his hands and solemnly replied, "To communicate with Heaven, Earth, Humanity, Spirits, Ghosts, to exchange what is needed and what is not, to mediate between them, and to uphold the path of justice."

After receiving the answer, Le Ya nodded, then raised his hand and pointed to the main street outside the courtyard. "At this moment, Guangyang Prefecture is suffering from a lack of natural resources, depleted earth energy, severely damaged gods, and greatly injured demons and ghosts. Only humans have survived. What is the current situation?"

Li Qi suddenly realized something!

Yes!

Why didn't he think of that before?!

Shaman well doesn't mean standing only on their side.

What he wants to maintain is the balance of the entire world and the entire 'Tao', which is the best situation for everyone.

If the world itself is tilted, it will only lead to destruction.

The principle of balance is the key to the survival of all things!

When Li Qi realized what had happened, it was as if a sudden enlightenment had struck him.

He quickly cupped his hands in greeting and said earnestly, "Thank you for your guidance, senior. I will go and make the preparations right away!"

He was going to coordinate the people, gather their strength, and hold a grand ceremony to worship heaven, earth, and spirits, in order to replenish the Primal Qi of Guangyang.

This is for everyone's benefit.

If Guangyang were to suffer a complete crop failure for ten years, how could the people living here possibly survive?

The entire ecosystem, the entire world, is inherently interdependent.

The right path is the way to keep the world running smoothly.

Seeing that Li Qi was still so quick-witted and understood with just a hint, Le Ya stroked his beard and nodded. "Young Master, please go. However, presiding over the sacrifice for the people of an entire prefecture is still too much for your cultivation level. If you need help, you can come to me. I will be here soon. As compensation for misunderstanding you earlier, please accept the corpses of those two monks as offerings. After all, the popularity alone is probably not enough."

"Thank you very much, senior. I will take care of it right away." Li Qi bowed solemnly and then left in a hurry.

Let Wang Baiyan handle the cleanup. Although he'll definitely try to profit from this, if anything goes wrong, we can just beat him until he pays it all back.

The most urgent task is what Le Ya said.

He was going to prepare for a sacrificial ceremony.

A grand ceremony involving at least ten million people gathers people to give back to heaven and earth and bring back the destroyed mountains and rivers!