Knowing, Taking Down the Notice

After his trip to Tianxuan City last night, Zhao Li had figured out many things, and he had achieved Clarity of Mind.

Thinking it over carefully, he had been away from home for three years. He had made tremendous progress, but he had also begun to feel a little desire to return, so his arrangements for what came next became even more tightly planned.

Zhao Li prepared to bid farewell to Li Ming, but when he went to look for him, he could not find him.

After asking the steward, Zhao Li learned that Li Ming and his father were preparing to receive guests in the drawing room. It seemed some distinguished visitor had come.

Zhao Li thought about it. His leaving was not exactly a major matter, and it would be inconvenient to disturb them, so he left a letter in his room, along with a Dou Spirit Pill. With Li Ming's Dou Wang strength, it was just what he needed.

After that, he informed the steward and left on his own.

Though it was still early morning, there were already quite a few pedestrians on the streets. From time to time came the cries of peddlers hawking their wares. Seeing this scene, Zhao Li found it rather peaceful. The common folk lived and worked in contentment. That was about as good as it got...

Facing the Morning Glow, Zhao Li kept an eye on his surroundings as he walked toward the center of Tianxuan City.

Tianxuan City was vast. Zhao Li had already seen that last night, but even though he did not deliberately hurry, two hours were still enough for him to step into the heart of Tianxuan City.

The city center was exactly the same as Sky's Edge City. It also radiated an extremely dense Spatial Energy. Looking at that pitch-black passage, Zhao Li's thoughts returned to several days ago. He recalled that thrilling, perilous journey through the Spatial Wormhole and shook his head, still feeling lingering fear.

Zhao Li followed behind the crowd, queuing as they inched toward the Spatial Wormhole.

All of a sudden, Zhao Li's eyes narrowed. At the exit of the Spatial Channel, he saw a very conspicuous notice hanging there—the Li Clan was seeking a Seventh-Grade Alchemist and wished to purchase a Seventh-Grade Pill that could heal a Dou Sect's injuries.

Seeing the contents of the notice, Zhao Li recalled what had happened last night and understood Li Ming's emotional sighs after he had gotten "drunk." Most likely, he had wanted to probe into Zhao Li's teacher, Lin Lan. More than that, perhaps even when he had first approached Zhao Li, he had already had some purpose in mind.

Once Zhao Li figured this out, he immediately found it amusing. That fellow Li Ming had really been too clever for his own good. If there was something he needed, he could have just said it directly, yet he had to be so fussy and roundabout, scheming this way and that.

After last night, Zhao Li had also come to regard Li Ming as a friend. Since he had seen this, Zhao Li did not plan to leave anymore. If he could help, then he would help. To him, it was not a difficult matter.

Zhao Li shook his head inwardly. He could more or less guess some of Li Ming's misgivings.

Zhao Li's figure flashed and vanished. Along with him, the notice in front of the Spatial Wormhole was taken away as well.

Zhao Li's sudden disappearance made the person behind him rub his eyes, as if he found it hard to believe. Then he cried out in alarm, "Dou Sect!"

His cry drew sideways glances from the people around him, and they all looked over. In Tianxuan City, a Dou Sect was already among the very strongest experts. But they saw nothing, and the crowd's brief disturbance soon calmed down.

The disappearance of the notice, however, threw the Li Clan's people into chaos. Combining it with the commotion in the crowd just now, the person in charge of this place immediately sent someone back to report it.

In the Li Clan drawing room, Li Lei and Son were receiving a young man with handsome features and a lecherous expression.

Early this morning, Sun Xiaochuan's disciple had come to the Li Clan, saying that his master would arrive very soon. Li Lei and his son had prepared early and had been waiting here since the crack of dawn, yet Sun Xiaochuan was still nowhere to be seen.

They did not dare leave, though, afraid that as soon as they stepped away, Sun Xiaochuan would arrive, and that would instead displease him.

They could only remain here and exchange scattered small talk with Sun Xiaochuan's disciple, Sun Changqing.

But as time passed, the sky had already grown bright, and the person who had said he would arrive soon had never come.

In the Li Clan's main hall, after sitting there dryly for two hours, Li Lei and his son had already grown somewhat irritable.

Li Lei looked outside again and again, but still saw no sign of anyone. Once more, he asked Sun Changqing.

"Young Brother Sun, may I ask when your master will arrive? Has something on the road delayed him?"

Sun Changqing's eyes were wandering over every maidservant who passed by, and from time to time he winked at them, looking like a starving ghost in lust.

Hearing Li Lei ask the same question yet again, he also felt extremely annoyed and said with great impatience.

"Clan Chief Li, my master said he would arrive very soon, so he will definitely come. What are you so anxious for? Just wait here properly."

When Li Ming heard this, the anger he had accumulated was about to erupt, but Li Lei stopped him.

"Young brother is right. I was too impatient."

Li Lei gave an apologetic smile. After that, he said nothing more and simply closed his eyes to wait.

Finally, when the sun was high in the sky and daylight blazed brightly, a figure appeared in the hall, accompanied by a foul smell.

His rat-like eyes swept across the drawing room. Seeing only Li Lei and his son there, his eyes darted around.

Seeing that Li Zhenxuan was not present, Sun Xiaochuan used this as an excuse to make trouble and said unhappily.

"Li Lei, where's that old man of yours? Why didn't he come to welcome me?"

Li Lei worked hard to restrain his emotions. When circumstances were stronger than people, this was simply how it was. He could only greet him with a smiling face.

"My father is in Secluded Cultivation, attempting to break through to Mid-stage Dou Sect, so he was unable to welcome you, Senior. Please forgive him. We have already been waiting for you for quite some time. Was there something that delayed you, Senior?"

Sun Xiaochuan's clothes were in disarray. Hearing what Li Lei said, he felt contempt in his heart and replied casually.

"Heh, with his aptitude, what breakthrough could he possibly make? A complete waste of effort. What could I have been delayed by? I merely went to the House of Red Delights to have a look at Miss Xiaocui. What? You seem a little dissatisfied?"

Seeing that his son looked ready to erupt again, Li Lei stopped him once more and sent him away.

"Ming'er, go prepare a banquet first, to welcome Senior Sun."

He himself lowered his brows and made himself look obedient, cupping his fists toward Sun Xiaochuan.

"You misunderstand, Senior. How could I be dissatisfied? I was merely looking forward to your early arrival."

Sun Xiaochuan neither confirmed nor denied it. He leaned crookedly against the chair, and when a maidservant came up to pour tea, he pulled her over in one grab. The maidservant did not dare resist, her face pale as she trembled all over.

"I won't waste words. You want me to refine medicine, and Li Ming already told me about it before. You will prepare the Medicinal Ingredients yourselves, and then hand over eighty percent of the Spatial Wormhole's profits for the next three years."

When Li Lei heard this, his face turned livid. He recalled it again and made sure he had not misheard before asking.

"Senior, are you remembering wrong? What we agreed on earlier was fifty percent of the profits."

Sun Xiaochuan sprawled in his chair with no regard for his image, already starting to grope the maid from head to toe. Hearing Li Lei's question, he spoke flatly, though his words were filled with tyranny.

"That was before. I've changed my mind now. I want eighty percent."

In the end, Li Lei still did not erupt. If Li Zhenxuan were not here, the Li Clan might not even be able to hold on to its vast family business.

His thoughts spun at high speed. He did not want to agree, but for the moment, he had no solution, so he could only change the subject.

"Senior, you've come a long way. Let's eat first."

Sun Xiaochuan did not care. He did not care in the slightest what Li Lei thought. The Li Clan was his for the taking.

"Father, that old bastard is going too far. If we really hand over eighty percent, who's going to feed all those mouths in the Li Clan? I'm afraid before anyone else even comes to tear into us, the Li Clan will have already fallen apart first."

Li Ming heard from Li Lei about Sun Xiaochuan suddenly changing his terms, and he was furious.

Although Li Lei had expected Sun Xiaochuan might change his mind at the last minute, he had not expected the old bastard to be this greedy. This kind of behavior was practically forcing the Li Clan onto a dead end, yet there was nothing he could do.

"He is bullying us. But so what? What can you do about it? Never mind that your grandfather is gravely injured and on the verge of death—even if he were at his peak, we still couldn't afford to offend Sun Xiaochuan. Alchemists are a hornet's nest. How did someone like him ever achieve such status? Sigh..."

Seeing his father sighing with no solution at all, Li Ming found it somewhat unbearable. He simply hardened his heart and said, "At worst, I'll throw away my pride and go beg Brother Zhao Li. We can give him the fifty percent profit we originally prepared and ask his master to step in..."

Only, as he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer, until it was finally as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Li Ming also knew that things would never go as smoothly as he imagined. He was well aware that he did not have that much face.