Although the beast no longer had any room to resist, Jiang Che still did not dare get too close to the Wolf Bandit, just to be safe. He could not be sure it would not blow itself up or something before it died.
After releasing the women from the cage, Jiang Che turned his gaze toward the young man.
The young man smiled faintly at Jiang Che as well. "Hello, my name is Li Kuisheng."
Li Kuisheng had witnessed Jiang Che's astonishing feat of killing four hundred-year Wolf Bandits as a One-Ring Soul Master with his own eyes. On top of that, he had a Self-Created Soul Skill. Such talent was exceedingly rare across the entire continent; the only flaw was that his Martial Soul was the useless Blue Silver Grass.
Jiang Che smiled faintly as well. "Hello. Jiang Che."
Jiang Che silently mulled over the name Li Kuisheng. He seemed to have heard it somewhere before, but he could not quite remember where.
The next second, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he finally remembered where he had heard the name.
Li Qianqian!
Li Qianqian had mentioned this name. He was her eldest brother.
Just like Jiang Che, Li Kuisheng was silently mulling over the name too. He also found it very familiar, but simply could not place it.
"Your talent is truly terrifying, Brother Jiang. A One-Ring Soul Master killing four hundred-year Wolf Bandits! Without your help today, killing this thousand-year Wolf Bandit probably wouldn't have been so easy for me."
"I've been searching for this pack of Wolf Bandits for nearly half a month. These Wolf Bandits are truly vile. They've already slaughtered nearly three villages."
Li Kuisheng looked him up and down, thinking, He's young. Perhaps I can sound him out.
Looking at the four Wolf Bandit corpses on the ground, Li Kuisheng remarked with seeming casualness, "Your skills are remarkable, Brother Jiang. This is my first time seeing a One-Ring Soul Master kill four hundred-year Wolf Bandits in succession. To cultivate Blue Silver Grass to this level-could you have had some extraordinary encounter?"
Going straight for my Martial Soul?
Jiang Che snorted inwardly, but gave an honest-looking smile. "What extraordinary encounter could Blue Silver Grass have? I'm just thick-skinned, tough, and hard to kill. I got here by fumbling through my training. You're the real expert, Brother Li, with that optimal Soul Ring Configuration. Don't tell me you're from some illustrious family?"
Jiang Che lightly deflected the question back at him.
Li Kuisheng smiled and waved a hand. "What illustrious family? I'm just a wandering adventurer."
Jiang Che feigned surprise. "It isn't easy for a wandering adventurer to cultivate to Soul Elder. Your talent really is enviable, Brother Li."
"Oh, right, I heard there's a Faraway Tavern in Vast Sea City that specifically caters to wandering adventurers like you, Brother Li."
With this seemingly casual inquiry, Jiang Che had actually brought up the Faraway Tavern.
The Faraway Tavern Jiang Che mentioned was also a Li Family business.
A subtle change flickered across Li Kuisheng's expression.
He looked Jiang Che up and down, seemingly judging whether the kid genuinely did not know or was merely pretending.
A moment later, Li Kuisheng smiled. "The Faraway Tavern is indeed quite good. You're certainly well informed, Brother Jiang. You even know about the Faraway Tavern?"
"I've been staying in Vast Sea City lately, so I know a little about things there."
Jiang Che looked perfectly open and aboveboard. "I've also heard that the Li Family of Vast Sea City is quite extraordinary. Supposedly, half the businesses in Vast Sea City belong to them, and their family head is even a top expert at the Soul Douluo level. I wonder if that's true."
The corner of Li Kuisheng's mouth twitched slightly.
This kid certainly had a glib tongue. The things he had just mentioned laid out an established family's background in such detail. He was clearly probing him.
The kid looked so young, yet he was so calculating. He did not leave a single crack for water to seep through, and he could lie without blinking. He was an interesting young prospect.
Li Kuisheng was not annoyed. Instead, his interest grew.
He followed Jiang Che's lead. "You can't believe everything you hear. What's all this about the Li Family? I heard their eldest young master is a wastrel who visits the pleasure quarters every day."
Li Kuisheng continued, "And that second young lady of theirs supposedly fell out of a tree into a cesspit as a child. Her family still teases her about it. These are all just things I've heard, so you can't believe them."
Jiang Che nearly failed to hold back his laughter.
This man was ruthless enough. To distance himself from the Li Family, he had actually called himself a wastrel...
What made it even harder for Jiang Che to keep a straight face was that the man had actually said his own younger sister had fallen into a cesspit. If his guess was right, that should be Li Qianqian.
"You have to judge for yourself whether some things are true or false." Li Kuisheng tossed the words right back at him unchanged.
Their gazes met again.
Jiang Che thought, This eldest brother of the Li Family really is tight-lipped. I can't get anything out of him.
Li Kuisheng thought, This kid is slippery as an eel. I can't fish a single thing out of him.
Both men were working their own little abacuses in their minds, yet remained perfectly cordial on the surface, as though their verbal sparring had been nothing more than ordinary small talk.
Jiang Che was the first to change the subject, his gaze drifting casually toward the setting sun. "It's getting late, Brother Li. Let's part here. If fate allows, we'll meet again."
With that, Jiang Che prepared to leave.
"Brother Jiang, wait a moment."
Jiang Che turned to look at him.
"I feel we hit it off, Brother Jiang, and I'd like to get to know you. Could you leave me an address? I'll treat you to a proper drinking session another day."
"17 Beihai Street." After saying that, Jiang Che turned and left, without taking a single wisp of cloud with him.
Jiang Che did not concern himself further with the surviving women in the village. With Li Kuisheng, the Li Family's eldest young master, there, why the hell should he bother?
Watching the direction Jiang Che had left in, Li Kuisheng smiled faintly. "I'm still one move ahead."
"Once I know where you live, how could I fail to dig up your background?"
The next day.
17 Beihai Street.
Li Kuisheng stared at the Clown Theater before him, his face dark with exasperation.
Although Li Kuisheng was the Li Family's eldest young master, he rarely returned to Vast Sea City, spending most of his time at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
This Clown Theater had only been established a little over a month ago.
Time flew. Over the next few days, Jiang Che spent his mornings sleeping, meditating, and cultivating, his afternoons hunting Soul Beasts in the Tianyun Mountain Range, and his evenings fighting in the Black Kui Underground Duel Arena.
Today, however, Jiang Che noticed something amiss at the Black Kui Underground Duel Arena.
A server caught Jiang Che's attention.
The waitress looked to be in her thirties or forties. Her appearance was ordinary, with nothing that stood out.
Yet the scar on the back of her hand caught Jiang Che's attention.
When leaving after the Wolf Bandit incident, he had happened to notice a woman with just such a scar on the back of her hand.
Moreover, this waitress's height matched that woman's very closely.
With this question in mind, Jiang Che went to fish for information from the manager at the front desk.
It turned out they had indeed hired new waitresses over the past few days, and the number matched exactly.
Fuck, could this Black Kui Underground Duel Arena be a Li Family business too? No wonder it's been riding the wind and waves in Vast Sea City. Not only does it have people from the Heaven Dou Imperial Family backing it, but it has the Li Family behind it too, Jiang Che thought.
Early the next morning, Jiang Che was excitedly looking at the goods in Today's Shop.
[Today's Shop] [One Piece limited-edition figurine: (Price: 100 skill points)] "Heavenly Sword: (Price: 100000 skill points)" [Qi Condensation Shield second-layer cultivation technique: (Price: 1200 skill points)] [One case of instant noodles: (Price: 100 skill points)]
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