Li Household Head, Please Calm Your Anger!
Luo Yongying paused, then put on an air of reasonableness.
"How about this? Your lineage is indeed going through a difficult time, and we understand. We can lower the price a little further, but in exchange, your lineage will need to give us a few places to enter the blessed land. What do you say?"
At the side, Li Zhengjun recalled how True Person Mingxin of the Hundred Fei Sect had also sneered at them in the Great Void, telling the Li Household to give up the fortuitous opportunity to compete for the Radiant Bright Blessed Land.
Luo Yongying's raising the matter again now seemed well-intentioned, but it carried a threat, and both Li Zhengjun and Li Zhengchen were displeased to hear it.
For a moment, silence fell over the hall.
Luo Yongying grew pleased with himself. Silence meant they were wavering.
By throwing this probe straight in Li Zhengchen's face, he was publicly admitting that the Luo Household had been secretly investigating the Li Household's internal affairs, and completely souring relations with them.
But what of it?
The Li Household's downward slide was hard to stop, and its decline was inevitable. Once the Li Household's ancestor died, the surrounding powers would sooner or later carve up that juicy piece of meat until nothing remained.
By then, he, Luo Yongying, would be sitting securely in the Peak Master's seat. Why would he need to care what a declining lineage thought?
Li Zhengchen's face was livid, but inwardly he sneered without end.
What a fine way to cut off one's own flesh for security! What fine robbery during a fire!
He had to admit, this knife had struck with unerring precision.
At this critical juncture, the Li Household did indeed need a group of newly advanced Qi Ingestion disciples to explore a completely new blessed land.
Without the Ning Kingdom as a fallback, the Li Household would truly have had only two choices today: grit their teeth and accept the outrageous price, or hold their noses and surrender places in the blessed land, enduring this abject humiliation.
But things were different now!
Li Zhengchen slowly raised his eyes. The frustration weighing on his heart, the pent-up resentment he had swallowed for who knew how many years, finally had an outlet.
Since you, Luo Yongying, came knocking at my door yourself, don't blame me for turning my back on you.
A cold laugh broke the silence. When he spoke again, his tone had utterly changed.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, I would like to ask you something. My Li Household's losses at the Lesser Cold River, the cultivation of our lineage's disciples, even the personnel assigned to enter the Radiant Bright Blessed Land-every one of these matters is a secret of our lineage. Just where did you find out about them? Are you spouting groundless nonsense, or has your Luo Household planted spies in mine?!"
Luo Yongying's expression changed drastically. He had never imagined that Li Zhengchen would be so direct, slapping such damning accusations onto the table before a hall full of guests.
His lips moved, and he was about to open his mouth to defend himself, but Li Zhengchen gave him no chance to speak. His voice abruptly rose as he shouted a barrage of rebukes at him.
"If you're spouting groundless nonsense, is this how your Luo Household's children are raised? Pointing fingers at the internal affairs of my Purple Mansion immortal lineage, running your mouth without a shred of reverence!"
"If you planted spies, then you deliberately sought out my lineage's secrets. That is an open provocation against my Li Household!"
"Whichever it is, since when has it been an outsider's place to point fingers at my Li Household's affairs?!"
The whole assembly fell silent. Even Chen Po's smile froze completely on his face.
Li Zhengchen spoke with tremendous indignation. In his years managing the lineage's affairs, he had been probed time and again by the surrounding powers. Though he had managed to resolve most situations, matching wits and nerve with them had been exhausting.
At times it had been even more frustrating. For the sake of the lineage, he had been forced to swallow his anger and accept certain conditions.
But today was different. Zhengjun had found the Ning Kingdom, and now, when faced with matters he could not have resolved in the past and would have had to bow his head over, he, Li Zhengchen, could retort to his heart's content!
He would use this opportunity to let the surrounding powers know that the Li Household's bottom line could not be crossed, and that not just anyone could push the Li Household around!
Everyone was utterly astonished. None of them had expected Li Zhengchen, usually so steady and shrewd, to behave this way.
Was this still the Li Household they knew?
Before they could react, Li Zhengchen sprang to his feet and swept his sleeves, his anger making his hair stand on end beneath his crown.
"My Li Household has stood in the Chu Kingdom for hundreds of years and ranged across a thousand miles, not by wagging our tails and begging for mercy, much less by watching other people's expressions! You came to our door today in the name of offering sympathy, but in truth you came to force our hand. Every word you've said has probed my Li Household's bottom line. What are you trying to find out? Whether my Li Household has no one to succeed the old generation, or whether my Li Household's True Person is no longer able to protect our holdings?!"
That changed the nature of the matter. Luo Yongying felt a chill shoot straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, frightening all three of his legs limp.
Everyone knew that True Person Yuhong's lifespan was nearly exhausted, and that he most detested others coveting the Li Household's foundation. He had always refused to yield an inch to such probing and struck ruthlessly.
If Li Zhengchen really embellished the story and brought it before True Person Yuhong, then, given that True Person's temper, Luo Yongying's life would be as good as over.
Forget the position of Peak Master—he would be lucky to walk out of the Li Household's mountain gate alive!
I'm doomed!
Losing his composure, he hurriedly said, "Li Household Head! I... I only heard it through the grapevine!"
But Li Zhengchen acted as though he had not heard. His phoenix eyes stared fixedly at Luo Yongying, revealing a brilliant Bright Yang.
"Since you have been so rude, don't blame me, Li Zhengchen, for turning on you today. This deal is off! From this day forward, my Li Household will not buy so much as a single Frozen Water spiritual item from any of your households!"
Chen Po was terrified too. He finally realized that Li Zhengchen was not merely trying to force the price down. He was serious!
From the look of it, he really did not want the Frozen Water spiritual items anymore!
How could that be allowed?
Other than the Li Household, what household still wanted those blasted Frozen Water spiritual items in large quantities?
"Li Household Head, please calm your anger, please calm your anger! Fellow Daoist Luo misspoke in the heat of the moment; he certainly meant no offense! We can discuss the price. Everything is open to discussion!"
The other six households were all minor powers. They had been looking forward to making a tidy profit from the price increase, but now that they saw the deal had fallen through, how could they sit still?
The people who had been silent all along no longer cared about their differences in status. They all began trying to dissuade him at once.
But no matter what they said, Li Zhengchen kept up his tirade, pouring out all the frustration that had weighed on his heart for years.
He had waited so many years for the day he could finally stop bowing his head. Even if a True Person came, they could forget about making him swallow his words again.
"Listen carefully, all of you. My Li Household has merely suffered a few petty villains taking advantage of a moment's weakness. We are far from having our sinews and bones damaged, much less our foundation shaken in the slightest! If you think you can take advantage of this little rustle of wind and grass to throw stones at us down the well and claim a share of the spoils, you are dreaming in broad daylight!"
"I'm putting it plainly today: whoever sets their sights on my Li Household had better watch their head! My Li Household's dharma swords care nothing for whether you are from a Purple Mansion immortal lineage or a Rogue Cultivator of some wild path. Dare to reach out your hand, and we will cut you down with a single sword strike!"
Bright Yang's might was oppressive to begin with, and with Li Zhengchen's fury soaring to the heavens, everyone's faces turned deathly pale, yet not one of them dared make a sound.
Li Zhengchen's voice grew sharper still.
"My Household's True Person remains at his peak! My Li Household is also at its peak! As for anything involving my Li Household's core interests, forget touching them-even if you so much as entertain the thought, put it away! If you don't believe me, come and try us. See for yourselves whether my Li Household's treasured swords are sharp!"
"Guards!"
The hall doors burst open, and several armored Li Household guards bearing weapons entered at his call.
"Show our guests out!"