The commotion at Lankao Mountain was so outrageous that it might as well have been a neon sign shouting to the world, “Hey everyone, I’ve got an astonishing legacy and some mind-blowing treasures! Heroes come play!”
Naturally, the elders of the Qingyuan Sect couldn’t turn a blind eye to it.
But the sect leader had to stay put at the sect.
Sending someone ordinary wouldn’t cut it. They couldn’t just send Shang Wu there—if he went, it wouldn’t be just about the legacy anymore. It would be about how many sects would come knocking on Qingyuan’s door afterward, looking for a reckoning.
Even if they got the legacy, it might not be worth the trouble that followed…
At that moment, Elder Qian suddenly raised his hand, signaling he had a plan.
Wasn’t Jiang Yu supposed to personally visit Qingyuan Sect?
Clearly, this Crown Prince from the Da Yu was not going to miss out on the festivities at Lankao Mountain, and as the top potential of the Qianlong List and a royal, he’d undoubtedly have powerful allies by his side.
No matter who went, Jiang Yu wasn’t the one to be sent away.
Fortunately, Li Mo and Little Ice Girl had heaped up quite the achievements. They didn’t want rewards at the moment; they just needed Jiang Yu to be their tool! Just a little trip to Lankao Mountain and back would guarantee safety and not a missed opportunity, right?
“Hmph… let’s deal with him after Lankao Mountain.”
Though the beautiful master was not too fond of the Da Yu Crown Prince, she felt the safety of her precious disciple and Little Ice Girl was more important.
“….”
The elders thought over their thoughts thoroughly.
But Li Mo didn’t really worry about the safety issue on the way to Lankao Mountain. After all, he was the one who had manually added all those crazy effects, so the danger wasn’t that high.
Plus, the Holy Son and a bunch of folks from the Huanmo Sect were also heading to Lankao Mountain.
The beast hall head called him “bro.”
The Holy Son of Huanmo had to call him “uncle.”
It seemed like the ones who should be worried about personal safety weren’t him.
Li Mo remained noncommittal, merely reassuring Elder Xue.
Even with a whole bunch of people on the Nimbus Cloud, their speed didn’t take much of a hit, and soon they could see Qingyuan in the distance.
Qingyuan Sect was also decked out in festive decorations, obviously more about the occasion than any new arrival.
Two massive banners were hung atop the main peak.
The first one read:
【Congratulations to our own Li Mo and Ying Bing for boldly making their way onto the Qianlong List, achieving fourth and seventh places respectively!】
The second one said:
【Welcome, Crown Prince, to our sect! We look forward to your guidance on the security work of Qingyuan Sect.】
This made Little Li feel a bit like he’d briefly time-traveled back to high school… déjà vu at its finest.
Li Mo scanned the horizon. His eyesight was exceptional.
In the distance, Ziyang Mansion looked like it was draped in silver, and he could faintly see a bustling hot pot shop on the official road about ten miles away—it seemed to be thriving.
Chulong and the others must have had quite the lively time as well…
The Nimbus Cloud landed at the front gate, and Elder Xue headed towards the Main Peak Great Hall.
“You finally made it!” Shang Wu stretched lazily. “I’m not alone anymore! Little Ice Girl, shall we hit the hot springs?”
“Hot springs…”
Ying Bing lowered her eyes, and before she could even agree, something suddenly hit her.
Shang Wu, the fighting champion of Qingyuan Sect, staying at Qiushui Pavilion all this time…
See Qunyu Peak for more details…
“Li Mo, where are you off to?”
“I’m heading to that ‘Xiyangyang Hot Pot’ shop to visit Chulong and see how big her glasses are.”
Ying Bing actually wanted to glance at Chulong too.
But recalling the uncertainties involved in Qiushui Pavilion, she wanted to hustle over and take a look quickly.
“Go ahead, dinner tonight?”
“I’ll come back for it.”
“Okay.”
Li Mo waved goodbye, then hopped back on the Nimbus Cloud.
…….
Meanwhile,
At Xiyangyang Hot Pot, which was quite close to Lankao Mountain, the place was bustling; its spicy goodness was renowned all around, and they had even catered to the taste buds of passing wanderers.
On New Year’s Day, their business was booming like never before.
“Hey, has the strange phenomenon at the bottom of Lankao Mountain settled? Is that world-shocking divine sword about to appear?”
“A divine sword? More like some Buddha’s relic.”
“What’s with the nonsense? So many potential dragon prodigies, the top of the ranking, and the strong on the ground are all flocking to it—what’s it to us?”
A bearded wanderer shifted the topic.
What does the martial world love to talk about the most?
Nothing more than divine skills, divine weapons, chivalrous heroes… and hot ladies.
On the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths’ Wind and Cloud Ranking, the Hundred Flowers List was the most sought after because it was also the priciest…
“Wow, the top three on the Hundred Flowers List have changed! The first is still the queen of the world, the second is still the star of Penglai, and the third one is actually her!”
“Cold Fairy just turned twenty-eight, hasn’t even fully blossomed, can she compare?”
“Those black-hearted folks from Yantian Sect, just post a picture already!”
“Hey, if the little girl from the hot pot shop could just rip off the banner and if she isn’t half bad looking, she might just hit the list!”
“Why don’t you go try?”
Some adventurous wanderers encouraged their bearded friend seated at the table.
“Little Jiang girl, bring over two more bottles of alcohol!”
The big guy, a rough fellow, downed two cups and completely forgot about Aunt Mei, who was sitting behind the counter, casting a rather unsightly gaze at him.
But suddenly, Aunt Mei’s eyes widened.
Jiang Chulong was carrying two bottles of wine as she walked over to the big guy’s table; she didn’t even put them down before her body froze in place.
“What?”
The big guy was taken aback, turning around to see someone at the door.
Wearing a golden crown and a moon-white long robe, he had a striking backdrop of sword-like brows and star-like eyes. His beard was dark but had a dignified air to it, emanating authority from his high status.
Most striking were his deep-set eyes.
Double pupils.
In a daze, you might even think that the person standing there was a dragon with a divine sword in its mouth.
Next to him stood two sword-bearing women, one clad in green and the other in pink robes.
Seeing the young master squint his eyes.
The pink-dressed sword maid grasped her long sword tightly, a glint of a sharp light sparking in her eyes.
“Ah… ah, my head… my head….”
In a daze, the big guy suddenly imagined his head flying off, feeling like he was choking as he clutched his neck and slumped to the ground.
His companions, realizing this guy was trouble, hurriedly carried him out.
This murderous intent was not just aimed at the big guy; the hot pot shop folks made a clean getaway.
“Who taught you martial arts?”
The young master’s double pupils gazed coldly at Jiang Chulong.
“Your Highness…”
Mei Yun quickly stood up, utterly terrified.
Jiang Chulong’s face went pale, but she stubbornly tugged at Aunt Mei’s sleeve, lowering her head:
“Aunt Mei, we… we don’t… we don’t know him.”
“The little shop… the little shop is… is closing soon.”
She started cleaning the tables, bending down to pick up the coins left behind by customers before they ran off.
The pink-clad woman snapped, “Your Highness is talking to you; come here and kneel!”
With that glance at Jiang Yu.
After receiving approval,
She reached out, grabbed a dry twig from outside, and without using any true essence, swung it toward Jiang Chulong, emitting sword intent like a solitary peak in the clouds.
“Your Highness!”
Aunt Mei took a step toward her, but the moment she was met with those double pupils, she instinctively pulled back.
Smack—
The sword sheath struck Jiang Chulong’s back. She didn’t dodge nor resist and stumbled back, her festive red robe soaking through with deeper stains of red.
Jiang Yu’s double pupils were calm, as if he were discussing something trivial:
“Keep hitting her until she fights back.”
“Let’s see just how much of that countryside skill you’ve picked up.”
