Thinking about it this way, the possibility is quite high.
Because, as Senior Yun Fang's plan was easy to understand—they wanted Lady Luo Fu to owe Wu Deity Mountain so much that she couldn't repay it, no matter how hard she tried.
Whether in terms of resources or personal favors, it would be the same.
This way, the remnants of Luo Fu Mountain would have no choice but to align with Wu Deity Mountain. They could choose to be ungrateful, but that would come with its own karmic consequences.
Being indebted to someone entangles one in an unpayable debt, binding them tightly to Wu Deity Mountain thereafter.
The Sun and Moon True Lead Cauldron, including the First Rank Dao Opportunity within, would naturally have to remain behind.
However, only Lady Luo Fu had the authority to make such a choice.
Shen Shuibei dared not and could not take sides prematurely.
Thus, she needed to distance herself from him to avoid becoming leverage forcing Lady Luo Fu to side with Wu Deity Mountain.
"So, that's how it is... No wonder." Li Qi sighed.
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
It was almost certain; he couldn't think of any other reason for Shen Shuibei's sudden aloofness.
How could this be resolved?
After much consideration, Li Qi concluded there was no solution.
His connection to Wu Deity Mountain was too deep. As long as this mark wasn't removed, any association with him would lead to this outcome.
No amount of words could deny this fact.
"Ah..." Li Qi rubbed his temples and turned to look out the window.
He'd need to think more; there must be a way.
But before he could ponder further, the carriage stopped.
Without realizing it, they had arrived at the banquet venue.
"Alright, disciple, get off!" Zhu Fengdan seemed very cheerful, hopping off the carriage and waving to put it away. The two iron-eating beasts wagged their heads happily, following him closely.
They seemed excited about the banquet, wagging their tails and drooling.
With the carriage gone, Li Qi naturally got off as well.
Then, he found himself at the entrance of a palace.
This place appeared to be a separate world, completely isolated from the outside, devoid of any trace of Wu Deity Mountain's aura.
At the palace entrance, there were two rows of welcoming attendants lining the path.
There were tea and wine servers, quick-moving servants, ceremonial officials presenting gifts to guests from all directions.
Around them were performances, artisans displaying various crafts, overwhelming the senses.
Apart from Li Qi and Zhu Fengdan, hundreds of guests arrived with grand processions, splendid canopies, and accompanying musicians. Lanterns shone brightly like stars in the sky.
Golden pavilions by the clear river, jade chariots arriving from the mystic gate.
Green trees and blue mountains towering above the clouds, red buildings and painted pavilions opening on the water.
Countless formations, each drumming up excitement, thousands of riders from different races moving like waves, slowly entering through the main gate.
The myriad sights and sounds were too numerous to count or describe.
Yet these opulent scenes didn't belong to Li Qi.
Others arrived with grand processions, while his teacher came in a small carriage pulled by two unimpressive iron-eating beasts.
Upon arrival, even the carriage was abandoned, walking in with Li Qi, followed by the two waddling beasts, making them stand out.
But this had its advantages—they moved quickly.
While others were still queuing, Zhu Fengdan had already led Li Qi inside.
On the way, Li Qi curiously patted one of the iron-eating beasts on the head.
It seemed delighted, rubbing against Li Qi and squeaking.
...So that's what they sound like; he hadn't heard it before.
Following his teacher, due to their modest procession and lack of imposing presence, few people noticed them.
Most guests were accompanied by attendants and exotic mounts like mountain-carrying tortoises and phoenixes carrying pavilions, whereas they were too ordinary.
Zhu Fengdan seemed content with this arrangement, avoiding drawing attention.
Leading Li Qi through the main gate into the palace like a guest's attendant, they were less conspicuous than the actual attendants.
Stopping inside, Zhu Fengdan said, "Alright, the banquet hasn't started yet. It'll probably take another seven to eight days. I'll go inside to catch up with old friends. You entertain yourself. I'll call you when it starts."
"Yes," Li Qi bowed to his teacher.
Though waiting seven to eight days was absurd, he needed to adapt to the timescale of immortals.
These seven to eight days would be used to figure out how to handle the situation with Miss Shen.
Zhu Fengdan, after saying this, hesitated and then handed Li Qi a bag. "Here, use this to buy anything you like. Go explore and broaden your horizons."
Without another word, he vanished abruptly in front of Li Qi.
Li Qi held the bag, somewhat bewildered.
Was this... pocket money?
Wait, the two iron-eating beasts were still around!
"Forget it, you two probably can't enter. Stay by my side," Li Qi shook his head, examining the contents of the bag.
Holy cow, so much money!
Inside the mustard seed bag were countless refined beads of qi, perhaps one or two million?
Damn, is this what being a rich second-generation feels like?
Opening the bag, the iron-eating beasts suddenly crowded close.
These cute creatures rubbed against Li Qi, squeaking and drooling, constantly nuzzling his legs.
Li Qi tilted his head.
They mimicked him.
Then, the two beasts rolled on the ground, performing somersaults.
Due to their size, their bodies jiggled during the flips.
Finishing, they sat down, grinning widely at Li Qi.
Li Qi was speechless.
Looking at the one or two million beads, they didn't seem to last long.
Actually, based on quality, about ten thousand beads could buy his innate divine weapon.
In other words, the bag contained one or two hundred Eighth Rank innate divine weapons.
Luckily, these iron-eating beasts were creatures without intelligence, or they wouldn't have enough to eat.
Creatures are a type of cultivator, lacking innate wisdom and unable to follow the demon path, thus unable to open their spiritual awareness. Though they could enhance strength and rank, they lacked wisdom.
Wisdom isn't essential for cultivation; having or lacking it doesn't affect one's Dao.
For example, most worlds' Heavenly Dao lacks self-awareness but remains highly ranked, responding to external stimuli.
Wisdom isn't necessary for cultivation; one can have a Dao with or without it, sometimes purer and faster progressing.
At higher stages, some creatures might fully abandon themselves, merging with a form of Dao, greatly enhancing their rank, becoming part of the objective rules of the universe.
However, these two iron-eating beasts weren't so extreme, remaining in the stage of having recognition but no wisdom.
Li Qi shook his head; thinking about this was pointless. Better follow his teacher's advice, explore the banquet, and gain experience.
Then find a spot to contemplate how to communicate with Shen Shuibei.
Li Qi snapped out of his thoughts, shaking his head. "Alright, stay by my side. Let's explore this place."
The two iron-eating beasts happily followed Li Qi.
Walking through the palace, finding his way wasn't difficult. Apart from the main hall, the rest spanned only forty to fifty miles, easily navigable by sensing qi.
As an Eighth Rank cultivator, covering dozens of miles was trivial.
"There's actually a marketplace here... For fun?" Li Qi wondered. Why would there be a market at a banquet?
Closer inspection revealed the reason.
"For children..." Li Qi remarked.
The marketplace divided into two groups: buyers and sellers.
Sellers were peripheral disciples of Wu Deity Mountain, similar to the old lady from Wang family in Lǐzhou.
They sold clever trinkets, rare oddities, uncommon treasures, and dazzling techniques—mostly superficial items.
Truly useful artifacts were rare; most were toys, though undeniably attractive.
Buyers were mostly second-generation heirs like Li Qi.
These peripheral disciples brought goods to earn money upon hearing about the banquet.
Opportunities indeed.
However, the disparity between worlds was evident here.
Li Qi entered the marketplace.
Before taking two steps, a young man approached. "Young master! Please wait!"
"You are?" Li Qi bowed politely, observing the young man.
He didn't act arrogantly despite the man's lower status, treating everyone equally.
Examining the man's qi, it didn't match the orthodox witchcraft lineage—neither Zhu, Bu, nor Zong branches.
It was 'Qi'?
A Ninth Rank Qi practitioner?
Qi, meaning prayer, those who pray for blessings in times of disaster.
Qi practitioners were a minor branch of the Zhu clan, specializing in communication, adept at long-distance messaging, closely tied to divine paths, originating the earliest forms of prayer.
The Qi practitioner bowed respectfully, then politely addressed Li Qi, "Is this your first time visiting the Hundred States Market?"
"Hundred States Market? Interesting name. Yes, it's my first time," Li Qi replied courteously.
The Qi practitioner exhaled in relief. "Phew, I guessed right. Since you're unfamiliar, let me guide you through the market, introducing its wonders?"
"Well... What's the charge?" Li Qi asked directly.
Guides always charged.
The Qi practitioner was surprised.
Having done this for a while,
this was the first time a young master asked about fees.
Others never questioned prices.
Quickly recovering, he responded, "No charge. Helping you find interesting items is my honor. Call me Zhang Zidu, just Zidu."
Li Qi understood.
Commission-based.
Normal, everyone needs to eat.
Nodding, he said, "Calling you by name is disrespectful. You're older, so I'll call you Brother Zhang. Shall we start exploring? Tell me more about the Hundred States Market."
"Sure, young master, let's walk and talk." Zhang Zidu nodded, leading the way.
As they walked, he explained:
"If you've never heard of the Hundred States Market, it's an organization formed by non-core disciples of Wu Deity Mountain."
"The market's primary function is trading. We bring items we don't need for exchange. Over time, it grew, now present at various Wu Deity Mountain events."
Li Qi asked, "Why exclude core disciples? Wouldn't their wealth benefit the market?"
Zhang Zidu smiled bitterly, shaking his head. "You're missing the bigger picture. This market exists for mutual trade. Core disciples lack 'nothing'."
Great witches provide everything their disciples need on their Dao journey.
Nothing? Li Qi shook his head, puzzled.
He felt different from other young masters.
Besides the qi beads and cultivation techniques, his teacher gave him nothing...
No guardian, no magical treasures.
Oh, and the identity of Wu Deity Mountain's young master, which led to the conflict with Tang Kingdom.
Zhang Zidu smoothly changed the subject: "Enough about that. Let me introduce these items."
Pointing to a stall with peculiar creatures, he said, "Look, these are Pupil Worms. When implanted in the eye, they grant new visual perspectives."
"For instance, human eyes see three colors, mixing red, yellow, and blue. Purple Pupil Worms give four-color vision, allowing you to see red, yellow, blue, and purple."
Zhang Zidu explained.