Li Qi, suppressed beneath the Evil Suppressing Tower, was attempting to break free.
Although every flaw of this thing was clear to him, it appeared as a sturdy block tower, seemingly capable of withstanding significant impact. However, removing a few key pillars would cause it to collapse on its own.
This was the reason for not revealing one's origins. Li Qi had the Chenji Golden Elixir Method in his mind, which gave him a thorough understanding of the techniques of Mount Luofu.
Even so, this was essentially forcing the other side to continue their actions.
After all, being suppressed meant no danger, and attempting to break free was considered impolite.
However, he was not concerned because he had already handed over the letter of appointment. Although there was no dowry, he could make up for it later.
Li Qi was a smart person.
This was personally certified by many of the great shamans of Wu Deity Mountain.
When he forcefully broke into the half-dead Mount Luofu, he had already figured out the entire situation, though it was just a guess at the time.
However, when he broke through countless attacks and reached Shen Shuibei's cave, everything became clear.
He rarely used the True Knowledge Resonance to observe Shen Shuibei, as it would make people very uncomfortable.
Li Qi was the type of person who, even with X-ray vision, would not use it unless necessary.
But this time, the situation was urgent, and he focused all his attention on using the True Knowledge Resonance to observe her, combining his observations with his guesses.
This allowed him to fully understand the entire situation and the source of his premonition.
Shen Shuibei's True Spirit was aging.
Just like his own.
Although it might sound exaggerated, her True Spirit had only aged by about two years, which would be equivalent to about ten human years.
However, she should not be aging at all, as lifespan was naturally infinite for her.
Generally, the more solid the vessel, the less impact the passenger experiences, meaning the slower the aging process.
This is the principle behind extending life from the 8th to the 9th rank, where the vessel is reinforced to slow down the aging of the True Spirit. One year of life would only age half a year, effectively doubling the lifespan.
But Shen Shuibei's situation was the opposite.
Her vessel was already half-sunk, and after two years, she had aged ten years!
If this trend continued, she would... die of old age in a hundred years?
Unacceptable!
Was Li Qi here for this?
Even if it meant a falling out with Mount Luofu, he had to bring Shen Shuibei back.
However, what Li Qi did not expect was that he had only broken through halfway when the Evil Suppressing Tower was directly attacked from the outside!
Flames descended from the sky, like meteors, smashing the tower and landing beside Li Qi.
Before Li Qi could speak, he was kicked in the abdomen.
With a loud boom, he was kicked flying, like a cannonball, smashing through several rocks before stopping.
But Yang Ning did not stop.
Her originally black hair ignited with flames, turning into a brilliant golden-red, and she quickly rushed to Li Qi's side.
Li Qi, who had been kicked flying, saw stars and could not speak, only able to make choking sounds, clutching his stomach and curling up in pain.
This kick was far more severe than the damage from the Evil Suppressing Tower!
However, Yang Ning was not about to let him rest.
Indeed, he was a genius, an 8th-rank cultivator who had broken through the blockade of several 7th-rank cultivators, even though they were old and weak. He had managed to hold out for a quarter of an hour and advance twenty miles, which was an extraordinary feat.
But it was useless.
Yang Ning's injuries had not fully healed, but she had already recovered to the 5th rank with the help of Wu Deity Mountain.
Killing Li Qi would be a matter of a single finger snap.
But this power came from the 'blessing' of Wu Deity Mountain.
Without Wu Deity Mountain's 'blessing' of a great sun and a cave, she would be no better than Shen Shuibei and unable to defeat this young master.
This was why Shen Shuibei refused to accept the 'blessing' of Wu Deity Mountain.
Thus, the situation had escalated to this point.
Yang Ning was very angry.
She was angry at Li Qi for coming, and at herself.
She hated herself for being so useless, unable to solve these problems, and for Shen Shuibei facing the possibility of dying of old age.
Shen Shuibei said they had a hundred years to find a solution.
But a mere hundred years was not much.
However, she was also angry at what this young master of Wu Deity Mountain was doing.
This complex emotion quickly turned into anger in Yang Ning's heart.
But what good was anger?
She did not dare to kill Li Qi.
She wanted to burn him to ashes, but she knew he had already taken control of the situation.
As long as he had the identity of a young master of Wu Deity Mountain, she could not kill him.
Yang Ning deeply understood a saying.
"All anger comes from one's own powerlessness."
Hate, but unable to act.
Because she was now dependent on others, even if he had insulted her and her companions, she could not do anything. She would even have to apologize to him after this kick.
How...
Humiliating.
She really wanted to kill him...
Her fingers trembled, but she finally stopped and lifted him by the throat.
Yang Ning gritted her teeth and said, word by word, "Young Master of Wu Deity Mountain... what brings you here?"
"Cough... cough... cough!" Li Qi coughed and gagged.
His stomach was churning, and he had been hit hard.
However, Li Qi had been mentally prepared. Coming here was like disturbing a startled bird, and being kicked was already considered light.
He had prepared for serious injuries, but it seemed Yang Ning had held back.
After all, the situation was stronger than the individual.
Yang Ning was very capable, but what good was that?
In the world, one needed power.
With Wu Deity Mountain behind him, even if it was his fault, it was not Yang Ning's place to hit him.
Any punishment would have to be left to Wu Deity Mountain.
Mount Luofu had no right to touch him.
This was why Li Qi dared to come and risk his life.
He was willing to risk his life, but were they willing to take it?
No, they were not.
Li Qi valued his life and had planned everything before acting.
"Cough... cough, Miss Yang, do you remember me? In the past, in the Baiyue Kingdom of Lushan, I was the one who called for the Grand Diviner," Li Qi wiped his face and managed to say.
He did not call her senior, as she was Shen Shuibei's sister.
"Yes, I remember you. I didn't expect you to have this intention back then. I even risked my life to protect you. I regret it now," Yang Ning's face was cold as she lifted Li Qi by the throat and flew up.
Her golden-red hair became brighter and gradually turned white.
Li Qi's airway was blocked, and although breathing was not necessary for him, he could not speak. He had to use his abdominal muscles to vibrate his skin and produce sound.
Fortunately, he succeeded.
"Yang Ning! I have a way to save Miss Shen!" he struggled to shout.
Yang Ning frowned.
Then, she threw Li Qi down.
Li Qi immediately controlled the cloud qi to suspend himself in mid-air and landed safely.
Yang Ning waved her hand, and numerous restrictions appeared around them.
Flames condensed into stars, purple light shone, and red light illuminated the south.
Three gates appeared, each with three sharp points, each point extending 300 feet, guarding the gates and emitting red light.
Li Qi was trapped, and all his perceptions of the outside world were blocked!
Then, Yang Ning landed in front of him, looking down from above.
Actually... she was not much taller.
She was much shorter than Li Qi, only reaching his chest, but her aura made her seem superior.
Even though she was the one looking up, it seemed as if Li Qi was the one looking down.
"You just said you can save Shen Shuibei. What do you know?" Yang Ning asked, her eyes narrowing, but the light from her hair showed her agitation.
Too easy to recognize. Her hair was initially black, then turned golden-red, and now it was bright white.
"I know the difficult situation Mount Luofu is in, and I can see Shen Shuibei's condition," Li Qi immediately said. "It's not difficult to heal her, but Mount Luofu cannot do it now."
"The root of the problem is that you don't want to owe too much karma, so she stubbornly refuses to be treated."
It was a simple principle: it's not that it can't be cured, but that they can't afford it.
In the end, it was one problem.
Mount Luofu had lost its foundation and could not repay these debts.
It was a poverty disease.
"I will ask someone to treat her," Li Qi immediately said.
Yang Ning's eyes showed disappointment.
Her hair turned back to ordinary black, and she shook her head. "I thought you had some profound insight, but it's just the words of a child. Stay here. I can't kill you, but your Sect will punish you for what you did today. Wait here until someone from Wu Deity Mountain comes to take you."
To her, Li Qi was merely spouting nonsense.
He himself was a young master of Wu Deity Mountain, and his teacher was a great shaman of Wu Deity Mountain. Ultimately, whatever they provided would inevitably involve Wu Deity Mountain in karmic debts.
This was Mount Luofu's greatest concern at present.
Wu Deity Mountain could gradually pressure them by creating incidents, forcing Mount Luofu into repeated dilemmas where they would have no choice but to seek help.
Eventually, the accumulated karma would become too heavy to repay.
Then, they might be forced to sell the Dao opportunity of the Sun and Moon True Lead Cauldron.
Who knew if Wu Deity Mountain would do such a thing?
Who knew if Shen Shuibei's condition wasn't caused by Wu Deity Mountain's intentions?
Even if Li Qi proposed a perfect solution here,
Mount Luofu's people wouldn't dare believe him.
Every time they reached out to Wu Deity Mountain for assistance, it meant accumulating more karma that needed repayment.
Continuously receiving favors until one couldn't repay them, leaving Mount Luofu with nothing but the Dao opportunity.
Only that could settle the debt.
Moreover, the Grand Diviner's plans were intricate and far-reaching; who wouldn't fear them?
Could anyone discern whether the current events were accidents or deliberate manipulations by Wu Deity Mountain to force Mount Luofu to seek further loans?
If there truly was manipulation by the Grand Diviner behind the scenes, then Mount Luofu was walking right into a trap.
However, didn't Li Qi understand these issues?
Of course, he did, and he had already thought of a solution that could win Mount Luofu's trust.
Li Qi bowed respectfully and said calmly, "The cost for healing her Spiritual Essence is not on me or my teacher, but on the Ministry of Rites of the Tang Kingdom. Considering the connection between Mount Luofu and the Tang Kingdom, there should be no need for repayment, right?"
Yang Ning turned sharply and stared at Li Qi!
Honglu(鴻臚), originally meant to loudly announce and guide ceremonial etiquette.
The Honglu Temple, an institution in the Tang Dynasty responsible for the ceremonies involving foreign guests, was one of the Nine Temples.
It was headed by one Honglu Temple Minister, of the third rank.
There were two Deputy Ministers, of the fourth rank.
"How did you get in touch with someone from the Honglu Temple, how did you establish the connection, and how did you get them to approve this expense!" Yang Ning walked back and asked loudly.
However, his tone was not heavy, not an interrogation, but rather an exclamation that slipped out in astonishment.
"How did I connect? I am about to study abroad in the Tang Kingdom as a hostage and serve as a Taixue student. How else would I connect? I consulted beforehand, and this is the official document from the Tang Kingdom."
"I specifically asked if I could bring my wife along, and the Deputy Minister of the Honglu Temple replied that it was permissible."
"I also asked if, in case my wife and I fall ill, we could request medical treatment from the Tang Kingdom, and the Deputy Minister of the Honglu Temple replied that it was permissible."
"All of this is documented in official correspondence!"
Li Qi produced the official documents from the Honglu Temple and threw them down with a resounding thud!
This was the solution he had painstakingly devised.
Indeed, the rift between Mount Luofu and Wu Deity Mountain couldn't be reconciled; only time could mend their differences.
So why not introduce a third party?
The wisdom of the young master Zhu lay precisely here.
Everyone thought Mount Luofu and the Tang Kingdom were mortal enemies, and Wu Deity Mountain and the Tang Kingdom were incompatible. Thus, borrowing strength from the Tang Kingdom seemed impossible.
Absurd! Borrowing strength wasn't so inconvenient!
The Tang Kingdom prided itself as a superior kingdom, and treating a 5th rank cultivator's injuries was trivial for them. What harm would it do?
Li Qi was a hostage of Wu Deity Mountain.
Producing the exchange document, Li Qi said, "Everything else has been settled; all that remains is Miss Shen's agreement."
Yang Ning responded bluntly, "Isn't this coercion? If she doesn't agree, will you resort to force?"
Upon hearing this question, Li Qi laughed.
These people hadn't understood why he dared to risk his life to rush in.
Why?
Because Li Qi knew Shen Shuibei very well.
He knew that rabbits lacked decisiveness, even Yang Ning was the same. These sisters shared identical indecisiveness.
Without Lady Luo Fu managing things, both of them were lost and unable to lead a mountain even reaching the 5th rank.
They were still afraid and couldn't make decisions.
For instance, between Wu Deity Mountain and Mount Luofu, the timid rabbit couldn't make decisions and could only silently suffer.
Very foolish, yet endearing.
Now, Shen Shuibei had arrived.
Would she refuse?
Apologies, but after serving as Shen Shuibei's external brain for over two years, Li Qi was certain.
She absolutely wouldn't.
At this moment, Shen Shuibei finally arrived.
———
Meanwhile, in the outer heavens of Wu Deity Mountain.
In the void, three Great Ancestors sat together with Zhu Fengdan around a small square table laden with cups of tea.
The surrounding air seemed to have its rules altered.
Authentic Penglai Immortal Tea was served, emitting white smoke and fragrant aroma.
One of the Great Ancestors sipped the tea, squinted, and said, "Zhu Fengdan, helping you conceal this matter from the Zhizhu, you owe us a favor."
"Owe, owe, owe! Damn, it sounds like such a big deal."