Chapter 230: Chapter 219 Remember, I don’t like eating chopped green onions
Moments later.
In the boundless night.
A man in a long white robe, wearing a tall hat and holding a white duster, with an emaciated face and high cheekbones, stepped out of the night and stood outside the Li Mansion.
"Lord Sikong, you’ve finally arrived!"
Seeing this, Li Erbao, who was responsible for waiting outside, instantly showed a pleased expression and quickly stepped forward to greet him.
"Sir, my mother is on the verge of dying, please check on her quickly!"
The man in a white tall hat and a clean-shaven face smiled and said:
"Don’t worry, no need to rush, as long as Madam Li still has a breath, I can assure her safety."
With Li Erbao’s urgent gaze watching, the man walked leisurely towards the backyard mansion.
"Dad! Lord Sikong is here!"
Li Erbao hurriedly shouted outside the door.
Squeak.
The door opened automatically.
Li Changsheng gently placed his hand down, got up, and looked at the clean-shaven man in the tall hat, suppressing his anger as he said:
"Where is the medicine?"
The tall hat man took out a dragon-eye-sized black pill from his sleeve and smiled:
"Fellow Taoist Li, rest assured. Our Sikong race promised to give you the item and will not break their word."
"Then give it to me."
Li Changsheng extended his hand with a blank expression.
"Hey~~, Fellow Taoist Li, don’t be impatient."
The tall hat man shook his head with a smile and said: "This pill was personally sought out by our Patriarch with precious items and secret skills, crafted by the Peak Ancestor at home. One pill can increase a mortal’s lifespan by one year, extremely precious."
"What do you mean?" Li Changsheng’s eyes gradually narrowed.
"My meaning is simple."
The tall hat man swung the duster in his hand with a smile: "Fellow Taoist Li is no fool, you should understand that there are no gifts without reason in this world, right?"
"Everything in this world is just a matter of trade."
"If you want this Life-extending Pill, naturally you must give something in return."
Hearing this, Li Changsheng’s face gradually turned cold.
However, when he glanced at Lvu Zhinu, whose face was sallow and pupils were beginning to scatter on the bed, he slowly clenched his fist and said:
"What is it that you want?"
"A person’s life!"
The tall hat man’s smiling face suddenly gleamed with a cold light.
"Chen Zhixing, Third Young Master of the Ziwei Chen Family, is currently in Huai State!"
"I want you to personally kill him!"
"Chen Zhixing of the Ziwei Chen Family?" Li Changsheng frowned.
Beside him, Li Sanbao’s face instantly changed: "Dad, Chen Zhixing is not only the direct descendant of the Ziwei Chen Family, a Longevity Family from Yanzhou, and the future Patriarch Ziwei! He is also the Celestial Wave Sacred Lands’ enshrined Divine Son, ranking first on the Longevity Celestial Pride Rankings!"
"Days ago, he fought against the Thunder Sect Leader of the Five Elements Thunder Sect with his True Self Sixth Layer cultivation and remained undefeated!"
Upon Li Sanbao’s swift words.
Li Changsheng couldn’t help but furrow his brows tightly.
He wasn’t one who sought out fights nor was he a bloodthirsty person indifferent to life.
Quite the opposite.
His nature was calm, steady, and cautious, with his life’s greatest pursuit being to live stably with Zhinu and his family, seeking Longevity.
When encountering disputes outside, he would never intervene, merely frowning and retreating behind the crowd.
It’s precisely because of this that he was able to hide his cultivation and survive in Huai State for decades.
If not for that accident, he might not have exposed his strength.
Yet.
The Sikong family was using the Life-extending Pill as a threat, forcing him to kill an unrelated person.
This was not his wish.
"No room for negotiation?" Li Changsheng asked.
"None!"
The tall hat man shook his head.
"This..."
Li Changsheng glanced at Lvu Zhinu on the bed, his eyes suddenly flashing with resolve.
"Fine, I agree to your terms!"
The man in the tall hat heard this and gently curled his lips into a smile.
"Fellow Taoist Li is indeed a wise man."
"Exchanging the life of a stranger for the life of one’s kin is the most profitable trade in the world."
Saying this, the man threw the dragon-eye-sized black pill to Li Changsheng.
Li Changsheng grabbed it, carefully placing the black pill into Lvu Zhinu’s mouth.
After doing all this.
Li Changsheng stared intently at Lvu Zhinu, not daring to blink.
Almost instantly.
Lvu Zhinu’s originally sallow complexion quickly turned pale, and then a sickly flush emerged on the sides of her cheeks.
Her previously scattered pupils started to focus as well.
A surge of vitality emanated from Lvu Zhinu’s body.
"Zhinu!"
In a split second.
Li Changsheng’s eyes filled with intense joy.
He was about to turn and look at the tall hat man from the Sikong family.
The man had already drifted away, disappearing into the vast night sky, leaving only a faintly amused remark behind.
"Fellow Taoist Li, don’t think that just because your wife has taken the pill, everything will be fine."
"Remember, this pill only adds one year to her life. If you can’t kill Chen Zhixing, I suppose you wouldn’t want to experience the grief of separation a year from now, would you?"
Upon hearing this, Li Changsheng said nothing, but slowly clenched his fists.
...
...
Meanwhile.
The trio of Chen Zhixing stopped in a place called Xiongxi City.
Though Xiongxi City wasn’t a large city, it was a crucial transportation hub in Huai State.
Countless travelers and cultivation masters would pause here.
Wearing bamboo hats, the trio of Chen Zhixing stepped into a tavern in the city.
Since using the teleportation talisman to leave the Five Elements Thunder Sect and appearing in that wilderness,
The trio had yet to learn of the outside situation.
Thus, they intended to gather some insights on the current external situation.
Perhaps it wasn’t yet mealtime, the entire tavern seemed rather empty.
Only a few tables were occupied by people eating noodles and chatting loudly.
As Chen Zhixing and his two companions took their seats and casually listened, they pieced together that the tables nearby were discussing matters concerning him.
The general content was nothing but the battle at the Five Elements Thunder Sect and the Sikong family’s issue of a top-level wanted order.
However, the discussion at one table was rather different from the others.
"I tell you! It’s well done that Third Young Master Ziwei Chen Zhixing killed them! The Sikong family has run rampant in Huai State for too long, and nobody dares to provoke them. Finally, a dragon from across the rivers has come to show them some color!"
"Indeed, the Sikong family is usually arrogant and tyrannical! Finally, there’s a Chen Zhixing, it’s truly satisfying!"
"Hehe, one against seven, killing seven celestial prides with a snap! Then, in the True Self form, he fought against the Nirvana great power and retreated gracefully! What an unparalleled elegance! It’s truly thrilling and makes one wish to take his place!"
As the cultivators at that table discussed,
The tavern shopkeeper, sitting afar with a mustache and a portly belly, paused his abacus, walked over with a cold snort:
"You Huai State folks, not speaking for our Sikong family? Betraying us, and siding with Chen Zhixing instead?"
"Without the Sikong family, where would you be? Traitors!"
One of the cultivators at that table immediately stood up and said:
"Shopkeeper, that’s not the right way to put it. Just because we’re from Huai State doesn’t mean we should ignore the facts, does it?"
"Ignore the facts?"
The tavern shopkeeper squinted his tiny eyes and sneered: "Are you saying Chen Zhixing’s murderous rampage in the Five Elements Thunder Sect was right?"
The standing cultivator wanted to speak, but his companion quickly tugged on his sleeve.
The cultivator seemed to recall something and, feeling aggrieved, sat back down, drinking silently.
"Oh?"
Chen Zhixing, quite interested, raised an eyebrow, thinking if an ordinary guest met such an aggressive tavern shopkeeper, they would probably have flipped the table by now, wouldn’t they?
This attitude is rather strange.
Shanyang, seeming to understand Chen Zhixing’s puzzlement, whispered:
"Third Young Master, you should know, the Sikong family’s influence has extended into all industries of Huai State, from mundane commerce to major sects, with the backing of the Sikong family in most places."
"This tavern is likely affiliated with some Sikong family member’s mundane commerce, so naturally, it won’t allow negative comments about the Sikong family."
"Who would dare to confront those associated with the Sikong family?"
After a pause,
Shanyang changed his tone and said:
"Moreover, the environment in Huai State is unlike other states."
"Under the Sikong family’s façade of peace, people in this state are deeply brainwashed by the Sikong family, having a blind reverence for them, seeing serving the Sikong family as an honor, even treating the Sikong family as heaven, believing it’s the strongest power in the world!"
"Those with an objective perspective, such as those at that table, are a rare minority."
"Oh?" Chen Zhixing appeared somewhat surprised, could one family really have such extensive influence?
"Young master, don’t underestimate the Sikong family."
Shanyang shook his head and said:
"The reason for the Sikong family’s vastness lies in its various methods."
"For instance, children born in Huai State must study the Sikong family history from a young age, watch cultivation method books issued by the Sikong family, and so forth."
"Thus, through generations of repetition, everyone in Huai State has the Sikong family ingrained in their minds, making everyone an unyielding pillar for the Sikong family’s growth."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhixing couldn’t help but sincerely marvel: "What incredible tactics they have!"
As the two continued their conversation,
The innkeeper, grumbling, approached Chen Zhixing and casually asked:
"What would you like to eat, fellows?"
An idea came to Chen Zhixing, who asked: "Shopkeeper, what do you think of Chen Zhixing?"
"Chen Zhixing?"
The innkeeper’s face instantly flushed with anger as he replied:
"In my view, Chen Zhixing is worse than a beast!"
"Not only did he trespass into the Five Elements Thunder Sect’s forbidden ground, seizing their centuries-old foundation, but also had the audacity to massacre within the sect!"
"How can such a person be called a celestial pride? Hmph, once the Sikong family takes action, a divine weapon will surely strike him down with ease!"
"Just wait and see, it won’t be long before that villain Chen Zhixing perishes at the hands of the Sikong family!"
Chen Zhixing chuckled, his narrow eyes slightly squinting.
"Well said, I think you make a fair point."
"Hehe, naturally!"
The innkeeper grinned with pride, then tapped his forehead and said, "What would you fellows like to eat? Our beef noodles are quite famous."
"Then a bowl of beef noodles it is."
Chen Zhixing lifted the teacup, his eyes lowered as he sipped and said softly:
"Remember, no scallions in the beef noodles."
"I don’t like scallions."