Human Nature Is Such Fun

As the five took their seats one after another, Yu Hua still did not sit, merely standing quietly behind Li Guanqi. Like a shadow trailing him, she remained utterly silent. Li Guanqi scratched his head and said softly, "Yu Hua, sit down." Yu Hua then revealed her true countenance and took a seat beside him. Li Guanqi looked up at Nangong Qianyan and Tu Zhongqiu, coming straight to the point. "I imagine you two seniors are already aware of Guanyun Pavilion's current situation. "I asked you both here today in the hope that you would help out by remaining in the pavilion for a while." Tu Zhongqiu and Nangong Qianyan exchanged a glance. Tu Zhongqiu turned to glance at Yu Hua, saying softly, "That won't be an issue, though the cultivation of us two old folks falls short even of this lady's..." Li Guanqi smiled. "Yu Hua has other matters to attend to, but what I need you two seniors to do is just as vital. "Since you both agree, that is well. I will have Elder Xi discuss the specifics with you two seniors." Xi Yunhuai nodded with a smile, then led the two elders along with Qianqiusui out of the room. Only Yu Hua and Li Guanqi remained in the study. Li Guanqi leaned back in his chair, eyes closed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Yu Hua murmured, "Adding those two should be enough to counter Tianji Pavilion's interference. "Then what would you have me do next?" Li Guanqi opened his eyes and looked at Yu Hua, forced to admit that this woman was exceptionally sharp. Yu Hua continued softly, "I believe the Pavilion Master's decision today was very wise." Li Guanqi waved his hand, uninterested in entertaining such pointless flattery. Taking up a brush, he began writing upon the blank paper on the desk. Yu Hua's gaze was drawn involuntarily to the characters taking shape under his brush. The more she read, the more alarmed she grew! Line after line detailed various operations aimed directly at Tianji Pavilion. Dense and thorough, yet interlocking seamlessly. At that moment, Yu Hua was utterly awed by Li Guanqi's intellect and depth of scheming! If Guanyun Pavilion could execute the plans Li Guanqi had laid out, Tianji Pavilion might well end up swallowed by him piece by piece! Yet she soon noticed that among all these plans, there was one pivotal link Li Guanqi had left unwritten. Pointing at the blank space, Yu Hua furrowed her brows and asked, "Here... is there a person missing?" Li Guanqi set down his brush, exhaled a long breath, and murmured, "Yes. One person is missing. "However, that is not something you need to concern yourself with. Your job is to execute the rest according to my plan. "Three days. I give you three days to take full charge of everyone in the intelligence division." These three days were the buffer Li Guanqi had reserved for both sides. After everyone had departed... Li Guanqi sealed all the doors and windows. Unhooking his wine gourd, he tilted his head back and gulped down mouthful after mouthful of strong liquor. The man who appeared so formidable and composed to the outside world now slumped onto the floor behind closed doors and sealed windows, the scenes of his encounter with Ye Feng flashing through his mind. A profound sense of powerlessness washed over his entire body... The severed arm... the ghost hand... the icy gaze standing in opposition to him. No matter how he had cried out, Ye Feng's eyes had remained frigid from start to finish, as though he did not recognize Li Guanqi in the slightest. It was as if... should Lu Tian give the order to kill him, Ye Feng would strike without a shred of hesitation. And then there was Song Zhi'ang. Li Guanqi's eyes turned arctic cold, killing intent practically overflowing! "Had I known it would come to this, I should never have merely expelled her from the sect back then—I should have wiped her out on the spot!!" Li Guanqi's body trembled faintly as he glared fixedly at the bare floor before him. Even now, the cold contempt in Lu Tian's eyes left him deeply unsettled. Yet the sheer strength of the man could not be underestimated; even unleashing his full might, Li Guanqi could not have wounded him. A sword strike delivered with everything he had had been crushed with effortless ease... The chasm in raw strength gave rise to an inexplicable helplessness in his heart. Especially when he thought of what Ye Feng had become, wild, chaotic thoughts flooded Li Guanqi's mind. "Hoo..." Li Guanqi produced an inscribed talisman and pressed it to his brow. The talisman ignited, sending cool streams of soothing energy flowing through his entire body. His restless aura and agitated mind finally settled. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, meticulously re-examining Ye Feng's conduct from beginning to end. Putting himself in the other's place, had their positions been reversed, he would also obey whatever Lu Tian commanded. Furthermore, Ye Feng would never risk leaking the slightest information to him under those circumstances. His sleeve fluttering, Li Guanqi recalled Ye Feng's arm—it didn't seem to have turned entirely pitch-black! Retrieving Ye Feng's life-bound jade slip, he saw that the demonic qi upon it remained at only thirty percent, virtually identical to how it had looked over two years ago. Li Guanqi's expression shifted drastically. Rising to his feet, he poured forth his divine sense in an overwhelming surge! Thud! Li Guanqi collapsed into his chair as the jade slip in his palm abruptly shattered into pieces! Not a single wisp of aura emanated from the remnants. With dull, hollow eyes, Li Guanqi muttered, "The jade slip... failed long ago..." Indeed, Ye Feng's life-bound jade slip had been neutralized by Lu Tian's secret technique long before. And it had happened during the two-plus years Li Guanqi spent in seclusion! A tumult of emotions churned within Li Guanqi—he had failed to notice any alteration in Ye Feng's life-bound jade slip whatsoever! He had checked it the very moment he awoke, yet sensed nothing amiss... Even now, he had only deduced that the jade slip had been compromised after observing the changes in Ye Feng himself. And the reason it shattered just now was because Lu Tian had detected Li Guanqi's probe. Swirling his cup upon his throne, Lu Tian let an intensely exhilarated smile curl on his lips. "Heheh, you've finally noticed, have you...? "Entertaining. Truly too entertaining! Hahahahaha! "Human nature... is such fun!! "I really want to see the look on Li Guanqi's face when the day comes... I can hardly wait!!" Li Guanqi slumped in his chair, his eyes glazed and vacant... "I should have realized sooner... "Ye Feng's soul... must be at least forty percent corroded by now, maybe even more!!" The wine gourd in Li Guanqi's grip creaked under the strain! Gradually, his gaze hardened with resolve! Staring at the gourd in his hand, Li Guanqi muttered softly, "Old Second Ye, wait for me!! "Once I settle the matters here, I will cultivate harder than ever to break through to the Mahayana realm as soon as possible! "Lu Tian... this time, I will never give you another chance to turn the tables!! "Never again! Never!!!" With those words, Li Guanqi closed his eyes and entered cultivation, while in his mind, he attempted to sense Pengluo through their contractual bond. So long as he could find Pengluo, he would be able to locate whoever took the sword coffin! He could bide his time to search, but having so formidable an adversary lurking in the shadows left him uneasy day and night. At the very least, he had to know who the enemy was! After this ordeal, Li Guanqi understood the paramount importance of raw power more acutely than ever. Even so, he had picked up on a few faint clues...