Who Dares Spy!

Li Sheng'an turned his head and cast a wary glance around. A grave expression surfaced in Li Guanqi's eyes. For Li Sheng'an to be this cautious over the matter, it was clearly no small thing. At the same time, atop a spiritual terrace used for cultivation on Tianzhu Peak, a figure abruptly opened his eyes. He was looking directly toward Yuhu Peak! "Why would that fellow go look for him?" *** Atop Yuhu Peak. The spiritual terrace within Li Guanqi's sea of consciousness surged wildly, and his divine sense poured out like an overwhelming tide. It completely enveloped the entire mountain. Only a powerful cultivator in the late Soul Formation Realm could possibly force a glimpse through this invisible barrier. Li Guanqi said softly, "Rest assured, no one will overhear us." After all, if anyone tried to eavesdrop through this barrier, it would immediately alert him! Only then did Li Sheng'an relax slightly, though his expression remained conflicted. In the end, he gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice. "What I'm about to say might just be my own wild imagination, without any real proof. "Just hear me out." Li Guanqi nodded and said mildly, "Speak freely. I'll judge the truth of it myself." Li Sheng'an then laid out his suspicions. Staring intently at Li Guanqi, he said in a deep voice, "That Cang Lu... I think something is wrong with him!" Hearing this, Li Guanqi's brow furrowed. He had guessed many possibilities, but he had never expected Li Sheng'an to bring up Cang Lu. Though he did not know much about Cang Lu, he also had no idea why Li Sheng'an would have any involvement with him. Seeing his look, Li Sheng'an hurriedly waved his hands. "There's no conflict of interest between him and me. "The reason I say this... sigh, how should I put it..." Li Sheng'an lowered his head and fell into deep thought for a long while. Li Guanqi waited patiently beside him without rushing him. A moment later, having sorted out his thoughts, Li Sheng'an raised his head and said solemnly, "You probably don't know this yet, but my nickname in the sect right now is the Smiling Tiger. "Because I'm good at hiding my emotions, almost nothing causes huge swings in my feelings." Li Guanqi nodded thoughtfully. Li Sheng'an continued, "I have to admit, Cang Lu is very talented, and his strength is formidable! "Yet... I don't know why, but I keep feeling he's hiding something! "I think... he definitely has an ulterior motive!" Having said this, Li Sheng'an felt a little embarrassed himself, his gaze lowering as he murmured, "Of course, this is just my one-sided view and baseless speculation. "There's no evidence whatsoever. It's just a hunch of mine... "Still... I feel... his ambitions are far from small!" At this point, even Li Sheng'an hesitated to go on. If not for Li Guanqi, he would never have revealed his true inner thoughts. It was solely because of his deep trust in Li Guanqi that he voiced these words to him alone. Li Guanqi took a deep breath. Only he would react like this. If it had been anyone else, they would have assumed Li Sheng'an was simply jealous of Cang Lu, the newly admitted inner sect disciple, and was slanderously speaking ill of him. Yet Li Guanqi would not think that way. He understood Li Sheng'an very well. Because of the inferiority complex Li Sheng'an had harbored in the past, he had chosen from the very beginning to cling to powerful figures to avoid being bullied. That history had honed his sensitive nature and his knack for reading people. Being too weak had forced him to rely on others, training his ability to discern subtle shifts in their expressions and demeanor. Since Li Sheng'an had spoken up like this, he must have noticed something unusual about Cang Lu on more than one occasion! Li Guanqi asked point-blank, "Have you noticed something strange more than once?" Li Sheng'an snapped his head up to meet Li Guanqi's gaze, nodding heavily with a somber tone. "His eyes! "That guy's eyes... look just like mine whenever I'm trying to pull something off! "The look of someone trying to conceal themselves... trying not to draw anyone's attention!" As those words landed, Li Guanqi's brow knitted in contemplation. He began recalling each scene from when he first met Cang Lu. Their encounter at the tavern had been purely accidental, as had running into Cang Lu's fiancée and that obnoxious fellow at the inn. Yet at that time, he had not actually met Cang Lu, and those were two separate places. He had first met Cang Lu at Xunfang Tower in Nanze City. It was also then that he had encountered Song Zhi'ang! Back then, Cang Lu had simply been sitting in front of him. Every bit of it had developed naturally, devoid of any deliberate attempt to approach him. The most crucial question was... *What is he hiding?* *And... what is he trying to do in the Great Xia Sword Sect? What does he hope to gain?* Li Guanqi's mind was like a tangled ball of twine, impossible to unravel. With a flash of light in his hand, a blank jade slip of very peculiar material appeared. Immediately after, Li Guanqi's white robes billowed slightly as terrifying power began gathering into the jade slip. A moment later, Li Guanqi handed the specialized jade slip to Li Sheng'an and said via sound transmission in a low voice, "This contains a strike at my full power. If something truly happens, with the full power I've given you, you can kill him!" Li Sheng'an took the jade slip in excitement, nodding heavily. His excitement stemmed not merely from receiving a treasure of immense value, but because Li Guanqi chose to believe him! Had it been anyone else—even Lu Kangnian—they would have thought jealousy had gotten the better of him. After all, ever since joining the sect, Cang Lu had enjoyed tremendous popularity. He was genial, exceptionally gifted, eager to help, and always willing to guide others in cultivation. Yet the more perfect he seemed, the more Li Sheng'an felt something was wrong with him. No human being could possibly be so flawless! Li Guanqi suddenly thought of something and transmitted in a low voice, "What weapon does he use?" Li Sheng'an blinked in surprise and blurted out, "A sword... why do you ask?" Hearing that, Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, because... as far as he knew, Cang Lu was not a sword cultivator at all! Suddenly! Ripples abruptly distorted the previously tranquil space around Yuhu Peak! "Who goes there?!" Li Guanqi surged to his feet as the sword casket behind him sprang open, and the Red Lotus sword shot out into the night sky! *Boom!* Red Lotus burst forth in an instant, and immediately afterward, the void regained its stillness. The Red Lotus sword darted back out from the nothingness, its blade tainted with a trace of blood. Li Guanqi's expression turned exceedingly grim. Just now, someone had actually attempted to breach his barrier and eavesdrop right beneath his nose! Taking a deep breath, he flashed into motion and appeared high in the firmament! As primal energy roared within him, the Sword Prison barrier expanded in an instant, engulfing the Great Xia Sword Sect's territory for thirty li around! Should anyone attempt to flee, the slightest fluctuation in space would be seized upon immediately! *Rumble!* In an instant, the heavens and earth churned with tempestuous fury as terrifying thunderous power raged in all directions, forging an inescapable cage of lightning!