Take Him Down!

Li Guanqi's eyes were indifferent, showing no hint that he was particularly close to Song Yunshu. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant as he weighed the pros and cons. At the same time, he took out several jade slips and inscribed questions onto them. He looked up at the old man. The elder nodded, and the messages inscribed on the jade slips were all sent out. Before long, all the jade slips flickered with faint light. In truth, Li Guanqi had only inquired about a few key matters. The first was Meng Wanshu's seclusion. Meng Jiangchu's reply was the same as before, only his tone carried a touch of irritability. It seemed forging Li Guanqi's sword was not so simple, though Meng Jiangchu had also deduced a few things from Li Guanqi's words. Meng Jiangchu merely told him to weigh it himself, saying nothing more. Li Guanqi was a little surprised. He had assumed Meng Jiangchu was close to Gu Yong and would speak on his behalf. He hadn't expected the man to leave the decision entirely up to him... As for the Great Xia Sword Sect, Lu Kangnian had waved his hand dismissively and stated plainly, "Do whatever you want. The sect hasn't fallen so far that it needs you worrying over it." Regarding Tu Shan, Lu Kangnian also expressed his gratitude in subtle terms. As for Cao Yan and Ye Feng, neither replied, coincidentally enough. After a long silence, Li Guanqi didn't ask what benefits he would gain. For he knew that as long as he could hold out for a time, the future benefits would be beyond imagining. Li Guanqi massaged the bridge of his brow. Looking at the silent woman beside him, countless scenarios ran through his mind. "I agree!" Hearing this, Tu Yongsi cracked his eyes open slightly and murmured under his breath, "Quite gutsy." Li Guanqi didn't know whether this was a compliment, but he felt there was another layer of meaning behind the elder's words. Song Yunshu jerked her head up, her tear-glistening eyes shining brightly as she looked at Li Guanqi. "Really?" "Ahhh! I knew you'd agree!" The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth twitched. If he didn't want to build a personal faction of his own, he wouldn't touch this muddy water with a ten-foot pole! In its early stages, Guanyun Pavilion definitely needed to borrow momentum. If he had to handle every single matter personally, he simply wouldn't have the energy to manage it all! Although Senior Gu had a connection with his grandfather, one could tell from ordinary circumstances that Gu Yong had never contacted him directly or met with him again after their last parting. So he didn't expect Gu Yong to think especially highly of him or tilt the Tianji Pavilion—which Gu Yong had painstakingly built—in his favor. If one wanted to earn someone's friendship, the premise was mutual utility: you help me, and I'll help you. Only through such give-and-take could a friendship grow stronger and endure. "Tell me the details later. When do we leave?" Song Yunshu nodded repeatedly, rising to her feet. "Preferably right now!" Li Guanqi frowned slightly. "In such a hurry?" Song Yunshu didn't answer, and understanding dawned on Li Guanqi. It seemed the internal situation of the Tianji Pavilion was far from optimistic... Slight cracking sounds suddenly came from the barrier, yet neither Song Yunshu nor the elder made any move. Watching this pained Li Guanqi's heart, and he hurriedly said, "Put it away! It can still be used!" The woman was momentarily startled. "Aren't these things single-use?" Li Guanqi's face darkened. He knew the people of the Tianji Pavilion were loaded, but he hadn't imagined they were this rich! Even if this thing could only hold for a few more breaths, it was still immensely valuable! This array plate only required a simple infusion of primal energy to activate. It had a spirit stone formation inlaid within, requiring no extra spirit stones to be inserted. If some Core Formation cultivator suddenly activated it while facing an enemy, even for just a single breath, it was still a terrifying barrier capable of blocking a full-powered strike from the Body Integration Realm! Muttering about prodigal spendthrifts, Li Guanqi stowed the array plate away. As the barrier faded, Xiao Chen's figure flashed beside Li Guanqi. Eyeing Tu Yongsi vigilantly, he sent a low voice transmission: "Should we take him down?" Li Guanqi glanced at the elder, who had raised his eyes, and said exasperatedly, "Stop transmitting. It's not like he can't hear you." Only then did Xiao Chen realize the old man was apparently formidable—at any rate, stronger than him. With the gap in cultivation, his transmission was no different from pointing right at the elder's nose and declaring, "We're going to gang up and beat you." Now even Xiao Chen scratched his head in embarrassment, though he still transmitted, "So... do we take him down or not...?" Li Guanqi smacked him across the head. "Fight, fight, fight—all you think about is fighting!" "Oh. So we're not fighting." With that, Xiao Chen put away the spear in his hand. Still, he kept a wary eye on Tu Yongsi. He could tell now that this elder before them was no simple figure. Li Guanqi turned to the other two and said, "Wait for me a moment. I need to take care of a few things." Song Yunshu nodded, then flashed away with the elder. Once the two were gone, the silly look vanished from Xiao Chen's face. He turned to Li Guanqi, his expression turning solemn as he said in a heavy voice, "Boss, did they come to you for something? "If it's too dangerous, don't go." A warm feeling flowed through Li Guanqi's heart. He took Xiao Chen by the hand, and Xiao Chen, his expression unchanged, took the jade slip Li Guanqi passed him. "We'll use this jade slip to stay in touch from now on." Xiao Chen nodded imperceptibly. "How is the Xiao clan doing?" Xiao Chen smiled faintly and replied softly, "Internally, there are no issues. As for the clansmen who split off, I don't intend to care whether they live or die." Li Guanqi nodded and said quietly, "When handling such matters, you sometimes have to be decisive and ruthless. What are your plans for the future?" At this question, Xiao Chen's expression shifted slightly, and he fell silent. Li Guanqi chuckled softly. "Don't overthink it. I'll figure out a way for you later." Xiao Chen didn't know what Li Guanqi could possibly do to pull him free from the clan, but he grinned foolishly nonetheless. Li Guanqi took a deep breath and said seriously, "That's settled, then. Take me to offer incense at Uncle's grave, and then I'll be off." Before long, Li Guanqi came outside the domain barrier, looked at the two, and spoke. "Let's go." Song Yunshu nodded slightly, produced a golden teleportation scroll from her storage ring, and crushed it. Instantly, a curtain of light roughly ten feet across appeared before the three. The three entered in single file. As the light curtain faded, Xiao Chen stood at the domain entrance, his eyes flickering with thought. He murmured under his breath, "Guanyun Pavilion... Why is Boss building this faction...?" At that moment, the void warped, and a young man who looked identical to Xiao Chen stepped slowly out! This young man was none other than Xiao Chen's void avatar! Having his void avatar change into his clothes, Xiao Chen then tore open the sky and vanished from the spot.