Ji Yuchuan was slightly taken aback. He had not expected Li Guanqi to deduce the meaning of his name in a single breath.
"The Pavilion Master possesses extraordinary learning. You are the first person ever to state the meaning behind my name."
Even so, he did not act overly warm. Li Guanqi merely smiled and walked toward the seat of honor at the very front.
Once Li Guanqi took the primary seat, Ji Yuchuan lowered his head, silently twirling the teacup in his hands.
Li Guanqi was in no rush either, insisting on exchanging casual chatter with Ji Yuchuan.
"Do you sword, Fellow Daoist Ji? Er... what I mean to ask is whether you practice the sword."
"I do not 'sword.' I practice with the brush."
"Oh, does that thing kill people well?"
"How many people in your family? How many Dao companions?"
"Just myself."
"Ah... a bit of a shame. My wife is gorgeous. By the way, are you a local?"
"I am..."
Standing behind Li Guanqi, Song Yunshu held back her laughter so hard that her face flushed crimson.
Over a hundred empty chairs stretched before Li Guanqi. Along the immense table, anyone with poor eyesight would not even be able to make out the people at the far end.
From the moment he sat down, Li Guanqi had lit an incense stick on the table. When Ji Yuchuan saw that stick of incense, the smile on his face deepened.
That was precisely why he had been willing to indulge in small talk.
He too wanted to see how Li Guanqi intended to conduct this assembly today. He was genuinely curious.
Seated across from Ji Yuchuan, Tu Yongsi had his hands tucked into his sleeves, eyes closed in concentration, looking completely indifferent to everything around him.
Li Guanqi watched the sandalwood incense burn past the halfway mark, the smile on his face growing wider.
To Ji Yuchuan, however, that smile seemed somewhat chilling.
Just as Ji Yuchuan was waiting to watch the spectacle unfold, Li Guanqi suddenly shifted the conversation. His pure white eyes fixed upon Ji Yuchuan with calm, imposing authority as he asked softly, "Is it just you... in the entire Blue Tower?"
Despite being a mighty expert at the peak of the early Void Refining Realm, Ji Yuchuan suddenly felt as though an invisible giant hand had seized him in a crushing grip!
Li Guanqi had not even circulated his energy. A single glance from him was enough to strike sheer terror into Ji Yuchuan's heart!
Beside them, Tu Yongsi finally spoke.
"For the Blue Tower... it truly is just Old Ji alone. Everyone above the rank of Hall Master is merely one of his avatars."
Li Guanqi instantly took on a look of sudden realization. His gaze softened, and he smiled. "Well, look at that. Haven't I gone and misunderstood Fellow Daoist Ji?
"How embarrassing of me. My mistake, my mistake. Do you drink?"
As he spoke, Li Guanqi walked down and casually seated himself right beside Ji Yuchuan.
Ji Yuchuan's expression changed slightly, for the empty seat beside him had originally belonged to Jiang Yi, Master of the Purple Tower!
Even Tu Yongsi's eyes flickered at the sight. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips before he closed his eyes once more.
Li Guanqi took out spiritual wine brought from the Luoxia Domain and poured a cup for Ji Yuchuan.
"Pavilion Master, I do not drink..."
"You don't drink? How can that be?"
"Besides, we're only having a small sip. Look at this tiny cup—it barely holds a single qian of wine."
"Here I am, the Pavilion Master, holding up this cup for so long. I misunderstood you just now and am offering a sincere apology. How could you refuse?"
"Come, come, let me top it off. Just drink a little, drink a little."
How could Ji Yuchuan possibly withstand such relentless coaxing? After a few rounds of persuasion, the wine was drunk, and words were shared.
With his peripheral vision, Li Guanqi monitored the incense stick, which had only a third remaining, while he continued exchanging toasts with Ji Yuchuan in an unhurried manner.
Creak!
The grand doors of the hall were pushed open, and an elderly man clad in magnificent brocade robes stepped inside.
The short, portly old man wore a golden crown. The moment he crossed the threshold, his face broke into a broad smile as he cupped his hands to Li Guanqi.
"Yuan Hongyi of the Yellow Tower pays his respects to the Pavilion Master.
"My apologies, my apologies! The distance was truly great, and it took considerable effort to rush back. Please do not take offense."
The old man's eyes were squeezed into narrow slits by the fat on his face. When he caught sight of Li Guanqi exchanging toasts with Ji Yuchuan, his heart gave a sudden jolt!
*Could Ji Yuchuan have allied himself with Li Guanqi already?*
*Otherwise, how could this sickly invalid, who never touches a drop of liquor, be drinking with an outsider?*
Watching Yuan Hongyi enter, Li Guanqi remained in his seat without moving, smiling with apparent nonchalance. "How could I blame Elder Yuan? You weren't at home, so it is completely understandable. Please, have a seat."
Yuan Hongyi bowed and scraped with an ingratiating chuckle, then darted over to sit beside Tu Yongsi, making no attempt to converse with the man.
Tucking his hands into his sleeves, he sat directly across from Li Guanqi, watching the two men drink with an unchanging smile.
Following Yuan Hongyi's arrival, the hall gradually filled with people. Even Yuan Hongyi's son, Yuan Hao, arrived.
Apart from Ji Yuchuan of the Blue Tower, essentially all the ranking managers of the other three towers were present.
Once everyone was seated, Li Guanqi stopped drinking with Ji Yuchuan.
Sipping his wine in silence, he let the hall fall still. Though brightly illuminated by lanterns, the atmosphere within the deliberation hall grew suffocatingly oppressive.
No one spoke, nor did anyone whisper to their neighbors.
Every pair of eyes remained glued to the tables before them, as if the wood grain held the allure of a peerless beauty.
Li Guanqi glanced at the sandalwood incense burning down to its very end, his fingers rhythmically tapping against the tabletop.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
The heavy tapping seemed to strike directly against the waters of everyone's hearts, and expressions across the room subtly shifted.
To their horror, they realized that the rhythm of their own heartbeats was falling in lockstep with his taps!
As Li Guanqi slowed his pace, the faces of several cultivators darkened to the color of liver!
Li Guanqi's finger hung suspended in midair for over ten breaths.
Just as the ash on the incense stick was about to fall, an old man's voice laced with faint apology suddenly rang out from the entrance.
"Jiang Yi of the Purple Tower was delayed by a minor matter on the road back. I hope the Pavilion Master will not take offense."
Hearing the voice, Li Guanqi tilted his head toward the entrance, his raised finger still poised in the air.
By this point, several cultivators of lower cultivation were already bleeding from their noses and mouths, veins bulging violently on their foreheads as they reached their absolute limit.
*Thump!*
A soft tap sounded.
Heavy, ragged gasps instantly surged one after another throughout the hall.
Li Guanqi looked upon the spirited, vigorous old man. A cold glint flashed deep within his eyes as he spoke calmly.
"Oh? Is everyone in the Purple Tower so busy? Tower Master Jiang certainly carries an imposing air..."
Jiang Yi's expression remained serene as he replied indifferently, "The Purple Tower is responsible for intelligence across all Six Domains. Naturally, we are busy."
After offering this blunt retort, the elder promptly changed the subject.
"However, I caught wind of something, which caused me to be delayed by a small matter along the way."
Li Guanqi gave a superficial smile. "Oh? What kind of matter could possibly delay you, Tower Master Jiang?"
A cryptic smile curved at the corner of Jiang Yi's mouth. Reaching out, he tore open the fabric of space and dragged out a half-dead man clad in black!
The black-clad man's arm had been severed, the wound scorched black and still crackling with residual sword energy and lightning!
On the surface, Li Guanqi remained entirely expressionless, yet countless thoughts flashed through his mind in a single instant!
Chapter 678