Wangbai's Thoughts

"Crack, snap..." A crimson inferno raged through the Milin Commandery market. Flames danced atop the eaves, giving off the scent of burning wood. Blood dripped and pooled across the ground, and crooked heaps of corpses were piled high at the street corners. Fei Wangbai stood quietly with his hands behind his back. One of the guest elders he brought had died, and the corpse had already been retrieved. Fei Wangbai felt no sorrow. Having breached the Milin Commandery market in this raid, the spiritual goods and magical artifacts he plundered were more than his storage bags could hold. He was so overjoyed he could practically burst out laughing. In this clash between the Li and Yu families, it was his Fei family that reaped the greatest harvest. Fei Wangbai scraped his boots twice against the ground, his heart overflowing with smug arrogance. Even the bright crimson blood seemed festive to him. Taking a couple of steps forward along the street, he saw a middle-aged man standing suspended in midair, stacking the corpses one by one to prevent their forms from being consumed by the flames. "Brother Jiang..." Fei Wangbai called out. In a subdued voice, Jiang Heqian slowly replied, "They were relatives after all. Best not let the fire burn them to ash. The Yu family will surely bring people to bury them." Fei Wangbai fell silent. Jiang Heqian was a Foundation Establishment immortal cultivator, taking care of such trivial matters in a dozen or so breaths. Cupping his hands, Fei Wangbai said, "Brother Heqian, you contributed greatly this time. Let us split the riches obtained from this market." Jiang Heqian's mind was consumed by the dying Yu Xiao'ou's gentle pats on his wrist. The old man's hand had burned with a terrifying heat—so hot that Jiang Heqian's limbs had gone numb and his soul seemed dislodged from his body. Right now, he had no stomach for anything. Perhaps the slaughter had exhausted much of the resentment he had harbored for years, for the fierce malice in his brow and eyes had vanished. He only said gently, "Brother Wangbai, I have no heart for such things. All I sought in this life was vengeance. Take these goods back and divide them among your clansmen; I have no use for them." "How could I do that?" Though Fei Wangbai knew full well the immense value of these goods, he was a shrewd and calculating man. Seeing that Jiang Heqian was alone in the world, he harbored hopes of recruiting him as a guest elder of the Fei family; the cultivation method Jiang Heqian practiced was exceedingly profound, and his combat prowess was indisputably first-rate. He therefore insisted on giving Jiang Heqian a share. Unable to refuse the pressuring, Jiang Heqian could only cup his hands and say, "We shall speak of it another day. Sell off these goods and convert my portion into spirit stones." Fei Wangbai nodded, his robes fluttering gently in the northern wind. "Now that matters here are settled, we must make haste to leave. If Yu Yufeng returns, things will go awry." Seeing Jiang Heqian nod, Fei Wangbai suddenly remembered Li Tongya and thought to himself, 'Li Tongya is still holding off Yu Xiaogui. I wonder how the situation stands over there, and whether he needs us to relieve him...' As this crossed his mind, an abrupt flash of inspiration struck him, giving rise to an overt, sinister temptation. He pondered silently: 'The Yu family suffered such a devastating blow; they will likely decline for decades or even a century. Meanwhile, the Li family has both Li Chijing and Li Tongya—looking at them now, the Li family is simply far too formidable... Why not leave right now and let Li Tongya suffer a defeat atop Mount Huazhong, balancing the two families' strengths...?' The thought circled wildly in his mind like a demonic obsession, sending blood rushing through his veins. Li Tongya's steady, grave face and Li Qinghong's gallant, radiant countenance flitted indistinctly through his mind. In the end, Fei Wangbai gritted his teeth and thought, 'The Yu family still has late Foundation Establishment Yu Yufeng holding the fort; he alone can suppress all three families. In the end, I must still join hands with Li Tongya. If I sour relations with the Li family over petty advantage and allow Yu Yufeng to pick us off one by one, it would hardly be worth it. 'Besides, the Li family sits on the southern shore while my clan is on the northern shore. Spanned across Lake Wangyue, our territories do not even border each other. We are natural geopolitical allies, and neither family will harbor ulterior motives...' Fei Wangbai exhaled a long breath, suppressing the restless evil impulse stirring in his heart. A dashing, handsome smile returned to his face as he cupped his hands to Jiang Heqian. "Li Tongya is still struggling to hold out in the south; he needs me to relieve him. Fellow Daoist, please return to your immortal's cave first. Once things here are concluded, I shall come pay my thanks." Jiang Heqian had no desire to stay in the first place, his heart already tangled with anxious unrest. Hearing this was like receiving an amnesty. He cupped his hands, exchanged a few polite words, and quickly rode the wind away. Fei Wangbai instructed the remaining guest elders to return home, while he flew off toward the Li family's territory. *** Clang! Dodging the Foundation Establishment magical artifact Jade Smoke Mountain, Li Tongya pulled his sword back and turned around with a calm expression. Before him, Yu Xiaogui drew a ragged breath, staring at Li Tongya in disbelief. Shock surged through his heart as he thought, 'Is "Vast Sea" truly this troublesome?! This is simply too astonishing!' He had kept Li Tongya suppressed in combat for two full shichen, fighting continuously from the break of dawn until the golden crow hung high. Earlier, members of the Li family had looked up in dread, fretting quietly for Li Tongya. By now, however, they were all busy tending to their own chores, acting as though the two Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sky did not even exist, which infuriated Yu Xiaogui to no end. Deflecting the incoming Jade Smoke Mountain with a light stroke, Li Tongya saw that Yu Xiaogui had finally stopped. Sensing the rapid recovery of his internal magical power, his expression turned rather peculiar, and he smiled. "Does Brother Xiaogui wish to continue?" Looking at Yu Xiaogui's sullen face, Li Tongya quietly added in his mind, 'If you don't continue, the forty percent of magical power I expended will be restored any moment now.' Yu Xiaogui glared at him intently. Looking down at the crowd of Li family members beneath him, he was suddenly struck with a delayed jolt of terror: he had been away from home for over two full shichen, yet not a single Yu clansman had arrived! A flicker of panic entered his heart. "Fei Wangbai... You truly colluded to work hand in glove!" Yu Xiaogui narrowed his eyes, knowing it was most likely the Fei family making a move. Fortunately, the Jade Court Garrison One Formation was exceptionally solid; at most, Fei Wangbai could bottle up the Yu clan within the commandery. Even if he brought along his early Foundation Establishment helper, it was impossible to breach it within two shichen. Reassured by this thought, he flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "Fellow Daoist truly possesses formidable methods." Li Tongya merely cupped his hands without uttering a word. To the side, Wu Shaoyun, who had endured two shichen of agonizing suspense, looked between them hesitantly. Finally, a streak of light flashed across the horizon, descending to reveal an elegant, dashing middle-aged man in brocade and white robes. Cupping his hands, he greeted, "Wangbai greets Fellow Daoist!" Li Tongya cupped his hands in reply. Fei Wangbai glanced at the situation on both sides and said with a smile, "Hearing that the Yu family was bullying the weak, I rushed over to lend a hand. Now it seems they still could do nothing against Brother Tongya." Fei Wangbai's words were no longer couched in the polite courtesies he usually maintained to preserve face for the Yu family; instead, he had thrown his lot entirely behind the Li family. After all, Jiang Heqian had slaughtered far too many people in the Yu family market, leaving no room for reconciliation between the Fei and Yu families. Fei Wangbai could no longer be bothered to play diplomacy with him. Hearing this, Yu Xiaogui's heart sank with a thud, and a foreboding premonition welled up within him. He snapped instantly, "Fei Wangbai! What despicable deed did you commit?" Fei Wangbai feigned surprise, turning his head in mock bewilderment as he answered, "Brother Xiaogui, whatever makes you say that?"