Chapter 2158: Only by making amends through merit

Qi Xiong has gone all out, determined to send away this batch of attendants; even if the Heavenly Emperor himself came, he couldn't keep them, as Qi Xiong said.

But that evening, when the attendants arrived at the canteen for dinner, they were shocked to discover that there was no food for them today.

Seeing Zuo Fu standing guard nearby, it was obvious he had prepared in advance, just to hold the fort.

Normally, Zuo Fu would never personally guard this place.

However, even though Zuo Fu's presence was imposing, someone still stepped forward, unwilling to give up, and asked.

"Old Zuo, may I ask why we have no food today?"

Hearing this, Zuo Fu's expression remained unchanged as he casually replied.

"You've already left the sect, haven't you? The Sect Master means well; to avoid putting you in a difficult position, he'd rather suffer himself. So, you don't need to think further—just leave on your own."

Huh???

Hearing this, the attendants were dumbfounded—had we left the sect? When did that happen? Why don't we know anything about it?

Moreover, from now on there will be no food for us—it's like the sky is falling.

For a moment, the attendants stood there stunned, never expecting that Qi Xiong would pull the rug out from under them like this.

This is a direct hit to the vital point—no food, how are we supposed to live?

They felt extremely aggrieved, but with Zuo Fu holding the fort, they dared not act rashly.

In the end, they could only watch wistfully as others finished eating and left, patting their full bellies, and the attendants reluctantly departed.

Returning to their lodgings, everyone gathered, each with a grim face, their mood sinking to the depths.

"What are we to do now? Qi Xiong has cut off our food."

"Damn Li Hongyan, I'm going to kill him right now."

"Wait, why panic? Killing Li Hongyan would help, but the opportunity has already been seized by Qi Xiong—whether we kill him now isn't the key."

"But the whole mess started because of this idiot—if it weren't for him, we wouldn't have all these troubles."

"Dealing with Li Hongyan isn't for now; there will be plenty of chances later."

Inside the room, they argued endlessly, but the topic that came up most was killing Li Hongyan.

After all, it's all because of this fool that they've fallen into such a state.

As they discussed, suddenly an elder who had not spoken a word from beginning to end slowly spoke up.

"For now, our only recourse is to make amends through merit."

Huh???

"How so?"

"Yeah, hurry up and spill it—no more secrets at this point."

"Exactly, we didn't get dinner tonight; I reckon Qi Xiong will come tomorrow to drive us out."

As the elder spoke, everyone's gaze turned to him; under the stares of many, he spoke calmly.

"It's simple: we'll achieve a great deed, giving Qi Xiong no reason to drive us away."

"For example, take Wuji Xiancheng—if it can bear the Li surname, it can naturally bear the Dao One surname as well."

Upon hearing this, many eyes lit up—what a good idea.

Wuji Xiancheng has been controlled by the Li family for so many years, but who says it must bear the Li name?

Even if it took the Dao One name, Wuji Xiancheng would remain unchanged; and if they could accomplish this feat, what reason would Qi Xiong have to expel them?

Immediately, someone raised both hands in agreement and stood up to speak.

"Great idea—I'll go to Wuji Xiancheng right now and kill that idiot Li Hongyan."

"Sit down—I think you're the idiot."

"What did you say?"

"I'm saying you're stupid—can killing one Li Hongyan solve this? We'd need to wipe out the whole Li family; do you need me to tell you how strong they are?"

"This..........................."

Hearing this, the person resentfully sat back down.

Killing Li Hongyan alone is simple, but wiping out the entire Li family raises the difficulty by leaps and bounds.

The Li family has controlled Wuji Xiancheng for so many years that one could say the city's history is practically synonymous with the Li family's history.

After years of accumulation, the Li family's foundation is strong; they are definitely one of the major clans of the Immortal Realm.

Li Hongyan is merely a spokesperson for the Li family; within the clan, he is certainly not a top-tier figure.

Calling him a puppet may be going too far, but the Li family certainly does not rely on Li Hongyan.

What the Li family relies on are those old monsters lurking in the shadows.

Therefore, wanting to overthrow the Li family and assassinate Li Hongyan can be said to be entirely different matters.

This still requires long-term planning.

"Besides the difficulty of overthrowing the Li family, our respective sects and families also need to be clarified."

"At the very least, we must persuade them to support our action against the Li family; otherwise, this will be hard to achieve."

Then another person added, "This is also true."

But on this, someone immediately said it's not a problem.

"This is simple; no matter how you say it, I am still a Grand Elder of the sect, and I still carry some authority."

"Right, I'll just talk to my elder brother; over the years I've traveled far and wide for the family, and my words still carry some weight."

"Likewise, it doesn't matter who Wuji Xiancheng belongs to—better to give it to the Dao One Immortal Sect than to the Li family."

People spoke up one after another, and then the elder who first proposed the idea nodded and said.

"In that case, we should first contact our families and sects to gain their support; only then can we be confident in dealing with the Li family."

"After that, we..................."

Inside the room, everyone was plotting to achieve a great feat, directly seize Wuji Xiancheng and present it to the Sect.

The Sect isn't lacking an Xiūliàn treasure trove, so there's no need to search everywhere for one.

Directly bring the entire Wuji Xiancheng over, then wouldn't the Xiūliàn treasure trove also be ours?

Moreover, the wealth-attracting ability of an immortal city is absolutely not to be underestimated; once one grasps Wuji Xiancheng in hand, it will undoubtedly be a tremendous help to the development of the Dao One Immortal Sect.

Still unaware that they have already been targeted.

Having completed the first step, Li Hongyan is now waiting, waiting for those offerings of the Dao One Immortal Sect to leave; then it will be the time to act against them.

Without those offerings, what can the Dao One Immortal Sect use to oppose his Wuji Xiancheng? At that point, only a flip of the hand is needed to destroy the Dao One Immortal Sect.

But Li Hongyan doesn't realize that the one who will deal with his Wuji Xiancheng now is not Qi Xiong, but those offerings he mentioned.

That day, Li Hongyan, as usual, was handling the city's big and small affairs.

Suddenly, a subordinate rushed in panic; seeing the situation, Li Hongyan asked in a calm voice.

"What's the matter, so flustered?"

"City Lord, people from the Cooking King Immortal City have entered the city."

"They've entered the city, what's the fuss?"

"What's wrong with the Cooking King Immortal City? It's just a group of Immortal Chefs; they've come before."

But the next second, this subordinate's answer left Li Hongyan stunned; all he heard was him nervously saying.

"No, the one leading this team is Huang Lao, the Huang Lao who has long lived in seclusion in the Cooking King Immortal City."

"Huang Lao?"

Upon hearing those two words, Li Hongyan sprang to his feet, and a flash of strange color crossed his eyes.