Chapter 47

Li Miao's words were both playful and flippant, carrying references from his past life, clearly out of place in the Great Ming.

But as the saying goes, "At thirty, one stands firm; at forty, one has no doubts... at sixty, one's ears are attuned; at seventy, one follows one's heart's desires without overstepping the rules."

If you have thirty years of cultivation, you can stand and speak in the Jianghu; with forty years of cultivation, there are few problems in the Jianghu that will confuse you; with sixty years of cultivation, even words that sound unpleasant to your ears will no longer appear.

Once you have seventy years of cultivation, you can do whatever you want, and no one will dare to question if you have broken the rules. Because in the Jianghu, you are the rules.

When Li Miao first arrived in the Great Ming, he was, of course, cautious and careful, not daring to reveal his strangeness.

But ever since he turned thirty, he no longer cared about such things; he said what he thought and did what he wanted. No one had the guts to hold these things against him; they would only flatter him by saying, "Battalion Commander Li, what a true temperament, a remarkable man."

Just as office workers might call themselves "corporate slaves," Li Miao did not feel that "lackey" was an insult to him. He did not possess the deep-seated official-centered ideology of the Great Ming, so he naturally let this self-deprecating title slip out.

Now, Liu Baiyun heard Li Miao's words; her first reaction was that they were vulgar and grating, but she was soon stunned by the implications, leaving her no mind to quibble over anything else.

Zuo Lishan is going to die? The Taishan Sect is going to perish?

The Embroidered Uniform Guard wants to incorporate the Huashan Sect?

A string of news struck Liu Baiyun's heart, and she did not know how to respond.

Li Miao smiled: "I spoke a bit too fast; it's hard for Sect Leader Liu to believe."

"Elder Gao, explain the situation to Sect Leader Liu, and let her take this time to think about her answer."

Gao Ling nodded, stepped forward to exchange greetings with Liu Baiyun, and explained the situation.

There were experienced elders from the Huashan Sect who had come along; hearing Li Miao's words, they were shocked, but they had long since stood up, taken their swords, and used a mix of threats and coaxing to clear the restaurant of guests, so they were not afraid of being overheard.

After some conversation, Gao Ling returned to her original position, leaving Liu Baiyun to ponder in silence for a long while without speaking.

After waiting a while, Li Miao asked: "Sect Leader Liu, have you decided?"

Liu Baiyun squeezed the hilt of her sword.

She was no longer an impulsive young person; she knew that Li Miao's words had not actually left her any room for choice.

To die or to live—that was, in fact, the only choice.

Indecision leads to disaster. Liu Baiyun knew that at a life-and-death juncture, making a decisive choice was often more important than weighing options.

She no longer hesitated and made her decision.

"Lord Li, what does the Embroidered Uniform Guard need the Huashan Sect to do at this Five Mountains Alliance?"

Liu Baiyun said: "Our group of thirteen only came to pay respects; most of our manpower remains in the sect. Right now, counting Qinghe, we have two first-rate and three second-rate experts; the rest are of little consequence."

"If needed, the Huashan Sect has some manpower in Beizhili. If we send word now, we could have twenty or thirty more people here, including two or three second-rate experts."

"According to Elder Gao, Zuo Lishan's martial arts have now surpassed the peak level. With only the Huashan Sect's manpower, I fear we cannot support your lordship's mission."

Li Miao laughed: "Sect Leader Liu is indeed an old hand in the Jianghu, straightforward!"

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is naturally not just me alone. The rest of the manpower will arrive before the Five Mountains Alliance."

"As for Zuo Lishan..." Li Miao said nonchalantly: "In my hands, he won't be able to stir up any trouble."

Li Miao's flippant attitude made it hard for Liu Baiyun to believe his claims.

Zuo Lishan was already one of the strongest people in the Wu Lin, and now he had advanced even further; she feared she could not even take a single sword strike from him. What confidence did he have to say he could "make him unable to stir up any trouble"?

But seeing Mei Qinghe's expression of taking it for granted, Liu Baiyun's heart stirred, and she did not speak.

"Alright, Sect Leader Liu, go and rest first. If you have words for your disciple, feel free."

"Tomorrow, we will go to the Taishan Sect together to pay a visit."

"And take a look at how Sect Leader Zuo's recovery is coming along."

Having said this, Li Miao stood up and walked back to the private room to eat, with Gao Ling following closely behind, leaving Mei Qinghe and Liu Baiyun facing each other in silence.

"Master..."

Mei Qinghe was silent for a long while before speaking in a low voice, her head bowed, not looking at Liu Baiyun.

"Sigh..."

Liu Baiyun let out a long sigh, picked up her sword, stood up, and said to the Huashan Sect members: "Eat your fill and rest. Tomorrow we go together to pay respects at the Taishan Sect. I have some things to discuss with Qinghe."

Having said this, she turned to Mei Qinghe and said: "Go to your room... the two of us, master and disciple, should clear the air."

The two walked in silence to Mei Qinghe's room. Liu Baiyun closed the door, turned back, and sat at the table: "Qinghe, sit down."

Mei Qinghe sat beside her.

"That Lord Li... what is his martial arts realm?"

Liu Baiyun asked.

Mei Qinghe replied: "A legendary figure; it is hard to glimpse the full picture."

"The sword you gave me, he could crush into iron sand with his bare hands. He could also, without using any techniques, just casually strike Zuo Lishan into a state of heavy injury and flight."

"Disciple hasn't traveled much and has little experience, but at least I have seen Zuo Lishan's martial arts. If the few peak experts in the Jianghu are not worlds apart from Zuo Lishan..."

"Disciple feels that Senior Li will have no opponents in the Jianghu."

Liu Baiyun keenly noticed Mei Qinghe's form of address for Li Miao—not "Lord," but "Senior."

Mei Qinghe could not hide her thoughts; if she were not already completely convinced by Li Miao, she would not have called him "Senior."

Mei Qinghe was, of course, initially threatened by Li Miao and had no choice but to work for him. But after all, it was because of Li Miao that she could take her revenge, and it was Li Miao who had corrected the flaws in her cultivation.

After more than a month of getting along, she no longer resisted Li Miao—after all, Li Miao had an easygoing nature and was extremely good to those around him. Furthermore, his martial arts were like a dragon revealing its claws, high and unreachable, which naturally aroused the admiration of Mei Qinghe, who had practiced martial arts since childhood.

Liu Baiyun let out a long breath: "Is that so..."

"I never imagined that such a person was hidden within the imperial court... No wonder he could see the tricks played on your cultivation method."

"Ageless appearance, seeing the divine without destruction... I wonder which senior expert this is..."

For a genius, techniques can advance a thousand miles in a day, and force can move as the heart desires, but only the internal energy realm must be accumulated over time.

Liu Baiyun did not consider herself a top-tier talent, but she knew what level top-tier geniuses could reach.

She naturally did not think Li Miao was actually in his early thirties; she only felt he was an ageless senior expert.

Mei Qinghe heard Liu Baiyun admit that there was a problem with her cultivation and asked urgently: "Master... why!?"

Liu Baiyun sighed and said: "You were only in your early twenties and could already stand shoulder-to-shoulder with me; your potential had not yet been fully realized."

"I had intended to wait until you were thirty; if you could reach the peak, I would then tell you about this... Who knew that by a twist of fate, you would find out..."

"Your cultivation method is indeed not the original; it has been modified."

"The person who modified this cultivation method goes by the name—Plum Blossom Thief."

(End of chapter)