Chapter 48

Chapter 48: All Are Fish and Meat

"That’s right. That person said the value of this place isn’t enough for him to make a trip down the mountain, then berated me for a while before leaving."

Upon hearing this, the cultivators following behind exchanged glances, all revealing bitter smiles of self-mockery.

The place that others looked down upon was somewhere they had traveled a great distance to reach.

Li Cheng shrugged nonchalantly, "Isn’t that better? If a Condensing Essence cultivator thinks it’s worthless, it means that ancient tomb is perfect for us to explore. Plus, without that troublesome group of sect disciples around, we can move much more freely."

When they arrived at the courtyard, the Li Family cultivators, led by Li Cheng, were immediately surrounded.

"Young Master Li, I am from the Fang Family in Liuyun Town…"

"Greetings, Young Master. My daughter is from the Ye Family in Beipu…"

"Young Master Li is handsome and possesses deep cultivation; he truly embodies the style of a noble family! A model for our generation!"

Li Cheng was already familiar with such scenes, handling it with ease and leaving no room for error, quickly dispersing the group of cultivators surrounding him with just a few casual words.

Yang Lingrui had been waiting and, seeing most of the crowd had dispersed, stepped forward to pay his respects.

"From the Songshan Yang Family, I am Yang Lingrui. Greetings, Young Master Li."

"The Yang Family… you are…"

Li Cheng turned his head, about to speak, but when he saw Yang Lingrui clearly, his words abruptly stopped mid-sentence.

"What a pure and untainted demeanor!"

"He looks young, but his third-level cultivation is quite impressive, and he is handsome too!"

Li Cheng’s gaze swept over Yang Lingrui several times, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became.

"Elder Yu told me that the Yang Family decided to become independent because a younger generation reached the Condensing Qi Palace."

Li Cheng asked, "That refers to you, right?"

"That’s correct."

Yang Lingrui nodded and said, "Before I left home, Elder Yu specifically advised me to express my gratitude to Young Master Li. You bought a large amount of our family’s goods in the marketplace, which was a great help."

"Ha ha ha, Elder Yu is still as polite as ever; that little bit of stuff isn’t worth mentioning."

Li Cheng waved his hand and suddenly shifted the topic, asking, "Lingrui, how old are you this year?"

"Uh? I am fourteen."

Yang Lingrui was momentarily taken aback, unsure why Li Cheng asked that, but he still replied.

"Oh, fourteen, huh? Not bad," Li Cheng said, pulling Yang Lingrui to a corner of the courtyard, leaning in to whisper, "Actually, I won’t hide it from you. I have a younger sister who just turned fifteen this year, only a year older than you."

Yang Lingrui’s eyes widened, and he became momentarily dazed.

But he quickly realized and felt his cheeks flush.

"Ah, um… Young Master Li, I… this…"

"Shh, shh, shh, it’s okay, it’s okay, don’t be nervous."

Seeing that he had startled the boy into stuttering, Li Cheng hurriedly reassured him, "Don’t panic. I just thought you seemed like a good kid and had this idea. Whether it succeeds or not is another matter."

Yang Lingrui felt relieved and relaxed upon hearing this.

If Li Cheng was serious about it, he truly wouldn’t know how to respond.

"Friends, please listen to me for a moment."

After the crowd chatted for a while, Duan Yong stepped into the center of the courtyard: "The ancient tomb is located in our Fengling, and I am extremely grateful to all of you for traveling such a great distance to help."

"From past experiences, the deeper the tomb, the more treasures there are, but the further in you go, the greater the dangers. I hope all of you friends will act within your limits."

"Now that everyone has gathered, let’s take a good rest today. Tomorrow at noon, I will take you to explore the ancient tomb."

That night, Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi returned to their room early to rest.

"Senior Brother, I’ve gathered information. There are a total of thirty-seven individuals joining this expedition, three of whom are mid-stage cultivators. That Li Cheng is at the pinnacle of the sixth level of Gathering Qi, and the other two are Huang Yan from Fengling Town, at the fourth level of Gathering Qi, and Zheng Huaming from Liuyun Town, also at the fourth level."

Zhao Qi informed Yang Lingrui of the news he obtained today: "I have observed those two, and their strength seems to be inferior to yours, Senior Brother."

As he spoke, he took out a scroll from his pocket, and after unfolding it, it listed the names, backgrounds, and realms of all thirty-seven individuals for this trip.

After Yang Lingrui looked it over, he was reassured: "I’m not good at remembering these things, so I appreciate your efforts, Zhao Junior Brother."

"Senior Brother, no need to be so polite with me. Just let me know if you need anything," Zhao Qi chuckled.

"Well… speaking of which, there actually is something today that puzzled me."

"Ah? What could trouble you, Senior Brother?"

Yang Lingrui then recounted the conversation he had with Li Cheng.

As a result, the two inexperienced young men stared at each other in the room, wide-eyed.

"Um… Senior Brother, I may not understand matters of love, but I feel like this isn’t simple," Zhao Qi said.

Yang Lingrui agreed: "I think the same. The Li Family is powerful and has a sect background; why would they reach out to me, or be interested in the Yang Family?"

Both of them understood that although the Yang Family had been developing rapidly in recent years, the Li Family could easily crush the Yang Family with just one late-stage Gathering Qi practitioner.

"If it’s just about talent and looks, I don’t believe that. The Li Family wouldn’t think so simply."

Yang Lingrui remained quite clear-headed, not believing he had the charm to attract the attention of the Li Family.

"If that’s the case, then Senior Brother, I have an idea."

"What idea do you have? Tell me."

Zhao Qi rubbed his chin and said, "Li Cheng met you for the first time, and even with Elder Yu’s connections, he seems a bit too eager to bring this up. Don’t you think the Li Family might be facing some trouble?"

Just as Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi were speculating in their room, Li Cheng also returned to his quarters to rest with two trusted aides.

"Glug glug… Ah! Good wine!"

Li Cheng gulped down a large mouthful of wine and asked the two individuals in front of him, "So, what do you think of that boy?"

"Well… cough cough, the kid looks good, but isn’t the Yang Family too far beneath ours?" one person replied.

The other person nodded: "Moreover, this matter also needs to consider the lady’s own opinion; it wouldn’t be good for you, Young Master, to make this decision."

"Ugh, I understand. You’re saying the Yang Family is too weak and that my sister must choose someone she likes, right?" Li Cheng seemed a bit tipsy, speaking in a slightly dazed manner.

"That’s what we meant."

"Okay, okay, are we drinking or not?"

"The Master instructed that we shouldn’t drink on this trip."

"Ugh, boring. Let’s get back to rest; remember to wake me up tomorrow."

Seeing him like this, the two seemed to be used to it and took their leave.

As soon as the aides exited the room, a stream of wine flowed from Li Cheng’s fingertip, pouring back into the wine jar.

The redness on his face faded, and his eyes became clear instead of hazy.

"What nonsense about being worthy or unworthy! It’s truly laughable! What great abilities does my Li Family even possess?"

"Choosing for oneself… At this point, there isn’t much room to choose!"

"There are so many eyes watching over us; even the ancestors wouldn’t dare act rashly!"

"Condensing Essence… if I can’t achieve Condensing Essence, aren’t we all just fish on the chopping block, just in different sizes?"

At this moment, Li Cheng shed his usual carefree demeanor, his fists clenched tightly, veins bulging, teeth grinding, with bloodshot eyes.

Others didn’t know, but he was a direct descendant of the Li Family, well aware of the truth.

In the matter of Quelling Chaos, the Li Family left an elder in charge, seemingly resolving connections with their sect background.

But in reality, it was just a transaction between the dynasty and the sect, with the left hand switching with the right.

The elder of the Li Family had no choice; whether to stay or go depended on whose hands it fell into.

"After living in peace for so long, have we forgotten how my Li Family rose to power?"

"Do we truly think the Li Family’s current position is that secure?"

"Others throw around a few compliments about being a ‘noble family,’ and they truly believe they have become one. It’s simply incredibly foolish!"

"If any changes occur, today they could wipe out the Li Family, and tomorrow the Zhou Family, Sun Family, and Zhu Family could rise again…"

Whenever he thought of this, Li Cheng felt a pain deep in his head.

He had already mentioned this at home, but those elders were only thinking about climbing higher branches and wouldn’t listen.

The Li Family appeared peaceful on the surface, but as long as the elder made the slightest mistake, it would lead to irreversible disaster.

Because of this, Li Cheng was constantly seeking opportunities to expand his connections, hoping to find a way out for his family.