Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 206 – Three Day Deadline

Liu Zhi didn’t pay any attention to Yun Fan. He looked down and glanced at the wounded Jiang Jiu, his eyes like ice reflecting a dark light, so cold that it sent a shiver through the soul. “My little nephew has always been stubborn and disobedient and he often gives me a headache, but in the end he is my nephew. I have no idea which fellow daoist he has provoked and what he has done to be punished with such a heavy hand.”

Gu Ling’er froze. Fear rose in her and she looked towards Qin Yu with worry.

Qin Yu faintly smiled. He patted her hand and stepped forwards. “Fellow daoist Liu thinks that I was too heavy handed? Well, the reality is that I have been in quite a good mood recently, so I have already shown mercy. Otherwise, the only thing you would see before you would be a corpse.”

Liu Zhi lightly said, “It seems that it was this fellow daoist who harmed him. I don’t know the reason why, but right now I don’t care. For taking a life, a debt must be paid. You injured my nephew, so now you must pay the price.”

Qin Yu’s lips curled up. “And what sort of payment do you want?”

“The hand of the person who injured him, or, something of equivalent value.”

“It looks like fellow daoist Liu has taken a liking to some treasure of mine. How about telling me what it is?”

Liu Zhi smiled. He could hear Qin Yu’s calm and careless tone, but he didn’t care about it. Since he came here today, he naturally had an absolute advantage.

“Then, how about the thing you used to resist heavenly tribulation that night?” With these words, everything was brought into the light. It could even be considered an open and honest acknowledgement that he was the one pulling the strings behind Jiang Jiu and the others.

These were clearly plots and tricks, but when he spoke up, he was unexpectedly calm.

Perhaps this was the confidence of a powerhouse.

He didn’t fear the criticism of others nor did he care, because everything was under his control.

Yun Fan revealed an expression of deep worry.

Numerous cultivators were shaken. They subconsciously drew backwards. Perhaps what would come soon was a battle between Nascent Soul masters. If they were to stand near this when it happened, that would be no different from courting death.

Qin Yu laughed and clapped his hands. “Fellow daoist Liu has good judgment! But I…won’t give it to you.”

This reply didn’t seem to have much momentum, but it was a complete refusal.

Liu Zhi said, “I only fear that it isn’t in your control.”

Yun Fan absolutely did not want to come into conflict with an established powerhouse like Liu Zhi, but, he knew that he had to speak up otherwise he would lose too much face with Qin Yu. Of course, a more important reason was that in his opinion, Qin Yu wasn’t any weaker than Liu Zhi, and might even be stronger.

“Fellow daoist Liu Zhi, fellow daoist Qin is my Yun Family’s honored guest. Your actions today are too crass.”

There were the strong and the weak amongst Nascent Souls, but as long as the difference wasn’t too great, if one wanted to run away with everything they had, they would most likely be able to do so. So, although Yun Fan didn’t want to develop any enmity with Liu Zhi, that didn’t mean he feared him. The Yun Family was his shackles, but it was also the same for Liu Zhi. Unless both sides had some sort of unending blood grudge, there were few Nascent Souls that would use extreme methods like complete family extermination.

After all, a Nascent Soul cultivator that bore a grudge and was willing to do anything to take revenge could cause a horrifying amount of damage.

Liu Zhi looked over. “Two against one. Even if we fight, do you think that you can suppress me?” He paused, and his gaze became even loftier. “But, it isn’t just you that has helpers.”

“Hahahaha!”

With great laughter, two figures came forwards, their pressure filling the air.

Countless cultivators stared in wide-eyed disbelief. Their expressions were filled with shock and awe, so much that it seemed their heads would explode.

Nascent Souls! It was actually two Nascent Souls!

Heavens…

Within the Southern Empire and Northern Dynasty, no one knew how many Nascent Soul cultivators there were. Five had appeared, and while it couldn’t be said to be half the number, it was certainly a sizable portion.

No one expected that today at the Yun Family’s great Nascent Soul celebration, things would actually arrive at such a situation and cause such a great ruckus. This was now an argument between Nascent Soul powerhouses, and everyone else besides them had lost the qualifications to interfere.

“Brother Liu, I knew that it was impossible for you to succeed. It seems that since you haven’t appeared much these past years, people have forgotten about your title of Skylifting Peak.” The one who spoke was an old bald man with a shiny head. The front of his robes were opened up, revealing his rolls of pale fat. As he laughed, his body shook with him.

The other Nascent Soul cultivator beside him hadn’t spoken up until this moment. He glared at Qin Yu and a chill gradually filled the air. “It’s you!”

The old man was stunned. He turned and asked, “Old Freak Cheng, do you recognize that person?”

“The impression is deep!” Old Freak Cheng was a middle-aged man with a pair of yellow eyes. He constantly looked around like a rat, “Old Poison, do you remember when I told you about the Radiant Red Wood?”

The old man’s eyes flashed. “That’s him?”

Old Freak Cheng sneered, “He destroyed my divine sense, how could I possibly be mistaken!”

Qin Yu didn’t have any expression. “You rushed into my abode and even tried to seize my spiritual insects. So, it was you along. Today is truly a lively day.”

Yun Fan’s heart chilled. Liu Zhi had actually come here with two other Nascent Souls. If the three of them joined forces, he and Qin Yu would be at an absolute disadvantage.

Even worse, Qin Yu seemed to have some old enmity with one of these people. This made things far more troublesome.

As Yun Fan was worried, Liu Zhi looked over to him and said, “Patriarch Yun might be surprised about why I am here with fellow daoist Cheng and Poison God. Originally, our goal was to form good relations with Patriarch Yun. After all, we are different from large cultivator sects. As rogue cultivators, we have a relatively low level of influence, so if we want to settle down and live good lives, it is best for us to join together. Unfortunately, it seems that Patriarch Yun isn’t willing to join us.”

Poison God slapped his rumbling belly. “That might not necessarily be true. Brother Liu, why draw a conclusion so early? Perhaps Patriarch Yun has had a sudden revelation and would like to be friends with us?”

A light flashed in Liu Zhi’s eyes. “Then, I suppose we must see what Patriarch Yun thinks of this.”

It was clear that this was an olive branch extended to Yun Fan. If he accepted it, they would all be friends and the past troubles would be written off. Of course, what followed would be them joining forces against Qin Yu to seize his treasure.

One couldn’t help but acknowledge that although this scheme was obvious to everyone, it actually had an amazing effect. Yun Fan admitted that there was a moment where he wavered, but when he saw Qin Yu’s tranquil gaze, he ruthlessly suppressed this thought.

Although he hadn’t seen Qin Yu’s abilities, he had obtained sufficient proof of his strength during that night when he swallowed up the heavenly tribulation.

He had already made a mistake once in the past; he couldn’t do so a second time.

Yun Fan took a deep breath. He coldly said, “I don’t wish to be enemies with you all, but fellow daoist Qin is my Yun Family’s friend. If there is anyone who is trying to harm him, then that is the same as targeting my Yun Family. I will absolutely not stand idly by.”

Then this was…three against two.

The atmosphere was so thick and tense that it could be cut with a knife.

Liu Zhi’s eyes flashed with a hint of gloominess and a trace of fear rose in his heart. If Yun Fan dared to make enemies of them, then it was clear he favored Qin Yu. His thoughts raced and he said, “It is not easy to become a Nascent Soul, and I do not wish to easily commit the sin of murder. I will give you three days to reconsider. If you still remain obstinate at that time, then don’t blame me for being heartless!”

Old Freak Cheng frowned, as if he were a bit unhappy with this. But, Poison God laughed, “It’s just a little bit of time, why worry?”

The three Nascent Souls brought their people away. Then, three boundless auras rose up around Snowfall City, surrounding it in a sphere.

“For the next three days, no one is allowed to leave Snowfall City!”

With loud cries of fear and shock, the complexions of countless cultivators changed. All of them looked over in the same direction.

Yun Fan’s complexion was dignified. “Fellow daoist Qin…”

Qin Yu smiled. He cupped his hands together. “I thank fellow daoist Yun for the assistance.”

Yun Fan shook his head. “The reason that fellow daoist Qin is in such trouble today is all because of my Yun Family, so I have a duty to help. But, what are we to do three days from now?”

Qin Yu’s lips curled up. “They aren’t the only ones who know how to look for helpers. Fellow daoist Yun need not worry about this matter. I will solve it myself.”

Yun Fan’s heart relaxed as he secretly rejoiced. He was glad that he had held his position, otherwise he feared the Yun Family would be in great trouble.

Qin Yu turned and patted Gu Ling’er’s head. “Stop looking so panicked. Don’t worry, your big brother here is very fierce. I have no reason to fear them at all.” He glanced towards the Rainbow Sect. “Are these your teachers and apprentice-sisters? I will go and thank them for taking care of you for all these years.”

He brought Ling’er over and cupped his hands together. “I am Qin Yu, Ling’er’s big brother. During her stay in the Rainbow Sect these past years, I’m sure she must have bothered you a great deal.”

No matter what sort of situation they faced, Qin Yu’s cultivation stood above them all. No one in the Rainbow Sect dared to accept his bow.

Rivermoon and Clearheart quickly bowed, referring to him as senior.

Countless disciples watched with eyes full of awe.

Qin Yu thought for a moment. He said, “When you return, could I bother you to tell the sect that I have made other plans for Ling’er. She won’t be staying in the Rainbow Sect any longer. If I have been disrespectful in any way, I ask that you excuse me.”

Gu Ling’er’s eyes widened, clearly startled. She couldn’t believe that her Big Brother Qin Yu would make such a decision for her without discussing it with her at all. However, after a moment of hesitation she didn’t say anything. Her Big Brother Qin Yu should have a good reason for doing what he did.

Rivermoon bowed, “Gu Ling’er is my disciple, so I can make the decision to let her leave with senior.” She glanced at Gu Ling’er from the corner of her vision, and when she saw that she didn’t seem to have anything to say, her heart calmed a little. To be fair, she had been a bit harsh to Ling’er these past years. But, she had never targeted her on purpose or tried to embarrass her. Still, she was afraid that Gu Ling’er might have a bit of resentment from being treated a bit strictly.

Xuanxuan and the other apprentice-sisters revealed a bit of unwillingness. But, they didn’t have the qualifications to speak up.

Qin Yu smiled in gratitude. He turned to Zhang Zhang, nodded, and then led Gu Ling’er away.

This nod surprised everyone. They didn’t think that there would be someone else among them that knew Senior Qin Yu.

Zhang Zhang had a complex look in her eyes. So, all that was left between them was a brief acknowledgement of old friendship? She pursed her lips, trying her best not to show her sorrow.

After bidding his farewells to Yun Fan, Qin Yu brought Gu Ling’er back to his dwelling. He looked down at the silent little girl and guessed her thoughts. “You aren’t happy, right? That I arbitrarily decided to have you leave the Rainbow Sect?”

Gu Ling’er quickly shook her head. “No, no, I know that Big Brother Qin Yu must have a reason for doing so. I…I just find it hard to leave my apprentice-sisters…”

Guilt flashed in Qin Yu’s eyes. After those years all alone, she must have taken her apprentice-sisters as her closest friends. He thought for a moment and gently said, “Ling’er, the reason I had you leave the Rainbow Sect is because if you continue staying there from today on, it will be dangerous for you. Still, I must apologize to you. I didn’t take your feelings into consideration, and I was wrong to do that. Since you don’t want to leave your apprentice-sisters, how about asking them if they would like to come with you?”

Gu Ling’er’s eyes widened. “This…this…”

Qin Yu smiled. “Don’t worry. Tell them that I will bring you all to Immortal Eclipse Valley. Maybe they will agree.”

Worried about Gu Ling’er going out by herself, Qin Yu accompanied her to where the Rainbow Sect was staying. As they spoke and laughed along the way, his eyes constantly checked his surroundings.

A moment later, they arrived at their destination. Qin Yu also found what he wanted. He waved his hand and called over some people from the Yun Family who had followed him here, and ordered them to protect Gu Ling’er. Qin Yu said, “There are some matters I need to deal with. Ling’er, go ahead without me first. Don’t worry, I am in the immediate vicinity and can catch up to you immediately.”

Gu Ling’er nodded. She started to speak but hesitated.

Qin Yu traced her head. “Don’t think about such things. I’ll tell you this now, I already have the means to solve my problem. You should have some more confidence in your Big Brother Qin Yu. Now, hurry on over.”

Gu Ling’er nodded her head, finally revealing a smile.

After watching her go, Qin Yu turned and left. Soon, he stood outside a store on a not-too-large street. He looked up at the store’s plaque and the common patterns that adorned it, and then revealed a faint smile. Luckily, when his cheap senior-apprentice brother had given him advice, he had carefully remembered it. Now it had finally come in handy.