novelraw Chapter 273 250: Wangbai's Thoughts
Chapter 273 250: Wangbai's Thoughts
"Crackling..."
The market of Secret Forest County erupted in crimson flames, the fire danced on the eaves, emitting the smell of burning wood, blood flowed in rivulets with a pitter-patter, heaps of corpses lay askew at street corners, and Fei Wangbai stood with his hands behind his back, standing silently.
Of the several guest elders he brought, one had died, and the body had already been taken care of. Fei Wangbai didn't feel sadness; his raid on the market of Secret Forest County had netted him so many spiritual objects and magic artifacts that they couldn't all fit in his storage bag. Fei Wangbai felt such joy he almost laughed out loud, as the Li and Yu families fought each other to his greatest advantage.
Fei Wangbai scuffed the ground with his boots a couple of times, feeling infinitely proud and triumphant, even the bright red blood seemed festive under his feet. He took a few steps and then saw a middle-aged man materialize out of thin air, stacking bodies neatly to prevent them from being burned.
"Jiang Brother..."
Fei Wangbai called out and then heard Jiang Heqian reply in a low voice:
"They're relatives, after all, don't let them be consumed by the flames. The Yu Family will surely come to bury them."
Fei Wangbai remained silent. Jiang Heqian, a Foundation Establishment immortal cultivator, took care of these small matters in the space of a few breaths. Fei Wangbai then cupped his hands and said:
"Brother Heqian, you've exerted great effort in this endeavor, let us divide the wealth obtained from this market between us."
Jiang Heqian's mind was filled with the memory of Yu Xiao'ao's dying act of tapping gently on his wrist before passing away. The old man's hand was startlingly hot, so hot that it caused Jiang Heqian's limbs to go numb and his soul to feel unmoored. Now, he found himself uninterested in worldly affairs, perhaps because the massacre had vented much of the bitterness he had harbored for many years. His eyes lost their usual ferocity, and he softly said:
"Brother Wangbai, I've really lost the inclination for these things. My only concern in life has been to avenge my grudges. Please take these items back and distribute them among your clan. Heqian doesn't need them."
"How can that be?"
Fei Wangbai, while recognizing the value of these items, was a man of many facets and calculations. He was considering drawing Jiang Heqian, alone and uncommitted, to join the Fei Clan as a guest elder. Jiang Heqian's cultivation technique was extremely sophisticated, and his combat ability was top-notch.
Therefore, he insisted on sharing with Jiang Heqian. Jiang Heqian, unable to refuse, could only say with cupped hands:
"We'll talk another day, another day. Brother, deal with these things, and convert them to spirit stones for me."
Fei Wangbai nodded, his robe fluttering gently in the biting wind, and responded:
"Now that the matter here is concluded, we should leave quickly. Should Yu Yufeng return, our plans could be ruined."
Seeing Jiang Heqian nod, Fei Wangbai suddenly recalled Li Tongya and mused to himself:
"Li Tongya is still dealing with Yu Xiaogui; I wonder how the situation is progressing, and whether he needs our support..."
As Fei Wangbai pondered this, a flash of inspiration struck his mind, giving rise to a naked and sinister thought:
"The Yu Family has suffered a great loss and will likely decline for decades, if not a century. The Li Family, with Li Chijin and Li Tongya, seems too domineering... Perhaps I should leave, let Li Tongya suffer a setback on Huazhong Mountain, to balance the power between the two families..."
This thought whirled madly within Fei Wangbai, his blood rushing with excitement. The solemn face of Li Tongya, the bright and heroic face of Li Qinghong, all flickered hazily in his mind. Eventually, Fei Wangbai gritted his teeth and secretly thought:
"The Yu Family still has Yu Yufeng in the late stage of Foundation Establishment, who alone can suppress three families. In the end, I have to join forces with Li Tongya. If for petty gain I sour relations with the Li Family and allow Yu Yufeng to defeat us one by one, it truly wouldn't be worth it."
"Moreover, the Li Family is on the South Shore, and my family is on the North Shore. The two are separated by Wangyue Lake, we are natural allies by geography, and neither should entertain the thought of betrayal..."
Fei Wangbai breathed a sigh of relief, suppressing the burgeoning evil thought in his mind. His face once again lit up with a handsome and carefree smile as he cupped his hands towards Jiang Heqian:
"Li Tongya is still desperately holding on in the south, and I need to go there to relieve him," said the Taoist fellow. "Please make your way to your cave mansion first. Once this matter is settled, I will come to express my gratitude."
Jiang Heqian, who had no wish to stay, felt increasingly anxious, and upon hearing the words, he bowed and exchanged a few polite phrases before hurriedly leaving on the wind. Fei Wangbai allowed the Guest Elders to return home, while he himself flew towards the Li Family."
----
"Clang!"
Li Tongya dodged the Foundation Establishment Magical Instrument, Jade Smoke Mountain, and drew his sword to counterattack with a calm expression. Yu Xiaogui, his opponent, took a deep breath, his gaze filled with disbelief, and thought to himself:
"Is the 'Vast Sea' so difficult to deal with?! It's shockingly incredible!"
He had been pressing Li Tongya for two whole hours, from dawn's early light till the high sun, while members of the Li family had looked up, filled with dread, silently worrying for Li Tongya. But now, they all busied themselves with their own affairs, pretending that the two Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivators in the sky didn't exist, which infuriated Yu Xiaogui.
Li Tongya lightly deflected the incoming Jade Smoke Mountain, and upon seeing Yu Xiaogui finally stop, felt his mana swiftly recovering within him, his expression slightly odd, he laughed and said:
"Brother Xiaogui, do you wish to continue?"
Li Tongya looked at Yu Xiaogui's unsightly expression and silently added to himself:
"If we don't continue, the forty percent of mana I've just exhausted will be quickly restored."
Yu Xiaogui glared at him fiercely and, looking down at the numerous members of the Li family, belatedly realized with a shock that he had been away from home for over two hours without a single Yu Family member coming to his aid, causing slight panic in his heart.
"Fei Wangbai... You really know how to collude and act in cahoots!"
Yu Xiaogui narrowed his eyes, suspecting that the Fei Clan had made their move. Luckily, the Great Formation of the Jade Court was very secure, and at most, Fei Wangbai could only have blocked the Yu Family members within the county. Even with his early-stage Foundation Establishment helper, they couldn't possibly breach it in two hours. He then composed himself, waved his sleeve, and said coldly:
"Taoist Fellow, you do have some clever tricks."
Li Tongya simply folded his hands in response, not uttering a word. Wu Shaoyun, who had been enduring agony for two hours, nervously observed the two, until finally, a beam of light streaked across the sky and descended a man in brocade white robes, elegant and unrestrained, who then greeted with a fold of hands:
"Wangbai greets the Taoist Fellow!"
Li Tongya returned the gesture, and Fei Wangbai examined the situation on both sides, then smiled and said:
"I heard the Yu Family was bullying the weak, so I hurried over to lend a hand. Now it seems Tongya brother is in no need of my help."
Fei Wangbai's words were no longer like usual, ambiguously saving face for the Yu Family, but now openly siding with the Li Family. After all, with Jiang Heqian having slain many in the Yu Family's market, neither the Fei Clan nor the Yu Family had any room for diplomatic pretense, and Fei Wangbai couldn't be bothered to keep up his charade.
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogui felt his heart drop with a thump, a bad premonition rising within him, and he shouted abruptly:
"Fei Wangbai! What dirty deed have you done?"
Fei Wangbai put on a pretense of shock, turned his head as if surprised, and answered:
"Brother Xiaogui, why would you say such a thing?"