Great Li Martial God

”Me, insufferably arrogant? Not eating someone’s beef counts as keeping a low profile.”

Li Musheng let out a light laugh, glanced at the half-parcel of braised beef tucked at the little girl’s waist, saw the teeth marks covering it, and shook his head with a look of distaste.

He looked up a moment later to find her glaring at him with undisguised hostility. Li Musheng raised an eyebrow and said, ”What? Now that the powerful expert is gone, are you thinking of having a go at me?”

Hearing this, the hemp-robed elderly man beside her shook his head, saying, ”Young master need not misunderstand. We have no old or recent grievance with you, and have no intention of making trouble. This old one is simply somewhat curious. What is your purpose in going to Falling God Peak alone?”

Li Musheng looked at the hemp-robed elderly man, then narrowed his eyes slightly, saying, ”That question sounds like something I should be asking the two of you. The enthusiasm with which you were killing Falling God Peak’s people before was plain for anyone to see. Anyone with eyes could tell you clearly have some kind of grudge against them.”

At those words, the hemp-robed elderly man and the little girl in pink exchanged a glance. The elderly man then shook his head and said, ”If young master is unwilling to say, this old one will ask no further. Since we share the same destination, we may as well continue on together. When we reach Falling God Peak, we can each go about our own business without interfering with one another.”

The little girl in pink pursed her lips, watching Li Musheng, and said, ”You say one confusing thing after another. Half the time no one can tell what you are on about.”

”But killing Falling God Peak’s people and then still daring to go to Falling God Peak alone, you really do have nerve.”

Hearing this, Li Musheng looked the little girl in pink over once, then said with a suspicious expression, ”There is something very off about you. One moment you act like a little child, the next you speak like an old greybeard.”

”You had better not be some elderly person pretending to be young and playing cute. That would just be deeply unpleasant.”At those words, the little girl’s dainty face froze for a moment, and then her brows shot upward as she stared at Li Musheng in furious indignation.

At the same time, her small hand reached into the little pouch she carried at her side and rummaged around.

In the end, however, she did nothing, and withdrew her empty hand.

”Hmph.”

”I cannot be bothered with you.”

The little girl let out a cold snort, then snatched the braised beef from her waist and tore into it with fierce, determined bites.

Li Musheng watched her for a moment, then shook his head and rode the mule forward on his own, saying, ”Traveling together is fine, but do not cause me trouble or slow me down.”

Watching Li Musheng’s back, the hemp-robed elderly man narrowed his eyes slightly. Beside him, the little girl sent a quiet transmission, ”Did you make anything out about him?”

”Nothing. Not a trace of martial True Qi anywhere on him. No different from an ordinary person, but that itself is what is most unusual.”

The hemp-robed elderly man gave a slight shake of his head, saying, ”No ordinary person would be so unrestrained and utterly unafraid. He must have something to rely on. We maintain the current arrangement, and avoid conflict with him as much as possible.”

Hearing this, the little girl clenched her small fists and said through gritted teeth, ”Grandfather, you heard him just now. Every word out of his mouth deserves a beating. And he said I was getting on in years, I nearly choked with rage...”

The hemp-robed elderly man glanced at the little girl, and his expression became quite serious, saying, ”He may have put it in exaggerated terms, but he was not entirely wrong. Small impatience ruins great plans. We still have something far more important to do. You are not a child anymore, and you should be conducting yourself with more steadiness.”

At those words, the little girl shot her grandfather a glare, but very quickly she reined in her expression and let out a quiet sigh.

After a brief silence, she said, ”Grandfather, can the two of us truly take revenge?”

The hemp-robed elderly man was quiet for a long moment, and then said simply, ”We do what we can.”

His eyes then flickered with a glint of sharp light, and he said, ”Along the way, I have overheard Falling God Peak disciples talking. It seems the Great Li court has already begun moving against Falling God Peak.”

”It would appear heaven itself is on our side. This is without question an opportunity for us, and the most pressing matter right now is to use the Tin Mountain Blade Sect’s cover to get inside Falling God Peak.”

Hearing this, the little girl gave a slight nod. Killing intent filled her eyes as she said, ”Whatever it takes, I will avenge my elder sister and our people.”

With that, she gave the tall horse a pat and continued forward, following in Li Musheng’s wake.

...

After another day of travel, as dusk was beginning to settle, the Tin Mountain Blade Sect’s group finally arrived at Hundred Refinements City without serious incident.

Hundred Refinements City was the only route to Hundred Refinements Peak, the seventh of Falling God Peak’s main peaks, and was also a small city under the administration of Falling God Peak’s disciples.

Within this city, there was no branch of the Great Li court of any kind, let alone any Great Li official office. In truth, Falling God Peak was the governing authority here.

In Lan Province, all the territory within a hundred miles of Falling God Peak as its center was effectively Falling God Peak’s private domain, and on that land, Falling God Peak was the true ruling power.

The Great Li court could see it clearly, but could do nothing about it and had no choice but to let it be.

In Hundred Refinements City, the laws of Great Li held no sway. The rules people followed were those of Falling God Peak.

The scarred man of the Tin Mountain Blade Sect pressed some silver into the hands of the gate guards, who conducted a cursory inspection, found nothing of concern, and admitted Li Musheng and the hemp-robed elderly man along with the rest as members of the Tin Mountain Blade Sect’s party.

This was not a matter of the gate guards being careless. This place was in the direct jurisdiction of the Falling God Peak sect, and nothing untoward had happened here in decades. Who would dare cause trouble in a place like this?

Even if word had reached Hundred Refinements City that the Great Li court was moving against Falling God Peak, whether the fighting would actually reach here was still an open question, and those who knew about it had not given it any serious thought.

From the fact that Hundred Refinements City remained as bustling as ever, entirely unaffected, it was plain that Falling God Peak truly had not taken the Great Li court’s actions to heart.

The Tin Mountain Blade Sect’s group entered the city and found a food stall to eat and rest, then bathed to wash off the road dust and changed into fresh, clean clothing.

Hundred Refinements Peak was less than twenty miles from Hundred Refinements City. Those who had come to pay their birthday respects could not present themselves caked in dust and looking bedraggled. They had to be properly dressed and presentable, so as not to offend the eyes of the Sacred Peak’s disciples.

That, too, was a rule of Falling God Peak.

”All of you go to the back courtyard and get yourselves properly washed. Losing your life is a small thing, but don’t drag me and the sect into it with you.”

The scarred man gave his instruction to the disciples, then looked toward Li Musheng and the hemp-robed elderly man sharing the same table, saying, ”Would young master Li and this senior also like to bathe? This one would be glad to treat you both to a visit to the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion here in the city.”

He lowered his voice and said in an ingratiating manner, ”The ladies of the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion are said to be more lovely than even the women of the Great Li capital’s entertainment quarter.”