Chapter 197 - 115: Spirit Wine Thief and Spirit Fruit Thief, Qi Cultivation Perfection

Chapter 197: Chapter 115: Spirit Wine Thief and Spirit Fruit Thief, Qi Cultivation Perfection

"What is it, Sect Leader?"

Gu Liqing glanced at the tense crowd outside the main hall and instructed, "You and the other Protectors go keep a close eye on them. A theoretical discussion of the Dao is fine, but Magical Combat is absolutely forbidden.

"If they have any real grievances, let them settle them at the Acquired Five Peaks Discussion."

"Rest assured, Sect Leader. Leave this matter to me."

With that, Jing Gong and several Guardian Elders eagerly walked over. After all, they were quite curious to see what these juniors would get up to.

Outside the main hall.

As Meow King led the group of True Disciples from the Cyan Cloud Sect into the fray, those of True Inheritance from Jade Void Mountain immediately braced themselves. Both sides assumed their stances, looking as if they would break into a fight at the slightest disagreement. Of course, a real fight wouldn’t actually break out. Both sides still knew their limits.

Yet, amidst this tense atmosphere, one person from each side remained completely detached from the situation.

On the Cyan Cloud Sect’s side, it was Lu Chen. Once his fellow disciples left their seats, he immediately set his sights on their unfinished wine jugs. Sneaking around, he became a Spirit Wine thief, pouring all their leftover Spirit Wine into his own mouth and gladly accepting it all.

It wasn’t that Lu Chen was being inconsiderate; he fully blamed the Sect Leader for not providing enough Cloud Brew. For the entire gathering, the Cyan Cloud Sect had only prepared twenty vats of wine. They were called vats, but they weren’t actually that large—one vat could only hold about a hundred cups of Cloud Brew. By all logic, twenty vats should have been more than enough for a typical banquet, as there were only a little over two hundred attendees present. Divided among them, the two thousand cups of Spirit Wine would allow each person to have ten cups. Furthermore, most people would only drink two or three cups and wouldn’t overindulge, so the Cyan Cloud Sect hadn’t over-prepared.

However, no one could have anticipated the presence of a massive drunkard like Lu Chen at this particular banquet.

Of the ten vats allocated to the Cyan Cloud Sect, nearly half had ended up in his stomach alone. The remaining half was split among the wine jugs of his fellow disciples. Since Lu Chen couldn’t exactly take the vats belonging to the Cultivators of Jade Void Mountain, he naturally targeted his own martial siblings. After all, this Cloud Brew could greatly boost his Cultivation!

[Name: Lu Chen]

[Cultivation: Peak of Qi Cultivation Stage 17,600/30,000]

While Lu Chen was busy being a Spirit Wine thief, someone from Jade Void Mountain was playing the role of a Spirit Fruit thief.

"Mmm... this is so delicious..."

Shangguan Yunmeng looked at her Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters who had stopped eating to argue. With a First Turn of her eyes, she set her sights on the mostly untouched special Spirit Fruits on their tables. She glanced at the Spirit Fruits, then at her arguing peers nearby. After a moment of thought, she stealthily reached out her hand, snatching the Spirit Fruits from her seniors’ tables with lightning speed before casually stuffing them into her mouth as if nothing had happened.

Her small hands moved so swiftly they left no trace, and her covert actions made it obvious she was a repeat offender.

However, just like the Cloud Brew, this special Spirit Fruit known as the ’Five Springs Fruit’ was also in limited supply at the banquet. Thus, after Shangguan Yunmeng finished secretly eating the Five Spirit Fruits of her nearby fellow disciples, she inevitably shifted her gaze to the tables further away. And so, completely unnoticed by the other Jade Void Mountain disciples, Shangguan Yunmeng went on a rampage as a Spirit Fruit thief. Wherever she passed, not a single fruit survived!

By both coincidence and inevitability, the Spirit Wine thief and the Spirit Fruit thief unsurprisingly crossed paths.

Lu Chen looked at Shangguan Yunmeng, who was happily munching on a Spirit Fruit, and proposed, "You help me get the Spirit Wine on your side, and I’ll help you get the Spirit Fruits on my side. How about it?"

Shangguan Yunmeng’s eyes lit up, and she mumbled through a mouthful of food, "D-Deal!"

The next second, the two divided the labor perfectly, each stealing the Spirit Fruits and Spirit Wine from their respective areas.

Since the disciples from both sides were now arguing at a fever pitch, with spit flying everywhere, the pair’s little scheme naturally went unnoticed. After all, compared to their sneaky operations, the intense verbal sparring between the two sects’ disciples was far more captivating!

After arguing for about half an Hour, Meow King slammed his paw on the table, pointing at the Jade Void Mountain Cultivators opposite him as he shouted, "Enough talk! We’ll see who’s better at the Acquired Five Peaks Discussion. Just wait to be thoroughly schooled by your Lord Meow!"

Hearing this, Li Xueke of Jade Void Mountain sneered. "Lord Meow? You’re nothing but a little orange cat that has just taken form. Who could you possibly school?"

The moment those words left her mouth, Meow King immediately bristled with anger. He leaped onto the table and glared viciously at Li Xueke.

"I’m warning you, I am an Ancient Tiger Demon, not the orange cat you claim me to be!

"Are you blind? Have you ever seen an orange cat with slanted eyes and a white forehead like mine!"

Li Xueke burst into laughter, completely unfazed and not feeling there was anything wrong with what she had said.

However, her laughter soon died in her throat.

Because Yi Hanqing... acted up again!

"You haven’t even comprehended Sword Intent at the Foundation Establishment Stage, yet you still have the nerve to laugh?"

"..."

Li Xueke’s expression froze. She stared at Yi Hanqing, speechless for a long time. Coming from him, those words were far too devastating.

What Yi Hanqing hadn’t expected, however, was that his words didn’t just inflict damage on Li Xueke; they also dealt a critical blow to the other Cyan Cloud Sect disciples in the hall who practiced the Sword Dao.

"How boring. Let’s wrap it up."

No one knew who started it, but the crowd suddenly dispersed, with everyone returning to their respective seats.

Watching the crowd scatter, Yi Hanqing’s face was filled with confusion. He wondered what had happened and if he had said something wrong again.

Seeing this, Meow, who knew Yi Hanqing very well, stood on the table and patted his shoulder with an expression of absolute awe. "We really have to hand it to you, Brother Yi. Once you open that mouth of yours, you truly don’t distinguish between friend and foe. You treat everyone equally."

With that, Meow headed back to his seat, leaving Yi Hanqing standing alone in bewilderment, completely unaware of what had just happened.

But as soon as Meow King sat back down, he suddenly shouted in outrage. He had just discovered that the Five Springs Fruit he specifically saved for later... was gone!

"Where’s my fruit? Where did my massive Five Springs Fruit go? Who ate my Five Springs Fruit?!"

Soon, similar situations erupted all over the hall.

"Where’s my wine? Didn’t my jug still have more than half of its Spirit Wine left? Where did it go?"

"Wait, I haven’t even touched my Spirit Fruit or Spirit Wine yet! How did they all disappear? Who would do something so wicked?!"

Hearing the complaints around them, Lu Chen and Shangguan Yunmeng subconsciously exchanged a glance from a distance. Then, feeling incredibly guilty, they both lowered their heads and played ostrich. Had leaving the hall not been too obvious right now, the two of them would have probably bolted long ago.

Perhaps their techniques were just too professional, or perhaps the disciples of both sects had been too deeply engrossed in their argument. Ultimately, no one had noticed their misdeeds.

Left with no other choice, the Cyan Cloud Sect’s Sect Leader, Gu Liqing, stepped in and procured another batch of Five Springs Fruits and Cloud Brew.

However, as Gu Liqing walked past the outer area of the hall, he gave Lu Chen a profoundly meaningful look, followed by a glance at Shangguan Yunmeng on the other side.

The meaning conveyed in his eyes... was self-evident. They actually dared to steal other disciples’ Spirit Fruits and Spirit Wine right in front of him, the dignified Sect Leader. He would let the girl from Jade Void Mountain off the hook since she wasn’t one of his, making it awkward for him to discipline her. But Lu Chen was a different story. The young rascal just had to wait until the guests left to see how he would have a nice, long chat with him...

Breaking into a cold sweat. With just a simple glance from Gu Liqing, Lu Chen instantly broke into a heavy, cold sweat.

However, when he checked his interface, that feeling of guilt was quickly washed away by joy.

[Name: Lu Chen]

[Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Perfection (30,000/30,000)]

Although he might be ruthlessly reckoned with by the Sect Leader later, he absolutely did not lose out on this wave of profit!

...

PS: Day 20 of releasing 10k words daily. The transition is just about done, and next up is a new mini-arc.

I wrote the wrong title, so Pang Hu will talk to the editor tomorrow and ask for permission to change it.