White-Robed Chief

So, Chu Li sat down on the cattail hassock in front of his house and started to chant. He decided to chant the Avatamsaka Sutra, which had a lengthy lection and it was one where very few people could finish chanting it in one go.

However, the sound of his chanting was barely audible. Even a martial arts master would have to listen very carefully to catch what he was chanting.

Zhou Huang had intended to leave so that he could put his mind at ease by removing Chu Li from his sight. After all, he did not wish to see Chu Li abusing that entire garden of Golden Glow Grass but he could not stop worrying about the spirit herbs. So, he did not wander off very far. When he heard the sound of Chu Li chanting, he could suddenly feel his heart calm down.

“Hm, he does have a knack for this!” Zhou Huang was shocked since he did not expect that Chu Li could chant Buddhist scriptures so well that he would calm down the moment he heard his chanting.

He had encountered many senior monks and had experienced the effects of their chanting. Those who were able to calm the hearts of others the moment they started chanting were mostly people of great virtue. Could Zhao Dahe’s chanting be that effective after all?

As he thought of this, he started to look forward to the outcome.

He had always believed firmly that spirit herbs had their own spirit and consciousness, that these plants were not as emotionless as most people thought.

Since Zhao Dahe’s chanting could calm a person’s heart, it might be able to calm the spirit herbs too. In that case, perhaps it could really produce a miraculous effect on the herbs. If did he manage to make the spirit herbs ripen faster, he would become a great pioneer in this area.

After two hours of chanting, Chu Li went back into his house and continued to cultivate.

In the morning the next day, when he came to the Flavorful Tower, he noticed Sun Lihua and her friends.

Song Donglin waved his hand to greet him. After Chu Li waved back, he brought a tray of food over to join them at their table.

Mo Cuicui shot him an unpleasant look and gave him a sidelong glance without greeting him.

Sun Lihua, on the other hand, gave him a friendly smile and asked, “Junior Brother Zhao, could you really cultivate the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture?”

“I’ve already started cultivating it!” Chu Li replied with a smile and then turned to Mo Cuicui before he curled his lip into a sneer. “If your dad messes with me again, I’ll go and meet the Saint at once. We shall see what happens to him then!”

“You should stop being so smug!” Mo Cuicui scoffed. “Sooner or later, you’ll run out of luck!”

“Sure, I’ll wait and see when I’ll be running out of luck!” Chu Li gave a proud laugh. “You and your people must’ve thought that you were very smart to have been able to set me up. You didn’t expect that I would have a trump card and that I was just waiting for you to make a move. Haha! Haha!”

He seemed pleased with himself as he laughed loudly.

When he noticed the upset look on Mo Cuicui’s face, Chu Li laughed even more heartily and smugly.

Having exchanged glances, Sun Lihua and Song Donglin shook their heads in resignation.

They, too, had been very surprised by this turn of events. They had not expected Zhao Dahe, who had seemed so simple-minded and straightforward, to be capable of strategizing so well.

He had kept his trump card hidden until his enemies had made a false charge against him so that he could use that information against them. By doing so, he had gotten a hold over Qin Huaichuan and Mo Cuicui.

Considering that he had successfully cultivated the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture, he had profited greatly from the situation despite having been demoted from the Sutra Library to the Spirit Medicine Nursery.

The Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture was superior to all the martial arts available in the Sutra Library, and so, he would not have managed to learn an antique study like this even if he had stayed at the Sutra Library.

Although Qin Huaichuan had been transmitting the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture to others as though it was not that valuable, the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture was the signature mystical art of the Reincarnation Temple in the Qiu Dynasty. Therefore, it was a very valuable martial art.

They had all suspected that it might have been because of Qin Huaichuan that no one had been able to cultivate the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture before this. He might have withheld parts of the scripture while transmitting it to the others, which would explain why everyone else had failed to cultivate it.

As for what had happened when he agreed to transmit the martial art to Zhao Dahe yesterday, it was not Qin Huaichuan who had transmitted it to him after all. Instead, Zhao Dahe was the one who had acquired the complete martial art from Qin Huaichuan. Thus, he could cultivate it.

All disciples of the Holy Church of Light had an exceptional aptitude, so they should not be inferior to the disciples of the Reincarnation Temple in terms of aptitude. However, since the disciples of the Reincarnation Temple could cultivate this scripture, how was it possible that none of them had been able to do so too?

If Zhao Dahe had not gotten a hold over Qin Huaichuan, it would have been impossible for Qin Huaichuan to agree to let Zhao Dahe acquire the scripture from him. In return, it would not have allowed Zhao Dahe to obtain the complete legacy and to cultivate the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture successfully.

If one were to think about this carefully, Junior Brother Zhao was clearly the one with great intelligence and was truly adept at trickery. By hiding behind a short-tempered and unsophisticated facade, it was all the more impossible for others to guard against him effectively. With that, he was able to plot against Qin Huaichuan and the others this time.

Mo Cuicui lowered her head as she picked up a slice of beef with her chopsticks and chewed on it angrily, pretending that it was Chu Li. How she wished she could stab Chu Li to death with a chopstick!

Chu Li suddenly lifted his gaze and shouted, “Senior Brother Qin!”

Qin Huaichuan and Meng Luo were just about to enter the Flavorful Tower when they heard him calling out to them. Immediately, they turned around to leave.

Chu Li continued to shout, “Senior Brother Qin Huaichuan, don’t leave!”

His voice overpowered every conversation in the Flavorful Tower.

When everyone else heard him, they looked at him. Then, as they followed the direction of his wave, they turned their gaze to Qin Huaichuan.

All of them had heard about the incident where Qin Huaichuan had played a dirty trick to get Zhao Dahe reassigned to the Spirit Medicine Nursery, so they did not expect to see the two of them getting along so well and addressing each other in such a friendly manner. Could it be that they had decided to smile and forget their animosity?

Under the riveting gaze of the crowd, Chu Li smiled and said, “Senior Brother Qin, you aren’t trying to avoid me, are you?”

“Of course not,” Qin Huaichuan replied with a faint smile while he shook his head. “I’m already full, so I was just about to leave.”

“Haha, you just came in though. You haven’t even eaten and you’re already full!” Chu Li chuckled. “Is it possible to feel full at the smell of food? Well then, that’s rather convenient!”

Qin Huaichuan shook his head and laughed awkwardly as he slowly walked over to Chu Li.

Meanwhile, Meng Luo kept a glare at Chu Li.

After putting down his chopsticks, Chu Li gave a fist salute as he said, “Senior Brother Qin, I’m truly grateful towards you!”

Qin Huaichuan smiled and replied, “We all belong to the same sect. You don’t have to thank me for anything.”

Chu Li shook his head. “If it hadn’t been for Senior Brother Qin’s generosity, I would not have been able to cultivate the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture. Although this scripture is profound and mysterious, I’ve figured out the method of cultivating it. But I’m not sure what magical effects it has, so I still have a lot to learn from Senior Brother Qin. I’m sure you won’t mind giving me a few pointers on this!”

“Hehe…” Qin Huaichuan laughed. “I’m an amateur in this too. Back then, I obtained this scripture through a fortuitous encounter. I had to figure out how to use it on my own as well.”

“Well then, is Senior Brother Qin refusing to advise me on this?” Chu Li narrowed his eyes as he took out a white jade tag from his inner pocket and gently caressed it.

Qin Huaichuan’s face stiffened for a moment. Then, he proceeded to smile. “I can’t offer you much guidance, but I don’t mind practicing it with you.”

Chu Li chuckled as he placed the white jade tag back into his inner pocket. “That’s good. Senior Brother Qin is truly a person who adapts well to his situation. I’m very impressed!”

“Zhao Dahe, you better not go too far with this!” Meng Luo retorted with an angry huff.

When he saw how Senior Brother Qin was being controlled and threatened by this vile Zhao Dahe, he was so furious that he felt like his lungs were about to explode.

Chu Li narrowed his eyes and eyed Meng Luo before he shook his head. “If you’re going to continue to stay by Senior Brother Qin’s side, then you’ll have to be careful. Cui Da is an example of what can happen to you. Where is he now? How has he been punished by the torture chamber?”

Qin Huaichuan sighed. “Junior Brother Cui has been crippled of his cultivation and has been driven out of the Great Light Peak.”

Chu Li laughed happily. “A well-deserved punishment! I heard that both of Cui Da’s parents are seniors in the Holy Church of Light. They’ll certainly seek revenge against me, and that’s exactly what Senior Brother Qin is hoping to see, right? This trick of getting someone else to do your dirty work comes so naturally to you now. Very impressive indeed!”

Qin Huaichuan kept a straight face. He then shook his head as he replied, “I didn’t expect Junior Brother Cui to be so extreme in his actions. I’m sure he’s regretting it now. He has met such an unfortunate end because of what he has done in a fit of anger. It wasn’t worth it!”

“Senior Brother Qin is a man with principles after all!” Chu Li gave him a thumbs up.

“Senior Brother Qin, let’s go,” Meng Luo said with a sharp sigh.

Qin Huaichuan nodded and smiled faintly. “Junior Brother Zhao, I should be the one feeling impressed. That was a neat trick!”

Chu Li waved a hand dismissively while he laughed proudly. “I was initially planning to use it to deal with Altar Leader Mo. I didn’t expect you to get yourself involved in this. I can only say that you’re very unlucky. Haha!”

Seemingly unaffected by Chu Li’s words, Qin Huaichuan he smiled and gave a fist salute before he turned to leave.

Meng Luo gritted his teeth while he glared at Chu Li. Then, he followed closely behind Qin Huaichuan and left.

Chu Li laughed heartily again in a smug manner.