Chapter 1013: Conflict
When Li Luo"s group arrived at the scene, the tension that had built up was broken as both parties stared at them.
"Li Luo, you"ve returned? Are you alright?" Standing behind Li Lingjing was Li Fuling, who had taken the initiative to check on him. Unfortunately, this was immediately followed by a tone of displeasure. "You brat. Why did you not wait for us? This place is full of dangers and there are countless factions and rogue cultivators around. Do you think that becoming a three-pearl gives you the right to roam freely?"
At the same time, she turned towards the silent Li Lingjing and sighed. "If you had not returned, I think Cousin Lingjing would have started a ma.s.sacre in search of you."
A hint of lingering fear could be seen in her eyes. When Li Lingjing heard that Li Wuyuan had let Li Luo run off on his own, the two had burst into a fight, and her cruel moves caused cold sweat to form on everyone"s backs.
They had no doubt that if she had found a flaw in his defenses, Li Wuyuan would have been slain regardless of the consequences. Li Lingjing"s fair and beautiful face seemed to have become incomparably calm as she turned towards Li Luo. "You"re back."
The murderous intent that was emitting from her eyes dissipated.
Li Luo apologetically replied, "I"m sorry, I"ve made you worry. I received an old friend"s distress call and time was tight. I could not afford to wait, so I left on my own."
Li Lingjing nodded. "So long as you"re fine, then everything is fine."
Alas, while she was speaking, Li Wuyuan"s face turned even gloomier and he fumed. "Li Lingjing, are you insane? Were you trying to kill me?!" He raised his hand, which had turned inky black. All of the flesh and blood had been afflicted with poison, and he was hurriedly circulating resonant power to counteract the insidious energy that was invading his body.
He was both shocked and angry. The previous brief confrontation had shown that he was at a disadvantage when pitted against her. The nine-pearl tier was so domineering that it made his heart palpitate just thinking about it.
Li Lingjing shot him a glance as she indifferently asked, "Aren"t you alive though?"
Li Wuyuan continued in an exasperated tone, "Li Luo left on his own. Why are you venting your anger on me? I was guarding the perimeter, all for the sake of preventing other parties from entering the treasure trove. What"s wrong with that?"
"I think you were more concerned about the possibility of me taking all the treasures and thus you remained to keep an eye on me," Li Lingjing retorted.
"Additionally, even if you didn"t want to follow Li Luo, arranging for a few higher stage cultivators wouldn"t have been difficult. Instead, you stood by idly and watched them leave on their own. Do you think that no one knows of your machinations?"
Li Wuyuan paused for a moment. When Li Luo left, he indeed did not send anyone after him, and it was precisely due to his own selfish motivations. However, there was no proof of that, and he wasn"t dumb enough to admit it.
"That"s just your a.s.sumption," Li Wuyuan coldly replied.
"Alright, enough, enough." Li Luo waved his hand and interrupted the two bickering parties with a smile. "Everything is over now."
"Do you think that things are over just because you said so? She just tried to kill a teammate. When we return, I will definitely report you and get you the punishment you deserve," Li Wuyuan continued.
Li Luo couldn"t be bothered either, so he casually replied, "If you don"t let things go now, we will have to go our separate ways and rely on ourselves.
"Also, Cousin Lingjing is from the Dragon"s Fang Lineage. It"s not up to the Dragon"s Blood Lineage to determine her punishment."
"You!" Li Wuyuan was incensed and his frustration reached its peak. On the past expeditions, the Dragon"s Blood Lineage was always the leader of the group. However, Li Luo and Li Lingjing had popped up and had completely ruined his majesty and influence over the rest.
"Li Luo, do you really wish to split the team apart? Do you think that will be beneficial to you? Your enmity with Qin Yi is deep—do you think she will let you off?" Li Hongli threatened.
Li Luo then flashed her a smile as he pointed at Lu Qing"er and the rest. "Come on, let me introduce her to everyone here. This immortal fairy who possesses looks superior to yours is known as Lu Qing"er. She"s from the Golden Dragon Bank and my old friend. I just rescued her, and now she will repay the favor by working together with us."
Lu Qing"er rolled her eyes at Li Luo. The brat didn"t mince words when he truly wanted to hurt others.
Although Li Hongli"s chest was heaving heavily in anger at Li Luo"s insolent words, she could not keep her eyes off Lu Qing"er. She was from the Golden Dragon Bank?
Li Wuyuan, Li Qingfeng, and the other men turned towards the newcomer in the indigo dress who carried a n.o.ble presence.
The moment their eyes fell upon her, undeniable shock flickered in their gazes.
This young lady was the perfect example of what it meant to be a beauty, with sparkling, smooth, and radiant skin.
Her raven-black hair fell like a waterfall across her back, reaching her waist. And she had a pair of long and slender legs covered by pristine, white stockings. Yet they seemed to pale in comparison to her snowy skin.
The young lady in front of them truly had an exquisite appearance. Most importantly, she gave off a solitary air and seemed as frosty as a snow lotus, giving one the feeling that she was untouchable.
Her demeanor was in no way worse than that of the legendary Fairy of Water Qin Yi.
These were the thoughts that immediately flashed through their minds.
Li Wuyuan took the opportunity to speak after being left speechless for quite a few breaths of time. "Greetings, my lady. I understand you come from the Golden Dragon Bank? Are you from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent"s headquarters?"
As his gaze swept past Lu Qing"er, it landed on Elder Sister Jin momentarily, and he noticed that the energy power fluctuations coming off of her were no weaker than his.
“Does Li Luo actually possess such a close relationship with the people from the Golden Dragon Bank?”
When faced with his curious gaze, Lu Qing"er merely smiled. "I"m not from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent"s Golden Dragon Bank."
Li Hongli, who had some pent-up frustration in her heart since the beginning, snorted lightly before she contemptuously said, "Could you have come from some affiliated branch of the Golden Dragon Bank? Are people like you capable of representing the Golden Dragon Bank?"
When Elder Sister Jin heard her rude words, she nonchalantly retorted, "My Young Mistress is indeed not from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent headquarters. She comes from Golden Dragon Mountain itself. Are you saying that she is unsuited to represent the Golden Dragon Bank?"
"Golden Dragon Mountain?!" The words struck the crowd like a bolt of lightning. Everyone, Li Wuyuan, Li Hongli, and Li Fuling included, were left with expressions of shock.
Clearly, they all understood the implications of what it meant to be from Golden Dragon Mountain. That was the true core of the bank.
However, Golden Dragon Mountain was not on Heavenly Origin Divine Continent and thus they rarely saw anyone from there.
"And your surname is Lu?" Li Wuyuan asked with an unsettled tone as he suddenly seemed to have remembered something. He knew that amongst the families that occupied Golden Dragon Mountain, the Lu family belonged to the upper echelons and held a lofty and prestigious position. At that moment, Lu Qing"er stretched out her hand wrapped in ice silk gloves, and a golden plaque appeared in the midst of her palm. The plaque was engraved with a golden dragon, and the character "Lu" was engraved right in the center, radiating an aura of tyranny that everyone present could feel.
At this point, Li Wuyuan fell silent once again. The young lady before him had shown indisputable proof that she was from Golden Dragon Mountain. This was rarely seen.
A trace of a smile appeared on Lu Qing"er"s delicate and flawless face, a smile capable of moving everyone"s hearts. "Li Luo is an old friend of mine and our relationship runs deep, one that we are willing to risk life and death for. When I was in danger, he came to my rescue regardless of the situation. Now that he needs help, I will naturally reciprocate in any way I can."
The gazes of the crowd turned a little complicated upon hearing her straightforward words. Just what sort of relationship existed between them? Hadn"t Li Luo spent his time languishing in the outer divine continent? How could he have gotten to know someone from Golden Dragon Mountain?
Additionally, with Lu Qing"er"s support, Li Luo"s lineup was even stronger than before.
Even if the Bloodlines of Heavenly Emperor Qing and Zhao joined forces, they would surely be able to hold them off.
At that point, if they were to find an Origin Enlightenment Fruit in the Spiritual Resonance Treasured Garden, they would actually possess the strength to compete for it.
With this train of thought, Li Wuyuan sighed lightly and flashed the biggest smile he could. "What Lineage Brother Li Luo just said makes a lot of sense. I acted inappropriately previously, and it was right of you to point it out. At the end of the day, the Spiritual Resonance Treasured Garden is the final goal for everyone here. I believe we should do our best and work together harmoniously, all so that we are able to become the eventual winners."
When the rest of the group heard his words, they knew that Li Wuyuan had chosen to give in.
Alas, it was unfortunate that the repeated setbacks had caused his once unquestionable voice and position as the leader to gradually erode with each defeat.