The Emperor Reigns Them All

Chapter 159 I Won’t Bully You

Mu Qingliu, the Taoist in white robe, looked up to the sky in the east as he walked out of the villa, then shifted his horsetail whisk to another side and sighed.

“I heard that the new commissioner of Pinglu, Li Ye, has arrived in Qi Prefecture. He suppressed both the Wu family and the Huafuzhu Mountain sect in one day, and has gained control over the court and the Jianghu of Qi Prefecture.”

“In just one day...”

“This Prince An might be a newcomer, but he’s definitely not to be underestimated. It’s truly impressive for a young man in his early twenties to be so experienced and vicious, surprising everyone with his actions before they even realized he’d taken any.”

He was impressive indeed, because not even the head of the Penglai sect had time to react.

Mu Qingliu also heard that Prince An established a department called the Black Office to gain control over the Jianghu of Pinglu, all sects must submit to them regardless of size or strength. If that was true, the Black Office would be even more formidable than the Imperial Astronomical Observatory!

“They are obviously trying to usurp Penglai!”

“But that’s not surprising. This Prince An wouldn’t be able to take down Wei Baoheng without using tricks, nor would he be able to take down the eunuchs Liu Xingshen and Han Wenyue in secret.”

“However... Penglai isn’t a sect that he can mess with so easily!”

“Both the Prime Minister and the eunuchs are too restricted by the rules in Chang’an. Meanwhile, us Penglai sect set the rules in Pinglu!” Mu Qingliu smiled at this thought.

“Since we set the rules, they are supposed to serve us instead of binding us.”

“That Li Ye created an uproar in Qi Prefecture only because he was able to catch us off guard. When he finally arrives in Qing Prefecture... He would have learned not to mess with us Penglai by the end of our gathering!”

“When the time comes, he’ll still have to respect us just like Wang Hanshan!”

Mu Qingliu felt much happier as he thought about these things. He climbed into the carriage waiting for him and left the mountain along the main road in front of the villa.

The guards at the gate looked at each other in dismay as they watched the Taoist from Penglai slowly turning from upset to cheerful, then left with much poise and a swing of his horsetail whisk.

The taller one, Kou Liu, stared at Mu Qingliu’s back and with admiration in his eyes, he asked, “What did it mean when that Taoist looked up in the sky, then sighed and laughed?”

The sturdier one, Kou Wu, bragged, “Do you really think you can understand what’s in their minds? Their every single action and word might seem to be ordinary, yet always has much deeper meaning behind it. It’s not something that commoners like us can understand! From what I heard, for trainers who have reached mid-level of Qi-refining like Taoist Mu, even their breathing and pacing may contain insights into the universe. Every single action from them could mean an enlightenment into the Great Tao!”

Kou Liu couldn’t hide his longing for such a level of training. He said, “Truly impressive! If only I could witness the grand scale and strength of the Penglai Immortal’s sect, I could die without regrets!”

Kou Wu laughed at him and said, “You want to visit the Immortal’s island? Stop dreaming! Only our master was invited to their gathering to seek the Immortal’s path. If he’s lucky, he might be bestowed with the gift from the Immortal’s sect and understand the techniques behind Taoist methods. For us, that’s not going to happen in this lifetime!”

They watched the carriage going down the main road as they chatted. Suddenly, they saw two men walking up the road. They stopped and stopped walking and saluted as the carriage came along. They seemed to be talking to the rider of the carriage.

“Fear not that you may not meet a good friend along the way, because who in the world wouldn’t know you. Wherever the Taoist of the Immortal’s sect goes, there will always be people greeting him...” Kou Liu’s tone was filled with admiration and respect.

They first saw Mu Qingliu opening the curtain and saying something to the two men, but what happened next left Kou Wu and Kou Liu staring open-mouthed in shock.

Of the two walking, one was a dark-skinned man who looked like the attendant. All of a sudden, that man took a step forward, reached out his arm, pulled Mu Qingliu out of the carriage by his collar and threw him ruthlessly to the ground.

The heavy thud stirred up a cloud of dust from the ground.

What was even more unimaginable to Kou Wu and Kou Liu was that, instead of fighting back immediately, Mu Qingliu held both his hands up high and begged for mercy!

Kou Wu swallowed and said, “That doesn’t look like the proper way of greeting...”

“Why didn’t Master Mu fight back? He’s a strong trainer with mid-level Qi-refining! Are those two men actually demons who have bewitched the master?” said Kou Liu in surprise, as if he just saw a ghost in daylight.

As the two guards continued watching in bewilderment, the dark-skinned man again lifted their much respected master of the Immortal’s sect by the collar. One moment ago, he was still the master who, in their eyes, could gain insights into the universe through his every action. Now, however, he was being hauled by that strong man to the villa like a helpless little chick, with the young man in a dark robe leading the way.

He was a Taoist from the Penglai sect, one whom even the master of Qingshui Villa must show much respect for, and one who always showed much poise and elegance in front of others. Now, however, he was like a piece of dry wood who did not dare move in the hand of that dark-skinned man. As he was dragged along the road, his feet dragged across the ground leaving a distinct mark on the ground.

Kou Wu immediately ran back to the villa to report the shocking scene he’d witnessed. A Taoist from Penglai was bewitched and beaten up by two human-looking demons, that would be big trouble for Qingshui Villa. If the Penglai sect was to blame Qingshui Villa for the lack of protection of their people, Qingshui Villa would be doomed.

Kou Liu summoned his spiritual sword and glared at the approaching party like a soldier in the face of a menacing enemy. He wanted to rush over and rescue the Taoist master with a heroic shout, to make a good impression before the Taoist master and further enlighten him on his training and insights into the Great Tao in the future!

But before Kou Liu even made his first move, his eyes locked with those of the childe in black robe. That stare caused Kou Liu, a practitioner at Level 1 of Qi-refining, to shudder. Within a matter of seconds, he felt his limbs go very numb and seemingly uncontrollable, as if he was cast with an immobilizing spell!

Kou Liu felt helpless and desperate. “Judging by that impressive demonic power, he must be a demon! I lost the ability to move just by meeting his eyes. No wonder the Taoist master suffered such a calamity...” It never occurred to him that this impressive power was a result of high-level training of Qi-refining, which would have an irresistable and oppressive effect on him.

In Kou Liu’s eyes, this childe in black robe looked fair and handsome, and that further confirmed his suspicion that he was a demon. To him, all the demons in Taoist legends looked harmless and human-like, especially the vicious and aggressive ones!

“Qingshui Villa?” Li Ye glanced at the board fixed at the main gate, then turned to Liu Dazheng, who was still holding Mu Qingliu by his collar, and said, “This elegant name bears the meaning of clear and beautiful waters, it doesn’t sound like something a soldier would come up with. Perhaps this villa was established by both the Penglai sect and Wang Hanshan?”

“Very likely so. It seems that even without much effort in Pinglu, the Penglai sect has already been executing their plans in secret. Perhaps they already have a power layout after all these years.” replied Liu Dazheng in all seriousness as he nodded and casually dropped Mu Qingliu to the floor.

“Possible.” agreed Li Ye.

Kou Liu was still numb all over. He stood stock still with one leg up. As if being frozen, his face had turned expressionless as well. He only managed to roll his eyes as he thought, “My goodness, who are these people! How can they tell this villa was built by Penglai and General Wang simply by its name? They must be demons, only demons can know everything merely through their senses! It’s going to be the end of this villa! We’re doomed!”

Luckily, Kou Wu just returned with their master, Wang Tong, and a few more practitioners. Kou Liu felt much more at ease upon seeing them. He thought, “Master! I’m controlled by demonic spells! Please save me now, I can’t feel my legs!”

Wang Tong glanced at Kou Liu, but did not save him from the so-called “demonic spell”.

“Who are you? How dare you disrespect this Taoist master right outside my Qingshui Villa?” questioned Wang Tong solemnly.

Li Ye smiled and asked, “You are the master of Qingshui Villa, Wang Tong?”

“That’s right! If we’ve offended you in any way, please let us know directly. We will make sure to give you our sincerest apologies if we were indeed at fault! If you in some trouble, do let us know if we can help in any way as well. We will try our best to assist you as long as it’s within our capabilities!” said Wang Tong firmly.

Upon hearing their master’s reply, Kou Liu was even more confused. “Master, they clearly were the ones who started the fight. Why on earth are you still so courteous to them? When such things happened in the past, didn’t you always teach them a painful lesson? What’s wrong with you today! Anyway, master, can you save me from his demonic spell first? My legs are too numb to support my body any longer!”

Wang Tong looked solemn and nervous. He did not dare act recklessly, and that wasn’t without reason. He knew Kou Liu was hit by their technique the moment he saw him standing there like a statue. He had also attempted to restore Kou Liu’s mobility by using his Spiritual Qi in secret. After all, Kou Liu’s one-legged pose was so unsightly and humiliating that even Wang Tong felt embarrassed standing next to him.

But Wang Tong’s Spiritual Qi was reflected back to him upon release. He even felt a heavy hit in his chest that almost made him spit blood!

Wang Tong knew he was confronting a master!

The opponent’s training was way beyond his level!

Wang Tong’s polite manners were the result of this sudden realization. Nonetheless, he left no impression of weakness in his words.

However, Li Ye gently shook his head and said to Wang Tong, “You’re not worth my time, call Wang Hanshan out.”

Wang Tong’s face turned red suddenly as he felt great humiliation! “He must have done some research to know that Wang Hanshan is here! Wang Hanshan can represent the strength of Pinglu army to some extent, and I’m sure he knows about that, too. Even so, knowing that Wang Hanshan is here, he still dares cause trouble?” he thought.

“Young man, may I know who you are? Do you really think you can intimidate Qingshui Villa at your whim?” Wang Tong asked in a deep, heavy voice as he stared at Li Ye.

“Intimidate? Don’t get me wrong, I won’t do that. You aren’t even eligible for that.” replied Li Ye, laughing a little because he couldn’t help himself.

Hearing those remarks, Wang Tong became even more furious. He could no longer stay silent, not when he was humilated at his own front door! With that thought, he charged towards Li Ye!

But Wang Tong could no longer move the moment he raised one leg!

He wasn’t the only one affected. All the other practitioners he brought along had turned to stone as well!

Wang Tong stared at Li Ye in disbelief, then shifted his gaze onto Liu Dazheng behind him, and could no longer hide the fear in his eyes.

Everyone looked as if they had seen a ghost as they all focused on Li Ye. Under their attention, Li Ye walked up the stone steps with hands clasped behind his back. He reached out his hand and took down the name board of Qingshui Villa, then slammed it against the ground and broke it into pieces. Afterwards, he sauntered into the villa as if nobody was there and said, “Qingshui Villa? From today, there’ll be no such place in the Jianghu.”

Kou Liu’s eyeballs moved to the corners of his eyes as he watched Li Ye and Liu Dazheng enter the villa.

Seeing Wang Tong standing still in the same pose as him, he had more questions in his mind. “Master, what are you doing? You’re a master at Level 4 of Qi-refining! I don’t mind if you ignore me, but how can you end up just like me? Why are you not beating them up? They’re already in the villa! Haven’t you been humiliated enough?”

Had Wang Tong been able to read Kou Liu’s mind, he would definitely slap him with all his might.

He wanted to move just as badly as Kou Liu, if not more. He surely didn’t want to be humilated, but those two intruders were both at high levels of Qi-refining! That dark-skinned man might not look like a master, but his training had probably reached Level 8 of Qi-refining! In that case, how could someone at Level 4 be his match and win over their respect?

Wang Hanshan was busy scolding his son. That’s why he didn’t come out with Wang Tong.

Wang Hanshan thought that even if there was really some reckless fellow trying to cause trouble in Qingshui Villa, he would apologize and run away immediately after knowing he was there!

So he decided to teach his son a lesson first.

Wang Hanshan slapped Wang Lingyu angrily and said, “You prodigal son! What else can you do besides causing me no end of trouble? Your level of training is too poor, that’s why I told you not to attend the gathering at Penglai, but you stole out of the house to find me and ended up being beaten into a pulp on the way there! You asked me to send people to avenge you, and I did what you asked, but now you are complaining that those people were too weak! You’d better explain yourself! One of them is at Level 4 of Qi-refining, while the other is at Level 5. How are they weak to you? They can beat up hundreds of weaklings like you single-handedly!”

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