Chapter 280: Chapter 277: You’re Taking Me With You Too?

Originally, Li Ping had been smiling, listening to his juniors reminisce about the past and look toward the future. The atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious and warm.

But a sarcastic, unpleasant voice shattered the warmth in the private room.

He looked up at the newcomer, slightly displeased. Although the man’s appearance had changed somewhat and he had aged a bit, Li Ping recognized him instantly.

This was none other than Fenglan Master’s disciple, Ye Chen—the one who had used a Demon Cultivator to kill the Wang family’s old ancestor, plunging the Wang family into an abyss.

Back then, Dai Sangyu had also sent him and Xiong Pohai to "invite" Li Ping to Cyan Dragon Mountain. Their attitude during the process had been quite rude, and Li Ping had quietly held a grudge for their offense.

However, Li Ping remembered that after Fenglan Master and his disciple met their end, Ye Chen had been treated as a remnant of Dai Sangyu’s faction by Meng Qingyi and unceremoniously shipped off to the battlefields of the Yan Kingdom.

He hadn’t expected that not only had Ye Chen survived, but he was also thriving, wearing a look of smug satisfaction.

In truth, by causing the death of the Wang family’s old ancestor, Ye Chen had indirectly helped Li Ping get his revenge. On top of that, the Tier Three Alchemist’s legacy that Ye Chen had used to trade with the Demon Cultivator had also fallen into Li Ping’s hands.

Li Ping later used the Jade Scroll left behind by the Demon Cultivator to screw him over badly, and he considered the karma between them settled. He hadn’t pursued the matter any further.

’And now he’s come knocking on my door himself?’

’Does he have any idea there’s a Core Formation Master in this room?’

Li Ping set down his wine cup with great interest and watched quietly to see how things would unfold.

Hearing that Ye Chen was there to cause trouble for him, Gumu Sheng immediately stood up with a frown. He forced a smile and said, "Senior Brother Ye, I’m a bit busy right now. Could we perhaps discuss this tomorrow?"

Gumu Sheng knew Ye Chen would cause problems; he had even prepared a proper plan to deal with him.

At any other time, he wouldn’t have minded arguing it out with Ye Chen.

But right now, he was hosting his big brother and had no time to get entangled with Ye Chen over some accounts.

If he went with Ye Chen to investigate the accounts and left his big brother hanging here, his big brother would lose face and be put in an awkward position.

At the same time, however, he didn’t want to have a complete falling out with Ye Chen, so he offered him a way out.

He was busy now. They could talk tomorrow, and he would make sure the outcome was satisfactory.

But what Gumu Sheng didn’t know was that Ye Chen had deliberately chosen this moment, while he was hosting his big brother, to come and put him in his place!

The memory of him and Xiong Pohai facing life and death in the Yan Kingdom while Gumu Sheng and the others were living leisurely in the Immortal City made hatred well up inside Ye Chen.

What’s more, if it hadn’t been for the Meng family reporting him, he wouldn’t have been thrown into a dungeon by Fenglan Master and reduced to a death-row soldier. His hatred for Meng Qingyi was even greater!

Fortunately, it was a blessing in disguise.

Although he and Xiong Pohai had faced many dangers in the Yan Kingdom, they were also fortunate enough to build a connection with the Cultivators from Purple Cloud Valley during the great war.

After the war ended and they returned to the Immortal City, they could no longer enter the city’s core circle of power, but relying on their connection to Purple Cloud Valley, they not only established a firm foothold in the Immortal City but also constantly spread rumors through Cultivators they knew from the three sects, trying to use their power to completely topple Meng Qingyi.

In fact, the reason the three sects were now entertaining the idea of directly controlling the Immortal City was inextricably linked to his repeated instigations behind the scenes.

And once the three sects were tempted, he immediately volunteered to be their vanguard and clear away all obstacles.

As it happened, the three sects were also worried that forcefully intervening in the Immortal City’s affairs would attract the attention of the Daoist Guardian Alliance, so they couldn’t have been happier when he and Xiong Pohai volunteered to step up and challenge Meng Qingyi.

To ensure a smooth seizure of power, Purple Cloud Valley had even sent an Inspector over some time ago to coordinate with the two of them.

Seeing that he was about to topple the Meng family and return to the Immortal City’s core circle of power, Ye Chen was in high spirits.

In his eyes, Meng Qingyi, Gumu Sheng, and Zhang Tie were all nothing but bones in a tomb—already defeated.

He was here tonight to show off his power!

"I do whatever the hell I want. Who needs you to give me a way out?" He glanced at Gumu Sheng, his eyes filled with disdain.

Then, his gaze swept over everyone present, just as full of contempt. His eyes lingered for a moment on Li Ping and Wang Xingwei, who were at the Mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

But that was all.

’Mid-stage Foundation Establishment... so what if their cultivation is higher than mine?’

’I have Purple Cloud Valley behind me—a Core Formation senior from Purple Cloud Valley.’

’A mere Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator... Heh!’

With that thought, he said rudely, "Junior Brother Gu, I’m not negotiating with you. Let’s go now. Inspector Huang from Purple Cloud Valley is waiting for you!"

To prevent Gumu Sheng from talking back again, Ye Chen directly brought up the Inspector from Purple Cloud Valley.

Seeing him being so disrespectful, even with Gumu Sheng’s smooth and tactful personality, anger couldn’t help but rise in his heart. His voice turned cold. "Senior Brother Ye, according to the Immortal City’s rules, you don’t seem to have the authority to investigate me. Do you have a handwritten order from the Sect Leader? Do you have conclusive evidence?"

The Cultivation Realm was a place where the strong preyed on the weak, but as long as all pretenses hadn’t been torn away, one still had to follow the rules within the Immortal City.

Gumu Sheng was confident that his books were in perfect order; it would be impossible for Ye Chen to find any problems. His confidence was well-founded.

"I have no authority? You want evidence, is that it?" Ye Chen sneered.

He wasn’t a reckless brute. Even if he wanted to show off, he wouldn’t give anyone ammunition to use against him.

The reason he’d come tonight was precisely that he had discovered evidence of Gumu Sheng abusing his power for personal gain and harming the interests of the Immortal City.

With a sneer, he took out a Jade Scroll from his Storage Bag. "Junior Brother Gu, you took a batch of Spiritual Materials from the Ten Thousand Laws Pavilion in the last two days, didn’t you? According to the Immortal City’s rules, the Ten Thousand Laws Pavilion is supposed to refine acquired Spiritual Materials into finished products for sale. They are not allowed to sell raw Spiritual Materials directly. And even if they do, it should be at a high price!"

Ye Chen looked aggressively at Gumu Sheng. "But the price you sold this batch of Spiritual Materials for was basically at cost. The Ten Thousand Laws Pavilion made almost no profit and may have even taken a small loss. How do you explain this?"

Hearing this, Gumu Sheng’s expression turned ugly.

The batch of Spiritual Materials Ye Chen mentioned was actually what his big brother needed. Because it was a rush job, he hadn’t had time to doctor the accounts yet.

But by the same token, he hadn’t even recorded it in the books at all. The original records were still in his Storage Bag.

Other than himself and the trusted assistant who handled the matter, no one else should have known about this.

Gumu Sheng had not only groomed this trusted assistant for many years but had also married his daughter to him. One could say his benevolence toward him was as weighty as a mountain.

Yet now, Ye Chen was able to produce the records and even state the exact price.

’Either he performed Soul Searching on my son-in-law, or my son-in-law betrayed me.’

Neither possibility was something Gumu Sheng wanted to face.

Seeing the ugly look on Gumu Sheng’s face, Zhang Tie quickly stood up with a smile to smooth things over. "Senior Brother Ye, we’re all fellow disciples here. There’s no need to make a scene..."

But before he could finish, Ye Chen cut him off with a cold shout, "A scene? The Immortal City has failed to develop precisely because of parasites like you! How can the Immortal City prosper with a bunch of vermin like you around! Today, I must get to the bottom of this!"

As he spoke, he put on a righteous and awe-inspiring expression.

If not for the fact that every Foundation Establishment Cultivator present knew he had caused the death of the Wang family’s old ancestor and stolen a Tier Three legacy from the Secret Skill Pavilion, they might have actually mistaken him for some great, upstanding person.

"You..." Zhang Tie was furious. He hadn’t expected Ye Chen to lash out indiscriminately like a mad dog.

At that moment, Gumu Sheng took a deep breath, stared at Ye Chen, and asked, "How is Shi Lang?"

Shi Lang was the name of his son-in-law, the assistant he had groomed for many years.

"Shi Lang, you ask? Oh, he’s much better now." As Ye Chen spoke, a strange smile suddenly appeared on his face. "If it weren’t for your ’good’ assistant abandoning the dark to embrace the light, how would I have ever gotten a hold on you?"

Hearing this, Gumu Sheng was finally certain. Shi Lang had not only turned traitor but had also turned around and falsely accused him. He had been wrong about the man.

"Fine, I’ll go with you." He cast aside all other thoughts and nodded calmly.

Stopping Zhang Tie and Cheng Yao, who were about to speak, Gumu Sheng looked at Li Ping with an apologetic expression. "Big Brother, I must take my leave for now. You all continue the gathering. In a few days, after this is resolved, I’ll come and apologize properly."

Li Ping was taken aback. He just smiled and shook his head. "The wine isn’t finished. Where are you going? Sit down."

Ye Chen looked at Li Ping. Cultivators all had eidetic memories; he had actually recognized Li Ping the moment he walked in.

This Loose Cultivator, whose strength had once been lower than his own, had now cultivated to Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, surpassing him. With Ye Chen’s petty nature, how could he not feel a knot of resentment in his heart?

Now, hearing Li Ping speak with such complete disregard for him, an inexplicable rage flared up in his heart.

Ye Chen’s face darkened as he looked at Li Ping and said coldly, "Li Ping, is it? By interfering, are you showing contempt for my Immortal City? Or are you also involved in Gumu Sheng’s case?"

He couldn’t deal with a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator himself, but Senior Brother Xiong could, and Purple Cloud Valley could.

A mere Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator... he refused to believe Li Ping would be reckless enough to oppose the Immortal City.

Li Ping waved his hand, gesturing for Gumu Sheng to sit down, indicating that he would handle everything.

Gumu Sheng was anxious, worried his big brother would be implicated. But since Li Ping had told him to sit, he could only comply.

As he sat down, a thought suddenly struck him, and he remembered something else.

Inspector Huang’s cultivation partner had some connection to his big brother. Perhaps Big Brother could use this connection to resolve the matter.

’Big Brother is about to reveal this connection, isn’t he,’ Gumu Sheng thought to himself.

But to his surprise, faced with the accusation Ye Chen had thrown at him, his big brother simply nodded and admitted frankly, "You’re right. The batch of Spiritual Materials you’re investigating is in my possession. To be precise, I purchased this batch from the Ten Thousand Laws Pavilion through Gumu Sheng."

Hearing this, Ye Chen was overjoyed. He had originally just wanted to use this charge to scare Li Ping off, but he never expected Li Ping to be "foolish" enough to admit it himself.

He pointed a finger at Li Ping, making "tsk tsk" sounds. "Well, well! The culprit has exposed himself! Gumu Sheng is one, and now you. Today, I will rid the Immortal City of a great menace! I..."

At first, he spoke with great excitement, but as he continued, his voice involuntarily grew softer, until finally, his lips were just moving without a single sound coming out.

Because... Li Ping was no longer deliberately suppressing his aura.

At that moment, the full pressure of a Core Formation Cultivator was completely unleashed, enveloping Ye Chen.

Li Ping gazed at Ye Chen with a half-smile. "From what I’m hearing, you intend to take me away as well?"

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