Chapter 257: Chapter 252: I Want to Ask Master
The figure wearing a conical hat forced his way in, a seemingly invisible resistance constantly hindering his progress, yet it proved futile.
Ripples spread out, causing a sudden rise in the wind, brushing the light silks.
"A crude martial artist who can’t speak eloquently."
The expression on the beautiful woman’s face darkened slightly as she spoke irritably, "You should be rowing your boat, why come here?"
It seemed Elder Kaiyang’s boat rowing was known even to outsiders.
Only Ling Wujue was still in the dark.
No wonder Elder Kaiyang had lost his temper.
Or maybe...
Jiang Li turned around, his gaze shifting between the beautiful woman, Su Nu, and Elder Kaiyang, thinking, ’These two seem to have a story.’
"I was about to leave," Elder Kaiyang moved forward towards Jiang Li, ripples spreading around him as if he were walking through water, and he looked into the beautiful woman’s eyes, "but seeing the boat from Kunxu Immortal Palace, I thought I’d hitch a ride along the way."
"It’s not on the way," the beautiful woman said without hesitation.
Xuanming had boarded the boat without asking, and now the beautiful woman was also saying it was not on the way without asking. Either way, it seemed it was never on the way.
Hearing this, Elder Kaiyang laughed heartily, saying, "That’s good, I’ll take my junior brothers on a different path then."
Although Elder Kaiyang seemed rough, he was not at all less cunning.
He dared to address Elder Tianxuan directly and still managed to get along well, occasionally at a minor disadvantage, proving his cleverness within his boldness.
Perhaps not quite at the level of the Old Witch, but protecting himself was not an issue.
Saying this, he made a motion to leave with Jiang Li and the others, causing Su Nu’s eyebrows to jump, forcing her to speak, "Are you heading to Qiao Mountain or the Artifact Pavilion?"
As he spoke, the ripples around Elder Kaiyang gradually dispersed and the resistance quickly vanished, indirectly showing a hint of submission through his words.
But this only made Elder Kaiyang more vigilant.
"Old Witch, are you serious?" Elder Kaiyang exclaimed in surprise.
Previously it was just a suspicion that the Kunxu Immortal Palace was seeking a son-in-law, now it was absolutely certain.
Otherwise, based on Elder Kaiyang’s understanding of the beautiful woman, she would never swallow her pride like this.
Again, the Old Witch...
Feeling her blood pressure rising, the beautiful woman forcefully suppressed her bursting anger remembering her purpose.
With supreme determination, she dispelled her anger, ignored Elder Kaiyang, turned to Jiang Li, and forced a smile, saying, "Young man, your Seventh Grade Dao Fruit must be close to Perfection, right? Our Sect has a Sixth Grade Unique Dao Fruit unclaimed, would you like to try for it?"
The beautiful woman was perceptive; judging by Jiang Li’s previous performance, even if he was not at Seventh Grade Perfection, he must be close.
To this, Jiang Li was not surprised, what surprised him was the Sixth Grade Unique Dao Fruit mentioned by the beautiful woman.
Previously unaware of such levels, now after his battle at the Five Finger Mountain had made him renowned across the world, all sorts of secret messages had come to light—it truly was that level determines everything.
Now, holding a Sixth Grade Unique Marquis Guan Dao Fruit, knowing the whereabouts of the Daoist Dao Fruit of the Pure Yang True Man, and here was another Unique Dao Fruit, looking as if it would be gifted to him if only he nodded.
He immediately became wary.
There were no free lunches in the world; Jiang Li had Elder Tianxuan’s favor due to his ability, identity, and his rapport with his senior sister. Kunxu Immortal Palace and him, Jiang, had no relationship, why would they directly offer him a Dao Fruit?
Therefore, Jiang Li very sincerely said, "For this, I need to consult my master before making a decision."
The beautiful woman, "······"
Ming Yuzhen, "······"
They now understood how Xuanming had felt.
To accept or decline directly, or even to give an evasive reply, they could have accepted.
But this straightforward response about consulting his master left them at a loss.
You’d think if he was refusing or being evasive from the way he looked, but he was not. If Elder Tianxuan agreed, Jiang Li would likely accept without hesitation.
Otherwise, if Elder Tianxuan did not approve, then this matter would be over.
Jiang Li was very sincere, with no hint of evasiveness.
But it was this sincerity that caused a great deal of helplessness.
Having to consult his master for everything, what kind of pampered son are you?
Yet to say Jiang Li was indecisive didn’t seem right. For an indecisive person couldn’t have achieved what he had. Jiang Li, having risen from an Outer Disciple to today’s prominence, hadn’t achieved this by merely following his master’s words.
He was brave and strategic, performing deeds ordinary men dared not, which had built his current glory.
Thus, after much consideration, he must truly trust his master, considering his master’s thoughts.
It couldn’t be that Jiang Li was just overly cautious? Looking at his actions, there didn’t seem to be much caution.
The beautiful lady was left speechless upon this realization.
Because Jiang Li wanted to consult his master, but his master, Elder Tianxuan was not around, any further discussion was pointless.
While she was contemplating, Elder Kaixiang could no longer hold back his laughter, his shoulders starting to shake, his hand vigorously slapping his thigh.
"Asking the master, well said, it should be so. Ha ha ha ha..."
As he spoke, Elder Kaixiang couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
He was no longer in a hurry to leave, instead, he deliberately moved closer to laugh in front of the beautiful lady, causing her immense annoyance, yet she could not make a move against him. Elder Kaixiang was shameless, but she still had her dignity, and even if she did make a move, she wouldn’t gain any advantage.
After about fifteen minutes had passed, the flying boat suddenly stopped, and the beautiful lady flicked her sleeves, pushing everyone out with a gentle force.
"Jiang Li, think carefully, opportunities are fleeting."
As the words of the beautiful lady reached Jiang Li’s ears, he and the others flew out of the flying boat, outside was Qiao Mountain Island, where the Sect resided.
After they left, the beautiful lady suddenly began to gasp hurriedly, her bosom heaving repeatedly, cursing under her breath, "This despicable scoundrel, one day, I will tear his mouth apart."
Ming Yuzhen, seeing the rare loss of composure of the beautiful lady, couldn’t hold back a serious face either and covered her mouth to steal a laugh.
The young man who had been following her carefully took the jade pendant from his waist, his originally handsome face changing to a gentle one, his complexion fairer than Ming Yuzhen’s, his flat chest swelling as if being inflated.
"This Jiang Li, before the Sixth Grade Unique Tao Fruit, managed to keep his calm; I couldn’t even sense any ripples in his Mental State, truly terrifying."
The lady lightly parted her lips, her voice like an enchanting melody, involuntarily intoxicating those who heard it.
In her eyes reflected the flashback of previous moments, especially noting Jiang Li’s demeanor.
"Among the current disciples of the Dinghu Sect, Yun Jiuye has a profound mind, reminiscent of his master; Feng Ziyang has a pure sword heart, devoted to cultivation; Yun Qiuchi is clever and intelligent, yet also persistent in cultivation; Ling Wujue..."
The lady paused when she mentioned Ling Wujue, then continued as usual, "It is said that Jiang Li has mastered the Jiang family’s ’Qi Tomb,’ excelling in two major schools. Although his realm is not yet on par with Yun Jiuye, with such a heart, catching up to Yun Jiuye is only a matter of time."
"It’s a shame that Jiang Li seems uninterested in the Uniqueness Dao Fruit," the beautiful lady Su Nu had also somewhat calmed down, "His body harbors a strong Wood Element and matches the fate of the Fire Element, if he would cultivate the ’Shaoyang Heavenly Talisman’ and engage in Dual Cultivation with you... What a pity."
Su Nu couldn’t help but feel regret.
······
······
"You are quite sober."
On the back shore of Qiao Mountain Island, Elder Kaixiang, watching the flying boat skim away from the lake, looked at Jiang Li, unable to hide his admiration, "Being so calm in the face of a Sixth Grade Unique Tao Fruit is rare. Remember to stay this calm in the future, no matter what, you must not swallow the bait from the Kunxu Immortal Palace."
He solemnly warned, "The Sixth Grade Unique Tao Fruit from the Kunxu Immortal Palace is called ’Golden Boy, the cowherd,’ a truly unique and mystical fruit that surpasses ordinary Golden Boy Dao Fruit. But keep in mind, the ability of the Cowherd Dao Fruit leans towards support, and complements another Dao Fruit. Once advanced, you won’t be able to free yourself from the Kunxu Immortal Palace for the rest of your life."
"All the men in Kunxu Immortal Palace are affiliated sons-in-law; any man with a bit of backbone wouldn’t want ties with them."
Upon saying this, Elder Kaixiang’s face was full of contempt.
It was hard not to suspect whether there were any personal grievances involved.
"Elder, have you also suffered losses?" Yun Qiuchi tentatively asked.
"Suffer losses my ass," Elder Kaixiang declared proudly, "It was just that I’ve fought a few Palace Masters from Kunxu Immortal Palace back in the day. Don’t think that the current Great Palace Master of Kunxu Immortal Palace is now third grade; back in the day, I had chopped her down, making her flee in disarray."
Jiang Li and the others were skeptical.
Especially Xuanming, who was aware of how formidable the Great Palace Master of Kunxu Immortal Palace was. With Elder Kaixiang in this state, he could only compare with the three lesser Palace Masters, far behind in comparison with the Great Palace Master.
Of course, these suspicions were just thought and never shown; with Elder Kaixiang’s temperament, he wouldn’t go easy just because they were juniors.
"Alright, let’s not dwell on past glories."
Elder Kaixiang voluntarily stopped the topic and then asked, "The Sword Discussion Conference, do the three of you want to go? If so, I’ll arrange it, make sure you don’t clash with Junior Brother Yun."
"Going," Yun Qiuchi said.
She waved her folding fan, her interest faintly evident.
"Xuanyuan Sword, definitely going," Feng Ziyang’s answer was succinct.
Then it was Jiang Li.
"I need to ask my master," Jiang Li responded.
This indeed needed his master’s input, as Jiang Li did not know if there might be a scenario where everyone would vie for the Xuanyuan Sword at that time.
And that response...
"Tsk." Elder Kaixiang clicked his tongue; he finally understood how the previous two felt.
That response was simply brilliant.
"Retracting my earlier words, I think you, Jiang Xiao, are quite suited to being an affiliated son-in-law," Elder Kaixiang remarked, "Even if you haven’t gone to Kunxu Immortal Palace, you’ll eventually become one."
He suddenly felt like laughing, laughing at his own overreaction.
This Jiang Li was almost tamed by Tianxuan, there was no need to worry about him causing any trouble.