Li Miao's words were both playful and flippant, even containing modern internet memes, which were clearly out of place in Great Shuo.
However, as the saying goes, 'At thirty, one stands firm; at forty, one is free from doubts… at sixty, one's ears are attuned; at seventy, one can follow one's heart without overstepping boundaries.'
If you have thirty years of cultivation, you can speak with authority in the martial world; with forty years of cultivation, there will be few questions that trouble you in the martial world; with sixty years of cultivation, not even words that displease your ears will appear.
Once you have seventy years of cultivation, you can do as you please, and no one will dare question you for breaking the rules. Because in the martial world, you are the rules.
When Li Miao first arrived in Great Shuo, he was, of course, cautious and dared not reveal his peculiarities.
But ever since he turned thirty, he stopped caring about such things; he said what he thought and did what he wanted. No one dared to quibble with him about these things; they would only flatter him by saying, 'Li Qianhu, what a true character, a remarkable person.'
Just as office workers call themselves 'company slaves,' Li Miao didn't feel that 'running dog' was an insult to himself. He also didn't have Great Shuo's deeply ingrained official-centric mindset, so he naturally blurted out this self-deprecating term.
When Liu Baiyun heard Li Miao's words, her first reaction was that they were vulgar and jarring, but then she was stunned by their implications and had no mind to dwell on anything else.
Zuo Lishan is going to die? Mount Tai Sect is going to fall?
Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) are going to absorb Mount Hua Sect?
A string of messages hit Liu Baiyun's heart, and she didn't know how to respond.
Li Miao smiled: "I spoke a bit too quickly; Headmaster Liu finds it hard to believe."
"Elder Gao, explain the situation to Headmaster Liu, and let Headmaster Liu take this time to think about her answer."
Gao Ling nodded, stepped forward, exchanged greetings with Liu Baiyun, and explained the situation.
Among the Mount Hua Sect members who came along, there were experienced elders of the martial world who were alarmed by Li Miao's words. They had already risen, drawn their swords, and, through a mix of threats and persuasion, asked all the guests in the restaurant to leave, so they weren't afraid of being overheard at this moment.
After a conversation, Gao Ling returned to her original position, leaving Liu Baiyun in silent contemplation, not speaking for a long time.
After waiting for a while, Li Miao spoke: "Headmaster Liu, have you thought it over?"
Liu Baiyun squeezed the hilt of the sword in her hand.
She was not an impulsive young person; she knew that Li Miao's words actually left her no room for choice.
To die or to live, these were the only two options.
Indecision leads to trouble. Liu Baiyun knew that at a critical juncture of life and death, making a decisive choice was often more important than deliberating back and forth.
She no longer hesitated and made her decision.
"Lord Li, what does Mount Hua Sect need to do at this Five Mountains Alliance Meeting?"
Liu Baiyun said, "Our group of thirteen people only came to pay our respects; most of our manpower is left within the sect. Currently, counting Mei Qinghe, we have two first-rate cultivators and three second-rate ones; the rest are not of much use."
"If needed, Mount Hua Sect also has some personnel in North Zhili. If we send a message now, twenty to thirty people could come over, including two or three second-rate cultivators."
"According to Elder Gao's explanation, Zuo Lishan's martial arts have now surpassed the peak level. With only Mount Hua Sect's manpower, I fear it will be difficult to handle Lord Li's task."
Li Miao laughed: "Headmaster Liu is indeed an experienced martial artist, straightforward!"
"Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) naturally has more than just me; the remaining personnel will arrive before the Five Mountains Alliance Meeting."
"As for Zuo Lishan…" Li Miao said dismissively, "In my hands, he won't be able to stir up any trouble."
Li Miao's flippant attitude made it difficult for Liu Baiyun to believe his words.
Zuo Lishan was already one of the strongest individuals in the martial world, and now he had advanced further. She feared she couldn't even take one sword strike from him. What confidence did he have to 'not let him stir up any trouble'?
But seeing Mei Qinghe's matter-of-fact expression, Liu Baiyun's heart stirred, and she remained silent.
"Alright, Headmaster Liu, go rest first. If you have something to say to your disciple, you can go ahead."
"Tomorrow, we will go to Mount Tai Sect together to pay our respects."
"And incidentally, see how Master Zuo's body has recovered."
With that, Li Miao got up and walked back to the private room to eat. Gao Ling followed closely, leaving Mei Qinghe and Liu Baiyun in silence.
"Master…"
Mei Qinghe was silent for a long time, then spoke softly, her head bowed, not looking at Liu Baiyun.
"Alas…"
Liu Baiyun sighed, rose with her sword, and said to the Mount Hua Sect members, "You all eat on your own and rest. Tomorrow, we will go to Mount Tai Sect together to pay our respects. I have some words to say to Qinghe."
With that, she turned to Mei Qinghe and said, "Let's go to your room… We, master and disciple, should clarify things."
The two walked silently to Mei Qinghe's room. Liu Baiyun closed the door, turned around, and sat at the table: "Qinghe, sit down."
Mei Qinghe sat beside her.
"What is the martial arts realm of that Lord Li…?"
Liu Baiyun asked.
Mei Qinghe replied, "He is a legendary figure; it's difficult to glimpse his full power."
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"The sword you gave me, he could crush into iron sand with his bare hands. He could also strike Zuo Lishan into severe injury and flight without using any specific moves, just with a casual flick."
"Your disciple hasn't traveled much and has limited experience, but I have at least seen Zuo Lishan's martial arts. If the few peak experts in the martial world are not vastly different from Zuo Lishan…"
"Your disciple believes that Senior Li will have no opponent in the martial world."
Liu Baiyun keenly noticed Mei Qinghe's address for Li Miao—not 'Lord,' but 'Senior.'
Mei Qinghe couldn't hide her thoughts; if she weren't already completely convinced by Li Miao, she wouldn't have called him 'Senior.'
Mei Qinghe was, of course, initially threatened by Li Miao and thus forced to act. But after all, her revenge was only possible because of Li Miao, and the flaws in her martial arts were remedied by Li Miao.
After more than a month of getting along, she no longer resisted Li Miao—after all, Li Miao was easygoing and very good to those around him, and his martial arts were as elusive and unreachable as a dragon appearing with its claws, naturally inspiring admiration in Mei Qinghe, who had studied martial arts since childhood.
Liu Baiyun let out a long breath: "Is that so…?"
"I didn't expect such a person to be hidden within the imperial court… No wonder he could discern the manipulations done to your cultivation method."
"Ageless appearance, indestructible spirit… I wonder which senior expert he is…"
A genius can advance a thousand miles in techniques and control their internal energy at will, but only the internal cultivation realm must rely on the accumulation of time.
Liu Baiyun's own aptitude was not top-tier, but she knew what level a top-tier genius could reach.
She naturally didn't think Li Miao was truly in his early thirties as he appeared, only that he was an ageless senior expert.
Mei Qinghe, hearing Liu Baiyun admit there was a problem with her cultivation method, eagerly said, "Master… Why!?"
Liu Baiyun sighed and said, "You are only in your early twenties and can already stand shoulder to shoulder with me; your potential has not yet been fully realized."
"I had intended to wait until you reached thirty, and if you could reach the peak, I would tell you about this… Who knew that by a strange twist of fate, you would find out…"
"Your cultivation method is indeed not the original, but has been modified by someone."
"The person who modified this cultivation method is known as—Plum Blossom Bandit."