Only at the Mahayana Stage Does the Reversal System Appear - Chapter 72

Chapter 72 Hostages

“Jiang Renhuang?!” Even with his changed appearance, the three could tell it was Jiang Li’s voice from the tone and intonation.

“H-Why are you here?”

“I heard you were targeted by the Tiansha Pavilion, so I came to see what was going on,” Jiang Li said with a smile.

“Huh? The Long family sent assassins to kill us?” The three were shocked, not expecting the Long family to go to such great lengths.

“They’re going to kill you two, not Song Ying,” Jiang Li corrected.

The three of them understood clearly that the Long family wanted to kill the master and apprentice and take Song Ying for themselves.

“Tell me, how did you offend the local tyrant?” Jiang Li asked with interest.

Yuan Wuxing recounted the entire story from the perspective of an outsider, with Qin Luan and Song Ying adding a few words from time to time.

“The Long family is currently stationed around Longyin City, trying to ambush us. I could certainly escape, but I have no confidence in protecting Qin Luan and Song Ying.”

“The Long family’s Divine Transformation Patriarch won’t bother with such trivial matters. They can only use Nascent Soul cultivators to forcibly kill us. They’re worried that I might take a Nascent Soul cultivator with me before I die, which would be more trouble than it’s worth. Both the Long family and I are in a dilemma. I was wondering what they were going to do, but I didn’t expect them to send assassins!”

In fact, Jiang Li had guessed most of what Yuan Wuxing had said the moment he started. It was an old story: the Long family forcibly abducted a woman, a young man saw injustice, and the conflict escalated.

“You guys are still too honest, unable to break free from the habits of the Great Zhou. The Long family’s affairs are easy to resolve,” Jiang Li said with a smile. “The Tianyuan Dynasty has its own rules. The strong are respected. Ruthless tactics and underhanded tactics are used. Those who are unreasonable should learn to adapt to local customs.”

“You are the Human Emperor, with absolute power. Of course, you are not afraid of anything!” Qin Luan said dissatisfiedly, and Yuan Wuxing scolded him.

Jiang Li remained unperturbed. “Then I’ll give you a test. I’m your friend in the Great Zhou. Huang Li, I’m gifted, just like you, and I’ve reached the first rank of elixir.”

As Jiang Li spoke, the aura of unfathomable depth faded. Others viewed him as just an ordinary cultivator. Yuan Wuxing also considered him a Jindan cultivator, and his elixir was full and high-grade, ranking among the top three. As for the specific rank, he couldn’t tell; that was something only a Divine Transformation cultivator could achieve.

“Watch how I do it.” Jiang Li truly utilized the strength of the Jindan stage, refusing to utilize any means beyond the Jindan stage, such as his spiritual awareness.

“Where does the third son of the Long family usually appear?”

Qin Luan pondered. “I beat him severely, and he should be bedridden. But considering the Long family’s wealth, he should have been cured long ago with some miraculous elixir. He’s either bullying men and women in the downtown area or competing in arenas somewhere. It was right there in the downtown area that I saw him publicly snatching a woman.”

Jiang Li nodded. “Let’s go downtown and see. Wuxing, as a Nascent Soul elder, just follow us in secret.”

Being addressed as an elder by Jiang Li frightened Yuan Wuxing.

Jiang Li led Qin Luan and Song Ying downstairs, with Yuan Wuxing following in secret.

“Wear a veil,” Qin Luan instructed Song Ying. He knew Song Ying was beautiful and could easily cause trouble in Longyin City.

Initially inexperienced, after the incident with the Long family, Qin Luan knew to keep a low profile.

Song Ying lightly covered half of her face with a white veil, and the shadow cast by her large straw hat obscured the other half, so that no one would notice her appearance.

“Speaking of which, why did Song Ying come here? Did she happen to arrive in the Tianyuan Dynasty and run into Qin Luan?” Jiang Li was puzzled.

Although the truth was completely different from what Jiang Li had said, Song Ying couldn’t directly admit that she had followed Qin Luan into the chaotic Tianyuan Dynasty, so she could only say so.

“So that’s how it is? I thought you liked me and followed me here.”

Qin Luan was shocked. After his journey through the mysterious secret realm, he had assumed Song Ying liked him, but now it seemed he had been wrong.

Song Ying smiled at Jiang Li, showing no sign of secretly clenching her fists as if to strike.

Jiang Li was currently in the Jindan stage, and without divine sense, he couldn’t see the fists Song Ying concealed in her sleeves.

Arriving in the bustling city, the streets were bustling with vendors hawking their wares. Jiang Li walked back and forth several times and didn’t encounter any bullying, but there were quite a few thieves and counterfeit goods.

He wondered how Qin Luan and Song Ying had encountered a woman being abducted right after arriving here.

“It seems the third son of the Long family isn’t here. What’s his name?”

“Long Sanshui. He has two older brothers, Long Dajin and Long Erhuo.”

“…The Long family is quite cultured and even knows the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth.”

“Yes. When I first heard the Long family named their children that way, I thought Master was Long Sanshui’s father.” Qin Luan nodded repeatedly, then felt like he’d been kicked in the back by Yuan Wuxing.

Long Sanshui was standing on a stage, full of energy.

He’d just recovered from a serious illness and needed to let off some steam, so he’d set up a stage.

“Here are ten mid-grade spirit stones. Who wants to come up and get beaten up by me?” Long Sanshui stood in the center of the stage, his demeanor unmatched.

Jiang Li could tell that his late-stage Foundation Establishment strength was entirely fueled by elixirs. He’d only ever been a useless ninth-grade Golden Core cultivator.

But who gave the Long family the money?

“I’ll do it!” A fellow late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator stepped onto the stage, his foundation deep and far superior to Long Sanshui’s.

However, the cultivator was quickly thrown into disarray by Long Sanshui’s chaotic attacks, eventually falling to the ground and being severely beaten by him.

“Great!” Long Sanshui exclaimed triumphantly, throwing spirit stones to the cultivator and telling him to get off the stage.

“This idiot is spending spirit stones on a punching bag!” Qin Luan muttered.

“Here are twenty mid-grade spirit stones. Who wants to come up and get beaten up?” Long Sanshui held out more spirit stones. Everyone present understood that the more spirit stones, the worse the beating.

Yet, many still volunteered to step up.

“I, I, I, I can take a beating!”

“I shouted the loudest!”

“I’m a Jindan cultivator!”

Amidst the shouts, Jiang Li’s was the loudest. Everyone turned around in surprise. “What on earth is a Jindan cultivator like you doing among us Foundation Establishment cultivators? “

Given a Jindan cultivator to serve as a punching bag, Long Sanshui naturally chose Jiang Li.

“I have a condition,” Jiang Li said after taking the stage. “First, give me spirit stones.”

Without a second thought, Long Sanshui tossed the spirit stones to Jiang Li, unfazed by the thought that Jiang Li would take the money and run. There were Nascent Soul cultivators nearby, and a Jindan cultivator like him couldn’t possibly cause any trouble.

Jiang Li weighed the bag of spirit stones a few times before tossing it back to Long Sanshui.

Long Sanshui took the bag, a puzzled expression on his face.

“If twenty spirit stones can buy a Jindan cultivator willingly taking a beating, then it’s only natural that you can buy a late Foundation Establishment cultivator to be beaten by a Jindan cultivator. That makes sense, right?”

Jiang Li reasoned with a smile as he charged forward, closing in on Long Sanshui and unleashing a barrage of attacks.

“Stop!” The Nascent Soul cultivator, reacting, flew into a rage, ready to kill Jiang Li.

Jiang Li pinched Long Sanshui’s vital point and hid behind him, looking like a tough guy: “If he dares to attack me, I will kill him! Let’s see which is more valuable, my life or the life of the third son of the Long family!”

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(End of this chapter)