Chapter 239 - 238: The Coming Storm, Pressure from Qi Qingshan

Jianghai Martial Arts Academy.

The first light of dawn broke as birds flitted over the rooftops. Below, students walked along the main path, flanked by birch trees swaying in the breeze.

"Nice, this is a great comment!"

"I’ll pin this to the top of the forum for three days!"

In an office in Tengfei Building.

Elder Li was sipping his tea, his head bowed as he scrolled through his phone. A smile played on his lips as he browsed a fan forum for the Jianghai Sword God, moderating the fans’ comments within.

It was a forum spontaneously created by the citizens of Jianghai City.

The website was named "Sword Valley," established in imitation of a real-world location. It had started small, but over time, it grew and expanded.

To this day, the number of registered accounts on the site had surpassed one hundred million.

It received a massive amount of traffic every day.

Even though the Jianghai Sword God had fallen long ago, his fame was widespread. Legends of him still circulated on the internet, and he had three thousand disciples and grand-disciples in the real world...

And online? There were easily tens of millions more.

’Senior, may you rest in peace in the heavens. This old man will take care of your affairs down here...’

Elder Li opened the forum and meticulously went through it, deleting every negative comment from haters.

After using it for these past few days, he had become more and more proficient. He had long since evolved from the old newbie he was when he first joined the forum, ascending directly to the position of administrator, personally responsible for managing the discussions!

Jianghai City was peaceful these days. He spent his days browsing the "Sword Valley" forum, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Life was calm and fulfilling.

"Not bad."

Elder Li sipped his light tea, nodding in satisfaction.

But just as he was engrossed in his scrolling,

Suddenly!

The door was flung open!

Without any warning, Li Zixuan strode in hurriedly. Her speed was so fast it was as if she had teleported.

"Teacher!"

At her word, Elder Li’s heart nearly stopped. The shock almost made him drop his phone.

Li Zixuan’s cultivation was now profound and even more refined. She was already at the same Realm as him, and if he wasn’t specifically trying to sense her, it would be difficult to detect her presence.

Let alone her appearing so suddenly.

"Xuanxuan... what are you doing here?"

Elder Li patted his chest, trying to calm his chaotic breathing. "This old man’s heart can’t take you startling me like that," he said, trying to sound calm.

As he spoke, he silently flipped his phone face down.

’Can’t let my student see me arguing with people online...’

"I... I’m sorry, Teacher,"

Li Zixuan said apologetically, lowering her gaze. "Something came up that’s extremely urgent. I was anxious and needed to ask you about it."

"It’s fine, just be more careful next time... What’s the rush?"

Elder Li coughed twice, discreetly exiting the forum while shielding his phone screen to avoid being seen by his student. Only then did he look up and say,

"Tell me slowly."

"Yes, it’s about Senior Brother."

Li Zixuan’s delicate brows furrowed as she said worriedly, "I just came out of my meditation room and ran into Sister Qinghe. She said that someone has been watching Senior Brother for the past few days, and something isn’t right."

Then, she shook her head and declared,

"This won’t do. I’m going to fight alongside Senior Brother!"

"Someone’s secretly watching Qin Yang?"

Elder Li was stunned at first. He frowned in thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead.

"Oh, I remember now! I forgot to tell you about this, Xuanxuan."

"They aren’t Cult Demons. It’s an arrangement from the Police Bureau. They aren’t hurting Qin Yang, so don’t rush in and alert them."

"People from the Police Bureau?"

Li Zixuan’s frown deepened, the worry in her eyes growing heavier.

She had spent the whole week focused on consolidating her Realm.

She’d had almost no time to pay attention to outside information. Now that she had just finished her secluded cultivation, hearing such a rumor naturally made her worry about her Senior Brother’s situation.

"Senior Brother... he hasn’t done anything out of line, has he?"

Li Zixuan was bewildered. She looked at Elder Li and asked, "Why would the Star Martial Police Bureau do this? Why are they monitoring my Senior Brother?"

"What on earth are they trying to do?"

The questions came one after another.

"Well, I’m not too clear on that either. According to the Commander, it’s just surveillance for now. They won’t take any other action."

Elder Li stroked his white beard and took a sip from his teacup. "Once the danger has been ruled out, they should withdraw."

"How long will this surveillance last?"

Li Zixuan turned her head to look out the window, her gaze distant as she looked toward the library. "I hope it doesn’t affect Senior Brother’s life. He just wants to live peacefully."

"...I’m afraid it will take some time. The matter isn’t as simple as you think, Xuanxuan. You must not act recklessly."

Elder Li put down his teacup. Staring at the dregs floating on the surface, he warned in a low voice, "The Commander previously revealed that some higher-ups are involved in this. I’m afraid there’s more to it than meets the eye."

With that, he let out a long sigh.

"The Commander couldn’t do anything about it either, because it’s highly likely... the order came from the Venerable Alliance."

"The Venerable Alliance?"

"It’s them again!"

Hearing this, Li Zixuan’s voice suddenly turned cold, laced with a hint of fury as bad memories resurfaced.

’Last time at Li Shui Lake...’

’The death of my Youngest Martial Uncle was because of the Venerable Alliance’s interference.’

’And now they still haven’t given up?’

’They’re targeting Senior Brother now?!’

The Star Martial Police Bureau and the Venerable Alliance were inextricably linked. She never believed any guarantees they made!

"What do these bastards want?"

Li Zixuan seethed through gritted teeth, her emotions spiraling out of control. "Wasn’t it enough that they got Youngest Martial Uncle killed? Now they’re going after my Senior Brother?! Are they really trying to wipe our sect out completely?"

"Calm down, Xuanxuan. Don’t be impulsive."

Noticing her distress, Elder Li quickly put down his teacup and tried to soothe her.

"The Venerable Alliance hasn’t shown any intention of moving against your Senior Brother yet. They’ll probably pull their people out in a few days... Besides..."

"The Commander also promised me that he would intervene as much as possible to see this through to a peaceful resolution."

"He’d better... keep his word."

Li Zixuan’s voice was frigid. She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear, her tone as cold as autumn waters. "I said I would protect Senior Brother. I will absolutely not let anything happen to him."

"If anything happens to Senior Brother..."

Li Zixuan turned to look out the window, her words slow and deliberate, practically forced through gritted teeth.

"Whether it’s the Venerable Alliance or the Beast God Sect, I will never let them off the hook!"

As her words fell,

her intense emotions triggered the Laws.

CRACK—

A bone-chilling, sinister aura began to spread.

It radiated outward from Li Zixuan.

The temperature in the office plummeted. The warm tea turned cold, and a layer of frost condensed on the surface of the ebony desk, creating a mirror-like sheen.

"This is?"

Elder Li was stunned. White mist escaped his lips as he exhaled, and his eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Li Zixuan.

’The Power of Laws?’

’There’s no mistake!’

’Judging from the ice, Xuanxuan has grasped the Power of Laws, and she’s comprehended it for some time now.’

’This girl has comprehended the Power of Laws before even reaching the Grandmaster Realm?’

Elder Li brushed the frost off the desk, feeling as if his entire worldview was being overturned.

’Unbelievable!’

’Such terrifying talent...’

’To reach the Late Stage of Innate at such a young age and even comprehend the Power of Laws... She’s not even giving an old man like me a chance to breathe.’

"When did you comprehend this, Xuanxuan?"

"Just a few days ago."

Li Zixuan also realized her Law had leaked out and quickly raised her hand to dispel the surrounding effects, preventing it from spreading further.

"But I’m still not very proficient and have trouble controlling it. It’s all thanks to Senior Brother, who helped me a great deal."

"Hm? Young Friend Qin helped you?"

When Elder Li heard this, he was even more dumbfounded!

’It was one thing for Xuanxuan to comprehend the Power of Laws early.’

’But...’

’Qin Yang actually helped her sort it out?’

’Doesn’t that indirectly prove that his strength is even greater?!’

’It’s simply unheard of!’

’What else can I say?’

"As expected of a disciple of the Sword God Sect!!"

...

「Noon」

In front of the Jianghai Library, the sky was overcast, and a light drizzle was falling.

The foot traffic inside the library gradually dwindled.

Patrons left with umbrellas in hand.

In the quiet office,

Qin Yang sat in his office chair. After putting away his phone, he was about to head to the staff cafeteria for lunch. Since Xiaobai hadn’t been showing herself these past few days, he had been eating at the cafeteria for lunch.

Then he would have some instant noodles for dinner back home.

Just enough to get by.

Three days passed like this.

The movements of the police officers outside the library hadn’t changed; they were still monitoring him.

Just then,

TAP... TAP...

footsteps sounded from outside the door.

’Hm? Why is this silly girl here again?’

Even before she opened the door, Qin Yang had already sensed that Li Qinghe had come in again, using her alternate identity, "Li Qing."

She was even carrying a food container.

"Steward Qin, it’s me, Li Qing."

Li Qinghe pushed the door open and placed the food container on the desk. "I saw you eating instant noodles sometimes these past few days. It’s not nutritious."

"Take a look..."

"Tsk, you’re being too polite. You..."

Qin Yang shook his head helplessly as he opened the container, a fragrant aroma wafting out. "You’re trying a bit too hard to get on my good side."

He opened the container.

Spicy crayfish, mapo tofu...

The color, aroma, and flavor were all perfect. The sight alone was enough to make one’s mouth water.

’This bad woman, it seems she’s quite thoughtful after all,’

Xiaobai, who was curled up on the desk, looked up at the sound, her long, narrow fox eyes squinting. She couldn’t take her human form these days, so seeing Qin Yang get to eat well made her quite happy.

"Not bad, it smells great. But you don’t need to come over for the next few days."

Qin Yang broke apart a pair of chopsticks and poked at the crayfish in the container, sending a message via Divine Thought. "Just take care of yourself."

With the Star Martial Police Bureau making such a big move, there was no way it could escape the notice of the Li Family’s spies.

And yet, under these circumstances, Li Qinghe still took the risk to come and see him. The sentiment behind her actions was undeniable... This foolish disciple of his was worth it.

...

...

Time flew by.

After work, Qin Yang and Xiaobai held up an umbrella, one person and one fox strolling through the rain, splashing through puddles as they slowly made their way home.

"Three days have passed."

"Liu Wushuang, that kid’s elder still hasn’t shown up."

Atop a tall building, Qi Qingshan sat cross-legged. He slowly opened his eyes and once again released his senses to check for Qin Yang’s aura nearby.

But there was still no trace of a Venerable’s aura.

He looked at Liu Wushuang, who was beside him, and said,

"Do you have anything else to say? Three days have passed, and no sect elders have made contact. If we don’t test him soon, I’m afraid this whole month will have been for nothing."

"Do as you wish."

Liu Wushuang crossed his arms. "The Alliance’s mission comes first."

As soon as he finished speaking,

"Good."

Qi Qingshan looked down at Qin Yang below, a cold smirk forming on his lips as he pressed his hand to his sword’s hilt.

"Then we’ll do things my way."

...

「Evening」

An urgent message was delivered to the Star Martial Police Bureau.