Chapter 1378 - Threat
Chapter 1378 - Threat
In the centre of the Hundred Herbs garden, the mountains surrounded a small village. The buildings and pavilions were all of an extremely elegant design, and the small bridge and flowing water added to the scenery. It was better described as a great big manor than a village.
This was where the cultivators of the Hundred Herbs garden rested and interacted with one another. Normally, they were all responsible for tending to the garden. During their leisure, they would gather here.
Beneath the pavilion, Shen Yushu stood by the water as a series of discussions rang out from behind him.
“Who is this Li Qingshan exactly? Why does senior sister Ruan play favourites with him so much?”
“What are you saying? Senior sister has always been very fair and impartial. How can she play favourites?”
“Don’t tell me he’s a descendant of White Deer country?”
“It doesn’t matter who he is. He’s gone too far. He still has to do his job before he cultivates. When I passed by the other die, those Three-leaved Flame flowers were almost about to wilt! This can’t continue. We have to put forward a request together and chase this kid away. This is for the sake of the Hundred Herbs garden!”
Without any exception, all of them were formal disciples. Otherwise, they had no right to talk about another formal disciple.
They all burned with rage and requested Shen Yushu to lead them and chase Li Qingshan out of the Hundred Herbs garden.
Shen Yushu curled the corner of his lips slightly and turned around. “Please calm down, junior brothers and sisters. You’ve all witnessed Li Qingshan’s actions. He might not have done that intentionally either. I’m sure senior sister Ruan will give us all an explanation. Not everyone is suited to work in the Hundred Herbs garden.”
“Senior brother Shen, you’re far too forgiving! He must be doing this on purpose!”
“Senior brother Shen, you’re far too gentlemanly. Unfortunately, you’re overestimating what a scoundrel is capable of.”
“Senior sister Ruan is currently in secluded cultivation. Who knows when she’ll emerge, so we can’t just let this kid ruin the Hundred Herbs garden. Without senior sister Ruan, you’re in charge of the Hundred Herbs garden, senior brother! Why don’t we work together right now and throw him out of the Hundred Herbs garden?”
Shen Yushu waved his hand. “Thank you for your support, junior brothers and sisters, but all I’ve done is stay in the Hundred Herbs garden a little longer than you. How can I go over senior sister Ruan’s head and do something like that?”
“Senior brother, please don’t decline this. This is all for the sake of the Hundred Herbs garden! Once senior sister Ruan emerges, we’ll just own up to this and ask for punishment together!”
Shen Yushu declined again. “Fighting is forbidden in the Hundred Herbs garden. If he resists and harms the plants, what am I supposed to do?”
“Senior brother, you’re giving his kid far too much credit. If he even dares to fight back, that’ll be his fault. Speaking of which, with senior brother’s cultivation, it’s a piece of cake to deal with a lucky bastard who just joined the sect. Why would it take any fighting at all?”
After quite a moment of thought, Shen Yushu sighed. “Alright then!” He bowed three times towards the east. “I am duty bound, so please forgive me, senior sister. If there is anything inappropriate about this, please give an indication.”
He waited for a good while, but there was no reply.
Shen Yushu smiled inside. This kid’s actions have probably infuriated her as well. She’s always cherished every single grass and herb in the Hundred Herbs garden, but she’s bound to her image, so she can’t lose her temper. Perhaps chasing this kid out is exactly what she wants.
He swung his arm. “Let’s go. Please serve as my witness, junior brothers and sisters!”
They rode off on clouds, travelling towards the Golden-leaved Bodhi tree. Under the rain in the setting sun, the Golden-leaved Bodhi tree continued to glisten brightly. They saw many figures moving around between the plants beneath the hill as if they were busying about.
“Hmm? So many people?”
“Don’t tell me they’re all clones?”
“I can’t even tell the difference between clones and people? Speaking of which, where are all these clones from?”
Shen Yushu furrowed his brows. Did somebody come to help him? But that did not seem particularly likely. In the Hundred Herbs garden, even formal disciples dared not disobey him, let alone those readers and attendants. When he got a little closer, he suddenly widened his eyes.
The figures were actually all clones! However, they resembled true people far too much. Even their facial features were clearly defined. They shuffled between the trees as they worked, some sprinkling manure and others watering the plants. They divided up the work and worked together with great coordination.
Apart from the clones, there were actually around a dozen puppets too. A scarlet puppet sprayed fire from its mouth, “watering” a bush of Three-leaved Flame flowers. The petals spread out in the flames with absolutely no signs of wilting. The other puppets served various functions too, moving around like they were alive.
The cultivators behind him were amazed. “They really are clones! How does he have so many clones!?”
“And so many puppets too! That takes a tremendous toll on his soul sense, yet he can actually control them like this! How does he do it?”
“What exactly is his cultivation? Is he really a Soul Nascence cultivator? If he undergoes the fourth heavenly tribulation, wouldn’t he have even more clones?”
“And look at the work they’ve done! It’s so meticulous! They’re basically like veterans among veterans! No matter how you look at this, he’s clearly had experience in the past!”
For a moment, everyone’s anger and displeasure turned into strange bewilderment.
Shen Yushu furrowed his brows firmly. Suddenly, he felt greatly threatened. This was no longer just a matter of pride. It affected his status in the Hundred Herbs garden too.
Over the years, many inner disciples had worked in the Hundred Herbs garden as well, but he had always managed to squeeze them out. He had the advantage of the Heavenly Tome of Nature, so even others of the same cultivation probably could not contend against him. In the end, they discovered that they could not get that many benefits from here, so they were better off doing something else.
The contribution and bookmarks provided by the Hundred Herbs garden was always limited. The Myriad sect distributed it, and Ruan Yaozhu would allocate it according to their work as the “master of the Hundred Herbs garden”.
Shen Yushu had obtained a tremendous amount of benefits over the years, which was why he could increase his cultivation so quickly, such that he approached the fifth heavenly tribulation.
If he only held some thoughts and feelings towards Ruan Yaozhu, then it did not matter in the very end whether they bore fruit or not. However, these resources were his lifeblood that he could never give up. It was directly connected to his path of cultivation. He could not allow anyone to threaten that.
With a rumble, lightning flashed in the clouds, pressing down from the sky that was not particularly large.
Shen Yushu bellowed out, “Li Qingshan!”
Currently, Li Qingshan laid on the bamboo mat leisurely, resting his head on his arms. When he heard that, he did not get up. He said lazily, “How may I help you?”
Shen Yushu drifted over and approached him. He was no longer his modest, self-disciplined, gentlemanly-self. He said harshly with a twisted expression, “Do you know your crimes?”
“What crimes have I committed?”
“Over the past few days, you’ve neglected your duty and slacked off. Is that not a crime?”
The area beneath the hill was filled with busy clones, so it really was quite strange for him to say something like that. The group of people knew Shen Yushu truly would be falling out with him this time, so they all remained quiet.
If Li Qingshan was still slacking off, or he had done an atrocious job, it was very possible for Shen Yushu to let him go this time if he was willing to yield submissively. However, the situation now basically seemed like he was determined to chase him out of the Hundred Herbs garden!
Li Qingshan smiled. “Are you blind?” Sigh, this mouth of mine, why are you so disobedient?
The group of people were startled. The Myriad sect possessed a clear division of hierarchy. Even when they possessed the same cultivation, formal disciples had to bow when they saw inner disciples, let alone when his cultivation was an entire major realm lower. They never expected Li Qingshan to be so wild and daring, insulting him the moment he spoke!
Shen Yushu’s face changed as he held back his anger. He had gone a little too far with this. He had to handle it perfectly. He said coldly, “You’ve only just begun working diligently. Isn’t that a little too late?”
Li Qingshan dug into his ear with a finger before taking it out and blowing it gently. “Fuck’s it got to do with you?” Sigh, whatever. So be it! As long as it’s happy.
Shen Yushu lost his patience. He roared furiously, “How dare you! How dare a formal disciple like you disrespect an inner disciple, not only neglecting your duty, but defying your superior as well. Originally, I just wanted to expel you from the Hundred Herbs garden. Now, I really have to escort you to the Department of Law and Punishment for judgement!”
“Oh, I can’t go to the Department of Law and Punishment.”
Li Qingshan smiled. Leng Yuan found him displeasing to the eye, so wouldn’t he be basically delivering himself to him like this?
“That’s not up to you to decide!”
Shen Yushu produced a Nine-section Bamboo staff and thrust it towards Li Qingshan’s forehead with lightning speed.
Li Qingshan stood up lazily and reached out casually, and the Nine-section Bamboo staff ended up in his hand. With a great thrust, it shot back even faster than when it arrived, striking Shen Yushu in the chest and sending him flying off the hill. The sounds of bone cracking rang out softly.
Shen Yushu widened his eyes, filled with disbelief. Originally, he thought he could take down Li Qingshan with ease given his higher cultivation. He never expected a result like this.
Only now did the cultivators realise what had happened. They were all dumbfounded. “The one who flew out… was senior brother Shen? How’s that possible? There’s an entire realm of cultivation separating them. How has the situation been reversed?”
Some people even noticed that the hundred or so clones and the dozen or so puppets continued to work in an orderly manner without being affected at all.
Li Qingshan was unfazed. He did not find this to be anything he should be proud of. Even with what Si Long is capable of, didn’t he still suffer a disastrous defeat at my hand? Where’d a fourth heavenly tribulation inner disciple like you find the confidence to confront me?