Chapter Sixty-Three: The Span of a Day

Who could have imagined such a thing? The usually obedient and gentle Li Ying was suddenly ablaze with emotion. Ye Yibai’s expression froze; his hand of spiritual power spun through the air and, with a sharp motion, struck Li Mu, sending him tumbling several meters away.

“All of you, get out of the way! Out of the way!” Li Ying raised her hands in defiance, running to stand in front of Li Mu. Though she was just a young girl, her resolve was ironclad, unwavering in the slightest.

Elder Wang stepped forward and addressed Ye Yibai, “City Lord Ye, if you force her now, disturbing her heart and mind, it will harm her cultivation in the future and bring no benefit to our sect.”

Ye Yibai pointed a finger, and the shimmering hand dissolved into the air, vanishing completely.

“Very well. But the girl must remain. She will come to the sect.” With a flick of his sleeve, Ye Yibai turned away, ignoring Li Mu, and soared into the sky.

Elder Wang looked at Li Mu with a trace of helplessness on his face. “Why must it come to this? City Lord Ye will not tolerate the slightest loss of face. In Deyang City, his word is law, and he will allow no one to oppose him. You should yield a little—there might be room for negotiation. But now, my hands are tied.”

Deyang City was, after all, built around Ye Yibai’s renown. Its very foundation owed itself to his efforts, establishing a stronghold for the Jade-Iron Sect in the Yushan Realm. Within Deyang City, Ye Yibai was the sun—no opposition permitted.

Li Mu wiped the blood from his cheek and said coldly, “So this is what it means to witness the Jade-Iron Sect’s honor. Elder Wang, will you also force Ying’er into your sect? If that is so, I would rather die than allow it. But mark my words—you will all come to regret this.”

“You may leave,” Lady Wang said with a shake of her head, “Return to your Muyutang and think it over. Tomorrow, I will come for your answer.”

“You’re really letting me go?” Li Mu was doubtful, Ye Yibai’s earlier words ringing in his ears. He couldn’t believe that Lady Wang, Ye Yibai’s subordinate, would dare defy his orders.

Lady Wang replied helplessly, “What good would it do to keep you here? Do you really want me to watch you throw your lives away? I may not fully understand you, but I know your character. You will never do what you do not wish to do—you would rather die first.”

Li Mu took Li Ying’s hand and bowed slightly, his demeanor frosty.

“You have one day. Go home and consider. After that, you must give an answer,” Lady Wang said quietly. “But you must understand, no matter your answer, Li Ying becoming a disciple of the Jade-Iron Sect is already decided. No sect would abandon a disciple with five rings of talent. Apart from the Jade-Iron Sect, there is nowhere else she could go.”

Li Mu’s steps faltered, nearly stumbling. He knew that Lady Wang spoke the truth; given the might of the Jade-Iron Sect, he had no choice at all.

Escape? That was impossible.

Li Ying clung tightly to Li Mu’s hand, pleading, “Big brother, I won’t leave. I want to stay with you.”

“It’s not a bad thing, really,” Lady Wang tried to reassure them. “Li Ying will receive the best training and be sent straight to the Jade-Iron Sect, perhaps even to Puyun Gate. You need not worry. With her talent, her future will be limitless.” She paused. “But as for the previous arrangement, it no longer applies. You need not join the sect. With a five-ring talent and a Clear Qi Pill, the Jade-Iron Sect has already gained much.”

“Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear it—I don’t!” Li Ying turned away, shouting at Lady Wang.

“Ying’er, calm yourself. Let’s go,” Li Mu said, taking her hand. “Thank you, Lady Wang.”

As the two of them left, Lady Wang couldn’t help but sigh. She murmured to herself, “City Lord Ye, perhaps this is a mistake. I have a feeling Li Mu’s future will not be any less than that of a five-ring cultivator.”

She had thought persuading Li Mu was enough, but this unexpected complication changed everything. Gaining a prodigy with five rings of talent was a great boon, but was it right to bar Li Mu from ever entering the sect again? She no longer knew.

Li Mu led Li Ying back to Muyutang in haste.

Now, the danger was greater than ever.

With the Clear Qi Pill, Ying’er could finally cultivate. After a year of bitterness, this should have been a moment of great joy, yet it was anything but. Nothing seemed to go smoothly.

“So, Ying’er will enter the Jade-Iron Sect,” Sun Qi said worriedly, a deep frown on his face.

“No! The Jade-Iron Sect has forced our elder brother—how can we let Ying’er go to them?” Sun Sanjiu shouted angrily.

Sun Qi looked at him and sighed, “There’s nothing we can do. Do you expect Brother Li to resist the Jade-Iron Sect?”

“We can leave this place,” Sun Sanjiu retorted, still fuming.

“You want to run? Don’t even think about it. Once the city’s formations are activated, not even a grasshopper could escape alive.” Sun Qi, who had lived in Deyang City for years, knew the power of its defensive arrays.

Li Mu waved his hand. “Enough. Be quiet.”

Li Ying sat obediently across from her brother, her eyes fixed on him. Forcing a smile through her tears, she said softly, “Big brother, then I’ll just go.”

“No.” Li Mu’s refusal was firm. “The Jade-Iron Sect wants you only for your talent, not for who you are. Even if they nurture you, it won’t be out of kindness. I promised to protect you, and I will.”

“Big brother, I won’t go, then.” Hearing his words, Li Ying couldn’t stop her tears, though a faint smile lingered in them.

Li Mu fell into deep thought for some time before rising slowly.

“Sun Qi, how many spirit crystals do we have?” he asked.

Sun Qi quickly counted and answered respectfully, “In Muyutang, we have just over three thousand medium-grade spirit crystals.”

“That many?” Li Mu was surprised.

Sun Qi explained, “Ever since the Jade-Iron meeting, many cultivators have come to buy pills. We earn about fifty spirit crystals a day—thanks to your alchemy skills. And now my brother can refine second-grade pills as well.”

“Sun Qi, Sun Sanjiu, keep a hundred medium-grade crystals for yourselves; exchange the rest for lower-grade crystals and herbs—get as much as possible. Bring them all to me.”

“Understood.”

“Afterward, take a hundred crystals each and leave the city. The Jade-Iron Sect is only after Ying’er and me—they won’t stop you.” Li Mu spoke slowly.

“What? Brother Mu, are you telling us to leave?” Sun Qi’s face changed, rare anger flashing across his features. “I won’t go.”

Sun Sanjiu echoed, “Brother Li, we won’t leave you. You saved my life—I’d rather die with you.”

“Who said anything about dying?” Li Mu shook his head. “You’ll leave the city and wait for me at the foot of Flower Forest Gate. If I can escape, I’ll meet you there.”

Sun Qi was puzzled. “Brother Mu, do you have a way out?”

Li Mu nodded, then shook his head. “Perhaps.”