Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 289: Change of Mind

"Senior Brother Li, wait a moment!" Zhou Zheng shouted hurriedly as soon as the three of them landed.

Li Ji'an told Lao Huang to stop the oxcart and looked at the other person.

The three of them have exhausted too much of their magical power, and none of them have reached even half of their peak strength.

Zhou Zheng, looking exhausted, followed after them with a fawning expression.

Upon approaching, seeing Li Ji'an and Hu Zaiyi comfortably leaning against the imperial carriage, their eyes were filled with envy.

This isn't a trial; it's clearly an enjoyable experience.

"Senior Brother Li, this imperial carriage is truly magnificent. I remember that one like this would cost hundreds of contribution points to acquire, right?" Zhou Zheng touched the imperial carriage made of spirit wood, feeling the spiritual energy contained within its built-in spirit-gathering array, and praised it.

"This is what we rented!" Hu Zaiyi deliberately lay down on the soft, silk-woven couch inside the imperial carriage, shattering Zhou Zheng's plans.

"Huh? Rented? This... isn't it Senior Brother Li..." Zhou Zheng's expression changed.

Hu Zaiyi glanced at Li Ji'an, and seeing that he had no objection, a sly glint flashed in his eyes. He said earnestly, "Old Zhou, I really admire you. You were able to travel such a long distance by riding a flying sword. If it were me, I'm afraid I would have exhausted my magic power halfway there."

"..." Zhou Zheng's eyelids trembled.

However, he naturally wouldn't treat Hu Zaiyi the way he treated Li Ji'an. He immediately glared at him and said, "Isn't this all thanks to Senior Brother Li? Or was it your idea, Hu?"

"The credit naturally belongs to Senior Brother Li, but... luckily I didn't change my mind like some people do," Hu Zaiyi said nonchalantly.

These words struck a nerve with Zhou Zheng, leaving him speechless once again.

After all, Zhou Zheng was the most quick-witted person, and when he first became a disciple, he was also the closest to Li Ji'an.

"It's just a trial. Senior Brother Li is broad-minded and kind, so naturally he won't take it to heart. Why would he be so petty as to argue with some people?" After a moment of silence, Zhou Zheng smiled again, half flattering and half joking.

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Li Ji'an reflected on his own actions.

In just three years, how could he have given others such an impression?
While being broad-minded and kind to others is a compliment and a virtue, it's not a good label in the spiritual practice world.

It's not something ordinary people are entitled to; one must have immense strength as a foundation to possess either of these.

In particular, unlike his previous life as an alchemist, where others naturally sought his help, his path in this life is destined to be one of striving upwards, using his strength and methods to make others submit.

Even within a sect, someone with absolute power that inspires awe and fear can easily be taken advantage of, leading others to misjudge the cost of their mistakes.

Most importantly, over time, it makes one more likely to be hated and to make enemies.

"It was my fault; I inadvertently continued the habits of the fake alchemist elder and third-tier alchemist from my previous life." Nodding to himself, Li Ji'an's face darkened.

In his previous life, he was a rogue cultivator. In order to avoid making enemies and with alchemy as his foundation, he always presented himself as a kind-hearted person who did not compete with others and had no bad intentions.

As a true disciple, he holds a high position within the sect, ranking below ordinary disciples. However, he is not the only true disciple. After decades of accumulation and selection, there are now twenty-one true disciples in the sect, all of whom can be considered his competitors.

He has not yet demonstrated the ability to be magnanimous and kind to others based solely on this identity.

Be lenient and generous to those below you, but show your fangs and use ruthless methods to those of the same level. Only when you have the strength to the point that everyone is wary of you can you be lenient and generous to others as you please.

"Junior Brother Zhou called out to this true disciple just to joke around and chat?"

"Senior Brother Li, please calm down. I... I overstepped my bounds. Please forgive me." Seeing Li Ji'an's changing expression, Zhou Zheng felt a pang of anxiety and quickly removed his hand from the imperial carriage, bowing his head in apology.

Regardless, Li Ji'an is still the chief disciple, and he also has the backing of the True Core Elder and the Pill Peak.

"Old Huang, let's go!" Li Ji'an closed his eyes and concentrated, giving the order.

"Okay, sir."

After the oxcart had traveled some distance, Hu Zaiyi, who was in the same carriage, finally came to his senses. The change in Li Ji'an's expression just now made him straighten his attitude as well, and he couldn't help but recall his overstepping of authority along the way.

They became even more respectful at this moment.

Even when asked where they were going, they hesitated for a long time and ultimately couldn't speak.

Li Ji'an was too lazy to explain to him.

It wasn't until three days later that Yao Rui and her two companions managed to catch up, thanks to the environment of this first-tier spiritual vein.

"Stop!" Yao Rui shouted from afar.

Old Huang, having received no orders from Li Ji'an, ignored them and drove the oxcart on his own.

"Whoosh~" Only when a sword was stuck in the ground in front of the oxcart did Old Huang calmly pull on the reins.

“You got in through connections, huh…” Yao Rui then landed beside the oxcart.

However, before she could finish speaking, a vine suddenly sprouted from beneath her feet and lashed out at her.

"Snapped!"

Yao Rui was completely unprepared for Li Ji'an's sudden attack, and since her magic power had not yet recovered, she was caught off guard and did not react in time.

The vines lashed solidly at the protective aura that had been activated on his body in response to the shock.

"Crack!" Originally, she and Li Ji'an were both at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and her fire-type magic was more powerful. It would be difficult for Li Ji'an's wood-type magic to break through her fully activated protective magic shield.

However, at this moment, her most basic protective shield, which was merely a response to the stress on her body, shattered instantly.

"Ah!" The vine lashed out with its remaining force, striking his buttocks hard.

With a cry of pain,
The disciple's robe was instantly torn, revealing a bloodstain on his fair skin underneath.

"How dare you attack me?" Although Yao Rui was a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator, without the protection of her physical body, she was no different from an ordinary person. This whip really tore her skin open and caused her excruciating pain.

However, she was still in shock and couldn't believe that Li Ji'an would attack her.

After all, the sect has an order that anyone who attacks a fellow disciple without cause will be severely punished.

"As your chief disciple, I have the responsibility to supervise and restrain you. Junior Sister Yao is incredibly audacious to draw her sword against me. This lash is a small punishment to serve as a warning. Although you have left the sect, never forget the sect's rules!"

Repeat offenders will be punished even more severely!

Just as Yao Rui's temper was about to explode, Li Ji'an slowly stepped out of the oxcart and silently surveyed the three of them.

"..."

The four disciples, including Hu Zaiyi, were all dumbfounded.

After Yao Rui defeated the late-stage Qi Refining inner disciple, many busybodies privately discussed and even looked forward to when she would fight Li Ji'an.

Unsurprisingly, almost all the busybodies believed that Chief Li was definitely not as good as Yao Zhenchuan.

Some even joked that the day Li Ping'an and Yao Rui fought was the day he would be forced to retreat in humiliation.

Given Yao Rui's temperament, he was bound to be beaten black and blue by her.

However, at that moment, the three of them caught a glimpse of Yao Rui's torn and bleeding private parts out of the corner of their eyes, and they were all in a state of confusion.

Furthermore, it was because Li Ji'an invoked the sect's true disciple system, using his position as chief disciple to fulfill his supervisory and restraining responsibilities, and openly used his power to oppress them, which left them with no room for rebuttal. This was also the first time they realized the difference between the chief disciple and them.

“You…” Yao Rui finally came to her senses, her magical power erupted, and she glared at Li Ji’an with gritted teeth.

Li Ji'an met his gaze calmly, his voice silent yet carrying an undeniable authority: "I apologize!"

At the same time, several more vines swayed and sprouted from the ground beside Yao Rui. "Knowing your mistake but not correcting it, the punishment will be doubled!" Without waiting for Yao Rui to calm down, Li Ji'an spoke again.

"Snap!" Immediately afterwards, the two vines lashed out at it again.

"If anyone disagrees, they may report to the sect. But if anyone dares to defy the law, their punishment will be doubled, and they will be expelled from the ranks of true disciples!" At the same time, Li Ji'an's authoritative voice boomed.

Yao Rui's burst of magical power almost made her instinctively resist, but she had no choice but to withdraw it at the last moment, letting the two vines lash her body again.

"Slap! Slap!" Two more bloody marks appeared on his back, causing him to bite his lower lip tightly, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, but the hatred in his eyes was almost tangible.

However, when Li Ji'an's indifferent eyes swept over her, Yao Rui lowered her head in frustration.

Use force to suppress others!

What else could she do?
I can only blame myself for being blinded by his nonchalant attitude, thinking that he was kind-hearted and tolerant, which is why he was able to tolerate my repeated excessive tests of him.

That's why, in his haste, he neglected the sect's rules, giving them a handle to use against him.

This swift and decisive counterattack completely destroyed the prestige she had built up over the past three years.

"Senior Brother Li, Junior Sister was worried about the thief's whereabouts and broke the sect's rules. Please forgive her!"

Seeing that he lowered his head so quickly, Li Ji'an nodded secretly and then gathered up the vines on the ground.

"This will never happen again!"

"Yes!" Yao Rui nodded through gritted teeth, feeling a slight sense of relief. She hadn't expected Li Ji'an to make a fuss over nothing.

After all, he had been openly competing with him for the chief position all along. If he really encountered someone with a vicious heart, he might want to kill him in one blow to eliminate any future troubles!

"Did he know that if I forced him to commit suicide, I could kill him?" This was the only possibility she could think of.

"What is the matter that you have stopped the imperial carriage?" Li Ji'an sat back in the carriage, and only his voice could be heard.

“We…” Yao Rui frowned, then let out a long breath: “Junior sister found some clues at the Xue family’s ancestral home and wants to share them with senior brother.”

"..." Zhou Zheng and Shen Xingchen immediately looked at Yao Rui.

After carefully searching the Xue family's ancestral home, they made a certain judgment about the whereabouts of the thieves.

They had just caught up, mainly because they couldn't bear the drain on their magic power from the long flight. So even though Yao Rui didn't care about losing face, she wanted to ride in Li Ji'an's oxcart.

But at this moment, such important information is being conveyed.

Senior Sister Yao was so forcefully suppressed by Senior Brother Li?

"Speak!" Li Ji'an said calmly.

“Yes, based on the scene, the three junior sisters judged that the other party must have been lurking in the Xue family for a long time before making the move, and the Xue family was completely unprepared, which means that the thief must have some special means to change his identity... Based on various clues, the junior sister judged that the thief must have fled to the areas of various forces…” Yao Rui told them the information that she originally thought was an advantage.

After hearing her words, Li Ji'an smiled faintly, Yao Rui was not stupid after all.

According to information obtained from the Enforcement Hall and the guards, the Upper Sect has already sealed off the northern border of the state and laid a trap for the remote small families within the state.

If those thieves run to these places, they will surely be captured, and it will be of no use chasing after them.

Moreover, nearly a month has passed and there is still no trace of them, so it is highly likely that they did not flee to these places.

What remains are the various seemingly safe spheres of influence within the state.

For example, the areas of the four major pseudo-core families, or the strange stone forest, and the wasteland that is now fully controlled by the Yan family.

Since returning from the Blackwater Swamp, the Biyun Sect has been short-handed and has delegated the responsibility for security in these areas to the various factions. They are to solve minor problems on their own and report major problems to the sect for assistance. If demonic cultivators or the like appear, they can also shift the blame to them.

Therefore, Li Ji'an's destination after leaving the Xue family was the nearest area under the influence of the Qishilin.

“However… although Junior Sister has this judgment, the major forces may not cooperate with our investigation, and the scope is too broad. So I want to discuss countermeasures with Senior Brother. How can we get the major forces to fully cooperate?” Seeing that Li Ji’an did not refute, Yao Rui raised another question.

This could be considered a reasonable explanation for their recent confrontation. Even if Li Ji'an reported it to the sect afterward, Yao Rui could still justify it.

"Heh~" Li Ji'an chuckled softly upon hearing this.

Admittedly, they have determined the possible hiding area of ​​the thief cultivator, but this area is still too large. If they rely on just a few people to search and investigate, it will take forever.

Furthermore, in order to avoid following in the footsteps of the Lieyang Sect, the sect had previously granted these forces the power to share the risks, thus giving them full authority to make decisions within their spheres of influence. In fact, the sect's Enforcement Hall was not allowed to make decisions on its own unless the major forces reported for assistance.

Getting the major powers to cooperate... it's really not easy for others to do.

However, Li Ji'an did it with ease.

There's no other reason than that he had already built up a large network of connections in his previous life.

Hearing Li Ji'an chuckle, Yao Rui sneered inwardly: "Hmph, don't think you can call the shots just because you're the chief disciple in the sect. When you're in the sphere of influence of other powers, let's see who recognizes you."

"Very well, the more confident you are today, the more pathetic you will be tomorrow. At that time... you can at least get some relief from today's humiliation!"

"Old Huang," Li Ji'an then instructed.

The oxcart procession set off again.

Yao Rui and the other two were left looking at each other in bewilderment.

At this point, how could they dare to mention borrowing a ride?

I can only endure the ordeal once again on an even longer journey, and grit my teeth and bear it!
"Hmph! Our magical power activation on the way is also a form of training. It's just a pity that we can't see him being ignored by the major powers right away. What a pity..." After consoling themselves, the three of them did their best to catch up.

A month and a half later.

Looking out at the strangely shaped rocks and towering trees of the Stone Forest, a sense of nostalgia unconsciously crept onto Li Ji'an's face.

Having been separated from Ning Sujin for ten years, and from the others for nearly twenty, and in yet another identity, there was a certain amount of anticipation.

As soon as Li Ji'an's oxcart passed through the gate of the Strange Stone Forest, two Foundation Establishment auras rapidly approached from within.

"Peaceful?" Qiao, who had already firmly taken control of the Strange Stone Forest, was dressed in a form-fitting outfit, looking quite dashing.

Xiao Qiao looked at Li Ji'an, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Then, with a sigh, she stepped forward and patted Li Ji'an on the shoulder: "Ping'an, I am your Senior Sister Qiao, and also your master's adopted daughter!"

"Ping An greets Senior Sister Qiao!" Li Ji'an greeted her respectfully.

“Alright, this is your master’s concubine. You can call her Aunt Tan or Master’s wife.” Xiao Qiao then pointed to Ning Yutan and introduced her.

“Ping An, just call me Aunt Tan. I have no official title with your master.” Ning Yutan stared intently at Li Ji’an’s face, seeing the shadow of Li Ji’an’s past life in his eyes, as well as the resemblance to the first time she saw Li Ji’an at the Xunxian Academy in Chong’an Prefecture.

However, it is clear that Ping An is more beautiful and intelligent, and exudes a captivating charm.

"I really do have a connection with Brother Li!"

"I've met Aunt Tan."

Immediately, to Hu Zaiyi's astonishment, Li Ji'an was welcomed into the main hall by the two legendary women of the highest status in the Qishi Forest.

"Is Senior Brother Li's approach so unconventional?"

(End of this chapter)