Gou Zai Sect Beast Taming Longevity

"Sigh, Brother Li Muling, you're really something, not keeping a closer eye on things at a time like this. But it's too late to say anything now."

"I can only ask some of the city lord's men who are outside to inquire about the news for you."

Li Muling nodded and said, "Thank you, City Lord."

"However, my son's matter is a minor issue; the situation in the city is a major one. If things really escalate, it could cause a lot of trouble."

Seeing this, Wang Haitang had no choice but to agree, saying, "Alright, I'll arrange for someone to behave right away."

Even after leaving the city lord's mansion, Li Muling was still somewhat worried.

It could be said that he regretted it from the moment he agreed to join forces with the Xuanyuan family and the City Lord's Mansion to take action against the other two major families.

Li Muling had always been strongly opposed to this matter, but since the other two had already made up their minds, he had no choice but to follow suit.

Otherwise, he would probably be in mortal danger as well.

When Li Muling returned home and was about to rest, he noticed a letter that had appeared on the ground sometime during the night.

Judging from its location, it must have been slipped in from under the door.

Li Muling opened the envelope with suspicion and his expression changed drastically.

He immediately activated his magic power, instantly turning the envelope in his hand into dust.

Li Muling then immediately summoned the guards outside and asked, "Who has been here today?"

After a moment's thought, the guard replied, "Clan leader, someone from the auction house came today. They said the items the young master bought at the auction have arrived and they wanted to bring them over."

"But since you went out just now, I had someone put it in the house first."

Upon hearing the words "auction," Li Muling's scalp tingled instantly.

Previously, I had heard that the auction house was likely the one who secretly leaked Wu Qianqian's information to Elder Wu.

Now, this kind of thing has happened again.

Even if he wanted to avoid arousing Li Muling's suspicion, it was impossible.

What made Li Muling even more nervous was the contents of the letter.

Although he didn't know who sent it, the letter was clearly directed at him.

"Okay, I understand."

The guards didn't take it too seriously and continued to stand guard.

Li Muling returned to his room, completely bewildered, and saw the box on the table.

Upon opening it, all that was inside were some pills, nothing special.

The question is, how did they get the letter here?

Could it be that even his own guards have been bribed?

At this moment, Li Muling's mind was in complete turmoil, and he was unable to sort out his thoughts at all.

"You beast, you wicked creature! You're always causing me trouble, and this time you're really going to kill me!"

The contents of that letter were naturally sent to Li Muling by Yu Changsheng through his connections.

The letter's content was quite simple: it stated that Li Qingyao was currently a guest at his place and asked Li Muling to find an opportunity to meet him.

Yu Changsheng can guarantee that Li Qingyao is absolutely alive and well, and is being treated to good food and drink.

We hope Li Muling can take the person away personally.

night.

A dark figure arrived at the entrance of Sanling Town.

Taking advantage of the shift change at the gate, they immediately slipped out of the city.

Soon, the shadowy figure arrived at a secluded spot outside the city and stood there, looking around.

A short while later, another person approached and whispered:

"Want to buy a knife?"

"Where can I buy it?"

"Come with me."

The two immediately disappeared from the spot.

Before long, Yu Changsheng stood in a brightly lit shop.

This place is a stronghold of the Du family, specializing in selling magical treasures, elixirs, and various talismans.

However, this place did not have a deep connection with the Du family, so it was not exposed.

At this moment, Yu Changsheng stood in the corner, his hands behind his back, looking at the crescent moon in the sky.

Li Muling slowly approached and, upon seeing Yu Changsheng, couldn't help but ask:

"Who exactly are you?"

Yu Changsheng turned around, cupped his hands and said, "I am Zhou Wangzhi, greetings to Clan Chief Li."

Li Muling's face was grim as he angrily said:

"What do you mean? Why did you call me to a place like this so late? What do you want?"

Yu Changsheng said, "I just want to know whether Li Qingyao is important to the Li clan chief."

"And the fact that Chief Li risked being ambushed to come here shows that Young Master Li is very important to you."

Li Muling realized he had inadvertently fallen for the trick of being born in the month, but he couldn't care less about that now.

"What exactly do you want before you hand him over?"

Yu Changsheng said, "I want Sanling Town. Clan Chief Li, can you give it to me?"

Li Muling immediately retorted angrily, "Are you kidding me?"

"Sanling Town? Do you really think I'm the one who calls the shots in Sanling Town?"

Yu Changsheng smiled and said, "Sanling Town is naturally not under the control of Clan Chief Li, but now, the power in Clan Chief Li's hands has become the most crucial part."

"As long as Chief Li is willing to help me, I can naturally take over Sanling Town."

Li Muling sneered repeatedly, "Help you? You're using my son to blackmail me, and you expect me to help you?"

"I'm telling you, even if that idiot dies, I won't help you!"

Yu Changsheng said, "Clan Chief Li, I'm not threatening you, I'm saving you!"

"Help me?"

Li Muling almost laughed in anger. "Do you really think that with Elder Wu's help, you can deal with me and Wang Haitang? What a joke!"

Yu Changsheng said, "Hehe, that's natural. Even with Elder Wu's help, it would still be extremely difficult to break into Sanling Town."

"Under these circumstances, it is indeed a bit unreasonable to ask Chief Li to make up his mind to help me."

"But there's something that Chief Li might be interested in."

Li Muling asked, "What is it?"

"Wouldn't it be a good suggestion to let Chief Li no longer have to be at the mercy of others and govern the city himself?"

Li Muling asked, "You can't even take Sanling Town, and you expect to give me a city? Are you out of your mind?"

Yu Changsheng shook his head and said:

"Clan Chief Li, you may not know this, but I am actually one of the Third Elder's men. Otherwise, why would I be getting into this endless feud with Wang Haitang for no apparent reason?"

"Are you one of the Third Elder's men?"

At this moment, everything seemed much clearer to Li Muling.

No wonder Zhou always caused trouble for Wang Haitang and opposed him at every turn; that's why.

"Even so, what does that have to do with your proposal?"

Yu Changsheng said, "The struggle between the Third Elder and the Second Elder is much more intense than you can imagine."

"Since the return of the Holy Maiden Chen Xueqing and her victory in first place, the Second Elder's power has begun to steadily suppress the Third Elder."

"As for Elder Qiu Tianji, although he holds the highest position in the sect, he has always ignored these messy matters and focused on cultivation."

"At most, he'll only care about Lin Tianhao, the first holy son."

"However, Lin Tianhao's disappearance within the secret realm completely shattered the Grand Elder's hope, and from then on, he remained in seclusion, cultivating and ignoring all external affairs."

"In other words, the two most powerful elders on the surface of Sea Beast Sky Island are now the Second Elder and the Third Elder."

"These two are also vying for control of the Sea Beast Heavenly Island. Whoever wins will have absolute dominance within the island!"

"Just think about it, if you help one of them, what a great achievement that would be! Wouldn't it be easy to get your Li family a city guardianship?"

Li Muling stood there pondering. He naturally couldn't easily believe Yu Changsheng's words; he had to consider them carefully.

After a moment, Li Muling sneered, "Hmph, even if that's the case, so what? Wouldn't it be better for me to help Wang Haitang's father?"

"Why should I help you and take such a big risk? Who knows if you'll still give me this benefit after it's done?"

I'm currently reading the error-free version! This is the first time I've published this novel.

Yu Changsheng said, "One can become a Buddha on the spot, and turning back is the shore. Now that you are willing to turn back and help the Third Elder, your merit will naturally be even greater!"

"Besides, once the Third Elder defeats the Second Elder, where will we find so many people to control so many cities? Why would we kill people? We might even hope that you can control more cities."

"And most importantly, with Young Master Li acting as a liaison, our cooperation will be much closer, won't it?"

A cold glint flashed in Li Muling's eyes; this was clearly a threat.

"Hmph, what a clever tactic of using both kindness and severity."

"However, you have indeed persuaded me somewhat. For my Li family and the Xuanyuan family, the share of a city's profits with the City Lord's Mansion is far too small!"

Yu Changsheng immediately smiled, "It seems that Clan Chief Li is indeed farsighted and ruthless."

Li Muling said, "Stop talking nonsense. I just want to know how you plan to do it."

"I won't risk my entire family's fortune and lives just because of a few words you said."

Yu Changsheng said, "Of course, it's impossible to tell Clan Chief Li the whole plan."

"However, some parts of the plan are still feasible."

"Now, although I have Elder Wu and some of the Du family's power at my disposal, it is still quite difficult to deal with the City Lord's Mansion and the Xuanyuan family."

"Even if someone from the Li family joins, it can't be said to be a sure thing."

"If we fight head-on, even if we win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory, and that's not the kind of result we want to see."

Li Muling nodded slightly; this was also what he was most worried about.

If Yu Changsheng were to launch a reckless attack on Sanling Town after I join the group, the losses would be extremely severe.

The people from the City Lord's Mansion and the Xuanyuan family were not to be trifled with either, and Wang Haitang had even hired quite a few Nascent Soul experts.

The combination of these forces is quite powerful.

Li Muling suddenly spoke up: "Speaking of which, I also want you to know this: neither Elder Wu nor the Du family can bet their entire fortune. If the losses are too great, they might just withdraw on their own."

"So the same applies to my Li family."

"Let me make this clear first: my Li family will not act immediately. We will only help you when the time is right."

Yu Changsheng frowned and said, "So, unless he sees victory as certain, is Chief Li unwilling to take the initiative?"

Li Muling crossed his arms and nodded slightly; that was exactly what he meant.

Whether he helps Yu Changsheng or Wang Haitang, it makes little difference to him.

Given this, why would he take the risk? The best approach would be to help whoever wins.

Yu Changsheng sighed helplessly. Now, he had no way to bargain with Li Muling.

Even if Li Muling doesn't help him, just not intervening is still a significant help.

"Very well, I know that Chief Li has concerns, and I can understand."

Li Muling nodded sincerely and said, "That's right, I'm very pleased that you said that."

"Tell me, what are your plans for dealing with Wang Haitang? Even if my Li family doesn't intervene, other forces won't be so easy to deal with."

Yu Changsheng said, "According to my estimation, things must be quite unsettled in Sanling Town, right? It must be difficult for the various forces to maintain stability."

Li Muling asked, "How did you know?"

"After all, with so much strength and so many cultivators gathered in a small town like Sanling, how could there not be conflict?"

"Moreover, under such high pressure where they could be attacked at any time, it's easier for sparks to fly."

"The reason I've been keeping Elder Wu from moving or showing himself is to create a condition."

Li Muling seemed thoughtful. "What are the conditions?"

"When the Du family can no longer endure it, I will set a fire outside the city, and Chief Li will only need to help blow on the flames inside the city."

Li Muling then realized what was happening and slowly nodded.

"Then, will you take action against the Du family?"

Yu Changsheng laughed and said, "Hehe, Clan Chief Li is right. As long as we get rid of the Du family members first, the rest, like Wang Haitang, will be easy to deal with."

In the dead of night, after a brief discussion, the two parted ways.

The following days were filled with quiet waiting.

For Yu Changsheng and his group, the initiative was in their hands.

Comparatively speaking, they are also more relaxed mentally.

Conversely, the cultivators in Sanling Town are quite different.

Not only do they live in constant fear of retaliation, but they also have to put up with the tempers of other cultivators.

Many people have long been complaining.

Wang Haitang also consistently intervened to suppress the rebellion and keep his subordinates in line.

Xuan Yuanhai felt the same way. In their view, it was only a matter of time before Elder Wu made his move, and he was probably preparing manpower.

So all that's needed now is to be patient and wait for the final battle.

But this period of forbearance lasted for several more days.

The shops that used to be there are almost nowhere to be seen on the streets of Sanling Town anymore, after all, so much time has passed.

Everyone will more or less be influenced by rumors.

After all, with so many cultivators suddenly appearing in Sanling Town, anyone would be suspicious.

Naturally, the news leaked out that Elder Wu might attack Sanling Town at any time!

This kind of thing is naturally quite fatal for ordinary merchants, and apart from a few speculators, no one else dares to come here anymore.

The loss of its former prosperity has left Sanling Town somewhat desolate, and the atmosphere is becoming increasingly tense.

Such an environment made it even more difficult for the cultivators of Sanling Town to adapt.

On the street, several patrolling monks looked at the desolate reception area and complained with dissatisfaction.

"Sigh, when will this ever end?"

"I'd rather Elder Wu come and fight someone else right now than endure this any longer."

"Yes, this is truly torturous; even cultivators can't endure it." (End of Chapter)