Change of Plan

Chapter 6: Change of Plan

"Trash! Don't you dare to look down on me! On behalf of justice, I'll punish you!" he shouted out loud as a shadow of Collosal White Ape appeared behind him.

"Now that's quite interesting ... hey, youngster what was that apparition?" Faruzan eyes glimmered seeing it, she asked Li Yuguo for clarification.

"He's awakening his bloodline."

"Bloodline!"

"Careful! He's coming." Shinobu alerted.

Ningguang released her [Sparkling Scatter] and Faruzan shot out the charged arrow made of elemental energy. The gemstones hit his body before then exploded into dust and fragments. This attack sent Ye Qiong stumbled back a few step. Next was Faruzan's arrow, it hit Ye Qiong and then exploded creating a vortex of air current knocked him up.

"Ye Qiong!" 

Xi Men appeared and saw his fellow sect member got bloodied and battered into unrecognized shape. Xi Men passed a healing pill to Ye Qiong before he stood up and looked at them. He was worried because the three women seemed to have quite power packed in them. What make him worried is that, even he cannot sense their cultivation base. Meaning that their cultivation is stronger than the current him.

"What is the meaning of this? Who are you people?!" Xi Men asked.

"I'm Li Yuguo." 

"Apologize for not recognizing you, Lord Li. Our Zhen Yuan Sect never had any grudge with Nalan City, are you instigating conflict between us?"

"You should first ask Ye Qiong, he suddenly appeared and paint me black, declaring me as a criminal and then tried to kill me. I even tried to persuade him, but he's so stubborn and didn't listen to my words. If there's someone who instigating conflict, then it's him."

"Is what he said true, Ye Qiong?"

"Master Xi Men! It's not my fault, he's the one who is messing around? He even brainwashed a little girl. He's an evil and vicious!"

Xi Men looked at him, while Ningguang, Shinobu and even Faruzan also glanced at him with questioning gaze. Li Yuguo shook his head with precious expression.

"Do you think I have the ability and the capacity to do what he said? What messing around, I only gave this girl a pill to recover her condition. He's the one who jump on his own conclusion." Li Yuguo ended his lenghty explanation with an exasperated sigh.

"Yes, Master is not a bad man. He's nice and kind person! That guy is the bad man. He suddenly arrive and attacked my Master."

"See, even the girl said so. It's not my fault that your fellow sect member has problem with his brain."

"You!"

"Your Royal Highness, I apologize for what my apprentice just did. Please take this Zhen Yuan Sect's Holy Medicine as compensation."

"It is fine, I suggest you to discipline that guy. And make him read a lot of literature. I wonder how can people be so dumb in this world." he accepted the porcelain bottle. "I guess, you must be the famous Xi Men."

"Yes, that is me." he cupped his hand to show his respect, Xi Men asked the three girls. "And so, who might these honored fellow daoists be?"

"Well met, Xi Men person. You may call me Madam Faruzan. I need to remind you, while I look like this, I'm over a hundred years old!" Faruzan excitedly introduced herself, much to Xi Men and Ye Qiong dismay.

"A hundred old ... you say?" Ye Qiong asked, didn't believe her words at all.

In the Zhuan Yeng Sect, there's no one who could outlive pass 100 years and still look so young. When a martial artist reached the Martial Emperor, they would start age slowly. But even their sect master who is currently at that stage could reached it after painstakingly cultivating for sixty years and he looks like an old man! 

And this young lady who looks like seventeen or sixteen years old claimed to be a hundred years old monster the same or maybe even senior than their Sect Master?

"W-we apologize for causing such commotion and thank you for your magnamity, Madam Faruzan."

"No need to worry, fellow daoist. Hmmm, come to think of it ... I'm a bit confused with something. Mayhaps you could provide some different perspective to me. Cultivator or Daoist, a person who cultivate the martial art to pursue the Dao, to find your personal enlightenment and thread along the Way. But, how can someone distinguish that the insight a daoist gained is the universal truth?"

Faruzan has read through several introductory of the cultivator available in the library. But there's so many thing that made her question such arrangement. 

For example, about the entry level of being a cultivator. Before that to give some context, Faruzan compared it with the prerequisite of gaining a Vision in Teyvat. 

The matter of gaining a Vision is a bit mysterious and random. Some says it was the gift of the Archons, and those select few who managed to get it are chosen individuals. But some theorized that there is some other requirement which trigger an individual to be worthy to wield a Vision.

But not with cultivator. In this world, everyone can become a cultivator. But not everyone can become a strong cultivator. In this world, the Spiritual Root and Bloodline of a person determined their cultivation journey. If someone won the genetic lottery and was born with good spiritual root and has strong bloodline, then cultivation is not a problem for that person.

In a way, the people of this world could reach god-hood easier than the inhabitant of Teyvat. 

But then, she began thinking of more and more about the ascendancy. The book and scroll that she read all mentioned about getting enlightenment and understand the Dao. From various source, the dao is very much personal interpretation of the core ideology that everyone can follow a certain path. Thus, she come up with a question. If it's true that the dao depend on personal truth, can it become a holistic, universal truth? 

"I ... I ..." Xi Men didn't know what to answer for that, is this senior testing him? "I don't think I have the capacity to answer your question, Madame Faruzan."

"Ohh, it's alright. Just give me your personal thought about it."

"This ..." Xi Men become more confused and he started to ponder on the question. 

"Well, if you can't answer it now that's fine. Consider it your homework."

"I understand, thank you senior ... I will meditate and carefully ponder your question. If there's nothing else, then I will take my foolish junior back to the sect. Once again, I'm sorry for his rash behavior. He will receive severe punishment upon reaching our sect."

"Just don't let him cause anymore trouble for me." Li Yuguo stated.

"Your Royal Highness is indeed a wise person, I'm grateful for your generosity and patience." Xi Men went all the way with his bootlicking mode.

After that, he dragged Ye Qiong away. The young man still has the courage to say, "Don't you dare forget this, I'll come back at you!" to him before getting a smack from Xi Men.

"You three, didn't I say there's no need to directly associate with me for the time being?"

"Well, you can't blame me. When I saw Young Master is in danger my body moves on its own and ... you know the rest."

"Boss, if I may suggest something, I think it's best if one of us stay by your side to protect you."

"I agree. I don't know what will happen to me if you're dead, and I don't want to risk my second life for it. Cherish your life, youngster ... you won't be lucky next time around."

Ningguang, Shinobu, and Faruzan stated. Li Yuguo feel his heart warmed by that word. While his life is not endangered a bit, but knowing that someone really care about his well-being really put an ease on his chest.

"Alright then, I accept your suggestion Shinobu. As you're the one who suggested it, you'll coming with me today. Ningguang, do you receive the money and my instruction from Shinobu?"

"Yes, Young Master I have received it but ..., may I ask, why restaurant? And why you asked me to buy slaves?"

"I happen to pass by the slave market just now, and I don't like the atmosphere a bit. However, what can I do is limited as of now. When I have a good grasp of this city, I'll enforce law regarding banning of slavery practice. But let's be realistic and do what we can, I want you to purchase all of the slaves and give them a chance to do a honest work."

"I see your point, Young Master. Then, what about the restaurant business? I've observed that the general populace of this city has suffered a long famine and drought. If they're so poor, I'm afraid there will be no customer." 

"Your restaurant business is just a start, and don't worry about their purchasing power. I will recruit some people to reclaim the land outside the wall and build an irrigation system. If these people has job, they can afford to buy meals from your restaurant."

"Then, how should I approach the problem with suppliers?"

"Ohh right, I thought you already know my power. Ningguang, from where do you think I got that wine? I'll handle the supply, just bring me list of things you need."

After hearing Li Yuguo's explanation, Ningguang eyes sparkled and her doubt diminished.

"I see now, Young Master Li is really gifted. Well then, I'll go and complete this task."

"Ahh, right ... take Jun Xue with you. She will learn a lot from you rather than following me into the City Lord Palace and become a servant." 

Li Yuguo pushed Jun Xue forward. At first, he want to bring her back with him. But he changed his mind because now he met with Ningguang. Beside, rather than staying with him and getting bullied by Nalan Meng's servants, she would be more useful staying with Ningguang. He then operated the Alimama and bought a blue kimono along with the matching underwear. 

"Jun Xue, you follow sister Ningguang for now, okay?"

"Jun ... Xue? Is that, me?"

"Silly girl, who else if it's not you?" Li Yuguo ruffled her hand as he can't stand the adorableness of the little girl. To think that such a cute girl would be the Frost Demon Empress in the future, that's unthinkable.

"Master, you're so kind to me ... even giving me a name, how should I repay you?" she asked with teary-eyed.

"Just work diligently, and listen to your sister! That's all I ask from you."

"I'll listen to Master and big sister." Jun Xue obediently nodded.

"Good." Li Yuguo turned to Faruzan. "Madam Faruzan, I found this cultivation method in my father's room. The grade is pretty decent, and it can help my father reach Martial King. But ..., it's solely exclusive to male as it refines the Reiqi into Yang Qi."

Faruzan received the paper scroll with a frown.

"Okay, so what is your request?"

"Nothing really, it might be useful in your hand. If you could, please derive another method that can be used for both sexes."

"I'll take this with me then."

"Alright then, let's part way ..."

Li Yuguo part way with the girls, Shinobu followed him as he has instructed previously. There's another place that he wanted to visit before returned back to City Lord Palace.

He approached a stall who sell somekind of rare and exotic fruit. Li Yuguo bought fruits while also snatched the small knife with blue handle. His goal was the knife, he didn't fully remember what it was, he only know that hidden in this seemingly ordinary knife was a precious artifact.

"Shinobu, break the blade of this knife from the grip."

The girl with oni-mask followed his instruction and broke the blade with ease. Her delicate hand hide quite strength based on that alone. A bluish energy floated from the broken blade and then it circled Shinobu's index finger.

"Boss, this is?"

"Bind that energy ring with you, I'm not sure what it was, but it's a good thing. It will help your swordsmanship advance further and adding additional attacking power."

"Uhmm ... how do I bind it?"

"I ... try dripping your blood in it." Li Yuguo also don't know how a cultivator bind an artifact in this world. Based on cultivation novel he read in his past life, some used blood as a means to bind it, so maybe it's the same in here.

Shinobu followed his instruction and dripped her blood on it. The energy ring seeped into her finger and it become an intricate tattoo.

"It work. Do you feel any change?"

"I don't know, boss. I feel nothing significant has changed within me, really." Shinobu explained.

"Well, it's alright. We can study this artifact slowly later on." he took Shinobu hand and looked at the intricate detail of the tattoo. After a minute, he let her hand go and turned to her face who for somehow avoided his gaze.

"Shinobu, how confident are you in infiltration?"