Free Web NovelChapter 42: Chapter 42: Even a Princess Can Only Be a Handmaiden (Part 2)
Chapter 42: Even a Princess Can Only Be a Maid (Part 2)
Li Shuangyan couldn’t help but wonder if Li Qiye had seen this array before. However, she quickly dismissed the thought. This piece of the Fragmented Array was a one-of-a-kind original from the Array Ancestor, and her Nine Saints Demon Gate had paid a heavy price to obtain it.
Besides the Array Ancestor, who had died in the distant past, only the Nine Saints Demon Gate knew of this piece of the Fragmented Array!
And yet, Li Qiye had merely glanced at it before speaking with such casual confidence. The way he described it, this piece of the Fragmented Array seemed utterly insignificant, a mere minor technique.
This left Li Shuangyan speechless with shock. It had taken her over a decade to fully comprehend the Profound Mysteries of this piece of the Fragmented Array! And that was only with the guidance of insights from several generations of the Nine Saints Demon Gate’s Elder Sages!
Li Qiye had revealed the Profound Mysteries of this piece of the Fragmented Array with a single glance. It was unbelievable. The realization was simply crushing.
Even a genius couldn’t have explained this array so instantly. Yet, Li Qiye did. Was there anyone in the world more talented than him? But the most infuriating part was that Li Qiye wasn’t even considered a genius!
Li Shuangyan didn’t know that Li Qiye had once possessed the complete array. Seeing this piece of the Fragmented Array today had caused faded memories to resurface in his mind.
"Come here," Li Qiye said, beckoning to Li Shuangyan with a calm and leisurely air.
Still struggling to snap out of her daze, Li Shuangyan subconsciously walked over to Li Qiye’s side. Her mind went blank; she wasn’t even aware of how she got there.
SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! Before Li Shuangyan could react, Li Qiye had pulled her over his lap. Without a shred of mercy, his large hand came down hard on her firm, rounded rear, the repeated slaps leaving her tingling and stinging!
"What do you think you’re doing?!" Li Shuangyan shot up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, letting out a shriek as she glared at Li Qiye, her face burning.
Li Qiye simply dusted off his hands, looking perfectly composed and at ease, as if he had done something utterly trivial. He then said slowly, "As my maid, you need to learn your place. I can be indulgent and even dote on those around me, maids included. But remember this: do not provoke me! And don’t you dare think that just because you’re a Heavenly Pride Girl, you can do as you please!"
"You—!" Li Shuangyan was seething. She was a Heavenly Pride Girl, the Princess of the Ancient Ox Territory, always held in the highest esteem. No one had ever dared to disrespect her. Yet today, she had been soundly spanked by a mere boy... She trembled just thinking about such a humiliating experience!
"Go on, find a place to stay for yourself," Li Qiye said, waving his hand dismissively. He spoke with a leisurely air, completely unconcerned with her fury.
"You... you little brat! You—you just wait!" Li Shuangyan finally choked out, furious. For a moment, she had no outlet for her rage. She had always been held in high regard, the center of attention wherever she went, with countless young prodigies vying for her affection.
Yet today, Li Qiye had treated her as if she were nothing, dismissing her with a single sentence and not even arranging a place for her to stay. It was utterly infuriating!
Li Shuangyan stormed off in a huff. She, a dignified Princess, an eighteen-year-old woman, was so angry at a thirteen-year-old boy that she felt like she could spit blood. She could hardly believe it herself.
"Don’t even think about trying to cultivate the Slaughter Immortal Emperor Formation!" Li Qiye’s voice, still calm and unhurried, came from behind her. "The array you have is merely a tiny fragment of the Slaughter Immortal Emperor Formation, less than one percent of the entire Grand Array! If you try to force its cultivation, you will be destroyed by it! Even the Array Ancestor himself wouldn’t have dared to claim he could cultivate this array, let alone you. If you want to learn it, wait until your Dao Practice has matured. Then, I might consider giving you a pointer or two."
He spoke in a slow, deliberate tone, yet his words were the height of arrogance. Given her talent, who would ever dare speak so lightly of guiding her? But Li Qiye had said it without a second thought.
Li Shuangyan froze. The Slaughter Immortal Emperor Formation was a legend from time immemorial; many even believed it didn’t exist. Yet, Li Qiye spoke of it as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world!
A sliver of pride still remained in Li Shuangyan’s heart. She ignored Li Qiye, let out a soft huff, and turned to leave.
Li Qiye couldn’t have cared less whether Li Shuangyan was pleased or not. He simply sat there in silence. ’The Slaughter Immortal Emperor Formation... How many long years has it been? And now, to see a piece of it once more.’
He didn’t even want to think about the Slaughter Immortal Emperor Formation. ’During the Ancient Nether Era, so many people died within it. What a terrible price I paid to see it built.’
’The array could be called invincible throughout the ages, but it was stained with the blood of countless people. From the moment of its inception, it was fated to be cleansed with endless blood. How many Elder Sages of the Human Race had poured their very heart and soul into its creation? Including me.’
’In the great war of the Ancient Nether Era, for the sake of the Human Emperor Realm, for the sake of the Human Race, so many Elder Sages fell in battle within this very array, so many powerful experts of the Human Race were ground to dust. Back then, I commanded this array. I slaughtered until the heavens and earth tore asunder, until blood stained the entire Celestial Universe!’
’I can’t even remember how many died in that war, including the peerless experts who had once followed me. After that battle... how long was it that I fell silent?’
’Time can erode all things and soothe all wounds. But some memories, not even time can erase. They are branded upon the deepest part of the soul, an indelible mark that can never be removed.’
The Slaughter Immortal Emperor Formation. Li Qiye finally let out a soft sigh and shook his head, pulling himself out of his sorrowful memories. ’What’s past is past,’ he thought. ’In this life, I will once again descend upon the Nine Realms. There are old debts that must be settled. I will collect them myself—for my own sake, and for those who died fighting by my side!’
Li Shuangyan’s arrival was a monumental event for the entire Xiyan Ancient Sect. The younger disciples were sleepless with excitement, and the sect’s upper echelons also took the matter with utmost seriousness.
Within the Xiyan Ancient Sect, only Li Qiye was unconcerned. To him, Li Shuangyan’s presence was of little consequence. If she was willing to submit, he would gain a capable assistant for the future. If not, he could always find a replacement. It was no great matter to him.
Li Shuangyan was still stewing in her anger. The fact that Li Qiye hadn’t even bothered to arrange accommodations for her made her grind her teeth in frustration. In a fit of pique, she decided not to stay with him.
Instead of staying in the small courtyard with Li Qiye, Li Shuangyan summoned a Treasure Tower and placed it on a corner of Solitary Peak, adjacent to the courtyard. Although she wasn’t living with him, she hadn’t left Solitary Peak.
The arrival of Li Shuangyan and Yu He’s group was most profitable for Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun. The master-disciple duo had been put in charge of all arrangements for Yu He’s entourage.
This was no small matter. Yu He was a Prince, and working for him was immensely beneficial. More importantly, a single word from Li Qiye had completely transformed Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun’s status within the Xiyan Ancient Sect.
Yu He had specifically requested that Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun be put in charge, as he was acting on Li Qiye’s wishes. This meant that in all future communications between the Xiyan Ancient Sect and the Nine Saints Demon Gate, Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun would serve as special envoys, able to communicate directly with Yu He himself!
In the past, when the Xiyan Ancient Sect sent envoys to the Nine Saints Demon Gate, not even the Six Great Elders—or the Great Elder himself—were guaranteed an audience with Yu He, the Chief Guardian. Now, Nan Huairun and Guardian Mo could meet with him directly. This signified that the relationship between the Xiyan Ancient Sect and the Nine Saints Demon Gate had grown one step closer!
The status of Guardian Mo and Nan Huairun within the Xiyan Ancient Sect had risen dramatically. Guardian Mo’s current standing now surpassed that of all other guardians. As for Nan Huairun, his treatment was the envy of countless third-generation and even second-generation disciples.
Li Qiye paid no attention to any of this. His only focus now was to perfectly solidify his Dao Foundation. He would not permit even the slightest flaw. Only with a perfectly solid Dao Foundation could he hope to charge toward the apex in the future.
Li Qiye knew better than anyone that if one’s Dao Foundation wasn’t solid, or if it was flawed, problems would inevitably arise in the future, no matter how powerful one’s Dao Practice became. This was especially true when facing the decay of one’s lifespan or a Fate Calamity—then, it would be fatal!
Countless geniuses had made meteoric progress in their youthful cultivation, but because their Dao Foundation wasn’t solid or because they were too eager for quick results, defects appeared. In the end, they were reduced to ash when their lifespan decayed or a Fate Calamity struck!
Thus, Li Qiye was extremely demanding when it came to his own Dao Foundation. Even though he was cultivating the Moon Vortex Sun Wheel Technique, a supreme Miracle Technique that could grant him rapid progress, he deliberately slowed it down, solidifying his Dao Foundation again and again.
If Li Qiye weren’t suppressing his cultivation, his Dao Practice would already be soaring into the realms of Vigorous Longevity and True Destiny. But he continued to slow his pace, repeatedly solidifying his Dao Foundation over and over.
On the seventh day after Li Shuangyan’s arrival, things were quiet between her and Li Qiye. That morning, however, Nan Huairun came over with a middle-aged man at his side.
"Senior Brother, this is Master Zhou of the Washing Stone Peak Martial Arts Hall," Nan Huairun said, making the introduction.
Li Qiye glanced at Master Zhou, gave a slight nod, and asked, "What is it?"
In Master Zhou’s eyes, Li Qiye’s attitude was arrogant and disrespectful. Displeased, he let out a cold snort and said nothing more.
Nan Huairun quickly explained, "The elders have decided that you, Senior Brother, will temporarily take over Master Zhou’s teaching duties. Master Zhou has brought the roster of the hall’s disciples and their individual records. The elders hope you can begin teaching his class in seven days."
Master Zhou didn’t say anything further. He had a very poor impression of Li Qiye. As a Hall Master, he was displeased by the boy’s complete lack of respect. He left the roster and records, then turned and walked away without bothering to offer a single word of advice.
