Chapter 403 - 401: New Son-in-law

Once the Elders of the Qianli River came to a decision, they ordered the disciples to welcome Li Qiye inside.

When the Shrimp Demon received the order from his superiors, he couldn’t help but shiver. ’So it’s actually true. He really is the Princess’s fiancé.’ The Shrimp Demon secretly rejoiced that he hadn’t been disrespectful to Li Qiye.

"Honored guests, please follow me." When the Shrimp Demon came to greet Li Qiye, he became extremely polite, not daring to show the slightest neglect.

Li Qiye and Lu Baiqiu took the Shrimp Demon’s small boat into the Thousand Carp Lake. The lake was immense; entering it felt like entering a vast sea.

Eventually, the Shrimp Demon delivered Li Qiye and his companion to an island in the lake that was reserved for receiving honored guests. The one waiting on the island to greet them could be considered an old acquaintance—it was Guardian Xiao, the very same person who had visited Li Qiye before.

"Young Master Li, you’ve graced our Qianli River with your presence. Please forgive our poor welcome." Guardian Xiao managed to greet him with a smile.

For Guardian Xiao to put on such a smiling face was no easy feat. In truth, he was still quite displeased with Li Qiye. After all, Li Qiye was far too arrogant for Guardian Xiao’s liking. Moreover, given Li Qiye’s status as Lan Yunzhu’s fiancé, probably very few people in the Qianli River sect felt any goodwill toward him. It was clear he was here to poach one of their own; who would be happy about that?

However, the Sect Leader of the Qianli River, Treasure Turtle Daoist, had given an order to treat Li Qiye as an honored guest. This left Guardian Xiao with no choice but to obey the Sect Leader’s command.

Guardian Xiao led the two onto the island. At its highest point was a private courtyard specifically for entertaining honored guests. Guardian Xiao settled Li Qiye and Lu Baiqiu there.

"If Young Master Li needs anything, you can simply instruct the servants here," Guardian Xiao said after getting them settled. "Young Master Li is an honored guest of our Qianli River. You are free to tour the area, with the exception of a few restricted locations."

Even though Guardian Xiao was unhappy with Li Qiye, he reined in his temper. As a disciple of an Emperor Immortal Gate and a Guardian, he did indeed possess a certain degree of magnanimity.

"Then I thank your sect for its hospitality," Li Qiye said with a smile before asking, "I was wondering, what has your sect decided regarding the marriage contract?"

This was the last thing Guardian Xiao wanted to discuss. The matter had caused a division among the upper echelons of the Qianli River. Of course, the majority of the Elders opposed this marriage contract, with only a few taking a wait-and-see approach.

The Sect Leader of the Qianli River also held a wait-and-see attitude toward the engagement. It was precisely because of this that an immediate decision couldn’t be made.

Guardian Xiao, naturally, was against it. Lan Yunzhu was the successor of the Qianli River; of course the sect didn’t want her to marry an outsider. Furthermore, how could a nobody like Li Qiye possibly be worthy of their successor?

In response to Li Qiye’s question, Guardian Xiao threw it back at him. "And what has Young Master Li decided? If Young Master Li were to cancel this engagement, it would be a happy outcome for both sides."

"Well," Li Qiye said with a grin, "the decision isn’t up to me. It’s up to you all. Or more accurately, it’s up to that girl of yours. If you want me to make a decision, have her come see me in person."

"You—" Guardian Xiao was furious with Li Qiye’s attitude. Few people dared to be so brazen within the Qianli River’s domain. Yet, this junior right in front of him acted as if the Qianli River was beneath his notice, with unparalleled arrogance. If not for the Sect Leader’s orders, he would have taught this ignorant brat a lesson.

"Just have the girl come see me herself," Li Qiye said with a casual wave of his hand. "What are a bunch of old men like you meddling in the affairs of the younger generation for? As for how to resolve it, that’s a matter between the two of us. What’s there for you to worry about?"

Displeased, Guardian Xiao snorted coldly and stormed off with a flick of his sleeve. He was exceptionally irritated with this Little Ghost. He really wanted to teach him a lesson, but he didn’t dare defy the Sect Leader’s command, so he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

After Guardian Xiao left, Lu Baiqiu couldn’t help but whisper, "Young Master, this is the Qianli River’s territory. If you don’t give them any face like this, what if they turn hostile?"

Without realizing it, Lu Baiqiu’s way of addressing Li Qiye had changed. Now that even King Jingxi and Guardian Xiao were calling him "Young Master Li", her own address for him had changed as well.

"Turn hostile?" Li Qiye narrowed his eyes and said with a grin, "I’m not afraid of them turning hostile. On the contrary, I’m afraid they *won’t*. If they do, I’ll have the perfect excuse to take some things with me. If they don’t, then for Immortal Emperor Qianli’s sake, I’d feel bad about taking things by force."

Lu Baiqiu was left speechless by his words. She knew Li Qiye was tyrannical and overbearing, but she never imagined he was arrogant to this degree. To say he had to consider Immortal Emperor Qianli’s sake... that was just too absurd.

Immortal Emperor Qianli! This was an unparalleled and invincible existence. Yet, Li Qiye mentioned such a figure so casually, as if they were old friends.

Of course, in Lu Baiqiu’s eyes, that was impossible. At Li Qiye’s age, how could he possibly have any connection with Immortal Emperor Qianli?

"Young Master, didn’t you come for the marriage contract?" Lu Baiqiu couldn’t help but ask. She had assumed he was here for the engagement to Lan Yunzhu.

"For the marriage contract?" Li Qiye chuckled. "You could say that, I suppose. It’s just something to be handled along the way. For a mere marriage contract, why would I need to make a trip in person?"

Lu Baiqiu could only manage a wry smile in her heart. Lan Yunzhu was a renowned Heavenly Pride Girl of Nanyao Yun, with unparalleled talent and nation-toppling beauty. Countless people could only dream of being worthy of her. Even successors from other Emperor Immortal Gates who came to propose marriage were turned away. Yet, from Li Qiye’s words, it sounded as if Lan Yunzhu herself should be begging him to break off the engagement.

Lu Baiqiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this. She couldn’t decide if he was arrogant or just delusional. And yet, she felt that Li Qiye wasn’t being merely conceited; it was as if, to him, such a matter was truly as trivial as a passing cloud.

"Young Master, this is the Qianli River... Y-you want to take things from here? Th-that’s probably not a good idea, is it?" Lu Baiqiu deliberately lowered her voice, terrified that someone might overhear.

Stealing something from the Ancestral Land and Sect Territory of the Qianli River—such a thing had never happened before. Moreover, from Li Qiye’s tone, it was clear he wasn’t talking about some ordinary item. The thought of it made Lu Baiqiu sick with worry. This was the kind of thing that could cause a world-shaking disaster.

"What’s not a good idea about it? Some things here never belonged to them in the first place," Li Qiye said with a calm, breezy smile.

’To be precise, some things in the Qianli River belonged to me, Li Qiye. I’m taking this opportunity to check on them. If the Qianli River is no longer worthy of possessing such things, then I’ll take back what I left here years ago—a peerless Immortal Object.’

Lu Baiqiu sighed softly in her heart and said no more. She knew she didn’t have the standing to persuade Li Qiye. All she could do now was hope he wouldn’t escalate the situation to a point of no return.

Li Qiye and Lu Baiqiu settled down in the Thousand Carp Lake. On the second day of their stay, Li Qiye took Lu Baiqiu to wander around. Although some disciples from the Qianli River offered to act as their guides, Li Qiye refused.

Truth be told, when it came to the Thousand Carp Lake, not even the Qianli River’s own disciples were as familiar with it as Li Qiye. He had poured a great deal of effort into shaping this land. He knew its secrets far better than any disciple or even the Elders of the Qianli River.

What treasures were hidden, what secrets lay buried within the Thousand Carp Lake—Li Qiye knew it all like the back of his hand.

The Thousand Carp Lake contained countless islands. Some were linked together in chains, allowing for easy travel between them, while many others stood isolated on the water’s surface. Even so, many of these islands were connected by one Divine Bridge after another. These Divine Bridges arched through the sky, weaving in and out of the clouds and mist in a truly spectacular sight.

Walking on the islands within the lake, immersed in the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi that wafted over him with the moist air, Li Qiye couldn’t help but take a deep breath. The familiar aura, the familiar land... it made him sigh softly in his heart. ’Ah, the Thousand Carp Lake... I once left my indelible footprints here.’

Once upon a time, the Thousand Carp Lake was nothing more than an ordinary lake. In a distant era, who would have paid any attention to it? It wasn’t until later that he expended immense effort to unearth the secrets of this land and bury a miracle for the ages. Only then did Immortal Emperor Qianli establish his sect here, creating an Emperor Immortal Gate.

In contrast to Li Qiye, this was Lu Baiqiu’s first true visit to the Thousand Carp Lake. Following him across its islands, she was stunned by the many miraculous sights. This place was practically a Holy Land, an Immortal Land that filled one with yearning. For a cultivator, it was an absolute paradise for training.

As Li Qiye and Lu Baiqiu walked among the islands of the Thousand Carp Lake, they encountered many disciples from the Qianli River. Upon seeing the two of them, many disciples began to whisper and point, and more than a few looked at Li Qiye with open hostility.

Word travels fast. The news that Li Qiye was Lan Yunzhu’s fiancé had already quietly spread throughout the Qianli River sect, causing quite a stir when it was heard.