I Stepped on a Bug, and the System Says I Slayed a Dragon? - Chapter 189 - 188: Elder Li: As Expected of the Sword God’s Disciple, Truly a Monster
Chapter 189: Chapter 188: Elder Li: As Expected of the Sword God’s Disciple, Truly a Monster
In the corridor,
all was silent.
Xia He froze for a moment, then turned to Li Zixuan in bewilderment.
’What in the world is going on?’
“Isn’t her teacher… the head of the Jianghai Martial Arts Academy?”
Xia He murmured, staring at Li Zixuan as he asked softly, “What do you mean by that?”
’Those words just now…’
’She isn’t trying to trick me, is she?!’
The moment he spoke, Li Zixuan’s brow furrowed slightly. Seeing the utter confusion on his face, she mulled it over for a moment before things started to click into place.
’It seems…’
’This man knows part of the story.’
’But not the whole thing!’
’At most, he has some connection with my senior brother.’
’And it seems my senior brother intentionally kept some things from him.’
’As my senior brother’s best friend, it’s only natural for him to help… No wonder he was so evasive earlier.’
At this thought, Li Zixuan felt a sense of relief. She had pieced everything together. Without another word, she turned and silently headed for the conference room.
Leaving Xia He standing there, utterly bewildered.
…
In the conference room,
Li Zixuan had just stepped inside when Xia He followed close behind. The moment he entered, the gazes of the several Innate Powerhouses converged on him once more.
“You’re back?”
A smile touched the Commander’s lips as he personally pulled out a chair for Xia He. “Come, sit here,” he said calmly. “Let’s continue the meeting.”
“You’re too kind, sir. I just went to the restroom.”
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Xia He was taken aback by the gesture. He slowly sat down and said, “Sorry for holding everyone up.”
Li Zixuan also returned to her seat beside Elder Li. Her eyes were fixed on Xia He, quietly waiting to see how things would unfold.
Just then,
suddenly!
“Xuanxuan?”
Elder Li’s voice sounded,
noticing the subtle shift in her mood, he quietly sent her a voice transmission:
“Xuanxuan, do you two know each other? That young man… he seems to know you well?”
“Yes, we’ve met once before.”
Li Zixuan replied via voice transmission. “I just did a little probing, and I think I know who’s behind this Pear Blossom Needle. I’ll explain everything in detail later.”
“Is that so…”
Hearing this,
Elder Li lowered his gaze in contemplation and nodded. “Then I shall wait.”
Back at the conference table, Xia He rested his hands on the surface, feeling the weight of their gazes as the meeting resumed.
“May I ask the name of your esteemed master?”
Li Daoming asked in a deep voice, resting his chin on his hand and scrutinizing Xia He. “With the Beast Tide approaching Jianghai City, could we ask your esteemed master to offer his assistance?”
“The Hall Master is right,”
Lin Mofeng nodded in agreement. “If we could ask this senior Artifact Refiner for help, Jianghai’s defenses would be significantly strengthened, and the pressure on us would be greatly reduced.
It would be a godsend!”
As soon as he finished speaking, all eyes turned to Xia He, awaiting his answer. The pressure in the room instantly mounted!
“…”
Xia He was silent for a long moment before letting out a sigh.
“Everyone, please don’t make things difficult for me. My master doesn’t like his name being known. He detests these worldly bothers.”
As he spoke, he patted the cardboard box on the table.
“Besides, please think about it. If I really revealed my master’s identity, would our supply of the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles still be secure?
If he gets angry and decides to leave Jianghai, wouldn’t the loss far outweigh the gain? Our supply of Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles would be cut off for good!”
When he finished speaking, the conference room fell silent once more.
The few Innate Experts looked thoughtful, their gazes fixed on the cardboard box of Pear Blossom Needles as they fell into a long silence.
The Beast Tide was imminent.
If they pushed Xia He and lost this wholesale supply source…
then it wouldn’t just be a minor problem.
The whole of Jianghai would be plunged into crisis.
Sacrificing the essential for the trivial was simply not worth it!
“Alright,”
“Since you have reasons you can’t disclose, we won’t press the issue.”
The Commander was the first to speak, breaking the deadlock. “We hope your esteemed master will continue to lend his support in the future.
The Beast Tide is nearly upon us and Jianghai is in peril. If your master is willing to sell any more Star Artifacts, just come to us at the Star Martial Police Bureau. We will absolutely make it worth your while.”
“Yes, don’t worry, Commander. My master’s Artifact Refining skills are superb. I’ll communicate with him about this.”
Xia He said with a nod, patting the box on the table. “This is a sign of my master’s good faith.”
’Seeing that no one else was pressing him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.’
’As long as they weren’t pushing him, everything was fine.’
’I made a promise to Old Qin, and no one is going to pry a word out of me!’
“Alright, we’ll be counting on you. You can head back for now.”
The Commander sighed, looking at Xia He’s determined expression. Xia He had made his position perfectly clear. There was no point in pressing him further.
“Alright, I’ll take my leave then. Please, continue.”
Hearing that he could leave, the weight on Xia He’s chest finally lifted. He immediately turned and strode quickly out of the conference room.
In just a few moments,
he had vanished from sight…
After he left,
the meeting continued for a while longer.
“Does anyone recognize this level of Artifact Refining skill?”
The Commander held a Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle, examining its internal structure. “Such deceptively simple craftsmanship,” he said, puzzled, “yet it’s a Star Artifact that can pierce an Innate’s defenses. It’s simply unheard of…”
“I might have some idea, Commander.”
Lin Mofeng suddenly spoke up. “I’ve traveled to the Imperial Capital, and I know of some Artifact Refiners who are sponsored by the great families. They often produce top-tier Star Artifacts for sale, but…”
Here, his tone shifted as his gaze fell upon the cardboard box.
“I have never seen artifacts powerful enough to pierce an Innate Powerhouse’s defenses being sold wholesale by the box like this.”
“The Li Family keeps a tight rein on all talent within Jianghai City.”
Li Daoming also sighed. “If anyone possessed this level of Artifact Refining skill, our Li Family would have noticed them long ago.
I suppose it just goes to show that there’s always someone better out there.”
After exchanging a few more opinions without reaching a conclusion, the meeting eventually fizzled out…
……
「A moment later.」
The meeting was dismissed.
On the street, starlight cascaded down.
“Xuanxuan?”
Elder Li and Li Zixuan walked side-by-side down the street, a gentle evening breeze blowing past. Lin Mofeng followed beside them, releasing a faint aura of Star Force.
It blocked any possibility of eavesdropping.
The trio moved as one, like phantoms…
“Xuanxuan, you said during the meeting that you had a lead on the creator of the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle…”
Elder Li glanced at Li Zixuan and asked in a low voice, “Were you serious?”
They had finally found a lead, after all this time.
At his words, Lin Mofeng’s expression also grew solemn.
“Yes,”
Li Zixuan nodded lightly. She gazed up at the sea of stars and voiced her suspicion.
“That man is very close with my senior brother. It’s highly likely the Pear Blossom Needles are my senior brother’s handiwork.”
The moment she spoke,
“So, it really is a disciple of the Sword God…”
Hearing this, Elder Li lowered his gaze, his suspicions finally confirmed. He couldn’t help but marvel.
Of course!
Only a disciple from the Sword God Sect could create such a Divine Artifact…
“As expected of a disciple of the Sword God. The boy’s talent is simply monstrous!”
