Chapter 578 - 578 584 Severing

Chapter 578: Chapter 584: Severing Chapter 578: Chapter 584: Severing “The promotional efforts of Xuanfa Pavilion are so grand that, since I was training not far away, I thought I’d come join in the fun. Besides, I figured the family would definitely be attending, so it’d be a good chance to meet with everyone,” Li Chengshuo said with a smile.

Only then did Li Chenghuo have the opportunity to observe her properly. Seeing that she wasn’t injured, he felt relieved. Then, his attention turned to Wei Ningchen, who stood behind Li Chengshuo, and he asked, “Is that person a friend you made while out on your adventures?”

“No, I’m not familiar with him. For some unknown reason, he’s been following me all the way here.”

Li Chengshuo secretly sent a voice transmission, ‘He is a Puppet Master with formidable strength, which is why I’ve been tolerating him this whole time.’

Upon hearing this, Li Chenghuo looked at the two of them thoughtfully, his gaze shifting between them. Though he lacked romantic experience, his century or so of life experience allowed him to perceive Wei Ningchen’s intentions.

However, considering Uncle Shiling’s affection for Li Chengshuo and the fact that she was completely unaware of it, it didn’t seem like this would be an easy matter.

“Shuo.”

At this moment, Li Zhirui emerged from the cabin, followed by Li Chenglin, who had gone to notify him.

“Dad!” Having not seen her family for several years, Li Chengshuo was overwhelmed with emotions.

“You’ve grown up,” Li Zhirui commented as he looked at her face that had weathered much, a flicker of distress in his eyes, but his tone was filled with satisfaction.

He had more to say, but upon receiving Li Chenghuo’s voice transmission, he immediately turned his gaze towards Wei Ningchen, who stood some distance away, hesitating whether to approach.

“Young friend, is there something you need?”

Usually calm and composed, even in dire situations, Wei Ningchen suddenly became flustered and said, “Junior Wei Ningchen of Wanxiang Sect pays respects to his senior!”

A glint of recognition flashed in Li Zhirui’s eyes. Wanxiang Sect, one of the top three powers in the eastern region, had several Divine Transformation ancestors presiding over it, and not too long ago, an ancestor from Wanxiang Sect had achieved Ascension!

Recalling that Li Chenghuo mentioned he was a Puppet Master, Li Zhirui couldn’t help but think of the internal factions within Wanxiang Sect.

There are nine peaks in Wanxiang Sect, among which the most mysterious, and the one the outside world knows the least about, is Myriad Puppet Peak!

If so, was Wei Ningchen a disciple of Myriad Puppet Peak? And quite possibly a direct disciple.

“Junior encountered Li on the road, traveling alone. Worried for her safety and since I also needed to visit Xuanfa State, I thought it would be safer to travel together.”

Wei Ningchen gradually regained his composure and continued, “Now that Li has found her family, I will take my leave.”

“Hmph!” Li Chengshuo uttered a dissatisfied snort and said, “Who needs you to worry? With my strength, I’m nowhere near danger!”

Li Zhirui’s eyebrows knitted slightly before quickly smoothing over. He could see that Shuo had no romantic feelings for this man, but at least she didn’t dislike him, otherwise, she wouldn’t display such an attitude.

Thus, the words originally meant to send Wei Ningchen away changed as they reached his lips, “It’s getting late, and you must be tired from your journey. Why not come aboard to rest for the night? You can seek your master again tomorrow?”

“Then I will respectfully accept your offer!” Wei Ningchen’s lips curled into a slight smile.

“You both should rest for now. We will welcome you properly later in the evening.”

Without giving Wei Ningchen a chance to refuse, Li Chenghuo stepped forward and led him to a guest room that had just been prepared.

“Eh? Did the Wei lad actually board their Spirit Boat?”

The burly man who had been keenly following the event laughed and said, “By the looks of it, it won’t be long before we’ll be drinking to celebrate the young man’s marriage.”

“Haven’t you ever cared to check which family’s boat Wei was boarding?” the woman in white beside him remarked lightly.

“What does it matter whose it is? Could there possibly be a family stronger than Wanxiang Sect?” Despite saying this, he still sent his disciples to investigate the Li family.

It took less than half an hour for the disciple to return with some information.

“Hmm, born into a Nascent Soul family, both parents are Nascent Soul cultivators, and there’s even a twin brother who is also at the Golden Core stage. Their status is slightly inferior.”

The burly man spoke nonchalantly, “However, disciples of Myriad Puppet Peak don’t place much emphasis on background. It’s good enough if one can successfully find a dao companion.”

Wei Ningchen’s master is the peak lord of Myriad Puppet Peak, a highly revered Puppet Master who has achieved Divine Transformation! Moreover, he is his master’s closed-door disciple!

Perhaps it’s because controlling puppets requires maintaining extreme calm and focus, suppressing emotions, so much so that nearly all puppet masters who have mastered puppeteering have no inclination to seek a dao companion.

“The other party may not necessarily take a fancy to Wei.”

A look of surprise flashed in the eyes of the woman in white, who rarely spoke much. She said, “Starting from a Foundation Establishment family that had been in exile, they have developed for just two to three hundred years and already have two Nascent Souls.”

“Even you and I, with guidance from our sect elders and an abundance of resources, took over two hundred years to achieve Nascent Soul. Such individuals are known to be picky.”

What’s most important is, the constitution of that female cultivator is far too sensitive!

Her Tianyin Spirit Body contains extremely pure Tianyin Spiritual Energy. Even though a harmonious balance of yin and yang would benefit the male side more, it wouldn’t cause any harm to Li Chengshuo.

But once dual cultivation turns into a form of extraction, then she becomes an excellent cauldron!

Any parent with a bit of conscience wouldn’t want their child to become someone else’s cauldron, and even with Wei Ningchen’s repeated assurances, it could not dispel Li Zhirui’s concerns.

Besides, should any problems arise later, Li Zhirui would have no means to intervene, given the stark difference in strength clearly laid out before them.

“Let the young Wei lad worry about it himself!” The burly man, who seemed rough but was actually extremely astute, picked up on the deeper meaning in the words of the woman in white.

Meanwhile, on the other side, after one to two hours of preparation, the Li family put out a banquet that was quite impressive in scale.

“It’s a bit simple, being away from home. I hope you won’t mind,” he said.

“The elder is joking; these Spiritual Objects are already excellent.”

Looking around, they were all third-grade Spiritual Objects, including a Five Elements Jade Peach.

“Let’s start eating, then.”

After three rounds of drinking, Li Zhirui asked Li Chengshuo and the others to go back to rest, leaving only Wei Ningchen.

He seemed to have sensed something and immediately sat up straight, waiting for Li Zhirui to speak.

Li Zhirui didn’t bother with pressuring him with his status; he went straight to the point and asked, “You have taken a liking to Shuo, haven’t you?”

“Yes, elder. I wish to pursue Li and become dao companions, to walk together hand in hand, and head toward The Great Tao,” Wei Ningchen answered very formally and promised, “Please rest assured, elder. My master will definitely agree to this, and I will certainly not let Li down!”

Li Zhirui laughed and shook his head. “I never trust such words.”

“Elder…”

Wei Ningchen looked anxious, trying to explain something, but was forcefully interrupted by Li Zhirui.

“And I just want to tell you that Shuo has no feelings for you whatsoever, so I hope you will not bother her in the future.”

“You shall leave first thing tomorrow morning.”