The solitary, exquisite little building was guarded silently by at least dozens of Fighter-level Long family personal guards, evidently the elite forces of the Long family. This heavy deployment alone revealed the importance of this location. "Tsk tsk..." Li Yi praised softly, "It seems that the Long family values Ye Qingma quite a bit. I bet even Long Aotian himself doesn't get such thorough protection, right?"
"It's only natural," the Serpent Venerable responded lightly. "Given Ye Qingma's status, if anything were to happen to him here, the Long family would be in deep trouble. It's only logical for them to arrange such tight security."
Li Yi mused, "In that case, Old Coot, do you have the ability to infiltrate silently?" The Serpent Venerable snorted and said, "Little ghost, today I'll show you what it means to be audacious. Watch closely..." With that, Li Yi, controlled by the Serpent Venerable, flashed mysteriously in mid-air and reappeared behind two alert Long family personal guards. Without even using Dou Qi, Li Yi effortlessly struck them both, causing them to spit blood and collapse silently.
After doing all this, the Serpent Venerable seemed too lazy even to glance at the bodies on the ground, and Li Yi continued forward under his control. Along the way, at least seven or eight personal guards were encountered, but they were all taken care of silently, without even a chance to signal for help.
By the time Li Yi opened the window of the small building and leaped in, his presence was still unnoticed. However, that was only until this moment. Several women dressed in thin gauzy dresses looked at the black-clad figure who leaped in from the window in surprise, too astonished even to scream.
Li Yi sighed softly and said in a low voice, "I guess, even if I asked you to forget what you've seen just now, you wouldn't be able to, right? So, I can only say sorry..." With that, he flicked his fingers, and strands of Dou Qi, like silk threads, floated out and landed on the women, causing them to tremble and collapse onto the ground.
Li Yi chuckled and said, "Old Coot, what kind of Dou Technique is this? It seems quite powerful." The Serpent Venerable replied indifferently, "Don't get any ideas about this move. This is not a Dou Technique but a technique that can be understood only when Dou Qi cultivation reaches a certain realm. This method is called 'Dou Qi Silk.'"
"Dou Qi Silk?" Li Yi frowned slightly, unfamiliar with the name. "Alright, kid, stop daydreaming. When you reach the Emperor level, you can try to learn this method. For now, it's pointless to think about it. Focus on the task at hand!" The Dou Qi enveloping Li Yi slowly dissipated.
Li Yi sighed helplessly, glancing at the collapsed women. He could only roll his eyes. Though the physical work wasn't hard, after all, he was still a normal man... After moving these seductive women to a large bed on one side of the room, Li Yi's figure flashed slightly, and he settled into a corner of the eaves, ready to wait. Most of the necessary tasks were done; what remained was essentially waiting.
"That guy is back!" The Serpent Venerable's voice suddenly echoed in Li Yi's mind. Rich Dou Qi surged out from the Yunhuang Ring, enveloping Li Yi entirely. Li Yi squinted, focusing on the room's door. Footsteps were heard outside, followed by several people's flattering and sycophantic voices. After a while, the room's door was pushed open with a creak, and Ye Qingma, looking quite dashing, slowly entered the room.
He casually closed the door, his gaze sweeping around the room. When his eyes landed on the seemingly fast asleep maids on the bed, a wolfish grin that any man would understand appeared on his face.
"That lecherous guy," Li Yi thought to himself. "Old Coot, let's take care of him when he gets on the bed. Let him die under the peony, a romantic even in death." Li Yi's remark was shamelessly bold, seemingly forgetting that he himself was often branded as a lecher.
"No problem, you can make your move anytime..." But then, "Wait, something's changed!" the Serpent Venerable interrupted. Li Yi, who had been watching Ye Qingma intently, suddenly became alert.
Ye Qingma did not rush to attend to the women. Instead, he took out a jade bottle from his storage ring and briefly held it under the noses of the maids. The already unconscious women seemed to fall into an even deeper sleep after this action. Ye Qingma's face showed a hint of satisfaction.
"What's that?" Li Yi quickly asked in his mind. "It must be some kind of sleeping incense. It seems Ye Qingma has other plans tonight..." The Serpent Venerable chuckled softly, as if discerning something.
Li Yi was no fool, and his smile quivered slightly. "It can't be such a coincidence, can it?" "Perhaps, it is exactly that," the Serpent Venerable mused. "Enough talk, Old Coot, let's just watch and see," Li Yi concluded, his gaze returning to Ye Qingma. The actions of this Young Master Ye were becoming increasingly intriguing.
Ye Qingma had already put away the jade bottle. He strolled around the room with his hands behind his back, then suddenly sneered, "Li Yi, oh Li Yi, don't blame me... I was planning to give you three days, but I suddenly realized I can't wait any longer. Next year's today will be your death anniversary!" Saying this, he suddenly slapped the table in front of him, causing the large table to shatter into pieces with a loud "crack." He took a few deep breaths, seemingly calming himself down after the action.
After that, he pulled out a strangely shaped bamboo flute from his chest. With a gentle wave, a faint "whooshing" sound emanated from it. Moments later, two blurry figures rushed in through the window. Wrapped in Dou Qi, their true appearances were obscured, but the Serpent Venerable was slightly surprised, noting, "These two have reached the pinnacle of the Warrior level, just a step away from becoming Kings. It seems Ye Qingma has indeed brought significant support this time."
"Afraid, Old Coot?" Li Yi taunted. "Me, afraid? That's a big joke... Should I take them down right now?" "No need, let's see what Ye Qingma is up to," Li Yi responded calmly.
The two blurry figures respectfully stood in front of Ye Qingma, and after a moment, a dry voice echoed in the room, "Young Master, your orders?" Ye Qingma sat down casually on a chair, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "How did your investigation go regarding the matter I asked you to look into?"
"Yes, Young Master," the dry voice replied. "The Li family of Wanchao seems to have had an Emperor level ancestor, but their current patriarch is just at the peak of the Warrior level. However, during our investigation, we faintly detected two elusive auras in the Li family. If our guess is correct, they should be two King level fighters."
"Two Kings!?" Ye Qingma was also slightly surprised but soon regained his composure. "Unexpected that the Li family hid so deeply. But it seems these two Kings would not easily show themselves unless the Li family faces a life or death situation. Otherwise, how could other forces in Wanchao City compete with the Li family? So, we don't need to pay too much attention to them. If it's really necessary, I'll send a message to my master and ask him to send an elder. Any elder, being an Emperor, would suffice to handle those two Kings."
"And the other matter?" Ye Qingma tapped the table, appearing calm. The dry voice quickly said, "We have investigated. The Miss of the Li family seems to have been frequently appearing in the Li family of Wanchao for several years now. But apart from Li Han, it seems no one knows her true identity... If our conjecture is correct, either the Miss of the Li family has some blood relation with the Wanchao Li family, or the Wanchao Li family has intricate connections with the forces behind Miss Li. However, in recent years in the empire, no small family has been known to have relations with the forces behind Miss Li. So, we believe... the reason Miss Li appears here is most likely due to some blood relation with the Li family, or someone in the family is very close to her."
"Blood relation?" Ye Qingma touched his nose and sneered, "In that case, maybe this is a breakthrough. Command your men to find the one related to her by blood, and take good care of them. That's the relative of your future mistress... Hahaha..."
"I understand!" "And Li Yi?" The dry voice continued: "As for Li Yi, we have almost completed our investigation. He seems to have known how to keep a low profile since childhood, and his lecherous appearance before was most likely an act. His current strength should be between one to three crystals Fighter, but he seems to have mastered two extremely powerful and mysterious Dou Techniques, likely left by that Emperor ancestor. In our estimation, those Dou Techniques are at least of the Phoenix level."
"Just Phoenix level?" Ye Qingma laughed coldly. "Although I haven't seen him strutting his stuff, what I saw at Tianxiang Tower today, defeating Ma Fan, has already explained a lot. The difference between a Warrior and a Fighter is huge. How can a Fighter, who can only condense Dou Qi whirlwinds, compare with a Warrior who has condensed a Dou Qi nebula? If someone can be stronger than a Warrior, it only shows that the cultivation method they practice is extraordinary. Plus, with one or two high-level Dou Techniques, it's not hard to understand how they can challenge beyond their level... So, we must be careful with this Li Yi. Do you two understand my meaning?"
The dry voice hesitated, "Young Master, you mean..." Ye Qingma said ominously, "A method and Dou Techniques that allow a Fighter to challenge beyond their level, how can such things fall into others' hands? Besides, this kid even dared to compete with me for Li Nana. I'll make sure he has no place to be buried... Hehe, let's 'invite' Li Yi over tonight and take good care of him..."
Before he finished, a faint laugh resounded, "If Young Master Ye wishes to see me, why not just say so? Why bother to come personally to greet me? Li Yi is here already..." In an instant, Ye Qingma's face drastically changed!