After Cultivating the Wrong Strong, Pitiful, and Beautiful Demonic Lord - Chapter 7

The landscape screen in the front courtyard directly faced the main door. One side served as the primary seat for Patriarch Qi, facing the crowd, while the other side held the statue of Immortal Lord Shiyuan, which was now completely empty.

Both the front and back of the landscape screen were printed with carved patterns, allowing anyone to see through to the opposite side from either direction, albeit slightly blurred and indistinct.

Under normal circumstances, if someone were to remove the divine statue from behind the screen, it would inevitably be noticed. No matter how high that person’s cultivation level was or how fast their speed, the moment they appeared behind the screen, someone would catch sight of them.

Yet, based on the situation at the time, no one had appeared at all the divine statue had simply vanished out of thin air.

Li Jian looked around behind the screen and could determine without even checking that the array he had set up the previous night had been tampered with.

Last night, the table had been laden with food not just to provide a grand feast for himself and Xuan Lang, but because Li Jian had placed talisman paper beneath several of the plates specifically to set up this array.

Earlier, while Li Jian was sitting there having his hair tied, he had caught sight out of the corner of his eye of signs that those plates had been disturbed. This meant his array had also been triggered and someone had entered.

However, ever since Li Jian closed the main gate before dusk yesterday, his array had been active. Throughout this period, Patriarch Qi had been guarding outside. Even if Patriarch Qi wasn’t keeping watch himself, he had arranged for others to do so. Li Jian knew very well that no one could have approached this place during that time.

If it wasn’t a human, whether it was some other kind of creature remained unknown.

Li Jian hadn’t expected the very first practice task he received to be so difficult. No wonder this mission was rated at ten stars.

Seeing Li Jian furrow his brow, Xuan Lang asked softly, “Immortal Elder, is there anything I can help with?”

Just as Li Jian was about to shake his head and say he didn’t know what to do either, the front courtyard door was knocked upon, and Patriarch Qi’s cautious, probing voice came from outside.

“Immortal Elder? Immortal Li? Have you made any progress? Have you found out where the divine statue is?”

When Patriarch Qi first listened to Su Jianshan’s suggestion, he had treated Li Jian as a savior. But after enduring this entire night, he discovered that Li Jian showed no intention of looking for the statue whatsoever, acting entirely like someone here just to freeload food and drink.

He had half a mind to switch people, yet he didn’t dare voice it. At this critical juncture, where on earth was he supposed to invite someone else to help him find things?

As a result, Patriarch Qi called out for a long time without receiving any movement from inside.

Suddenly feeling a bit uneasy in his heart, he knocked on the door a few times more.

Still no response.

Qi Jingyao still held a grudge over Li Jian’s refusal to choose him yesterday and his criticism of his mediocre aptitude, muttering under his breath:

“Could it be that he’s just a half-baked phony who realized he couldn’t find anything and snuck away in the middle of the night?”

Someone in the crowd attempted to speak up for Li Jian: “Surely not. That immortal elder looks quite proper; he doesn’t look like a liar.”

Qi Jingyao wanted to turn around and glare at the person to tell him to watch his words, but upon discovering that the speaker was actually Su Jianshan, he sheepishly turned back around and sneered, “Anyone who would choose Xuan Lang is obviously not very smart. Sneaking away isn’t something he wouldn’t dare do.”

Su Jianshan was observing Qi Jingyao out of the corner of his eye when suddenly, the door in front of them slowly opened from the inside. The morning sunlight outside filtered through the door gap, bathing Li Jian’s face as if casting a layer of glowing radiance over him.

“Didn’t I say not to come over and disturb me for nothing? I’ll call you if I need anything. What else is the matter?”

Li Jian stood upon the long steps, the door behind him opened only a narrow slit. Patriarch Qi attempted to peer inside, but could see nothing at all.

Hearing this, Qi Jingyao’s expression instantly turned ugly. “What kind of attitude is this? We invited you here to find the divine statue, yet you aren’t doing any work while ordering an entire table of dishes! What’s this, are you just here to freeload food and drink?!”

A dense crowd was still standing outside the door the exact same people from yesterday, waiting at the Qi family entrance since early morning to see how Li Jian would find the divine statue. They hadn’t expected that after an entire night passed, there wouldn’t even be a trace of a lead.

“Exactly, could he really be a fraud? He looks proper on the outside, but is he actually just a half-baked freeloader?”

“If you ask me, we still shouldn’t place our hopes on someone like this. Patriarch Qi would be better off going straight to an immortal sect to invite an elder.”

“What are you saying? Are the elders in those immortal sects anyone can just invite on a whim? It’s not that simple. By the time one is invited over, the divine statue will have already vanished God knows where, and the blessing ritual will have passed too.”

“Then what on earth should we do?”

Down below the long steps, the crowd of onlookers began to whisper and point. After all, they had rarely laid eyes on any cultivators. Aside from the disciples of the Chengchi Sect who accompanied the immortal lord descending from Mount Donglu every ten years to perform blessing rituals and pray for the common people, they had never seen any other immortal elders.

Could they go to an immortal sect to invite an elder for help? Yes, but first, where was the gate of the Chengchi Sect located? They didn’t even know whether its gate faced north or south, let alone where to go to make an invitation.

“Are you finished?”

Li Jian never spoke up, simply letting them chatter and squawk by his ears as he rubbed his brow.

“If Patriarch Qi doesn’t wish for me to stay and find the divine statue, you are entirely free to say so directly. There’s no need to rush me or beat around the bush.”

Just as well—he didn’t want to look for it anyway, and he wouldn’t do this damned mission anymore.

He was going back to slack off, completely and thoroughly slack off!

Just as Qi Jingyao was about to step forward to say something, Patriarch Qi yanked him back and respectfully cupped his hands in salutation.

“Immortal Elder, please don’t take offense. We are only worried about the divine statue. After all, the descent of the Immortal Lord of Mount Donglu is a major event and cannot be treated lightly. If any mishap occurs, we won’t be able to answer for it…”

Li Jian walked straight toward Patriarch Qi. “Did Patriarch Qi forget? The time we agreed upon was three days, and today is only the second day. If you are in such a hurry, this humble person can leave right now. If you want your item back, go back obediently and wait, and do not let anyone come and disturb me again. Tomorrow morning, I will return the divine statue to you completely intact.”

When the person before him offered no response, Li Jian raised his voice and asked, “Did you understand?”

Confronted by Li Jian’s single sentence, Patriarch Qi didn’t dare utter another word. They were the ones begging for help in the first place, yet they had turned around trying to make demands of others. Looking back, that truly was a bit unreasonable.

“Understood, understood,” Patriarch Qi repeatedly agreed.

Before his voice had even faded, the door in front of them slammed shut with a loud bang, blocking everyone outside and leaving them to suffer a closed door in their faces.

Li Jian couldn’t care less. He didn’t want to cater to anyone anymore; they had been spoiled into having bad tempers, and while none of them had any real skills, they were certainly quick at making trouble.

As for that Qi Jingyao, it was best he didn’t cross paths with him again, or else Li Jian would beat him once every time he saw him to teach the brat a lesson.

Xuan Lang stood beside the door. Li Jian hadn’t let him go outside, likely fearing that Qi Jingyao would seize the chance to hurl sarcastic taunts and mockery at him.

Li Jian wasn’t afraid. Having been an overworked corporate slave for so long, he was already accustomed to verbal assaults from client overlords as long as the silver landed in his account, saving face or losing it didn’t matter at all.

Xuan Lang was different, however. He was an immortal lord who had already ascended; he shouldn’t be suffering this torment in the mortal world. Since Li Jian’s mission was to help him through his tribulation, it was only natural to take extra good care of him.

Besides, even if it weren’t for the mission, he wouldn’t bear to let such a handsome younger brother suffer.

Yet Li Jian still didn’t quite understand: since Immortal Lord Shiyuan was capable of arranging for someone to help him undergo the tribulation, why couldn’t he arrange a slightly better life for himself?

How bizarre.

Li Jian leaned back against the grand armchair, lazily pouring himself a cup of tea while wearing a contemplative expression on his face, though goodness knows what he was actually thinking.

Xuan Lang walked over to him, bent down, and said, “The Immortal Elder shouldn’t mind what those people said. I believe the Immortal Elder will definitely find the divine statue.”

Li Jian had originally been considering how to slack off in a more reasonable manner when he suddenly raised his eyes and saw the white-clad youth leaning forward. Those slender, upturned eyes looked at him brightly, completely devoid of the gloomy adolescent demeanor from earlier, with actual light sparkling within them.

Li Jian blinked in surprise. “You believe in me?”

“Mn.” The young man nodded.

Li Jian became even more puzzled. “Why do you believe in me?”

Clearly, even those so-called worldly, knowledgeable old fogies outside didn’t believe in him. Given his youthful appearance, his background must certainly be shallow—how could he possibly handle any demons or ghosts? Yet this youth insisted he believed in him?

Xuan Lang thought about it. “A feeling, perhaps. I feel like you’re very formidable.”

Joy stirred in Li Jian’s heart. Truly worthy of an immortal lord who had descended to the mortal world; this discernment was definitely far superior to those ordinary mortals! He grew increasingly convinced that he hadn’t mistaken his target aside from a descending immortal lord, who else could possess such insight and boldness?

Even so, since he didn’t even believe in himself, Xuan Lang saying he believed in him didn’t seem to change much.

Having been thoroughly rebuffed by Li Jian, the crowd outside the front courtyard had dispersed into small groups. Everyone was smart enough not to provoke Patriarch Qi’s wrath again, lest he vent his frustration over the lost statue onto bystanders.

With the chattering noise outside gone, Li Jian was able to quiet his mind and meditate. The Qi family continued to deliver three meals a day inside, no longer daring to offend Li Jian.

Silence remained within the courtyard. If not for the closed doors, Patriarch Qi would have nearly assumed there was no one left inside.

By dusk, as night fell, there wasn’t even a guard standing outside the front courtyard. Only the candlelight flickered within. Li Jian picked up a pork rib and placed it on Xuan Lang’s plate, gesturing for him to eat more, saying that there might be physical energy to spare later.

Li Jian took a sip of tea. At that moment, a cool breeze swept past, brushing across his ear and stirring his stray locks of hair.

He suddenly set down his teacup, his gaze darkening.

Seeing this, Xuan Lang immediately asked, “What is it, Immortal Elder? Is there something you need my help with?”

Surprised by Xuan Lang’s sharpness, Li Jian smiled and said, “It’s here.”

“What’s here?”

Xuan Lang’s peripheral vision inadvertently glanced behind Li Jian, as if he could actually see something lurking there.

Li Jian replied, “The… thing that stole the divine statue.”

Not a human, but an intangible, formless ghostly entity.

Li Jian had closed the doors and windows and waited all day precisely to wait for this creature to show up.

When the divine statue went missing that day, Li Jian had sensed this very gust of cool breeze, immediately followed by the disappearance of the statue.

Later on, Li Jian realized that it hadn’t been a natural cool breeze at all, but rather a wisp of silver thread controlling a puppet. Someone must have been inside the Qi family estate manipulating a puppet imp, deliberately pulling off this trick.

Just now, while the doors and windows of the front courtyard were firmly shut, that same gust of cool breeze had blown in once again. At that instant, Li Jian solidified his theory. However, that person was formidable, acting with swiftness and clean precision, leaving behind absolutely no traces or clues.

Even so, one thing Li Jian could be certain of was that the person controlling the puppet was still inside the Qi family residence!