lcionline Chapter 258: When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits?
Chapter 258: When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits?
Then, a golden figure, like a golden shooting star, sped in.
Mrs. Lan from the valley didn't even have time to stop her.
She had a clear goal and headed straight for Elder Merlin. The Holy Maiden of the Underworld noticed this keenly, but she would not allow her to be so presumptuous in front of her.
With a gentle wave of her hands, the Holy Maiden of the Underworld Moon caused a bright, round, illusory moon to suddenly appear in mid-air, steadily blocking the figure.
The Holy Maiden of the Underworld Moon's expression turned slightly cold as she rebuked, "Palace Mistress Chrysanthemum, this is a tea party, not your Chrysanthemum Palace."
"You little brat, how many times have I told you, it's the Hundred Flowers Palace!" Palace Master Chrysanthemum's face darkened.
She swung her fist with an overwhelming force, smashing it fiercely towards the illusory full moon, which immediately shattered into pieces.
For a moment, everyone present was shocked and cast astonished glances. Even the old man Merlin's hand, which was holding a cup of tea, froze in mid-air.
The Holy Maiden of the Underworld's expression became particularly cautious.
She slowly stood up, her gaze fixed on Palace Master Ju, and asked, "You've actually broken through to the fourth level of the Innate Realm?"
Madam Lan rushed over and was also taken aback upon hearing this, clearly surprised by Palace Master Ju's breakthrough.
Princess Ju wore a long, gold, slit dress, the hem of which swayed gently in the wind, making her appear especially radiant and dazzling in the sunlight.
Despite the bandages still wrapped around her arm, the minor injury had no effect on her; she maintained her arrogant attitude, as if she were the only one who mattered.
She surveyed the entire room and declared loudly, "That's right, I'm at the fourth level of the Innate Realm! Today, the order of the ranks must be rearranged!"
In front of her, the Holy Goddess of the Underworld had a cold expression, as if she was ready to accept her challenge; while behind her, Madam Lan had a solemn expression, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.
"Pfft." Mangu laughed at an inopportune moment.
He pointed at them and said, "I've heard there's a saying in the Great Xia Dynasty: three women make a drama, you..."
Before he could finish speaking, a golden fist shadow, a cyan palm print, and a silver crescent moon slammed down on him almost simultaneously.
"boom--!"
The tea table shattered into pieces instantly, with wood chips and fragments flying everywhere.
As the wisps of smoke gradually dissipated, Man Gu was still standing in the same spot, completely unharmed.
Only the slight cracks in the ground beneath their feet proved the ferocity of the attack.
Man Gu patted his hard chest, a hearty smile on his face, and laughed loudly, "That's powerful! But, it's not quite enough as a warm-up."
He spoke confidently, as if the attack he had just suffered was nothing more than a piece of cake for him.
Looking at Man Gu's unforgiving and irritable nature, Madam Lan felt a surge of anger. A flash of silver light appeared at her fingertips, and a slender silver needle silently materialized in her hand.
Just then, a hesitant voice suddenly came from the valley entrance: "Huh? They've already started fighting...?"
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young man with a dark complexion, carrying a large cloth bag, standing there with a look of hesitation and unease on his face.
He hesitated before saying, "How about you all go first, and I'll leave first?"
After saying that, he slung his large cloth bag over his shoulder, turned around and was about to leave, seemingly having no desire to get involved in the conflict.
"Hey, Xiao Luo, I thought you weren't here." Old Man Merlin greeted him with a smile, his tone friendly. "It's alright, they were just saying hello and joking around."
Upon hearing this, Luo Yu turned around and, seeing that they had indeed stopped, slowly walked over.
Palace Master Ju snorted and stepped aside.
He carefully sat down at the tea table next to Man Gu, and meticulously wiped the dust that had settled on the tabletop from the fight with his sleeve.
He placed the bulging cloth bag on the table, attracting everyone's attention.
Elder Merlin took the opportunity to introduce Yi Xiaoqi: "Eighth, Luo Yu, from the distant East Sea."
"Their tribe lives on an island and has maintained contact with Wushan for generations, bringing back many rare overseas products each time."
"This brings us to another function of the tea party – the exchange meeting. At the tea party, everyone can use their treasures or local specialties to exchange for what they need, and even if they don't have something for the time being, they can exchange clues."
"Oh." Yi Xiaoqi suddenly realized, nodded and made a note of it, and became curious about what was in Luo Yu's big bundle.
Her gaze swept over the vacant ninth and tenth seats, as well as the other seats behind them.
Seeing this, Elder Meilin introduced them together: "The ninth seat is Fu Wenshen, who is considered half a disciple of the peak master. This lad has gone down the mountain to travel, and he probably won't be back for this year's tea party."
"The tenth seat belongs to the Jade Cauldron Pavilion. Although these alchemists are not very strong, they have excellent alchemy skills and are popular everywhere."
"As for the seats further back, if they didn't come, perhaps they didn't have time or couldn't make it..."
Old Man Merlin paused for a moment, then said in a slightly somber tone, "It could also be an accident."
Yi Xiaoqi nodded silently.
Now, thanks to her mentor's introduction, she has a clearer understanding of the Wushan Tea Party.
……
the other side.
Bai family ancestral home.
The Bai family naturally knew that the Wushan Tea Party was being held ahead of schedule, and they took this opportunity to gather in the ancestral hall to discuss important matters.
"That woman really subdued the Ice Lotus?"
"It's true."
"How is this possible? The Ice Lotus is the guardian spirit of our Misty Mountain, how could it have been subdued by someone?!"
"Now is not the time to discuss this. What we should be considering now is how to reclaim the Ice Lotus."
"Yes, the Ice Lotus must not fall into the hands of outsiders!"
Others echoed.
Inside the ancestral hall, candlelight flickered. Standing before numerous memorial tablets, the Bai family patriarch stood with his hands behind his back, lost in thought for a long time.
Only after the elders' discussions subsided did he slowly speak, saying, "This matter is of utmost importance; we need to consider it carefully."
An elder of the clan said indignantly, "Our Bai family has been operating in Wushan for a thousand years. How dare that woman steal our Ice Lotus? She's simply courting death! How can our Bai family swallow this insult?"
The Bai family patriarch frowned slightly; anger wouldn't solve the problem.
"So what should we do next?" someone asked anxiously.
A hint of apprehension flashed in the Bai family patriarch's eyes as he asked in a cold voice, "What are the results of the investigation over the past two days?"
One of them immediately stepped forward, picked up a record, and said respectfully, "Bai Ge has sent back the letter and portrait. It has been confirmed that the woman who took the Ice Lotus should be the Grand Preceptor of the Great Xia Dynasty—Chu Lengyu."
"After the Shangsi Festival, she disappeared without a trace. She did not even appear during the major event of the Great Qian's declaration of war."
"Two days ago, she appeared near Xiaojian Pass, accompanied by a Houtian Realm cultivator named Yi Xiaoqi. However, there is no record of her at Xiaojian Pass, suggesting that she may have used other means of concealment."
"Then she went to Pengjiang Market. According to the manager, Bai Guanshui, she..."
"Later at Lianyunzhan..."
"At the apprenticeship ceremony..."
This person spoke fluently and eloquently, describing Chu Lengyu's recent whereabouts in a clear and organized manner, vividly portraying the events as if he had witnessed them firsthand, clearly having conducted a thorough investigation and verification.
The Bai family has been operating in Wushan for a thousand years, with deep roots and a vast intelligence network that extends in all directions; there is nothing they cannot find out.
The name "Chu Lengyu" sent a chill down the spines of the Bai family members present.
The enemy they are facing this time is no ordinary foe.
While the Ice Lotus is precious, the threat posed by this suspected cultivator is even more alarming.
After hearing the report, a brief silence fell over the ancestral hall, and none of the elders spoke first.
They were all pondering whether there was a way to retrieve the Ice Lotus without offending this powerful figure.
Seeing the somber atmosphere, the Bai family patriarch said, "The loss of the Ice Lotus is not the fault of our Bai family. Without the Ice Lotus, the spiritual essence of Misty Mountain has been greatly diminished!"
An elder said with dissatisfaction, "Hmph, Lady Lan and Elder Merlin must have been bribed by the Great Xia National Preceptor. They were able to steal the Ice Lotus so easily by working together from the inside."
Another person followed up with a cold laugh: "And Old Man Zhu, his death seems suspicious no matter how you look at it. The tea party today must be quite lively!"
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Complete seating arrangement for the Fog Mountain Tea Party (Old Version):
First Peak Master. Second Bamboo Elder. Third Lady Lan.
Fourth, the Holy Maiden of the Underworld Moon. Fifth, the Old Man of Merlin. Sixth, the Palace Mistress of Chrysanthemum Palace.
Seventh: Man Gu. Eighth: Luo Yu. Ninth: Fu Wenshen.
The tenth is Yu Ding Pavilion. The eleventh is Duanmu Man. The twelfth is Jiang Li.
……
Realizing that the female supporting characters hadn't been given enough screen time before, Fog Hill consciously increased the screen time for female characters this time.