Wang Jinhu's face turned blacker than that of someone thoroughly smoked by a chimney fire.
He then heard Qingyu remark with a light smile, "General Wang, given the circumstances, can you escort me out now, perhaps?"
The moment she spoke, Wang Jinhu, standing amidst the clamor of the Heavenly Light Sect, seemed utterly discomposed for a long while.
He stared intently at Qingyu for an extended period, then finally, with a deep sigh of resignation, escorted her out of the Sect.
And at that very moment, within the Spirit Beast Garden of Heavenly Light Sect, Li Yaotie was seated cross-legged atop a simple stone block.
"Much better now."
Inhaling the scent of gunpowder that now permeated the air, a hint of a smile touched Li Yaotie's lips.
For so very many years, he had endured endless indignities within this Heavenly Light Sect.
But today, this single series of explosions had blasted all those accumulated grievances clean away, leaving not a trace behind!
Then, abruptly, he looked up.
Materializing before his very eyes, as if from thin air, was a benevolent-looking old man.
Li Yaotie hadn't even been able to perceive how the other had appeared.
His family had always said he was simple-minded, yet the Li Yaotie of this day could discern at a single glance that this old fellow was far from ordinary; he could even venture a guess as to the other's identity.
Nevertheless, Li Yaotie simply continued to stare silently into the old man's eyes, his face still holding the relaxed, almost serene smile that came from having finally vented his long-held frustrations.
"You did this?"
The Grand Ancestor of Heavenly Light Sect observed Li Yaotie's calm and composed demeanor, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Even if Daoist Ming Kong had not made his report, an expert of his realm could divine all that transpired within Heavenly Light Sect simply by a flick of his fingers.
This included calculating the theft of the puppets, the full extent of the explosions that had rocked all corners of the Sect, and even... Qingyu being escorted out of Heavenly Light Sect by Wang Jinhu!
Li Yaotie nodded. "Yes."
Seeing this silver-limbed, bald-headed, burly man before him behave with such forthright honesty, the Grand Ancestor of Heavenly Light Sect showed a flicker of interest.
"Lad," he said, a warning tone in his voice, "let me make one thing clear: if you cause trouble within my Heavenly Light Sect, I can snuff out your life with a single hand!"
"Which is precisely why this junior did not choose to flee."
Li Yaotie abruptly sprang up from the stone pier and, with a single leap, landed before the Grand Ancestor of Heavenly Light Sect.
He rubbed his bald head, a simple and honest grin spreading across his face.
"This junior," he began, "sought refuge within the Heavenly Light Sect and performed menial labor for many years. I had long heard that while the Old Ancestor of Heavenly Light Sect is deemed by outsiders to follow unorthodox ways, he is, in truth, one of this world's truly great powers.
I suspect that no matter what this junior might attempt, nothing could escape Senior's discerning eyes."
"This junior had long wished for an audience with Senior, yet was frustrated by having no proper path to seek your guidance, and furthermore, was wary of the covetous eyes of others. I feared that were I to reveal my innermost thoughts, I would meet a violent end. Thus, employing this method to draw Senior out into the open today was an act of sheer desperation, something this junior felt compelled to do."
His words concluded, he abruptly dropped to his knees before the Grand Ancestor of Heavenly Light Sect, an action that caused even the Grand Ancestor's usually impassive expression to shift with a hint of something peculiar!
He prostrated himself fully upon the ground, his tone of voice resonant and forceful.
"Li Yaotie of the Li family pays his respects to the Grand Ancestor! This junior has resided within Heavenly Light Sect for several decades, cultivating the art of artifact refining to Rank 6, the Dao of Arrays to Rank 6, and the Way of Puppets to Rank 6. Talismans, beast taming, astrology... in all these esoteric arts, I have diligently studied and achieved a measure of proficiency. I implore you, Grand Ancestor..."
"Accept this humble junior as your disciple!"
Li Yaotie's hand clenched into a fist, grasping a handful of earth and sand so tightly his knuckles were white. His gaze was fixed with unwavering resolve upon the storage ring in his other hand, his jaw clenched tight!
No one could possibly know how he had endured these past years.
Day and night, ceaselessly, he had replayed the memory of Tianshuang sacrificing herself to save him.
From the very moment he had awakened within that storage ring, he had already known the devastating truth: their family clan had been annihilated by that accursed Venerable Tian Xing.
He had known despair; he had been lost in a fog of confusion.
He had felt utterly helpless in his predicament within the Heavenly Light Sect, surrounded as he was by enemies on all sides. Yet, from the very day the Old Ancestor had manifested, he knew he absolutely had to change. He could no longer truly be that "shameless, brainless oaf" his clansmen had always made him out to be.
For this day, he had waited a very long time. He was determined to take this gamble!
Only by becoming a disciple of the Grand Ancestor of Heavenly Light Sect, only by learning sufficient skills and abilities directly from him, could he ever hope to avenge his clansmen and Tianshuang!
Seeing that the Heavenly Light Ancestor still offered no response, he gritted his teeth once more and cried out, "I implore you, Heavenly Light Ancestor, accept this humble junior as your disciple!"
The Heavenly Light Ancestor gazed pensively at Li Yaotie, who remained prostrated upon the ground.
Hidden within his voluminous sleeve, one of the Ancestor's hands tapped rhythmically as he performed intricate divinatory calculations.
Subsequently, he regarded Li Yaotie with a look of clear admiration, yet his tone carried an edge of interrogation. "
You wish to become my disciple," he began, "and yet you insist on resorting to such extreme measures?"
Upon hearing the Ancestor's question, Li Yaotie confessed with complete truthfulness.
"Besides my intention to draw Senior out," he admitted, "this junior's clansmen have also... Stole some items within the Heavenly Light Sect. This junior is keenly aware that none of these actions could have possibly escaped Senior's notice. Therefore, this junior was indeed taking a gamble!"
"If Senior sees fit to look favorably upon this humble junior, then all of my transgressions will amount to little more than trivialities. Should Senior, however, look down upon this junior, then it is merely death that awaits, and nothing more."
The Heavenly Light Ancestor grew increasingly pleased.
He inquired serenely, "Well then, did your gamble pay off?"
Li Yaotie's spine slowly straightened. He lifted his head high, gazing directly at the benevolent old man before him.
Behind the Heavenly Light Ancestor, the inferno's glow cast a crimson reflection over the entirety of Heavenly Light Sect, and from all corners, the frantic shouts of the Sect's disciples could still be heard.
Then, a smile spread across his face, and he performed three deep, resounding kowtows towards the Heavenly Light Ancestor.
"Disciple Li Yaotie pays his deepest respects to Master!"
A moment later, Li Yaotie followed closely behind the Heavenly Light Ancestor, heading towards the deepest recesses of the Sect.
He cast a slow, lingering glance back towards the Sect's entrance—the place from which Qingyu had departed.
Far, far beyond the Heavenly Light Sect lay their homeland—Azure Cloud Region, Merit City—where their family clan, in its vast numbers, had once thrived.
All his life, he had disdained using his intellect for complex schemes, had scorned bowing and scraping to others, and had been unwilling to court unnecessary risks.
And now, his gamble had paid off.
He had expended many years meticulously planting explosive puppets in every corner of the Heavenly Light Sect.
He had painstakingly performed menial labor within the Sect, not merely to secretly learn its arts, but also to collect discarded scrap materials, even down to the very manure of the spirit beasts.
When the explosions began, he could have easily fled, yet he had deliberately chosen to remain.
From the very moment the Heavenly Light Ancestor had sought him out, he knew his gamble had paid off!
His over two hundred explosive puppets, the innate talent he had cultivated in silence and secrecy for so many years, the very character and disposition he had displayed before the Heavenly Light Ancestor—all these convinced him.
He firmly believed that, at the very least, he possessed a far brighter future than that of Sect Master of Heavenly Light Sect, Ming Kong, a man who knew only how to curry favor with the powerful and noble!
"Father... Old Ancestor..."
Li Yaotie cast one final glance towards the entrance of the Heavenly Light Sect.
His eyes grew moist, and unseen by any, his fingers trembled slightly.
"This child," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion, "has won his gamble."
---
2/2
Quick Note:
For the next 20 days, I'll be releasing two chapters per day to help you stay immersed during this part of the story.
Each pair of chapters will be labeled like this:
(1/2) and (2/2) — so you'll know they belong together.
Thank you for reading and supporting the story.