txolops Chapter 280 A Belated Apology
Chapter 280 A Belated Apology
The three people stood in the lobby of the restaurant waiting for Li Ping.
They are Meng Qingyi, Xiong Pohai, and Huang Yan.
The two people in front need no introduction; they are old acquaintances of Li Ping.
Huang Yan and Li Ping also had some connection with him, but it was under the guise of Li Jingyu.
After Li Jingyu refined pills for Huang Yan, he received the poison sac of a third-tier poisonous dragon as payment.
This third-tier poisonous dragon's venom sac played a decisive role later when he broke through Hua Hong's protective shield.
If he hadn't had the poison sac in hand, he really would have had no choice but to run for his life.
Upon seeing Li Ping emerge, the three quickly and respectfully bowed, saying, "Senior Li!"
Li Ping gestured for Zhang Tie and the others to leave first, and then looked at the three of them with interest. He guessed that the three of them must have learned about Ye Chen's Core Formation from him.
"What do you want?" he asked casually.
The three exchanged glances, and finally Xiong Pohai spoke first.
Seventy years ago, Xiong Pohai was a middle-aged, robust man with a thick beard. Beneath his rugged appearance lay a shrewd and cunning nature. Now, seventy years later, his back is too old to straighten, his hair has turned gray, and his eyes look cloudy.
In fact, he was Meng Qingyi's senior brother and the oldest of the three. Li Ping estimated that he was probably around 220 or 230 years old and not far from the end of his lifespan.
"Senior Li, I have offended you greatly before." As he spoke, Xiong Pohai's already hunched back due to old age became even more bent.
He slowly took off the storage bag from his waist, respectfully presented it to Li Ping, and said obsequiously, "This junior was young and ignorant at the time, and I offer this as a small apology. I hope that the senior will be magnanimous and not hold a grudge against a scoundrel like me."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Li Ping's gaze fell on the white-haired old man in front of him.
He still clearly remembered how Xiong Pohai had offended him, not because he held a grudge.
Li Ping considers himself a peaceful person who never holds grudges.
The reason he remembered so clearly the matter of Xiong Pohai offending him was mainly because cultivators have such good memories that they couldn't forget it even if they wanted to.
Yes, that's right, that's exactly it.
Xiong Pohai offended him twice.
On one occasion, he was ordered by Dai Sangyu to come with Ye Chen to "invite" him to Qinglong Mountain. During the visit, he was quite rude and almost got into a conflict with Li Ping.
The second time was when Yan Liming's possession of another body was exposed. He was in charge of the investigation, and the investigation led to Gu Musheng. He then led his men to break into Li Ping's cave and arrest him.
Li Ping naturally couldn't let him take Gu Musheng away. In the ensuing confrontation, it was the Meng family patriarch who stepped in to resolve the matter.
In both conflicts, Xiong Pohai, relying on his status as a disciple of a True Person, acted extremely arrogantly towards Li Ping, a mere rogue cultivator.
The attitude was completely different from the subservient and obsequious attitude of today.
Looking at Xiong Pohai's white hair, his bowed back, his head almost touching the ground in a humble manner.
Li Ping felt secretly pleased; he had taken advantage of the old and poor.
Perhaps worried that Li Ping would blame him, Xiong Pohai didn't dare to use his magic to do it for him. He was also old, and after bending over for so long, there were already many beads of sweat on his forehead.
Moreover, he didn't dare to get up unless Li Ping spoke, so he remained in that position.
Half an hour later, Xiong Pohai felt a lightness in his hand; the storage bag had been taken away. He also heard Senior Li's calm voice: "Considering your youth and ignorance, this is just a small punishment for you. Don't do it again."
Hearing Li Ping's words, Xiong Pohai breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said respectfully, "Thank you, senior. I will not dare to do it again!"
As he spoke, his heart was filled with bitterness.
At his age, what future is there for him?
Even this time, when he cooperated with the three sects to bring down Meng Qingyi, it wasn't actually his idea; it was mainly Ye Chen who stirred things up.
He was caught up in the world of martial arts, unable to control his own destiny.
"Without achieving the Core Formation, one can only turn into a pile of dust in the end. I wonder how Senior Li cultivated himself, achieving the Core Formation at such a young age." Xiong Pohai couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
If he remembered correctly, the senior Li in front of him was actually much younger than himself.
Li Ping said calmly, "Alright, you can leave now!"
"Yes, this junior takes his leave!" Xiong Pohai hurriedly staggered out of the restaurant.
He glanced back at the restaurant and continued walking towards Qinglong Mountain. His aged figure was stretched long in the morning sun, giving him a sense of a hero in his twilight years.
It wasn't until they returned to their cave in Qinglong Mountain that they were completely out of Li Ping's range of spiritual detection.
Xiong Pohai's steps became lighter, and he no longer had the unsteady and shaky appearance he had before. Even his old back straightened up.
He is old, but his health is actually quite good.
The main reason for acting pitiful in front of Senior Li was to evoke his compassion, hoping that Senior Li would let him off the hook because he was so pitiful.
He is a man who can bend and stretch.
……
Li Ping briefly weighed the storage bag in his hand.
He is a man who can bend and stretch.
……
Li Ping briefly weighed the storage bag in his hand.
Having committed numerous murders and robberies, he now possesses considerable experience.
Just by touching the storage bag, one can tell the thickness of the concrete... How determined is Bu Xiongpo to apologize?
Approximately five thousand spirit stones is considered a generous gift for someone in the late Foundation Establishment stage.
Considering how quickly the other person slid to his knees, and how much he secretly enjoyed it, Li Ping didn't bother arguing with an old man anymore.
The matter of Xiong Pohai is thus concluded.
He put away the storage bag and looked at the remaining two people.
Huang Yan and Meng Qingyi exchanged a glance and smiled politely. In the end, it was Meng Qingyi who spoke first.
Meng Qingyi is younger than Xiong Pohai, but not by much; she is over two hundred years old this year.
However, her cultivation method may have a beautifying effect, so she doesn't look very old, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes aren't too obvious.
The only significant change is that she is much fuller-figured than before.
If she was once like a bamboo standing gracefully in the wind, pure and refined, someone to be admired from afar but not to be touched.
Now it's crystal clear water. It's ripe; one bite and the juices burst out.
In short, time goes by.
Meng Qingyi is no longer the sweet and lovely young girl she first met, but has become a mature woman. .
Aside from the changes in appearance, the only other thing is cultivation level.
Li Ping could tell that Meng Qingyi's aura was perfectly balanced, indicating that he had already reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage and was ready to go into seclusion to attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage at any time.
As for why she didn't take that step, Li Ping had no idea.
"Senior Li," Meng Qingyi greeted respectfully.
"Fellow Daoist Meng, there's no need for such formalities. Back in Immortal City, I had some connection with your ancestor, but unfortunately he..." Li Ping shook his head slightly as he said this.
In his previous conversations with Zhang Tie and others, he learned that the Meng family patriarch had passed away decades ago.
The patriarch of the Meng family was a formidable figure, but he failed to break through to the Core Formation stage. When his lifespan ended, he could only pass away unwillingly.
Upon hearing Li Ping mention his ancestor, Meng Qing's face remained expressionless, showing neither joy nor sorrow.
Similarly, she did not take advantage of Li Ping's mention of her relationship with the Meng family to try and build a connection.
She would not actually address Li Ping as "fellow Daoist" just because he called her that.
She said respectfully, "Senior Li, you have cultivated in the Immortal City for nearly sixty years and are a native of the Immortal City. I have come to request that you assume the position of Supreme Elder of the Immortal City. I wonder what your opinion is?"
Meng Qing also knew Li Ping well, knowing that he was a sentimental person who was single-minded in his pursuit of the Dao and had no interest in vying for power and profit.
If Li Ping were to become the Supreme Elder of Immortal City, with a Core Formation cultivator in charge, Immortal City would not be completely helpless in the face of pressure from the three sects.
Li Ping shook his head without hesitation: "I have only returned to the Immortal City to visit friends and will not stay long, so I will have to disappoint you, Fellow Daoist, regarding my appointment as Supreme Elder."
"It was my rudeness," Meng Qingyi said, a hint of disappointment clearly showing in his eyes.
However, she quickly suppressed her disappointment and smiled, saying, "Senior Li, you've finally returned to the Immortal City. You should stay here for a few days to see the changes and perhaps give me some guidance on my cultivation."
Li Ping's expression suddenly shifted, and he gave her a meaningful look: "That's fine too."
"Then this junior will take his leave." Meng Qingyi respectfully took his leave.
Only Li Ping and Huang Yan remained in the restaurant lobby.
Li Ping looked at Huang Yan. When he refused Meng Qingyi's offer to serve as the Supreme Elder of the Immortal City, he could clearly sense that Huang Yan breathed a sigh of relief.
Upon seeing Li Ping looking at him, Huang Yan quickly bowed respectfully: "Junior Huang Yan of Ziyun Valley greets Senior Li!"
"Purple Cloud Valley." Li Ping nodded slightly. "Young friend Huang, you come from a prestigious school. May I ask what brings you here to see me?"
Huang Yan quickly said, "The reason I have come to pay my respects to you, senior, is firstly because my Daoist partner, Shuwen, is your niece. However, she is not currently in the Immortal City and is unable to show her respect to you. Therefore, I have come here specifically to await your instructions."
At this point, Huang Yan paused for a moment before continuing, "Secondly, I wish to invite you to join my Purple Cloud Valley and serve as an elder. Purple Cloud Valley is a Core Formation sect with abundant cultivation resources. If you, senior..."
Li Ping waved his hand, stopping Huang Yan from continuing: "I've already said that I'm only visiting friends in Immortal City and will be leaving in a few days. So I have no intention of becoming an elder of Immortal City, nor am I interested in joining your Purple Cloud Valley."
"I apologize for my intrusion!"
Upon realizing that Li Ping wouldn't interfere in the affairs of Immortal City, Huang Yan secretly felt a pang of regret, but also breathed a sigh of relief.
"By the way, how is Shuwen's cultivation level now?" Li Ping changed the subject and asked about something else.
Huang Yan's expression brightened, and he quickly smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, senior. Shuwen has already reached the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. She is just waiting for the sect to refine the Essence Pill so that she can try to break through the bottleneck of the late-Foundation Establishment stage."
Li Ping smiled and nodded: "That's not bad."
Ji Shuwen's life was relatively smooth. At the age of twelve, she was diagnosed with two spiritual roots and was sent to a sect by Master Ji to cultivate.
When she reached the peak of Qi Refining in her twenties and faced a shortage of Foundation Establishment Pills, Li Ping sponsored her with 1,500 spirit stones, enabling her to successfully establish her foundation.
It can be said that she has had a smooth life from childhood to adulthood.