Chapter Thirty-Three: The Cultivator Bodyguard

"You're so annoying! Why do you insist on answering for me every time I don't want to speak? Are you deliberately trying to go against me? And how many times have I told you not to call me Jingrou? Are we really that close?" Chen Jingrou snapped at Qin Xiaotian after landing a hard kick on him in response to his words. Naturally, after being kicked, Qin Xiaotian protested. Watching the two of them bicker as if their recent brush with danger had nothing to do with them, it was as though the events just moments before were entirely unrelated to their present squabble.

Li Xingyu couldn't help but shake his head and smile. Perhaps this was the nature of children raised in the safety of a greenhouse: they could not endure hardship, but they also had few worries. Maybe theirs was simply an age free from concerns. Youth was truly a blessing. In truth, Qin Xiaotian himself was not much older—counting even the years he spent in suspended animation in space, he was only thirty-four, and since those five years passed in hibernation didn't affect his body or mind, Li Xingyu, strictly speaking, was but twenty-nine.

After organizing the information he had gathered about the Phoenix Martial Group and other related organizations, a thought occurred to him: all these organizations had "Phoenix" in their names, and they all seemed formidable with deep foundations. Could it be that they were all connected to the Heavenly Phoenix family? If so, then the Heavenly Phoenix family must indeed be carrying out some grand scheme. Yet, these organizations acted with such secrecy, their core members willing to die rather than reveal their secrets. Why then would they choose such obvious names? If the family truly was behind it all, were they not afraid of drawing the suspicion and vigilance of other families and factions—especially the Imperial Court? These were questions Li Xingyu could not puzzle out, likely due to his current status and the limited information at his disposal.

Within the Empire of Divine Providence, there were no explicit laws forbidding families from organizing, cultivating, or controlling martial factions. Yet, the great families and martial powers abided by an unspoken agreement: they would not interfere with, infiltrate, or meddle in each other's affairs and grievances. In reality, however, each major faction, including the Imperial family, maintained hidden forces within the martial world and, to varying degrees, secretly supported or controlled many of the smaller sects. Likewise, the great martial sects often sent their experts to infiltrate the ranks of the major families, though it was difficult for outsiders to achieve positions of true influence, as the families were always wary of those not of their blood.

On the whole, the greatest power in the Empire of Divine Providence was the conglomerate of noble families led by the Imperial family, followed by the martial sects and various alliances. There also existed a multitude of independent powers, large and small, and even within each group, countless local alliances and factions. In short, the empire was a web of complex and interwoven interests, held together in relative stability only by the overwhelming strength of the Imperial family. Should the Imperial family's power wane, or another faction suddenly rise in strength, a new balance of power would have to be negotiated—leading inevitably to turmoil and war. Such was true not only within the empire, but across the world.

After making some rough judgments based on the information he had obtained and his knowledge of Earth's political history, Li Xingyu decided it was time to take his leave. Turning to the two still entangled in their quarrel, he caught their attention. Sensing his gaze, they stopped and looked at him. Meeting their eyes, Li Xingyu said, "Although the two I let go will most likely hide and never return to their organization or reveal what happened here, their group will realize that their mission failed. It's likely they'll send others to intercept you before you return to your sect. Since they don't know the details of what happened here, it will take them time to find you. I suggest you hurry back to the Myriad Laws Sect at once."

"How do you know they won't go back and report everything to their group? If they do, won't we be in even greater danger? Why did you let them go? If anything happens to us, it’ll be your fault," Chen Jingrou complained, still brooding over Li Xingyu’s decision to spare their attackers, entirely forgetting that he had just saved her life.

"Miss Chen, don't forget that I did save you. I’m confident in my decision because their envoy valued the organization’s secrets above his own life, and they both failed their mission and revealed secrets. For such a secretive group, betrayal is unforgivable—they know this all too well." Seeing that Li Xingyu did not take offense, Qin Xiaotian breathed a sigh of relief. "Young Master Qin, as a disciple of the Myriad Laws Sect, I suggest you send another call for help and take Miss Chen away from here as quickly as possible. I too must leave. Farewell, until fate allows us to meet again."

"Wait, how do you know who we are? I’ve never seen you before… Oh, it must have been those two men in black, right? Have you been following us this whole time? Just how wicked are you? Since you saw us being captured, why didn’t you help us sooner? I suffered so much because of you!" Chen Jingrou, quick-witted as she was, quickly deduced the situation and glared at Li Xingyu.

"Why should I have saved you immediately? What are you to me, after all? In this world, one must rely on one's own strength to survive. If you always depend on others to rescue you, the day will come when there’s no one left to save you, and that will be your end. You were lucky this time—I only saved you because I was curious about the identities of those men in black. Also, Miss Chen, I advise you not to be so headstrong outside the confines of your Free Wanderers Sect; the martial world is not your sheltered home," Li Xingyu replied, somewhat irritated by her words, yet not without a certain fondness for the spirited girl. While he was not as cold-hearted as he claimed, he simply didn’t want to reveal his true motives for intervening.

Jingrou was about to retort, but Qin Xiaotian stopped her. Cutting her off, he said, "We are deeply grateful for your timely rescue and for your magnanimity towards Jingrou. Though you have already done so much for us, I have a further request. We’re now far from our sect’s base, and after my first signal, they changed their route, so I’m uncertain how long it will take for our people to reach us. If you have no pressing matters, I would be honored if you could accompany us for a while longer. And, as this is the territory of the Myriad Laws Sect, may I extend an invitation for you to visit our sect as our guest?" Clearly, Qin Xiaotian was more mature and tactful than Jingrou, addressing Li Xingyu with an honorific reserved for esteemed guests. Were it not for Li Xingyu’s youthful appearance, he might have addressed him as "Senior."

In truth, Li Xingyu had no pressing matters at the moment, and he was indeed curious to see the Myriad Laws Sect—especially after witnessing Qin Xiaotian’s clever use of gunpowder. However, he could not suggest it himself, for fear of arousing suspicion. Though these two were young and inexperienced, the sect itself was ranked among the top five in the martial world, and its leaders would not be so easily fooled. For an expert such as himself to volunteer to escort two juniors to their sect would certainly raise alarm. Thus, after repeated requests, Li Xingyu "reluctantly" agreed to travel with them, only stating that he would "consider" visiting the sect once their own people arrived.

After Qin Xiaotian sent out another signal, the three set off together toward the sect’s territory. As they spent more time together, they gradually became more familiar with one another. Though Chen Jingrou remained a bit headstrong, she seemed to have learned a lesson. She no longer quarreled with Li Xingyu and was even more polite to Qin Xiaotian, referring to them as "Brother Li" and "Brother Qin," much to Qin Xiaotian’s delight. Despite the peril they had faced, he now felt it had all been worthwhile. Occasionally, Jingrou would glance at Li Xingyu with a mix of curiosity and mischief in her eyes.

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