Refining the Mountains and Rivers

It was said that on this day, a horrifying cacophony of curses rang out from the mansions of almost every wealthy and prominent family in Roc City. The foundation that Lei Jinyun laboriously built up over the years had been directly destroyed and his status suffered a disastrous decline!

And at this time, Lei Xiaoyu held onto a purple jade box as she leaned against a soft chair. She was in no mood to pay attention to anything happening outside. She felt as if she were wrapped in happiness, floating in a hot spring, half drunk.

She had no idea how Qin Yu had done it. It had to be known that the person he faced was Wu Daoyuan, someone who even her big brother treated respectfully. But this didn't matter. What mattered was that Qin Yu was someone she liked. Her judgment was the best!

Lei Xiaoyu rejoiced at the decision to call out Qin Yu when he was about to leave on that day. Otherwise, how could she have a guardian god she could rely on?

That's right, in Lei Xiaoyu's heart, Qin Yu was now a guardian god. She believed that as long as he was by her side, all problems could be solved easily and no troubles or misfortunes would befall her.

Once more, Lei Xiaoyu began to pray in her heart. She hoped that the heavens would allow Qin Yu to stay by her side forever.

The maintenance of the Soul Casting Array Formation was completed and it could be opened at any time. But Qin Yu didn't go back immediately. He was summoned by Lei Qianjun for a meeting.

The events of the banquet couldn't be hidden. The limelight from obtaining the blue cloud lotus root was too great.

Once Lei Qianjun received the information he wanted he would definitely want to meet with him.

In truth, this matter was likely to cause a series of uncontrollable changes that were beyond Qin Yu's plan.

But he didn't regret obtaining the blue cloud lotus root and helping Lei Xiaoyu live longer. Even if there was a dire consequence involved, he was willing to withstand it.

Moreover, as Lei Qianjun collected information on him and analyzed it, Qin Yu wasn't idling around either. He had already come up with a good excuse. If things proceeded smoothly, he might pass this hurdle with ease.

…

"Sir Qin, the City Lord invites you." The steward was unexpectedly the one waiting for him, but everyone in the City Lord Mansion understood his status.

Qin Yu nodded, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

The steward smiled. Without saying anything, he turned and led the way.

Qin Yu followed behind. Though there was no chance in his expression, he relaxed.

The steward was a master at controlling his mood and never revealed anything. But, Qin Yu's sensory abilities far surpassed the norm. If he didn't sense any hostility from this person, then the worst case situation hadn't appeared.

As long as he could explain himself then he would have a chance.

They approached the study. The area was peaceful today, without any cultivators coming to report news. There weren't even any maids.

The steward pushed open the door, "City Lord, Sir Qin has arrived."

Lei Qianjun's voice rang out, "Let him in."

Qin Yu walked in. The moment he did, his step paused. It was like an invisible mountain pressed down on his shoulders, wanting to grind him to dust.

He looked up and calmly met Lei Qianjun's eyes. He lightly said, "City Lord Lei, is this how you treat a guest?"

Lei Qianjun had a faint expression. "All of my guests have names. How can someone who half-lies be considered one of them?"

Qin Yu said, "It was only to avoid some unnecessary troubles. I hope City Lord Lei can be patient. At least up until today, I haven't done anything that has harmed the interests of the City Lord Mansion."

Lei Qianjun coldly sneered. Each word he said dripped with an ice cold scent of blood. "If that wasn't the case, do you think you would still be standing there?"

The terrifying oppression that filled the air was slowly taken away. But in Qin Yu's senses, Lei Qianjun was like a quaking volcano, about to erupt with a world-consuming strength at any moment.

"You only have one chance. Speak."

Qin Yu turned his head, not immediately speaking. He walked to a large chair and sat down, then slowly said, "City Lord Lei should understand that if it weren't for yesterday's banquet, I would not have aroused your interest. And the reason I did that was to save Miss Lei."

Lei Qianjun's eyes flashed with a sharp light, "What did you say?"

Qin Yu said, "Miss Lei's injuries might be temporarily suppressed, but she has less than three years to live. Am I right?"

He met Lei Qianjun's gaze. "And yesterday, I obtained a blue cloud lotus root from Wu Daoyuan. It is a wonder treasure born from a place of extreme filth in the world. It can help Miss Lei extend her life by at least ten years."

Lei Qianjun had an expressionless face. He looked deeply at Qin Yu. After a long time he said, "You are from Immaterial Mountain?"

Qin Yu relaxed. As he hoped, Lei Qianjun was wise enough that he could grasp the key point after a little bit of information was revealed. He could camouflage himself as someone from Immaterial Mountain but he could not take the initiative to say this. Rather, he had to have Lei Qianjun guess it himself, so that his suspicions were dispelled.

The first step had proceeded perfectly. Now, Qin Yu had to use his performance to obtain true approval.

"City Lord, be careful of your words!" Qin Yu furrowed his eyebrows and grasped forward. Behind the desk, Lei Qianjun's eyebrows jumped a little.

Because when Qin Yu grasped out his fingers, the space within the study was isolated from the outside world. No, this wasn't an ordinary isolation. Rather, it seemed like a completely independent world that wasn't affected by causality or karma from the outside.

Although Lei Qianjun could easily break this isolation with his strength, the mysteries it revealed weren't ordinary.

Could Qin Yu be that cultivator from Immaterial Mountain? No, with that person's boundary and cultivation, the Soul Casting Array Formation wasn't anything to speak of. Why did he have to take such a large roundabout way to come here…could this boy be someone sent to test him?

Qin Yu had no idea what Lei Qianjun was thinking. But, he knew that such a small trick wasn't enough to make him believe his words. Before Lei Qianjun could say anything, Qin Yu took a deep breath and said, "City Lord was reckless. How could you mention the name of Immaterial Mountain out here? If anyone senses it, my teacher's painstaking efforts will all be ruined!"

Lei Qianjun furrowed his eyebrows as he caught onto this key information. Teacher?

Could Qin Yu be a disciple of that person from Immaterial Mountain?

If so, was borrowing the Soul Casting Array Formation just a joke? But that was a tremendous flaw that could be easily exposed.

Or was it to confuse anyone watching?

Lei Qianjun said without expression, "How can you prove your status?"

Qin Yu lightly said, "City Lord Lei must be wondering why I borrowed the Soul Casting Array Formation if I am my teacher's disciple." His eyes were filled with a prideful arrogance. "City Lord Lei overthinks things. That was only a reason for me to enter the City Lord Mansion. Do you really believe I am borrowing the array formation to cultivate?"

Lei Qianjun thought back to the reports of the three array formation grandmasters, and how the losses of the Soul Casting Array Formation had risen three times over.

At first he could endure Lei Xiaoyu's saddened expression and agreed to sustain it. But in truth, even he felt a little heartbroken. This was three times the loss. With the base cost of the Soul Casting Array Formation, every time it was operated it would consume a massive amount of wealth!

Qin Yu smiled, "City Lord must have realized that the increased losses are not due to outside changes, but because of my cultivation."

His expression turned stern. He continued to say, "At Immaterial Mountain, my teacher was unable to cure Miss Lei. Forcefully seizing three years for her can be considered as having completed this karmic causality. I'm not sure why, but once Miss Lei left, teacher felt uneasy. For some reason I do not know, teacher chose to leave.

"Not long after that, perhaps because I was acquainted with Miss Lei, I received an order from teacher to enter the City Lord Mansion using a reasonable method and try to save her life. I originally believed that the blue cloud lotus root in Wu Daoyuan's hand was the turning point to save Miss Lei, so I chose to take action. But unfortunately, this blue cloud lotus root had not grown enough so it could only lengthen her life."

For Lei Qianjun to have his current achievements, he wasn't someone that could be easily fooled. While Qin Yu's words conformed to what he knew, he still didn't fully believe him. "If you're a disciple of Immaterial Mountain, why did you go through so much trouble to enter the City Lord Mansion through Xiaoyu?"

Lei Xiaoyu and Qin Yu first met at the academies. At that time, Immaterial Mountain didn't exist. This was the only flaw in Qin Yu's excuse.

But he calmly said, "When I came to know Miss Lei, I was carrying out teacher's orders. As for the specifics, I am sorry but I cannot tell you, nor do I know the answer to your question."

Lei Qianjun furrowed his eyebrows together. This answer was a bit unexpected, but when he thought over it carefully, it did make sense. How could a disciple know the specifics of an Origin God's plans…imperceptibly, he came to mostly believe this.

Qin Yu knew the crucial moment had arrived. Without hesitation, he lifted a hand and opened his fingers up.

Hum -

Within his soul space, the sun and moon force field dispersed, gently wrapping around Xue Zheng's aura. Then, the pure fluctuations of the Origin God mark were released.

"Originally I did not want to expose my status, because that isn't what my teacher willed. But since City Lord Lei is so suspicious, if I didn't prove myself then there were bound to be further troubles ahead."

Lei Qianjun stood up. "I have no idea of fellow daoist Qin Yu's identity. If I was disrespectful anywhere, I ask for you to excuse me!"

The aura of an Origin God mark could not be faked. Even though there were numerous puzzling aspects to this situation, Qin Yu's status was without doubt.

Once he believed Qin Yu, all other suspicions became unimportant.

It wasn't that Lei Qianjun wasn't smart enough, but Qin Yu had prepared too well. From the moment he stepped into the study and mentioned the banquet, he came to control the rhythm.

Moreover, the Origin God mark that Qin Yu had could not be faked!

Qin Yu shook his head. "I may understand City Lord Lei's reasoning, but no one else can know about my status, including Miss Lei. I believe that since teacher had me walk through such a large circle he must have his own reasons. I fear something will happen."

Lei Qianjun said with deep respect. "Fellow daoist Qin Yu speaks wisely. But in the future, since I must maintain my current manner towards you, I ask you to forgive me if there is any offense anywhere."

Qin Yu nodded, "Of course."

Lei Qianjun took a deep breath and cupped his hands together, "Fellow daoist Qin Yu, I would like to take the liberty to ask something. About Xiaoyu's injury…"

Qin Yu shook his head. "I haven't found a method yet, but the appearance of the blue cloud lotus root proves that there is always a chance. Since when does hope not exist within danger?"

At this time, the door to the study opened. Qin Yu bowed respectfully, nodded at the steward, and left.

After the banquet, all factions were paying attention to the following movements within the City Lord Mansion. But, the result was like a stone dropped into a sea, no ripples appearing at all.

Sometimes, the lack of a response was a signal in itself. All factions withdrew their attention from Qin Yu.

If this person was able to scare Wu Daoyuan away and make it so even the Roc City Lord wasn't willing to move against him, the further away they were the better it was.

The Soul Casting Array Formation opened once again. After saying goodbye to Lei Xiaoyu, Qin Yu stepped into it once more.

Two days later, Lei Qianjun personally came to the array formation to examine it. He left after an hour.

As he thought, as long as Qin Yu entered it, the losses of the Soul Casting Array Formation would be three times the normal level.

And before, the three array formation grandmasters had tested the array formation. Losses had been at a normal level.

With this, Lei Qianjun was no longer suspicious of Qin Yu.