The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

"Moreover, this Qilin Pearl is of great help to our cultivation. If we obtain the Qilin Pearl, our mental control will be stronger, and our control over spiritual arrays will be greater. Ali, if you want the Qilin Pearl, your master will remember to give it to you when he sees it in the future." Old Man Yan raised his hand and threw all the walnut crumbs in his hand into his mouth, chewing and muttering.

Ying Li's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Old Man Yan's arm anxiously, saying, "Is what Master said true? But I want that Qilin Pearl right now..."

"Slap!" Old Man Yan slapped Ying Li's hand that was gripping his arm and said, "Such a good thing isn't something you can just ask for. After you've mastered this beginner-level spirit book, your master will help you inquire about it. Don't try to get rich quick right now. With your skills, you can fool ordinary people, but if you run into a master, you'll be in trouble." Ying Li winced in pain, and after thinking about it, he realized he had been too hasty. He had no choice but to give up for now and plan for the future.

As they were talking, Yi Bicheng pushed open the door and came in, followed by a waiter carrying four small dishes, a bowl of thick soup, two jugs of fine wine, and six servings of rice. He was panting heavily as he tidied the table and set out the dishes. The waiter then hurriedly went downstairs to greet the other guests.

When Yi Bicheng saw that Ying Li's left hand was injured, he asked her a few questions and then took out a bottle of the best wound medicine from his pocket to re-bandage Ying Li's hand before sitting down to eat.

Watching Yi Bicheng bandage Ying Li's wound, Old Man Yan smacked his lips with his chopsticks and shook his head. "A-Li is not old, but she doesn't miss anything. That's good, that's good. It's good that she gets to know people early so she won't marry the wrong person later. If you ask me, I'd better not agree to this boy's proposal so easily. Although he is the young master of Tianfu, you are still only a few years old. It's good for you to meet more people and choose carefully."

Ying Li and Yi Bicheng stiffened simultaneously, turning to look at Old Man Yan, who was staring intently at them. They picked up their chopsticks, a wry smile on their faces. Old Man Yan assumed they were just embarrassed and didn't press further. After all, he had plenty of good food and wine to enjoy, and he wasn't about to waste time on jokes.

“Ah Li, there’s been some news coming from the pawnshops in Gufeng City these past few days, saying that some excellent spirit pearls have appeared. Why don’t we set off tomorrow to take a look?” Yi Bicheng picked up a piece of steamed cod for Ying Li and glanced at Old Man Yan beside him.

Before Ying Li could reply, Old Man Yan said irritably, "A-Li is my disciple now, so naturally she goes wherever her master goes. Don't even think about kidnapping A-Li. What good things can you find in a pawnshop? Whatever A-Li wants, I, as her master, can definitely give it to her. Why bother going through the trouble of traveling to that godforsaken place?"

"Pfft!" Ying Li had just taken a sip of the thick soup when he heard Old Man Yan speak, and his stomach churned. He turned his head and spat the soup all over the floor. He coughed a few times in discomfort before complaining, "Master, do you still want to eat?"

Yi Bicheng smiled, took out a handkerchief and handed it to Ali, wiping his mouth before saying, "The Qilin Pearl, I wonder if the old gentleman could give it to me?" This news was revealed to him by Boss Wei when he went downstairs earlier. The Qilin Pearl is known as a peerless treasure that spirit masters are vying for, so it is indeed hard to believe that it could appear in a pawn shop.

Most of Boss Wei's friends, who have traveled all over the country, are trustworthy. The fact that the Qilin Pearl was brought out from the tomb of a master adds to the credibility of this news. Ying Li has been busy with him these days, and he doesn't know how to repay her. He came to tell her as soon as he heard the news. If he can get it for her, it will lessen his guilt.

Ying Li and Old Man Yan's eyes lit up simultaneously, their gazes towards Yi Bicheng filled with anticipation. Yi Bicheng continued, "The pawnshop in Gufeng City is going to auction off a batch of treasures in three days, including the so-called Mind Control Spirit Pearl, the Qilin Pearl. Moreover, the pawnshop owner specifically requested a rare Spirit Guide as a bargaining chip. The higher the level of the Spirit Guide, the higher the chance of the Qilin Pearl being successfully auctioned. A-Li, didn't you get a Wolf Hunting Spirit Guide? You can try it out. Getting the Qilin Pearl will greatly help your cultivation."

Yingli's heart stirred. She remembered the wolf's enormous belly, which she couldn't afford to keep by her side. If she could exchange the wolf for the Qilin Pearl to wake up the alluring man, that would be the best outcome.

Old Man Yan nodded in agreement, thinking it was a good idea. He was already so old that there was no point in him getting the Qilin Pearl again; he would only live for another ten or twenty years anyway. It would be better to exchange it for the Qilin Pearl to help his newly accepted apprentice.

With that in mind, the three of them ate and rested for the night, then set off for Gufeng City the next day. Gufeng City was indeed much as Old Man Yan had described; it was truly a godforsaken place. Everywhere were thatched houses, seemingly about to collapse in the wind. The few villagers they occasionally encountered were all dressed in hemp clothing, their faces sallow and emaciated.

"This ancient city is so dilapidated, yet someone still runs a pawnshop here? Does anyone actually come here?" Ying Li looked at the dusty landscape and the desolate scene, and couldn't help but feel puzzled. Although Guliang City was cold and deserted, it was actually quite prosperous at its core, just a little low-key. But this ancient city, apart from its name, didn't resemble a city at all; it was more like a village.

Old Man Yan tugged at his sparse beard, surveyed the desolate scene, and gulped down two more mouthfuls of wine before saying, "It's much better than before. At least there are some people here now. In the past, you could walk here for a whole day and night and not see many people out of breath. This Ancient Wind City was a burial ground for experts from the Spirit Realm Continent thousands of years ago. Originally, it was guarded by some people from the imperial dynasty. Later, the Ghost Realm tribesmen became too arrogant and repeatedly invaded, so the imperial dynasty transferred all its manpower to suppressing the Ghost Realm tribesmen, and this place was gradually left unguarded. This allowed other people to excavate the tomb treasures, and it gradually became an excellent pawnshop. However, the things that have come out in recent years are not very good. I haven't been here for five years, and I didn't expect to come back today for my little apprentice."

Ying Li listened with deep gratitude. Although she knew Old Man Yan's ulterior motives for taking on a disciple, she could understand them perfectly. He didn't want his skills to fade away with time, so wanting to pass on his knowledge was only natural. Moreover, she could indeed learn a lot from him. Although Old Man Yan had some eccentricities, he was genuinely sincere towards his disciples. Ying Li found that the old man was quite likable after spending time with him.

"Hey! Isn't this Old Man Yan? Long time no see! Where have you been all these years?!" Just as Ying Li and his group were searching for the pawnshop in Gufeng City, a very sinister and sharp voice suddenly came from not far away.

Upon hearing this voice, Old Man Yan's expression changed drastically, and his hand holding the wine pot trembled uncontrollably. When Ying Li looked over, he saw his master's face contorted with anger, and he was startled. Recalling the old man's usual cheerful demeanor, he could only imagine how furious he must be.

"Ah Li, kid, hurry up and leave. That annoying old man never stops causing trouble anywhere." With that, Old Man Yan grabbed Ying Li and nudged Yi Bicheng with his other elbow, signaling the two of them to leave quickly.

Unexpectedly, just as the three of them continued walking forward, a gust of wind blew from behind. Ying Li saw a cloud of yellow dust flying in front of him. When the dust settled, two faces suddenly appeared in front of him. One of them was a thin, small old man with a hunched back, his face covered with wrinkles, his skin dry and rough, and his eyes bright and venomous. He was looking Ying Li up and down with a lewd look in his eyes.

The person next to him was a young man, about twenty years old, tall and handsome, with a fair face and sharp eyebrows. He was good-looking, but his eyes, like the old man's, were full of lewdness.

Old Man Yan shielded Ying Li behind him and looked at the two uninvited guests in front of him, saying rudely, "Old Man Cui, what do you mean? There are so many roads here, why do you have to block my way? You really like to follow me around like a shadow. You like everything I don't want and everything I've walked. You haven't changed at all."

Yi Bicheng looked at the old man in front of him. He recognized him. In recent years, the Yun family had often brought Cui Yunfei to Tianfu as guests. Because Cui Yunfei was very lecherous, he had paid more attention to him, so he was not unfamiliar with this man. Beside him was his disciple Ma Yin, who was also a spiritualist. He seemed to have a good cultivation level, but since they had never fought, he didn't know how strong he really was.

"Heh, you old codger, you still love to talk nonsense! So what if I want your things? You can't beat me anyway. Back then, during the Yellow Robe Assessment, you were still behind me. Now you can't take on any disciples and you've been expelled from the Yun Family. I bet other families wouldn't dare to serve you. Sure enough, I've heard you've been living a very difficult life these past few years!"

Cui Yunfei made no attempt to conceal the yellow-robed spirit master's insignia on his arm, completely ignoring Old Man Yan's veiled insults. As he spoke, his eyes kept scanning Ying Li.

"But you're not bad, managing to take in such a little girl, tsk tsk, truly enviable!" He chuckled, which sent a chill down Ying Li's spine.

"Damn it, you can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth. This is my apprentice. Do you think everyone is like you, so shameless and reckless? Old Cui, let me tell you, in a month, I'll show you and the other old geezers just how powerful my apprentice really is. You won't even have time to laugh then!"

Each of the nine major families worships a Yellow-Robed Spirit Master. Coincidentally, these spirit masters all know each other. Among the ten Yellow-Robed Spirit Masters, only Old Man Yan has no apprentices and was squeezed out of the Yun Mansion by Old Man Cui. Now, the other old men all want to see Old Man Yan make a fool of himself. So when he left the Yun Mansion, Old Man Yan decided to stand up for himself and declared in a very domineering manner that he would definitely bring his apprentices to show off in ten years and put their arrogance to a halt.

The current apprentice is Ying Li, but poor Ying Li seems unaware that he is getting caught up in a fancy apprentice-showing battle.

"Oh, really? Such a lovely little apprentice! I'm so envious. If only I had taken on a few more female disciples, life would have been so wonderful. Hehe..."

Looking at Old Cui's withered face and recalling his despicable behavior, Ying Li felt nauseous. Just as she was about to turn away, she noticed that the old man's apprentice, Ma Yin, was also looking at her with that strange gaze. Suppressing her burning desire to beat the other man to death, Ying Li took a few steps closer to Old Yan. They were there to exchange for the Qilin Pearl, and she didn't want to waste her time on an idiot.