Douluo Continent: You become gods, I become immortals

Chapter 10: Seeking Illness: Heaven is on my side!

As soon as Yingyan finished speaking, Qianxunji couldn't help but laugh, a genuine laugh from the bottom of his heart.

He leaned back on the papal throne, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the armrest, his eyes gleaming with the sharp glint of a chess player seeing his opponent make a blunder.

"At first, because of the fact that Yang Wanqing, the matriarch of the Li family, revealed the bloodline of the clan, I really thought that the Li family was a tough nut to crack."

He muttered to himself, yet it seemed as if he were speaking to Yingyan: "The Po Clan is an affiliated sect of the Haotian Sect. It's already difficult enough for the Li family to remain neutral, but who would have thought—"

Qian Xunji suddenly stood up, his long robe drawing a sharp arc behind him: "Those brutes from the Clear Sky Sect actually used such despicable means to coerce the Li family! They're not making enemies, they're handing our Spirit Hall a great gift!"

Shadow Eyes stood to the side with his head bowed, secretly admiring him.

His Holiness the Pope may seem lazy on ordinary days, but once he senses an opportunity, his decisiveness and speed truly live up to his name of "swiftness".

"Let's go, prepare three cartloads of generous gifts—no, five cartloads! Bring along the three-thousand-year-old glass flower from the treasure vault, the luminous pearl from overseas, and the soul-guided tea set that Xingluo presented as tribute the other day!"

Qianxunji strode out of the hall.

"Your Holiness, aren't we being a little too hasty?" Shadow Eyes quickly caught up and whispered a reminder.

"Wouldn't it seem like we'd be... if we went now?"

"What does that make us look like? Taking advantage of someone in distress?" Qian Xunji kept walking, glanced back at him, and her eyes were full of knowing light.

"No, we are offering help in a time of need. What does the Li family need most right now? An ally who can keep the Haotian Sect in check, and the sincerity to come to their door at this time."

He suddenly stopped and turned to face Yingyan: "Do you know that it's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to offer charcoal in the snow?"

"At this moment, the Li family is being harassed by the Haotian Sect, and the Tiandou royal family's attitude is ambiguous. This is the time when people's hearts are most volatile and most easily won over."

"If we wait until they solve their own problems or find someone else to rely on before we go to them, then it will truly be 'too late'!"

Yingyan suddenly realized something and was about to speak when her gaze fell upon the mountain of memorials and account books piled up on the Pope's desk—the official documents that had to be reviewed and approved that day.

"Your Highness, what about these..." He pointed to the "small mountain" with some hesitation.

Qian Xunji followed his gaze, raised an eyebrow, and then a sly smile appeared on his lips. He turned and called out loudly towards the outside of the hall, "Someone come here!"

A servant entered in response.

Qianxun pointed to the pile of documents, her tone as relaxed as if she were giving instructions for dinner: "Send all of these to the Elders' Hall and give them to my father to handle."

"Just tell them that I have urgent business to attend to in Heaven Dou City, which concerns the Spirit Hall's grand plan for the next ten years. I'll trouble the Grand Elder to take care of these trivial matters."

After saying that, he waved his sleeve and walked straight out, leaving the servant standing there dumbfounded, staring blankly at the mountain of documents in front of him.

Shadow Eyes exchanged a glance with the attendant and quickly waved his hand: "I also need to go and check the gifts. You hurry up and send them to the Elder Hall. If the Grand Elder asks, just say what His Holiness the Pope said."

Before he finished speaking, he had already chased after Qian Xunji's figure, leaving the servant to smile bitterly at the pile of documents.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the mountain of memorials and account books was carefully transported to the Elders' Hall by several attendants.

Qian Daoliu was playing chess with Elder Jin'e in the hall. The black and white chess pieces fell on the chessboard, making a crisp sound.

When he saw the flood of documents pouring in, his hand holding the chess piece froze in mid-air.

"This...is..." He slowly stood up, his gaze shifting from the mountain of memorials to the attendant who had led the procession.

Under Qian Daoliu's gaze, the servant's back was already soaked with cold sweat, but he could only bite the bullet and step forward to repeat Qian Xunji's words verbatim.

"Elder, His Holiness the Pope says... there are urgent matters requiring his immediate travel to Heaven Dou City. These administrative matters will be entrusted to you for your care..."

Qian Daoliu remained silent.

That silence was more suffocating than any roar.

The air in the hall seemed to freeze, with only the sound of dripping water in the corner, tapping on everyone's heart.

Sudden--

"The traitor!!!"

A roar, as loud as thunder, shook the dust off the palace beams.

The chessboard in front of Qian Daoliu was cracked by the invisible soul power, and the black and white chess pieces scattered all over the ground.

"He went to Tiandou City again? And it's about 'a ten-year plan'? Does he think I'm senile?!" Qian Daoliu was so angry that his beard was trembling.

"Last time you said you were going to the far north to investigate soul beasts, but you brought back a cartload of icefield liquor! The time before that you said you were inspecting the southern branch, but you ended up spending half a month watching the sea!"

Several elders came out from the back hall upon hearing the noise, and upon seeing the pile of documents and the furious Qian Daoliu, they immediately understood.

"Is Xiao Ji pushing all the government affairs onto his older brother again?"

"Judging from the noise, they're probably planning to drag that kid back and put him in solitary confinement."

"Solitary confinement? I think my brother wants to break his legs..."

The elders spoke in hushed tones, their eyes filled with a hint of helpless smiles.

The father and son have gotten used to their way of getting along over the years—one finds ways to slack off and cause trouble, while the other cleans up the mess while scolding him.

Qian Daoliu took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

He walked to the pile of documents, picked up the top one at random, opened it, read a couple of lines, and his brows furrowed even more.

"Some branch halls in the south have been damaged by fallen soul masters, requiring financial approval..."

"Dispute over the ownership of the Soul Beast Forest on the border with the Star Luo Empire..."

"Draft of the preparation plan for the next Continental Elite Tournament of Advanced Soul Master Academies..."

Each and every one of these matters is a crucial matter that requires the Pope's personal decision.

Qian Daoliu closed his eyes and rubbed his throbbing temples. When he opened his eyes again, they were calm—a calm that came from resignation.

He waved his hand and instructed the servants, "Alright, move these to my study and inform the Third Elder, Fourth Elder, and Seventh Elder to come over for a meeting in half an hour."

The attendant, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly acknowledged and withdrew.

Qian Daoliu gazed in the direction Qian Xunji had left outside the hall and muttered under his breath, "You bastard... If we can really win over the Li family this time, I'll spare you. But if you cause trouble again..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but a sharp, sword-like glint flashed in his eyes.

He guessed the purpose of his son's trip to Tiandou.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the Li family in Tiandou City was as heavy as lead.

Li Yuntian sat upright in the main seat of the study, holding a list of losses that had just been presented to him.

His fingers were long and steady, but when he saw the last number, his fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly.

"Seven shops were vandalized, goods in three warehouses were burned, and eleven guards were injured or killed, three of whom were seriously injured and may suffer permanent disabilities."

Xiao Bai's voice was very soft, but in the quiet study, every word was jarringly clear.

Yang Wanqing sat beside Li Yuntian, her hands clenched tightly in her sleeves, her nails digging into her palms.

When she saw in the intelligence report that the "Broken Clan" might be involved, her face paled slightly.