Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1573 - 1573 0922 Even a Real Brother Doesnt Get This

Chapter 1573: Chapter 0922: Even a Real Brother Doesn’t Get This Treatment Chapter 1573: Chapter 0922: Even a Real Brother Doesn’t Get This Treatment Chapter 0922: Even My Own Blood Brother Wouldn’t Receive Such Treatment

Li Qingping wanted to be sure whether Qi Tian’s so-called amiability was genuine or not. The outcome of his probing would determine how he’d approach Qi Tian in the future. Being an Immortal Slave, although he couldn’t reject Qi Tian’s requests and orders, there was still a significant difference between carrying them out with diligence and dealing with them perfunctorily. Just like the Immortal Slaves he had subdued in the past, constant intimidation wouldn’t work if he wanted them to serve him well. Often, a more gentle approach was needed.

“Little brother, now that our relationship has been established, you can’t just leave your big bro empty-handed, can you? After all, I was the overlord of a whole region, quite famous around the Holy Land. If they discover I’ve become penniless, being laughed at is a minor issue. What I fear most is they’ll harbor ill intentions towards our place.”

Qi Tian smiled and asked, “What does big brother have in mind?”

With a bit of caution, Li Qingping replied, “Everyone knows that I’m the number one person in our region, seen as its guardian. Just a moment ago, little brother, you stripped me clean, taking away every treasure I had on me. Little brother, do you think it could be possible to make an exception and return to me some of the treasures you confiscated? I can’t possibly struggle empty-handed against those coveting our territory, can I?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Tian nodded. He didn’t say anything further but waved his hand, and suddenly, a pile of items appeared on the ground. While Li Qingping was preoccupied with Huo Yunbiao biting his head, Qi Tian had taken all the treasures from him. Not a single item was missing, all of them now laid out on the ground.

Qi Tian pointed at these treasures and said to Li Qingping, “Big brother, you can take all these things back.”

Li Qingping couldn’t believe his eyes. He had thought that if Qi Tian returned half, it would be generous enough. He never expected Qi Tian to not only bring everything back but also explicitly say he would return them all. This was far beyond his expectations.

He thought Qi Tian might be joking or testing him and quickly said, “Little brother, you really don’t have to give all these things back to me, just half would suffice.”

While talking, Li Qingping started to select items from the pile of treasures on the ground, choosing those that were indispensable to him. He had to make sure that his strength wouldn’t decline during fights. He cared a great deal about his own life, and, as he said, about the safety of their territory. If his strength diminished too much, it wouldn’t be good.

Quickly, Li Qingping took the items he needed. Many treasures still remained, and he pushed the rest back towards Qi Tian, saying, “Little brother, don’t consider these too trifling, please do accept them. Consider it a sincere apology from me.”

Though he wouldn’t admit it verbally, by doing this, Li Qingping was undoubtedly trying to ingratiate himself with Qi Tian. As an Immortal Slave, if you wanted to live comfortably, it was essential to sometimes suck up to your master. And in this area, Li Qingping was a natural.

Qi Tian waved his hand and said, “Big brother, I wasn’t teasing you just now. You should take back all of your treasures. I want nothing, not even a penny.”

Li Qingping hurriedly said, “Little brother, I’m serious. You know that I have reached the Second Level of the Nascent Soul Stage, and many of these things are no longer of use to me. But it’s different for you. Among these items, there are many that you could use. Even if they’re not useful to you personally, you could take them to the National Master Manor and reward others with them; they’re quite effective for gaining favor.”

Qi Tian chuckled and said, “You make a lot of sense, but I still don’t need them. Big brother, when I marked you with the Immortal Slave Mark just now, I made it clear that I only needed your help in gathering all information about the upcoming Holy Land competition. I have no other requirements, including your treasures. Please take them all back; I shouldn’t be seen as someone who doesn’t keep his word.”

Li Qingping hesitated. Frankly, he didn’t want to hand over the treasures he had painstakingly collected to Qi Tian. Even if some items had little value to him, he’d rather let them mold in a corner than give them to anyone else. Yet he worried that if he seemed too eager to reclaim everything, it might disgust Qi Tian, and that would be a loss not worth taking.

Seeing Li Qingping’s reluctance, Qi Tian pointed at Huo Yunbiao, which lay by his side, and said, “Big brother, if I can afford to keep him, do you think I need any treasures?”

As a Second Level Nascent Soul Stage beast, Huo Yunbiao naturally understood Qi Tian’s words. It quickly stuck out its tongue, licking Qi Tian’s hand in a pleased gesture. It was mostly kept in the Spirit Beast Bracelet by Qi Tian, hardly ever seeing the light of day. Now that an opportunity had presented itself, it was desperate to please Qi Tian in hopes of better treatment, at the very least to not be confined to the bracelet, as it was nearly suffocating.

Li Qingping looked at Huo Yunbiao, acting like a fawning dog, and showed a bitter smile. If Huo Yunbiao hadn’t been there, he might have enjoyed a higher status in Qi Tian’s eyes, but seeing Huo Yunbiao’s behavior, he knew he’d have a hard time securing a unique position for himself. Of course, he also realized that with Huo Yunbiao present, Qi Tian could indeed easily acquire various treasures, making his contributions seem insignificant by comparison.

With a bitter smile, Li Qingping took back the treasures he had intended for Qi Tian.

Just when he was about to say something else, he suddenly felt someone had touched the Protective Array outside.

When bringing Qi Tian in earlier, Li Qingping had specifically ordered that the Protective Array not be touched unless there was an emergency. As for what constituted an emergency, he had clearly outlined several exceptionally special circumstances. By all logic, his guards shouldn’t be touching the Protective Array at this time.

He hurriedly said to Qi Tian, “Brother, there might be some matters outside that require my intervention. Do you think I can open the Protective Array?”

Qi Tian, unconcerned, replied, “Big brother, let’s carry on as we did before. Just do what you need to do, no need to check with me about everything. It’s really not necessary.”

Li Qingping instantly understood and quickly tidied up his robes, especially because Huo Yunbiao had been holding his head, leaving a foul smell and some unidentified liquid on it, which had to be cleaned up.

The task was extremely simple; with a cleaning spell, Li Qingping was instantly refreshed, with not a hint of his previous dishevelment visible.

Li Qingping opened the Protective Array and walked out of the room, his expression calm, exuding an innate authority.

“What’s the matter? Didn’t I specifically instruct you not to disturb me unless something extremely unusual happened?”

A cultivator at the Gold Core Stage Peak quickly greeted Li Qingping with a fist salute, saying, “Family Master, there’s trouble. Didn’t you send Mr. Ru Sen with Miss Huang to the market to buy things? They’ve had a conflict with someone in the market, and Mr. Ru Sen and Miss Huang are now trapped there, unable to leave.”

Li Qingping’s heart skipped a beat, and he scolded angrily, “A bunch of useless people, didn’t I instruct you to accompany them? I specifically ordered you to ensure Miss Huang’s safety at all costs, so how could such a thing happen?”

The Gold Core Stage Peak cultivator thought Li Qingping had misspoken due to urgency. Although Huang Liuyan was beautiful, female cultivators like her were common in the Cultivation World. They should prioritize protecting Mr. Ru Sen; had the Family Master misspoken?

Fortunately, the cultivator was not dull-witted. He didn’t dwell on the trivial details and continued to report, “Family Master, it’s not that we neglected our duties, but those blocking Mr. Ru Sen are no ordinary people. They come from another family, the Chen family, led by their scion, Mr. Jianqiang, who is here to participate in the Holy Land tournament. He is accompanied by numerous formidable guards, and we simply aren’t their match.”

Li Qingping frowned, well aware of the reputation of the Chen family. Although the competition between their families hadn’t escalated to life and death stakes, it was fiercely competitive, definitely to the point where two tigers couldn’t share one mountain.

Li Qingping knew he should rush over to handle the matter immediately, ensuring Huang Liuyan’s safety at any cost to avoid failing to explain to Qi Tian. However, Li Qingping didn’t rush into action; instead, he looked towards Qi Tian and briefly explained the grudge between their families and the opposition.

Qi Tian nodded and said, “Big brother, leave this matter to me; I will personally handle it.”

Qi Tian wasn’t dismissing Li Qingping as an Immortal Slave; it was because Li Qingping’s status was rather special and not suitable for such a minor scene. Moreover, with the matter involving two families or realms, it was even less appropriate for Li Qingping to make a rash move.

Filled with gratitude, Li Qingping truly hadn’t expected his master Qi Tian to be so understanding and empathetic towards his predicament. He quickly responded, “Brother, while I may not be suitable to show up at this event, it doesn’t mean that I will let others bully us. I will send my most capable subordinates to accompany you and bolster your presence. If there’s any dirty or tiring work that requires someone to be beaten, leave it all to them.”

Li Qingping spoke while gesturing towards several Nascent Soul Stage subordinates guarding outside the room, then pointed at Qi Tian and instructed them, “You guys accompany brother Qi Tian to the market. When you get there, listen to whatever brother Qi Tian instructs. Do exactly as he says and do not act on your own accord. Do not disobey brother Qi Tian’s orders.”

The Nascent Soul Stage subordinates were puzzled whether Li Qingping was out of his mind with such instructions. Li Qingping had never made such a directive before; in the Li family, Nascent Soul Stage cultivators were strategic weapons, answering directly to Family Master Li Qingping, and no other person had the authority to command them. Even Li Rusen, the family heir with the best chance of advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage shortly, had only one Nascent Soul Stage guardian, not someone to take orders from him.

And now, Li Qingping was assigning not one but five Nascent Soul Stage subordinates as Qi Tian’s enforcers. Such treatment was unheard of, even for a real brother.