Chapter 376: Chapter 377: This Coffin is Not Bad

“Fire Qilin, as the Saint Child of Fire Qilin Cave, you should always be mindful of your decorum. How can you use such coarse language?”

“So you are Demon Sword Li Xiaobai, who caused a great disturbance in Central Province. I didn’t expect to encounter you here on the borderlands; this too must be a twist of fate.”

Saint Child Huo Yun spoke blandly, somewhat annoyed. According to the original plan, the Saint Child was not supposed to show himself, so as to maintain an aura of mystique and exert pressure upon the cultivators of the borderlands. But unexpectedly, Fire Qilin blurted out crudely and bared himself.

Moreover, he was biting people at random, seriously harming the reputation of Fire Qilin Cave.

“Jiang Yi, keep your Saint Child in check. Such indiscriminate biting within the City Lord’s Mansion is utterly unseemly,” said the elder Wang with a displeased look. He had been observing the situation, and the four City Lords had remained silent, even Yang Guang had been speaking less. It was impossible to gauge their intentions; the only ones talking were the younger generation.

It seems the City Lords had the same thoughts as him.

The Saint Child of Fire Qilin Cave did not show himself, allowing only the Protectors to communicate. The same was true for these City Lords of the borderlands; they simply let their own young geniuses converse with them.

Neither side wanted to conduct talks on an equal footing, each insisting on making the other appear lower in status.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward, as neither was willing to yield, not expecting that the Holy City of Central Province would be so difficult to deal with.

“Hmph, my Saint Child’s thoughts are profound, and every action has a deep meaning. When did it become your turn, old fool, to meddle? Wang Ba, just play your role as a servant,” Jiang Yi snorted coldly and decisively took his seat with Ergouzi.

“Heh, it’s a small matter. We’re used to Fire Qilin Cave’s biting habit; just be more careful in the future,” said Li Xiaobai, waving his hand languidly.

Wang Ba’s expression turned sour. Wasn’t this sarcasm suggesting that ever since they entered the city, Fire Qilin Cave had been putting on airs, showing off a sense of superiority, and vying for power?

“Young Master Li is magnanimous. However, Fire Qilin Cave is not an unreasonable place either. These four palanquins were crafted from yew sandalwood and even bear the blessings of Buddhist scriptures carved upon them. Being inside them calms the mind and spirit, a delightful experience truly making them treasures.”

“Today, I shall gift these four palanquins to the borderlands as compensation for our earlier behavior,” the voice of Saint Child Huo Yun resounded, shockingly offering the ride specifically reserved for the Saint Child.

Yet, Li Xiaobai’s next comment instantly enraged everyone from Fire Qilin Cave.

The young man waved his hand, his face full of disdain: “What do we in the borderlands need coffins for? They’re bad luck. That job of carrying coffins is better left to professionals like you, Fire Qilin Cave.”

Suddenly, the great hall fell silent. The Protector Elders stopped talking, their eyes flashing with cold light, staring intently at Li Xiaobai. The young man’s mouth was too sharp.

“Boy, what did you say?”

“Have you considered the consequences of uttering those words?”

The Saint Child inside the palanquin exploded with rage; someone was actually calling their palanquin a coffin, wasn’t that tantamount to saying all the Saint Children of Fire Qilin Cave were nothing but corpses?

No one had ever dared to humiliate them so; Li Xiaobai had to pay a price!

“Fire Qilin Cave has stood unshaken on the Immortal Spirit Continent for thousands of years; its profound depth is beyond your imagination. You are the first to dare speak to us this way.”

“Sever one of your arms, and I will spare your life.”

Within the first palanquin, Saint Child Huo Yun remained nonchalant, as if everything was but a matter of course.

“I actually think that Young Master Li isn’t wrong. In fact, I too would like to ask, is it a tradition of the Fire Qilin Cave to lie inside a coffin?”

City Lord Mei Changqing’s eyes flickered with a hint of amusement as he poured and drank his own wine, looking perfectly at ease. Suppressing the momentum of the Fire Qilin Cave was his intention, and his presence today was to make it clear to everyone who the true authority of the borderlands was.

“City Lord Mei, I have a different view. Lying in coffins may be a special ritual for the Qilin Divine Beast to remember its ancestors. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. We in the borderlands are not that rigid, and we should respect the culture of the major powers,” Yang Chen said with a sardonic smile, his words dripping with sarcasm.

The temperature inside the great hall suddenly fell a few degrees; Wang Ba felt his face turn green with rage. He felt he could not let things go on like this, for from the moment they had entered the city, they had never gained an advantage, whether in force or in language.

The original intention was to use the Saint Child’s no-show to undermine the status of the borderlands, thereby elevating that of the Saint Child.

But in the eyes of others, this directly became a culture of coffins, respecting the tradition of the Fire Qilin Cave. In contrast, it was they who seemed ignorant.

To come to someone else’s territory and insist on one’s own ways clearly showed a lack of understanding of human affairs. If this were to spread, people would only say that the cultivators of the Fire Qilin Cave were barbaric and domineering.

“Others are offering goodwill, and we must not refuse. Over the years, our borderland cultivators have fought and bled, many laying down their lives, and they’re all meritorious. We have never given them proper burials in coffins, so these four coffins can be used to bury them together,” City Lord Mei Changqing said lightly, tapping his teacup gently, sending forth an invisible wave that swept toward the remaining three palanquins. In an instant, the Fire Qilin Cave people all felt their hair stand on end as three Qilin Divine Beasts soared into the sky, leaping three feet high, their forms flashing as they took shelter behind their respective Protectors.

Just now, they had sensed an intense aura of death, as if they were about to lose their lives in the next second, their eyes filled with fear.

The four grand palanquins trembled slightly and were collected into the possession of City Lord Mei Changqing.

“This…”

The Protector Elders too were visibly shaken, for that move was somewhat familiar. At the city gates, Sky Blade Song Que had used a similar method. A mere tap was enough to generate such force; it was truly inconceivable.

Most crucially, they had all failed to react. Did that not mean that if the other party wished to take their heads, it would be nothing more than a thought away?

What kind of cultivation level would it take to achieve this?

The Mahayana Realm? Or the Half-step Human Immortal Realm?

The borderlands had become so terrifying. Before departing, hadn’t the senior Elders said that everything in the borderlands was under control, with no substantial threat?

Within just an hour or two, they had already encountered two extremely powerful experts. Wasn’t this frequency a bit too high?

Demon Sword Li Xiaobai nodded silently to himself. With such strength, it was no wonder he could hold his own against Song Que, who had lost an arm; indeed, it was very formidable.

“Many thanks for the Fire Qilin Cave’s generosity. The borderland cultivators will surely be grateful to you. I shall accept these coffins,” City Lord Mei Changqing said with a sip of tea and a faint smile.

The several Saint Heirs became more compliant, clearly recognizing the gap in power between them. They began reorganizing their language, preparing to engage in earnest conversation.

Earlier probes had ended in their complete defeat; now, they could only try to bargain for as many rights as possible.

The Protector Elders returned to the side of their Saint Heirs and spoke no more. With the masters present, there was no place for their words any longer.