Chapter 69

Over the next two or three days, Li Yi, apart from urging Lu Zheng and Xin'er to study hard, spoke very little at other times. He was not one to talk much, unlike Mr. Le, who was witty and talkative. Even when he gave Lu Zheng a lesson to be cautious in speech and action, it was rare to hear him say a word each day. But whenever he did speak, Le Zhongping would immediately stop talking and listen attentively.

Not only that, but even when walking, if the two were together, Le Zhongping would definitely let Li Yi walk in front, following behind. He was always cautious, and even if Li Yi coughed a little louder, he would immediately turn his head.

One day after lunch, after the two had finished eating and walked out of the pavilion, Le Zhongping smiled and let Li Yi go first. Li Yi finally asked curiously, "Zhongping, what's wrong with you? Why do you seem so afraid of me?"

"Is that so? No, I'm just showing my respect. Please, go ahead, go ahead. Hehehe." Le Zhongping quickly smiled.

Li Yi gave him a suspicious look and walked ahead with his tall ancient hat. Le Zhongping let out a long breath and kept patting his chest.

Lu Zheng said from the side, "Xin'er, look, it's Mr. Le."

Le Zhongping, hearing this, wondered what was so interesting about himself and immediately checked his new clothes to see if he had gotten any soup on them during the meal.

Xin'er asked, "Big brother, Uncle Le was there just now, didn't you see him?"

Lu Zheng replied, "Yes, but when I saw how the teacher ate that fish so cleanly, I thought Mr. Le would also be reduced to a clean skeleton!"

Le Zhongping, upon hearing this, realized that Lu Zheng was teasing him. He put down his clothes and turned around, saying, "Alright, you little rascal, you dare to make fun of me!"

Lu Zheng, seeing Le Zhongping's fierce expression, laughed and waved his hands, saying, "Mr. Le, you misunderstood. How could I make fun of you? I'm worried about you. The teacher's mood hasn't been good these past few days!"

Xin'er also said, "Yes, Uncle Le, what's the deal with the teacher's wife from the Hundred Flowers Valley? Why does the teacher act so strangely when you mention her?"

Le Zhongping, hit where it hurt, put away his fierce demeanor, sighed, and sat down on the steps of the pavilion, saying, "These matters, even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. Not only you, but even your teacher's peculiar temper, I can't understand either."

Lu Zheng moved to Le Zhongping's right and said, "Mr. Le, how do you know we wouldn't understand if you don't tell us? Tell us, what's the deal with our teacher's wife?"

Xin'er also moved to Le Zhongping's left and said, "Uncle Le, if you tell us, we can help you cheer the teacher up!"

Le Zhongping looked left and right and said, "You two little rascals, you're so young but so cunning. I appreciate your intentions, but I won't talk about the Hundred Flowers Valley anymore. Ah, words bring disaster. For a moment's pleasure, I've been on edge for days. Now, whenever I see your teacher, I feel like a mouse seeing a cat."

Xin'er and Lu Zheng had been speculating about the teacher's wife from the Hundred Flowers Valley for the past two days. Why wasn't the teacher's wife with him? Why did the teacher react so strangely when Mr. Le mentioned her? Although they seemed indifferent, it was clear that the teacher was not happy.

Xin'er guessed that the teacher and his wife had had an argument. She remembered when her parents had an argument, her mother said she would go back to her master's place, Lei Ze, and never return. Based on their understanding of the teacher, it was likely that the teacher had upset his wife, so she lived in the Hundred Flowers Valley.

Lu Zheng disagreed, thinking that although the teacher seemed fierce, he was actually very warm-hearted. He remembered hearing the monk, the Taoist, Mr. Le, and the teacher talking when he was unconscious, and the teacher was the most worried about his safety!

The two had argued about this, of course, while they were taking care of the nameless seedling together, because they had discovered that only in the depths of the flower garden did the teacher's restrictions not apply to them. Besides speculating about why the teacher and his wife had an argument, Xin'er was also curious about what the teacher's wife looked like and whether she was beautiful.

Therefore, the two had long wanted to ask Mr. Le clearly and were not about to let him off. They started to pester him from both sides.

Le Zhongping, being soft-hearted, could not resist the two children's persistent requests and said, "Alright, but you mustn't say I told you!"

Mr. Le had agreed to speak, but Lu Zheng suddenly said, "But if the teacher finds out we know, he'll know it was you, Mr. Le, who told us. There's no one else in the Rizhuelu!"

Le Zhongping was taken aback. Indeed, his words were like covering his ears while stealing a bell. Xin'er, seeing this, seemed afraid that Mr. Le would not speak and immediately said, "Big brother, I understand your concern. You're afraid of the teacher's powers. If Uncle Le speaks here, will the teacher know?" She winked at Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng, seeing Xin'er's expression, realized he had said something wrong and quickly nodded, "Yes, usually the teacher's powers are a bit stronger than Mr. Le's, so I'm a bit worried!"

"Big brother, I feel the same way," Xin'er agreed, then said to Le Zhongping, "Uncle Le, maybe you shouldn't say anything. I'm afraid the teacher will hear, and we'll be punished by the rules again!"

The two children pressed down on Le Zhongping's shoulders and seemed to be getting up, as if they really intended to leave. This made Le Zhongping anxious, and he quickly reached out to stop them, saying, "Wait, wait! You think my powers are weaker than your teacher's? Nonsense! Do you know who is ranked higher among the top ten powers in the cultivation world, Li Yi or I, Le Zhongping? You kids are ignorant and talk nonsense!" He raised his head and chest, looking up to the sky.

Lu Zheng frowned and said, "But I just heard you say that you feel like a mouse seeing a cat when you see the teacher! Xin'er, let's go, it's almost time for class."

Le Zhongping, unable to maintain his pose, stood up anxiously and said, "Lu Zheng, Lu Zheng, why do I find you getting worse? You've learned to use provocation. Hmph, I was just giving your teacher some face. Do you think I'm really afraid of him? If anyone is afraid, it's your teacher who is terrified of that woman in the Hundred Flowers Valley!"

Le Zhongping saw through Lu Zheng's provocation, but provocation isn't ineffective just because you see through it; it depends on how much it affects you. Li Yi, after his change in mindset, had undergone an indescribable transformation, becoming more open and optimistic, and less timid, more willing to talk to people. In short, under Lu Zheng's provocation, Le Zhongping told the story of Li Yi and a woman named Yuboyun, which had to be told.

Thirty years ago, Li Yi had heard that there was a deep pool called Dayuyuan in the cultivation world. The water in this pool was different from other waters; it was clear at the bottom of the pool but became extremely turbid once scooped out, and it was twice as heavy as water from other places. In this pool, a fish called Lan Yu grew. This unusual water suggested that the Lan Yu was not an ordinary fish. It was said that the flesh of the Lan Yu was the most tender in the world, and it had a faint orchid fragrance, unlike any other fish. Li Yi, who loved fish, naturally became eager to try it and immediately set out for Dayuyuan to find the Lan Yu.

Dayuyuan was hidden among countless dangerous peaks, and next to it was the famous Hundred Flowers Valley in the cultivation world. The Hundred Flowers Valley was known in the cultivation world not only for its unique cultivation methods but also because all the cultivators in the valley were women.

Li Yi flew to the location. He was polite and respected the distinction between men and women, so he did not want to disturb the cultivators in the Hundred Flowers Valley. He quietly came to the edge of Dayuyuan. With his cultivation level, it was easy for him to avoid being noticed. He looked into Dayuyuan and saw that the water was indeed as clear as rumored, with long, slender fish swimming freely. They had slender bodies, and each one had five colors: black heads, green mouths, yellow dorsal fins, red bellies, and white tails, making them very vivid and attractive, which should be the Lan Yu.

Li Yi did not rush to catch the fish. He waved his hand, and a stream of water flew from the pool to form a water ball in the air, as if contained in an invisible container. He found that the water was indeed heavier than ordinary water, which was the opposite of the light water in the Weak Abyss, another spiritual place in the cultivation world. As the water left the pool, it gradually became very turbid.

Li Yi then used his Heavenly Eye to carefully observe the water ball floating in the air and discovered that there was a kind of extremely fine aquatic grass growing in the water, invisible to the naked eye. This grass was very special, evenly distributed in every drop of water in the pool. Once the water left the pool, the grass would slowly absorb the water and continuously divide, one into two, two into four, and so on, until the water was completely absorbed.

As the grass divided, it released a faint orchid-like fragrance, giving a sense of tranquility and longing. It seemed that the reason the Lan Yu's flesh had a fragrance of orchids was due to this.

After doing this, Li Yi returned to the edge of the pool and looked at the fish swimming happily. He chose the largest one. With a thought, his power responded, and the water in the pool suddenly parted, and the largest Lan Yu was lifted out by his power!

However, what Li Yi did not expect was that after the Lan Yu was lifted out, it transformed into a young woman, completely naked, who looked up at him with large, watery eyes.

Li Yi was stunned!