Chapter 85

In the main hall of the Tianxia Society, which controlled the Yangtze River Basin, a man in a black cloak sat solemnly. His sharp eyebrows and bright eyes exuded a fierce aura, and his chiseled face radiated an extraordinary presence. This man was Xiong Ba, the leader of the Tianxia Society.

Xiong Ba, in the prime of his life, was ambitious. At the foot of the steps stood a man in simple clothing, fiddling with an exquisite box containing the Eight Trigrams and sixty-four hexagrams. Shaking the turtle shell in his hand, he made a clattering sound with the copper coins. After pouring out the coins, he said softly, "A golden carp is not a mere pond fish; once it encounters the wind and clouds, it transforms into a dragon. This is the destiny of the first half of your life, Chief Xiong."

Xiong Ba's eyes gleamed as he glanced at the man and said in a deep voice, "Nibofo, what are these 'wind and clouds'?"

Nibofo chuckled and said, "Chief Xiong, with your exceptional wisdom, these 'wind and clouds' are undoubtedly your left and right arms!" He fiddled with the coins, picked up a brush, and wrote on a piece of yellow paper. After finishing, he handed it to Xiong Ba, "Here are the birth details of the 'wind and clouds.' As long as Chief Xiong gains their assistance, your grand ambitions can be realized."

Xiong Ba stared at the birth details in his hand for a long time, then looked up at Nibofo and said, "With thousands of disciples in the Tianxia Society, finding these two people should not be difficult! What about the second half of my life?"

"Ha ha, Chief Xiong. Everything is predestined, and your destiny lies within this box!" Nibofo laughed.

Xiong Ba waved his hand, and Wen Chouchou presented a thousand taels of gold, then escorted Nibofo away.

Xiong Ba then instructed Wen Chouchou, "Have all the disciples find the people born with these birth details!"

Wen Chouchou, fanning himself, said in a feminine voice, "Chief, rest assured. With thousands of disciples in the Tianxia Society, finding two children is no problem. I wish you success in unifying the martial world and achieving supreme dominance."

Since the Tianxia Society controlled the Yangtze River Basin and gained significant strength, Xiong Ba had begun planning for the conquest of the world. Wen Chouchou's nauseating flattery was highly appreciated by Xiong Ba, as every emperor had eunuchs by their side. Moreover, Wen Chouchou was quite talented, managing the internal affairs of the Tianxia Society efficiently. After controlling the Yangtze River Basin, the Tianxia Society was making a fortune, and Wen Chouchou was skilled at recruiting new members.

Adhering to the principle of nurturing talent from a young age, the Tianxia Society had recruited many children aged five to ten, as early cultivation would ensure greater loyalty to the society compared to recruiting seasoned martial artists.

If Wen Chouchou were in the modern world, he would undoubtedly be a human resources management expert. Li She, if he met Wen Chouchou, would surely suspect that the latter was also a time traveler, as modern corporate management practices were being applied in the Tianxia Society.

When Li She wiped out the Tianxia Society members at the Huo Family Village, Xiong Ba naturally knew about it. However, since Xiong Ba was busy conquering the southern territories, he did not want to confront the 'Mantuo Manor' yet. Moreover, the 'Mantuo Manor' paid regular tribute to the Tianxia Society, and Xiong Ba did not want to alienate this cash cow.

This incident merely surprised Xiong Ba, who commented, "There are indeed some skilled individuals in the Mantuo Manor." To Xiong Ba, the real rival was the Wu Shuang City. The 'Mantuo Manor' was just a fat sheep, and no matter how fat, it was still livestock in his pen, easily eradicated. The 'Tianchi Twelve Towers' were merely venomous snakes, lurking in the shadows to strike. Only the Wu Shuang City, a ravenous wolf, was a true threat, backed by the Sword Saint.

Despite his confidence in the Three Powers Union, Xiong Ba knew that a battle with the Sword Saint would be a fifty-fifty chance.

Under Li She's arrangement, Bu Jingyun quickly joined the Tianxia Society. His birth details matched the 'cloud' in Nibofo's prophecy.

Xiong Ba immediately took Bu Jingyun as his second disciple.

The prophecy given by the famous fortune-teller Nibofo to Xiong Ba became widely known due to the spread by interested parties. After all, the Tianxia Society controlled the entire Yangtze River Basin, and Xiong Ba, with his unparalleled martial skills and undefeated record, was considered a true overlord.

After leaving the Tianxia Society, Nibofo boarded a boat and sailed down the Min River to the Leshan Giant Buddha. According to an ancient legend, "When the water reaches the Buddha's knees, the Lingyun Cave will be set on fire." Nibofo, after shaking off the people who had been following him, entered the mountain and made his way to the top of the Leshan Giant Buddha.

Suddenly, Nibofo leaped up, his agile figure surpassing even that of a top martial artist. In a few bounds, he reached the top of the mountain, where a thatched cottage stood, with smoke rising from the chimney and a few chickens and other poultry in the yard.

Sensing someone approaching, the person inside the cottage came out. Two beautiful women in simple clothing smiled sweetly at Nibofo, their beauty transcending the mundane despite their coarse clothing. These two were Wang Yuyan and Li Yunluo.

Sensing Li She's presence, Wang Yuyan called out sweetly, "Husband, you're back?"

Nibofo tore off his face mask and laughed, "I'm back. I've been pretending to be a fortune-teller all the way. Ha ha, I tricked a thousand taels of gold for our family." He handed the backpack filled with gold to Li Yunluo.

Li Yunluo took a look and laughed, "Oh, this isn't extra income; it's our own money. Didn't you see the 'Mantuo Money House' inscription on each gold brick?"

Li She took a gold brick and laughed, "Xiong Ba, that old fox, used our own money to trick me."

Amidst the laughter, the three entered the thatched cottage. The cottage was sparsely decorated with only a few tables, chairs, and a large bed. A bouquet of freshly picked wildflowers adorned the table, and there were only three sets of teacups and chopsticks.

Though simple, the cottage was exceptionally warm. Li She embraced Wang Yuyan and Li Yunluo, whispering, "Are you comfortable living here? No servants to command, everything has to be done by hand."

"Ha ha, it's fine. I actually enjoy this carefree life. You can farm and do small trades, while we two can weave and cook at home. How wonderful!" Wang Yuyan laughed.

"Yes, here there are no people, just the three of us. How nice," Li Yunluo said.

"Indeed, it would be even better if we had more children. If they are girls, they can be as beautiful as you two. If they are boys, they can inherit my thieving skills," Li She joked.

Hearing this, Wang Yuyan and Li Yunluo's eyes dimmed. Li Yunluo said, "Alas, we have been married to you for a long time but have not been able to bear children for the Li family. Li Lang, we are truly sorry to the Li family."

Li She knew that since they became 'Drought Demons,' Wang Yuyan and Li Yunluo had been troubled by their inability to bear his children. In the world of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," they felt that the greatest unfilial act was not having descendants, and they felt guilty towards Li She.

Li She kissed Li Yunluo, then kissed Wang Yuyan, and said with a smile, "What's this talk about the Li family and outsiders? My surname was randomly given by my dead master. As 'Drought Demons,' we are immortal and can live together forever. What could be more important than that? Whether we have children or not is not important. Besides, as 'Drought Demons,' it's still possible to have children. The sun is high, my two ladies, let me, this bull, till your fertile fields again." He then carried the two women to the large bed.

Ignoring their protests, Li She roughly tore off their clothes, and they engaged in passionate lovemaking.

The three indulged in their desires, the women responding to Li She's advances. After their release, the sun slowly set behind the river, and the moon rose in the night sky.

The three embraced, and though they no longer had heartbeats as 'Drought Demons,' they felt alive by holding each other. As Jiangchen said, once you become a 'Drought Demon,' there is no turning back; you can only move forward. Immortality is a great temptation, but when you truly possess it, you realize that perhaps the ordinary is the most precious.

Humans are strange creatures; every time you achieve something you have longed for, you realize you have lost even more. When you look back after achieving success, you find that all the glory and fame are but a fleeting dream.

The three embraced, and Li She began to recount his recent adventures, "Tong Huang captured that Nibofo, so I used his identity to infiltrate the Tianxia Society. Xiong Ba is indeed a major antagonist in the 'Feng Yun' world, with extraordinary cultivation. If I were still at the innate realm, I would not be a match for him."

Wang Yuyan and Li Yunluo nodded. Li Yunluo said, "That Nibofo is not simple. When Tong Huang captured him, he said, 'Beyond the three realms, not in the six paths.' This 'Feng Yun' world is indeed extraordinary."

"Yes, this Nibofo seems to be a person of destiny. Do you think the world's will is using him to influence the entire world?" Wang Yuyan asked.

Li She nodded and said, "It seems so. Otherwise, how could an ordinary person know Xiong Ba's destiny? That Eight Trigrams box is ingeniously crafted, and I couldn't open it. It seems only Nibofo can. He could say that Tong Huang is 'beyond the three realms, not in the six paths,' which shows his extraordinary nature."

"Then why couldn't he predict that Tong Huang would capture him?" Li Yunluo asked.

"Perhaps, we 'Drought Demons' and 'Zombies' are not part of the three realms and six paths, so he couldn't predict it. Or maybe he knew we had no ill intentions towards him, so he didn't resist," Li She explained.

Following the plan, after getting Bu Jingyun into the Tianxia Society, Li She and his family began to plot the divine beast Qilin in the 'Feng Yun' world. The appearance of the Qilin would introduce two other main characters, Nie Feng and Duan Lang. Nie Feng is one of the main protagonists in the 'Feng Yun' world, while Duan Lang is a major antagonist in 'Feng Yun 2,' a unique talent with a formidable background and exceptional martial skills. His ability to endure humiliation and serve various powerful figures, including Xiong Ba's Tianxia Society, Wu Shuang City, and Di Shitian, is particularly admirable. He eventually obtained the Dragon Yuan, nearly killing Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun.

However, Li She believed that even with the Dragon Yuan, Duan Lang's death at the hands of Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun further demonstrated the power of the world's will. The world's will cultivated a powerful enemy but allowed the human Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun to slay him, stepping on the corpse of a powerful figure to reach the peak. After reaching the peak, Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun retired to the mountains, living out their days. All of this showed that the entire world was controlled by the world's will.

It seems I need a new computer; my six-year-old laptop is so slow! And there's no year-end bonus this year. Sigh!

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