The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife-Chapter 31: To Compete with a Young Girl

By Li Zhengkui’s side stood an elderly Taoist with silver-white hair, exuding an air of immortality, yet his eyes gleamed with sharpness.

Behind them stood a group of disciples from Beifeng Temple, each with a menacing gaze.

The old Taoist, holding a dusting brush, tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a hint of disdain.

"Is this the Miss Chu who saved my junior brother? Truly, the Xuan Men sect is filled with exceptional talents. Miss Chu, at such a young age, possesses such remarkable Daoist skills."

Chu Hanlin whispered to her daughter, "This is Li Zhengming, the head of Beifeng Temple. He insisted on meeting you before revealing who purchased the Qi-nurturing Pills."

Nanli interjected, "Now that Leader Li has seen us, may we inquire?"

"No hurry," Li Zhengming smiled faintly. "After cultivating for decades, my junior brother couldn’t match Miss Chu’s abilities. I, too, wish to exchange some pointers with Miss Chu and make a wager."

Nanli narrowed her eyes.

These visitors were indeed ill-intentioned.

In the Xuan Men sect, competitions usually involved drawing talismans, performing seals, or even exorcising spirits. But Li Zhengming’s proposal caught her off guard.

"What do you wish to compete in?"

"The Tianxing Brush in Miss Chu’s hand," Li Zhengming smiled.

Nanli’s lips twitched slightly. After careful consideration, she asked, "Did Qing Xu inform you that I possess the Tianxing Brush?"

"Indeed," Li Zhengkui replied. "Miss Chu, I wonder if you dare to accept the challenge."

Chu Hanlin glared at them in anger. "Fine, you claimed to visit my daughter, but it turns out you want to bully her!"

He clenched his fists, veins popping on his forehead.

Ye Siheng and Xie Beihan also stepped forward, understanding Beifeng Temple’s intentions.

Qing Feng gestured slightly, and the Black Armor Guards surrounded the inn.

Li Zhengkui and his disciples trembled in fear, beads of cold sweat forming on their foreheads.

Li Zhengming, however, remained calm and said, "Let’s have a fair competition. If Miss Chu is unwilling, I won’t force her, will I?"

"Qing Xu intentionally misled you. Are you sure you want to compete with me?" Nanli kindly reminded him.

Li Zhengming found it amusing. Unlike Li Zhengkui, how could he be defeated by a young girl? Women should learn embroidery at home, not cultivate Daoist arts.

Clearly, this Miss Chu was bluffing.

"If Miss Chu is willing to wager the Tianxing Brush, I will gladly accompany her." Beifeng Temple was currently lacking a talisman-drawing artifact.

Nanli raised an eyebrow and took out the Tianxing Brush, playing with it in her hand. Both Li Zhengming and Li Zhengkui stared in astonishment.

Indeed, their trip was not in vain. The artifact exuded immense power, and the talismans drawn with it were undoubtedly formidable. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

"The Tianxing Brush is considered the treasure of Xuanyue Temple. You must offer something of equal value as a wager." Nanli smiled gracefully. "Your Purple Cloud Cauldron suits me."

She had heard Qing Xu complain more than once about his own alchemy cauldron not being very useful.

Li Zhengming readily agreed, "Alright, let’s compete in setting up and breaking through a formation. We shall only use our own talismans and not rely on any artifacts."

Li Zhengkui felt a twinge of anxiety and pulled Li Zhengming aside.

"Senior brother, the Purple Cloud Cauldron is our sect’s treasured possession. How can you use it as a wager?"

If they truly lost, what would they do?

Li Zhengming glanced at him, his tone tinged with mockery. "Do you really think a young girl can defeat your senior brother? Even if she knows how to set up formations, can she be faster than me?"

Li Zhengkui’s worries dissipated slightly.

His senior brother had been diligently cultivating since the age of ten, experiencing various formations.

The difference in their abilities was huge.

Perhaps he was overly concerned, and Chu Nanli had only spent half a year at Xuanyue Temple, with limited knowledge and experience.

How could she be a match for his senior brother?

With this in mind, Li Zhengkui regained his confidence, free from his previous worries. Chu Hanlin’s expression turned solemn.

She had long heard of Li Zhengming’s reputation.

"Li’er, if you don’t want to compete, with me here, no one can force you."

Ye Siheng was about to speak, but he was preempted by Xie Beihan: "Uncle Chu, rest assured, Sixth Sister is formidable and will never lose!"

After speaking, he felt a chilling gaze fixed upon him.

It was none other than Ye Siheng.

Xie Beihan trembled and stuttered, "N-ninth... Ninth Prince, why are you looking at me like that?"

Did he say something wrong?

Ye Siheng felt a wave of annoyance.

Xie Beihan had already said all the good things, what else could he say?

There was a grove of trees in front of the inn, perfect for setting up a formation.

The two of them unloaded everything and only carried a stack of yellow paper as they entered the grove to set up the formation.

Setting up the formation took the time of an incense stick, and the challenge was to break through the opponent’s formation.

Whoever broke the formation first would be the victor.

Formation-setting was something Nanli had long been accustomed to in the apocalypse.

It posed no difficulty for her, and she could complete it without the need for an incense stick.

On the other hand, Li Zhengming took more than half an incense stick’s time to come out. He held his head high, a smug smile playing at the corners of his mouth, indicating that he did not show any mercy due to Nanli’s young age.

The two switched positions and entered the formation together.

As soon as Nanli entered, she discovered it was the Si-Sha-Ba-Kun Needle formation. She pursed her lips and said, "This old Taoist has some skills, but this formation is outdated. Why doesn’t he improve it?"

She picked up some broken stones from the ground and first broke through the first formation.

With the stones leading the way, the leaves from the trees fell like knives.

After bypassing this obstacle, Nanli headed towards the Gate of Life.

She had seen this formation long ago and had made improvements to it.

She remembered every step, where to go, how many steps to take, and how to evade.

She was well-versed in breaking through any obstacles.

When she walked out of the grove, Xie Beihan couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

"What’s wrong? Did I lose?" Nanli tilted her head.

No way, she thought she didn’t take much time.

"No, this person said it would take you at least half a day to break the formation, but it’s only been the time of a tea ceremony," Xie Beihan said, astonished.

Nanli patted her chest.

"You scared me, I thought I lost." Li Zhengming and the other disciples were dumbfounded.

"You... you must have cheated! The formation set up by Senior Brother himself isn’t so easily broken!" Li Zhengming shouted.

"You must have carried some talismans with you!"

"Just a Si-Sha-Ba-Kun formation, cheating is not necessary," Nanli said.

"The time of a tea ceremony is indeed my speed." Li Zhengming’s face stiffened, and he could only wait for Senior Brother to come out and argue with her.

Unexpectedly, this waiting lasted half a day.

What’s even more infuriating was that while Nanli and the others returned to the inn to eat, his Senior Brother still hadn’t come out.

Li Zhengming and the disciples waited outside, drenched in sweat.

Just as they were about to go in and see what was happening, they finally caught sight of Li Zhengming stumbling out.