Chu Li retorted, “Your beloved would have died if it wasn’t for my ‘stupid’ actions!”

　　“You…” Li Ruolan’s bright gaze flickered. She was speechless.

　　Chu Li continued, “One of us has to die. However, I’m more likely to perish than him. Your life will become miserable if he dies but my death won’t affect anyone. No one in this world will remember me anyway.”

　　“That’s ridiculous!” Li Ruolan frowned and said, “You still have friends in Great Light Peak and Gale City.”

　　Chu Li smiled.

　　“What are you going to do now?” Li Ruolan asked.

　　Chu Li replied, “I’m going to await my demise and properly enjoy the rest of my peaceful days before my death.”

　　“You can’t just leave and surrender.” Li Ruolan tightly pursed her red lips and gazed fixedly at Chu Li. “Less than a year has passed since you joined the Holy Church of Light. The Tempest Temple can’t be too troublesome for you. If they caused too much trouble for you, you’d be too strong to die anyway!”

　　“Your beloved and I are in the same boat. I’d rather die once and for all than live a wretched life,” Chu Li lazily replied.

　　Li Ruolan was so furious that she felt like hitting Chu Li.

　　“You should leave first. There’s no need to accompany me. If the members of the Tempest Temple suddenly rush in, you’ll suffer the consequences as well.” Chu Li waved his hand dismissively and continued, “Senior Brother Ji is still waiting for you. Both of you should live a happy and peaceful life together.”

　　“Nonsense!” Li Ruolan glared at Chu Li before she angrily said, “How can you expect us not to worry when you’re acting like this?”

　　Chu Li laughed. “It’s no big deal. I’m just repaying you for your guidance. From today onwards, you’re no longer my guide. You’re just my senior sister.”

　　“Zhao Dahe, you’ve really changed,” Li Ruolan said while shaking her head.

　　Chu Li replied, “I’ve always been like this.”

　　Li Ruolan sighed. “You’ve always done things that were impossible for others. Isn’t there a way out?”

　　“No, there isn’t.” Chu Li shook his head.

　　Li Ruolan suddenly became angry again. “Are you just going to wait to die without putting up a fight?”

　　“My days are numbered. I should leisurely enjoy my final moments instead of bitterly struggling against my fate.” Chu Li lay down on his bed again. He looked extremely lethargic with his arms pillowing his head, as though he had no bones in his body.

　　Li Ruolan looked terribly furious as she stared at Chu Li.

　　Li Ruolan felt resentful towards Chu Li because Chu Li failed to meet her expectations. How could Chu Li lose his will to fight before reaching the final stage? A person as skillful as Chu Li would definitely be able to perform miracles.

　　Chu Li merely shut his eyes.

　　A light fragrance wafted into Chu Li’s nose when Li Ruolan took a garden stool and sat beside his bed. “Junior Brother, are you doing this because life is meaningless to you now?”

　　“Yes,” Chu Li sluggishly answered.

　　“Isn’t there any joy in your life?” Li Ruolan said, “This world is filled with good food, breathtaking scenery, and beautiful people that you haven’t encountered!”

　　Chu Li laughed. “I’ve eaten good food and seen breathtaking sights many times, but beautiful people mean nothing to me. A woman would never fancy me because I’m too ugly. Even if the world was filled with gorgeous women, none of them would ever be mine.”

　　“That may not be true.” Li Ruolan said, “There are many beautiful women who don’t care about looks.”

　　Chu Li chuckled.

　　“What’s so funny about that?” Li Ruolan rolled her eyes at Chu Li. “You don’t believe me?”

　　Chu Li replied, “I’ve never met a beautiful woman like that. Those women are only willing to marry an ugly man if he’s rich or powerful. None of them would actually fall in love with a hideous man!”

　　“You’re exaggerating.” Li Ruolan scoffed. “I’ve seen it happen many times.”

　　Chu Li smiled but remained silent.

　　When Li Ruolan looked at Chu Li’s expression, she could tell that he obviously did not believe her. Anger stirred in Li Ruolan’s heart again but she firmly suppressed it. Li Ruolan scoffed again before saying, “How is your body now?”

　　“I’m not going to die yet,” Chu Li languidly replied. “My cultivation level has been ruined, but I still have the Divine Light Body and Maha-Vairocana’s Immobility Body. Furthermore, the Earth Matrix Buddha’s Body will allow me to endure tremendous torture for a short while without any problems.”

　　“That’s good…” Li Ruolan heaved a drawn-out sigh of relief.

　　Chu Li kept urging Li Ruolan to leave over the next two days. However, Li Ruolan had decided that she would stay and so she stayed by Chu Li’s side the entire time. No matter how red with anger Li Ruolan got because of Chu Li’s continuous provocations, she refused to leave.

　　…

　　Secret Guardians Hall in Fairy’s Capital.

　　As evening arrived, the setting sun illuminated the main hall of the Secret Guardians Hall in a rosy glow.

　　Deputy Commander Xu Huande was scanning through the dossiers in the main hall. The sound of footsteps echoed as Centurion Chen Donghai from Mei Yi Courtyard rushed inside. “Commander Xu, I have something to report to you!”

　　Xu Huande was still as cold and hard as steel. His face remained expressionless as he raised his head and glanced at Chen Donghai. Xu Huande indifferently said, “What’s the matter?”

　　A smile appeared on Chen Donghai’s handsome face. “We’ve received important news. We know the whereabouts of one of the Holy Church of Light’s disciples!”

　　“Huh?” Xu Huande put down the dossiers in his hands before he leaned forward. “A disciple of the Holy Church of Light?”

　　“I’ve been informed that someone in the city is hiding one of the Holy Church of Light’s disciples in their home. It seems highly possible too!” Chen Donghai beamed with satisfaction.

　　“Is the information reliable?”

　　“I’ve heard that the information was secretly leaked by the Tempest Temple. It must be accurate!”

　　“In that case…” Xu Huande frowned. “It’ll be difficult to defeat a disciple of the Holy Church of Light. That disciple must certainly be a force to be reckoned with if he was brave enough to come to Fairy’s Capital. How many people are you bringing along?”

　　“I’m going to ask the members of Mei Er Courtyard for help,” Chen Donghai replied.

　　Xu Huande shook his head. “That’s out of the question.”

　　Chen Donghai said, “Commander Xu, how can Mei Er Courtyard idly sit around like a bunch of freeloaders when Centurion Chu is undergoing Isolated Cultivation?”

　　“A bunch of freeloaders?” Xu Huande scoffed. “They’ve made numerous significant contributions. They would still greatly surpass an average person even if they led an idle life for one whole year!”

　　“The most capable people should do the most work. It’s such a waste that the Grandmasters are just relaxing without doing anything.” Chen Donghai said, “Can the Secret Guardians Hall afford such luxuries?”

　　“Don’t forget that they belong to Chu Li. You’d better not get any wicked ideas!” Xu Huande said, “We’re all aware of your intentions. You should get rid of those thoughts.”

　　Chen Donghai angrily said, “Commander Xu, you and the commander pamper Centurion Chu too much!”

　　“We would pamper you even more if you were as skilled as Chu Li!” Xu Huande furiously said, “You spend all your time scheming instead of doing the right thing. What can you achieve from that? Stop wasting time. When are you going to take action?”

　　“I’m going to capture him immediately!” Chen Donghai frantically replied.

　　“Can Mei Yi Courtyard handle it on their own?” Xu Huande said, “You can’t involve Mei Er Courtyard, but you can request assistance from the members of the other courtyards.”

　　“It’s fine.” Chen Donghai shook his head and said, “I won’t be able to use them anyway.”

　　If Chen Donghai requested help from the members of the other courtyards, he would have to share the credit with them. He would not be able to take all the credit anymore if that were the case. However, Mei Er Courtyard was different. The remaining members were not authorized to discuss official matters when Chu Li was absent. It was impossible for them to steal Chen Donghai’s credit.

　　“Alright, go and capture him.” Xu Huande said, “I’ll be waiting for your good news.”

　　Chen Donghai was brimming with confidence. “Keep your eyes peeled, Commander Xu.”

　　Chen Donghai made a fist salute before leaving with long strides.

　　Moments later, ten top-notch masters from Mei Yi Courtyard left Secret Guardians Hall with him. These masters were not riding horses but they seemed to be carried by the wind because they moved extremely quickly. They quietly passed through several alleys instead of using the main streets to avoid alerting anyone else.

　　Four of them swiftly arrived in front of the Feng Residence while the remaining seven people surrounded the Feng Residence separately.

　　One of the masters stepped forward and knocked on the door. The gatekeeper’s acupuncture point was immediately sealed when he appeared. After that, the quartet entered the Feng Residence and instantly arrived in the main hall. They saw that Feng Qi was currently sitting in an armchair and drinking tea while he held a book in his hand.

　　“Who are you?!” Feng Qi stroked his bushy beard, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Chen Donghai.

　　Chen Donghai retrieved a badge from his bosom. “We’re from the Secret Guardians Hall!” With a wave of his hand, the other three men hurriedly set off to search the entire house.