245: Chapter 25 Lingjiu Palace, Tianshan Child Granny

After dealing with Li Qingluo and Wang Yuyan, Meng Li gave some instructions to A Bi and A Zhu, and then set off alone on the road toward Tian Shan.

Along the way, he rode his horse swiftly, heading straight for Tian Shan.

While traveling, Meng Li reviewed the information about Lingjiu Palace, combining his memory with what he had learned from inquiries.

There is a giant eagle on Tian Shan called a 'Lingjiu.' It has short wings and wide talons, making it poor at flying but adept at running. After the Old Woman of Tian Shan established her power base there, many subordinates began training Lingjiu eagles, which is why her faction was named 'Lingjiu Palace.'

The headquarters of Lingjiu Palace is located on Misty Peak of Tian Shan, but its sphere of influence extends beyond that.

Its structure is divided into Nine Heavens and Nine Departments: Haotian Department, Yangtian Department, Chitian Department, Zhutian Department, Chengtian Department, Youtian Department, Xuantian Department, Luan Tian Department, and Juntian Department.

The Nine Heavens and Nine Departments only account for the internal personnel of Lingjiu Palace.

Besides them, Lingjiu Palace also has many peripheral forces.

A typical example among these are the Thirty-six Caves and Seventy-two Islands stretching from the Central Plains to the southeastern coast.

These were all achievements developed by the Old Woman of Tian Shan.

Although the methods were not ideal and contained hidden dangers, one had to admit that the Old Woman of Tian Shan possessed formidable skill.

In comparison, Wu Ya Zi and Li Qiu Shui were much inferior.

Li Qiu Shui was doing relatively well, holding the position of Grand Consort in Western Xia, which counted as having power and influence.

But Wu Ya Zi, the nominal Sect Head, was disastrously poor when it came to developing the faction.

Not only did the School fail to grow stronger, but he also ended up crippling himself.

This showed that people who enjoy pursuing the arts are truly unsuitable for management or leadership roles.

The journey from Suzhou to Tian Shan was not short.

Even traveling urgently, Meng Li spent a significant amount of time, during which he inevitably encountered bandits attempting to rob him.

However, they were all petty thugs who posed no threat to Meng Li; instead, he treated them as experience packs to test his Martial Arts and increase his power.

Lingjiu Palace headquarters occupied only Misty Peak on Tian Shan, but given the Old Woman of Tian Shan's domineering style, she would never allow 'others to sleep soundly while an enemy lies beside her.' Therefore, all forces remaining near Tian Shan were vassals of Lingjiu Palace.

Meng Li made a few inquiries and quickly learned the exact location of Lingjiu Palace.

He then proceeded directly to Lingjiu Palace without delay.

Since he had not intentionally concealed his presence, Meng Li encountered obstruction as soon as he reached the foot of Misty Peak.

Those blocking him were several young women.

They wore feather crests in their hair, fitted tunics embroidered with the image of a Lingjiu eagle, black cloaks with hoods, and carried long swords.

This was the attire of Lingjiu Palace members.

Clearly, they were people from Lingjiu Palace.

The leading woman appeared to be around twenty years old. After stopping Meng Li, she sized him up, noting that his attire and demeanor suggested something extraordinary. She spoke politely, "This is the station of Lingjiu Palace. Uninvited guests are not allowed. Your Excellency, please retreat quickly."

Meng Li got straight to the point: "I have come to visit the Old Woman of Tian Shan."

"Please convey word that the new Sect Head of the Xiaoyao Sect has arrived to pay his respects."

"If I am not mistaken, the Old Woman will surely grant an audience."

The leading woman was momentarily stunned.

Visiting the Venerable Mistress? This was a rare event.

As far as she knew, her Venerable Mistress was famous. For the people of Lingjiu Palace, it was a name that inspired awe, but for others in the Jianghu, it was a reputation for sheer terror. Those who knew the Old Woman of Tian Shan's name would avoid her at all costs and would never actively seek her out.

Since she joined Lingjiu Palace, she had never seen anyone come to visit, especially not with such calm assurance.

Could it be that this handsome young man knew the Venerable Mistress, or perhaps even had a connection to her?

Her heart filled with suspicion, she dared not be careless. She told Meng Li, "Please wait a moment," gave a few instructions to her companions, and then turned to ascend the mountain to report.

Seeing this, Meng Li found a place to sit and wait.

Those Lingjiu Palace members were surprised but said nothing, instead watching Meng Li vigilantly as instructed.

A little less than half an hour later, a small figure flew down rapidly from Misty Peak.

In just a few breaths, the figure arrived near Meng Li and the others from a distance.

When the figure stopped and revealed its form and appearance, Meng Li's eye twitched.

The person who arrived was indeed the Old Woman of Tian Shan, but...

She had three spiky buns tied on her head, two short, thick eyebrows drawn on her forehead, high rosy patches on her cheeks, and a longevity lock hanging around her neck.

This appearance...

Meng Li only had two words for his assessment—Shocking!

When he watched the drama previously, he could not believe that the actress playing the Old Woman of Tian Shan in this version was the same person who played the little fox in 'Lotus Lantern'.

The styling was just too bizarre; it almost shattered the positive impression the little fox had left on him.

He figured the other party must have offended the costume designer when filming this drama; otherwise, it couldn't have turned out like this.

According to the setting, the Old Woman of Tian Shan's appearance was indeed that of a young girl, but that only meant her physical development had stopped, keeping her perpetually at the age of six. Her mind, however, had matured; she was already over ninety years old upon her appearance.

Furthermore, her greatest sore spot was her inability to grow up, so she would absolutely never dress herself in the fashion of a young girl.

That would be rubbing salt into her own wound.

Unless her aesthetic sense was severely warped and she had masochistic tendencies.

While Meng Li's thoughts were racing, the Lingjiu Palace members quickly knelt down and bowed to the Old Woman of Tian Shan: "Greetings, Venerable Mistress!"

The Old Woman of Tian Shan raised her hand slightly, signaling them to rise. Then she looked Meng Li over, thinking internally that his bearing was indeed extraordinary, fitting the standards for accepting disciples in the Xiaoyao Sect.

Immediately, she addressed Meng Li, asking, "Boy, you claim to be the new Sect Head of the Xiaoyao Sect. Do you have proof?"

Her voice was ancient and slightly hoarse, creating a strange contrast with her appearance.

If an ordinary person heard it, they would likely be startled.

But the Lingjiu Palace members and Meng Li were aware of the Old Woman of Tian Shan's situation, so they were not surprised.

Meng Li replied calmly, "Of course, I do."

Saying this, he took out the Seven Treasures Ring from his robes.

The Old Woman of Tian Shan's gaze sharpened. She flashed forward, instantly appearing before Meng Li, and reached out to snatch the Seven Treasures Ring.

Meng Li had anticipated this possibility and was on guard. He instantly trod the trigram sequence of the Yi Jing, easily evading her with an afterimage trailing behind him.

"Swift Steps?!"

The Old Woman of Tian Shan let out a soft exclamation. Internally, she was already seven-tenths convinced of Meng Li's identity as the Xiaoyao Sect Leader. She then tapped her toe and resumed the pursuit.

This time, her target shifted from the Seven Treasures Ring to Meng Li himself.

She wanted to test what abilities Meng Li possessed besides Swift Steps, whether he was qualified to be the Xiaoyao Sect Leader, and simultaneously look for an opportunity to ask about Wu Ya Zi.

Therefore, the Old Woman of Tian Shan directly attacked, using her most skilled technique: the Tianshan Six Yang Palm.

Clouds scatter to reveal the Xue curtain!

Meng Li had 'learned' the Tianshan Six Yang Palm when discussing the Dao with Wu Ya Zi on Leigu Mountain. Seeing her move, he dodged and immediately executed the Tianshan Six Yang Palm himself.

The sun and stars appear in the daytime!

The Old Woman of Tian Shan was slightly startled when she saw this, then sneered internally.

Based on the current known facts, she surmised that Meng Li's Xiaoyao Sect Martial Arts must have come from Wu Ya Zi, meaning his identity was most likely Wu Ya Zi's disciple.

While Wu Ya Zi did know the Tianshan Six Yang Palm, his level of mastery was far inferior to hers.

If the Master could not compare to her, the disciple's execution would naturally be even worse.

Therefore, Meng Li's display, in the Old Woman of Tian Shan's view, was purely showing off one's limited skill before an expert.

While thinking this, she did not voice it, intending instead to let facts speak for themselves...