"The Palace Master of Ling Xiao Palace!" Li Jiao replied.
Mi Qi's eye twitched. He bared his teeth and said, "How could it be him?" His face was twisted with undisguised distaste, and he clearly had no fondness for Yang Kai whatsoever. That was hardly surprising — he had only met Yang Kai once, but that single encounter had cost the Mitian Sect an enormous amount of Source Crystals. Every time he thought back on it, his heart ached as if being cut, and he deeply regretted ever joining in the fun.
He cast a sideways glance at Li Jiao and said, "Brother Li, hasn't he oppressed you enough? Why are you now climbing over yourself to flatter him?" His tone carried a hint of mockery, and he was quite disgruntled. He and Li Jiao were on decent terms — not exactly close, but still better than anything with Yang Kai. Now that Li Jiao had actually come here to deliver Yang Kai's message, Mi Qi was naturally displeased. He thought Li Jiao was nothing more than a spineless coward — and to think he carried the half-dragon bloodline. What a disgrace.
Li Jiao felt somewhat embarrassed by his words, a hint of awkwardness showing on his face. But he couldn't very well explain that his relationship with Yang Kai had greatly improved — that Yang Kai had even forgiven all the debts Li Long Palace had owed for years. All he could do was say with a bitter smile, "What can I do? He's the creditor. When you're under someone else's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head."
"Hmph!" Mi Qi slammed his palm on the table, a fierce light flickering in his eyes. "That despicable scoundrel schemed against us back then with his dirty tricks. If not for Master Ji's sake, do you think I would have had anything to do with him all these years?"
This was nothing but the plain truth. The Mitian Sect was, after all, one of the top Sects in the Northern Territory, and Mi Qi was a Third-Order Emperor Realm powerhouse. Even though he had lost a bet to Yang Kai back then, he could have easily refused to honor it afterward. When it came to such an enormous quantity of Source Crystals, what did a little face matter? The only problem was that what happened back then had occurred right under Ji Ying's nose, and he later heard that even Ji Ying had fallen into Ling Xiao Palace's clutches, becoming their chief alchemist. Only then did Mi Qi have no choice but to comply.
If he had truly refused to pay, it might have angered Ji Ying. He feared no one when it came to Yang Kai, but he was very wary of Ji Ying — whether as the disciple of Miao Dan the Great Emperor or as an Emperor-level Alchemist, neither title could be taken lightly.
Li Jiao thought to himself that it had been no dirty trick at all — Yang Kai had won fair and square through pure alchemy. If not for having gone through life-and-death situations with Yang Kai several times, his own views wouldn't have been much different from Mi Qi's. But after those experiences adventuring together, Li Jiao's impression of Yang Kai had changed considerably. He found Yang Kai to be quite a decent person — provided you didn't provoke him.
Mi Qi raised his cup and drained it in a single gulp, as if trying to vent the fury in his heart. Then he said in a deep voice, "Brother Li, what did that bastard want you to convey?"
Li Jiao maintained a calm expression and said, "Palace Master Yang's intention is for the Mitian Sect to express its submission to Ling Xiao Palace."
"What?" Mi Qi's eyes went wide. "I think I must have misheard. Brother Li, what exactly did you just say?"
Li Jiao sighed inwardly. How could he not know that Mi Qi was pretending not to hear? There were only the two of them here, with no background noise. Mi Qi, a Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivator, could hardly have failed to hear clearly. Left with no other choice, he had to repeat what he had said before.
"Ha ha!" Mi Qi laughed in his rage, a cold gleam flickering through his eyes. He toyed with the wine cup in his hand and said, "Then I wonder — what exactly does this 'submission' entail?"
His voice was as cold as a blade's edge, and he clearly harbored some resentment toward Li Jiao as well. To dare speak such an outrageous condition aloud — as the messenger, Li Jiao was not going to earn any goodwill.
Li Jiao had known before coming here that his thin friendship with Mi Qi was likely about to come to an end. Seeing Mi Qi's expression now, he thought to himself that sure enough, that was the case. With a twinge of regret, he spoke up: "Brother Mi, rest assured — Palace Master Yang doesn't seem to intend seizing the Mitian Sect's territory. It's simply that Ling Xiao Palace appears to need a large amount of Cultivation resources. Palace Master Yang's idea is that the Mitian Sect hand over a portion of its annual income to Ling Xiao Palace."
Mi Qi said in a sinister, mocking tone, "I wonder just how much 'a portion' is?"
"Half?" Li Jiao asked tentatively. Yang Kai hadn't specified this number, but anything less would certainly not satisfy his appetite.
"Half, is it..." Mi Qi's face broke into a broad smile. He raised his cup and said, "Brother Li, drink!"
Li Jiao was visibly puzzled, but he still raised his cup and clinked it against Mi Qi's.
Once the wine had gone down, there came a sharp crash — Mi Qi had smashed his cup to the ground. He slammed his palm on the table and shot to his feet, roaring in a low voice, "This is going too far! Do they really think the Mitian Sect has no one?" He had cultivated his way to his current level through decades of hardship; he had not grown up being intimidated. If he handed over half his Sect's income to every random person who showed up and demanded it, he wouldn't have survived to this day.
This was entirely different from those old debts. Those debts, while sizable, had a definite endpoint — another thirty years or so and they would be fully repaid. But if what Li Jiao said was true and the Mitian Sect was to express its submission to Ling Xiao Palace, then from that point on, half of all annual income would have to be surrendered. The only way out would be the annihilation of the Mitian Sect.
How could he agree to such a brazen act of bullying? If he actually did, what would the world think of him? What would the disciples of the Mitian Sect think of him?
"Brother Mi, please calm down..."
"Shut your mouth!" Mi Qi glared at Li Jiao with his hair bristling in fury, then sneered with contempt: "What a fine display of backbone, Brother Li! Back then, both of us were humiliated together, and for years we've been exploited and oppressed by Ling Xiao Palace. Not only have you given up any thought of revenge, but you've now joined forces with that beast. Palace Master Yang, ha ha... I really didn't know when you started clinging to his thigh and attaching yourself to his leg hair."
Li Jiao's face was flushed with embarrassment, but the words stung all the more for being partly true. He kept a stiff expression and said, "It's a long story."
He couldn't possibly tell Mi Qi about everything that had happened with Yang Kai over the years. Setting aside the fact that their friendship hadn't reached that level, the secrets involving Dragon Island alone were not something he could casually reveal.
"'A long story,' indeed!" The mockery in Mi Qi's eyes was naked and undisguised. "Brother Li, you assess the situation and choose to ride in someone else's wake — I don't blame you. To each his own. But I, Mi, will not sink as low as you."
The subtext was clear: he was calling Li Jiao a coward who feared death, a man with the guts of a mouse.
Li Jiao's expression darkened. "I'm just here to deliver a message, Brother Mi. Why must you make it sound so ugly? Whether this matter succeeds or fails has nothing to do with me."