Volume Two: Life as a Bandit, Chapter Forty-Two: A Detailed Account

"That is right. We have a Heavenly Venerate behind us as well. Even if Thunder Punishment City truly comes to cause you trouble, I believe that with our Heavenly Venerate backing us, they will not be able to do anything to us." Qin Si chuckled, looking smug. "Little Shuang, let him come out and meet Brother Li Yang. After all, we are going to be family from now on."

Qin Shuang offered a faint smile. Without any visible movement, an avatar resembling Qin Yu suddenly appeared before the three of them. A vast and majestic aura emanated from the avatar, causing Li Yang to feel his breath hitch; he nearly knelt on the spot.

With a series of crackling sounds, Li Yang straightened his expression. Bolts of multicolored lightning coiled around his body, instantly pushing back the pressure released by Qin Shuang’s avatar.

Qin Si excitedly exchanged a look with Qin Shuang, realizing they had struck gold. Although Li Yang was only an ordinary Godking, if one were to judge by true strength, perhaps only a Heavenly Venerate could suppress him. Just seeing him resist the aura of an avatar possessing the power of a Heavenly Venerate was enough to prove that this Li Yang was no simple man.

After a long moment, Qin Shuang retracted his avatar. With a sincere look on his face, he gazed with admiration at the panting Li Yang. "Brother Li Yang’s strength is truly profound. Little Shuang is impressed." Qin Shuang had changed how he addressed Li Yang.

Qin Si let out a cheer and hopped up, saying, "Brother Li Yang is truly formidable. Little Shuang intentionally had the Heavenly Venerate release his pressure, yet I never expected that Brother Li’s own pressure would be no less than that of a Heavenly Venerate. Amazing, truly amazing."

Li Yang leaned back against his chair, flipped his palm, and a bottle of Erguotou appeared. After taking a casual sip, he smiled bitterly. "The strength of a Heavenly Venerate is no small matter. If that Heavenly Venerate from just now had attacked, I would surely have had my soul scattered within the time it takes to burn a stick of incense."

Qin Shuang also took a sip of the Erguotou and laughed. "Generally speaking, a Godking is no better than an ant before a Heavenly Venerate. If a Heavenly Venerate attacks, even a Godking with the deepest cultivation would only be killed instantly. The fact that Brother Li Yang could hold out for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense proves that your strength far exceeds that of an average Godking. I believe that if Brother Li Yang one day reaches the Heavenly Venerate realm, your cultivation will be even more terrifying."

At these words, Li Yang’s expression dimmed. The Heavenly Venerate—that daunting, unreachable goal—held no temptation for him whatsoever.

Having cultivated all the way up from Earth, he already knew that the path of cultivation was endless. To pursue it obsessively would likely only lead to ruin. He had long since grown numb and tired of those days of endless cultivation; now, he only wanted to be with Xue'er and never be separated again.

"Brother Li Yang, how did you and your sister-in-law become separated?" Infected by Li Yang’s sorrow, Qin Si naturally began to address him as "Big Brother."

Li Yang sighed deeply, drinking his wine helplessly. "It is a long story. Do you really want to hear it?"

Qin Si and Qin Shuang nodded in unison. The two brothers, who had never experienced love themselves, sat quietly beside Li Yang like curious children, looking at him with anticipation.

Seeing their expressions, Li Yang could not help but chuckle. He felt very good about Qin Si and Qin Shuang. Although they had only just met, with his sharp, experienced eye for people, he could tell that both brothers were rare geniuses.

Qin Si was lively and unrestrained, clever yet deeply emotional. He was sharp-edged on the surface but still retained a childlike innocence, with a certain combative spirit. Seeing him was like seeing his own younger self.

Qin Shuang’s personality was more to Li Yang’s liking—honest and magnanimous, yet reserved and intelligent. He was tolerant and kind, yet held his own bottom line. Such a temperament, containing sharpness within gentleness, was far superior to Qin Si’s somewhat ambitious and impatient nature.

Thinking of this, Li Yang sighed. These two brothers complemented each other; one was the spear and one was the shield. Once they matured, any enemy they encountered in the Hongmeng Divine Realm would find them a source of endless headaches.

"What kind of people could raise two sons like this?" Li Yang wondered curiously, but he did not stop talking, recounting his experiences with Jiang Xue to the two. This was the only time he had opened his heart since entering the Hongmeng Divine Realm, which showed how much he valued the two brothers.

From an ordinary secret agent to a cultivator for the sake of Jiang Xue'er, from Earth to the Demon Realm, from Xiang Yu to Chi You—Li Yang’s brilliant and tortuous life unfolded like a series of exquisite scenes before the brothers, making them feel melancholy, impassioned, dejected, and excited by turns.

Without realizing it, three days passed. Li Yang finally reached the part about meeting Jiang Xue'er after attacking the Immortal Realm. At this point, a smile appeared on his face, and he placed his wine bottle on the table.

"Then how did you come to the Divine Realm, Brother Li Yang? Did you undergo the Divine Tribulation?" Qin Si asked curiously. How could this man, who valued relationships so highly, not have crossed the Divine Tribulation with Jiang Xue'er? As far as he knew, many people intentionally suppressed their cultivation to ensure a smooth transition, but Li Yang clearly had not done so.

"Speaking of that, I am even more frustrated." Li Yang finished the bottle of Erguotou and smiled bitterly. "I was merely testing the power of the Five Elements Fusion in the void, and I discovered that the power of the five elements had ripped a crack in space. Out of curiosity, I went to investigate, and I ended up here for no reason."

Seeing the stunned expressions on their faces, Li Yang was also depressed. "When I first arrived here, I nearly went insane. I had just reunited with Xue'er, and that damn fate actually separated us again."

Qin Si and Qin Shuang looked at Li Yang, speechless. They never imagined he had arrived in the Hongmeng Divine Realm in such an absurd way. He was truly a remarkable man.

After hearing Li Yang’s story, Qin Shuang felt a jolt. He suddenly realized that the story of his father, Qin Yu, and his mother, Jiang Li, was very similar to that of Li Yang and Jiang Xue.

"Big Brother, do you remember the story Father told us about himself and Mother?" Qin Shuang transmitted his voice to Qin Si with a strange expression. It seemed his father had also undergone frantic cultivation to find his mother before they finally reunited.

Qin Si was also deeply shaken, nodding with a bitter smile. "This story of Brother Li Yang seems very similar to the story of our parents back then."

"It is more than just similar. Aside from the different experiences, everything else is the same—frantically cultivating for the sake of a loved one, overcoming countless dangers..." Qin Shuang said, almost moaning.

Qin Si was speechless, and they shared a bitter laugh.

"Eh? What is wrong with you two? Why those expressions?" Sensing their odd looks, Li Yang asked, completely bewildered.

"Uh, it is nothing. Brother Li’s experiences are very similar to those of our parents." Qin Si hesitated for a moment but decided to speak up. To them, Li Yang was the first person they had met in the Hongmeng Divine Realm with whom they felt a real connection, and they had a great impression of him.

"Your parents?" Li Yang opened his mouth in surprise, finally stammering after a long while, "Are you saying your parents were also separated for a long time, just like Xue'er and me?"

"More than just a long time..." Qin Shuang smiled bitterly. "The suffering my father endured to see my mother is something you cannot imagine. The enemies you faced back then were nothing more than ants compared to the ones he had to confront."

"You know of Thunder Punishment City, right?" Seeing the disbelief on Li Yang’s face, Qin Si dropped a statement that shocked him. "My father almost destroyed Thunder Punishment City back then... though, not the one here."

Seeing Qin Shuang’s gaze, Qin Si realized he had let something slip. He chuckled sheepishly, "We will tell you about our origins later. In any case, we are not bad people."

Li Yang was truly shocked. What kind of powerful existence could almost destroy Thunder Punishment City? Only those who had truly dealt with the city knew what a terrifying entity it was, holding power over thunder and punishment. In fact, Li Yang was mistaken, or perhaps he held the Thunder Punishment City of the Linmeng Space in too high a regard. The one in the Linmeng Space only had one Heavenly Venerate, unlike the one here, which possessed several.

Watching Li Yang’s astonished expression, Qin Si and Qin Shuang exchanged a smile and said to him, "My father never gave up his love for my mother, and that is why he was finally able to reunite with her. Therefore, we believe that you, Brother Li, will also eventually reunite with Xue'er."

Li Yang nodded gratefully. He said nothing, but his firm gaze clearly told them that he had never given up and had always been striving forward.

"Brother Li, it is getting late. Since we hit it off so well, why don’t we set off immediately for the Zixuan Alliance?" Qin Si checked the time and was surprised to find three days had passed. He could not help but laugh; three grown men had chatted for three days and nights and still felt they had more to say.