Sundering Nature

TL: ZhaoEditing: Krisaia

“You!” Ying Mei’s aggressiveness was visibly abated by Li Yiming’s threat. 

Li Yiming continued staring at her intensely, making it clear that he had no intentions to yield. He knew why Ying Mei was here, and so he also knew that it would be a life-and-death struggle between himself and Ying Mei. 

“Does it look okay?” Shao Xian arrived in her new outfit. 

Li Yiming turned around and he immediately understood why some people were willing to pay millions for a set of clothes. Before she got changed, Shao Xian was naturally blessed with delicate features, but after putting on the dress, she had an otherworldly appearance. It was as if she was a goddess who had descended from the Heavens. 

“Beautiful.” Li Yiming complimented her earnestly. 

“Not yours. Get it off.” Ying Mei snorted in discontent. Shao Xian’s shadow suddenly began morphing into a tenebrous claw that tried to clasp her. 

“How dare you?” Sai Gao stomped the floor with his right foot. A yellow light shot into the marble below and the floor began trembling. 

“This is…?” Ying Mei’s expression froze as the shadow claw dissipated. 

Shao Xian, unaware of the clash between Sai Gao and Ying Mei, was nevertheless sensitive to the sudden sinking of the atmosphere. She glanced worriedly at Li Yiming, who seemed to be in a terrible mood.  

“Tell the tailor to help you pack your dress,” Li Yiming said as he stared at Ying Mei. 

“Congratulations, you’re angered me.” Li Yiming put his hand on his watch as Shao Xian left the scene. He knew just how dangerous the situation was for Shao Xian, as she would have been injured if it were not for Sai Gao’s timely intervention. 

“What are you going to do about it?” A cold voice was heard coming from the entrance to the hall. 

“Yun Yiyuan?” Li Yiming frowned at the newcomer. He did not expect Yun Yiyuan to show up, much less his involvement with Ying Mei. 

As the atmosphere descended into its glacial point, Li Yiming turned his attention toward his newly acquired talent. Sai Gao stood up and walked behind him, whereas Fang Shui’er sat still on the side.  

“Now, now, my little store cannot handle Heaven’s fury! Would it possible for all of us to take a moment and calm down?” A laugh was heard as an old man walked out of the inner hall, supported by a cane. 

“Mr. Xie! I was unaware you were here!” Fang Shui’er greeted the old man politely. 

“Where else could I be? With such demanding customers, who knows when I might lose my entire business.” The old man smiled and walked to the middle of the hall, without minding the tenseness of the atmosphere. 

“Mr. Xie?” Li Yiming frowned. He had seen his fair share of powerful figures. Most of them had a distinctive characteristic, such as Stargaze’s mysteriousness, or Li Huaibei’s sharpness. However, the old man seemed like two extremes put together. His aura alternated between power and feebleness; it was as if he was a person stitched together from parts of other people. 

“He’s the owner and founder of Xie’s Clothing,” Sai Gao whispered into Li Yiming’s ears. 

“Mr. Xie, I’d like to ask you if the rules here have changed?” Fang Shui’er glanced at Li Yiming and asked. 

“Oh? What do you mean?” Mr. Xie laughed and asked back. 

“My friend set her eyes on this robe first, but Ms. Ying over there wants it too. What are you going to make out of this?” 

“Well, first of all, I think it’s an immense honor to have one of my articles be the object of envy of two guests. Really, I am grateful.” Mr. Xie ignored Fang Shui’er’s question and began expressing his gratitude instead. 

“I’ve had the clothes packed already.” Li Yiming said as he looked at Yun Yiyuan.

“How about we let Mr. Li have the robe? It’s just a piece of clothing after all, and he brought us a new customer! Ms. Ying can always find something else in our amazing selection.” Mr. Xie tried to appease both sides. 

“You mean that my woman needs to bow to others?” Yung Yiyuan stared at the old man coldly.  

“Mr. Yun, don’t put it like that. What fun is there to fight with the youngsters? I’m sure that you’re beyond such trivial disputes. I’ll offer you a can of my best tea to apologize, how’s that?” The old man laughed once again.  

Yun Yiyuan snorted in discontentment and signaled Ying Mei to walk to the other side of the hall. Mr. Xie did enough to satisfy his pride, at least for now. 

“Boss…” The tailor returned to the hall with Shao Xian, who was visibly excited by her new set of clothes, but still completely unaware of what was going on. 

“Alright, where do we pay?” Li Yiming asked the young tailor.

“Please accept the dress as a gift for visiting my humble shop. I’m sorry to have caused any kind of trouble today.” Mr. Xie put his fists together and made a salutation. 

“Thank you for your kindness.” Li Yiming nodded and glanced at Sai Gao. 

“We should get going. I have an appointment for a manicure session.” Sai Gao moved his waist left and right as he led the way and pulled Shao Xian along. 

Li Yiming looked at Fang Shui’er before leaving. 

“You should leave first, I’ll need to try something out for myself. I’m expected on stage in three days.” Fang Shui’er let out a beautiful smile. 

“Thank you.” Li Yiming took a deep breath.

“Get ready for your performance, everyone’s expecting you to deliver a show.” Yun Yiyuan said in a scornful tone right before Li Yiming reached the exit. 

Li Yiming walked out of the door without looking back. 

“Is that old guy a sage?” Li Yiming asked Sai Gao. 

“How often do you think you encounter a sage? He holds a special status, that’s all.” 

“What’s his talent?” 

“You think I’d know?” 

“What are you talking about?” Shao Xian turned around and asked with a radiant grin. It had been a long time since she had experienced being genuinely cared for. Although she had met many men who treated her with good manners, they usually had her body in mind, unlike Li Yiming and Sai Gao, who only wanted her to be happy. 

“It’s men business. See that spa ahead? That’s where my appointment is. Choose something that you like, remember to keep the color pale,” Sai Gao said. 

“What about you?” Shao Xian asked. 

“I’ll go get this guy a set of clothes. I can’t stand his sense of fashion anymore.” 

“Alright, I’ll be waiting inside.” Shao Xian pulled removed both her sunglasses and mask and entered the shop ahead. 

“What do you need?” Sai Gao knew that Li Yiming had something to ask from him. 

“Can we find a place to fight each other?” Li Yiming asked. 

“Us?” 

“Yes, a place where we can fight with our full strength.” 

“Don’t you have a Boundary?” 

“I can’t use it.” Li Yiming sighed. 

“Really?” Sai Gao’s eyes widened, understanding the implications of Li Yiming’s revelation. 

“I’ll explain.” Li Yiming decided to reveal the truth. In three days they would most likely be entrusting their lives to each other, meaning that it would be wise to tell Sai Gao that he was not actually a sage to prevent potential nefarious consequences. 

“Come with me.” Sai Gao stared at Li Yiming for a long while and then turned toward the emergency exit.