Chapter 47
To be fair, the steward was not wrong – the ancestors of the Wei Family did share a deep connection with the founding emperor of the Da Qi empire.
Unless under exceptional circumstances, the Wei Family was unwilling to openly clash with members of the imperial Xia lineage.
However, Wei Jingfeng’s primary concern was the stolen life records remnant, so he stated, “I don’t know if he left anything else behind in this manor that could be returned to my Wei Family?”
The black-mole steward smiled thinly without mirth. “When he initially sought refuge with our lord, bringing only his daughter, they possessed nothing but the tattered rags on their backs. May I ask what specific item you are referring to? Please clarify.”
Wei Jingfeng could not clarify, for this matter involved profound secrets. Since the steward adamantly denied it, and they could not force entry into the manor, it would be wiser to first inform the matriarch and consult her on the appropriate response.
Realizing this, Wei Jingfeng silently drew the sickle-like demon-subduing halberd from his waist. Before the assembled Four Great Sects, he swung the blade to sever Wei Di’s head from the corpse, intending to depart with the Wei Family retinue while carrying the severed head.
However, the Four Great Sects had suffered catastrophic losses, their resentment undiminished and unable to directly strike at Prince Can’s manor, leaving them no outlet for this pent-up fury.
It was at this moment that the respected Sect Master Qin He, seated in his carrying chair, spoke in a feeble voice, “This Wei Di possessed such formidable abilities… If you had informed us earlier, Wei Family Patriarch, perhaps the voodoo worm tragedy could have been averted…”
Indeed, this Wei Di was a fugitive who had escaped from the Wei Family. His traitorous actions had brought calamity to the cultivation world, so the demon-subduing Wei Family also bore responsibility for nurturing this hidden threat.
The simmering resentment finally found a target to vent upon – a torrent of virulent abuse descended upon the Wei Family.
Acerbic disciples from the Four Great Sects began berating the Wei Family, accusing them of nurturing this menace that catalyzed this disastrous turn of events.
The Wei Family’s covert, inscrutable intentions meant they had failed to promptly expose Wei Di to the world, purposely intending to weaken the Four Great Sects before replacing them entirely.
Amidst this barrage of denunciations and curses, even the esteemed sect masters and elders refrained from intervening, evidently venting their bitter grievances upon the very Wei Family whose aid had purged the voodoo worms, ungratefully discarding that profound debt.
The tongue-tied Wei Jingfeng made no attempt to argue with these superficial people.
However, the twin Wei Family maidens following behind their father strode forward, glaring with vacant eyes as they gripped crude coffin nails, conjuring spectral hammers to fiercely strike the ground before the abusive disciples.
Instantaneously, the cracking fissures emanated anguished wails of the underworld, startling those shallow-rooted disciples, their spiritual roots severed as they froze in horror, eyes glazed over as if confronting death itself.
This immediately reminded them of the formidable abilities these twin maidens had demonstrated back at Mount Qilao.
Sensing his disciples’ imminent embarrassment, a leading elder hastily pressed his palm against their backs, channeling spiritual energy to steady their disoriented souls.
It was then that the younger twin sister finally revealed a mocking smile, enunciating each word as she addressed those who had slandered the Wei Family, “If the Wei Family wished your demise, we would hardly resort to such convoluted methods. You fools, are you not aware – when the Underworld Sovereign demands your life, would any reprieve remain until the final watches of night?”
Such scheming intrigues and deceptions were beneath the disdain of the Wei Family.
If not for their solemn duty of guarding the underworld, the Wei Family’s truly capable experts could not so easily depart from their mountain, allowing these arrogant upstarts from the secular world to indulge in such baseless calumnies.
The Wei Family strove to avoid excessive mundane entanglements, their ancestors warning against not only unauthorized departures from Mount Qilao, but also embroilment in the conflicts of imperial powers.
As keepers of the underworld, they must remain aloof from the secular realm. Having dealt with this traitorous matter, they had no need to involve themselves further with the imperial nobility.
The Wei Family had arrived swiftly and now departed just as rapidly, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye with the severed head in tow.
The remaining members of the Four Great Sects exchanged bewildered glances, surrounding the decapitated corpse, uncertain how to conclude this debacle.
If this had merely been a case of Prince Can’s private guest committing unsanctioned misdeeds by clandestinely dabbling in demonic arts, then the indulgent prince’s professed ignorance would be understandable.
But what if he had truly directed Wei Di’s actions?
Seeing the Four Great Sects’ stubborn refusal to disperse, Qin He spoke up again, punctuating his words with intermittent coughs. “Fellow cultivators, please do not forget the solemn covenant our Da Qi imperial ancestors forged with the celestials of the nine heavens aeons ago. The celestials vowed to bless the Da Qi imperial lineage with longevity, allowing them to reach their natural lifespans without untimely demise. This is why over the past two centuries, the imperial household has been spared from youthful, unnatural deaths or sudden, violent ends – a divine favor bestowed upon the Xia clan by the celestials themselves. Although Prince Can was misguided in failing to discern loyalty from treachery, since he has now awoken to the truth, is it not better late than never to make amends? Otherwise, who among you would be willing to incur a celestial breach and provoke the covenant by tormenting the imperial lineage?”
Qin He spoke truthfully – the celestials had indeed graced the Da Qi’s Xia clan with a mandate of divine protection, a key reason for their empire’s enduring three centuries of prosperity.
His words rendered the assemblage silent.
That black-mole, gray-haired steward then let out a derisive laugh before cupping his hands in mocking salute and arrogantly turning to depart, not even bothering to close the manor gates behind him – a blatant display of disdainful impunity, openly inviting them to come and go as they pleased.
Qin He’s statement had compelled the Four Great Sects to begin inwardly calculating and reconsidering: although an indolent prince, Prince Can was nonetheless a legitimate scion of the imperial bloodline. The imperial clan undoubtedly possessed divine covenants – any who dared harm an imperial descendant would surely incur karmic retribution from these sacred pacts.
Such was the privileged blessing bestowed upon celestial scions!
For now, the prince had extended a concession by surrendering the traitorous Wei Family kinsman. If they persisted in clinging to resentment, it would be all too easy for word to spread portraying the Four Great Sects as secular cultivators oppressing an imperial prince.
Moreover, if they inadvertently caused Prince Can’s demise, the sin of taking a life would pale in comparison to potentially invoking a divine covenant that could obliterate a century’s cultivation attainments, extinguishing all hopes of immortality.
The pragmatic Elder of Ebony Peak had always been an opportunistic survivor. Once he grasped this notion, he swiftly pivoted with an oily smile, “Since we have compelled Prince Can’s awakening, allowing him to purge the treacherous elements from his midst, our painstaking efforts have not been in vain.”
In the end, after a final barrage of parting threats, the assembled experts dispersed like startled beasts, all hastily abandoning the manor’s entrance.
As the city guards withdrew and the streets became deserted once more, that gray-haired steward reappeared at the gates.
Surveying the area, he asked the attendant beside him, “Among those cultivators earlier, did you notice that master-disciple pair Cui Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie whom our lord mentioned?”
This attendant was one of Prince Can’s closest personal servants. Upon hearing the steward’s inquiry, he promptly replied, “No sign of that master and disciple, only members of the Four Great Sects and Wei Family.”
Hearing this, the gray-haired man narrowed his eyes, muttering to himself, “They did not appear? They certainly know how to bide their time…”
After speaking, he turned to reenter the manor but suddenly glanced towards the large tree where Cui Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie were concealed.
Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie simultaneously closed their eyes, concentrating to elevate their spiritual force projected onto the concealment talismans to the highest level.
Xiao Xiao’s invisibility talisman functioned admirably, not only cloaking their physical forms but also masking their auras completely. Hence, neither the Four Great Sects nor the Wei Family had detected their presence earlier.
However, this black-mole steward’s perception was clearly sharper than those renowned experts, actually sensing their hiding spot.
With their eyes closed and senses sealed to maximize the talisman’s effects, Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie remained unnoticed as the gray-haired man surveyed the area before finally instructing the gates to be closed.
Wei Jie focused his senses, studying the gray-haired man intently for a moment before gesturing for Xiao Xiao to descend from the tree. After rejoining Tang Youshu and Yu Ling’er in the back alley, he turned to ask Xiao Xiao, “Since the others have withdrawn, should we depart as well?”
It was only then that he noticed the distant look on the young lady’s face.
Initially, Xiao Xiao had not been absolutely certain that the figure glimpsed within the shattered mirror was Qin Lingxiao’s father, since he should have sustained grave injuries at Autumn Water Pond.
However, during the earlier confrontation when the others had besieged Prince Can’s manor, this esteemed Sect Master Qin He had appeared to lead the assault. Yet with a few carefully chosen words at the critical juncture, he had subtly shifted the entire situation’s dynamics.
This compelled Xiao Xiao to deeply suspect Qin He’s true allegiances and his relationship with Prince Can.
It was only when Wei Jie prompted her again that Xiao Xiao regained her focus.
Glancing towards the divine beast talisman towering atop the manor’s pavilion, she knew they could not force entry to investigate further at present.
However, she could not neglect sharing her doubts about Sect Master Qin He with Wei Jie.
With this thought, Xiao Xiao conveyed her suspicions to Wei Jie.
Wei Jie’s expression turned solemn as he stated, “If that is the case, we should seek out this severely injured sect master later.”
With that, they set off in the direction the Soaring Cloud Sect had departed, intending to catch up with Qin He’s retinue.
Along the way, Xiao Xiao recalled Wei Jie’s pointed gaze towards the gray-haired man, so she asked if he recognized that individual.
To her surprise, Wei Jie gave her a meaningful look before calmly remarking, “You truly do not recognize him? I had assumed your Talisman Sect shared origins with the Ghost Sect!”
Sensing his implied meaning, Xiao Xiao inquired further, “The Ghost Sect? What manner of sect is this?”
Seeing Xiao Xiao’s genuine bewilderment, Wei Jie slowly explained.
Existing outside the Four Great Sects was an even more recondite sect known as the Ghost Sect.
As the name implied, they specialized in arts of spectre subjugation, using talismans as mediums to channel formidable spiritual forces, not unlike the Talisman Sect’s methods.
However, such cultivation techniques had gradually strayed into the demonic dao.
Moreover, this sect was notorious for fashioning ritual implements from human bones and skin, invoking a visceral revulsion that caused the orthodox paths to disdainfully shun any association.
The current grandmaster of the Ghost Sect was the sinister Wan Lianshi.
It was said this man had once orchestrated the wholesale slaughter of an entire frontier village, purely to harvest materials for a single talisman, earning him the united condemnation and pursuit of the previous sect masters from the Four Great Sects.
Unfortunately, he had eventually vanished without a trace, and the Ghost Sect’s name had not been heard from in ages.
As for Wan Lianshi himself, legend claimed he had walked the path of demonic cultivation to such an extreme that his hair turned fully white overnight. A century ago, any mention of an albino figure would immediately evoke associations with this evil Ghost Sect grandmaster.
Of course, there were innumerable white-haired individuals in the world. If not for Wei Jie’s personal experience witnessing the reemergence of human skin talismans within the mirror city illusion, he would not have contemplated a connection to the long-vanished Wan Lianshi.
However, the overwhelming aura exuded by that gray-haired man while confronting the Four Great Sects was too formidable to be that of a mere manorial servant, leaving Wei Jie no choice but to harbor suspicions.
Upon hearing this explanation, Xiao Xiao suddenly realized that from their very first encounter, when Wei Jie witnessed her using talismans bearing the Lingshan Sect’s designs, he had suspected her of having lingering ties to the long-missing Ghost Sect.
Recalling Wei Jie’s initial probing interactions with her, Xiao Xiao gasped in belated comprehension – his true intention behind accepting her as his master!
She had merely pitied the youth for lacking a sect to call home, offering him shelter within the Talisman Sect. Yet he had endured such indignities specifically to infiltrate the Lingshan Sect, investigating any potential links to the Ghost Sect!
With this realization, Xiao Xiao halted in her tracks, indignantly pointing a finger towards Wei Jie’s brow as she demanded, “So you… if you initially suspected the Lingshan Talisman Sect of being unorthodox, why did you still accept me as your master?”
Wei Jie arched an eyebrow before slowly replying, “I only harbored initial doubts that were soon dispelled. I realized you likely shared common origins with the Ghost Sect yet diverged from their path. After all, if you had truly strayed into the demonic dao, would your sect have fallen into such decline, nearly starving you to death? That would have been an excessively wretched path of evil…”
If he had not elaborated further, it might have been bearable. But this explanation left Xiao Xiao seething, struggling to catch her breath!
So she was too inept even to properly walk the path of evil?
Before she could glare and retort, Wei Jie had already grasped her hand, hastening their pace. If they did not hurry, they might fail to catch up with the Soaring Cloud Sect’s retinue!
Xiao Xiao knew this was not the time for argument, yet she was once again struck by the profound depths of this disciple’s calculating craftiness.
With such a devious and unscrupulous mentality, it would truly be a pity if he did not eventually descend into demonic ways!
As for the Soaring Cloud disciples, after departing the city, they had bid farewell to cultivators from the other three major sects.
Recalling the illusory vision of his son’s inner desires, witnessing the “Wei Jie” intimately embracing the “Cui Xiao Xiao,” Qin He gazed meaningfully at his son before slowly asking, “I wonder what transpired while we were separated? Did you perhaps encounter any… special individuals?”
Hearing his father’s query, Qin Lingxiao carefully recounted some experiences he could share, providing a succinct account.
However, regarding Cui Xiao Xiao, he naturally omitted and streamlined as much as possible.
After all, both he and Xiao Xiao had traveled back from two hundred years in the future – an act of profoundly disrupting the heavenly mechanics that even his father could not be informed about.
However, it seemed his father had questioned their accompanying subordinates, for he suddenly cut to the heart of the matter, asking pointedly, “What is your relationship with that Talisman Sect Master Cui Xiao Xiao?”
Qin Lingxiao lowered his gaze, pursing his lips before replying, “She is merely the head of a miscellaneous Talisman Sect. What relationship could your son possibly have with her? She did once steal something from me, so I wished to discipline her accordingly.”
Qin He studied his son with a meaningful look before stating calmly, “My son, your cultivation progress has been astonishingly rapid lately, filling your father with immense pride. You must understand, with your celestial gifts, you possess attainments countless cultivators could only dream of. Cherish this blessing and do not squander it by indulging in dalliances that would impede your cultivation. When you ultimately achieve great mastery, if you wish to take a spouse, it should be a virtuous lady from an esteemed lineage like your mother, not some unknown rustic girl!”
Hearing his father’s admonitions, Qin Lingxiao felt he was being overly concerned without cause.
Although he had once proposed taking Cui Xiao Xiao as his wife, it had merely been a desperate attempt to suppress his inner demonic tendencies, not a sincere intention.
Under normal circumstances, he was well aware that he could never take a woman like Cui Xiao Xiao as his spouse.
So his father’s words rang true. Yet for some inexplicable reason, they left him with an indescribable sense of discomfort.
Not wishing to dwell on this unsettling feeling, he simply defended the girl, “Although Cui Xiao Xiao does not hail from an illustrious cultivation lineage, she possesses extraordinary intelligence and profound spiritual insights. If she could accept tutelage from eminent masters, in my assessment, she would be no less accomplished than many renowned scions. My original intention was to convince her to join our Soaring Cloud Pavilion, bolstering our sect with such a spiritually gifted disciple…”
At this very moment, Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie, concealed by the invisibility talismans masking their auras, had been following alongside the Soaring Cloud retinue in secret.
Upon hearing Qin Lingxiao’s defense of her, Xiao Xiao was somewhat taken aback.
In her eyes, a peerless young prodigy like Qin Lingxiao, the paramount sword cultivator in the world, was akin to an inflated bullish bravado – arrogant and unyielding.
For such a rigidly principled person who rarely spoke, to now be so generously praising her intelligence and talents before his own father was truly unexpected. She had assumed Qin Lingxiao looked down upon her abilities, never imagining he would heap such accolades in her honor before his patriarchal elder.
Qin He also seemed surprised that his traditionally filial and obedient son would dare defy him over this Cui Xiao Xiao.
His expression darkened as he rebuked sternly, “Is our Soaring Cloud Pavilion some miscellaneous mountain hamlet that indiscriminately accepts any roaming bird or beast? Your recent conduct has become increasingly negligent and unrestrained! Return to the pavilion at once! As penance, you will transcribe the sect’s tenets and precepts a hundred times. Without my express permission, you are forbidden from leaving the premises!”
Finishing his reprimand, he began coughing fitfully, as if struggling to catch his breath.
Seeing his father’s anger and unhealed injuries, Qin Lingxiao could not help feeling concerned, wanting to support him. “That cannot be! If I depart, who will escort and protect you, Father?”
Having become a sect patriarch himself in the future two hundred years from now, Qin Lingxiao could not fully contain his commanding aura when addressing his father.
Infuriated by his traditionally obedient son’s defiance, Qin He coldly berated him, “Are you determined to vex me to death? Does Soaring Cloud Pavilion cease functioning without this fledgling disciple present? I have other matters to attend to and will not be returning immediately. You will promptly go back and face your mother!”
Seeing his father’s genuine fury, and unwilling to aggravate his injuries from unrestrained anger, Qin Lingxiao could only take his leave, departing swiftly with a few subordinates in tow.
However, Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie did not follow, remaining behind to discreetly tail Qin He instead.
After Qin Lingxiao’s departure, Qin He immediately altered course, doubling back towards Luoyi City before veering into a secluded forest grove. Instructing his attendants, he ordered, “Stand guard outside this grove. No one is permitted to enter without my express command.”
With those words, he rose from his carrying chair, using a cane to steady himself as he limped into the forest depths.
Initially, while still within view of his subordinate disciples, Qin He’s gait appeared frail and unsteady. But once out of their line of sight, his steps grew increasingly stable and brisk, his previously hunched posture straightening upright.
Observing this from their hidden vantage point, Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie felt a chill – it seemed Qin He’s infirmity had been entirely feigned!
Fearing discovery, they did not approach too closely, instead surveying from a high tree branch looking down upon Qin He.
After pinching his nose to emit a howling sound akin to a night owl’s cry, Qin He was joined by a shadowy figure emerging from the forest depths dressed in black robes.
Under the moonlight, Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie could discern this man’s distinctive albino hair, a conspicuous mole beside his lips – it was none other than that steward from Prince Can’s manor!
They watched as Qin He respectfully saluted the man, addressing him as “Senior Martial Brother” before speaking, “I hope you have been well?”
However, the white-haired senior brother showed no expression, sternly rebuking Qin He instead. “Ever since assuming the role of sect master at Soaring Cloud Pavilion, indulging in domestic contentment by taking a wife and siring children, you have neglected refining your skills! I had meticulously arranged that mirror formation, yet you only needed to guard the focal nexus. How could you allow some yellow-haired girl to breach and disrupt it? If the mirror formation had remained intact, the Four Great Sects could have been compartmentalized upon entry, allowing our lord to fully absorb their spiritual energies. Where would all these resulting troubles come from?”
The once dignified Sect Master Qin He, so commanding before his son, now hung his head unable to meet this steward’s reproach.
Grinding his teeth, he attempted to justify himself, “Even if the nexus had not been breached, our lord’s intention was still to allow that Wei Jie brat to emerge eventually. His persistent refusal to embrace demonic ways has already disrupted our lord’s original plans. If he had perished prematurely, it could have jeopardized the grand endeavor!”
Hearing this, Xiao Xiao and Wei Jie felt a simultaneous chill down their spines!
Wei Jie had not expected that indolent prince was actually scheming against him. But how had they deduced his potential to tread the demonic path?
As for Xiao Xiao, her shock was like towering tsunami waves crashing down!
As someone from two hundred years in the future, she was naturally aware of Wei Jie’s fated descent into demonic ways and the tribulation that awaited.
Yet why did this Qin He speak of it with such absolute certainty, expressing concern over Wei Jie failing to embrace demonhood? Could he have somehow foreseen this heavenly destiny in advance?
Or had Qin Lingxiao divulged the truth about their spiritual transcendence across time? Including the matter of Wei Jie’s future demonic transformation and slaughter of Soaring Cloud Pavilion?
No, based on her understanding of Qin Lingxiao, although he might engage in subtle maneuvers, he should not dare reveal such profoundly fateful secrets so carelessly.
If he had informed his father, would that not risk implicating his own flesh and blood in any resulting heavenly tribulation?
If Qin He’s foreknowledge did not stem from his son’s admission, how else could he be so cognizant of Wei Jie’s predestined demonic path?
His words made it seem as if he and this shadowy “Senior Martial Brother” were heavenly overseers, painstakingly striving to realign Wei Jie’s deviated trajectory back towards the inevitable embrace of demonhood…
At that moment, the conversation below continued.
The black-robed albino senior brother did not seem interested in further admonishing Qin He’s failure, curtly stating, “Wei Di is dead, so controlling the Four Great Sects through the voodoo worms is no longer feasible. Unfortunately, I have lost the crucial material components needed to produce my Mind Dominating Talismans. For now, they cannot be utilized. Aside from your Soaring Cloud Sect, our lord has yet to bring the other three major sects under his command, leaving an inevitable future vulnerability… Furthermore, that escaped femme fatale Si Ling must be recaptured. Earlier, when I left the city, I encountered her by chance and could have apprehended her then and there. But regrettably, she received clandestine assistance to bypass that tribulation… However, it seems she is searching for someone and has not fled far.”
As he spoke, the white-haired man handed Qin He a talisman. “This is a new talisman I have crafted. The femme fatale excels in bewitching men with her songs. If you encounter her, affix this to your chest area and it will shield you from her voice’s enchantment.”
As Qin He received the talisman, Xiao Xiao could clearly see that it was fashioned from the same type of parchment as the human skin talismans affixed around the bronze mirror in the illusory city.
She suddenly realized that if her guess was correct, then the mirror city illusion must have been this Qin He’s “Senior Martial Brother’s” handiwork!
It seemed he was also a skilled talisman master… Could he truly be the long-vanished grandmaster of the Ghost Sect, the sinister Wan Lianshi, as Wei Jie had speculated?
