22.The Truth of the Past
A living person vanished right before her eyes, and that living person was her own father.
Miss Gong was a bit stunned. Gong Muzhi was also speechless. Only Yan Chuyue stroked her chin and muttered, “Hmm… a forced recall order. To think Uncle Qin had such a thing on him.”
A forced recall order?
Gong Yiling immediately recalled something about it.
It wasn’t a rare item. It was a special type of talisman, a one-time use item that could forcibly teleport someone from afar to the user’s location.
Usually, these talismans were used to recall disciples in times of crisis, and only those with higher cultivation could use them on those with lower cultivation.
Of course, due to the difficulty of creating them and the complex materials required, only the higher-ups of major factions possessed them. And they were only used on top-tier elites. Cultivators at or below the Earthly Nether realm weren’t even worthy of being forcefully summoned.
“The Returning Heaven Sect?” Gong Yiling immediately guessed who had taken her father.
Besides the Returning Heaven Sect, no other faction had the qualifications or reason to use such a talisman on him.
Recalling what the elders had said before leaving—”Their actions were so swift.”
Her father must have been recalled because he had urgently reported something to the Returning Heaven Sect.
“The leaders of the Hundred Paths Mountain have a special way of communicating. I call it a mobile phone—ah, no.”
Realizing she had said something that people in this world wouldn’t understand, Yan Chuyue quickly coughed and said, “It’s a thousand-mile speaking tube. As long as the user’s cultivation is high enough, they can transmit messages between two tubes. It’s a convenient tool developed by the Hanhai Daoist Mountain.”
Hanhai Sect… also one of the top five of the Hundred Paths Mountain, a sect specializing in black technology.
It was said that the founder of this sect, from the Qiu family, had some connection to an ancient powerful being, so they had received some help and possessed some unique ancient texts.
Ah, no, forget about the Hanhai Sect. They had to deal with the current situation.
Especially Gong Muzhi’s puppet. Although she hadn’t done much since, the puppet’s collapse was an irreversible process. Once it used a force beyond its limit, it would inevitably crumble.
Now, parts of Gong Muzhi’s puppet had already turned back into tree branches, and large patches of its skin were peeling off. It would probably dissipate completely soon.
“Mom, what are you going to do?”
“Naturally, I’ll wait for you outside.” Gong Muzhi said without hesitation, but her gaze lingered for a moment on the spot where he had been.
Gong Yiling saw this and didn’t expose her thoughts.
Some things, if buried deep in the heart for long enough, would eventually fade away.
But if the person associated with that matter suddenly appeared, the memories and emotions would come flooding back, their impact even stronger with time.
So, her mother, despite her denials, still longed for…
“However…” Gong Muzhi quickly averted her gaze and frowned. “Since they already know a demonic disciple has infiltrated, they will surely lock down the entire academy. Do you need me to break down the gate for you, Ling’er?”
Break down the gate… that was a bit too much.
“About that,”
Yan Chuyue suddenly patted Miss Gong’s shoulder with a serious expression. “I actually know a hidden passage in Qian Yue Academy. I was planning to show it to you when we were figuring out how to get Qiu Shui’s mother out, as a surprise…”
Of course.
This passage was probably something even the current academy leaders didn’t know about.
—Because they weren’t the author.
—
—
Meanwhile, a hundred miles away.
Qin Huaiqiu looked at the white-bearded old man before him, his expression a mixture of complexity, anger, shock, apology, and seriousness. His gaze was sharp, as if wanting to pierce through this towering mountain.
“What is the meaning of this?” Qin Huaiqiu said coldly. “Is the sect in trouble?”
The old man was silent for a long time, then finally sighed. “I thought after more than a decade, you would be more mature, more composed, knowing what to do and what not to do.”
“For that woman, your master was forced to live in seclusion in Qian Yue Academy, never to leave. You were injured, your sword heart damaged, unable to reach the final three realms of Sword Intent for the rest of your life. The sect went to great lengths to fake your death to appease them.”
“But you…”
“Grand Elder, I only want to know one thing.” Qin Huaiqiu interrupted him. “You said my daughter died before she was born. Why is she still alive? And what did Zhi’er mean by the humiliation she suffered?”
The Grand Elder’s face darkened.
He had lied before, and now that Qin Huaiqiu had found out, he couldn’t hide it any longer.
“Perhaps it’s fate. So be it.” The old man stroked his beard and smiled helplessly. “Your child did not die. After Gong Muzhi gave birth to her, heavily injured, the baby girl was abandoned and was luckily found and raised by someone from Tianli Daoist Mountain.”
“That girl is your child, after all, a natural talent for cultivation. The people in the sect thought they had found a treasure and poured all their resources into raising her.”
“Who would have thought that her demonic bloodline would eventually awaken? Tianli Daoist Mountain, upon learning she was Gong Muzhi’s daughter, crippled her cultivation, severed her meridians, and tossed her into the back mountain.”
“To prevent Gong Muzhi from finding out, they only announced that a demonic spy had been executed. If it weren’t for a series of events that led her to the gates of the Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace, your child would have truly died four years ago.”
Hearing this, Qin Huaiqiu was shocked, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Their daughter… had suffered so much.
And he, her father, was only a hundred miles away from Tianli Daoist Mountain at the time, but he had…
Damn it!
But amidst his self-blame, he noticed something strange. “Grand Elder, how do you know all this in such detail?”
“Hmph.” The Grand Elder sneered. “Who do you think sealed that girl’s bloodline power? Who do you think saved her after she fell off the cliff? Who do you think brought her to the gates of the Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace? Was it easy for me, this old man, to do all this for you, you foolish boy? And you dare to question me?”
