“Sect Master.”
“Sect Master.”
The two Elders and disciples present greeted their master respectfully. They felt more settled now that he was there.
Chu Hongqing was indeed a rare figure in the Li Mountain Sect, one not seen in several centuries. He was also the only Connate True Core realm expert in the sect.
“Yi’er…” Chu Hongqing looked at the corpse lying in front of him with a livid expression. His whole body was trembling slightly.
“Sect Master,” whispered an austere man who came forward. “I have studied Elder Yi’s corpse. The fatal wound is that one that bore through his forehead! Even now, there are still remnants of Sword Qi left. The murderer must have controlled a sword-type Dharma treasure to penetrate Elder Yi’s forehead. I shuddered in fear when I tried to sense it in detail. The sword-type Dharma treasure that the murderer used must be very powerful!”
Chu Hongqing observed carefully with a livid expression.
Indeed, there was remnant Sword Qi in the corpse’s forehead! The Sword Qi was extremely sharp and terrifying. It made Chu Hongqing shudder.
“Such pure Sword Qi.” Chu Hongqing’s pupils constricted. “It’s a sword immortal! One much stronger than me.”
…
After interring Elder Yi’s corpse, Sect Master Chu Hongqing rushed back to the Chu family.
In a hall in the Chu household.
“Hongqing, I heard about what has happened. As sect master, you should be staying in the sect to preside over the situation, not coming to me.” Old Master Chu sat in the main seat. He showed signs of impatience.
“Father.” Chu Hongqing stood on his father’s side. Despite being a sect master and a Connate True Core realm cultivator, he remained extremely reverent towards his father! Others would marvel at how filial Chu Hongqing was being if they saw this scene!
“Father, Chu Chengyi’s death is naturally trivial to you,” said Chu Hongqing immediately. “However, I saw his corpse. The culprit is a sword immortal, one far stronger than me. It might be a peak Connate True Core realm sword immortal or maybe even a Connate Golden Core realm sword immortal. He is a sword immortal stronger than me. Since he is here in Li Mountain City, I naturally have to report it to you.”
“Sword immortal?” Old Master Chu unfurrowed his brows. “Have you investigated the person’s background?”
“We are still investigating,” answered Chu Hongqing. “Father, this person’s strength might surpass our entire Li Mountain Sect. How should we respond?”
“Take your time and investigate thoroughly. Find out this person’s origins,” said Old Master Chu leisurely. “Remember, do not provoke them. The sword immortal lineage… Be it Sword Tower, Yue Chapter, Numinous Treasure Mountain, or any other faction, it is not something our Li Mountain Sect can afford to offend.”
“We are just going to bear with it?” Chu Hongqing felt somewhat indignant.
He knew how terrifying his ‘father’ was.
Chu Hongqing wished to avenge Chu Chengyi’s death. But with the killer’s strength, he could not do so alone and had to rely on his father.
“Yes, bear with it.” Old Master Chu shot Chu Hongqing a cold glance. “Chu Chengyi’s death can only be blamed on himself. Remember what I once told you. Reduce major issues to minor ones. Do not cause trouble for me. If you do, I do not mind finding another adopted son!”
“I understand. I will lead the Li Mountain Sect well too. I will definitely reduce the major issues to minor ones. I will not invite trouble for you, Father,” replied Chu Hongqing obediently.
“That’s my good son.” Old Master Chu stood up with a smile. “Alright, I’ll continue my sleep. Go busy yourself.”
“Yes.” Chu Hongqing took his leave respectfully.
Old Master Chu looked at his son leave as he frowned and thought to himself, “The sword immortal that killed Chu Chengyi must have been doing a chivalrous act while passing by.”
He had not been discovered despite having entrenched himself in the Great Chang world for more than ten thousand years. One reason was that the Dharmic formulation that converged and concealed his aura was very powerful. Secondly, he made sure to stay in a small provincial city. Even if a Skyimmortal were to pass by, the Skyimmortal would have no reason to open a Heavenly Eye and observe all the mortals in town one by one. Third, he was extremely careful and tolerant. Therefore, he was never discovered while hiding among the countless mortals. Qin Yun had discovered him only because he was conducting a carpet search with his Eye of Lightning across the entire Li Mountain City in order to find Immortal Cloudgrace’s cave abode.
******
Inside the manor.
Qin Yun had a vertical eye opened in his glabella. There was lightning within it as it looked at the distant Chu household.
He had seen the conversation between Old Master Chu and Chu Hongqing in its entirety.
“Find another adopted son? This Chu Hongqing is his adopted son?” Qin Yun made some guesses. “In name, that Chu Chengyi was Li Mountain Sect’s Elder and a grandson of Old Master Chu! He was murdered and his corpse was thrown on the practice grounds of the Li Mountain Sect! He chose to tolerate such an act of provocation?”
“His strength makes me feel threatened! For such a terrifying existence to be able to tolerate this much… he must have an important goal.”
“What is he plotting?”
Qin Yun continued to watch from afar.
…
The next afternoon.
The Hu family came to Qin Yun’s residence.
“It’s really pretty.” The young fox demoness, her face filled with freckles again, looked at her surroundings. The garden was covered in flowers and the scenery was beautiful.
“Will we be staying here in the future?” Her elderly mother-in-law’s eyes lit up too.
Hu Si looked at his mother and wife and felt a little better. He whispered, “Mother, Hui’er, we don’t have to lead such hard lives anymore. Hui’er, you do not need to do laundry for so many people anymore either.”
“Yes.” The young fox demoness nodded.
“Brother Hu Si.” On the second floor of a building, Qin Yun looked down and called to them with a smile, “Have you got a general feel of this manor?”
“Yes, I have,” replied Hu Si immediately.
“The three of you will live in the front yard. Choose any rooms you want there,” instructed Qin Yun. “If there’s nothing urgent, do not disturb my silence in the backyard. Also, this is the money needed for food and any other expenses. Keep it for now.”
With that said, Qin Yun waved his hand and threw out a bag.
Hu Si caught it and felt his hand sink. When he opened it, he saw silver fragments in it. There was also a bill for a thousand taels of silver.
“This is too much.” Hu Si could not help but comment.
“Get me the best alcohol in town,” instructed Qin Yun. Although he enjoyed good food in the past, he no longer relished the flavor as much while traveling the world these past fifteen years. Instead, he began to enjoy good alcohol. The occasional tipsy feeling made him relax a little.
“Yes.”
Hu Si brought his elderly mother and wife to the front yard. They began settling in before preparing dinner.
…
“Young Master Meilun and Mr. Fu vanished the same night Elder Yi died. I heard from Young Master Meilun’s servant that it was because of a fox demoness. Back then, they had already discovered where she lived and were planning to capture her at night! The fox demoness had taken human form and married that cripple, Hu Si. She was living with the Hu family.”
“The Hu family has moved.”
“I’ve found them! The Hu family is currently living in the Sixwave Bridge district. They are the housekeepers of a mysterious person.”
“I’ve also done some investigations. None of the people around that region know who the mysterious person is. They don’t even know his name. He is not a local.”
…
Li Mountain City was a provincial city after all. With the Li Mountain Sect’s abilities, even its secret investigations quickly narrowed the list of suspects down to the mysterious man that was protecting the Hu family.
“Sect Master, what do we do now?”
The three Li Mountain Sect Elders looked at Sect Master Chu Hongqing.
Chu Hongqing held the report in his hand and said coldly, “He killed Yi’er and even arrogantly threw his corpse onto our Li Mountain Sect’s practice grounds! He clearly has sinister intentions and is definitely an enemy!”
“Yes.” The three Elders nodded as well.
“Unfortunately, he is stronger than me. The sect backing him must be even stronger. My Li Mountain Sect is a second-tier sect after all. We can’t offend him,” said Chu Hongqing gloomily. “Bear with it for the time being! Remember, do not provoke that mysterious man under any circumstances. For now, just secure the Li Mountain Sect. With the various array formations we have, we can even defend against a Connate Golden Core.”
“Yes.”
Although they felt humiliated, they did not dare disobey the sect master’s decision.
******
In what seemed like a blink of an eye, Qin Yun had spent three months in Li Mountain City. Old Master Chu continued keeping a low profile.
“Dao talismans lead to the entrance of cave abodes.” Qin Yun sat in a pavilion and was looking at a Dao talisman diagram drawn on a piece of canvass. As it was drawn with ordinary brushes and ink, it only had a little Heaven and Earth spiritual energies contained within. Looking at the Dao talisman diagram, Qin Yun felt somewhat vexed. “I have to master this Dao talisman and find the entrance the cave abode before I have any chance of entering.”
“Although I haven’t studied Dao talismans much, this is a Connate Golden Core level Dao talisman. I can master it in a day.”
“But where is the entrance to the cave abode?”
“I’ve been here in the Li Mountain City for more than three months. Still, I have yet to discover the conspiracy behind Old Master Chu. Nor have I found Immortal Cloudgrace’s cave abode.” Qin Yun shook his head.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps from the stairwell.
“Master.” A voice came from outside. “Lunch is ready.”
“Come on in,” instructed Qin Yun. “Place it on that desk.”
Hu Si carried a wooden table set in with one hand and placed it to Qin Yun’s side. He placed the dishes, cutlery, and a flask of good alcohol there. He even said with a smile, “Master, this alcohol is a hundred-year-old vintage alcohol of Li Mountain. I just found it. A flask costs five taels of silver.”
“Alright.” Qin Yun nodded.
Qin Yun was not in a very good mood after reflecting on how empty-handed he was after three months.
While Hu Si was arranging the cutlery, he happened to catch a glimpse of the Dao talisman drawn on the canvass in front of Qin Yun. He was once a cultivator that had knocked open the gate of immortality. He could not help but be taken aback when he saw it.
“What? Do you know something about this?” Qin Yun could not help but ask when he noticed that Hu Si was still around.
“It’s nothing.”
Hu Si shook his head and began to walk out. As he was leaving, he recalled something.
“That’s right. It’s that Dao talisman.” Hu Si stopped and turned back to look at Qin Yun and said immediately, “Master, I do have something to report to you.”
“What is it?” Qin Yun looked at him.
“I once saw a Dao talisman appear in midair. It was that Dao talisman.” Hu Si pointed at Qin Yun’s drawing.
“A Dao talisman that appeared naturally in midair?” Qin Yun’s eyes lit up. “Where did you see it?”
Hu Si said immediately, “When I delivered timber to the Chu family, I was often in their woodshed. It was a bright, sunny day and the sunlight passed through the crevices in the woodshed… illuminating a Dao talisman. It had a beautiful outline. Back then, I watched it in a daze. It only appeared for a few seconds before it vanished. I only saw it once.”
“Did you tell this to anyone?” asked Qin Yun immediately.
“A Dao talisman that appeared in midair was clearly something extraordinary. I have long lost my allegiance to the Li Mountain Sect so I did not tell anyone,” said Hu Si.
Qin Yun nodded as he turned excited. “Dao talismans lead to the entrance of cave abodes. Could the entrance to Immortal Cloudgrace’s cave abode be in the Chu family’s woodshed?”
He had spent three years looking for Immortal Cloudgrace’s cave abode.
He never expected that Hu Si would hold the key!
Speaking of which, he had only helped Hu Si because he was unwilling to see a hero shed blood and tears. He had wanted to interact with him more before deciding how he could help him.
Who knew that Hu Si would end up helping him even more!
Was this a result of karma?