Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Banquet

Upon inquiry, it was learned that the newly appointed head of the Li family had also heard this name from the deceased old head of the family, but he genuinely seemed to know nothing about it.

"Could this be related to Xiao Aju's background?" Ruan Linglai wondered. "But how could Xiao Aju be related to the Li family? Wasn't he found by Master in Quanzhang?"

The Li family's home is actually closer to Liuchun than Quanzhou or Zhangzhou.

Besides, Aju was just a child at that time. He had talent but no magic, so it was impossible for him to travel such a long distance alone.

He had always lived in the slums around Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, so he certainly didn't seem to have any connection with the Li family.

“It’s not necessarily related,” Wen Tianyu said. “After all, Patriarch Li only said that he had heard about it, and he doesn’t know what the relationship was between Xiao Aju’s parents and the former patriarch.”

When Jie heard about this, he said, "Don't overthink it. It's normal for immortal sects and families to interact with each other. Aju was probably the child of some rogue cultivator, so we don't know his family background, but he was able to communicate with people from immortal sects."

“Yes,” Wen Tianyu said, “What Senior Brother said makes a lot of sense, and I agree with it.”

Ruan Linglai hummed in agreement and said, "But the fact that he suddenly brought this up makes it hard not to overthink it."

Ah Ju is rather carefree: "Actually, I don't care. Whether I know it or not doesn't matter. You don't need to worry about it."

Yan Shiqun said, "We can't get anything out of discussing this here. Let's call it a day and go back to tell Master about it."

With everyone agreeing, they continued to perform their duties and cleaned up the things that the Li family had stolen. After all, to establish themselves in the cultivation world, they still had to abide by the rules on the surface. So, although Qingjue let Jie Zhoujian and the others make some threats, he didn't actually let them do anything.

The Li family has no overt crimes. The only one who had internal conflicts with them, Li Wei, had long been expelled from the Li family. It is indeed illogical to assign the death penalty to them.

They inventoried everything, including items from the Dead Sea seabed, and returned most of them to their original owners within a few days. However, a small portion of the items could not be found to their owners.

This small portion will be kept by the Yun and Qing families for now, and to avoid attracting covetous eyes, this information is known to very few people.

"You don't intend to kill Li Wei?" Yun Yue asked Qing Jue over tea at night, "Do you really want to spare his life?"

“He’s quite capable, though he can’t fool my eyes,” Qingjue said, shaking his teacup. “But he killed the former head of the Li family, so he can be considered to have redeemed himself. He’s not actually very aggressive, and Tianyu can tell that with a single probe.”

“Even if he killed one of the culprits before, it was out of revenge, not for justice,” Yun Yuelin reminded him. “And he did participate in this operation. Even if his crime is less serious than Jie Nanfeng’s, it’s not necessarily much cleaner.”

“I didn’t say I wanted to whitewash him, I just felt that he was more useful than Jie Nanfeng, and it would be a pity not to keep him,” Qingjue smiled calmly. “He has already avenged his great grudge, and killing him like this may not be beneficial to the subsequent situation.”

Qingjue cannot ignore the original plot, and since he doesn't know what will happen next, he must keep this kind of character who clearly has a past.

"What happened next?" Yun Yuelin wasn't a foolish martial artist; she instantly sensed the hidden meaning in his words and asked, "What else do you know? Do they have a backup plan?"

“That’s what I was worried about,” Qingjue shook his head, “Their plan was indeed ruined, but…”

How can we reconcile the events that were supposed to happen?

In the original storyline, without their intervention, Xie Nanfeng and his group would have definitely succeeded.

After they succeed, they certainly won't stop there, and the cultivation world will inevitably be in turmoil.

...Could it be that Xie Zhoujian, as the male lead, will make a move?

Or will Yan Shiqun get a highlight later on? After all, he can deal with Gu worms with ease.

Or what will happen to Wen Tianyu after he escaped? And how did Ruan Linglai and Aju, who were hiding in the crowd, join the main characters' group?

Things will still happen; it's just a matter of how things will unfold after the villain's initial signs are nipped in the bud.

Jie Nanfeng is too dangerous and has committed many evils; he must die. Li Wei, on the other hand, must be kept alive. He poses no threat, and if he dies, all the clues will be cut off.

One of them must be kept.

He couldn't possibly tell Yun Yuelin all of this long period of thought; as a transmigrator, he was becoming more and more integrated into this world.

Qingjue himself does not reject it; in fact, it seems that this world is more important to him at the moment.

But he was always a time traveler.

Yun Yuelin didn't press further, only saying, "I won't ask too much about your thoughts. Just know what you're doing. Anyway, if something goes wrong, you'll have to take responsibility yourself."

“Mmm,” Qingjue said, “Whenever something happens, I’m always the first one to step in.”

"..." Yun Yuelin did not deny this, and angrily took a sip of tea: "Hey, where did your disciples go again?"

"I sent them to help the people down the mountain. Qinghuan has been keeping an eye on them these past two days, so let him rest."

"You're quite the smooth operator, aren't you?"

"Hahaha..." Qingjue laughed twice, then stopped abruptly and said, "By the way, let me ask you something... Have you ever heard of a name related to Aju? A nickname with a similar pronunciation is fine too."

"...Your disciple?" Yun Yuelin thought for a moment and said, "No, I've never heard of him."

"Okay, they were before..."

Qingjue recounted what had happened to the Li family. Yun Yuelin, with a serious expression, said, "It's very likely some kind of trick they've played. Didn't he have contact with Li Wei before? Who knows if it's some kind of divisive tactic?"

After all, it was quite a surprise to suddenly be told that his apprentice had some connection with the Li family.

“…Now that you mention it, I suddenly remembered,” Qingjue said. “When I found Aju, he knew that his name was Aju and said that was what everyone called him.”

It was ten years ago, and Qingjue couldn't remember it very well, but he still remembered the origin of the name.

Apart from giving Xie Zhoujian a new courtesy name, he did not change the names of the others who had become his disciples.

Qingjue values ​​names highly, which is why he never changed Jie Zhoujian's surname.

His name was fundamental to him; it was something he couldn't easily discard.

The true meaning of a name is given later; a person's actions will give the name a completely new meaning.

“This is a bit strange,” Yun Yuelin said. “Leaving aside why the Li family head suddenly brought this up, it’s also a bit illogical for someone to be known by a nickname that’s similar to a childhood name.”

When Wen Tianyu reappeared in the world, he also had a token to prove his identity, which was engraved with his name.

Even if Aju has something similar, it should be the full name.

Qingjue had considered this possibility: "Do you think it's possible that his surname is A and his given name is Ju..."

Yun Yuelin raised an eyebrow and said, "If you really think it's that simple, why are you asking me?"

Indeed, Qingjue dismissed the idea almost instantly.

As a surname, it doesn't sound like the word "ah".

Even when I was a child, the pronunciation of "e" and "ah" is still very different.

Qingjue: "Anyway, could you also ask around in Liuchun for me? I investigated Quanzhang before, and there was nothing unusual. Everyone says that Aju was an abandoned baby who was found in swaddling clothes."

"OK."

One day, the people of Liuchun held a victory celebration banquet for them. The banquet was ten meters long and the dishes on it could be described as a Manchu Han Imperial Feast. This was the first time in Qingjue's life that he had seen such a grand event.

That makes sense; if they hadn't stopped it in time, at least half of the people would have perished.

The people of Liuchun presented them with flowers. Yun Yuelin and Yan Shiqun were not used to such occasions. The latter found a quiet place, but the former, as the young master of the Yun family, could not avoid it.

Qingjue teased him, saying that his expression was even funnier than when he was arguing with someone and got the short end of the stick.

He was glared at fiercely by Yun Yuelin.

Everyone else seemed to be having a great time, including Jie Zhoujian. He seemed to be in a better mood these past few days. It's true that you can't keep your worries bottled up; it's much more liberating to talk them out.

He was adorned with a flower wreath by a child. Qingjue shook his folding fan and felt that the flowers on it suited him quite well, even though real flowers tend to wither easily.

The people also specially arranged various programs in the evening, such as iron flower making, folk acrobatics, and opera performances. The stage was bustling with activity until long into the night.

Qingjue once thought that his old friends had few pastimes, but now he realizes that he himself doesn't know how to enjoy them.

"Immortal Lord, may I speak with you in private?" The Yun family head suddenly called out Qingjue, leading him to the other side of the noise and taking out a box: "In the previous emergency, I broke Miss Ruan's silk thread. She said she didn't blame me, but it was a gift from you, and she has always felt a little regretful about it."

The box was opened, and inside lay quietly fine silver threads, each with excellent color and resilience.

"Although this is not as good as the silkworm moth thread you found on your trip, it is still a top-quality item in the cultivation world. Please pass it on to Miss Ruan for me. I didn't want to disturb the children who were having so much fun."

"This is too much," Qingjue said politely, "Patriarch Yun, you are too kind."

"Sigh, we must accept it. The Immortal Lord and the others have saved our Yun family's lives. This small gift is nothing to mention."

"Then I will not refuse. I will hand it over to my beloved disciple after the banquet."

The head of the Yun family was a respectable person, so he always remembered this matter. These days, while busy with the funeral arrangements, he did not forget to compensate the younger generation with magical artifacts.

Suddenly, Qingjue had a whim regarding the superior wooden box under his command.

"Patriarch Yun, are there any other programs coming up?"

The head of the Yun family had overseen the performances organized by the people: "This song should be over after it's finished. Is the Immortal Lord tired? Don't stand on ceremony. If you want to rest, just have Lin'er's personal disciples take you back to your room."

“Not so,” Qingjue said, closing the door to Wanlifeng. “I haven’t used a sword in a long time, and I don’t know if my movements are rusty. Today, the time is right, the place is right, and the people are right. Why don’t we take advantage of the stage and the music to perform a dance for you all?”