Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Breakthrough
This statement surprised both Qingjue and Muyuan.
Children's eyes are so pure, and their minds are as clear as a mirror.
Mu Yuan smiled sheepishly: "What's so good about it? I have a lot of stones on my body and many scars on my face."
Ruan Linglai shook her head and said, "I think it looks great, and your eyes are so big and bright."
The others followed closely behind and came in. Aju's legs moved incredibly fast as she ran over and said, "Master, don't listen to her nonsense. We didn't bully anyone... Wow, this girl is so cool!"
Aju's attention was instantly drawn: "Sister, are you a fairy? Are you a really, really powerful one?"
Several children came over one after another, none of them afraid of her at all, and they even completely forgot about Qingjue's existence, barragering questions at her bedside.
Ruan Linglai: "Really? Then I can teach my sister to speak!"
Aju: "Master said I'm the best at talking, let me teach you~"
Wen Tianyu: "A guardian spirit that can stimulate the growth of plants and trees? That's amazing."
Yan Shiqun noticed something was amiss, glanced at Qingjue and then at Jiezhoujian, but said nothing.
Qingjue shook his head, lamenting that his charm had been stolen away. He patted Jie Zhoujian's head and said, "Don't disturb their rest. Quickly take your junior sister and brother away. Xiao Yanzi, come here."
Jie Zhoujian nodded, grabbed one of them with each hand, and another followed behind, saying, "Master said not to disturb your sister's rest. If you have any questions, come back in a couple of days."
Qingjue took Yan Shiqun away alone. Yan Shiqun wasn't stupid and got straight to the point: "That fairy girl must be related to the earthquake, right?"
"So, the Demon Lord isn't an idiot after all?"
"Hey! I'm asking you seriously!"
"Haha, just kidding," Qingjue stroked his hair and said, "Indeed, I knew you could probably tell, so I asked you alone."
"What?"
Did you have any dealings with the Xie family fifty years ago?
"...Solve...solve the daytime solution?"
Qingjue nodded.
Yan Shiqun was speechless for a moment, then paced back and forth a few times before saying, "Even if there were any, my memory is incomplete now, and I can't remember clearly. However, I wasn't the Demon Lord back then, and I was attacked by your righteous path not long after I took office. Even if we really fought, it was probably something that happened to the former Demon Lord."
"The former Demon Lord was yours...?"
"It's my dad, what's wrong?"
"Oh, it's okay, you can continue."
"I didn't get along with him back then either. Although I've been cultivating demonic arts since I was a child, I can't stand the petty mind of a person. I have no respect for such tricks."
"Later, after succeeding to the position of Demon Lord and establishing some new rules, he was killed by you unreasonable people."
"I admit that the demonic cultivators of my father's generation did indeed take shortcuts in their cultivation, which is something I dislike. The mess you righteous cultivators are making has nothing to do with us, so don't just throw the label of 'heinous' at us."
"..."
Qingjue felt a little embarrassed when he heard this. Although it had nothing to do with him, he still felt like he had been scolded.
He couldn't help but think of Jie Zhoujian.
What kind of mindset did such a young child have to say those things inside the cave?
Has he truly accepted his sins? But these sins were never his to begin with, and most people would try to excuse themselves.
If I hadn't taken him away back then, would he still have such righteous thoughts now?
Although they had only known each other for a year, they developed a deep bond as master and disciple, a fact that Qingjue himself experienced, regardless of the plot.
I really can't figure out what that child is thinking.
The wild goose, separated from its flock: "Are you listening to me?"
Qingjue: "Sorry, I was just spacing out. You said you had only been in office for a short time when we attacked you. And then what?"
"In short, if you want to investigate things from decades ago, it won't work just because I gave a speech," Yan Shiqun sighed. "Going into Qianlun Mountain and back to the Demon Lord's Palace might allow you to find some documents about that time—I'm not trying to help you! I'm just going back anyway, so I thought I'd do it on the way."
Qingjue silently translated his final attempt to make amends.
Doesn't that mean they want to help us?
I understand, I understand.
"Hey, what kind of look is that?"
"It's nothing, thank you Xiaoyanzi. I'll think about it carefully and try to find another way before you go back."
Yan Shiqun trembled under his gaze, rubbed his arms, and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"Go ahead, go ahead. Oh, and don't keep arguing with your senior brothers and sisters."
"...What kind of tone is that? Don't treat me like a child!"
Hahahaha.
After that, the children obediently went to eat, and Qingjue returned to the room and talked to Muyuan alone about Jiezhou's affairs.
"To be honest, I do have some... thoughts about that kid."
Mu Yuan painstakingly pieced together the words, but fortunately Qing Jue had a good understanding and was able to connect them together.
"I understand. As he said, he can't defend himself because he does have the blood of that evil man in his veins."
"He's a good kid. I can't bring myself to like him, and I won't hate him either."
"I know, after all, I was his teacher for a year."
"So what...is that you trying to say?"
"Actually, there is something I need to apologize for."
"?"
"When I came out of the cave and saw those murals, I almost made up my mind that this was a story about a scumbag who deceived an innocent girl. I even thought to myself how boring the story was."
"I didn't expect the mural to be upside down."
"And after entering your memories, until halfway through, I was still doubting the plot twist. Could it be that Qing Jiujie was a very well-hidden villain? I've read too many... storybooks, these stories are really familiar to me."
"The story always ends with one person dying for the other, or a tug-of-war between two people's feelings, loving and hating each other."
"But after reading part of your memories, I feel that you are both people who care about the world. Qing Jiujie did more than just avenge you. If he really thought your life was more important than anything else, he would have chosen to take you away. But he didn't. He chose to go back and face his hatred."
“You didn’t sacrifice yourself for Qing Jiujie. You had a place you wanted to protect, and a purpose in your life. In the end, you fulfilled it.”
"I trusted my 'experience' too much. Thinking about it carefully, your choices were all reasonable. I couldn't even understand such simple logic. You simply loved each other tacitly. In the end, neither of you let the other down. Your feelings were very pure."
Upon hearing this, Mu Yuan wanted to thank Qing Jue again.
But Qingjue continued, "It's not just the earthquake that made me feel the reality of this world; I want to thank you for that, but I also want to apologize for my speculation."
Mu Yuan: "Immortal Lord, you are too polite... A gentleman judges by his actions, not his intentions. What is in your heart... you don't need to tell me."
“Oh dear,” Qingjue’s tone suddenly relaxed: “I’m so uncomfortable keeping it to myself! I guessed the plot wrong, it’s really frustrating.”
Mu Yuan tried to force a smile, but it looked worse than crying: "Immortal Lord, you are a man of strong emotions."
Qingjue didn't care about this at all, and just waved his hand: "Not at all, in some ways, I think I'm not as straightforward as my little apprentice."
When Jie Zhoujian openly admitted that he was a member of the Jie family, it really startled him.
Indeed influenced by him, Qingjue felt that he should also be more honest.
So it seems he did learn some things from his apprentice.
"You feel much better after talking about it. I won't disturb your rest any longer. Qingfeng will come over regularly to help you recover. You can leave here once you've recovered enough."
"Yes, I will cultivate myself... and help... atone for my sins at the same time."
"Alright, in that case, I can give the people of Quanzhou and Zhangzhou an explanation. As for what exactly happened in Qingjiujie back then, it was decades ago, so it's not easy to investigate. I'll let you know if I have any news."
"Thank you, Immortal Lord."
Qingjue got up and left.
As expected, there was a person standing at the doorway.
Qingjue laughed: "Why are you so clingy to me?"
Jie Zhoujian: "..."
"Don't worry, this time I won't leave without saying goodbye," Qingjue reached out and patted his head, saying, "Is there anything you want to tell Miss Muyuan?"
He remained silent for a moment during the day, then shook his head.
“Alright, since we can’t say it out loud, let’s prove it with our actions,” Qingjue said, putting his hands behind his back. “We need to go back to the Xie family.”
Jie Zhoujian was taken aback and quickly looked up at him.
"Go and see if there are any missing clues. Just do me a favor and investigate the whole process of the Qingjiujie incident back then."
Jie Zhoujian nodded without hesitation: "Okay, I'll go with Master."
“Sure,” Qingjue readily agreed this time, adding, “You can bring your junior sisters and brothers along. Would you like them to come to your home and get to know you?”
"I'm willing to tell them sooner rather than later, rather than hiding it until it's discovered years later."
“Good boy, you’re very conscientious. Go back quickly and tell them we’re leaving the day after tomorrow.”
"Um!"
Qingjue let out a long sigh, watching Jie Zhoujian's small figure disappear from sight, but he really couldn't feel gratified for him.
Returning home this time means he will once again have to confront the evil deeds of his family.
The actions of the Xie family were extremely cruel to any commoner or immortal, and especially to Xie Zhoujian.
That's why he had to investigate the truth of what happened back then. Qingjue didn't even consider whether it was related to the main plot or whether it would bring him back to the real world.
He simply wanted to know an answer, to know what happened back then for his apprentice, for the people, and for the girl Muyuan.
As for why we're departing the day after tomorrow?
Because tomorrow he needs to ask the elders of the Qing family first.
How could they be completely unaware of the old patriarch's death? Why have Qingjue and the other Qing family disciples only heard about it over the years, without knowing the specifics? They must be hiding something.
"Qinghuan".
"Immortal Lord, behold."
"Go and put something in the elders' tea."
"Ring... Ah?" Qinghuan looked up in horror: "Me?"
Qingjue laughed loudly again: "What's there to be nervous about? Just relax."
Qinghuan's hands trembled slightly as she picked up the things.
But the immortal lord must have his reasons for doing this!
In the middle of the night, Qingjue stood on the roof of Elder Zhenling's house.
Concealing his presence, he stepped into the house.
He hadn't done much petty theft before, but for some reason he was quite skilled at it.
The elder's room was simply furnished, and Qingjue quickly explored it using his spiritual power.
The other rooms were indeed spotless, with no clues whatsoever.
There wasn't even a trace of information about the former head of the family.
The cleaner it is, the stranger it seems.
Qingjue did not believe that Qing Jiujie left no trace after his death.
Early the next morning.
"You brat, when did you find the time to have tea with this old man?"
"Elder, what are you saying? I've always respected the elderly and cared for the young."
Qingjue poured water into his teacup and asked, "How did you sleep last night?"
Elder Zhenling sat down with a flick of his sleeve and picked up a cup of tea.
"Very well, do you think I don't know you? Just say what's on your mind."
"Hey, you see through it but don't say it out loud," Qing Jue didn't intend to beat around the bush for long, he still had things to do today. "I just want to ask about the former head of the Qing family, Qing Jiujie. Do you know exactly how he died?"
"..." The teacup was set down with a soft sound.
“Qing Jiujie,” Elder Zhenling stroked his beard and said, “He is a good patriarch, but he is just too obsessed with some things.”
"Oh? Tell me more."
"You brat, instead of staying in your yard taking care of the kids, you come here to ask me this question?"
"To be honest, it was indeed a junior who went to inquire about the source of the earthquake a couple of days ago and saw some traces of the former patriarch's activities, so I became very curious about this matter," Qingjue only told half the truth: "Everyone has a gossipy heart."
In Wu Qingxianjun's memory, the former patriarch suddenly died. At that time, he had already become the strongest in the Qing family, so he was put on the position of patriarch before he could prepare.
"I was in such a hurry to take over that I didn't ask what really happened. I only heard that Senior Jiujie sacrificed himself to protect the entire Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, and was killed by the Xie family. So, is that really true?"
Qingzhenling picked up her teacup again and blew away the steam rising from it: "That's true."
"Isn't there any more detail? Elder, please tell me, I really want to know."
"You little rascal, you're getting more and more cunning. Do you really think I don't know what you sent Qinghuan to do?"
"Hehe, please don't be offended, I'm just curious."
“Hehe,” Qingzhenling chuckled and said, “I don’t know much either, since no one has witnessed it firsthand. I can only tell you what I know—but I must remind you, Qingjue, sometimes it’s best not to be too curious.”
Elder Zhenling, who has lived for hundreds of years, has been teaching the disciples of the Qing family. His cultural literacy is impeccable, and his narrative logic is quite good.
He recounted in great detail how Qing Jiujie became the head of the family and how he governed the Qing family.
Qingjue was told everything about Qing Jiujie, including what kind of person he was, what martial arts techniques he was good at, and what his habits were.
However, such details are unnecessary. Qing Jue was also a disciple of the Qing family, and Qing Jiujie had taught her a lot. Elder Zhenling's words made it sound as if he didn't know Qing Jiujie at all.
But Qingjue didn't interrupt him, assuming the old man was just getting into the storytelling.
Elder Zhenling continued recounting how Qing Jiujie fell in love with an unnamed girl, which brought him some vibrant life, and then the Xie family started causing trouble in various ways.
It wasn't until after they went out that the younger generation who had traveled with them said that an entire mountain had been burned down, and many people inside were injured; it looked particularly horrific.
Since then, Qing Jiujie seemed unchanged, but he had changed. He began to cultivate himself desperately, improve his strength, and showed no leniency towards the Xie family, hating evil as if it were his enemy.
After several attempts to intimidate him, Qingjue was born and groomed as his successor, while Qingjiu went into seclusion.
No wonder Immortal Lord Wu Qing didn't have much of an impression of him; so that's why.
After many years of seclusion, Qing Jiujie emerged from seclusion. The first thing he did was to eradicate the malignant tumor in Quanzhang, and then he led people to pacify the entire cultivation world.
At that time, the Qing family already had a high status, but it was this that truly made them the number one aristocratic family.
Only the strong can set the rules, and Qing Jiujie was undoubtedly the pioneer.
After him, the peace of the entire cultivation world was finally established.
Qing Jiujie's last act before his death was to challenge the head of the Xie family, Jieyou, to a duel.
The Xie family is proficient in all kinds of trickery and specializes in underhanded tactics. Many people have thought about revenge before, but the Xie family, led by the head of the Xie family, is too ruthless and has excellent methods. Unless the attackers have absolute strength to crush them, it is already the best outcome for them to leave empty-handed.
The influence Qing Jiujie held for several years after leaving the seclusion did not make them repent in the slightest. Jieyou quickly returned to Quanzhang with his men, and this time they used cruel methods to force Qing Jiujie to hand over the Yuanmuyuan Divine Wood.
Elder Zhenling: "No one has ever seen that divine tree. It is only said that the divine tree has a magical ability to disrupt the release of all spiritual energy in the surrounding area."
Just listening to this ability alone made it a rare treasure in the cultivation world at that time.
Whoever possesses the Yuanmu Divine Wood, can they possibly have an opponent wherever they go?
Qingjue understood: "I see... that's what they're after..."
Otherwise, given the cunning of the Jie family, they would not have openly provoked the rising star, Qing Jiujie.
It turns out it was to obtain the power of the Wood Edge.
So why did they burn down the sacred tree in the first place? Currently, the only one with this ability is the fairy Muyuan, who has transformed from the sacred tree.
After Qing Jiujie faced Jieyou alone, no one knew what happened; all that was known was that they perished together.
Qingjue never expected that he would have to solve a mystery in this plot, but now that things had come to this, he had no way to refuse...
What puzzled him now was why Elder Zhenling had to go into such detail about the matter.
“I already know a lot of what you’ve said,” Qingjue said tentatively. “Actually, you can just get to the point. I just want to know the cause of the former patriarch’s death.”
Qingzhenling took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, and said calmly, "Do you really think I can't tell that you're not the former Immortal Lord Wuqing?"
Qingjue paused.
"It's alright. I'm not an unreasonable person. Your contributions to the cultivation world over the past few years are obvious to all. Whether it's possession, offering up a body, transformation, or anything else, I don't care much. You are even stronger than the previous Immortal Lord Wu Qing. I only want the entire Qing family and the entire Quanzhang to be safe and sound."
...He doesn't care about Wu Qingxianjun's life or death? How did he figure that out? Although Qingjue did not deliberately hide the differences in their personalities, could an ordinary person perceive that?
Both their spiritual essence and physical body should be exactly the same.
When Qingjue was forced to travel through time, he initially searched for many clues about the original Wuqing Immortal Lord, but to no avail and gradually gave up. However, in Qingzhenling's mouth, the disappearance of a person was so casually mentioned...?
Does Qingzhenling have absolutely no feelings for the original Wuqing Immortal Lord...?
Aren't they from the same school?
"From now on, just ask whatever you want without beating around the bush. Your personality is too smooth, which can sometimes make you take the wrong path."
"...This junior has learned a lot and thanks Elder Zhenling."
Qingjue turned around, her brows furrowed tightly. Her identity had been so casually exposed, and the person's attitude was so...
After he left the courtyard, he looked back and saw Elder Zhenling still sitting there quietly sipping tea.
...Everyone in this story was different from what he had initially imagined.
Was he overconfident in his speculations about these personas?
Qingjue suddenly felt immense pressure.
...Let's find Chunhua and have a fight another day.
Hundreds of kilometers away in Liuchun, the Yun family stood atop Cangshan Mountain. The mountaintop was almost invisible to the naked eye; only a sliver of white could be seen.
This place is covered in snow all year round. For ordinary people, it is an extremely cold hell, but for cultivators, it is a good place to cultivate in peace and where spiritual energy is abundant.
As the young sect leader, Yun Yuelin is already learning how to handle Liu Chun's official duties. Most of these documents are tedious and boring, and he is currently only handling some minor matters for his father.
Yun Yuelin propped his head up, turned the page, and wrote a few words in a vigorous and powerful manner.
His handwriting is exceptionally beautiful; he didn't practice much, he was just born with it.
Then a letter drifted in through the window, wrapped in the spiritual energy of their mortal enemy.
Yun Yuelin raised an eyebrow, wondering if that guy was up to something again. She opened the envelope.
【Spring Flower, what kind of person do you think I am?】
Yun Yuelin automatically ignored the title that displeased him.
He stroked the fine brush handle, pondering many possibilities.
Why would someone surnamed Qing suddenly write to him and ask such a question?
Could it be some kind of code? What happened in Quanzhou and Zhangzhou?
Yun Yuelin examined the connections between the words repeatedly, but couldn't discern anything. She then turned the envelope over and over again to check it, and discovered another line of text on the back.
Do you acknowledge that Qing Jue, the head of the Qing family, was a man of profound learning and lofty integrity, whose magnanimous character will be remembered for eternity?
The letter was crumpled into a ball, then thrown out the window, tearing the window paper.
"Yun Shu! Bring me some paper!!"
Yun Yuelin's reply came very quickly, so quickly that Qingjue received it before he even left the house.
"oops."
He opened the envelope, glanced at it, and quickly covered the eyes of Ruan Linglai and Aju, who had come to join in the fun.
That's really vulgar; kids shouldn't learn from that.
Qingjue turned around: "During the day, are you all packed? Ready to leave?"
Surprisingly, no one answered.
"...During the day?"
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