Chapter 121 We are one family.
Madam Mei's thick, dark eyebrows furrowed, and the corners of her mouth twitched unnaturally.
The surroundings were completely silent.
Upon closer inspection, the stern faces and tight lips of the Lu family members seemed to be forcibly suppressing some kind of emotion, an emotion that could not be expressed.
A burst of laughter, unintentionally left unsaid, suddenly rang out.
"Who, who's laughing!" Madam Mei turned around angrily.
For many years, Madam Mei has held the position of de facto controller of the Lu family. Although she has an unusual appearance and calls herself Madam Mei despite being a man, no one dares to criticize her.
Now, a troublemaker from outside has come up and, right in front of Madam Mei, blurted out what everyone had been thinking about a thousand times but dared not say. The impact of this was even greater than directly cursing Madam Mei.
However, the impact was fleeting. When Madam Mei turned around, those private smiles were gone, as if they had never happened.
“Shen, I know you’re powerful. I’m no match for you alone,” Madam Mei turned back, her eyes dark as she stared at Shen Bing Si. “But, as far as I know, your motives for investigating our Lu family’s case aren’t entirely pure, are they? You’re a member of the Shen family and a disciple of the Spirit Mirror Sect. In terms of both background and sect, you’re in competition with our Young Master Qi. If you could use such despicable means to bring down our Young Master Qi, wouldn’t you solidify your position as the number one person in the Ruthless Path? Don’t think we’re all deaf and blind old fools who don’t know what you younger generation are scheming about…”
Shen Bingsi chuckled softly, "Upon closer reflection, it seems that's indeed the case."
All eyes turned to Shen Bingsi again. The Lu family members felt more united in their hatred of the enemy, while the members of the treasure hunting team who were unaware of the truth looked suspicious. Captain Zhao, who knew how coincidental the actual situation was, shook his head slightly.
Rong Xie kept his eyes on Madam Mei, paying attention to her every move. As for the nonsense she spouted, he didn't even flinch.
“Unfortunately, I am not like you,” Shen Bingsi laughed. “I do not like to compete with the weak. So, if your young master Qi is unfortunately dragged down and has no resources to cultivate, and becomes a mediocre person like Elder Bai, he will be of no value to me.”
"..." Lu Yingqi remained silent, but his gaze sharpened as he stared intently at Shen Bingsi.
"So, my suggestion is that I send you to the Mirror Palace first to complete the mission, and then have a fair and square competition with your young master Qi, so that he won't be unable to reach his peak strength after being dragged down by you."
Shen Bingsi has always been arrogant, and Rong Xie has witnessed this on many occasions, so it's not surprising that he would say something like that.
However, the Lu family had never seen Shen Bingsi speak so arrogantly before. They were taken aback by her imposing manner and began to have doubts. Wasn't Lu Yingqi supposed to have just emerged from seclusion with a significant improvement in his cultivation, far surpassing his peers and seemingly becoming the top young disciple of the Ruthless Path? Why would Shen Bingsi dare to challenge him to a duel? Could it be that Shen Bingsi was hiding her strength and was actually no less powerful than Lu Yingqi?
Madam Mei was also feeling uneasy. She had originally intended to instigate a conflict between Shen Bingsi and Lu Yingqi, but her little scheme had failed completely under Shen Bingsi's direct challenge. She was now uncertain whether Shen Bingsi truly had a way to suppress Lu Yingqi. That would be terrible.
After uttering his harsh words, Shen Bingsi loosened his arms and walked towards Madam Mei with a seemingly relaxed posture. The Shengxie Sword shimmered with golden light as he held it in his hand, and the abundant spiritual power drew streaks of golden light with each step he took.
Rong Xie watched him from behind. He had felt a little awkward seeing another version of himself before, but now that Shen Bingsi was moving, he looked exactly like Shen Bingsi from behind, with no resemblance to Rong Xie whatsoever.
In the tense atmosphere, Shen Bingsi strolled over to Madam Mei as if taking a walk in a market, took the Mirror Palace token, and skillfully twirled it between her fingers. Silver light burst forth, transforming into a rope-like ribbon of light that wrapped around Madam Mei.
This is the chain used by the Mirror Palace to catch suspects. Generally speaking, Shen Bingsi doesn't need to use it. His targets are all demons, who die instantly under his sword. There's nothing worth catching and investigating. He's still a little unaccustomed to swinging the chain.
The silver chains flew like serpents to Lady Mei's front. Lady Mei's eyes bulged as she stared at the chains, seemingly engaged in a tense internal struggle.
Suddenly, a silver longsword emerged from the side and broke the chains.
"Splash".
The chain fell to the ground, then "whooshed" back to Shen Bingsi's waist, transforming into the shape of a token.
In that very moment of rising and falling.
Shen Bingsi suddenly looked up at the end of the longsword, where Lu Yingqi was holding it steadily.
Lu Yingqi remained expressionless, his gaze unfathomable. He offered no explanation in the face of Shen Bingsi's sharp eyes.
Madam Mei, who had been struggling with her inner turmoil, now seemed to have won a victory, revealing a satisfied smile. She looked at the sword that Lu Yingqi was protecting in front of her, breathed a sigh of relief, and praised, "Young Master Qi, well done."
"Lu Yingqi, what do you mean by this?"
Even from a distance, Rong Xie clearly saw Lu Yingqi draw his sword. His heart sank, sensing something was wrong, and he asked, "You're not really planning to protect Madam Mei, are you?"
"..."
Lu Yingqi's sword remained unmoved, and Madam Mei's smile grew even more exaggerated, causing Rong Xie to feel a chill run down his spine.
“Senior Brother Lu,” Rong Xie softened his tone, “I know your Dao heart is firm and you will not be swayed by ordinary emotions. You must have your reasons for doing this. If you are worried that Xiao Zhi will be affected by this, I can assure you that he will not. Just like I said, Madam Mei has no means to remotely control the servant. As long as you treat Xiao Zhi well and do not let him face the situation of exhausting his spiritual power, then the furnace can live like an ordinary person.”
Lu Yingqi looked at Rong Xie, seemingly listening attentively to him and carefully considering the credibility of his words.
Rong Xie thought to himself, "So it really is because of Xiao Zhi. Luckily, it's just as I guessed, otherwise it would be troublesome."
In this investigation, the only variable Rong Xie was worried about was Lu Yingqi. Although he knew that Lu Yingqi had a firm Dao heart, even when the Heavenly Demon descended, this ruthless Dao prodigy who died prematurely was still mentioned by people as a savior. Since he was such a person, he should not have protected Madam Mei in an obvious choice between right and wrong. If he had, he would not have been worthy of joining forces with Shen Bingsi, and Rong Xie would have had no need to win him over.
That being said, many variables can still arise in the course of events. What if Lu Yingqi is indeed a hypocrite with amazing acting skills, and suddenly turns against Madam Mei and kills them all here? The possibility is small, but not impossible. Rong Xie has to consider how they should deal with such a troublesome situation.
Thankfully, that's not the case. Otherwise, if Shen Bingsi really fought him to the death, Rong Xie would worry that even Shen Bingsi's protagonist aura wouldn't be able to protect him.
While Shen Bingsi was running around for the Mirror Palace, Lu Yingqi was diligently in seclusion. While Shen Bingsi was traveling around with Rong Xie, Lu Yingqi was cultivating at an astonishing pace. While Shen Bingsi was practicing the basics, Lu Yingqi had already mastered the "Mysterious Heaven Sword"...
Rong Xie could still trust Shen Bingsi to send her to engage in some lighthearted banter and friendly sparring with Lu Yingqi. However, if Lu Yingqi was truly a wicked person who intended to kill Shen Bingsi, Rong Xie would have to rethink his strategy. Right now, all his strategies were based on the premise that Lu Yingqi was a "good person."
Of course, those who cultivate the Path of Ruthlessness are not really "good" or "bad". The higher the level of the Path of Ruthlessness cultivator, the closer they are to the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao is impartial and will not favor either the good or the bad. It will only act in accordance with the laws of development of things. Lu Yingqi's decision not to help anyone and to stand by and watch is also a form of being a "good person" in Rong Xie's eyes.
“It is precisely because you, Senior Brother Lu, have treated Xiaozhi so well that Xiaozhi was able to successfully establish her foundation with the body of a furnace cauldron. Many cultivators cannot even establish their foundation. With such a good foundation, Xiaozhi can at least accompany you for one or two hundred years,” Rong Xie paused, “As for what will happen in the future, the world is full of wonders. Perhaps there are some miraculous pills that can prolong the life of the furnace cauldron… But if Senior Brother Lu were to protect the culprit who caused Xiaozhi to become a furnace cauldron, and Xiaozhi found out, then it would be a different story.”
Lu Yingqi frowned slightly, seemingly pondering for a moment. He slowly withdrew the longsword from his hand, and as his arm fell, the longsword transformed into a streak of silver light and disappeared into his sleeve.
Shen Bingsi raised an eyebrow, unusually refraining from making sarcastic remarks about Lu Yingqi. He gripped the token at his waist again, which transformed into a silver chain.
Just then, Madam Mei suddenly sneered, "Young Master Qi, are you really going to do this? Have you thought it through? What if things aren't as that Rong guy said? What if I really do have the means to control Xiaozhi?"
The silver chains on Shen Bingsi's hands encountered an obstacle once again. An invisible barrier of air separated the chains from Madam Mei, preventing him from binding his suspect no matter what.
Shen Bingsi's eyelids twitched twice, and when she looked up again, a storm of anger was brewing in her eyes.
“Senior Brother Lu, don’t listen to him. He’s just making a last-ditch effort,” Rong Xie said. “Let Shen Bingsi take him to the Mirror Palace. They’ll know the truth in one interrogation. If you’re still not sure, I can go back to Shengjing with you and ask Elder Hong of the Hehuan Sect to take a look at Xiaozhi. They are experienced and know more methods than Madam Mei, if not more.”
"Hahahaha—" Madam Mei burst into laughter, as if Rong Xie's proposed solution was something utterly absurd. "In the world, when it comes to methods of training a furnace, I am second to none. Even Elder Hong wouldn't know more than I do."
A glint flashed in Madam Mei's eyes as she uttered a startling statement: "I am the true leader of the Joyful Union Sect. That Elder Hong is nothing but a usurper from the Profound Heaven Sect. The furnace I trained provided so much convenience to the Ruthless Dao Palace of the Profound Heaven Sect, all of which was erased by these ungrateful bastards, forcing me to hide and rely on this remote little place. In just a few decades, the younger generation of Ruthless Dao cultivators have long forgotten what happened back then, even forgetting that the Joyful Union Sect and the Ruthless Dao Palace were originally one family. My name is now completely unknown..."
Madam Mei revealed her identity, and amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, she turned to Lu Yingqi with a cold smile: "Young Master Qi, if you don't believe me, you can go and ask your master, Elder Bai, what exactly happened back then. Do you still remember Xiao Mei from Hehuan Tower? Back then, when the disciples of the Heartless Path were breaking through their emotional barriers, they frequently visited the tower. Their achievements today are inseparable from the efforts of the brothers and sisters of the Hehuan Sect back then. How can you deny everything after you've done your bidding?"
————————
With the collapse of the Supreme Immortal Mountain, Zhilan Ridge also collapsed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com