As he spoke, he waved his hand, seemingly to shoo Li Xi away, and prepared to close the door.
Li Xi was somewhat anxious and quickly reached out to stop the door from closing, saying urgently, "Senior, please listen to me! This is an order from the imperial court!"
But the old man remained unmoved and continued to push the door hard, trying to drive her away.
Seeing that the door was about to close, Li Xi had no choice but to leave.
The next day, she returned to the village, bringing with her many gifts.
"Uncle, are you home?" When no one answered, she knocked on the door harder.
After a while, an impatient old man's voice came from inside the door: "I've told you so many times, I don't know anything."
Li Xi did not give up and continued to persuade him: "Uncle, what happened to the Xuanming Sect back then was a disaster, and the court deeply regrets it. His Majesty has never given up on finding the murderer."
The person inside remained silent for a moment, then slowly opened the door, revealing a weathered yet resolute face.
He glanced at what Li Xi was holding, then looked up at her determined eyes, and finally sighed.
"Alright, come in first," the old man said slowly.
Instead of immediately asking about the past, Li Xi made a request to the old man: "May I use your kitchen?"
The old man looked at her with a puzzled expression, not understanding why she would suddenly make such a request.
But she nodded anyway, indicating that she could use it as she pleased.
Li Xi smiled gratefully, then turned and went into the kitchen.
She took some ingredients and seasonings out of the sack and started getting busy.
After a while, an enticing aroma wafted through the air.
At the dinner table, Li Xi kept putting food into the old man's bowl. "Uncle, please try this. It's the most popular pickled fish dish on the market right now."
Although her cooking skills weren't as good as Ling'er's, her dishes were still considered to be excellent in terms of color, aroma, and taste.
The old man picked up a piece of fish, took a small bite, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. "This taste... is really good," he exclaimed.
It's been over ten years, and it's been a long time since anyone has cooked such a thoughtful meal for him.
“Uncle, if you like, I’ll come over and cook for you these next few days. I’ve been investigating there these days. If you don’t mind, could I stay with you for a few days?” she asked tentatively.
The old man paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "If you don't mind how simple this place is, then come on in."
The old man's words delighted Li Xi. She immediately thanked him and began to clear the dishes.
After the meal, she offered to help clean the kitchen, then sat down opposite the old man and began asking him about the village.
"Uncle, how long have you lived here?" Li Xi asked the man in front of her cautiously.
The old man squinted slightly, carefully examining the unfamiliar young man before him.
His gaze revealed a calm and composed demeanor, as if he had long seen through the vicissitudes of life.
After a while, the old man finally spoke and replied, "I've lived here for most of my life."
"Oh? Sir, could you tell me in detail why the villagers all left?"
The old man took a small sip of tea and then slowly put the teacup down.
A faint sadness appeared on his face, as if he were recalling the past.
After a moment of silence, the old man finally said slowly, "Didn't I tell you yesterday? They went out to look for opportunities."
Li Xi nodded, then asked, "Do you know where they went to develop their businesses? Maybe someone there knows what happened back then." After all, this is a direction worth investigating.
However, the old man shook his head and replied firmly, "I don't know."
After saying that, he stood up, turned around and went into the room, closing the door tightly behind him.
Li Xi looked helplessly at the closed door and sighed inwardly.
She had thought she could find a breakthrough by talking to the old man, but she didn't expect him to be so stubborn.
However, she also understood that she couldn't rush things and could only put the issue aside for the time being and wait for the right opportunity to ask again.
Li Xi continued searching in the vicinity.
This village is only five miles away from Xuanming Gate.
If you climb to the highest peak in the vicinity and look down, you can clearly see the entire Xuanming Gate.
However, this road leading to the Xuanming Gate has not been repaired for a long time.
It is now overgrown with weeds, but you can still see that it was once open and flat.
Clearly, this place was once carefully maintained, but now it has fallen into disrepair.
These signs suggest that there must have been some connection between the villagers and the Xuanming Sect in the past.
It's just that for some unknown reason, almost everyone in the village left.
Judging from the terrain, the Red Lotus Sect members had to pass through this village to reach the Xuanming Sect. Logically, with so many people passing through, it's unlikely that it went unnoticed by others.
When the tragedy occurred, she had a high fever and did not go to dinner. Instead, she lay in her room and fell into a deep sleep.
When she finally woke up, she found herself in a carriage.
After that, the original owner lost her memory and never regained it until her death.
However, even if this body regains its memories, she still knows nothing about what happened back then.
All that is known is that the mysterious Destiny Stone in the hands of the original owner's grandfather was also stolen. This Destiny Stone is the treasure of the Xuanming Sect!
Was it really just for this stone? But why slaughter the entire Li family? Even the disciples of the Xuanming Sect weren't spared…
What kind of conspiracy and secrets are hidden behind this?
Just as Li Xi was about to turn and leave, a golden eagle suddenly swooped down from the sky and landed steadily in front of her.
"Huh? Brother Eagle, how did you suddenly appear here? I didn't whistle to summon you," she muttered to herself in confusion.
Then she saw the golden eagle bend down and gently peck at the ground with its sharp beak, as if trying to catch or pick up something.
This scene made her even more curious. Could there be gold in the ground? She started pecking at it vigorously.
She crouched down and carefully examined the ground beneath the golden eagle's feet. She noticed a slight bulge, as if something was buried underneath.
She helped the golden eagle to remove the soil with her hands, and as the soil was peeled away, a metallic sheen gradually appeared.
Li Xi was startled. Could it be that he possessed the Treasure-Hunting Saint Body, allowing him to encounter treasures everywhere?
Finally, when the last bit of soil was removed, a delicate little box appeared before her eyes.
The box is engraved with exquisite patterns, which, despite the passage of time, still appear so vivid and mysterious.
She carefully opened the box, and inside lay an exquisite jade pendant, its jade warm and lustrous. Upon closer inspection, the design was quite strange; it depicted a dragon and crane playing...
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