Sure enough, not long after, the door slowly opened, and a man dressed in black appeared at the door.
A respectful expression appeared on his face: "Young Master, so it's you who has come."
Inside, the lights were on, and the decor was simple yet elegant.
The man led Li Xi to an elegant living room and then quietly withdrew.
Li Xi sat on the carved pear wood chair, her gaze sweeping around as if searching for something.
Soon, a middle-aged man dressed in a blue robe came out of the inner room, his brows revealing composure and wisdom.
Upon seeing Li Xi, he exclaimed excitedly, "Young Master, you've finally arrived! I received a message from Hall Master Chu via carrier pigeon earlier, saying that you would be coming to Xuan Yue Kingdom. I never expected to actually see you today."
Li Xi stood up and bowed slightly to show respect.
The middle-aged man in the blue robe approached, gave a slight bow, and then asked with concern, "Young Master, was your journey smooth?"
"Um······"
After exchanging pleasantries, the Xuan Yue Hall Master led Li Xi to a secret room and ordered someone to prepare fragrant tea.
The secret room was filled with rows of shelves, each containing scrolls.
"Elder Qian, I've come tonight with some matters I'd like you to investigate," Li Xi said bluntly.
“Please speak, young master,” the middle-aged man in the blue robe, Elder Qian of the Xuan Yue Hall, replied solemnly.
Li Xi casually picked up the scroll and glanced at it a few times.
Seeing this, Elder Qian carefully moved the candle forward to let the light shine better on Li Xi, and gently pulled out a chair for her to sit down.
After Li Xi sat down, he frowned slightly, put down the scroll in his hand, looked at Elder Qian, and a deep look flashed in his eyes.
"Elder Qian, I would like to ask you to investigate the true cause of death of the Crown Prince of Xuan Yue Kingdom ten years ago. It is said that he did not drown accidentally." Li Xi's tone was somewhat solemn.
Upon hearing this, Elder Qian's expression changed, and he hurriedly asked, "Young Master, this is a very important matter. The cause of death of the Crown Prince of Xuan Yue Kingdom ten years ago has always been a taboo topic among the royal family and the martial arts world. It is said that when he drowned, there was no one else around, and no suspicious traces were found on his body. Therefore, the matter has always been treated as a tragedy and hastily concluded. Why do you suddenly bring this up?"
Li Xi took a deep breath and slowly said, "Someone asked me to investigate this matter. She has the information we want to know. So I agreed to cooperate with her."
Upon hearing this, Elder Qian frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "Young Master, this matter is of great importance. If the investigation is not handled carefully, it may cause a huge uproar."
Li Xi nodded and said solemnly, "I know what I'm doing. If Elder Qian really doesn't have a good solution, then I'll have to think of another way."
She never liked to force others to do things against their will, even when facing her own identity as the future leader of the Hidden Sect.
Upon hearing this, Elder Qian immediately stood up.
He looked somewhat nervous and quickly said, "Young Master, please rest assured, I will do everything in my power to handle this matter properly!"
He knew very well that he absolutely could not lose face in front of the young master, after all, the other party was the future sect leader.
Seeing this, Li Xi took out a thick stack of silver notes from his pocket.
Then he gently placed it in his hand and instructed, "When doing things, it's inevitable that you'll need some money to bribe officials. Take these banknotes and use them first. If you run out, just let me know."
Elder Qian was moved to tears, "Thank you very much, young master. I will certainly live up to your expectations."
Li Xi smiled and nodded. "Yes, I believe in your abilities. Also, remember to be careful and don't alert the enemy. If you have any news, let me know immediately."
"Yes, young master!" Elder Qian bowed and left the secret chamber.
Li Xi watched his departing figure, lost in thought.
The scrolls in the secret room are like Pandora's box, recording secrets, big and small, of people from all walks of life.
The more money you give, the bigger the secret you get.
The Hidden Sect was able to grow and prosper because of this skill; it has to be said that her master was truly a peerless genius.
It's no wonder that the Red Lotus Sect wants the Hidden Gate to work for them. If they get the Hidden Gate, the Red Lotus Sect will inevitably become even more unscrupulous and do whatever they want.
Now that her master has infiltrated their ranks, there's no need to worry about the Red Lotus Cult harming him again for the time being.
The current leader of the Red Lotus Sect possesses the "Destiny Stone" that has been passed down through generations of her Li family.
If they can truly find the key figure prophesied to be the one who will bring about a great change in the world through the Destiny Stone, then the Red Lotus Sect may be able to unify the martial arts world and even influence the entire world's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing overall structure, overall situation, and overall dynamics).
The leader stood at the highest point of the Red Lotus Sect, looking down at the followers below, his eyes shining with unwavering determination.
He held the Destiny Stone tightly in his hand, as if he could feel the powerful force contained within it.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to focus on feeling the guidance of the Destiny Stone.
Gradually, he felt a strange power surging out from the Destiny Stone and flowing into his body.
My consciousness began to blur, as if I had entered a mysterious world.
In this world, he saw a chaotic scene, as if it were the beginning of time.
Then, my vision gradually cleared, and I saw a blurry figure.
The figure stood in a desolate field, with its back to him, as if waiting for something.
The cult leader's heart stirred, sensing that this person was the key figure indicated by the Destiny Stone.
He wanted to get closer to see the person's face clearly, but no matter how hard he tried, the person always kept a certain distance.
Just then, the person suddenly turned around, and the cult leader was surprised to find that it was an androgynous face. It looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before.
Suddenly, the world began to collapse, and the cult leader's consciousness was pulled back.
The boy beside him asked with concern, "Father, what's wrong?"
The cult leader slowly opened his eyes and found himself sitting in a secret chamber. The chamber was intact, showing no signs of collapse.
He raised his hand and rubbed his temples, trying to dispel the inexplicable dizziness.
"It's nothing," he replied casually, though a storm raged within him. He clearly remembered the androgynous face he had seen in the illusion just now.
He then looked at the boy beside him, his eyes full of kindness, "You should go back first, and don't arouse that person's suspicion."
The boy hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Father, are you really alright? You don't look well."
He chuckled softly and waved his hand. "Don't worry, I'm fine. You go back first, and don't let anyone know you came to see me."
The boy nodded and turned to leave.
As the boy's figure receded into the distance, the smile on his face vanished like morning mist, replaced by a deep and solemn expression.
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