“But…” Liu Kang raised his head, a pleading look in his eyes, “For the sake of our past relationship, could you give me a chance to turn over a new leaf?”
Hongying remained silent for a moment, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes.
At this moment, Li Xi spoke up, "Grandmother, he still has value. He probably knows quite a bit about what's going on here."
Hongying nodded slightly upon hearing this.
Her gaze fell on Liu Kang again, and her tone turned cold: "Liu Kang, I can give you a chance, but you must answer my questions truthfully and work for me."
Liu Kang nodded quickly, a look of joy on his face: "Yes, yes, I will definitely tell you everything I know."
Hongying took a deep breath and began to ask about everything about this place, as well as all the secrets that Liu Kang knew.
Although Liu Kang was unwilling, he dared not hide anything in the face of Hong Ying's powerful aura.
He had no choice but to honestly and truthfully tell everything he knew.
It turns out that Liu Kang was once a member of the Red Lotus Sect.
However, due to some disputes with other believers, he eventually chose to leave the Red Lotus Cult and came to the village where he now lives.
About eleven years ago, the leader of the Red Lotus Cult led a large number of followers to secretly infiltrate the village.
At that time, the cult leader used various means, including bribery, threats and intimidation, and finally succeeded in getting most of the villagers to agree to move away from the village overnight.
However, there was one family living at the foot of the mountain who was very stubborn and refused to leave their home no matter what.
Faced with this situation, the cult leader and his followers did not hesitate at all and killed the entire family.
As for who this mysterious cult leader was, and how they managed to wipe out everyone in the Xuanming Sect in one night, Liu Kang had no idea.
That night, he was only responsible for keeping watch at the village entrance, and the raging fire almost burned the entire hill to ashes.
The cult leader left with the others, leaving Liu Kang to remain and await further instructions.
Liu Kang gazed at the sky, now stained red by the firelight, his heart filled with complex emotions.
Fear, shock, confusion... a mix of emotions made it difficult for him to calm down.
Although his hands were also stained with blood, the cruelty of the method sent chills down his spine.
"Why?" he asked himself in a low voice. "Why do this? They were just ordinary people, why kill them so cruelly?"
However, no one answered his question.
The cult leader has left, leaving him alone in the Xuanming Sect.
As he watched those people fall into pools of blood, the surrounding flames gradually engulfing them, his heart was filled with pain and confusion.
At this moment, he seemed to have figured it out: following the cult leader meant he could be abandoned by him at any time.
Moreover, his incompatibility with the church members further solidified his resolve to leave.
Liu Kang stood there for a long time, until the fire gradually died down and the sky gradually darkened.
Ultimately, he chose to leave.
He could no longer bear the pangs of conscience and the inner torment.
He was determined to leave the cult and find a place where he could truly live in peace.
Over the years he traveled far and wide, but eventually returned to this village, intending to spend the rest of his life here.
He never expected Li Xi to arrive at this time. He thought that the cult leader had discovered his whereabouts and sent people to kill him.
So he wanted to kill Li Xi.
Hearing this, Li Xi and the others felt even more heavy-hearted.
"You mean this has nothing to do with you? Do you think we believe that?" She scoffed, trying to absolve herself of any responsibility with a casual remark?
Upon hearing Li Xi's question, Liu Kang understood that his explanation would not easily dispel her doubts.
He took a deep breath, looked firmly at Li Xi, and slowly said, "I know you find it hard to believe, but I can swear that I did not participate in the massacre of the Xuanming Sect."
He chose to join the Red Lotus Sect mainly because he had heard that its power was strong enough to protect him from being hunted down by his enemies in the martial arts world.
Moreover, within the Red Lotus Cult, regardless of the mission undertaken, one would receive a substantial reward, which was undoubtedly a huge temptation for him.
"Who exactly is the Red Lotus Cult Leader? Is she male or female?" Li Xi stared directly into Liu Kang's eyes, trying to find any possible clues.
However, Liu Kang's face was pale at this moment, clearly indicating that the poison was beginning to take effect.
He was in excruciating abdominal pain and could only weakly reply, "I only know that the cult leader is a man, and I really don't know anything else."
Li Xi shoved an antidote into his mouth and then coldly observed Liu Kang's reaction.
After taking the antidote, Liu Kang's complexion gradually regained some color, and his abdominal pain slowly subsided.
“Since you chose to betray the Red Lotus Sect, you must have your reasons.” Li Xi’s voice was calm and firm. “But I want you to understand that if the information you provide is valuable, I might spare your life.”
Liu Kang nodded vigorously, knowing full well that his life was now in Li Xi's hands.
"The Crimson Lotus Cult Leader is an extremely mysterious figure; we have never seen his true face. He keeps a low profile, but every time he appears, he causes a sensation within the cult. He controls all the resources within the cult, whether it is manpower or material resources; he has the final say in everything."
"Does he have any special characteristics or habits?" Li Xi pressed.
Liu Kang thought for a moment and shook his head: "I really don't know. He always wears a mask and his voice is altered so that it's impossible to recognize him. But I can sense that he is an extremely intelligent person with a very strong desire for power."
The intelligence we received earlier also confirms this. It seems this cult leader is incredibly good at keeping secrets.
She took out the jade pendant she had found on the mountaintop and held it up in front of Zhao Kang. "Do you recognize this jade pendant?"
Liu Kang's eyes swept over the jade pendant, his pupils suddenly contracted, and a look of shock appeared on his face.
His voice trembled as he said, "This...this is...the one worn by the cult leader!"
Li Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked, "Are you sure?"
The old man nodded and said, "I'm quite sure, the cult leader always wears it on his person. I just don't know where you got it from?" He looked at Li Xi with great puzzlement.
Things became increasingly strange. She also obtained a dragon and crane jade pendant from the Xuan Yue Kingdom, which was said to have been passed down from the previous dynasty to the Western Yue royal family.
It's just a mystery why the Red Lotus Cult Leader also has such a jade pendant, and even stranger why he buried it on the mountaintop.
Could this cult leader be a descendant of the previous dynasty? Did he not want his secret to be discovered, so he buried the jade pendant on a nearby mountaintop? But by sheer coincidence, it was discovered by a golden eagle.
But what does this have to do with the Xuanming Sect?
Li Xi frowned, unable to figure out the connection.
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