Investigating the Truth

Qi Xiao left.

Afterward, Li Wangyan once again arrived at True Master Dao Sword’s cave abode.

“Master was quite impressive just now!”

He sneered, approaching True Master Dao Sword and using his hand to caress the other’s smooth, delicate cheek.

True Master Dao Sword’s body trembled involuntarily, yet she replied with a trace of stubbornness, “You… if you seek revenge against us, why must your Senior Sister Qi suffer as well?”
“Suffer? I am helping Senior Sister Qi.
Master knows this too, right?
What benefits come from being recorded in the Mystic Maiden Mirror, I don’t think I need to elaborate?
Just the increase in cultivation speed alone would make everyone in the cultivation world clamor for it.
For Senior Sister, this is not a bad thing.
It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
“Nonsense! Clearly, you harbor ill intentions!”
“‘Fair and graceful is the maiden; a gentleman longs for her company.’
Master, why do you say such things?”

We became ‘fair and graceful maidens’ because of you!

True Master Dao Sword practically wanted to curse.

“Xiao Xue~”

Hearing his tone, True Master Dao Sword’s heart trembled.
She whispered, “Don’t call me that!”
“Oh? Then what should I call you?
Fengxue?
Xue’er?
Or… do you prefer the title ‘Master’?
I have no preference.”
A playful smile appeared on his face.
“You… whatever you want to do to me, I will comply.
But you cannot… do those things to Qi Xiao.”
Li Wangyan looked puzzled.
“Why?
You don’t seem like the type to sacrifice yourself for your disciple, my dear Master.
Is there some secret about Senior Sister?”
“I just… know I was wrong.”

Uttering such words was deeply humiliating for Ning Fengxue.
Admitting fault to Li Wangyan was practically a fate worse than death.
In all her years of cultivation, she had never admitted to being wrong.
But now, only Qi Xiao might be able to influence Li Wangyan’s will.
Therefore, Li Wangyan absolutely must not lay a hand on Qi Xiao.
Otherwise, the last shred of restraint and awe in his heart would vanish.

“Know you were wrong?
This is truly… Master, if knowing you were wrong was enough, what would be the point of the Law Enforcement Hall?
I wish to see your sincerity!
Sincerity!
Understand?”

Ning Fengxue’s robe slipped from her shoulders…

Her cheeks flushed crimson, her eyes languid and alluring.
“I… will demonstrate my sincerity.”

…

Back then, the matter concerning Junior Brother needed further investigation.

Even at the time, she knew there was more to the story.
Put simply, even if Junior Brother truly colluded with demons, were all fifty testimonies ironclad?
She didn’t believe it.
However, back then, her master had also expressed support for the verdict, so she saw no need to probe deeper.
Now, Junior Brother had returned, accompanied by an Immortal Artifact.
As her master said, if she was to properly guide Junior Brother, she must first understand why he had been framed.

But now, in her current state, conducting an investigation wouldn’t be easy either.

Forget it.
Never mind.
Cultivation first.

In this vast world, cultivation is paramount.

Once her realm advanced sufficiently, was there any problem that couldn’t be solved?
The Mystic Maiden Mirror?
An Immortal Artifact?
If she achieved immortality herself, what could these things possibly do to her?

If numbers couldn’t solve a problem, it only meant the numbers weren’t high enough.

Therefore, nothing was more important than cultivation and increasing her own strength.

As for guiding Junior Brother towards goodness and the like, Qi Xiao genuinely had little interest.
After all, when you got down to it, back then, her own master, in his bid for the future Sect Leader position, had failed to stand up for Junior Brother.
As the saying goes, “He who teaches me for one day is my father for life.”
The master-disciple relationship is analogous to a father-son bond.
If you were wrongly accused, and then your own father sided with your accusers, saying, “I hereby banish this unfilial son from the family…” surely no one could avoid feeling hatred.

As for Eldest and Second Senior Brothers, that went without saying.
Whether you called them misguided or deceived, they had undoubtedly offended Junior Brother.
They were likely destined for the same transformation…

Speaking of which, Master really was beautiful…
I wonder what Eldest and Second Senior Brothers would look like…
As for my own appearance…

She sighed, then began circulating her spiritual energy through her meridians.

Immediately, she froze.

“This is!”

The flow of her spiritual power had accelerated!
The speed of her meridian circulation had increased dramatically!

“The Mystic Maiden Mirror!”

She reached this conclusion almost instantly.
Being transformed and recorded in the Mystic Maiden Mirror actually had the effect of increasing cultivation speed?!

She quickly checked the condition inside her body to confirm there were no side effects.

“Hiss! This is the power of an Immortal Artifact?
Truly unfathomable!
No wonder Junior Brother could restore his cultivation and advance further.
With such an Immortal Artifact, who wouldn’t have hope of attaining the Great Dao?”

In other words, was the old grandpa behind Junior Brother an immortal soul residing within the Immortal Artifact?
Or perhaps the artifact spirit itself…
Whichever it was, it caused a massive shift in Qi Xiao’s thinking.

The Mystic Maiden Mirror was a good thing!
Worth getting into!
It was just changing forms!
Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Moreover, there was the added benefit of faster cultivation speed—this was a net gain!

Should I say, as expected of a protagonist-type character?
Even when enacting revenge, he does it so thoroughly.
Would he even need her guidance?

However, she could indeed help Junior Brother investigate the events of that year.
Consider it repaying the favor for this cultivation speed boost.

So satisfying!

After completing several meridian cycles, Qi Xiao emerged from her cave abode.
She went to the Peak Lord’s main hall and took her seat upon the Peak Lord’s throne.
It was also a magical artifact in itself.

She channeled her spiritual power.
High above Dao Sword Peak, a decree manifested:
“Summon the leaders of the Yellow Heaven Alliance, the River Path Society, and the Qiao Lian Association to the Peak Lord’s Hall for discussions.”

Across Dao Sword Peak, there were hundreds of inner sect disciples and thousands of outer sect disciples, forming various factions in a complex web.
Naturally, some “clique-forming” occurred.
Qi Xiao did not oppose this; in fact, she somewhat supported it.

Just like how the administrators of Mount Emei only deal with the monkey king, if something displeased her, she could simply discipline the leaders of these associations and let them manage their own subordinates.
It effectively reduced her management costs.

After all, what she wanted wasn’t a perfectly pure Dao Sword Peak.
She only cared about how much benefit she could derive from it and whether her control over the peak was sufficient.

Not long after, three disciples arrived together.

Yellow Heaven Alliance Leader, “Huang Longbing”; River Path Society Leader, “He Zaitian”; Qiao Lian Association Leader, “Qiao Lian.”
Two men and one woman, all at late Foundation Establishment, considered outstanding among inner sect disciples, though their chances of breaking through to Golden Core were likely…

“We pay our respects to Senior Brother Qi!”

They bowed in unison.

“Junior Brothers, Junior Sister, no need for formalities.
I summoned you today because there is a matter I need you to investigate.”
“Please instruct us, Senior Brother.”
“Five years ago, my junior brother, Li Wangyan, was accused of colluding with demonic sects and harming the righteous path.
His cultivation was crippled, and he was expelled from the sect.
I presume you have all heard of this?”

Huang Longbing immediately frowned.
They had, of course, heard of the events from five years ago, but it had little to do with them, as they were only around early Foundation Establishment back then.
Of course, at the same early Foundation Establishment stage, that Li Wangyan had been accepted as a personal disciple by True Master Dao Sword, a world of difference from inner sect disciples like them.
They had once been envious.

Now, Senior Brother Qi was personally bringing this up?

Huang Longbing thus asked, “Senior Brother Qi, that matter did indeed seem somewhat questionable.
May we ask, Senior Brother Qi, what is your intention?”

He Zaitian followed up, “Back then, we only heard rumors.
However, many inner and outer sect disciples are somewhat connected to that incident.
We can certainly help Senior Brother investigate, only…”
“Only, Senior Brother, may we ask the purpose of this investigation?”

Qiao Lian finished the sentence.

Qi Xiao knew what they were worried about.
She thus smiled and said, “Master has returned, seeking to break through to late Nascent Soul.
However, past events concerning Junior Brother have planted doubts in his mind.
He always felt something was amiss.
If this cannot be resolved satisfactorily, it may affect the completeness of his mental state, potentially hindering Master’s breakthrough.
As his disciple, it is naturally my duty to help Master resolve this issue.”

Hearing this, the three let out a subtle sigh of relief.

They knew True Master Dao Sword had consented to the original verdict.
They hadn’t dared say much, not knowing why Qi Xiao wanted to investigate.
But according to Qi Xiao’s words, it was essentially implied that True Master Dao Sword had hinted for him to look into it.
Now they understood.

“Senior Brother!
Please entrust this matter to us!
We guarantee we will not fail your expectations!”
“I have full confidence in your abilities, Junior Brothers and Junior Sister.
However, since I am asking you to handle this, I cannot offer nothing in return.”

The three quickly declined.
“Senior Brother!
There’s no need for that!
If the True Master’s cultivation can advance, the status of us Dao Sword Peak disciples will also rise.
This is our duty!
Senior Brother must not!”

Qi Xiao waved her hand.
“Nonsense!
Would you have me be an unrighteous and dishonorable person?
I, Qi Xiao, am not the type to demand the horse run without feeding it.
If you handle this matter well, you will undoubtedly be rewarded.”

A sphere appeared in her hand.
“This is a magical treasure I refined for practice some days ago, called the ‘Thunder Spirit Pearl.’
It can store and release thunderous power.
While not a Golden Core-level treasure, it can dominate among Foundation Establishment cultivators.
If you perform well, this will be yours.”

She presented one treasure, saying she would reward three people.
It couldn’t be divided…

The three faction leaders exchanged glances, a glint of fervor appearing in their eyes.
They coveted this item greatly; it was an extremely useful and valuable defensive artifact.

“Senior Brother, rest assured!
We will absolutely not fail your commission!
We will ensure the truth of that day’s events comes to light!”

Qi Xiao nodded in satisfaction.
She wasn’t concerned about these three colluding to feed her false information to cheat her out of the treasure.
After all, she was Golden Core; they were merely Foundation Establishment.
The consequences of deceiving her were something they could not afford.
She had been Peak Lord for five years now.
On Dao Sword Peak, she wielded absolute authority.