Chapter 613: Arrival at Linhai

In Linhai, the city was draped in white mourning clothes, yet it could not hide the blooming spring flowers and the gentle warmth of the sun.

The carriage passed through long and wide streets, turned into the northern part of the city where aristocratic families gathered, twisted and turned several times, and finally stopped in front of a rather luxurious inn. Meng Qi, Madame Baihua, and Yingning checked into their reserved rooms.

Deep into the night, under Madame Baihua’s lead, they stealthily approached a sprawling, expansive estate. They passed through a slightly open side gate, entered through a half-activated formation, and were led into a pavilion in the back garden by a silent and taciturn servant.

“We shall hide here for the time being,” Madame Baihua said, her seductive smile aimed at Meng Qi after tidying up. Yingning stood behind her.

Meng Qi gave a slight nod, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

During their journey, Yingning had not made any flirtatious advances. Instead, she acted like a refined young lady, shy and reserved, giving off a sense of being both near and far, affectionate yet restrained, maintaining a perfect balance—neither cold and distant nor overly enthusiastic, so as not to cheapen expectations.

Meng Qi merely observed with a critical eye, making no proactive moves, leaving many of Madame Baihua and Yingning’s subtle gestures to go to waste.

Madame Baihua walked to the window, gazing at the colorful garden below and asked, “Does Mr. Poisonous Hands know whose estate this is?”

“I would love to hear the details,” Meng Qi replied, strolling to the window with his hands behind his back.

“Giggle, no one would ever think we’d hide here. Even if we do something in Linhai, as long as we are not caught in the act or pursued directly, no one would suspect this place,” Madame Baihua laughed, her body swaying gracefully. “It’s the ancestral mansion of the Zhu family.”

“Zhu family…” Meng Qi did not hide his surprise.

Before the Yun family rose to prominence, the Zhu and Tie families had already been their servants. Since then, these two families had loyally followed the Yuns through generations, sharing in their ups and downs. Even after being granted freedom and establishing their own lineages, they still considered themselves servants of the Yun family, serving as the secret guards’ right and left leaders, obeying only the head of the family and never interfering in internal affairs. They were always considered one of the pillars of the Yun family.

In this current internal struggle within the Yun family, they remained neutral and were thus a key target for all factions seeking to gain their support.

Had such a family also conspired with evil forces?

As Meng Qi mused on the fleeting nature of beauty, Madame Baihua explained, “The Zhu family has secretly pledged allegiance to Yun Jiuye, Yun Feiyang. We are hidden here at his arrangement; the Zhu family doesn’t know our true identities.”

So that’s how it is… Meng Qi suddenly understood and asked, “So we are supporting Yun Jiuyun?”

The eligible contenders among the Yun family were no longer the direct descendants of Old Master Yun but his great-grandsons. He had lived far too long, nearly outliving two generations. His proper title in the family was “Old Master Yun.”

Yun Jiuyun was a very influential contender in this generation. As a legitimate son, he was around sixty years old and had reached the fifth Heaven’s Ladder. If not for his elder legitimate brother, Yun Er’ye, Yun Feihu, he would likely be the ideal candidate for the family head.

Besides the two brothers, there were also Yun Liuye and Yun Shisan’ye as contenders. The former was seventy years old, had reached the sixth Heaven’s Ladder, had once ranked in the top ten of the Renbang, and had a good chance of becoming a Grandmaster. Being a legitimate son from the previous generation, his status was not much lower than Yun Er’ye and Yun Jiuyun, but his strength and potential were even more impressive. For the Yun family, who leaned more toward Eastern Sea customs, he was actually the best choice.

Yun Shisan’ye was the father of Lady Yun Qi. Since the family had few daughters due to a surplus of males, Lady Yun Qi was especially favored by Old Master Yun, and thus her father was also valued. He was quite capable, fair in judgment, skillful in diplomacy, and no slouch in martial cultivation. He had crossed the first Heaven’s Ladder before he turned fifty and had been the de facto manager of the family’s daily affairs over the past decade, making him a candidate deliberately groomed by Old Master Yun for the family leadership.

Upon hearing Meng Qi’s question, Madame Baihua giggled, “Yun Jiuyun is generous and open-hearted, especially when it comes to his romantic relationships.”

Enough said!

In the following days, Madame Baihua and Yingning often went out secretly. Meng Qi watched coldly from the sidelines, neither impatient nor curious, focusing solely on his cultivation.

The greatest advantage of a sudden breakthrough in cultivation was that it laid the foundation for one’s path. The resonance and connection between the inner world and the laws of the external world were at their strongest, meaning it was closest to the Dao and its principles. This could save a tremendous amount of tedious effort and prevent bottlenecks when cultivating the Dharmakaya, as well as during the initial weaving or fusion with the Dao and its principles. Therefore, when ascending the first two Heavenly Ladders, it could significantly enhance efficiency.

With all the acupoints open and the inner scenery subtly circulating, the Dharmakaya faintly revealed itself. The area around Meng Qi became dim and eerie. By observing the changes in external interference caused by his inner world, he discerned the seemingly unchanging laws and comprehended the Dao and principles within.

Four days later, Madame Baihua and Yingning knocked on Meng Qi’s door.

“Mr. Poisonous Hands, you truly have a calm demeanor. You neither ask about the developments in Linhai nor inquire about our plans or what we are doing,” Madame Baihua said with a feigned look of grievance, watching Meng Qi open the door with composure. The faint frosty whiteness in his temples made him seem eternally poised and unshaken.

Meng Qi glanced at them and smiled lightly, “The affairs of the Yun family have nothing to do with me. Whoever becomes the family head is of no concern to me, so there’s no need to worry.”

“As for you, Madame, such an important matter must not rest your hopes on an outsider like me. I’m sure you have other allies. I only need to do as you ask, Miss Yingning. Am I right, old man?”

His self-reference shifted between “I” and “old man” depending on the person addressed, immediately making Yingning blush.

Madame Baihua always brought Yingning along—this girl was no ordinary one… Meng Qi shifted his gaze to Madame Baihua.

“Mr. Poisonous Hands, you have truly mastered the art of integrating Buddhist principles into demonic techniques. Your mental discipline is indeed exceptional,” Madame Baihua praised, whether sincerely or not.

“Today, we indeed have a task for you, Mr. Poisonous Hands.”

“What is it?” Meng Qi turned around, allowing the two women to enter the room.

Madame Baihua smiled, “The young man that Soul Hunter is looking for has surfaced.”

“Him?” Meng Qi strolled to the window with his hands behind his back.

“Yes. Although he is from the Left Path, he hasn’t committed any serious crimes. He has a wide network of connections and some friendships with many Outer Manifestation-level experts from the righteous sects. Therefore, he must have secretly entered Linhai at some point, using these connections to secretly meet with the Tie and Zhu families’ Outer Manifestation-level experts. He claimed that Old Master Yun’s death was not due to natural causes but was actually assassinated. He requested them to report this to the Eastern Sea Sword School for a thorough investigation before deciding on the family head,” Madame Baihua’s expression turned serious.

“Old Master Yun was assassinated and did not die of natural causes?” Meng Qi feigned surprise but was genuinely curious. It was simple for him, the “herb seller,” to detect the issue. But where did this mysterious young man get his information?

Could there have been obvious signs at the time? If so, why hadn’t others noticed?

Madame Baihua frowned slightly, her finely drawn eyebrows furrowing, “He said that Grandmasters usually have a clear sense of their remaining lifespan and would have some premonition when their time was near, such as preparing their tombs in advance or arranging their affairs. So why did a figure like Old Master Yun suddenly die of old age without appointing a successor, causing the Yun family to fall into internal strife?”

“Perhaps someone deliberately erased these signs because they were unfavorable to them?” Meng Qi raised a question.

But his biggest internal question was that no one seemed to know that Old Master Yun had bought two life-extending pills, making it impossible for him to have died of old age recently!

How could this be?

Yingning interjected, “He claims to have solid evidence and is only waiting for the right moment to reveal it, so the heads of the Tie and Zhu families are skeptical but not entirely dismissive.”

“What does the old man need to do?” Meng Qi looked at Yingning.

“Please Mr. Poisonous Hands to deal with Wu Hengjian,” Madame Baihua smiled again. “But don’t kill him. It would be best if he could escape after giving it his all, creating the illusion that he barely survived.”

“Wu Hengjian? Don’t kill him?” Meng Qi walked back with his hands behind his back.

Yingning said, “He has always called himself Wu Hengjian, but whether that’s his real name is unknown.”

Madame Baihua smiled seductively, “What’s the point of killing a young Outer Manifestation-level cultivator like him? Just scare him a bit, making him think someone couldn’t hold their nerve and tried to silence him. Stirring up the waters will bring benefits.”

“Is this meant to point suspicion toward the others?” Meng Qi smiled slightly, not surprised or concerned.

Madame Baihua winked at Meng Qi, “If Mr. Poisonous Hands says so, then it must be true.”

Meng Qi didn’t ask further, chuckling, “Wu Hengjian managed to evade Soul Hunter’s pursuit. Surely he’s not careless. How easily would his whereabouts be exposed?”

The prerequisite for taking action is being able to find the person!

“Someone will reveal his hiding place,” Madame Baihua smiled seductively.

“I wonder who that might be?” Meng Qi asked casually.

“Yun Shisan’ye,” Madame Baihua smiled at Meng Qi, as if waiting for his surprise.

Meng Qi smiled, calm and composed, “Truly unexpected.”

How many people in the Yun family were involved with these girls, who might be from the Su Nu Sect?

…

The rain poured heavily, and early summer was approaching.

Wu Hengjian, dressed in a black robe, moved under the eaves on both sides of the street, moving like a ghost, flashing by in an instant. Occasionally, he would use a hiding technique to change his position, preventing anyone from tracking him.

The rain splashed heavily on the stone-paved street, creating a sense of isolation and tranquility.

Wu Hengjian slightly slowed his pace, naturally thinking about his plans. Once the news spread, the hidden hand would surely become restless and try to silence him. At that time, deliberately leaking some information and setting up an ambush would allow him to catch the culprit like a fish in a barrel. It would be best if he could lure in Soul Hunter and his group, using their strength to resolve the issue!

In this way, both the Yun family matter and his own predicament could be resolved!

Suddenly, he saw a figure slowly walking toward him through the torrential rain. The person wore a green robe, had frosty temples, and held an oil-paper umbrella, like a middle-aged scholar inspired by poetry due to the heavy rain. However, the man’s weathered elegance was unforgettable.

As soon as he saw this person, a warning bell rang in Wu Hengjian’s heart. Suddenly, it felt as if the rain had disappeared, the clouds had vanished, the long street was gone, and the entire world only contained himself and the green-robed man with a strange charm before him!

Could this be the mastermind behind the scenes?

A great demon of the Left Path?