In the backyard garden of the Zhu family mansion, Madame Bai Hua, accompanied by Ning Ying, once again found Meng Qi.
“Master Poisonous Hand is indeed extraordinary. He allowed Wu Hengjian to ‘barely’ escape,” she said with a charming smile, her eyes sparkling. Ning Ying also wore an expression of admiration and reverence.
Meng Qi feigned indifference and asked, “How did he spread the news? And where is he hiding now?”
Due to the previous eerie incident involving the demonic mark, Meng Qi genuinely wanted to capture Wu Hengjian.
“He sent messages to Lord Yun Shisan and Lady Yun Qi, claiming he narrowly escaped assassination. He described the enemy’s strength as unfathomable and suspected a connection to Lord Yun’s death,” Madame Bai Hua replied with a smile behind her hand. “However, he admitted he couldn’t identify the enemy’s true identity, only offering a rough description. As for where he’s hiding now, even Lord Yun Shisan and Lady Yun Qi are unaware.”
Meng Qi, fearing exposure of his intentions, did not press further and smiled at Madame Bai Hua, “Madame is never one to visit without purpose. I suspect your visit today isn’t merely to praise me?”
“Master Poisonous Hand sees clearly across thousands of miles. I dare not hide anything from you,” Madame Bai Hua laughed heartily, openly admitting her motive. “Earlier, Wu Hengjian expressed suspicions about Lord Yun’s suspicious death. Although there’s no concrete evidence, Lord Yun Jiu and I feel there may be some truth to it. To prevent unforeseen complications, we wish to confirm whether Lord Yun truly passed away peacefully.”
They suspected Lord Yun had faked his death to eliminate internal family threats. Without confirmation, many plans could not proceed.
“What does this have to do with me? To verify whether Lord Yun is truly dead, wouldn’t it be easier for the direct descendants of the Yun family?” Meng Qi stood by the window, idly toying with the flowers in the vase, his tone flat and emotionless.
“Lord Yun Jiu has indeed sensed and tested, but remains uncertain. Later, considering our faction’s expertise in dark and sinister arts, he asked me for help. Thus, I came to invite Master Poisonous Hand to assist. In the past, you were skilled in deadly martial arts, surely superior in discerning life and death energies compared to ordinary grandmasters. This skill is particularly useful now,” Madame Bai Hua explained. “I can’t think of a better candidate.”
The reputation of the Poisonous Hand Demon Monarch was formidable, and some of his famous techniques and martial arts were known to others. However, since his recent extraordinary encounter significantly enhanced his power, it was understandable that he no longer used those techniques. This did not mean, however, that he had forgotten them.
Meng Qi was intrigued by Lord Yun’s death but could not admit to knowing any deadly martial arts, not even the surface-level energy circulation routes. He nodded slightly, “I shall accompany you to take a look.”
He paused, turned around, and walked toward Madame Bai Hua with his hands behind his back, “But don’t try to take advantage of the situation to ensure Lord Yun’s death, no matter what.”
“Master, why would you say that?” Madame Bai Hua feigned surprise, her eyes flickering, while Ning Ying lowered her gaze, remaining composed.
“If Lord Yun is truly dead, any action would be futile. If he is alive, with his strength and precautions, unless your sect can summon a divine weapon or a half-step Dharma Body,” Meng Qi smiled ambiguously at the two women.
“We are but a small sect, with neither divine weapons nor half-step Dharma Bodies. Master worries needlessly!” Madame Bai Hua forced a smile, though it appeared strained.
“Then that’s best. I merely seek a half-step external cauldron virgin. If the risk is too great, I will withdraw immediately,” Meng Qi glanced at Ning Ying.
“Senior, rest assured,” Ning Ying promptly replied, her expression tinged with disappointment, evoking sympathy.
…
At the Yun family’s estate, Meng Qi tugged at his monk’s robe, feeling somewhat helpless. Circumstances had once again led him to disguise himself as a monk.
Rather than being secretly led in by Yun Jiu, Meng Qi, Madame Bai Hua, and Ning Ying entered openly as envoys from the “Qianli Island” in the Eastern Sea, attending the mourning ceremony. This approach avoided many potential issues, as the Yun family was currently in a state of hidden turmoil, with arrays secretly activated, and no one could be certain whether the mourning hall was under surveillance. Thus, Yun Jiu dared not be careless.
The “Qianli Island” was deep in the Eastern Sea, not particularly renowned, but it had business dealings with the Yun family, making it natural for them to send envoys to attend the mourning. The elderly man currently walking ahead of Meng Qi was the genuine envoy of Qianli Island, known as “Wanshou,” one of the two chief guardians alongside “Qianshou,” both being top martial artists.
He was clearly familiar with Madame Bai Hua and Ning Ying, prompting Meng Qi to suspect that Qianli Island might be a front for the Su Nu Sect!
Therefore, Madame Bai Hua and Ning Ying could easily pose as disciples accompanying the envoy from Qianli Island. As for Meng Qi, perhaps because they valued this disguise and feared exposure, they positioned him as a high-ranking monk from a temple on Qianli Island, skilled in guiding departed souls to the Pure Land.
This allowed Meng Qi to approach the coffin openly, as Yun Jiu was the one overseeing the mourning hall today.
Dressed in a yellow monk’s robe and a red kasaya, Meng Qi appeared aged and dignified, walking slowly with a transformed aura, concealing his true identity as the Poisonous Hand Demon Monarch.
However, this was merely a standard disguise. Meng Qi dared not use the Ba Jiu Transformation again, fearing that Madame Bai Hua and Ning Ying might deduce his true identity from such clues.
As for his hair, under the initial mastery of “Flesh and Blood with Spirit,” it could regrow within a few breaths!
The Yun family was draped in white, with everyone wearing mourning clothes. The people they encountered, whether sincerely grieving or not, all displayed deep sorrow.
After a while, Meng Qi and the others arrived at the mourning hall, where Yun Jiu, dressed in mourning attire, stood by the door to greet the guests.
He appeared middle-aged, with small but sharp eyes, politely returning greetings. Finally, he feigned formality and asked, “And who might this master be?”
Wanshou replied, “This is Master Fazheng from the Wan Nian Temple on Qianli Island, skilled in guiding departed souls. I specially invited him here to see if he could assist.”
In this world, there were true Pure Lands, and guiding departed souls was not mere pretense. Although Buddhism was not widely believed, the other mourners present were visibly moved and bowed in gratitude.
“We have already prepared the necessary rituals and would not dare trouble the master. However, if the master does not mind, we would appreciate your help in checking whether the arrangements in the mourning hall are appropriate,” Yun Jiu said politely but not warmly.
To others, he seemed indifferent to such matters, merely giving the guests a bit of face.
Meng Qi joined his palms, softly chanting a Buddhist mantra, his aura inwardly restrained, exuding calmness and serenity amid his aged demeanor. He stepped into the mourning hall, sensing the cosmic energies, carefully inspecting the surroundings without approaching the coffin, earning silent praise from those present for the monk’s discretion.
In reality, Meng Qi’s eyes had turned deep and unfathomable, within which countless brilliant yet mysterious starlines seemed to emerge. What he saw was no longer the ordinary world, but a mystical realm woven from countless illusory starlines.
He had secretly activated the “Karmic Entanglement” technique!
The person inside the coffin had only a few karmic threads remaining, swaying in the wind, originating from the void and leading to different places. Some were attached to the corpse, while others extended into unknown regions, as if continuing their entanglements into the next life!
After carefully observing for a moment, Meng Qi slightly furrowed his brows. The person inside was indeed Lord Yun, and most of his karmic connections had already been severed, no longer existing in this world.
In other words, Lord Yun was truly dead!
From a karmic perspective, he had already passed away!
“Having exchanged for a longevity pill but still dying of old age…” Meng Qi focused on those few karmic threads.
Although he could not discern their specific contents, he could roughly judge that some of the karmic origins were strange, so entangled that even death could not sever them, their nature unknown. Others were the karmic threads directly related to the event of death itself. If given more time, these karmic threads would completely vanish, and even with Meng Qi’s mastery of the Karmic Entanglement technique, he would no longer be able to “see” them.
Staring at the “karmic threads of death,” Meng Qi etched them into his memory, planning to study them later.
He withdrew his gaze, his eyes returning to normal. At that moment, he sensed the mourning hall had fallen into complete silence, with all eyes fixed upon him.
“Master truly is a great monk of the Buddha’s teachings. I was disrespectful earlier,” Yun Jiu changed his attitude from avoidance to deep respect.
Just moments ago, he had suddenly sensed a change in the cosmic energies within the mourning hall, filled with indescribable profundity. Following this sensation, he noticed that Master Fazheng’s aura was ethereal, transcending worldly concerns, untouched and unstained, beyond conventional laws!
This unfathomable yet distinctly Buddhist feeling convinced him that this was indeed a true high-ranking monk, so he dared not be careless.
The others in the mourning hall regained their composure and followed suit in expressing gratitude.
Madame Bai Hua secretly transmitted her voice, her tone more solemn and surprised, “Master, you are truly unfathomable, with so many secret techniques. May I ask, can you determine Lord Yun’s life or death?”
“He is already dead,” Meng Qi affirmed confidently.
“I see…” Madame Bai Hua murmured, saying nothing further. After paying their respects with Wanshou, they slowly exited the mourning hall.
At that moment, a voice echoed:
“He Jiu, the young master of the Eastern Sea Sword Manor, accompanied by Huang Taichong, the Supreme Elder of the Sword Manor, and Elder He Xiu, has come to pay respects!”
He Jiu had arrived? So early?
Wasn’t the Eastern Sea Sword Manor supposed to be among the last to arrive?
A young master accompanied by two Grandmasters—this was quite an impressive entourage…
The Immortal Venerable Changsheng had also arrived…
Meng Qi’s thoughts swirled as he, like the others in the mourning hall, felt surprised. Yun Jiu, equally astonished and doubtful, hurried to the door to greet them.
Shortly after, He Jiu arrived at the mourning hall with an elderly man whose hair had turned yellow, the stern-faced He Xiu, and, surprisingly, Wu Hengjian!
Wu Hengjian… Meng Qi quietly stepped back a pace.
To encounter him in such a setting—would his “simple” disguise hold?
Wu Hengjian did not notice Meng Qi, his gaze directly fixed on the coffin.
Ah, so he had come to verify the cause of Lord Yun’s death… Meng Qi suddenly understood.
He Jiu scanned the entire hall and suddenly asked, “And who might this master be?”
He secretly transmitted his voice to Huang Taichong, He Xiu, and Wu Hengjian, saying that the monk in the mourning hall seemed vaguely familiar, yet he couldn’t accurately identify him.
“This is Master Fazheng from Qianli Island,” Yun Jiu introduced.
“Even I feel a strange sense about him,” Huang Taichong secretly replied to He Jiu.
The Eastern Sea Sword Manor was divided into five branches, taking turns to lead. However, since He Liu, the He family branch had grown too powerful to control, always holding the position of Manor Lord. Huang Taichong was the leader of another branch, the “Myriad Sword Academy,” a Grandmaster ranked on the Earth List.
His eyes suddenly locked onto Meng Qi, concealing a sword intent, intending secretly to pierce through Meng Qi’s hidden aura!
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