The steward spoke correctly – the Wei family’s ancestors indeed had deep connections with the founding Emperor.

Unless there were special circumstances, the Wei family was also unwilling to have conflicts and disputes with members of the Xia surname royal family.

However, Wei Jingfeng was concerned about those stolen remnant pages, so he spoke up: “I wonder what belongings this person left behind in the palace – could they all be handed over to my Wei family?”

That steward smiled without warmth: “When he initially came to seek refuge with the prince with his daughter, aside from worn clothes, he had nothing else. I don’t know what you’re asking about – could you be more specific?”

Wei Jingfeng couldn’t be specific, as this matter had too great implications. Since the steward firmly denied it and they couldn’t enter the residence, they could only plan for the long term. It would be better to first inform his mother and discuss countermeasures with her.

Thinking of this, Wei Jingfeng silently drew his demon-slaying axe that was shaped like a scythe from his waist. In front of the four major sects, he swung his blade to sever Wei Di’s head from the corpse, then prepared to lead the Wei family away, carrying the head.

However, the four major sects had suffered heavy losses, their anger unabated, and unable to enter the palace, this resentment kept them from backing down gracefully.

Just then, Qinhe, sitting in his sedan chair, said in a thread-like voice: “This Wei Di had such great ability… Wei family head, if you had informed us earlier, perhaps we could have avoided the puppet parasite tragedy…”

That’s right – this Wei Di had escaped from the Wei family. The father and daughter bringing disaster to the cultivation world also implicated the demon-hunting Wei family in harboring a tiger!

So the anger that couldn’t find an outlet finally found a target, all directed at the Wei family.

Some mean-spirited disciples from the four major sects also cursed and scolded the Wei family, saying things like the Wei family harbored a tiger, making them accomplices in causing this disaster.

The Wei family was so scheming, not announcing to the world early to expose Wei Di – this was deliberate, intending to weaken the four major sects’ strength and then replace them!

With such clamoring and cursing, the prestigious sect leaders and elders of each major sect didn’t speak up to stop it, apparently discarding their benefactors after use, completely forgetting the favor of the Wei family, which extended a helping hand to remove their parasites.

Wei Jingfeng was not eloquent and too lazy to argue with these shallow people.

But the Wei family’s twin daughters, following their father, stared with confused big eyes and walked over, holding thick coffin nails in their hands, manifesting ghost-hand hammers, and suddenly struck in front of the clamoring disciples.

Instantly, hell’s wailing came from the cracked ghost fissures, scaring those disciples with shallow foundations out of their wits. Unable to raise their true qi, they stared straight ahead, looking like they were about to be frightened to death.

This reminded them of the skills these twin daughters had displayed at Qilao Mountain.

A leading elder, knowing his disciples would lose face, immediately placed his palm on the backs of his soul-lost disciples to restore their true qi.

Just then, the younger of the twins finally showed a mocking smile on her face, saying word by word to those who had slandered the Wei family: “If the Wei family wanted someone dead, we wouldn’t bother with such roundabout methods. Don’t you know that when the King of Hell wants you dead, would he let you live past the fifth watch?”

These brain-taxing conspiracies and schemes were what the Wei family disdained most.

If not for bearing the heavy responsibility of guarding the Underworld, where the Wei family’s truly capable powers couldn’t leave, how could they tolerate these four major clowns deceiving the world and stealing fame?

The Wei family was unwilling to be too entangled with worldly affairs. Their ancestors had taught that besides not being allowed to leave Qilao Mountain without permission, they must not get involved in royal and imperial disputes.

Since they guarded the Underworld, they had to stay away from the mortal world. Now that they had dealt with the traitor, they did not need to get too deeply involved with the royal nobility.

The Wei family came quickly and left quickly, disappearing in the blink of an eye, carrying the head.

The remaining crowds from the four major sects looked at each other, surrounding that headless corpse, not knowing how to end this.

If it were truly just a private rebellion by guests supported by Lord Can, secretly engaging in evil deeds, then it would be understandable for a pampered prince to be completely unaware.

But what if he was the one directing Wei Di from behind?

Seeing that the four major sects were still being unreasonable, Qinhe spoke up at the right time, coughing while saying: “Fellow cultivators, please don’t forget that Great Qi’s ancestors once made an oath with the Nine Provinces’ upper gods – the upper gods would bless the Great Qi royal family to live their full hundred years and die peacefully in their beds. So for two hundred years, the Great Qi royal family has rarely had those who died young or met violent deaths – this is the upper gods’ favor to the Great Qi Xia family. Although Lord Can is confused and cannot distinguish loyalty from treachery, since he has already awakened and is making amends, it’s not too late. Otherwise, who among you is willing to lose a hundred years of cultivation and offend the upper gods’ oath to make things difficult for the Great Qi royal family?”

What Qinhe said was true – the Great Qi Xia family was a clan blessed by heavenly mandate, which was one of the reasons Great Qi had thrived for three hundred years without decline.

Now everyone fell silent.

That black-moled, white-haired steward mockingly smiled, bowed to everyone once more, then strutted away.

He didn’t even close the door; he just had guards leave the palace gates wide open, acting as if they could come and go freely as they pleased.

Qinhe’s words had already made the four major sects’ people start their calculations: Although Lord Can was an idle prince, he was still a legitimate descendant of the Great Qi royal family. Their royal family surely had divine contracts – those who dared harm royal descendants would suffer the backlash of divine contracts.

Heaven protects the sons of gods with such favor!

Now that the prince had also given face to the four major sects by handing over the Wei family traitor. If they still wouldn’t let go, when word spread, it would easily become the four major sects interfering in worldly affairs and persecuting royal descendants.

Moreover, if they accidentally killed Lord Can, bearing a life on their hands was a small matter, but if they suffered divine contract backlash and lost a hundred years of cultivation, wouldn’t their lifetime of cultivation be hopeless?

Elder Wumu Peak had always been slippery. Once he figured this out, he immediately changed his tune smoothly: “Since we’ve made Lord Can repent and purge the treacherous villains around him, our painstaking efforts haven’t been in vain.”

In short, after a round of disputes, the powerful figures gathered at the palace gates each left some harsh words, and all scattered like birds and beasts.

When the officials withdrew and the street became deserted again, that white-haired steward appeared at the door again.

He looked around and asked a servant beside him: “Among that group just now, were there the master-disciple pair Cui Xiaoxiao and Wei Jie that the prince mentioned?”

That servant was the prince’s attendant. Hearing the steward’s question, he quickly replied: “Reporting to Master, those who came were all from the four major sects and the Wei family, not that master-disciple pair…”

Hearing this, the white-haired man squinted his eyes and muttered to himself: “They didn’t appear? They’re quite patient…”

After saying this, he turned to go back, but suddenly turned his head to glance at the large tree where Cui Xiaoxiao and her disciple were located.

Xiaoxiao and Wei Jie simultaneously closed their eyes and concentrated, raising the spiritual power projected onto the talisman characters to the highest level.

Xiaoxiao’s invisibility talisman worked well, not only hiding their forms but also concealing their auras. So just now, neither the four major sects nor the Wei family had discovered them.

But that black-moled steward’s perception was more acute than those famous powers, actually detecting them?

When Xiaoxiao and the others closed their eyes, concentrating also closed their five senses, bringing the invisibility talisman’s effectiveness to its highest realm.

So after that white-haired man looked around and found nothing amiss, he finally ordered someone to close the door.

Wei Jie observed the white-haired man for a while, then pulled Xiaoxiao down from the tree. After reuniting with Tang Youshu and Yu Ling’er on the back street, he turned to ask Xiaoxiao beside him: “Everyone else has withdrawn, should we leave too?”

After asking, he noticed that the young girl beside him seemed to have been in a daze all along.

Xiaoxiao originally wasn’t entirely certain that the person she saw in the broken mirror was Qin Lingxiao’s father, especially since he should have been seriously injured at Autumn Water Pool long ago.

But just now, when everyone was attacking Lord Can’s palace, this respected Qinhe seemed to be leading the attack on the palace, but at the crucial moment, a few words subtly changed the situation.

This made Xiaoxiao suspect his position and the relationship between this paragon of human righteousness and Lord Can.

When Wei Jie asked her again, Xiaoxiao finally came to her senses.

She looked back at the towering sacred beast statue on the palace tower, knowing that the palace couldn’t be entered to investigate for now.

However, she couldn’t help but mention to Wei Jie her suspicions about Lingyun Pavilion’s pavilion lord Qinhe.

Thinking of this, Xiaoxiao told Wei Jie about her doubts.

Wei Jie listened with a stern expression and said, “In that case, why don’t we go investigate that seriously injured pavilion lord?”

With that, they proceeded in the direction Lingyun Pavilion had left, seeing if they could catch up with Lingyun Pavilion’s people.

On the road, Xiaoxiao remembered Wei Jie’s look when observing that white-haired man, so she asked if he recognized who that white-haired person was.

Unexpectedly, Wei Jie looked at her meaningfully and said lightly: “You don’t recognize him? I thought your Talismonger Sect and the Ghost Sect should share the same origin!”

Xiaoxiao felt there was meaning behind his words, so she asked again: “Ghost Sect? What kind of school is this?”

Seeing that Xiaoxiao truly didn’t know, Wei Jie slowly explained.

It turned out this Ghost Sect was a school that was even more hidden than the four major sects.

As the name suggested, the Ghost Sect was skilled in ghost-controlling arts, and like the Talismonger Sect, used talismans as carriers to project powerful spiritual force.

However, this type of cultivation had gradually entered the evil path.

Moreover, this school was obsessed with making magical instruments from various human bones and skin, making people shudder, so righteous cultivators disdained associating with them.

The current master of this generation’s Ghost Sect was the evil hand Wan Lian Shi.

It was said this person had once slaughtered an entire border tribe to make a single talisman, and had been denounced and hunted by the previous generation’s four major sect leaders.

Unfortunately, he later disappeared without a trace, and no one had heard of the Ghost Sect’s name for a long time.

That Wan Lian Shi had once suffered qi deviation in his practice, turning his hair white overnight. A hundred years ago, mentioning a white-haired person would inevitably make people think of the Ghost Sect’s evil hand, Wan Lian Shi.

Of course, there were countless white-haired people in the world. If Wei Jie hadn’t experienced the phantom city’s maze array and personally seen human-skin talismans reappear in the world, he wouldn’t have connected it to the long-vanished Wan Lian Shi.

Of course, that white-haired person’s aura when facing the four major sects just now was truly too strong, not the bearing of a palace servant should have, which couldn’t help but make Wei Jie suspicious.

Hearing this, Xiaoxiao suddenly understood. So, from the first time Wei Jie saw her use talismans and saw her talisman characters, he suspected she had countless connections with the long-disappeared Ghost Sect.

Recalling Wei Jie’s various tests when they first met, Xiaoxiao drew a sharp breath, finally understanding the deeper meaning behind Wei Jie’s becoming her disciple.

She had pitied this child for having no sect to accept him, rewarding him with a sect’s livelihood. But he was enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens, lurking under the Lingshan Talismonger Sect to investigate whether she had connections with the Ghost Sect!

After figuring this out, Xiaoxiao immediately stopped in her tracks, angrily pointing her finger at Wei Jie’s forehead: “So you… If you suspected from the beginning that my Lingshan Talismonger Sect wasn’t righteous, why did you still become my disciple?”

Wei Jie raised an eyebrow and slowly said, “I was only suspicious at first, but quickly dismissed that notion. I just felt you should only share the same origin as the Ghost Sect, but you weren’t on the same path. After all, if you had truly entered the evil path and still ended up with a declining sect, nearly starving yourself to death, that would be too pathetic an evil path…”

His explanation was worse than no explanation – Xiaoxiao couldn’t catch her breath again!

So she was too stupid to even qualify for the evil path?

Before she could glare and speak again, Wei Jie had already pulled her along to rush forward. If they didn’t hurry, they wouldn’t be able to catch up with Lingyun Pavilion’s people!

Xiaoxiao also knew this wasn’t the time for arguments, but she once again realized the unfathomable depth of her disciple’s schemes!

Such a cunning mind – it would be a shame if he didn’t become a demon!

Speaking of Lingyun Pavilion’s disciples, after leaving the city, they bid farewell to the other three major sects.

Qinhe, remembering the illusion he saw in the phantom realm reflecting his son’s inner thoughts – the fake body kissing that “Cui Xiaoxiao” – looked meaningfully at his son and slowly asked: “I wonder what you did after we separated, and whether you encountered any special people?”

Hearing his father’s question, Qin Lingxiao picked some things he could talk about and briefly mentioned his experiences.

However, regarding Cui Xiaoxiao’s matters, he naturally simplified as much as possible.

After all, both he and Xiaoxiao had traveled back from two hundred years in the future. Such secrets that interfered with heavenly mysteries couldn’t be told even to his father.

But his father, perhaps having questioned the attendants who had been with him, suddenly asked pointedly: “What is your relationship with that Talismonger Sect’s Cui Xiaoxiao?”

Qin Lingxiao lowered his long eyes, pursed his lips, and said: “She’s just a sect leader of a third-rate Talismonger Sect. What relationship could I have with her? She just once stole something from me, and I wanted to teach her a lesson.”

Qinhe looked meaningfully at his son and said lightly, “Xiao’er, your cultivation has progressed rapidly recently, making me quite proud. You must know that with your talent, you’re beyond the reach of many cultivators in the world! You must treasure this talent and absolutely not delay yourself with romantic entanglements, wasting your cultivation. When you achieve great success, even if you want to find a dao companion, it should be someone like your mother – a daughter of a great sect, not some girl of unknown origin!”

Hearing his father’s lecture, Qin Lingxiao felt his father was worrying unnecessarily.

Although he had once voluntarily proposed marrying Cui Xiaoxiao, it was a helpless measure to control the demonic nature within his body.

Under normal circumstances, he naturally knew it would be impossible for him to marry a woman like Cui Xiaoxiao.

So everything his father said was right. But somehow, hearing it made him inexplicably uncomfortable.

He was too lazy to think about why he felt uncomfortable, only defending that woman: “Although Cui Xiaoxiao isn’t from a great cultivation sect, she’s naturally intelligent with extremely strong comprehension. If she could find a famous teacher, in my opinion, she wouldn’t be inferior to many daughters of prominent families. I originally wanted to persuade her to join our Lingyun Pavilion, adding some spiritually gifted disciples to Lingyun Pavilion…”

At this time, Xiaoxiao and Wei Jie were using invisibility talismans, concealing their auras and hiding among Lingyun Pavilion’s group.

Hearing Qin Lingxiao’s defense of her, Xiaoxiao was somewhat surprised.

In her eyes, Qin Lingxiao, such a young talent from the world’s number one sword sect, was like an inflated leather bag – full of hot air and always tense.

Such a person, who did things rigidly and rarely spoke, was now strongly praising her intelligence to his father?

This was truly unexpected. She thought Qin Lingxiao looked down on her. She hadn’t expected that in front of his father, this Qin fellow would keep praising her.

Qinhe seemed not to have expected that his usually filial and obedient son would argue with him over Cui Xiaoxiao.

His face couldn’t help but darken: “Is my Lingyun Pavilion some wild sect or mountain temple? Taking in any birds and beasts? You’ve been wandering around recently, becoming increasingly negligent! Return to Lingyun Pavilion immediately! Copy the sect rules from the palace walls a hundred times! Without my orders, you’re not allowed to leave the pavilion casually!”

After saying this, he seemed unable to catch his breath and coughed several times.

Seeing his father angry and his injuries not yet healed, Qin Lingxiao couldn’t help but worry and want to support him: “No! If I leave, who will escort Father?”

Having been a sect leader in the future for a long time, even facing his father, he unconsciously spoke with some authority.

Seeing his usually well-behaved son still arguing with him, Qinhe became even more furious and said coldly: “Are you trying to anger me to death? Can’t Lingyun Pavilion function without you, this little brat? I still have other matters and won’t be returning for now. Hurry back to see your mother!”

Seeing his father truly angry, Qin Lingxiao didn’t want his blood circulation to be too rapid, so he finally bid farewell to his father and rushed away with several attendants.

Xiaoxiao and Wei Jie didn’t follow, but continued silently following Qinhe.

After Qin Lingxiao left, Qinhe immediately changed direction, turning back toward Luoyi City for a while, coming to a dense forest where he instructed his attendants: “Guard outside the forest. Without my orders, no one is allowed to enter.”

After saying this, he got up from his sedan chair, leaning on a cane and walking into the forest.

Initially, while still given his many disciples, Qinhe walked with faltering steps, but once out of his disciples’ sight, his steps became increasingly steady and quick, and his originally hunched back straightened.

Following behind, Xiaoxiao and Wei Jie couldn’t help but feel alarmed: It seemed this Qinhe truly had problems – his injuries were all fake!

Because they were afraid Qinhe might discover them, the two didn’t get too close, instead staying in a tall tree as before, monitoring Qinhe from above.

After Qinhe pinched his nose and made a sound like a night owl’s call, a black-clothed figure walked out from the depths of the dense forest.

Xiaoxiao and Wei Jie looked closely by moonlight – this man had a head full of strange white hair and a conspicuous mole beside his mouth. Wasn’t this exactly the steward from Lord Can’s palace?

They saw Qinhe respectfully bow to that white-haired man and say, “Senior brother, have you been well?”

That steward called senior brother was expressionless, reproaching Qinhe: “You’ve been embracing beauties in Lingyun Pavilion, having children, getting used to being a pavilion lord, and have wasted your abilities! I had already set up the mirror array – you only needed to guard the array’s core. How could you let a little girl break the array? If the mirror array had been intact, these four major sects entering in batches could have been completely absorbed by the phantom city for the master’s use. Where would there be so much trouble?”

Qinhe, as a dignified pavilion lord who had just been imposing in front of his son, was now being scolded by a steward and couldn’t raise his head.

He secretly gritted his teeth and tried to defend himself: “Even if that array core wasn’t broken, according to the master’s intentions, we still had to let that Wei Jie boy come out. Now that he’s slow to become a demon, he’s already interfered with the master’s original plan. If he dies too early, it could ruin everything!”

Hearing this, both people in the tree were simultaneously shocked!

Wei Jie hadn’t expected that damn prince was also scheming against him, but how did he deduce that he could become a demon?

But Cui Xiaoxiao’s inner shock was like raging waves!

She was from two hundred years in the future and naturally knew of Wei Jie’s eventual demonic transformation.

Why was Qinhe also so confident, even looking worried that Wei Jie couldn’t become a demon? Could he also prophesy and understand heavenly dao?

Or had Qin Lingxiao revealed his soul transmigration to his father? Had he also informed him about Wei Jie’s future demonic transformation and massacre of Lingyun Pavilion?

No, based on her understanding of Qin Lingxiao, although he might secretly scheme, he shouldn’t dare casually reveal such heavenly mysteries to others!

If he told his father, wouldn’t heavenly punishment implicate his blood relatives?

But if it wasn’t Qin Lingxiao who leaked the secret, then how did Qinhe know about Wei Jie’s future destiny?

It sounded like these sneaky senior and junior brothers were like guardians of heavenly mysteries, scheming to push Wei Jie’s derailed destiny back on track, making him become a demon sooner…

Just then, the conversation between the two below continued.

That white-haired, black-moled senior brother seemed unwilling to dwell too much on Qinhe’s mistakes, saying concisely: “Wei Di is dead, controlling the four major sects with parasites is impossible. Unfortunately, my heart-controlling talismans lack crucial talisman materials and can’t be used temporarily. Besides your Lingyun Pavilion, the other three major sects haven’t been controlled by a master and will eventually be a hidden danger… Also, that escaped female demon Siling must be recaptured. When I left the city just now, I unexpectedly encountered her and could have captured her in one move, but hatefully, someone secretly helped her, letting her escape this tribulation… However, she seems to be looking for someone and probably hasn’t gone far.”

With that, the white-haired man gave Qinhe a talisman: “This is a talisman I recently made. Female demons are skilled at bewitching men. When you encounter her, stick this talisman to your chest to avoid her song’s enchantment.”

When Qinhe received that talisman, Xiaoxiao saw clearly that the talisman in that white-haired man’s hand was the same material as the human-skin talisman stuck beside the bronze mirror in the phantom city.

She then had some realization: If she wasn’t mistaken, that phantom city was the handiwork of this person Qinhe called senior brother!

It seemed he was also an expert at making talismans… Could he be the long-vanished Ghost Sect’s evil hand, Wan Lian Shi, that Wei Jie suspected?