Chapter 124: Vice Sect Leader

Chapter 124: Chapter 124: Vice Sect Leader

In a teahouse within the Immortal City.

Several late-stage Qi Refining cultivators were discussing the rumors that had recently been stirring up a commotion in the Immortal City.

"So the Wang family’s old ancestor was actually framed. That’s why he failed his breakthrough to the late-stage Foundation Establishment, leaving him severely injured and on the brink of death."

"And that’s not all. The two Foundation Establishment Pills he had someone refine for him were tampered with."

"Foundation Establishment Pills! And two of them!"

"I heard that a cultivator from our Immortal City even stole the Tier Three Pill Master’s legacy to trade with an outsider!"

"Tsk tsk... a Tier Three Pill Master’s legacy!"

"Who knows if it’s true or not."

...

All sorts of rumors about the Wang family filled the air, and soon, others in the teahouse joined the discussion.

Who doesn’t love gossip? Rumors involving the Immortal City’s upper echelons were a favorite topic among low-tier cultivators.

Judging by their animated expressions, they were dying to have been part of the action themselves.

In a corner of the teahouse, two figures in bamboo hats listened to it all, each with a different expression.

One of them suddenly chuckled and sent a telepathic message, "Mistress, you plotted so carefully to betray Master and join the Righteous Dao. But from the looks of it, these Orthodox Cultivators don’t seem quite as ’righteous’ as you imagined!"

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the figure he called Mistress. He reached out a hand and flippantly lifted the veil of her bamboo hat, revealing the face beneath.

If Li Ping had been there, he would have easily recognized this cultivator called Mistress as the former shopkeeper of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, Fairy Miaorou.

Right after he had successfully reached Foundation Establishment, Miaorou had tried to hire him to escort a shipment of goods out of the city in exchange for a stalk of Tier Two Middle Grade Spirit Wood.

However, considering he had offended Dai Sangyu, Li Ping figured someone might be lying in wait for him outside the city, so he had refused her.

"Hmph." Hearing his message, Miaorou snorted coldly, her face like frost. "You have the gall to call me Mistress? In all the time on this journey, have you once treated me as such?"

Thinking back on what she had endured on the road, even with all her life experience, Miaorou couldn’t help but feel a surge of shame.

Several years ago, after cooperating with Mr. Yan and Fenglan Master to successfully force Yan Liming to flee using the Blood Wing Escape Skill, she had returned to the Qi Kingdom with Mr. Yan, as she was distrustful of Fenglan Master.

Unexpectedly, when she returned to the Qi Kingdom, she discovered that the Daoist Guardian Alliance was already at war with the four great sects of the Demon Dao, and the situation in the kingdom was unstable.

After returning to Jixia Immortal City, she had kept a low profile and remained inside the city to cultivate, considering her past as a member of the Demon Dao and hoping to avoid the great war.

But she never expected that Yan Liming’s eldest disciple would use a hidden mark placed on a Dharma Artifact he had once given her to track her down, subdue her, and carry her away.

And now, after all that, she had somehow ended up back in Fenglan Immortal City!

"You must be joking, Mistress." Slender, bloodless fingers caressed Miaorou’s face. "I am Master’s disciple. Since Master is dead, it’s only natural that I inherit everything of his. And that, of course, includes you, Mistress."

Miaorou sneered at his words. "I made myself very clear. Yan Liming isn’t dead. He used an Escape Technique to get away. Your desire to get his Storage Bag is nothing but a foolish dream."

"Hehe... It was indeed impressive for Master to escape from the siege of two mid-stage Core Formation cultivators. But our Sect’s Blood Wing Escape Skill is not so easily used." The soft, sinister voice whispered directly in Miaorou’s ear. "Even if Master isn’t dead, he’ll likely have no choice but to attempt Possession. I’m just here to see him off. Once Master is on his way, you can return to the Sect with me, Mistress. Won’t that be a joyous occasion?"

Miaorou looked up, catching a glimpse through a gap of an utterly sinister and bloodless young face.

Liu Wusheng, a rising star of the Blood Shadow Sect, disciple of the Core Formation cultivator Yan Liming, and a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator himself!

...

The rumors spreading rampantly through the Immortal City were, of course, the work of the Meng family’s ancestor.

With Wang Xingwei unconscious, he had no way of confirming whether the contents of the Jade Scroll in his hand were true or false.

Under these circumstances, he certainly didn’t dare go and report it to Fenglan Master.

So, he simply disseminated the events described in the Jade Scroll through the Meng family’s secret channels.

With such explosive news, it didn’t take long for the cultivators to spread it themselves, until it had naturally blanketed the entire Immortal City.

The Meng family’s ancestor was waiting—waiting for public outrage to swell to a point where it could no longer be suppressed.

Then, he would join with the other families to righteously petition Fenglan Master to thoroughly investigate the rumors.

This way, even if Fenglan Master investigated and found the rumors to be completely baseless, he could blame the rumors themselves and avoid being charged with making false accusations.

...

"How... How could this be!" Inside a cavern residence on Cyan Dragon Mountain, Ye Chen paced back and forth in his courtyard anxiously. His expression flickered as he snarled, "Hu Feng, you dared to break our pact!"

He was shrewd enough to guess what was happening. For the rumors to have spread so far and wide, something must have happened to Hu Feng. And there was almost certainly a powerful faction fanning the flames from behind the scenes.

’The next step will probably be someone petitioning Master to investigate this matter!’ A decisive glint flashed in Ye Chen’s eyes. ’I can’t stay in the Immortal City. I have to leave first and figure things out later! I’ll use the excuse of going out for training while Master’s attention is elsewhere. I can come back after this blows over.’

With that thought, he strode unhesitatingly toward the base of Cyan Dragon Mountain.

A shadow of gloom crossed Ye Chen’s eyes. ’I hope it’s not too late!’

He knew that in this Magical Combat, he was exposed and unprepared, while his opponent was hidden in the shadows. Since they had already made a move, they must have a comprehensive plan. They probably wouldn’t let him leave the Immortal City so easily.

Sure enough, not long after he left his cavern residence, a figure blocked his path.

Ye Chen recognized him at a glance: it was Zhang Tie, the man who had gotten lucky and reached Foundation Establishment a few years ago, and was also taken in as a disciple by their Master.

"Senior Brother Ye, I was just looking for you." Zhang Tie gave an honest, simple smile. "I want to go to the Secret Skill Pavilion to pick out a few basic books on Artifact Refining."

Hearing this, Ye Chen’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately recalled Zhang Tie’s connection to the Meng family. ’He married a woman from the Meng family.’

"Junior Brother Zhang, I have some urgent business to attend to. Would later be more convenient?" Ye Chen forced a smile. "Just tell me which books you need, and I’ll personally deliver them to you later."

Zhang Tie, unsuspecting, was delighted. "Thank you so much, Senior Brother Ye! I need *Handling of Cold-Attribute Materials*... and a few others."

"Alright, I’ve made a note of it." Ye Chen nodded, getting rid of Zhang Tie, then hurried toward the mountain exit.

But just as he reached the mountain gate, he saw Meng Qingyi standing there, as if waiting for him.

Ye Chen cursed inwardly, but his expression remained calm as he greeted her respectfully, "Senior Sister Meng."

After greeting her, he tried to leave, but Meng Qingyi shifted slightly, blocking his path. "Junior Brother Ye, some nasty rumors have been spreading through the city recently. I hope that until this is resolved, you will remain on the mountain."

At her words, the color drained from Ye Chen’s face!

...

「In the pavilion.」

Listening to Zhang Tie describe the recent events on Cyan Dragon Mountain, Li Ping felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him. ’Ah, how satisfying!’

According to Zhang Tie’s account, not long after the rumors began to run rampant through the Immortal City, seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Heroic Clans, including the Meng family’s ancestor, went to Cyan Dragon Mountain together to request an audience with Fenglan Master.

Because the matter concerned the reputation of the Immortal City, as well as their most valued disciple, Dai Sangyu, Fenglan Master actually came out of seclusion to investigate. Under Fenglan Master’s soul-bewitching arts, Ye Chen confessed on the spot, spilling everything about his schemes like beans from a bamboo tube.

Next was Xiong Pohai, who was found to have not been involved in the matter.

Finally, there was Dai Sangyu, who was also not involved.

The entire affair turned out to be the work of Ye Chen alone, which Li Ping found rather disappointing.

But what made Li Ping happiest was Fenglan Master’s final punishment.

Ye Chen, having committed numerous grave crimes, was stripped of all his positions in the Immortal City and thrown into the Immortal Prison, where he lost his freedom and would await a chance to atone for his sins through meritorious service.

Dai Sangyu, for her failure in supervision, was stripped of her position as Vice Sect Leader by Fenglan Master and ordered into seclusion to reflect on her mistakes.

The one who benefited most from this turmoil was undoubtedly the Meng family.

Fenglan Master disliked worldly affairs and spent most of the year in secluded cultivation.

After Dai Sangyu was removed from her post, the position of Vice Sect Leader ultimately fell to Meng Qingyi. Now, if Li Ping were to see her, he would have to address her as Sect Leader Meng.

In addition to the position of Vice Sect Leader, there was also Ye Chen’s former position as manager of the Secret Skill Pavilion, as well as the logistics manager position that Meng Qingyi had vacated.

What Li Ping found quite surprising was that, according to Zhang Tie, Fenglan Master had seen his honest and simple face, deemed him a trustworthy person, and thus gave him the position of logistics manager.

As for the position of manager of the Secret Skill Pavilion, it was given to a Foundation Establishment cultivator from another family.

Li Ping couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. Zhang Tie had really struck it lucky.

Everyone knew the logistics department of the Immortal City was a lucrative post. If not for the opportunity to become Vice Sect Leader, the Meng family would probably never have been willing to give it up.

’But Zhang Tie married a woman from the Meng family; he’s their son-in-law. Maybe the Meng family pulled some strings to make this happen?’ Li Ping silently mused.

But no matter what, the scheme he had set in motion had not only allowed him to get a little revenge, but had also, by a strange twist of fate, secured a great benefit for his little brother!

In the future, he might be able to use Zhang Tie’s connections to obtain some rare Spirit Medicines, materials, and so on.

Li Ping was very satisfied with his handiwork.

...

「Inside the palace at the summit of Cyan Dragon Mountain.」

The veiled Fenglan Master smiled at the disciple before them. "You are not far from Core Formation, are you? Take this opportunity to divest yourself of worldly affairs and focus on your cultivation in seclusion!"

Dai Sangyu nodded respectfully. "Yes, Master!"

What Li Ping didn’t know was that...

The reason Fenglan Master had stripped Dai Sangyu of her position as Vice Sect Leader wasn’t as a punishment for her poor supervision. Rather, Dai Sangyu had reached the critical moment to attempt her breakthrough to Core Formation and could no longer be distracted by trivial matters.

Even if this incident hadn’t occurred, Fenglan Master would have replaced her with Meng Qingyi to handle the sect’s worldly affairs.

As the highest combat power of a Sect, a Core Formation Cultivator only needed to strengthen themselves and accept the offerings of the entire Sect!