Chapter 749: Trust Qi Yi?
Kongshan Sect’s Imperial Law Court. Supreme Authority.
Chen Yan had never imagined that Supreme Imperial Law Elder Huo’s name would appear on such an inconspicuous list.
He had no idea what this list represented, but he knew all too well that since Huo Mu’s name appeared on it, and Fu Qian had kept it in a place like this, whatever lay behind it was sure to be no simple matter.
If he connected the Outer Court Cataclysm, the case of the missing Remnant Soul, the fate of the Qingchan Martial Discipline lineage, and the document written by the Imperial Law Court and kept in the Pivot Court, all those events from back then...
This list could very well be extremely damaging to Huo Mu.
That was why, after the Outer Court Cataclysm, Huo Mu had seized the opportunity to utterly purge the Martial Discipline lineage on Qingchan Peak.
In other words, this list might be very important to Supreme Imperial Law Elder Huo.
And Qi Yi was Huo Mu’s trusted aide.
Back when the Imperial Law Court investigated the Martial Discipline lineage on Qingchan Peak, Qi Yi had decided and handled almost everything.
That meant Qi Yi naturally knew the truth behind all of it.
Given all that, it was strange that Grand Elder Qi would send Chen Yan, who had almost no connections with the Imperial Law Court and whose Master even had a rift with Supreme Imperial Law Elder Huo, to Qingchan Peak to handle Fu Qian’s funeral arrangements...
It was strange. No matter how he looked at it, something felt very wrong.
It seemed like a trap laid specifically for him.
Standing inside Cangwu Residence, Chen Yan’s thoughts began racing.
The most likely explanation he could think of was that Huo Mu wanted to strike at him first, then gradually take revenge on Lu Li.
This list was simply too troublesome.
Handing it over to Qi Yi was out of the question, but so was pretending he had never seen it.
After thinking it over for a moment, Chen Yan finally reached a decision.
He would not return to the Pivot Court to report in just yet. Instead, he would go to the Martial Pacification Court and find his Master, Lu Li.
At present, there were only three people in Kongshan Sect whom Chen Yan could trust completely.
Besides Li Haowen and Lin Xinyang, there was Lu Li.
......
Kongshan Sect, Martial Pacification Court.
It stood atop a mountain more than three hundred zhang tall, situated between Kongyuan Mountain and Qingchan Peak.
Unlike the ethereal Kongyuan Mountain and the serene Qingchan Peak, this place had a solemn, murderous air, and its mountainside was a dark, muted blue-black.
Before the Martial Pacification Court stood a grove of dozens of ironbone pines, trees shaped like black iron, with needle-like leaves and bark nearly as dark as ink.
The current Supreme Martial Pacification Elder of Kongshan Sect was He Zongzhou.
He did not have much of a presence among the Four Supreme Courts, and usually stayed in the Martial Pacification Court to rest and recuperate.
Behind the Martial Pacification Court stood a courtyard called Jingyun Studio. Lu Li had built it after joining the court.
Now, Jingyun Studio was also Lu Li’s residence, where he cultivated and handled affairs in his daily life.
Chen Yan stepped into the courtyard of Jingyun Studio at an unhurried pace. Unlike the Martial Pacification Court’s solemn, murderous atmosphere, one side of the studio was bordered by a white stone terrace, with several clumps of dark bamboo growing beside it. On the other side lay a clear, shallow pool, its surface reflecting the courtyard’s dark bamboo and the shadows of clouds in the sky.
This was not Chen Yan’s first visit to Jingyun Studio to see his Master.
But having just hurried over from Qingchan Peak, he felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu as he stepped inside.
Lu Li, who had come from Yuanhua Mountain, had once served as Solemn Martial Elder on Kongyuan Mountain.
Now, he was a Grand Elder serving in the Martial Pacification Court.
Yet the moment Chen Yan stepped into Jingyun Studio, he even wondered whether he had somehow returned to Qingchan Peak.
Chen Yan was only dazed for a fleeting instant.
He quickly came to his senses and continued into Jingyun Studio.
The studio door was open, and Chen Yan walked straight inside.
A lean-faced young man dressed in a pure white daoist robe sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion within. His eyes were gently closed, his expression neither sorrowful nor joyful.
Only after Chen Yan had come to a stop inside the studio did he finally open his eyes, slowly.
“Master.”
Chen Yan bowed in greeting, his expression grave.
“Sit.”
Lu Li gestured for Chen Yan to sit in a chair nearby, then continued:
“I heard you’ve been on Qingchan Peak these past two days, handling Fu Qian’s funeral arrangements.”
“That’s true,” Chen Yan replied.
“So, did you come to see me because you found something in Fu Qian’s Cangwu Residence and don’t know what to do with it?”
Lu Li’s gaze lowered slightly, settling on Chen Yan’s face.
Chen Yan froze for a moment. He had not expected his Master to guess the answer so quickly.
Then Chen Yan said nothing. He simply raised his hand and summoned the list out of his Storage Treasure, presenting it to Lu Li.
Lu Li took the list Chen Yan offered. His gaze swept over the names written on the sheet of paper, which looked utterly ordinary, until his eyes finally came to rest on the two characters “Huo Mu.”
Then he nodded.
“Disciple originally thought Grand Elder Qi had sent me to Qingchan Peak to handle Fu Qian’s funeral arrangements as part of some ordinary assignment. But after finding this, I realized that the secrets hidden behind it are exceptionally suspicious...
“Grand Elder Qi and Supreme Imperial Law Elder Huo are close friends, and Grand Elder Qi personally led the investigation into the Qingchan Peak Martial Discipline lineage back then.
“If this list is connected to those past events, why would Grand Elder Qi have me handle the matter, when I’ve never had any close dealings with the Imperial Law Court, and my Master even has a rift with Supreme Imperial Law Elder Huo?
“Disciple truly cannot make sense of it. That’s why I came to see you, hoping you could help point me in the right direction.”
Chen Yan calmly recounted everything that had happened so far, along with his own conclusions and thoughts.
Lu Li listened quietly.
After Chen Yan finished speaking, Lu Li fell silent for another two breaths before finally replying:
“You can trust Qi Yi completely.”
Chen Yan froze, seemingly unable to understand what Lu Li had just said.
“But Grand Elder Qi is Supreme Imperial Law Elder Huo’s trusted aide... If this list really does contain some kind of secret, then...”
Chen Yan tried once more to explain it to Lu Li.
“You can trust Qi Yi completely.”
Lu Li repeated himself.
“...”
Chen Yan did not know how to respond.
“And this list.”
As he spoke, Lu Li lightly flicked a finger. The next instant, the list appeared before Chen Yan.
Chen Yan raised a hand and caught it.
“There’s no need to worry. All you need to do now is give this list to Supreme Pivot Elder Li.”
Lu Li said.
Chen Yan lowered his head and looked at the list in his hands.
From the moment Lu Li had spoken, he had been unable to understand what his Master meant.
Qi Yi was someone he could trust?
Why?
But at the same time, Chen Yan suddenly remembered Lu Li’s assessment of Huo Mu back then:
“Scoundrel.”
What exactly had Supreme Imperial Law Elder Huo done?