Chapter 29 Elixir of Immortality, Self-Created Spells

“A Demonic Sect Protector?”

Li Qingqiu was surprised, as such information wouldn’t appear on the dao lineage panel. He couldn’t help but ask, “Which Demonic Sect? The Qing Cult?”

Feng Dai glared, saying, “While the Qing Cult does evil deeds, compared to the Demonic Sect, they are miles apart!”

As if fearing the Qingxiao Sect Disciples wouldn’t take it seriously enough, Feng Dai continued, “Wu Baoyu, the Demonic Sect’s Northern Protector. In the third year of Kaiyuan, the Xiao Family of Beiliang Prefecture, a total of one hundred and thirty-six people, from eighty-year-old elders to infants in swaddling clothes, were all massacred by him. In the same year, he also once beat his own Disciple to death due to Qi Deviation, hanging him on the prefectural city gate, showing contempt for the law and provoking the imperial court.”

“In the fourth year of Ganming, Wu Baoyu led people to seize relief supplies sent by the imperial court to the southern region, killing seventy-three soldiers, causing one hundred thousand common people in the southern region to starve to death, and popular resentment soared.”

“His crimes are countless and unforgivable, Sect Master Li, you must not protect him!”

His words made everyone’s gaze towards Wu Baoyu change. Although Wu Baoyu was taciturn, he never seemed like such a heinous person in normal times.

Zhang Yuchun also hadn’t expected Wu Baoyu’s background. The first thing he thought of was the trouble Wu Baoyu might bring.

Harboring a major imperial court criminal was no small crime.

Wu Baoyu stopped chopping wood. He looked at Feng Dai and asked, “How did you know about these crimes?”

Feng Dai said in a deep voice, “I saw them in the archives of the Prefectural Governor’s office. A few years ago, you appeared in Guzhou Prefecture, causing quite a stir. I thought at the time that once I took office, I would definitely capture you, so I made a point to remember. You have a blood-red wolf head mark on your left wrist. I couldn’t be mistaken. Are you going to deny your identity?”

The nine Yamen Runners, who had not known Wu Baoyu’s background before, now felt a chill of fear upon hearing about his cruelty. They were extremely nervous, afraid that Wu Baoyu would suddenly lash out.

Wu Baoyu said expressionlessly, “Actually, my surname is Xiao.”

Hearing this, Feng Dai frowned tightly and questioned, “What do you mean?”

“The Xiao Family you mentioned earlier, whose entire Family was wiped out, is my Family. I am the sole survivor. At that time, I was not at home, but serving as a guard in the imperial palace. After this incident, the Crown Prince found me and embedded me in the Demonic Sect as an informant. At that time, the imperial court did not know much about the Demonic Sect, not even the true name of the Northern Protector. I struggled within the Demonic Sect, successfully killed the Northern Protector with my own hands, and took his place. However, the Crown Prince fell from power, and no one restored my identity. They even pinned all the crimes of the Northern Protector on me.”

“As for the disaster relief funds you mentioned, those funds were not meant for the southern region at all. They were being escorted by the current Emperor to a demon Daoist in the southern region to seek an elixir of immortality. After I seized them, I distributed them among the common people. It’s just that the disaster was severe, and the food bought with those funds was not enough to turn the tide.”

Wu Baoyu spoke in a detached tone, as if the matter he was discussing had nothing to do with him.

After hearing this, Feng Dai’s expression changed erratically, and he reprimanded, “Utterly absurd!”

The Qingxiao Sect Disciples also found the matter bizarre, with such a huge reversal.

Wu Baoyu continued, “You can investigate whether the records of the Xiao Family were erased. If they weren’t, check if Xiao Ji, the second Young Master of the Xiao Family, ever served as an imperial guard in the palace, and if Xiao Ji’s age matches mine.”

Feng Dai opened his mouth, but didn’t know how to respond.

Yang Jueding suddenly spoke, “I actually believe him. The current Emperor’s pursuit of immortality is no longer a secret. Every year, extraordinary individuals enter the palace to meet him. The current military rebellion in Guzhou Prefecture is precisely because the Emperor only cares about immortality and has neglected local governance.”

“I see County Magistrate Feng as righteous and hating evil. Why not go back and investigate? If what Senior Wu said is true, County Magistrate Feng can still clear the name of a hero,” Zhang Yu added.

Li Qingqiu remained silent, observing their conversation.

Wu Baoyu snorted, “There’s no need to clear my name. The Xiao Family no longer exists. My surname is now Wu, I have no children, and no attachments in this life. Once County Magistrate Feng finishes his investigation and finds my words to be true, please County Magistrate Feng forget my existence and don’t implicate the Qingxiao Sect. These children don’t know my background. I just want to find a place to live out my remaining years in peace.”

Feng Dai subconsciously looked around. All the Qingxiao Sect Disciples were looking at him, most of them still children, which made him feel unwilling to harm them.

He knew very well that if this matter were exposed, the Qingxiao Sect would definitely be purged by the imperial court. Some officials, for the sake of merit, wouldn’t care so much. The more accomplices Wu Baoyu had, the greater their merit would be.

“Alright, I’ll go back and investigate first. I will never wrong a good person,” Feng Dai said, gritting his teeth.

He immediately stood up, and two Yamen Runners quickly helped him.

“Let’s go!”

Feng Dai ordered, and the Yamen Runners, relieved, quickly escorted him towards the courtyard gate.

Wu Baoyu spoke again, “Oh, there’s one more thing I need to tell you. Do you know why the Demonic Sect suddenly emerged, wreaked havoc in the Martial Forest in a very short time, and then disappeared just as quickly?”

Feng Dai and the Yamen Runners turned to look at him, their expressions confused.

Wu Baoyu’s eyes turned cold. He said, “Because the Demonic Sect was founded by the current Emperor. The Demonic Sect has killed countless people and is the most sinful Martial Forest force since the founding of the dynasty. Now that you know this, even if you don’t believe it, once I am caught and I reveal that you know about this, the higher-ups will definitely kill you to silence you.”

“You…”

Feng Dai glared at Wu Baoyu, not expecting him to be so vicious. The other nine Yamen Runners also turned pale.

Li Qingqiu, however, showed a subtle smile, suddenly finding Wu Baoyu somewhat agreeable.

He had just been hesitating whether to let Feng Dai and the others go, after all, people’s hearts were unpredictable.

Wu Baoyu no longer paid attention to Feng Dai and continued chopping wood.

Feng Dai took a deep breath and gestured for the Yamen Runners to escort him away.

Li Qingqiu said nothing and walked towards his own house, while Zhang Yuchun clapped his hands, signaling the Disciples to disperse.

Li Sifeng squatted on the eaves, watching the retreating figures of Feng Dai and the others, lost in thought.

The atmosphere remained somewhat heavy until dinner began.

“Being in the Jianghu, one will always encounter such troubles. It’s impossible to always be safe and undisturbed,” Yang Jueding said with a fake cough, breaking the silence.

Zhang Yu scooped a mouthful of rice and laughed, “Don’t worry, those guys definitely won’t dare to act recklessly. Even if they report Senior Wu’s whereabouts, the credit might not be theirs. But as long as Senior Wu implicates them, they will surely die, perhaps even have their entire Families executed, especially since it involves the current Emperor.”

Li Sijin couldn’t help but ask, “Is the Emperor really the Demonic Sect Leader? How powerful is the Demonic Sect then? And the elixir of immortality, does such a medicine really exist in the world?”

As she asked, the other Disciples also opened up, constantly throwing out questions, causing Yang Jueding to begin recounting Jianghu legends.

The Disciples were most curious about the elixir of immortality.

Who wouldn’t want to live forever?

“Since ancient times, legends of immortality have been endless, but where in the world are there immortal people? It’s just that those in power are unwilling to give up,”

Yang Jueding shook his head, and Zhang Yu nodded, also scoffing at the idea of immortality.

Jiang Zhaoxia wasn’t present in the afternoon. Now understanding the situation, he looked at Wu Baoyu and asked curiously, “Why did the Emperor establish the Demonic Sect? The Demonic Sect didn’t have much impact on his seizure of power, did it? He relied on the army to seize power back then, not the Demonic Sect.”

Wu Baoyu, sitting in the corner, heard his question and replied expressionlessly, “He is Cultivating an evil technique that requires the blood of virgin boys and girls. Wiping out entire Families was merely to cover up this fact.”

This answer sent shivers down everyone’s spines.

Li Qingqiu also found it eerie. His intuition told him that he would sooner or later clash with the imperial court. This world was far darker than he had imagined.

As for the potential danger brought by Wu Baoyu, he was quite open-minded about it. As long as the Qingxiao Sect recruited people, they would always encounter such troubles; the difference was only in the scale of the trouble.

Where could one find a master with a simple background?

…After Feng Dai left, the Qingxiao Sect continued to develop according to the original plan. Apart from occasional patrols, Li Qingqiu spent most of his time Cultivating and teaching Xu Ning.

He intentionally cultivated Xu Ning to be the leader of the next generation of Disciples. He now deeply understood the power of the Heavenly Lightning Spiritual Root.

His current Cultivation speed far exceeded his previous pace; he truly felt what it was like to be a Genius.

As for his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, he had already taught them different Spells; the rest depended on their individual Comprehension Ability.

Autumn passed quickly, and when early winter arrived, Li Dongyue turned fifteen. Since Lin Xunfeng’s departure, Li Qingqiu and his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters had all grown a year older, and the Qingxiao Sect had undergone tremendous changes.

Snowflakes drifted through the gaps in the leaves, scattering into the forest. Qin Ye, wearing the Qingxiao Sect robe, was practicing his fists. With his slightly hurried breathing, he seemed to be exhaling hot air.

“This set of fist techniques of yours isn’t good.”

A voice came, causing Qin Ye to turn his head. He saw Wu Baoyu standing not far away, carrying firewood on his back.

Qin Ye quickly turned around and cupped his fists in salute to Wu Baoyu. He said helplessly, “It’s not that the fist technique isn’t good, it’s that this Junior’s Comprehension Ability is too poor.”

This set of fist techniques was taught to him by Yang Jueding, named the Ten Directions Demon Subduing Fist. When performed by Wu Maner, it was incredibly imposing, leaving a deep impression on him.

Although Wu Maner was simple-minded, his Comprehension Ability in martial arts was exceptionally high, especially in fist and foot techniques, which he easily mastered, making many Disciples envious.

Wu Baoyu looked at Qin Ye and said, “Come here tonight at midnight. I will teach you a staff technique that might truly set you on the path of martial Dao.”

With that, Wu Baoyu continued up the mountain without stopping.

Midnight?

Qin Ye frowned, feeling a little hesitant. He remembered Feng Dai’s words from before and wondered whether he should trust Wu Baoyu.

At the same time.

Fifty zhang away, at the top of the forest, Li Qingqiu stood on a tree branch, having heard their conversation.

From his perspective, the entire mountain was already covered in white, and the visibility range was getting smaller and smaller.

As his Cultivation grew higher, his senses also sharpened. For instance, now he could hear Qin Ye and Wu Baoyu’s conversation from a distance, every word clear in his ears, and even the wind and snow couldn’t obscure it.

“Making it so mysterious?”

Li Qingqiu muttered. He didn’t suspect Wu Baoyu of having ill intentions. For some time now, Wu Baoyu’s loyalty to the Qingxiao Sect had been steadily increasing, now reaching over eighty. Such loyalty should mean he wouldn’t cause trouble.

However, Qin Ye was his second Disciple, so he had to come and see tonight.

Just then, a prompt appeared before Li Qingqiu’s eyes:

“Given that someone within the Qingxiao Sect has created a Spell for the first time, having a profound impact on the development of the Dao, you have received an opportunity for a Legacy reward.”