knife

Chapter 547 Nameplate
Pushing open the door, I found it already quiet outside.

Stepping out, I saw Jiang Qian sitting in the waterside pavilion, with the old scholar sitting beside her. The sound of chopping wood reached my ears, and turning my head, I saw the woodcutter chopping wood there.

These two people were the most powerful among that group, both at the peak of the ninth rank of the Profound Origin Realm.

Jiang Qian seemed quite confident. With these two people by her side, she could easily keep Li Dachui in check and not be afraid of him causing trouble.

Li Dachui smiled slightly and walked straight over.

"Li, let me introduce these two to you!" Jiang Qian pointed to the scholar beside her and said, "This one is Chen Ting, from the Blazing Fire Banner, and the one chopping wood is Puning, from the Giant Wood Banner. Don't let his appearance as a woodcutter fool you; he is actually a master craftsman among our sect, the most skilled in mechanical creation!"

"The Divine Cult is full of talented people!" Li Dachui laughed. "I have met Elder Ke Wuji and Zhan Zhao, the leader of the Thick Earth Banner, before. They were both outstanding figures of their time."

"Ke Wuji and Zhan Zhao have always disagreed with my ideas. They are not only strangers, but also enemies on many occasions. He probably came to you because he saw what you did outside the pass. However, the actual situation outside the pass is completely different from that of the Great Chu. What you can do, I cannot do. If I really follow their ideas, the Great Chu will probably be in complete chaos. At that time, wouldn't it be the common people who suffer?"

"Governance should naturally be adapted to local conditions and changing with the times. We must never blindly follow others or imitate them poorly. There are plenty of examples in history of good intentions leading to bad results." Li Dachui said, "In terms of talent, vision, and magnanimity, Ke Wuji is naturally no match for the Empress Dowager. However, his consistent adherence to the principles of establishing the Divine Sect is commendable. He needs someone to guide him. If used properly, someone like him will be an invincible weapon."

"You mean I didn't use him well?"

“You didn’t use him at all!” Li Dachui said, “The Fiery Banner and the Sharp Gold Banner have had a grudge for many years. They have been enemies and fought each other for many years, and the enmity is too deep. So much so that even though the Empress Dowager knew that Ke Wuji was a good sword, she could only give him up with a heavy heart in order to protect her own base.”

Jiang Qian nodded and said, "Yes, there's nothing we can do! How can someone like you or me possibly be perfect in every aspect, whether it's being a person or doing things? There are always things we have to give up or abandon."

“That makes sense. Even if you’re extremely reluctant sometimes, you have no choice but to do it!” Li Dachui said.

"Let's not talk about these things anymore," Jiang Qian said. "Since we've done it, there's nothing to regret. Protector Li, when we first met, you kept saying you wanted to visit the Demonic Sect's headquarters. I'm sure there was a reason for that, and it wasn't just because of your mother!"

“Of course there’s a reason!” Li Dachui said, “At this point, I no longer want to hide from the Empress Dowager. When I was in Chang’an, I spent a long time in the archives of the Black Ice Guard and found some ancient case files from hundreds of years ago. The most valuable one was a notebook left by Li Qing, which subtly mentioned Qingfeng in many places. This made me very interested in your ancestor. I really want to know what secrets this person holds?”

"May I know what Li Qing said?"

Li Dachui slowly shook his head: "No, Empress Dowager, it's not that I'm unwilling to say it, but even if I did, you wouldn't understand the things that Li Qing mentioned in his writings back then."

"you understand?"

Li Dachui nodded: "Yes, I understand, but I don't know why I understand. For so many years, many inexplicable thoughts and scenes have kept popping into my head. Some of these things even match the events described in Li Qing's writings. These events were things Qingfeng casually mentioned during a chat, which Li Qing found extremely interesting and recorded. Why do the things that sometimes flash through my mind resemble those of an ancient person from hundreds of years ago? It doesn't make sense!" "Because you've mastered the Qiankun Qi? Is there something strange about this skill?"

"I don't know, so I thought I'd go and see Qingfeng's former residence to see if I could find the answer!" Li Dachui said slowly, "Your Majesty, this is my secret. I always feel that, in the dark, I must have some connection with your ancestor Qingfeng."

“Alright, since Protector Li is so frank, then I won’t hide anything from you anymore!” Jiang Qian stood up, pointed to the courtyard house, and said, “This is indeed the former residence of Patriarch Qingfeng, but the real secret lies beneath this courtyard house.”

"Is there a hidden secret below?"

“Yes, but we haven’t been able to get in all these years!” Jiang Qian shook her head: “Actually, it’s not just us who can’t get in; over the years, no one has been able to get in.”

"Doesn't your sect have any records of past events? When Patriarch Qingfeng was alive, surely someone had gone in with her?"

“No!” Jiang Qian said, “According to the sect’s records, it was not until the Qingfeng Ancestor disappeared for many years and did not return that the sect’s higher-ups discovered this place. The entrance is in the Ancestor’s inner residence. Unfortunately, no matter what methods everyone tried, they could not open that door.”

"A door? They've tried everything?" Li Dachui's pupils constricted slightly.

"We've tried everything!" Jiang Qian said. "Unfortunately, we're completely helpless. You want to explore the truth, and I also want to know the secrets inside. Moreover, you've mastered the Qi of Heaven and Earth, making you the first person to do so after Ancestor Qingfeng. If we join forces and still can't open it, then I'll give up completely, and of course, I'll be completely at ease."

"Didn't your Qingfeng Ancestor leave behind any clues or relics?" Li Dachui asked. "It's understandable that the Qin Kingdom erased all traces of Qingfeng, but surely you didn't leave anything here either?"

“Of course, some were left behind back then, but after hundreds of years, only this one thing remains!” Jiang Qian turned around, walked to the stone table, and pushed a small box on it in front of Li Dachui. “It’s just a nameplate of unknown material. Over the years, countless high-ranking members of the sect have seen it, but no one has had a clue what it is.”

Nameplate?

Li Dachui curiously opened the small box.

The thin, silvery-white nameplate lay quietly in the box, but it struck Li Dachui like a heavy hammer on the head. Li Dachui felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, followed by a sharp pain in his head, as if countless sharp needles were piercing the weakest part of his brain at the same time.

He had seen such a plaque before, but only in a dream.

"Li Duhu, what's wrong with you?" Jiang Qian's surprised voice came from beside him.

(End of this chapter)