After returning to the village, start chasing the mountain from binding Emei

Chapter 873 Regarding Shennong Sect, Yu Huaizhen's Confession!

Li Xiulian lowered her head for a moment, composed herself, and then raised her head again. "What do you want to ask? Speak..."

Chen Yang glanced at Yu Huaizhen beside him.

Yu Huaizhen took the microphone and asked, "Who was the person who tipped you off back then?"

As this woman just mentioned, someone had informed her of Feng Lingzi's death beforehand, and also told her about Jingchen's empowerment by Feng Lingzi.

Otherwise, even if Jingchen were face to face with her, unless Jingchen told her in person, she would never know that Jingchen possessed the cultivation of Feng Lingzi.

And the person who specifically tipped her off was undoubtedly wicked.

This person should know a lot about the Qing Shen Sect, and might even be someone from the Qing Shen Sect. He will definitely try to find this person.

Li Xiulian took a deep breath and said, "This man is dead. His name was Xiao Sanhuai. You should know him..."

"Xiao Sanhuai?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Huaizhen's expression froze slightly.

He naturally recognized the man. Some time ago, Xiao Sanhuai was purged by the General Association, and then news of his death spread, which shocked him for a long time.

How could it be this person?

Thinking about it carefully, this person didn't have that much interaction with Qingshen Mountain.

More than ten years ago, this person came to Qingshen Mountain once. If I remember correctly, he came to Qingshen Mountain to see Duan Qiuping. Moreover, the time seems to be around the time when Feng Lingzi's master transformed into a rainbow body.

It is possible that Xiao Sanhuai knew about Jingchen's acquisition of Feng Lingzi's inheritance.

Even within Qingshen Mountain, very few people knew about this, but his disciple Duan Qiuping happened to be one of them.

In other words, the source of Xiao Sanhuai's information was most likely Duan Qiuping.

Yu Huaizhen took a deep breath, her face turning slightly pale.

After investigating, they found it was one of their own people.

Whether Duan Qiuping did it intentionally or unintentionally, this incident has caused extremely serious consequences, harming a prodigy disciple of the Qing Shen Sect and making it difficult for the younger generation of Qing Shen Mountain to take on the responsibility.

At this moment, Yu Huaizhen's emotions were a little unstable. Unfortunately, Xiao Sanhuai was already dead, and Duan Qiuping was also missing and her whereabouts were unknown. They couldn't even find someone to confront.

Chen Yang said, "I wonder if Senior Yu knows that this Xiao Sanhuai was the original self of one of Ding Huanchun's three corpses. More than half a year ago, at Bamian Mountain, I personally ended his life..."

"Ding Huanchun..."

Yu Huaizhen was slightly taken aback, and then his emotions were hard to calm down. He knew very well the relationship between his apprentice Duan Qiuping and Ding Huanchun.

Years ago, Duan Qiuping, Ding Huanchun, and four other scoundrels formed a group called the "Six Friends of Longtan," committing countless evil deeds and earning a notorious reputation.

When the incident occurred, he still remembered his master-disciple relationship and felt that she had been led astray by Ding Huanchun and his gang and could still be saved. So he swallowed his pride and asked Feng Lingzi to intervene and save Duan Qiuping. After that, he kept her in seclusion on the mountain to cultivate.

Little did I expect that this would harm Jingchen?
The moment Chen Yang mentioned that Xiao Sanhuai was the host of Ding Huanchun's ego, Yu Huaizhen understood.

Many questions have been answered.

He must have gotten the information from Duan Qiuping, knowing that Jingchen possessed Feng Lingzi's cultivation level, and then revealed it to Li Xiulian, implying that she should steal Jingchen's cultivation level.

Thinking about this, Yu Huaizhen deeply regretted her actions.

The problem actually lies with his own apprentice. So many years have passed, and his apprentice is still colluding with Ding Huanchun. Decades of dedication have failed to warm such a cold heart.

Why did she tell Xiao Sanhuai about this? Didn't she know the consequences of doing so?

Yu Huaizhen closed her eyes, feeling a deep sadness in her heart, and her eyes were slightly moist.

Next, Yu Huaizhen asked for more details, especially how Li Xiulian harmed Jingchen. The more he listened, the colder he felt in his heart.

In the end, the whole incident was his own fault. If he hadn't protected Duan Qiuping back then, Jingchen would never have been murdered.

For a moment, I was filled with regret.

"Young friend Chen Yang, you can ask me anything. I'm going outside for some fresh air."

Yu Huaizhen lost interest in asking questions, and her initial anger was replaced by immense guilt.

He turned and left the room, his back view showing signs of weariness, as if he had aged several years in an instant.

Only Chen Yang and Wang Yuanchao remained in the room.

Chen Yang looked at Li Xiulian and said, "Tell me about yourself, about you and your brother, the Three-Corpse Human-Faced Tree..."

"Ah."

Li Xiulian chuckled lightly, "What's there to talk about? Do you really enjoy listening to other people's private matters?"

Chen Yang shrugged. "It's still early. You can say whatever you want..."

Li Xiulian was silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and then slowly spoke, "I was born in the Wuliang Mountains of Raojiang, alongside my brother. It is the Three Corpse Divine Tree, a rare species in the spiritual plant world, and I am just a small Coptis chinensis living under its protection..."

"It watered me with the Three Corpse Divine Water, and over the years, I finally developed sentience. Under its care, I slowly grew up. Together we drank the morning dew, ate fallen petals, absorbed the essence of the sun and moon, and weathered storms together..."

"Later, I entered the Daoist path. As I grew older and became somewhat rebellious, I wanted to see the outside world. So I left Raojiang and traveled far and wide, witnessing the prosperity and treachery of the human world, as well as experiencing the bloodshed and cruelty of nature..."

"Later, I met a group of like-minded people, that's right, it was Old Monster Zhang and Third Sister Pu..."

"I didn't know Ding Huanchun before, but somehow he found out about us. I can't remember which year it was, but he and that kid from the Li family named Li Changsheng went to Jianmen Mountain and found Old Monster Zhang..."

"Old Monster Zhang has come looking for us again. We didn't even consider bothering with two mere Spirit Realm youths. However, he brought some news about a cultivator's cave on Jinjia Mountain. He said it was the cave of a Celestial Realm expert, and that it contained something very important that might unlock the mysteries of the Celestial Realm. He wanted to invite us to come out of the mountains so we could open the cave and each take what we needed..."

"And so, we embarked on our first trip to Jinjia Mountain. But the cave's seal was too strong, and due to carelessness, Sha Lao Er died inside. The rest of us fled in panic..."

"That was our first trip to Jinjia Mountain. Sha Lao Er died, and all we could get was a prescription for Qi Ling San. Later, unwilling to give up, we went a few more times, but we were never able to enter the core..."

"It was this experience that brought me and Ding Huanchun together. Later, when he fell on hard times, he came to Jianmen Mountain to find us. The reason he went to Raojiang was because of my idea. My brother was also introduced to him by me. My brother thought highly of him. Over the years, he has been able to quickly gain a foothold in Raojiang, and it is thanks to the help my brother has provided him..."

"Ha, if I had known it would end like this, if I had the chance to choose again, I definitely wouldn't have let him go to Raojiang. If it weren't for him, my brother would probably still be alive and well..."

……

She is now filled with remorse. If she hadn't gotten involved with Ding Huanchun, their lives probably wouldn't have turned out like this.

Sha Lao Er won't die, and neither will her Tree Brother. She's probably in some mountain now, hanging out with Pu San Niang and the others, or she might have returned to Rao Jiang and is living happily ever after with her Tree Brother.

Looking back, what have we been striving for all these years?

No more, nothing left.

Especially when Chen Yang said that she had been deceived by Ding Huanchun, and that she had been running around for the sake of her brother's killer, she found it hard to accept.

Chen Yang asked, "If you had succeeded last night, what would you have done next?"

Li Xiulian composed herself and continued, "I'll probably go to Shennong Sect with Lu Lingfeng, but before that, we plan to go to Jinjia Mountain again..."

"So, here's the problem, isn't there?"

Chen Yang smiled and said, "Your brother has spent his whole life in Raojiang. How could he know people like Lu Lingfeng and his group, and how could he gather so many people to go on an adventure to Jinjia Mountain?"

Li Xiulian paused upon hearing this, "Perhaps Ding Huanchun told him, and Lu Lingfeng and the others came here on their own. The Shennong Sect is recruiting independent cultivators from all over the country, and Nie Jiu Si and the others were brought by him. Our encounter with them was just an accident..."

She spoke with less confidence.

Some people and some things, once you get stuck in a rut, are very hard to get out of. Looking back now, there are indeed many doubts.

"Accident?"

Chen Yang chuckled, "What a coincidence that you two ran into each other? Nie Jiu Si and the others are locked up next door. If you'd like, you can have a look and see if it was really an accident..."

Li Xiulian was speechless. So, it wasn't an accident; Lu Lingfeng's arrival had been arranged in advance.

The Three-Corpse-Faced Tree couldn't possibly know these people, so the answer is obvious.

She was indeed scammed.

In that instant, it was as if her soul had been ripped away.

Chen Yang asked, "What's the situation with the Shennong Sect?"

Li Xiulian shook her head. "I don't know much about it. I only heard Lu Lingfeng say that an old ancestor of their Shennong Sect has returned. He is very powerful. He was ordered to come out of the mountains to recruit Dao True Realm cultivators from all over the world. He asked my brother... to ask Ding Huanchun and me to join the Shennong Sect and serve it. He also said that this old ancestor can grant us the opportunity to break through to the Celestial Realm..."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang's eyes flickered slightly. "How much do you know about this ancestor? And what is this so-called return?"

“I don’t know the details, but I heard from Lu Lingfeng that this ancestor of Shennong Sect returned from Shuailao Mountain not long ago. He was a powerful figure who entered Shuailao Mountain to explore its mysteries a hundred years ago…” Li Xiulian said.

Shuailao Mountain? A hundred years ago?
Chen Yang was slightly taken aback when he heard this.

Did anyone survive the large-scale exploration of Shuailao Mountain a century ago? And did they return alive a century later?
"I am not aware of anything else."

Li Xiulian shook her head weakly. "If you're interested, you can ask Lu Lingfeng. Oh, I almost forgot, Lu Lingfeng is dead. You can go to Shennong Mountain deep in Nongshenjia and ask the ancestor of the Shennong Sect. With your strength, you shouldn't need to be afraid of him. After all, it's certain that this ancestor of the Shennong Sect hasn't broken through to the Celestial Realm yet..."

Upon hearing this, a black line appeared on Chen Yang's forehead.

This woman probably couldn't wait to go to the Shennong Sect herself so she could fight the sect's patriarch, ideally resulting in mutual destruction or even death.
"What else do you know about Ding Huanchun?" Chen Yang asked.

Li Xiulian shook her head, "This man is very cunning. I haven't been in Raojiang for many years and have had very little contact with him, so I can't say I know him well..."

……

Chen Yang asked for a while, but when he realized he couldn't get anything out of him, he looked at Wang Yuanchao again.

Wang Yuanchao shook his head, indicating that he had no more questions, and then ended the questioning.

"When can I see my brother?" Li Xiulian asked.

"Just wait, I'll take care of it."

Chen Yang shook his head, then left the cell with Wang Yuanchao.

He had put away the remains of the Three-Corpse Human-Faced Tree; the tree was too enormous to show her right now.

……

In the corridor outside the cell, Yu Huaizhen stood leaning against the wall, and it was clear that he was in a very turbulent mood.

The disciple he had carefully protected ended up harming the younger generation he had the most promising, destroying the hopes of the next generation of the Qing Shen Sect. This incident was a great blow to him.

"Senior, are you alright?" Chen Yang asked.

"Ugh."

Yu Huaizhen sighed, then shook his head and forced a smile.

He had just thought a lot, as if he had figured it out, but also as if he hadn't.

As they walked out of the association building, Yu Huaizhen and Chen Yang opened up to each other, a rare moment of openness. "Young friend, I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but I've been thinking a lot lately. Thinking back, it seems like my life has been a failure. I've always been a kind person, never intending to harm anyone, and striving for perfection in everything I do, but the final result has been the opposite..."

"Actually, I had a vague feeling that Qiu Ping and Ding Huanchun were still in contact a long time ago, but I thought that since she was in Qingshen and I was keeping an eye on her, she wouldn't do anything wrong again. If I told anyone about this, it would only hurt her. Besides, she hadn't done anything outrageous, so I turned a blind eye. Over the years, I assumed that she had finally come to her senses..."

"Ha, if I had known this would harm Jingchen, alas, I regret it so much..."

Yu Huaizhen shook his head repeatedly.

"If I had discovered his connection with the man surnamed Ding back then and reported it instead of covering up our family scandal, the man surnamed Ding probably wouldn't have risen to his current position, and we wouldn't be in this mess today. I wonder how many people could have been spared from slaughter because of this. I am guilty, I am deeply guilty..."

"senior……"

Hearing him say that, Chen Yang didn't know what to say for a moment. "You didn't do it, so you don't need to take that unfounded blame on yourself..."

"Do not……"

Yu Huaizhen interrupted him, "A mistake is a mistake. I was indeed wrong in this matter. After returning, I should go into seclusion for a while to reflect on my mistakes..."

Chen Yang opened his mouth, but didn't say anything more.

It's clear that this incident has dealt him a significant blow, and he may even have developed a deep-seated resentment towards it.

When you have a knot in your heart, your thoughts become blocked. When your thoughts are blocked, it is easy for inner demons to grow. Inner demons are a kind of obsession. If you don't get rid of these obsessions in time, they will affect your state of mind and your spiritual practice.

Of course, if he can get through this hurdle, his mental cultivation will definitely make great progress.

"By the way, senior, there's something I need to tell you."

The topic was getting a bit heavy, so Chen Yang took the initiative to change the subject, "You should remember the eight-winged centipede that followed me, right?"

Yu Huaizhen nodded slightly.

Chen Yang said, "Some time ago, in Sipanshan..."

He told Yu Huaizhen about how the eight-winged centipede absorbed Moriyama Yuichi's brain marrow, obtained the Azure God Sword Technique from his memories, and mastered the Azure God Sword Technique.

The Azure God Sword Technique belongs to the Azure God Sect after all, and both the Falling Sword Technique and the Myriad Swords Technique are extremely profound sword techniques that require the primordial spirit to control the sword. Now that he has this opportunity, he still has to tell Yu Huaizhen.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Huaizhen paused for a few seconds, then laughed, "You mean, that eight-winged centipede learned the Falling Sword Technique and the Myriad Swords Technique?"

Chen Yang nodded, "If you mind, senior, I'll talk to Elder Wu about it when I get down..."

"No no no."

Yu Huaizhen waved his hand. "I just find it interesting that a spirit insect could actually cultivate a high-level sword technique of my Qing Shen Sect. It's a bit unbelievable. If these words hadn't come from you, I would never have believed it. Where is it now? Can I see it?"

Chen Yang was somewhat surprised by Yu Huaizhen's reaction. Is it really that interesting for an insect to learn the Azure God Sword Technique?

He shook his head. "I haven't seen him since I came back last night. I don't know where he is now..."

"Ah."

Yu Huaizhen nodded, not taking offense. "If you've learned it, then so be it. Just don't use this sword technique for evil or to harm the world."

At this point, he looked at Chen Yang and said, "If you are interested, young friend, you can learn it. This sword technique requires the primordial spirit to control the sword. Although it is powerful, it also consumes a lot of energy and requires a high level of talent. If you can learn it, it will be a great blessing..."

Chen Yang was taken aback. "But, senior, this sword technique is a closely guarded secret of the Qing Shen Sect..."

In all honesty, when Chen Yang mentioned this, he never intended to say that he wanted to cultivate this sword technique.

Although his swordsmanship was powerful, the sectarianism in the cultivation world was too strong. Some time ago, when he practiced thunder magic and the Marrow Cleansing Scripture, he was questioned by Daoist Yunting and Monk Kongming respectively, which made him quite embarrassed.

So he learned his lesson: don't take what you shouldn't take, and don't think about what you shouldn't think about, so that you won't be caught looking like a thief, which would be really embarrassing.

"Alas, in my life, I have placed too much emphasis on social status, yet the disciples I have ultimately nurtured are utterly worthless..."

Yu Huaizhen sighed. After this incident, his mindset had truly changed a lot. "Have you not heard the saying, 'One tree blossoms with five flowers, supported by eight leaves'? Emei and Qingshen are of the same lineage. Whether it's Mount Emei or Mount Qingshen, they are both part of Mount Shu. You are a disciple of Emei, so you are also a disciple of Mount Shu. It's perfectly acceptable for you to learn the Mount Shu sword technique. However, if you wish to pass on the sword technique to others in the future, you must inform the ancestral court of Qingshen beforehand to avoid any misunderstandings..."

Mount Emei and Mount Qingshen are both part of Mount Shu. Disciples of Mount Shu learn the Mount Shu sword technique.
Is that another way to explain it?

"Thank you, senior."

Chen Yang quickly stopped and bowed to Yu Huaizhen. The fact that this old Taoist could say such a thing showed that he had a broad perspective.

(End of this chapter)