Hidden moth

Chapter 332 The North Wind Blows, the Wild Geese Ask the South

Li Xiuyuan: "Kid, is there anything else you want to ask?"

He Kao: "May I ask what happened to Master Qi?"

Li Xiuyuan hesitated, clearly reluctant to discuss the topic, but ultimately sent a divine thought, detailing the entanglements between Qi Nansheng, the former head of the Dan Ding Sect, and the Xiao Meng and Shu Men—

The situation wasn't actually that complicated. Qi Nansheng was born in Southeast Asia to Eastern merchants. When he was sixteen or seventeen, he met his master and began to study magic.

Qi Nansheng was exceptionally talented. Before he was even twenty, he became a third-level Yin-Yang master who cultivated alchemy. When his cultivation level was almost at the peak of the third level, his master told him many things.

My master was originally a sorcerer from the Xiaomeng, which has a history of nearly a thousand years and is a sorcery inheritance organization unknown to the world.

His master also told him that after he broke through to a higher level of cultivation, he would sense the call of the cave heaven and gave him a mission, at which time he would enter the sect to lie low.

As for the Spell Sect, it is also an organization that inherits spells, but unlike the Free Alliance, it is corrupt, closed, evil, and backward, and it has also occupied the blessed lands that all spellcasters have inherited since ancient times.

The founder of the Free Alliance a thousand years ago left after breaking with this evil force. The Free Alliance's regret has always been its inability to reclaim its sect's grotto-heaven and overthrow the evil magic sect.

At that time, Qi Nansheng knew nothing and had no way to verify it, but from the perspective of emotional belonging, he naturally stood in the camp of Xiaomeng.

Not long after, he returned to the Eastern Kingdom with his parents. After breaking through to the fourth level of cultivation, he returned to the Dan Ding Sect and received a second inheritance, following the guidance of the cave heaven's summons.

The medical community certainly checked his past conduct, but Qi Nansheng's resume was crafted to be perfect.

He had indeed never committed any crimes, and his experience in cultivating magic was not complicated, much like that of many wandering cultivators. When he returned to his sect, he told the truth... but there were some things he didn't say.

Qi Nansheng's undercover identity was top secret. He only communicated with his master, and he never contacted other members of the Xiaomeng. His master's task for him was to collect as much secret technique inheritance as possible, as well as various internal intelligence about the sect.

The Free Alliance certainly has its own lineage of alchemy techniques, but the Immortal Pot Cave contains the divine will left by the founders, as well as the research results of techniques from past founders and contemporary masters. These are all things that the Free Alliance hopes to master.

In addition, there are various magical artifacts, elixirs including corresponding formulas and techniques, various resources and their distribution, and even information on disciples of various schools of magic, all of which are intelligence that the Free Alliance needs to collect.

These tasks must be completed discreetly. Once he has successfully infiltrated, he will only carry out other missions if he receives any special instructions from the Xiaomeng.

According to his master's original plan, he was not intended to stay in the sect forever. After he broke through to the fifth level of cultivation by using the Immortal Pot Cave and various resources, he could find an opportunity to return to the Free Alliance.

However, Qi Nansheng was truly outstanding and highly regarded by his elders. After breaking through to the fifth level of cultivation, he was actually appointed as a steward of the Dan Ding Sect.

After learning about the situation, the higher-ups of the Xiaomeng changed their minds and ordered his master to inform him to continue his undercover work, preparing to play a greater role and carry out more important missions in the future.

In hindsight, this may have been a terrible move by the Xiaomeng.

Qi Nansheng was no longer the clueless newbie he once was. In the years since he returned to the Magic Sect, he had discovered that the Magic Sect was not the evil organization described by the Free Alliance at all.

As his status within the sect rose, especially after becoming a steward, he gained access to more information and a more comprehensive understanding of what happened a thousand years ago. More importantly, he learned about the facts he experienced every day.

As a steward managing sect affairs, doesn't he know what he's doing every day?
According to the propaganda of the Xiaomeng, the existence of the Shumen was the biggest threat to the Xiaomeng. However, in Qi Nansheng's time, the Shumen was most concerned about its own inheritance and development, and had no time to pay attention to the Xiaomeng.

On the contrary, the Xiaomeng has been sending people to infiltrate the magic sect through various means to steal various magic resources and information. It is more like a parasite or even a vampire, and it also attempts to overthrow the magic sect and seize the cave heaven.

The logic of the Xiaomeng is to want to harm others and to view the possibility of retaliation as a threat.

Despite realizing all this, Qi Nansheng had no choice. His undercover identity was a sword hanging over his head, so he had to be controlled by the Xiaomeng. Moreover, his feelings were complicated, after all, he had received a great deal of kindness from his master.

Later, Qi Nansheng found an opportunity to privately consult his master, expressing his inner turmoil. After a long silence, his master simply told him—"Seek peace of mind and never betray your sect!"
After returning to the sect, he had very few opportunities to contact his master, and this was the last time the two met.

Master's words were somewhat ambiguous: "Don't betray your sect." But who was Qi Nansheng's sect? The Free Alliance? Qi Nansheng only knew his master in the Free Alliance, yet he inexplicably became an undercover agent infiltrating the sect.

The Art Sect was also his sect, and strictly speaking, he should regard the Art Sect as his sect even more than the Free Alliance.

Later, Qi Nansheng broke through to the sixth level of cultivation. According to the tradition of the sect, he was already qualified to participate in the council of ancestral laws and enjoy the treatment of an elder. It was only natural for him to take over as the leader. However, Lu Wenxuan, the leader of the Dan Ding Sect at the time, never passed the position to him.

There's a hidden story behind this.

In fact, Lu Wenxuan had contacted him immediately, expressing his hope that he would take over as the sect leader. Qi Nansheng finally confessed his undercover identity, and he was prepared to accept whatever punishment he might receive.

Unexpectedly, Lu Wenxuan glanced at him and said, "Does the sect have any rules that prohibit sorcerers from the Free Alliance from becoming sect leaders?"

Qi Nansheng was stunned, because the sect did not have such a rule. He had to say, "But when I returned to the sect, I did not tell the truth."

Lu Wenxuan laughed: "You've confessed now, haven't you? It's a bit late, but it's timely. Who you chose as your master to learn magic back then was not your choice, nor was it your fault. But you didn't tell the truth when you returned to the sect, so you deserve to be punished. How about this, I'll punish you by banning you from teaching for three years. Do you think that's appropriate?"

The so-called "forbidden transmission" means that while cultivation is restricted, one will also not receive support from cultivation resources or guidance in the transmission of techniques. It is roughly equivalent to a three-year prison sentence in the secular world.

Lu Wenxuan's next words left him somewhat dumbfounded: "However, this three-year ban on granting titles is not to be carried out now. Let's wait until you step down as sect leader before implementing it."

This three-year ban will only be enforced after Qi Nansheng assumes the position of sect leader and continues until he steps down. It's essentially an indefinite reprieve.

Qi Nansheng bowed and said, "Actually, you don't need to rush. Why not wait for the rising stars of the sect?"

Having said that, Lu Wenxuan didn't press the matter further, only saying, "I can wait, but if I can't wait, that's your responsibility."

The Ancestral Hall does not force you to betray or harm the Free Alliance, but you must swear an oath never to abandon the sect!

Qi Nansheng immediately made a vow.

Later, he finally became the head of the Dan Ding Sect. Everything was fine until Mei Guyu became a sixth-level alchemist, at which point he suddenly became a bit senile.

At such an advanced age, he indulged in wine and women, was openly mocked and bullied by Ye Fenghuang, resigned as sect leader and went into seclusion on Mount Taibai, taking his "trusted disciple" Yu Pingzhou with him.

After arriving at Mount Taibai, he barely appeared in public for several years. In fact, he was under the punishment of the forbidden technique. Not long after the punishment ended, he began to go into seclusion to refine the Pure Yang Pill...

He Kao was also bewildered by what he heard, and remained silent for a long time. Li Xiuyuan asked with a smile, "Kid, is there anything you don't understand?"

He Kao scratched the back of his head: "Let me sort this out. There's a problem. The Clan Law Hall won't force Qi Nansheng to do anything that would betray or harm the Xiaomeng, but he must swear that he will never betray the Shumen."

So what if the Free Alliance takes action against the Technique Sect, or if the Free Alliance gives him an order?

Li Xiuyuan did not answer directly, but looked at He Kao with great interest and said, "You will listen to me, right?"

He Kao: "Of course!"

Li Xiuyuan: "But if I ordered you to harm the innocent, would you obey?"

He Kao: "This is a chaotic order, I cannot obey it!" After thinking for a moment, he added, "There is no rule in the sect that stipulates that elders can give such orders to their disciples, let alone that disciples must obey such orders."

Li Xiuyuan then asked, "What if I were the one harming the innocent? What would you do then?"

He Kao: "Of course we must do our best to dissuade them! Even if we can't stop them, it's wrong to harm innocent people. Just because it was you who did it doesn't mean I have to agree with it."

Li Xiuyuan clapped his hands and said, "That settles it, you're quite reasonable! The Technique Sect is just an organization for the inheritance of techniques, not some kind of secret service agency."

This sentence still carries a divine thought—

Even if the Xiaomeng wanted to give Qi Nansheng any instructions, they would have to find a way to contact him. If just anyone came to their door claiming to be from the Xiaomeng and dared to point fingers at Qi Nansheng, it would be no different from courting death.

Moreover, before Qi Nansheng became the sect leader, his master had already passed away, and his parents were also gone. He had never married and had no children, so he had nothing to be manipulated by others.

More importantly, with his master's passing, the single-line communication channel between the Free Alliance and him was severed. Qi Nansheng's identity was now top secret, known only to the core high-ranking members of the Free Alliance.

Even if we could contact him and give him some instructions, Qi Nansheng would have to be willing to listen.

Even if Elder Li ordered He Kao to commit crimes, He Kao wouldn't obey; the Magic Sect doesn't have such a rule. If the Free Alliance did have such a rule, then it should be changed!

If He Kao could understand this, how much more so Qi Nansheng?
As for He Kao's question—what if the Xiaomeng takes action against the Shumen, what will Qi Nansheng do?
This requires clarifying a logic: Zhang San not betraying or harming Li Si only means that he will not actively infringe upon Li Si's interests. However, if Li Si goes to Zhang San's house and causes damage or looting, Zhang San's retaliation does not necessarily mean betraying or harming Li Si.

That's the logic, but in reality, when the Clan Law Hall made arrangements for the Xiaomeng, Qi Nansheng was not involved.

Later, the Xiaomeng (逍盟) employed another undercover agent, Yu Pingzhou, who managed to reconnect with Qi Nansheng. Yu Pingzhou had only one mission: to act as the communication channel between Qi Nansheng and the Xiaomeng at crucial moments.

Yu Pingzhou also served as a steward of the Dan Ding Sect.

Such a person would not easily expose themselves; on the contrary, they usually behave better by following the rules. In addition, they have good cultivation and are enthusiastic about sect affairs, so becoming a steward seems to be no problem.

But before Yu Pingzhou could even make a move, Qi Nansheng suddenly abdicated and took him away with him.

**
(End of this chapter)