Yuantian Pidao

Chapter 126 Corrosive Web
In the backyard of the Qinghe County government office, Magistrate Liao Yonghuai fell into deep thought as he looked at some messages coming from the Taiping Sect.

Money corrupts the heart. After spending some time, he used his magic to plant several spies within the Taiping Sect, just like his former advisor, Xu Wenmao.

"Before Gao Sixing was killed, a rather fierce battle took place on Muyu Island, and this timing is quite interesting..."

His spherical body was crammed into the chair, and Liao Yonghuai's small eyes were full of calculation.

"If that battle was between Gao Sixing's men and Jiang Chen, then the fact that Jiang Chen is still alive and well proves that he was the victor in that battle."

"Jiang Chen's strength is indeed not weak, but he is definitely no match for Corpse Daoist, Gray Bone Daoist and Black Heart Old Man at the same time. However, if Corpse Daoist and Jiang Chen have been colluding for a long time, then it is not necessarily the case. With the strength shown by Corpse Daoist and Jiang Chen's swordsmanship, it is entirely possible to defeat Gray Bone Daoist and Black Heart Old Man."

At one point, a collision of ideas occurred to Liao Yonghuai, and he thought of a certain possibility.

"Could it be that the Corpse Daoist is hiding inside the Taiping Sect?"

Liao Yonghuai turned his gaze toward the Taiping Sect, a hint of suspicion appearing on his chubby face.

The Gao family conducted a thorough search for the Corpse Daoist, but he vanished into thin air. For so long, he left no trace. Besides his amazing ability to hide, it is highly likely that some force provided him with cover.

After a moment, Liao Yonghuai withdrew his gaze.

“Even if the Corpse Daoist is not in the Taiping Sect, he definitely has some unclear relationship with the Taiping Sect. If that’s the case, then I will have to change my plan again. After all, it’s not difficult for me to deal with Jiang Chen, but it’s not certain if I add the Corpse Daoist to the mix.”

“I could use this to lure the Gao family into destroying the Taiping Sect, but once the Gao family gets involved, that opportunity will probably have nothing to do with me. I’m not afraid of the Taiping Sect, but the Gao family is a different story. Am I supposed to help the Taiping Sect cover things up?”

The thought that he might have to cover up the Taiping Sect's tracks made Liao Yonghuai feel disgusted. He didn't have a good impression of Jiang Chen. If Jiang Chen hadn't suddenly appeared, both the legitimate and criminal worlds in Qinghe County would have been under his control long ago.

If that were the case, his cultivation would surely go much more smoothly.

"Now that I think about it, Jiang Chen's rise to power was rather strange. If I dig deeper, I might find out even more."

Thinking of the great secrets that might be hidden within the Taiping Sect, Liao Yonghuai's face revealed a greedy look.

"It's a pity that the few people I've managed to recruit aren't core members of the Taiping Sect, so their information is rather limited."

"However, corruption is a net. Once the hole is opened, it's only a matter of time before it spreads. A person may not accept money from a stranger, but it's hard to refuse money from an acquaintance. Perhaps, whether in the secular world or the spiritual realm, corruption often brings out the mud along with the radish."

Thinking of the brilliant idea, Liao Yonghuai smiled. He had a good understanding of human greed and believed that he would soon be able to plant a spy next to Jiang Chen. At that time, the Taiping Sect would have no secrets from him.

Although his magic has limitations, the Taiping Sect is ultimately just a mortal sect with only a handful of practitioners. While gold and silver may not be enough to entice practitioners, most mortals find them irresistible.

"Wait a little longer, wait a little longer. I must strike with one blow, and all the opportunities within the Taiping Sect will be mine."

At the height of his greed, Liao Yonghuai seemed to see the day he would devour the entire Taiping Sect. But as Liao Yonghuai secretly plotted, time passed silently, and the cultivation world of Qingyuan County temporarily returned to a state of superficial peace.

Although the cultivation world has temporarily stabilized, the situation in Qingyuan County is still not good. Although the flood has ended, the problems left behind have not been resolved. A large number of farmlands and houses have been flooded, and people have been displaced. Disaster relief has become the top priority.

The prefectural government issued a call to all the major families, requesting them to contribute to disaster relief. However, the families did not respond much, mainly because they had all suffered losses in this flood and did not want to spend more resources on disaster relief.

At the Prefectural Governor's residence, Prefect Qi Xiuning looked at the intelligence reports coming back from various places, his face solemn and he remained silent.

“These families of cultivators are truly parasites on the dynasty. They suck the people’s blood and sweat in ordinary times, but when it comes to the crucial moment, they only care about protecting themselves.”

From the top of the attic, looking out into the distance, Qi Xiuning saw a blazing flame appear in his hand, burning the letter to ashes.

"Old Yu, what did the Lu family say?"

With a deep voice and an inexplicable air of authority, Qi Xiuning asked a question.

Upon hearing this, a figure quietly emerged from the shadows.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the Lu family is now on high alert and has implemented a complete shutdown, indicating that they cannot spare any more resources or manpower. However, in order to help the disaster victims, Lu Xuanping, the young master of the Lu family, has organized a disaster relief team and has been dredging the river channels."

His words were full of respect. As the leader of the secret guards and also Qi Xiuning's old servant, Lao Yu explained the current situation in detail. He was also a Qi Refining cultivator. Although he was not strong in direct combat, he had his own unique methods in terms of concealing his figure and gathering information.

Upon hearing this, Qi Xiuning frowned.

The dynasty and the cultivation families jointly govern the world. In Qingyuan County, the Lu family is undoubtedly the local power. If it comes to persuading those cultivation families to participate in disaster relief, the Lu family is the best choice to take the lead and set an example. In this matter, even if the emperor, the county governor, speaks, it is not as effective as the Lu family.

Moreover, this time it is a flood. In order to quell the aftermath as soon as possible and prevent backlash, it is necessary to dredge the river channels. In Qinghe County, the Lu family, which specializes in river qi, is the most skilled in this area. If the Qi cultivation cultivators of the Lu family can go all out, the disaster relief efforts in Qinghe County can be reduced by at least 30%.

In this respect, most ordinary people cannot compare with cultivators.

However, Qi Xiuning was not too surprised by the Lu family's current reaction. Ever since the Lu family patriarch was injured by the Yellow Wind Sect Leader, the Lu family had been in a state of outward relaxation but inward tension. His spies in the Lu family had already sent back this information.

Under such circumstances, it's understandable that the Lu family wouldn't be willing to allocate a large number of personnel to participate in disaster relief.

"It seems that the old ghost of the Lu family was really badly injured this time. Could there be something mysterious about the spiritual wind that the Yellow Wind Sect Leader refined?"

His thoughts drifted away, and Qi Xiuning fell into deep thought when he thought of the Yellow Wind Cult Leader. The situation in Changfeng County was now out of control, and as the governor of the neighboring Qingyuan County, he had been paying close attention to the situation of the Yellow Wind Cult.

Judging from the intelligence gathered, the Yellow Wind Cult Leader is indeed quite powerful. He once fought against two opponents, calmly dealing with the combined attacks of the Changfeng County Governor and the Zhou family patriarch, both of whom were at the peak of Qi Refining, without being defeated.

(End of this chapter)