There are no ancestors at all; I made them all up.

Chapter 188 is so funny!

Standing at the entrance of the villa were the same group from before. The woman in red and the man in black at the head of the group were explaining their purpose to the gatekeeper, saying that they had come to visit the Hidden Star Dharma Master.

"Please inform Master Jiming that Qiao Bujue, the owner of Wantongfang, has come to request an audience and seeks your help!"

The gatekeeper disciple said, "Please wait a moment, I will go and inform them. However, Uncle Jiming is in seclusion for many years, so we may not be able to see him."

A man behind Qiao Bujue said, "The strange phenomena just now were all connected to your villa. No one but the Dharma Master could do that. Are you still in seclusion?"

The gatekeeper was speechless for a moment.

The woman in red said, "Go tell Li Qing that I, the princess, have come to see him again, but this time I have brought a message, a message that is very important to him! I am Princess Hongling!"

The gatekeeper was clearly intimidated by the name she announced and was hesitating.

Chen Qing's voice reached the disciple's ears across the distance: "Take them to the side room to wait."

The disciple immediately accepted the order and led Qiao Bujue and his group inside.

On the other side, Chen Qing withdrew his divine sense and said to Han Jing Zhenren, "There really is someone I saw in the Xuanyu before, but that person is not from the Xuanyu." Then, he asked about the origin of "Wantongfang".

"This is also a large sect, and it is spread all over the world. However, it is more like a gang than a sect. It contains all sorts of people, but there is not much cultivation inheritance."

Chen Qing's eyes lit up as he listened: "In that case, this neighborhood must be well-informed."

Master Hanjing nodded and said, "Indeed, you are well-informed."

Chen Qing then said to Han Jing and Huan Yun, "Senior brothers and sisters, go ahead and do your work. It is indeed an old friend. I will go and see him." He then said to his three disciples, "You should also go and cultivate yourselves. Do not be distracted by other things."

Yin Qingping and Zhang Shi naturally had no objections, but Bing Yanmiao raised her crystal-clear eyes, revealing a sly look.

Inside the side hall, the charcoal fire burned brightly, dispelling the chill.

Two maids sent by the Qingqiu clan tidied up the room and then gracefully left, saying they were going to inform the Dharma Master.

"Thank you for your trouble, ladies." Qiao Bujue sat upright, but his gaze frequently drifted towards the outside of the hall.

The princess in red seemed quite at ease, looking around at the room's furnishings with a slight smirk.

Footsteps sounded, and Chen Qing stepped into the room.

"Lord Jiming!" Qiao Bujue suddenly stood up, intending to pay homage with great ceremony.

With a flick of his sleeve, Chen Qing used an invisible force to support him: "Master Qiao, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit."

He turned his gaze to the princess in red and said, "Your Highness, how have you been? What important news could have troubled you to make this trip in person?"

The princess in red felt a sudden tightness in her heart as he swept his gaze over her. She snorted and said, "Li Qing, you have quite the airs! But that's true, you are now famous and have achieved remarkable feats. You are naturally different from the lowly official of Xuanyu in the past."

She spoke for a while, but seeing that Chen Qing did not respond, she raised her eyebrows. However, she knew that she could not afford to offend this person now, so she suppressed her thoughts and said, "This news was found by Sister Chu. She said that your younger brother is going to join the Taiyi Dao Palace and become a true disciple! She told you to be careful!"

"Sister Chu?" Chen Qing was taken aback, then thought of another woman he had seen in the Xuan Prison, who had said that she was engaged to him but had gone to break off the engagement. He didn't expect her to send him such news through someone.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, fragments of memories about "Li Qing" flashing through his mind, and his doubts grew.

Although the Li family was not a wealthy and powerful clan, they were considered a family that valued both farming and scholarship in the north, and their population was not small.

In the branch of the family to which "Li Qing" belongs, there are four brothers. Apart from one who died young, the other two brothers are much older than him and have already started their own families and have many children. So how could there be another "brother"?
Therefore, he stated frankly: "I vaguely remember that I have two older brothers, but I don't think I have any younger brothers."

The princess in red laughed and said, "Of course you don't know, because your younger brother was born more than thirty years ago."

"More than thirty years ago?" Chen Qing calculated in his mind, thinking to himself, "Good heavens."

Based on the age and physical condition of "Li Qing's" parents, let alone more than 30 years ago, they should have been in a state of decline even 100 years ago. To have children again would be almost defying the heavens. Even with subsidies, they would not have the ability!
Upon realizing this, Chen Qing immediately understood and exclaimed, "This Taiyi Dao Palace truly has remarkable methods; they can really pull off some amazing feats!"

"More than just a good method?" the red-robed princess sneered. "To restore the vitality of your mortal parents and maintain sufficient life force for conception, the Taiyi Dao Palace expended enough longevity elixirs and nourishing medicines to cultivate a Golden Core cultivator! And the person born will have an extraordinary background—"

A thought flashed through Chen Qing's mind, and he replied, "A reincarnation of merit?"

The princess in red clapped her hands and laughed, "Brilliant! It was through merit that his true spirit was drawn to be reincarnated into your family. He was born with innate wisdom and is utterly loyal to the Taiyi Dao Palace, regarding it as his only mother family! Your younger brother will soon be officially recorded in the Taiyi Dao Palace's register of true disciples! Once he uses blood as a guide and makes the great oath of 'offering his blood to the sect, so that our fortunes may prosper together,' you, as his closest blood brother in the world, will surely be forcibly pulled by the power of that oath and bound to the immense fortune of the Taiyi Dao Palace!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing frowned slightly.

The connection between fate and destiny is the most mysterious and unpredictable. In the past, he always kept his distance from it, because this kind of path is something that you can't understand unless you believe in it, so he didn't want to know too much about it.

Seeing his expression, the princess in red raised her voice, saying meaningfully, "Don't underestimate this matter! If outsiders are not orthodox members of the Taiyi lineage, once they are drawn into its vast fortune system, they will not share in its prosperity. Nine times out of ten, they will be exploited and become fuel to nourish the giant ship! At best, their path will be blocked; at worst, their foundation will be damaged, and they will be powerless to control their own destiny!" If not orthodox members of the Taiyi lineage?

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing's brows relaxed.

He suddenly asked, "What if one's own status is close to that of the Grandmaster of Taiyi or the Sect Leader, and one is forcibly linked to this giant ship of destiny?"

The princess in red was taken aback by his words, clearly having never considered this possibility. She frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "If the founder and the sect leader were already within the sect, how could they have connected later?"

After a pause, her thoughts gradually became clearer, and she further explained: "The sect's founder and leader are the giant ship itself, while the sect's disciples are the firewood and the water. As the water rises, the ship rises. If a founder is forcibly grafted, it must be the other way around, borrowing the fortune of the Taiyi Dao Palace!"

But at this point, she couldn't help but shake her head: "But such a situation is unheard of!"

After hearing this, Chen Qing pondered to himself.

So, if what the kitten said is true, I can ignore it for now to avoid being disturbed by that vague talk of luck.

Having made up his mind, he had already made a plan, but he did not show it on his face. Instead, he asked, "I appreciate the princess's kindness, but I wonder if there is a way to resolve this calamity and temporarily avoid it?"

The princess in red immediately replied, "Yes! There are two methods!"

"First, find your cheap brother and kill him directly. If you care about human relations, you can destroy his foundation and the calamity will be resolved on its own."

"Secondly, return to Dingyuan Mountain immediately! The Hidden Star Sect is an ancient sect with profound foundations and its own natural barrier of fortune. Moreover, it has the legacy of the Hidden Star True Monarch, which should be able to isolate the domineering forces of the Taiyi Dao Palace and others from forcibly seizing your fortune! As long as you are in the sect, the blood oath of your cheap brother will have difficulty reaching you!"

Chen Qing nodded upon hearing this. Since the legacy of True Monarch Hidden Star could be used, there was no need to worry.

Seeing that he seemed to have made up his mind, the princess in red softened her expression and her tone became gentler: "I came here this time for Sister Chu. Because of her past affair with you, she is constantly restricted in her family and sect, and is gradually becoming marginalized. Her situation is quite difficult. She asked me to deliver a message, and she has no intention of taking advantage of your kindness or asking you to rekindle your old relationship. She just asked me to deliver a message."

She paused, then changed the subject: "But I think that you are now famous throughout the North. If you could speak up for her, it could help her break out of her current predicament. If you are willing to help, I, the princess, will reward you handsomely! But I will not force you!"

After a moment's thought, Chen Qing said, "If Miss Chu is indeed in a difficult situation, and it is reasonable, I will consider asking for help when the opportunity arises in the future." This statement was tactful, both repaying the kindness of reporting the news and not making any promises lightly.

Princess Hongyi pondered, realizing that receiving such a response was already quite an achievement, and breathed a sigh of relief. She then pointed to Qiao Bujue, who had been holding his breath beside her, and said, "This Qiao Bujue is my brother-in-law. He has come here today with a matter of life and death to ask for your help."

Chen Qing turned his gaze to Qiao Bujue: "Please speak, Master Qiao."

Qiao Bujue took a deep breath and bowed deeply: "Please, Dharma Master, save my wife! Half a year ago, in order to refine her natal magic weapon, she risked absorbing a wisp of innate tribulation energy leaked from the ancient Thunder Pool. Unexpectedly, the tribulation energy backfired, invading her meridians and dantian. Now her golden core is obscured, her internal organs are burning, and her life force is fading away every day! I have consulted many famous doctors, but they are all helpless. I heard that you, Dharma Master, have unparalleled supernatural powers, especially in thunder magic, and there may be a glimmer of hope for her. That is why I have shamelessly come to you! I beg you, Dharma Master, for mercy!"

"Oh?" Chen Qing's expression shifted slightly. "Tell me in detail, what was the form of the Thunder Pool's malevolent energy? When your wife absorbed it, were there any unusual phenomena around her?"

Qiao Bujue hurriedly said, "That Thunder Pool resembles an ancient sect's ruins, its malevolent aura a chaotic color, with hidden purple lightning. Its appearance immediately attracted thunderclouds for hundreds of miles, which have not dissipated for years. My wife borrowed the sect's rare treasure, the Yuan-Gathering Bottle, to collect it. At first, she was unharmed, but unexpectedly, during the refining process, the malevolent energy suddenly backfired, as if ten thousand lightning bolts were devouring her body! Now her meridians are cracked, and she suffers from the burning pain of the thunderous aura from time to time. She can only barely keep her life afloat with the help of the Ice Heart Jade Marrow. She is in a separate courtyard by the Thunder Pool and dares not move lightly."

After listening, Chen Qing pondered the matter.

This innate lightning tribulation is a deadly poison to others, but to his tribulation lightning magic weapon, it is a great tonic. In addition to saving lives, he can also use it to refine his lightning hairpin, achieving two goals at once.

The princess in red then said, "This Thunder Pool has only recently appeared. Your younger brother, who is not truly a disciple, needs some qualifications to secure his place in the sect. He has also been arranged to go there. If you go, you might be able to eliminate the root of the trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing narrowed his eyes, pondering in his mind.

He didn't care much about the so-called connection of fate, but since the gate in his heart was there and there were many grudges from the past, he would have to fight with Taiyi Dao Palace sooner or later.

"This might be a testing opportunity. My adopted brother's strength is limited, so he's easy to manipulate. We can use this as a trial balloon, since they started it, but we also need to be wary of a trap set for me..."

In a flash, he made his decision and said to Qiao Bujue frankly, "This matter happened suddenly and cannot be decided easily. Please wait a while, Master, so I can find out more. It just so happens that I also have something to inquire about. I heard that your workshop is well-informed, and I will need to ask for your help in the future."

"No problem!" Qiao Bujue immediately perked up. "I can wait!"

Chen Qing immediately summoned several people and instructed them to send messages to the Marquis of Dingbo's residence, the Dragon Palace, and the Chen family in Yujing to investigate the situation.

Upon hearing that Chen Qing had emerged from seclusion, the three families immediately offered to send people over. However, after being dissuaded by Chen Qing, news arrived within half a day confirming what the two princesses in red had said.

The person communicating with Chen Qing was Lu Zhao, the heir of the Marquis of Dingbo. He said bluntly, "Although it can be confirmed as true, there is a trap inside. The person you mentioned is named Li Zhuo. Not only did he not hide his background, but he also publicized it extensively. He even took advantage of others, claiming to be the younger brother of the Hidden Star Dharma Master. He has done many evil deeds and acted arrogantly! He even tried to forcibly take the woman you were previously engaged to!"

"How could it be so despicable?" Chen Qing was quite surprised upon hearing this.

"So, we can't rule out the possibility that they also intend to use this to lure you there!" Lu Zhao's tone was icy. "After we found out, we also intend to kill this person! His actions have ruined your reputation and are a provocation against my Hidden Star lineage!"

"No rush. If I happen to run into them, I can clean house." Chen Qing waved his hand to stop Lu Zhao from trying to dissuade him. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I may have some leverage and advantages against Taiyi Dao Palace. Besides, if things turn bad, I'm confident I can escape."

(End of this chapter)