"Oh? What about him?"
Li Qingqiu asked calmly, though a flicker of concern stirred in his chest. Every time he checked Li Sifeng's Fate, he felt uneasy—afraid that the boy might one day stray off the righteous path. So when Xue Jin mentioned Li Sifeng's name, his heart tightened slightly.
Xue Jin took a deep breath before speaking. "He's currently in Dongling Prefecture, chasing after a divine sword. The sword's name is Emperor Xuan Sword—a blade said to have existed for over a thousand years. It's rumored that whoever wields it can dominate the martial world. For that sword, he's gotten himself tangled in a major feud. I tried to talk him out of it, but he scolded me instead and told me to finish my mission and not meddle in his affairs."
"Emperor Xuan Sword?" Li Qingqiu asked, brows slightly furrowed. "Do you know what kind of feud he's gotten into?"
After the battle at the prefecture, Li Sifeng had shown envy toward Xu Ning's Thunder-Summoning Banner, though Li Qingqiu had refused his request.
Li Qingqiu wasn't someone who dismissed tales of divine weapons outright. After all, the Cold Abyss Blade used by the Demonic Sect's Guardian had indeed been extraordinary. It wasn't a spiritual artifact, yet it carried a chilling energy within—likely due to its unique material.
The Cold Abyss Blade was known as the Demon Blade. Li Qingqiu hadn't handed it to any disciple; instead, he kept it stored in his residence, waiting for a suitable bearer.
"This matter involves two major clans," Xue Jin continued. "The first is the Pei Clan, one of the most powerful families in the Great Li Dynasty, connected to the Imperial Censor. The second is an ancient family that has lasted for several centuries—the Di Clan. The word 'Di' means Emperor, and according to legend, their ancestor forged the Emperor Xuan Sword himself. Now that the sword has reappeared, the Di Clan is searching for it, but someone from the Pei Clan also covets it. Both sides are investigating, and conflict has already broken out. Hall Master Li seems to have aligned himself with one faction. I don't know which, but I saw him speaking privately with a mysterious person."
After a pause, Xue Jin added, "In my opinion, so-called divine weapons are just external things. Training in Qingxiao Sect's arts is enough to reach the peak of the martial world. The Emperor Xuan Sword's legend sounds exaggerated. I suspect someone might be setting a trap behind the scenes."
Li Qingqiu exhaled softly, a hint of relief in his eyes.
'So that's all? Just a side quest?'
He smiled faintly. If Li Sifeng wanted to chase after such things, let him. The boy's cultivation was nearing the fourth layer of the Nurturing Essence Realm anyway. His talent wasn't bad—it was his restless heart that held him back.
"You did well bringing this to me," Li Qingqiu said. "Go rest."
Xue Jin bowed respectfully before taking his leave.
When he was gone, Li Qingqiu stood and began pacing the courtyard, his thoughts turning elsewhere.
The new Prefectural Inspector of Guzhou—this man had plotted against Qingxiao Sect. Li Qingqiu couldn't just let that go. He had to deal with it.
The simplest way would be to kill him outright. But that would only bring another inspector to replace him. His instincts told him the man had acted under someone's orders.
He could use the Soul-Binding Curse, just like he had with Jia Yi.
But what if the inspector resisted to the death? Then he'd still have to kill him. And unlike Jia Yi, the inspector was a high-ranking official. If such a man suddenly changed behavior or made mistakes, those behind him would notice. The existence of the curse might even be exposed.
For Li Qingqiu, the Soul-Binding Curse was a hidden trump card, one meant to solve impossible problems—not something to spread lightly.
That evening, he didn't brood alone. Instead, he summoned all the Hall Masters to discuss the matter.
Zhang Yuchun spoke up first. "We can't just kill an inspector. The imperial court might ignore martial rivalries, but if a Prefectural Inspector dies at our hands, the court will send troops to flatten Qingxiao Mountain."
He spoke quickly, nervous that Li Qingqiu might once again say something drastic—like "eliminate the name."
Li Qingqiu couldn't help but laugh. "Relax. I never said I'd kill him."
Yang Jueding spoke next. "If the inspector went through such trouble to set us up, that means he doesn't want to confront us directly. There must be more behind this. We should investigate before acting."
"Exactly," Li Qingqiu said with a smile. "That's why I'm telling you all this. You can handle it. If things get out of hand, I'll step in."
He'd thought it over earlier that day. Since he couldn't find a better plan himself, he'd let others work on it first.
If things truly went south—well, he could always just replace the inspector.
He couldn't fight an army, but taking the head of a commander within the midst of ten thousand soldiers? That, he could do with ease. As Qingxiao Sect grew stronger, his fear of the imperial court waned more and more.
"I'll take charge of this," Zhang Yuchun said. "But I might need Hall Master Zhu's help later."
Zhu Yan gave a calm nod. "Hall Master Zhang is too polite. We all serve the sect. There's no such thing as trouble between us."
"Good," Li Qingqiu said. "Now, for the second matter—do any of you know about the Emperor Xuan Sword?"
Although he trusted Li Sifeng's strength, the boy was still his junior brother. He couldn't help but worry.
Everyone shook their heads. Even Yang Jueding hadn't heard of it.
Zhu Yan was the only one who spoke. "The Emperor Xuan Sword was forged by the Di Clan. Some call it the Demon Sword, others the Divine Sword. It's said to contain incredible power—power that once helped their ancestor ascend to the throne and establish a dynasty. I've only read brief mentions of it in an ancient record."
Li Dongyue frowned slightly. "It's called both a demon sword and a divine sword?"
Zhu Yan nodded. "Some used it to save kingdoms. Others used it to slaughter the martial world. So it has both a glorious and a dark reputation. Why do you ask, Sect Master? Has it resurfaced?"
Li Qingqiu didn't hide the truth. He explained Li Sifeng's pursuit of the sword and his entanglement with the Pei and Di Clans.
"This brat just wants shortcuts," Jiang Zhaoxia said with a scowl. "He thinks he can become number one without hard cultivation."
Yang Jueding chuckled softly. "But isn't the Di Clan bold? Daring to keep 'Di'—Emperor—as their surname? That's almost blasphemy."
Zhang Yuchun pondered for a moment before speaking. "This could become serious—or it might amount to nothing. Senior Brother, if you're worried, we could issue a task through the Training Hall—send some disciples to investigate the Emperor Xuan Sword. They might run into Sixth Junior Brother and watch his back. Plenty of our disciples have been wanting to roam the martial world for experience anyway."
Li Qingqiu nodded with approval. "That's a good idea."
Many disciples felt their martial skills had already reached a bottleneck. Others were simply bored and eager to travel the martial world.
Li Qingqiu saw no harm in it. In fact, it was beneficial—sending them out would save food, free up resources for new disciples, and spread Qingxiao Sect's reputation far and wide.
The number of disciples kept growing, yet true geniuses remained rare.
Still, the more disciples there were, the higher the chance of producing one.
Besides, disciples venturing out might even trigger a Dao Lineage Inheritance prompt. Li Qingqiu had begun craving more Fortune Opportunities and Inheritance Rewards.
'Perhaps,' he thought, 'some of these fortunes can be found by the disciples themselves.'
He discussed the Training Hall's task system further with the other Hall Masters. Since Li Sifeng wasn't around, they would need to collaborate to properly establish and manage the hall's operations.
In Guzhou's prefectural city, after more than half a year of reconstruction and the movement of the population, the once-devastated city was slowly recovering—though it no longer possessed the prosperity of past years.
Inside the Prefectural Inspector's residence, the newly appointed Inspector Fan Xi was entertaining a distinguished guest in a small pavilion. His hands trembled slightly as he poured tea for the man across from him.
That guest wore a black robe and a fierce ghost mask. Under the sunlight, he looked like a vengeful spirit. Fan Xi's forehead was slick with cold sweat.
Fan Xi was slightly overweight, his beard and hair streaked with white despite being only in his early fifties. At this moment, he looked nothing like an official of the court.
"Lord Xuan," he said cautiously, "what brings you here in person?"
Fan Xi had come from Zhenyang City, and before taking the post of Inspector, he had already heard of Lord Xuan. He had even witnessed the man's methods once. In his mind, Lord Xuan was more terrifying than the Emperor himself.
Lord Xuan picked up his teacup, admiring the swirling steam. "Didn't you write to me saying that Qingxiao Sect was full of experts—too difficult to handle? So, I've come personally to assist you."
Fan Xi shivered and hurried to explain. "Lord Xuan, it's not that I was shirking my duty. I just arrived not long ago and haven't yet built a loyal network. On my first day here, the city's general made things difficult for me—he's backed by the Crown Prince. I can't afford to offend that side, so I've had to take things slowly. Under such circumstances, I truly don't have the manpower to move against Qingxiao Sect."
"But," he added quickly, "it's not like I've done nothing. I sought help from the Inspector of Dongling Prefecture. He sent the Nine Absolutes Sect to assassinate Qingxiao Sect's Sect Master, but not only did they fail, they were completely wiped out in retaliation…"
Even mentioning it made Fan Xi tremble.
These past few months, he had lived in constant fear that Qingxiao Sect's assassins would come to his residence at night. He slept poorly, even though he had hired several martial experts for protection. The sense of danger never faded.
Lord Xuan said slowly, his voice calm yet cold. "Qingxiao Sect is indeed not easy to deal with. Sending assassins after their Sect Master was foolish. Others may not know, but you do—you've seen what the Demon Emperor was capable of. The one who could slay him, Qingxiao Sect's Sect Master, ranks among the very top experts in the world."
Fan Xi gave a strained smile. "I didn't expect the Dongling Inspector to be that stupid."
"I've brought you two men," Lord Xuan said casually, setting his teacup down. "Their martial strength already rivals that of the Demon Emperor. And they've each taken an immortal pill—making their power even greater. If you can lure the Qingxiao Sect Master to your mansion, they'll kill him. Once he's dead, you can easily find a pretext to exterminate the rest of Qingxiao Sect."
He snapped his fingers lightly.
Two figures leapt over the courtyard wall, moving so fast they appeared only as flickering shadows before landing silently beside them.
Both wore tight black garments, ghost masks, and bamboo hats. From their builds and movements, they looked almost identical.
So fast!
Fan Xi's eyes widened. Their speed was beyond anything he'd ever seen.
He immediately bowed deeply. "With these two peerless masters' aid, why did you come in person, Lord Xuan? Had they come with your token, I would've welcomed them with the highest honors."
Lord Xuan rose to his feet. "I have other matters to attend to. Dealing with Qingxiao Sect is your test. Prove that you're capable of being Inspector. The Emperor is watching. Don't disappoint him."
Fan Xi bowed low, his voice trembling. "I will give my all. I will not disappoint His Majesty."
Hands clasped behind his back, Lord Xuan turned and left the pavilion.
Fan Xi wanted to escort him, but when Lord Xuan raised a hand to stop him, he dared not follow. He could only stand there and watch the man disappear into the distance.
Even after Lord Xuan was gone, Fan Xi's heart remained unsettled.
'Lord Xuan serves the Emperor,' he thought, frowning. 'He hasn't left Zhenyang City in thirty years. So why come here now?'
A chill crept down his spine.
'No… something's off. He's hiding something. Maybe he didn't come by the Emperor's command at all.'