Li Qingxiao cleared the dirt from his shovel again and sat on the steps in front of the door, feeling a headache coming on.
He had every reason to have a headache.
He had painstakingly investigated the truth behind his parents' accidental deaths, even giving up his position and future prospects, risking being killed by some powerful figure at any moment. Just when he finally had some leads, these annoying people showed up.
Li Qingxiao had planned to wait for a time gap, make one final investigation, and if there were no results, simply leave. But plans couldn't keep up with changes. The last investigation had significant progress, making it hard to just leave.
Although Li Qingxiao had dealt with these two people, friends who often kill knew that killing was easy, but disposing of bodies was hard. Such things couldn't be hidden; it was just a matter of when they would be exposed.
Once exposed, not to mention the Li family main branch and the Qingping Society, Li Qingxiao couldn't explain himself to the local Daoist temple. Regardless of the reason, killing was a serious crime.
Fortunately, Mei Ning and "Remember the Prince" weren't on the same side.
Mei Ning came from the Phoenix and Dragon Continent's Heavenly Gate. If the Daoist Sect was the central government, then the Heavenly Gate was a local chieftain. Based on Mei Ning's mention of "Li family personnel" before her death and the conversation between Li Qilan and Li Qingping, it was basically confirmed that these people were Li Qingxuan's subordinates.
Even among the Li family main branch, there were hierarchies. Li Qilan and Li Qingping were from the second house, while Li Qingxuan was from the first house, the true eldest grandson.
As a distant branch of the Li family, Li Qingxiao still knew a bit about family matters.
Li family generation names: "Jin Dao Ru Fa, Chang You Tian Ming, Wen Jing Zhen Yuan, Qing Yun Bu Wu."
Li Qingxiao's generation was the "Qing" generation. The previous generation was the "Yuan" generation, and the current Great Master was from the "Zhen" generation. Li Qingxuan was the first person of the "Qing" generation.
Under normal circumstances, Li Qingxuan's heir status should have been unshakable. Unfortunately, Li Qingxuan's father had died many years ago, while Li Qingxuan's second uncle, Li Yuanhui (Li Qilan and Li Qingping's father), was in his prime.
On this land, the conflict between uncles and nephews played out again and again, and the Li family was no exception.
Li Qingxuan's opponent wasn't Li Qingping or Li Qilan, but Li Yuanhui behind the siblings. Being a generation apart, whether in connections and experience, position and status, or cultivation realm, Li Qingxuan was far behind. If not for the protection of the Great Master, he would have been pulled down long ago by this good uncle. Li Qingxuan's proactive move was more defensive than offensive.
Mei Ning finding Li Qingxiao was just an accident, not intentional targeting.
As for "Remember the Prince" and the Qingping Society behind him, that wasn't an accident. The Qingping Society had little to do with the Li family. They weren't interested in the Li family's internal struggles; they were solely after Li Qingxiao. Strictly speaking, they were after the North Star Hall secrets Li Qingxiao possessed.
If Great Master Qi were still around, Li Qingxiao wouldn't have anything to fear. As long as he clung tightly to Great Master Qi's leg, no matter what winds came from east, west, south, or north, he would remain unmoved.
But Great Master Qi went to the Immortal Crossing and couldn't return for a while. Li Qingxiao couldn't raise the banner given by Great Master Qi and shout about having connections, right?
Not to mention the issue of whether others would believe him. Rashly getting involved in the Daoist Sect's upper echelon struggles wouldn't end well.
Li Qingxiao had been a regular Daoist with a position in the Daoist Sect. As an insider, he knew some rumors about the Daoist Sect's upper echelons. It was said that Great Master Qi almost became the Ninth Great Master, but the Eighth Great Master thought she lacked virtue, so she didn't get the position.
But after the Eighth Great Master ascended, Great Master Qi held both the position of Great Master of the Complete Perfection Sect and the Palace Master of the Purple Dawn Palace. Among the seven seats in the Supreme Council, Great Master Qi's faction held five positions, leaving the Ninth Great Master gasping for air. Orders couldn't leave the Purple Dawn Palace, and Great Master Qi openly defied the Ninth Great Master, earning her the title of "Supreme Great Master."
There were some rumors that might or might not be true. It was said that Great Master Qi and the Ninth Great Master fought for most of their lives, ultimately both suffering heavy losses. The Ninth Great Master ascended, and Great Master Qi was considered to have committed a serious error, choosing to resign as Palace Master of the Purple Dawn Palace and keep only the position of Great Master of the Complete Perfection Sect.
Wasn't it related to the so-called "Heavenly White Jade Capital" plan? The old man at the Eight Scenic Villa said Great Master Qi personally oversaw this plan. Connecting it with the Li family massacre on Penglai Island and the ruins of the Eight Scenic Villa, it was clear that this plan wasn't successful. As the main person in charge, Great Master Qi's resignation made sense.
It was probably because Great Master Qi had already stepped back that Li Qilan and Li Qingping dared to provoke her. They were young and fearless, relying on the current Great Master's power.
Li Qingxiao never imagined he would be connected to this legendary Great Master Qi. After their brief encounter, Li Qingxiao fully agreed with the Eighth Great Master's assessment of Great Master Qi - the Daoist Sect's top position absolutely couldn't be given to someone without virtue. "Wanmiao" was frivolous and couldn't rule the world.
Great Master Qi, Qi Wanmiao, held all the mysteries in her hands.
If Li Qingxiao chose to use Great Master Qi's banner, he would indeed have a patron, but he would also have enemies. The problem was that the patron wasn't in the mortal world, while the enemies were another matter.
"Remember the Prince" had a point - everyone was just a pawn, don't think too highly of yourself or take yourself too seriously.
This also involved Chief Daoist Zhou. He was the chief of the North Star Hall, the second-in-command after the Hall Master. If not for Chief Daoist Zhou's word, Li Qingxiao wouldn't have escaped the Disciplinary Office so easily. Because of Chief Daoist Zhou's deterrence, the Qingping Society's upper echelons didn't dare to act rashly, only sending some small fry to test the waters, giving Li Qingxiao room to maneuver.
As for why Chief Daoist Zhou spoke up for Li Qingxiao, a small fry at the time, Li Qingxiao didn't know. He just thought he had encountered a benefactor who showed mercy, considering his status as the orphan of a martyr and letting him off.
Looking back now, it probably wasn't that simple.
Chief Daoist Zhou clearing his name and Great Master Qi suddenly finding him on Penglai Island - was there a connection between the two? Li Qingxiao couldn't make a hasty judgment, but he tended to believe there was some unknown connection.
Speaking of Great Master Qi, Li Qingxiao had an idea. Li Qilan and Li Qingping wanted to use Great Master Qi's hands to get rid of Li Qingxuan's people, and he might not be able to either.
Because there was an information gap. Besides Great Master Qi, only Li Qingxiao temporarily had all the information. The Qingping Society might not know about the Li family main branch's internal struggle, and the Li family main branch people might not know that the Qingping Society had secretly come to Penglai Island. If he could find a way to make these two sides fight each other, wouldn't it be like driving a tiger to devour a wolf?
But these two sides weren't fools. Even with less key information, why would they be manipulated by him?
As "Remember the Prince" said, having or not having the North Star Hall's position was a world of difference.
Li Qingxiao's official cultivation was only at the basic level. After thinking for a long time without coming up with a good plan, he decided not to think about it anymore. Instead, he took out the scroll given by Great Master Qi, planning to first familiarize himself with this life-saving technique. After this matter was settled, he would have to start practicing immediately.
Otherwise, even if he escaped to the South Seas, he couldn't escape the gaze of the so-called alien "Great Wasteland Heaven."
Now that things had come to this point, he might as well practice first.
It was strange. Li Qingxiao had been in the Daoist Sect for so many years. He had only heard of the "Supreme Sensing Scripture" but never the "Supreme Sensing Method." Could it be a completely new technique created by Great Master Qi?
But then again, every time Li Qingxiao thought about the "supreme spell" that Great Master Qi chanted when restoring the inverted tower, he found it very unreliable.
Would practicing this thing be okay?
It couldn't really summon the Supreme Daoist Ancestor to possess him, could it? That would be too exaggerated.