Qin Yanyan finally understood why her father was always reluctant to reveal his identity.

Although Qin Haoran was the leader of one of the four major demonic sects, a dark emperor with countless ruthless demonic cultivators under his command, this identity was not something to be flaunted.

Otherwise, when Qin Yanyan encountered an opponent, the opponent would first flaunt their identity, claiming to be someone from a top-tier sect, and suggest that she should concede.

Qin Yanyan would then reveal a wicked smile, stating that her father was the leader of the demonic sect, and that they should surrender to avoid being killed by her.

But then, there would be no ‘then’. The opponent would immediately report to the authorities, leading to the downfall of the Nine Nether Sect.

The leader of the Nine Nether Sect was the most wanted criminal in the Great Xia Dynasty.

It was like walking into a trap.

Furthermore, if her identity was exposed and everyone knew that Qin Yanyan’s father was the leader of the demonic sect, it would affect her political review and future prospects.

Most importantly, he was heavily in debt and lived an unstable life, with the risk of being hunted down by creditors at any time.

Perhaps, after knowing all this, Su Yiren would feel that Qin Haoran was unreliable and decide to divorce him.

“Do you really not remember where the treasure is hidden?” Meng Jingzhou was persistent. After all, this was a treasure belonging to the leader of a demonic sect, priceless beyond measure.

Li Haoran furrowed his brows, trying hard to recall the fragmented memories.

Qin Haoran’s memories were not only intermittent but also somewhat blurry, like looking at flowers through a fog.

“I’m trying to remember… It should be something from four hundred years ago… It has something to do with a locust tree…”

Lu Yang pondered for a moment before sending a message to the three female ghosts.

In the main hall, the sound of reading echoed, giving the dilapidated temple a fresh feeling. The three scantily clad female ghosts moved around the hall, exciting the scholars.

“Whoever performs well in this class, I will give private lessons,” the female ghost in green whispered, extremely seductive.

The scholars’ eyes lit up upon hearing this, and they began to study with unprecedented enthusiasm: “To learn and then to practice, isn’t it a pleasure…”

Upon receiving Lu Yang’s message, the three female ghosts clapped their hands and said, “Gentlemen, we have to leave for a while. You can study on your own in the next class.”

Then they left the puzzled scholars and went to the side room.

“How many locust trees in Guhuai Town are over four hundred years old?”

The three female ghosts were taken aback by the question. It was Xiao Qi who was the smartest and answered, “There are currently eighty locust trees over four hundred years old. However, not all locust trees from four hundred years ago have survived to this day. Some were cut down to make furniture, some were used as firewood, and there was a big fire in Guhuai Town, which killed a large number of locust trees.”

Meng Jingzhou felt that the situation was a bit tricky. He had originally thought that there wouldn’t be many locust trees over four hundred years old, and they could just check each one. But it turned out he had oversimplified things. Most of the locust trees hadn’t survived to this day.

Lu Yang nodded and asked, “When will you hand over the Yang Qi to Lord Mi?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

“What is Lord Mi’s cultivation level?”

“He should be in the early stage of the Elemental Infant.”

This was roughly what Lu Yang had guessed. In the demonic sect, the person in charge of a county usually had a cultivation level in the early stage of the Elemental Infant. Those like the Chu Sect Leader of Yanjiang County, who were only in the late stage of the Golden Elixir, were in the minority.

After all, the cultivators in Yanjiang County generally had lower cultivation levels, so there was no need to send someone with a high cultivation level to be the regional leader.

“Tomorrow, you three will follow my arrangements…”

…

Shoutian County, a basement costing twenty spirit stones a month.

Lord Mi, the person in charge of Shoutian County of the Nine Nether Sect, was carefully pouring tea for a handsome young man.

The young man’s cultivation level was not high, in the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

“Lord Mi is too polite. I’m just a low-ranking member of the sect. I wouldn’t dare to trouble Lord Mi.”

“I can’t bear the title of Lord Mi. Just call me Old Mi.”

While Lord Mi was smiling and making polite conversation, he was cursing inwardly. Who would dare to treat you as a low-ranking member?

The young man took a sip of his tea leisurely, showing no respect for Lord Mi, as if Lord Mi was his subordinate: “The purpose of my visit, Lord Mi should be clear.”

“For the treasure Master Qin hid in Guhuai Town?”

The young man put down his teacup and casually said, with a determined look on his face: “To be precise, it’s for my treasure.”

Seeing Lord Mi’s hesitation, the young man crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back in his chair, and asked, “What, Lord Mi still doesn’t believe that I am the reincarnation of Qin Haoran?”

“Master Qin is joking. Who in the sect doesn’t know that you are the reincarnation of Master Qin?”

While Lord Mi said this, he was somewhat skeptical.

At some point, a rumor had started in the sect that the previous leader, Qin Haoran, had glimpsed some truths about reincarnation. Although his life token had shattered and he had died, he had actually entered the cycle of reincarnation to prepare for the future struggle for power.

Recently, three young men with the surname Qin had appeared, all claiming to be the reincarnations of Qin Haoran, wanting to inherit the legacy left by Qin Haoran.

These three young men all had the backing of high-ranking members of the Nine Nether Sect. No one dared to openly say that these young men were not the reincarnations of Qin Haoran, nor did they dare to say which one of them was the reincarnation of Qin Haoran.

This involved a power struggle among the high-ranking members of the Nine Nether Sect.

Lord Mi suspected that the high-ranking members had split into three factions, each wanting to seize the legacy left by Qin Haoran, and each had put forward a supposed reincarnation of Qin Haoran.

The young man in front of him was one of the three suspected reincarnations. That’s why Lord Mi was so respectful and didn’t dare to show any negligence.

What if he really was the reincarnation of Master Qin?

Being polite never hurt anyone.

And could such a person go out without a protector?There must be someone hidden in the shadows, ensuring the safety of this young man.

Lord Mi speculated that the young man’s situation was unstable. He wanted to strengthen his claim of being the reincarnation of Sect Leader Qin by finding the treasure that Qin had left in Guhuai Town.

As for the treasure in Guhuai Town, there were various rumors.

This was not something that Qin Haoran had actively shared with everyone. Instead, it was revealed by a confidant of Qin Haoran after his demise.

This confidant mentioned that Sect Leader Qin had put some papers into a wooden box. He had caught a glimpse of the papers, which mentioned a large amount of spirit stones, seemingly exchangeable silver tickets from the merchant guild.

From the subtle clues left by Sect Leader Qin, the confidant deduced that the wooden box was hidden in Guhuai Town.

At first, the confidant didn’t pay much attention to this matter. However, after the fall of Sect Leader Qin, he became greedy and wanted to claim the box for himself.

Unfortunately, the wooden box was sealed with a special seal by Sect Leader Qin, blocking all external probing methods. The confidant had visited Guhuai Town several times but failed to find it.

The higher-ups also failed to find it after learning about this matter.

They didn’t dare to turn Guhuai Town upside down, as it would alert the court.

Thus, the matter was put on hold, with Lord Mi keeping an eye on it at all times.

Lord Mi had been watching for several years, but to no avail. He would casually ask the female ghost about it each time, indicating to the higher-ups that he was still trying to find it.

(End of Chapter)