Yue Hanjun's sister…
Li Changqing looked at the silver-haired girl with some surprise, feeling an unexpected flutter in his heart.
It was a peculiar sensation, as if he was intimately familiar with this woman.
What was going on?
Noticing Li Changqing's odd expression, Mu Qingge, standing beside him, glanced at Yue Qingwu and then back at Li Changqing, murmuring, "I thought Mr. Changqing was a man whose heart remained still in the presence of beauty. It seems that's not the case!"
He had never shown such an expression when he first met her.
"It's not that," Li Changqing said with a wry smile after hearing Mu Qingge's sarcastic remark. He genuinely felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to Yue Qingwu.
It was indeed strange.
Even if there were a blood relation, such a strong feeling shouldn't exist.
There were many people in the world with blood relations, yet none seemed to react as he did.
At that moment, Yue Qingwu seemed to sense something too. She turned her head, her silver eyes scanning the distance until they landed on Li Changqing.
She seemed to have felt something as well.
Discovered!
For some reason, Li Changqing felt as though Yue Qingwu's eyes could see right through him.
If the Yue family discovered him now, it would complicate matters.
It would become widely known, making it difficult to replace Xie Yunsun.
So, Li Changqing's current plan was to avoid Yue Qingwu and leave immediately.
"Let's go!"
Li Changqing stood up and said, "You two find a place to hide. I'll lead her away and then come to find you."
With that, he turned and left.
Mu Qingge and Zhen Wanshou didn't make a sound and headed in another direction.
Yue Qingwu followed Li Changqing as he left.
Initially, Li Changqing walked swiftly through the streets, with Yue Qingwu trailing behind. As he picked up the pace, she continued to pursue him relentlessly.
In a less crowded area, Li Changqing turned into an alley and sped up, hoping to lose Yue Qingwu.
But Yue Qingwu was no pushover, and the Yue family had been entrenched in Tianhai City for many years, making her far more familiar with the city than Li Changqing.
"Trying to leave?"
Yue Qingwu hummed softly, quickly discerning Li Changqing's intended direction.
She leaped into the air, her gown fluttering like a dancing butterfly, and vanished from sight.
Li Changqing didn't fly through the sky to avoid drawing attention from the powerful guards of Tianhai City. He planned to shake off Yue Qingwu in a quieter area.
But he hadn't expected Yue Qingwu to be so tenacious.
Li Changqing went all out, his figure disappearing under the moonlight like a startled swan.
"Snow Feather Zen Wind Technique?"
Yue Qingwu recognized the technique and gave chase, knowing it was one of the famous movement arts from Dao Mountain Ancient Land, but still inferior to the Yue family's techniques.
With her own considerable strength, Yue Qingwu steadily closed the distance between them.
Eventually, Li Changqing arrived at a dimly lit area with rows of abandoned houses, giving off an eerie vibe.
He hadn't expected such a place in Tianhai City.
Since he was here, Li Changqing stopped running. If Yue Qingwu caused trouble, he'd knock her out and leave her here.
Killing her was out of the question, not just because of their mysterious connection but also because if he killed Yue Qingwu, surviving in Tianhai City would become a problem.
Li Changqing stopped and waited for Yue Qingwu.
He wanted to see what this woman intended to do.
Yue Qingwu landed on an abandoned pavilion and approached the cloaked figure carrying a large chest, barely visible in the shadows.
"Li Changqing?" she asked.
Hearing his name, Li Changqing was taken aback. How did Yue Qingwu know his name?
He had never been to Tianhai City or had any contact with the Yue family.
What was going on?
"Why have you come to Tianhai City?" Yue Qingwu asked, seeing no response from Li Changqing. "This isn't a place for you. If discovered, it could lead to trouble. And how do you possess cultivation?"
"Why can't I have cultivation?" Li Changqing found the question rather foolish.
"Hmm?" Yue Qingwu seemed to realize something, exclaiming in surprise, "Could it be that you've already… I see."
Yue Qingwu began to murmur to herself.
"Why do you recognize me?" Li Changqing asked. "We've never met before."
"Of course, I recognize you," Yue Qingwu said gravely. "The person who secretly sent you from Tianhai City to Changting Town was me."
"Changting Town…" Li Changqing was still confused.
"Can you tell me my relation to Yue Hanjun?" That was the question Li Changqing most wanted to be answered.
"It seems you truly can't remember anything," Yue Qingwu said with a smile. "Even though you've forgotten much, the fact that you sensed me immediately shows our sibling bond."
"Siblings?" Li Changqing was stunned.
"Yes, siblings," Yue Qingwu smiled. "You asked about your relationship with Yue Hanjun. He is your brother, and you are also my brother. The Yue family has only acknowledged Yue Hanjun as the legitimate heir, but in truth, to keep a backup, another child's existence was hidden. You and Yue Hanjun are real brothers."
"Your name is Yue Zhengjun, my elder brother," Yue Qingwu said softly.
Li Changqing was dumbfounded by her words.
His name was Yue Zhengjun?
He was the legitimate heir of the Yue family?
So the blood relation he felt with Yue Qingwu was because they were truly siblings?
Li Changqing had imagined countless scenarios, but never expected this outcome.
"Whose son is Li Hengsheng?" Li Changqing urgently wanted to know.
"Hengsheng is naturally the son of the second brother," Yue Qingwu nodded. "He's your nephew."
It was as if thunder had struck Li Changqing.
Li Hengsheng wasn't his son?
The blood connection he felt with Li Hengsheng was merely because he was his nephew?
Li Changqing struggled to accept this.
His mind was in turmoil.
"What is the Cangyuan Realm Master looking for in Li Hengsheng? Why did Yue Hanjun want me to take Li Hengsheng away? What secret lies behind all this?" Li Changqing decided to ask all the questions on his mind.
But this time, Yue Qingwu didn't answer.
She took a deep breath and said, "Brother, you can ask the second brother these questions when he comes out."
"Can he come out?"
Could he really escape from the Endless Prison?
"If the second brother wants to leave the Endless Prison, it's easy for him," Yue Qingwu said confidently. "The reason he hasn't come out yet is that he's waiting for your rise, and also for another opportunity. Now that opportunity is about to arrive. When the second brother can come out, the three of us siblings can reunite."
"Another opportunity?"
Li Changqing pondered and said, "You mean Li Xuanxi."
"Brother is indeed clever."
Yue Qingwu didn't deny it and nodded slightly.
Yue Hanjun was looking for an opportunity to leave the Endless Prison? Instead of feeling anticipation, Li Changqing felt uneasy.
It seemed that Yue Hanjun's release would not be a good thing.
"Brother, what are you doing in Tianhai City?" Yue Qingwu asked curiously. "You should leave quickly. If the Yue family finds out, it will be troublesome. Ever since the second brother was imprisoned, and you disappeared, the Yue family has been eager to disown you."
"To show loyalty to Jiang Tianyun?" Li Changqing murmured.
But he looked up at Yue Qingwu and said, "Nothing much. I came to Tianhai City to find Ghost Vine Grass. A friend of mine has been cursed with the Ghost Resentment curse, so I need the Ghost Vine Grass to help her."
"Ghost Vine Grass…" Yue Qingwu pondered. "That's something found deep in Yunhuang, very scarce. I'm not sure if the Hall of Merits even has it, but if I remember correctly, my Yue family's treasury has a few Ghost Vine Grass. If you need it, brother, I'll get it for you tomorrow morning."
"Great!"
Li Changqing wanted to say, if you could also get me a barrel of dragon blood essence, that would be even better.
But after thinking it over, he decided not to say it.
Just then, Li Changqing and Yue Qingwu turned their attention to a nearby disturbance, as the sound of a patrol approached.
"Let's go," Yue Qingwu urged quickly. "Don't let them discover you."
Li Changqing nodded and leaped away into the night.
Yue Qingwu watched his vanishing figure, her silver eyes shining brightly under the moonlight, and a slight smile graced her lips.
"Who's there?"
The patrol's lanterns shone over, but they found no one.
Li Changqing was still unsettled, doubting the truth he had learned from Yue Qingwu.
He decided to wait for Yue Hanjun's information before making any judgments.
And it wasn't just Yue Hanjun's information; he needed Yue Qingwu's as well.
Li Changqing trusted his judgment.
The idea that he was the legitimate heir of the Yue family felt suspicious.
But for now, Li Changqing didn't dwell on it. He spread out his Divine Soul and located Mu Qingge and Zhen Wanshou. To his surprise, they had already kidnapped Xie Yunsun and begun the soul transfer ritual in a dilapidated house.
Li Changqing hurried over.
It was a dangerous moment. If Mu Qingge were interrupted, it could endanger Zhen Wanshou, Xie Yunsun, and herself, possibly leading to a soul swap among the three of them.
Li Changqing entered the room.
Seeing Li Changqing return, Mu Qingge breathed a sigh of relief but remained silent, focusing on the soul transfer technique.
Li Changqing needed to ensure no one disturbed her.
He stayed to protect her, forming a small barrier with his aura to envelop the trio and prevent their auras from leaking out.
The process took time, but Li Changqing didn't expect trouble to arise so soon.
Patrols passed by occasionally outside.
It seemed his earlier chase with Yue Qingwu had drawn their attention.
The noise outside grew louder.
"Thud, thud, thud!"
Heavy footsteps approached.
Li Changqing peeked through the door crack and was startled by the sight. A patrol had just passed, including a giant from the Giant Clan, towering over four meters tall. Li Changqing felt like a dwarf in comparison.
He hadn't expected Tianhai City to be so diverse.
Staying here could be dangerous.
Li Changqing became more vigilant.
The next moment, his pupils constricted.
The more he feared trouble, the more it seemed to arrive.
Li Changqing saw a figure approaching from a distance, lazily dressed in a dark green robe, looking half-asleep.
The surrounding patrol knelt respectfully at the sight of him.
"Rise," Lin Qingyi yawned, then looked around and asked, "Was it in this area where someone was seen chasing through Tianhai City?"
"Yes, Lord Lin," the crowd replied respectfully.
"Hmm." Lin Qingyi glanced unintentionally at the abandoned houses in the distance, then headed towards Li Changqing's location.
Seeing Lin Qingyi approach, Li Changqing's brows furrowed, and he slowly put on his mask.
If Lin Qingyi really came here, he'd confront him first. If he couldn't hold him off, he'd have no choice but to fight.
But fighting Lin Qingyi in Tianhai City was a losing battle.
If it were just Lin Qingyi, it might be manageable, but Lin Qingyi had too many connections behind him. It was like fighting the police in a city; if you hit the police, the entire station mobilizes, followed by armed forces, special units, and so on. No matter how powerful you are, you're outmatched.
As Lin Qingyi drew closer, his lazy eyes became serious.
Although Li Changqing's aura concealed the trio's presence, Lin Qingyi still felt someone inside the house.
Closer and closer, Lin Qingyi's footsteps became audible.
But Mu Qingge hadn't completed the soul transfer yet; she needed a few dozen more breaths.
Lin Qingyi's hand was on the door, ready to open it, and Li Changqing was prepared to strike.
If he could knock Lin Qingyi out instantly, there might be a chance.
But Li Changqing knew it was unlikely to knock out Lin Qingyi so quickly. Lin Qingyi was already at the Great Martial Sect realm, and among them, he was one of the strongest.
Even Zhang Fuguang had suffered at Lin Qingyi's hands.
Without the cultivation of a terrestrial immortal, it seemed impossible to knock him out instantly.
He had to take the risk.
Just as Lin Qingyi was about to open the door, a voice called from behind him, "Lin Qingyi!"
Hearing the voice, Lin Qingyi immediately turned around.
Under the moonlight stood Yue Qingwu.
"Qingwu, what are you doing here?" Lin Qingyi chuckled and walked towards her, completely forgetting his previous task, as eager as a simp seeing his goddess.
"I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a snack," Yue Qingwu said calmly.
"Come on, I'll take you to eat," Lin Qingyi offered cheerfully.
"Lin Qingyi, I must warn you," Yue Qingwu suddenly clenched her fist and waved it in front of him. "If your Earth Demon comes to me again with nonsense, calling me 'little mistress,' I'll tear it apart!"
"Oh, I'll teach it a lesson. How can it spout such nonsense? 'Little mistress,' it's not like that now," Lin Qingyi quickly replied.
"It never will be!" Yue Qingwu gritted her teeth. "Don't think I don't know, you're the one who taught it!"
The two figures walked away, growing distant. Li Changqing saw Yue Qingwu gesture from behind, signaling them to leave quickly.
Li Changqing hadn't expected Yue Qingwu to save them at the crucial moment.
By then, Mu Qingge had completed the ritual. Zhen Wanshou and Xie Yunsun's souls had been swapped. Zhen Wanshou, now in Xie Yunsun's body, could hardly believe it.
He had succeeded!
His cultivation was now at the Prenatal Realm!
And he could step into the Peak Innate Realm at any moment.
On the other side, Xie Yunsun had been drugged by Mu Qingge and was still unconscious.
Zhen Wanshou finally understood why Mu Qingge had drugged him earlier. After the body swap, the one unconscious would be Xie Yunsun, not him.
He was relieved, having worried that the Song Fairy might do something indecent to him while unconscious. It seemed he had overthought it.
At the same time, he felt a twinge of regret.
With the matter resolved, Li Changqing placed Xie Yunsun in the large chest on his back and waited with Mu Qingge for dawn.
As for Zhen Wanshou, now Xie Yunsun, he could rest easy and return home. Tomorrow, he could go to work at the Cangyuan Pavilion.
In the morning, Bai Tu arrived at work as usual.
The Cangyuan Pavilion didn't provide information at night but still accepted orders. Bai Tu checked the orders and, following routine, sought out the information.
After finding the information, he had someone outside copy it.
"Director."
Seeing Xie Yunsun, Bai Tu greeted him as usual.
"Hmm." Zhen Wanshou looked at Zhao Heizi, knowing he was an undercover agent like himself.
Then he whispered in Bai Tu's ear, "When will it be tomorrow?"
This was a code Li Changqing had devised to prevent his own people from not recognizing each other outside. It was a line from a poem on Earth, and Li Changqing wasn't worried about others knowing it. Anyone who could continue the next line was one of their own.
Bai Tu's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
So he responded, "Look up for yourself!"
Zhen Wanshou nodded in satisfaction.
With the director being one of their own, things were much simpler.
Before noon, Li Changqing had obtained the information he wanted: about Yue Hanjun, Yue Qingwu, and the Jinglong Tendon that Yin Fengqi wanted. All the information was now in Li Changqing's hands.
So he didn't stay in Tianhai City any longer and left with Mu Qingge.
Two days later, they returned to North Cold Country.
Upon arriving at Changqing Mansion, Li Changqing saw that Zhang Fuguang had already returned.
"Fuguang, how did it go?" Li Changqing asked eagerly.
He still hadn't heard any news about Medical King Valley, as if the massacre had gone unnoticed.
It was very strange.
Zhang Fuguang looked at Li Changqing strangely, then bowed and said, "Mr. Changqing, is there some misunderstanding? When I arrived at Medical King Valley, everything was as usual. There was no sign of the destruction you mentioned. All the disciples were alive and well, the elders too. Everything was normal."
Hearing this, Li Changqing was stunned on the spot.
Not destroyed?
No one died?
How could that be!
On that day, he and Yin Changli had seen bodies piled up like mountains in Medical King Valley, almost all dead within the Ancient Medicine Cave.
He had even taken the painting of the Three Lives Flower.
Except for Yin Changli, there was not a single survivor in the entire sect.
The only one whose fate was unknown, Mu Hengsheng, had also disappeared.
And now, Zhang Fuguang had visited and found that everyone in the sect was still alive?
How could this be…
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas