Could it really be haunted?
"I saw them all dead before, but now they're all alive again. Fuguang, do you notice anything odd about them?"
Li Changqing still couldn't believe it.
"Anything odd…" Zhang Fuguang was also deep in thought, pondering if there was anything amiss.
But after a long time, Zhang Fuguang eventually shook his head.
"It doesn't seem like there's anything wrong," he said.
Everything looked too normal. If it weren't for Li Changqing's adamant claims, Zhang Fuguang would have doubted whether Li Changqing had been drunk and seen things wrong that day.
Medical King Valley still presented a thriving scene, completely devoid of anything amiss.
Hearing what Zhang Fuguang said, Mu Qingge decisively spoke, "Mr. Changqing, I need to go back."
"It's dangerous for you to go back now," Li Changqing said with a frown. "Don't you believe what I said?"
Mu Qingge shook her head: "You misunderstand; I don't disbelieve you. You and Chang Li both witnessed the annihilation of Medical King Valley, and I trust neither of you would be mistaken. Thus, if things are this complex, I must investigate who these people occupying Medical King Valley are. Plus, I need to find my father and ask what exactly happened, why he brought Medical King Valley to this state."
Mu Qingge was resolute. Medical King Valley was her home.
With trouble at home, how could Mu Qingge not worry? And there was her father.
He was her only relative in this world. Even though she knew her father had joined the Longevity Sect, Mu Qingge couldn't just ignore it.
She had to go back and see for herself.
"That place is now a dragon's den, and I'm really not at ease with you going back alone. Wait a while, and I'll accompany you," Li Changqing said, concerned.
The Su family was about to arrive, and Li Changqing's priority was to settle the matters at hand.
Otherwise, what if the Su family took their anger out on Changqing Trading Company in his absence?
"No need," Mu Qingge said with a slight smile. "I appreciate your kindness, Mr. Changqing. After all, I'm just going home. Besides, I've already caused you enough trouble. If it weren't for your shelter, I might still be on the run."
"This matter, let me handle it alone. I believe my father won't harm me," Mu Qingge earnestly told Li Changqing.
"Alright then, you can go, but not now. Otherwise, I'm still worried. I'll have Zhen Wanshou keep an eye on Medical King Valley for the next few days to see if anything's amiss. If it's safe, you can go back then; a few days won't make a difference."
"You're not just from Medical King Valley now; you're also part of my Changqing Trading Company. I need you to come back safely."
"Okay," Mu Qingge could see Li Changqing genuinely cared for her. Thinking it over, it was indeed a wiser choice to gather intelligence before returning.
Better safe than sorry. She trusted her father, Mu Hengsheng, wouldn't harm her, but if he was also compelled against his will, the situation could become unpredictable.
"Take this to protect yourself."
After speaking, Li Changqing took out a wooden carving from his Acceptance of Rings and handed it to Mu Qingge.
Mu Qingge looked at the object in front of her. It was shaped oddly, like a cloud, and although its purpose wasn't clear, anything Li Changqing gave couldn't be trash.
Mu Qingge knew it must be something that could save her life when it mattered.
"Thank you, Mr. Changqing," Mu Qingge thanked him again.
"No need to be so formal with me," Li Changqing said with a smile. "You've also helped me a lot recently. Without you, how could I have managed to infiltrate someone into the Cangyuan Pavilion?"
Saying this, Li Changqing sat down and took out two pieces of intelligence.
One was about Yue Hanjun, and the other about Yue Qingwu.
"Yue Qingwu's?"
Mu Qingge had thought Li Changqing was only interested in Yue Hanjun's intelligence, not expecting Yue Qingwu's as well.
"Mr. Changqing really cares about that woman," Mu Qingge said with a faint smile, puffing up her chest, wondering where she fell short compared to Yue Qingwu.
"This woman is a bit off, so I want to see if I can find any clues from her."
Although Li Changqing had only met Yue Qingwu once, he always felt she wasn't simple. Moreover, Yue Qingwu had stepped in to help him that night when Lin Qingyi was present, but even so, it didn't dispel Li Changqing's suspicions about her.
So much so that when Yue Qingwu offered him Ghost Vine Grass, Li Changqing didn't go to get it the next day.
He just didn't trust Yue Qingwu.
Opening the intelligence on Yue Hanjun and Yue Qingwu, Li Changqing started reading seriously.
The intelligence recorded in the Cangyuan Pavilion was very detailed. Li Changqing read every word, and even though he was prepared, he was still shocked by the information.
Neither sibling was simple.
Yue Hanjun, a young genius Painting Sage.
The youngest Painting Sage in the history of the Cangyuan Realm, achieving the title at seventeen.
At that time, he was a rising star in the Cangyuan Realm, and many painters believed Yue Hanjun might eventually step into the realm of great freedom, becoming the new Painting Immortal.
Then Yue Hanjun met Jiang Qianrou.
Secretly dating Jiang Qianrou, Jiang Tianyun didn't mind at first. Having a daughter late in life, he doted on her and was quite satisfied with Yue Hanjun.
But one day, for some unknown reason, Jiang Tianyun suddenly opposed their relationship.
Yue Hanjun didn't understand this sudden change.
Eventually, Yue Hanjun seemed to discover something and eloped with Jiang Qianrou, and the two even had a child.
Reading this, Li Changqing's heart sank. It seemed that child was undoubtedly Li Hengsheng.
Could it be true, as Yue Qingwu said, that he was Yue Hanjun's brother and Li Hengsheng was his nephew, which is why he felt a blood connection with him?
Could Li Hengsheng really not be his son?
Later, Yue Hanjun was suppressed in the Endless Prison. Jiang Tianyun didn't kill Yue Hanjun but wanted to get something from him.
However, these pieces of intelligence didn't reveal what it was, and the content related to Jiang Tianyun was scarce.
Yue Hanjun's brilliant life came to an end, and the Yue family distanced themselves from him, treating him as a traitor.
"How realistic."
Li Changqing shook his head silently.
But in the intelligence, Li Changqing saw a very familiar name.
Li Jinsong!
Yue Hanjun and Li Jinsong were once close friends.
As the youngest Painting Sages of their time, they had argued for a while, but unfortunately, Li Jinsong ruined his future by attempting to paint a dragon.
Reading about Yue Hanjun's life, Li Changqing gained a rough understanding of him. His life was quite spectacular, even venturing into Yunhuang and meeting various Painting Sages.
He had even encountered several from the Ghost Clan.
He once competed with a strong figure known as the Faceless Painting Sage in Yunhuang for three months, ultimately winning by a narrow margin.
"Such a talent, all for a woman…"
Li Changqing felt it was a pity.
But no matter how he looked, Li Changqing couldn't find any information about this so-called elder brother, Yue Zhengjun.
Did such a person really exist?
Li Changqing was skeptical.
But Yue Qingwu seemed to have given a plausible explanation.
Next, Li Changqing opened Yue Qingwu's intelligence.
Compared to her brother Yue Hanjun, Yue Qingwu seemed much simpler, but she was also the pride of the Yue family. Although she lacked the talent of a painter, she was by no means weak in cultivation.
As he read on, Li Changqing discovered another familiar name.
Damn it, Li Jinsong.
Li Jinsong had once pursued Yue Qingwu, and they had a brief relationship.
Moreover, after Yue Hanjun was imprisoned in the Endless Prison, Yue Qingwu, as his sister, was not only unaffected but was also appointed to a high position in Tianhai City, which Li Changqing had not expected.
The more he read the intelligence, the more shocked Li Changqing felt.
Because he believed Yue Qingwu, who seemed harmless, was hiding very deep.
Lin Qingyi liked Yue Qingwu and was always manipulated by her.
Just this skill alone was not something ordinary people could achieve.
"This Li Jinsong…"
Li Changqing pondered and said, "He was played by that girl Yue Qingwu!"
The first Painting Sage of the younger generation.
One person was enough.
In Yue Qingwu's eyes, the most suitable first Painting Sage of the young generation was naturally her brother Yue Hanjun.
What was Li Jinsong?
How dare he compete with Yue Hanjun for the title of the first Painting Sage.
With Li Jinsong's affection for her, Yue Qingwu casually incited him, leading Li Jinsong to rashly go to Void Dragon Island to paint a dragon in a fit of anger for beauty, resulting in his downfall. Although he was lucky not to die on the island, he became a cripple.
He fell from the realm of Painting Sage and could never recover in this life.
After that, Li Jinsong, the fool, felt unworthy of Yue Qingwu and ran off to Dao Mountain Ancient Land in Minghong Prefecture to lick his wounds alone.
Perhaps Li Jinsong still fantasized that Yue Qingwu, unable to find him, would search the world for him and be in a state of anxious distress?
But what Li Jinsong couldn't imagine was that all this was just Yue Qingwu's design.
Yue Qingwu, in Tianhai City, had the most powerful intelligence system. If she really wanted to find Li Jinsong, she could do so in minutes, but for all these years, Yue Qingwu never sent any message.
Li Jinsong never doubted it.
Thinking of this, Li Changqing couldn't help but feel sorry for Li Jinsong, a genius Painting Sage who was a love fool.
But the facts also proved that Yue Qingwu was not simple, and his distrust of her was correct.
Moreover, Li Changqing became more certain of one thing.
The person behind the scenes setting him up might be from the Yue family, or even likely Yue Qingwu and Yue Hanjun.
Otherwise, why would Yue Qingwu suddenly say so much to him?
Yue Qingwu probably didn't expect him to get their intelligence from the Cangyuan Pavilion.
At this moment, Li Changqing also had his own considerations.
The fog of truth seemed about to dissipate, but behind the fog was another layer of mist.
Li Changqing wanted to know, before his transmigration, what role did the original Li Changqing play in the chess game between Yue Hanjun and Jiang Tianyun?
What was his identity?
As for Yue Qingwu's claim that he was their elder brother, Li Changqing had basically dismissed it.
That woman's words couldn't be trusted.
Another thing that troubled Li Changqing was that it seemed Li Hengsheng really wasn't his son.
Sigh.
Li Changqing felt complicated.
"Mr. Changqing, are you okay?" Zhang Fuguang, seeing Li Changqing's troubled expression, couldn't help but ask with concern.
"I'm fine," Li Changqing sighed helplessly. With things at this point, he would just take it one step at a time.
"Fuguang, go call Yin Fengqi over and tell him to bring the Red Phosphorus Sword," Li Changqing said.
"Okay."
Zhang Fuguang turned and left.
Seeing Li Changqing's mood wasn't great, Mu Qingge, although she hadn't seen what was written in the intelligence, guessed the situation might be worse than Li Changqing had anticipated.
Mu Qingge didn't know what to say to comfort Li Changqing, so she came behind him and extended her hand to massage his shoulders.
Li Changqing was startled; her small hands were soft and skillful, and the true essence flowing into his body stimulated his acupoints, feeling very comfortable.
"If people knew that the Song Fairy of Medical King Valley was giving me a massage, I'm afraid many young heroes would come to Changqing Mansion to take my life tomorrow," Li Changqing said with a laugh.
"Pfft."
Mu Qingge was amused by his words and couldn't help but say, "Let them come then. Is Mr. Changqing afraid of them?"
Li Changqing gave a wry smile, indeed a beauty causing trouble.
Just then, a servant from the mansion walked in and respectfully handed Li Changqing a letter.
"From Changqing Trading Company?"
Looking at the envelope, Li Changqing knew it was a letter sent from Changqing Trading Company in North Cold Country. He tore it open and read that Wu Santong had come to Changqing Trading Company to buy some seeds and saplings, and also asked if there was anything that could break through cultivation bottlenecks.
Since he was a subordinate of Li Hengsheng, the shopkeeper of Changqing Trading Company sent a letter directly to Li Changqing for instructions.
"Wu Santong?"
Over the past year, Li Changqing had always kept an eye on Li Hengsheng's affairs and naturally knew of Wu Santong.
From the time in Dao Mountain Ancient Land, Wu Santong was a disciple of Mu Haifeng, and when Li Hengsheng was assigned to Zhenguo Mansion, Wu Santong was the first to follow. Li Changqing had also seen Wu Santong, a man with a good heart who had greatly helped his son.
Even when Li Hengsheng died, he guarded the body.
Loyal and trustworthy.
A brother worth trusting, but Li Changqing saw that his aptitude was average, and reaching the Pinnacle of the postnatal realm was probably his limit.
The chances of breaking through to the Prenatal Realm were slim.
After some thought, if he could lend a hand, it would be a good addition to his son's strength.
Although it now seemed Li Hengsheng wasn't his son, he had raised him from a child, and their father-son relationship had finally become very good. To say he would abandon this son now, Li Changqing certainly couldn't bear it.
At this moment, Li Changqing even had a malicious thought.
If Yue Hanjun died, then the son would still be his.
Moreover, Li Hengsheng had never seen Yue Hanjun and probably had no father-son affection.
Who the son belonged to in the end was still uncertain.
Li Changqing sent a letter directly to Changqing Trading Company.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, Zhang Fuguang appeared before Yin Fengqi.
Seeing Zhang Fuguang appear silently, Yin Fengqi's heart collapsed. Were all the people around Li Changqing some kind of monsters?
He was a master who had almost stepped into the Grandmaster realm, and this guy was just someone who served tea and swept floors around Li Changqing, right?
How could he approach silently without being noticed?
If he wanted to kill himself, wouldn't he be dead before he could react?
"My master invites you."
Zhang Fuguang spoke calmly, "The master instructed me to tell you to bring the Red Phosphorus Sword."
"Huh?" Yin Fengqi's eyes lit up. Did this mean Li Changqing had obtained the intelligence?
Yin Fengqi quickly had someone fetch the Red Phosphorus Sword from the treasury and hurried to find Li Changqing.
Before, Yin Fengqi had no hope that Li Changqing could get the intelligence on Jinglong Tendon, but when he saw the intelligence at Changqing Mansion, he was truly excited.
He was also shocked by Li Changqing's intelligence capabilities.
The intelligence on Jinglong Tendon was very detailed and obviously genuine. Without any hesitation, Yin Fengqi handed the Red Phosphorus Sword to Li Changqing.
"Your Majesty, the promotion is up to you."
Li Changqing said with a smile, "Those who want to buy intelligence can come to the intelligence department of my Changqing Trading Company."
"Don't worry, I will definitely help you promote it," Yin Fengqi promised.
North Cold Country, Changqing Trading Company.
At this moment, a carriage stopped at the door, and Wu Santong looked at it, somewhat baffled.
He hadn't expected to receive an invitation from Li Changqing to visit Changqing Mansion.
Li Changqing was Li Hengsheng's father, and his invitation was definitely something Wu Santong would accept, having met him once before.
So he got on the carriage.
When Wu Santong arrived at Changqing Mansion, he was also shocked by the scene before him, as he hadn't expected Li Changqing to receive such treatment in North Cold Country.
"Greetings to Senior Changqing."
Wu Santong bowed respectfully to Li Changqing.
"Don't be so formal," Li Changqing said with a smile. "You're Hengsheng's good brother, just call me uncle, and I'll call you nephew, if you don't mind?"
Saying that, Li Changqing had Zhang Fuguang pour two cups of tea.
"Then I'll take the liberty to call you uncle," Wu Santong felt at ease, as Li Changqing was easy to talk to.
Although he didn't know Li Changqing's other identities, just the fact that Li Changqing was the behind-the-scenes boss of Changqing Trading Company was enough to make Wu Santong look up to him.
Li Changqing didn't go straight to the point but talked about family matters with Wu Santong, inquiring about his basic situation. Facing Li Changqing, Wu Santong didn't hide anything and spoke openly.
"Nephew, I see your aptitude is average, and it seems the Pinnacle of the postnatal realm will be the end of your cultivation," Li Changqing said slowly.
Hearing this, Wu Santong was taken aback and then smiled wryly: "Uncle can see it, but in fact, most people's lives are like this. It's a minority who can cultivate to the Prenatal Realm. Actually, I've accepted my ordinariness since childhood, but now I feel a bit unwilling because I feel I won't be able to keep up with Master Li in the future."
"So you wanted to come to Changqing Trading Company today to see if there's a way to improve your aptitude?" Li Changqing smiled.
"Uncle has seen through me," Wu Santong was somewhat embarrassed.
"Items that improve aptitude and constitution are rare and have limited effects," Li Changqing said lightly. "However, I have a method here that can improve your constitution and strength, and you'll also enjoy plenty of resources. You won't have to worry about food and clothing, and cultivation will be a breeze. Are you interested?"
"Is there such a good thing?" Wu Santong's eyes widened, hardly believing such a thing existed.
"Yes, but you may have to live under another identity, and Wu Santong will cease to exist," Li Changqing said seriously.
"Live under another identity?"
Although Wu Santong didn't fully understand what Li Changqing intended, he wasn't a fool and grasped the general idea. It meant he would have to become someone else, living their life.
But he would still be himself.
With a better future and better resources.
"Uncle, who do you want me to live as?" Wu Santong couldn't help but ask.
"Su Xianci of the Su Family in the Southern Wilderness," Li Changqing looked at Wu Santong.
"Hisss!"
Wu Santong couldn't help but gasp in shock.
The Su Family from the Southern Wilderness!
Su Xianci?
Wasn't he one of the few candidates for the young master of the Su Family?
If he could become the young master of the Su Family, what would he have to worry about in the future? What resources wouldn't he have?
"If you're willing, once you grow up, you can also break free from the Su Family's control. Being in the Su Family, if you want to help Hengsheng, you'll have better opportunities. Plus, our Changqing Trading Company will also support you in the shadows."
Li Changqing started to entice Wu Santong with promises.
Changqing Trading Company couldn't get involved in the affairs of the Southern Wilderness, but if Wu Santong could replace Su Xianci, they would have control over the situation in the Southern Wilderness. Moreover, Li Changqing would support Wu Santong to become the true young master of the Su Family.
In the future, the Su Family would also be a significant support for him!
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas