When Daoist Qinglong was awake, he was an exceptionally kind and benevolent-looking elder.
In the world of cultivation, time is meaningless, and immortals live even longer.
With numerous magical techniques at their disposal, a cultivator's appearance and age were the least reliable things about them.
A hundred-year-old woman could look like a peerless beauty with fragrant bones, while a thousand-year-old monster might take the form of a child.
Even Daoist Qinglong, who was at least over five hundred years old, appeared mature and handsome, with a face like polished jade, once he had freshened up—despite his usual scruffy, bedraggled appearance.
He had long, narrow phoenix eyes and a magnificent beard, exuding the refined and elegant air of a man from the Song Dynasty.
Not knowing what his intentions were, Nan Zhi simply played dumb and focused on her tea in silence.
A fledgling Foundation Establishment cultivator sitting down for tea with a Nascent Soul powerhouse—no one would believe it even if she told them.
“Is your family all settled?”
Daoist Qinglong was as amiable as a family elder suddenly in the mood for small talk.
“That girl Miaoyun is quite generous, actually lending you the Miaoyun Prayer Beads she has carried for years. It shows she has truly taken an interest in your talent.
“However, your cultivation is still lacking, so you don't realize just how formidable those beads are.
“That string of beads was born with Miaoyun. She was clutching them in her palm when she came into the world. At her birth, the room was filled with light, and two black birds and a golden lotus flew from the horizon, merging directly into the beads.”
He smiled slightly, appearing lost in memory.
“Back then, my wife and I both suspected she was a star deity descended to the mortal realm, though we didn't know which constellation. I intended to divine her origins, but then I abandoned the idea.
“After all, the world is always new, and the eras are always changing. If no mysteries are left, wouldn't life lose all its fun?
“And it turned out we were right. Her destiny was noble beyond words. Despite being a woman, she bore the Seven Kills star—a fate of a hidden dragon in the depths.
“Alas, the heavens are unpredictable. The dragon emerged from the water too soon, and her efforts fell short. She was the Empress Dowager of the Great Song for only a dozen years before she left to become a nun.”
Why was he suddenly mentioning Nun Miaoyun?
Danxia Fairy had passed away three hundred years ago, so Nun Miaoyun must have been a figure from at least three centuries back.
But why did Daoist Qinglong say she was the Empress Dowager of the Great Song?
There was only one famous Empress Dowager in the Song Dynasty who fit that description.
“I have only met Master Miaoyun once. There must be some profound reason why she lent this treasure to me, but I am dull-witted and cannot even use a tenth of its power.”
Nan Zhi spoke up, expertly flattering her ultimate superior.
“The monastery master's abilities are heavenly, and your powers of divination are truly awe-inspiring...”
“Heh, when that old dragon king was making things difficult for you, I had an external incarnation resting in that foot-shop as well.”
Daoist Qinglong dropped a bombshell with a chuckle.
“That external incarnation of mine went by the secular surname ‘Duan’ and the courtesy name ‘Chunming,’ implying the peace and brightness of spring.
“I had originally planned to kill you for repeatedly ruining my plans, but I didn't expect your luck to be so good. You happened to run into Miaoyun, which allowed you to escape.”
Duan Chunming.
Duan. Chun. Ming.
The evil cultivator who had conspired with Ma San to kidnap children and refine pills from spinal fluid and brain matter in the Ghost Market.
Shen Luohe’s words echoed in her ears once more.
【Ten years ago, my master was the Judicial Commissioner of this circuit. He was extremely skilled in artifact crafting and alchemy.】
Who was the man before her?
He was the one who had taken over the Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery during the reign of Empress Shenlong. He was the monastery master, the Judicial Commissioner of the Northwest Circuit, a disciple of the Qingjing Sect, and the Nascent Soul Master Daoist Qinglong.
Such a person.
Such a person...
...was actually the mastermind behind so many major cases.
All his talk of mercy and compassion seemed like a giant joke.
The most bizarre part was that just a moment ago, Nan Zhi had been determined to risk everything to uncover the truth.
And in the next second, the mastermind had simply revealed his identity and confessed everything.
It wasn't following the script at all.
“Is the monastery master joking?”
Nan Zhi was unnervingly calm. Her hand holding the teacup was steady, but beneath her wide sleeve, the nails of her left hand were digging into her palm.
“Duan Chunming conspired with the evil cultivator Ma San to kidnap mortal children and refine evil pills using human hearts and brain matter. I went to the Yin Yang Road specifically to bring him to justice.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Daoist Qinglong’s form became blurred. Over a dozen overlapping figures converged into a single point before splitting into a dozen shadows of various heights and builds.
“Eldest Miss Nan, I often patronize your family’s butcher shop. Do you really want to arrest me?”
—It was Zhang Long, the burly constable of Dingyuan.
“Little demon suppressor, I’m right here. Why don't you come and catch me?”
—It was the scruffy old beggar who had taken shelter from the rain with her in the foot-shop.
“Little demon suppressor, that strike of yours was truly forceful.”
—It was the blood-stained, one-eyed One Eyed Immortal who had supposedly died on the Yin Yang Road.
The spectral images were ethereal. Every face seemed to share a resemblance, and every face wore the same smile.
Finally, the figures solidified back into the familiar bearded Taoist.
“I am right here, ready to be taken. Do you dare?”
His smile was still peaceful, but to Nan Zhi, it now felt eerie and sinister.
The Yin Wine Worm from the Qu Family Distillery.
The white tiger on Mount Hu that consumed spirit herbs and recklessly raised tiger-changs.
Constable Zhang, who had led a group of runners to their deaths on the mountain.
The distress letters that were never sent and the requests for reinforcements that were repeatedly rejected.
The missing Duan Chunming.
Huaguzi and the One Eyed Immortal, who had pursued her all the way to the Yin Yang Road.
Shen Luohe’s strange behavior and Hua Xijian’s disappearance.
Everything was connected in an instant, forming a massive net that trapped Nan Zhi firmly within.
No wonder in the original timeline, Wanniang, a ghost of several decades, could turn into a Lady of Grudge and slaughter an entire city just because of a single worm.
No wonder no one from the Demon Suppression Division had dealt with the man-eating white tiger for decades.
No wonder he said she had repeatedly ruined his plans.
No wonder in the Locust God’s memories, only twenty-three regional monasteries of the Demon Suppression Division had united to fight the demons.
—It turned out the Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery was rotten to the core, starting right from Daoist Qinglong.
The culprit behind the Great Song’s destruction in the original timeline was sitting right in front of her, and she didn't even have the power to strike him down.
Nan Zhi didn't ask why Daoist Qinglong wasn't hiding anything.
—Conspiracies and schemes were the tools of the weak.
In the face of absolute power, Qinglong had no need to hide.
Or rather, he didn't deign to hide anything from Nan Zhi.
...
“...Everything in existence must have a cause and an effect. Allow me to venture a guess. You created so many external incarnations and collected things like the Yin Wine Worm, the White Tiger Core, and the human heart pills not for yourself.”
Nan Zhi’s mind raced.
“It is highly likely that you did it for Danxia Fairy, or perhaps for the son you had with her. But the world has its laws; the dead cannot return to life—
“Once a soul enters reincarnation and crosses the Yellow Springs, even if they are reborn, they are no longer the same person...”
Before she could finish, a look of bewilderment flashed across her face.
“No! That’s not right!”
Daoist Qinglong had mentioned that when Miaoyun was born, he had made a bet with Danxia Fairy. That meant Danxia Fairy had actually been revived long ago!
This was the leverage Huiyuan held over Daoist Qinglong!
“Truly clever. You would make a fine Mayfly Wood.”
Qinglong’s eyes showed admiration as he clapped and laughed. “My wife said you were clever before, but I didn't believe her. I thought that even if a fool’s soul returned to its place, she would still be just a fool.
“It seems I was mistaken.”
A small jade box suddenly appeared on the bamboo table. Daoist Qinglong took out a fiery-red insect corpse, as thick as a thumb and resembling a caterpillar. He looked at it with obsession.
“Do you know what this is?”
Nan Zhi looked at it in silence. The insect corpse was shriveled, but a thin, tender, orange-red fungus, resembling a cordyceps flower, had grown from its head.
It looked very similar to caterpillar fungus.
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