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墨書 Inktalez
Nine Li Peak Main Hall.
Li Hong and Chuxiong slowly stepped into the hall.
In front of them was a row of tall Black Jade Chairs. The central seat, once occupied by Ling Xuzi, was now taken by Xuan Xuzi. Beside him were Yue Mangzi, Ling Jizi, Ling Xiaozi, Ling Daozi, and the newly appointed Elder Brother of Nine Purple Peak, Chulin. To the side, sitting at a distance, were Yiyang and Bai Juzi. Additionally, there were about thirty remaining elders of the Nine Li Sect. They represented the last strength of the Nine Li Sect, each managing their own affairs.
Li Hong's gaze swept over the faces of the elders, his chin slightly raised, revealing a warm and knowing smile. They were all members of the Patrol Team, having fought side by side in the past, truly comrades in arms.
Li Hong's eyes lingered on the last person in line.
This person looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place who it was. The clothing he wore was very Strange, resembling the black hooded cloaks favored by Demon Sect Monsters, though this individual wore a deep brown one. The hood covered his entire head, and he kept his head lowered, making it no wonder that after staring for a while, he still couldn't recognize him.
The man seemed to sense this and slowly raised his head. Upon seeing him, Li Hong was overjoyed. “Elder Yao, you’re alive! That’s wonderful!”
Elder Yao looked pale, his skin an unhealthy shade of white-blue, and he had lost considerable weight. His thin yellowish skin appeared almost translucent, tightly stretched over his bones. He struggled to raise his hand towards Li Hong, gesturing as if to say wait a moment. Then he pulled out a small silver vial from his robe, filled with medicinal liquid. He poured the entire contents into his mouth, swallowed it down, closed his eyes, and took a moment to catch his breath. When he looked back at Li Hong, his complexion had indeed improved significantly.
Seeing him attempt to rise, Li Hong hurriedly stepped forward and waved his hand, signaling him to stay seated. “You need to take care of your health; rest well and don’t stand up.”
Before he could say more, a loud shout came from behind.
“Enough already,” Yue Mangzi called out impatiently. “The pleasantries should be sufficient! Come here; the Sect Master has questions for you. In front of everyone, Chu Hongzi, you must answer truthfully.”
Li Hong was less courteous with them now; he walked over with indifference, hands behind his back as he said lightly, “Let’s begin.”
Seeing Li Hong’s arrogant and dismissive demeanor made Yue Mangzi’s anger flare up. His large body shifted as if seeking a more comfortable position, but it was actually a sign of his unease. He glared at him and asked: “The Sect Master wants to know what you’ve been doing for the past year. How much of the task assigned to you has been completed? Why have you never reported back to the Sect Master?”
Li Hong’s gaze flickered as he turned towards Xuan Xuzi, his dark eyes deep and unfathomable.
Xuan Xuzi had to admit that this young man already exuded an air of mastery; that kind of arrogance stemmed from deep-seated confidence within himself. His progress was indeed remarkable.
With a slight smile, Xuan Xuzi calmly said, “Go ahead; I’m all ears.”
Although everyone seemed to be smiling and laughing, keen observers could see that the tense atmosphere in the hall had begun to spread. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Li Hong without blinking.
Li Hong said solemnly, "Sect Leader, I have not completed all the tasks you assigned to me. I intended to prepare for another trip to the Southern Wilderness to fulfill your mission, but just at that moment, the Demon Sect attacked. As for why I did not report to you proactively, I believe the Headmaster Ling Xuzi has already written to clarify this matter." At this point, Li Hong raised his eyes and looked at Xuan Xuzi, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Xuan Xuzi lowered his head in thought for a moment and slowly nodded, acknowledging Li Hong's statement.
Seeing his nod, many elders in the hall who were on good terms with Li Hong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, a hoarse voice broke the silence, "Forgive my curiosity, Chu Hongzi, what mission did you undertake in the Southern Wilderness?"
Li Hong turned around to see it was Elder Yao. For some reason, his voice sounded so hoarse and unpleasant now; it seemed he must have been seriously injured during the battle with the Demon Sect Monster.
Li Hong had always respected him greatly and replied honestly, "For many years, the Immortal Sect has been working on revising several key pill formulas, and we are now close to success. Most of the main herbs for these improved formulas are produced in the Southern Wilderness. The Sect Leader's task was to send me to the Southern Wilderness to investigate the origins and yields of those main herbs. Unfortunately, I did not complete this task."
Elder Yao pondered for a while before looking up in surprise at Li Hong and saying, "That's strange. You spent an entire year in the Southern Wilderness; how could you not find those herbs? You know that your contributions were crucial to the establishment of Heavenly Pill Hall. Among these disciples, you have the deepest understanding of spiritual herbs. Could it be that during this year you were not investigating those herbs' origins but were doing something else?"
Upon hearing this, Li Hong felt a thunderous shock in his mind and could hardly believe his ears. How could someone who had always been on good terms with him suddenly question him like this at such a critical moment?
Ling Jizi and others immediately began exchanging glances, clearly communicating silently.
Yue Mangzi raised his voice and said, "Elder Yao is right; given your knowledge of spiritual herbs, how could you possibly fail to complete Master Zong's task in a year? Are you lying?!"
I absolutely cannot reveal the secret of Temple City! Li Hong maintained his composure and replied, "The Southern Wilderness is vast and filled with many strange things; it's easy to get lost. Moreover, I spent a lot of time cultivating. Time flies when cultivating immortality; a year can pass quickly—this is quite normal. Chuxiong is outside; if you don't believe me, call him in and ask him. I went with Chuxiong and Chu Xi at that time."
Elder Yao chuckled softly, "Chuxiong is your cousin; you've grown up together. Asking him about your matters would be pointless."
Li Hong felt increasingly alarmed as he listened. At first, he hadn't sensed anything amiss, but now he increasingly felt that Elder Yao had ulterior motives—he was deliberately accusing and expressing distrust toward him in front of Xuan Xuzi and others.
Is this really the Elder Yao who has always been a good mentor and friend? When did he suddenly change sides? This is truly bizarre! Li Hong stared at Elder Yao, feeling a surge of doubt within him.
Ling Jizi immediately said, "Elder Yao is absolutely right. The Southern Wilderness, no matter how vast, has its limits. How could you three not find any herbs in a year? Chu Hongzi, have you been doing something else during this time? For example, hmm! Colluding with the Demon Sect to activate the Heaven and Earth Platform and let them in?"
"That's slander! The Heaven and Earth Platform is underground. I can't even access it now with the Vermilion Bird Nine Li Blade, let alone before!" Li Hong shouted angrily.
"Listen, even we didn't know that the Array Hall was underground. How could he, a new Elder Brother, know when no one ever told him?" Ling Xiaozi fanned the flames with his Heaven and Earth Free-Flowing Fan.
Li Hong laughed in anger, "What do you want? Just say it plainly. Why put such a huge traitor's hat on my head? I never wanted to be the sect leader; whoever wants to take it can do so. Just don't splash dirty water on me!"
As soon as he said this, the hall fell silent.
Ling Jizi couldn't help but show an awkward expression. He had been fixated on becoming the leader of the Nine Li Sect, and all his efforts were aimed at taking the position from Li Hong. But now that Li Hong had openly stated in front of everyone that he didn't care about being the leader, it felt like a punch that missed its target.
Li Hong looked at Ling Jizi's shocked expression and couldn't help but smirk internally. This was what it meant to underestimate someone! Just as he was about to press his advantage further, Elder Yao coldly said, "Chu Hongzi, let's be clear. So many people have doubts; you can't just brush it off lightly. Besides, I have evidence proving that you colluded with the Demon Sect Monster to let them in."
His last statement was soft, but it struck Li Hong like a bolt from the blue. "Elder Yao, what did you say? Say it again! Do you have evidence?" Li Hong stared intently at Elder Yao, almost unable to believe his ears.
At this point, Li Hong finally understood that Elder Yao was no longer his good mentor and friend. He suddenly widened his eyes—could he really be a spy for the Demon Sect? Was he the traitor?!
No, Li Hong thought it was absurd and simply couldn't believe it. A different thought emerged in his mind: perhaps Elder Yao had some compelling reason.
Li Hong's heart surged with turmoil while everyone in the hall stood up in shock simultaneously.
Ling Jizi glared at Elder Yao as he stepped closer. "Elder Yao, clarify your words. You say you have evidence proving that Chu Hongzi colluded with the Demon to let them in? Let me ask you again: is that true?"
"Yes," Elder Yao's clear answer shattered any remaining illusions in everyone's hearts.
Ling Jizi and Ling Xiaozi felt ecstatic; it really was Chu Hongzi—what a lucky hit! However, most people looked at Li Hong with lingering doubt but also growing anger.
Everyone trusted Elder Yao's character; if he said there was evidence, then this matter might indeed be true!
They held onto the last shred of hope and trembled as they asked, "What evidence?"
Elder Yao carefully took something out from his robe, and Li Hong immediately recognized it. "The Fire Origin Pill?"
Elder Yao sneered, "You recognized it indeed; this is the Fire Origin Pill. But the formula for this Fire Origin Pill was modified by me based on the recipe you gave me, which you provided after returning from the Southern Wilderness! I trusted you so much, yet you are so malicious! It was this fake Fire Origin Pill that poisoned all the elders in the Array Hall and allowed the Demon to enter our Nine Li Cave Heaven! It was you; everything is your scheme! Chu Hongzi, I watched you grow up since childhood, and your heart is so wicked!"
Elder Yao suddenly changed from his usual refined demeanor and pointed at Li Hong, cursing him. His gaunt appearance and brown hooded cloak made Li Hong understand many things deep down.
Feeling disheartened, at that moment, Li Hong truly felt a sense of despair so profound that it was worse than death.
Since returning from the Southern Wilderness, he had been worried about his master's broken pill matter and had never given him any fictitious recipes! Elder Yao's lies could only prove one thing: he was the real traitor colluding with the Demon Sect!
After so many years of being like brothers and true friends, he never expected that he would turn out to be a traitor, the murderer responsible for so many deaths.
Why did he have to do this?
The faces of Spirit Stone, Ling Xuzi, and Ling Xiangzi flashed before his eyes as he stared at Elder Yao's agitated gaunt face, and Li Hong's heart ached to the point of darkness before his eyes.
At this moment, Li Hong deeply experienced the taste of betrayal.
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