"Thousand Faces can hardly be called a hero—at most an ambitious villain. Mind your words in the future. Things are fine here in the Nine Heavens, but if you were in the imperial court, that single comment would be enough to have you condemned for what you said," Qi Shiyun warned.
Lianshan Xin blinked, curious. "Tanhua Qi, as far as I know, our Great Yu doesn't have literary inquisitions, does it? Nor does anyone seem to be punished for mere words."
Dynasties that carried out literary inquisitions generally lacked legitimate claim to the realm.
Great Yu had stood for a thousand years, its grip on power immensely formidable. Ninety-nine out of a hundred people in the realm accepted Great Yu as orthodox without question, giving the empire the supreme confidence to pay no heed to idle gossip.
If this had been the Great Qing of his past life, Lianshan Xin certainly would have watched his tongue and treaded with far greater caution.
Qi Shiyun replied casually, "Of course Great Yu doesn't have literary inquisitions, nor does it punish speech on paper. But if you truly offend someone who wants to ruin you, and they can't find any other fatal flaw, then this will become your crime."
Lianshan Xin said solemnly, "This student has learned."
Qi Shiyun nodded with satisfaction. "A teachable youth. You're still young; I'll give you more pointers in the days ahead."
"Many thanks, Tanhua Qi. This student is indeed still immature and will need to learn much from you."
*Like hell I am.*
A Shandong native's sensitivity to "watching words and actions" was something Qi Shiyun couldn't possibly imagine.
Still, a boss needed emotional validation.
You couldn't act more capable than your superior.
Yet more often than not, superiors genuinely weren't as capable as you.
People who asked, "If you could think of it, how could the higher-ups not have thought of it?" clearly hadn't seen the world; they didn't appreciate just how amateurish organizations really were at their core.
A superior wasn't competing in ability. They were competing in reincarnation, marriage, and, in a world of cultivation, innate cultivation talent.
If you tried to compete on pure ability, you deserved to stay a subordinate forever.
Lianshan Xin didn't yet know how powerful Qi Shiyun's father was, but a leader's need for emotional validation was an eternal truth.
Therefore, Lianshan Xin needed to create opportunities for Qi Shiyun to instruct him, allowing him to make rapid progress under her guidance. When he matured, all the credit would go to Tanhua Qi's stellar tutelage.
He also had to ensure the opportunities he presented weren't too difficult—they had to be flaws Qi Shiyun could spot at a single glance. If the game got too high-level, he worried that Qi Shiyun, having risen on raw talent, might not possess such subtle discernment.
At the same time, he couldn't act too foolish, or Qi Shiyun might question his intelligence.
Hence, the exchange just now.
Flattery was an art form in its own right.
Don't complain about it being exhausting—moving bricks was far more exhausting.
If your father didn't grind, you had to grind. And grinding at this beat moving bricks any day.
"Tanhua Qi, although the Qu household only harbored a decoy of Thousand Faces, the fiend will surely have someone keeping watch on them. If we dispatch people to investigate right now, we might still trace Thousand Faces' whereabouts," Lianshan Xin suggested.
He certainly hoped Thousand Faces would be captured.
Qi Shiyun, however, shook her head. "If Thousand Faces wants to stay hidden, even Lord Heavenly Sword might not catch him. It's already too late to investigate. Arrest everyone in the Qu household, deal with the guilty, release the innocent, and leave it at that. There's no need to blow this out of proportion."
"Ah?"
Lianshan Xin was slightly surprised by how by-the-book Qi Shiyun was being.
"Does the Nine Heavens really need to keep such a low profile?"
"Yes. Lord Heavenly Sword's move to take charge of Bailudong Academy this time has already drawn the attention of the court and the realm. If we make any major moves right now, it will very likely provoke fierce pushback from all sides. Our arrival in Jiangzhou isn't for short-term gains; there's no rush."
Qi Shiyun's words were remarkably candid.
Now that the Qu family's ties to the Demon Cult were confirmed, Lianshan Xin's merit was indisputable. With this achievement, combined with her favor, his entry into the Nine Heavens was practically set in stone.
Thus, she didn't mind sharing some insider information with him.
Lianshan Xin felt a slight tremor inside.
"How did the interrogation go on your end?"
"It's almost wrapped up. Qu Junjie confessed to everything and handed over the treasury keys."
Lianshan Xin produced the keys and presented them to Qi Shiyun with both hands.
"Please take a look, Tanhua Qi."
Taking the treasury keys, Qi Shiyun stood straight up. "Come, let's see if there are any surprises."
Lianshan Xin shot a glance at Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin, signaling for them to follow.
Stopping before the treasury doors, Qi Shiyun ordered, "Xiao Jiu, Wenbin, you two guard the main entrance. Lianshan Xin, come inside with me."
"Understood," the three responded in unison.
After unlocking the treasury doors, Qi Shiyun didn't rush to search for treasures. Instead, with a gentle wave of her right hand, an invisible ripple of force diffused across the room.
Seeing Lianshan Xin's confusion, Qi Shiyun explained, "It's a sound-isolation technique, a minor spell of cultivating immortality. Achieving this through martial arts is far harder than it is for us."
Lianshan Xin's eyes brightened.
Qi Shiyun continued, "Some things aren't convenient for Xiao Jiu and Wenbin to hear, which is why I isolated the sound. Both of them possess only middling talent in martial arts. Xiao Jiu is slightly better, while Wenbin is strictly average within the Nine Heavens. If you join my lineage in the future, I will place them at your disposal. Remember to treat them well."
Lianshan Xin was both surprised and delighted. "Tanhua Qi, I'm just a newcomer. You're placing them at my disposal?"
"Different talents and different merits naturally warrant different treatment. Once you join my lineage, you will be a direct disciple of the Nine Heavens. With your talent for cultivating immortality, your prospects far exceed theirs. If you attain success and fame in the future, they will rise alongside you. Otherwise, with their aptitude, they would never stand out in this lifetime. This is a blessing for them."
Qi Shiyun spoke as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Yet Lianshan Xin could hear what was beneath the surface: Qi Shiyun was flexing her muscles and extending an offer.
With prospects in cultivating immortality so immense, and with her status and talent so high, she was offering him terms like these.
Lianshan Xin became increasingly aware of one thing:
The Heaven's Chosen lineage was definitely no smooth journey.
If it were a level path to the azure clouds, Qi Shiyun would never have gone to such lengths.
To be frank, he was beginning to feel a little apprehensive.
Just then, Qi Shiyun's delicate nose twitched, and her eyes lit up. "The scent of a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus! The Qu family actually has a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus!"
She dashed over to one of the large chests and shattered it with a burst of inner force.
A pristine, snow-white Thousand-Year Snow Lotus bloomed before Qi Shiyun's eyes.
Lianshan Xin's breath caught in his throat.
He recalled his mother coughing up blood behind his back from time to time.
And the grim look on his father's face.
He had once asked his father in private about his mother's condition.
His father told him that his mother had been frail from birth and suffered severe injuries during a great family calamity, leaving her constitution desperately weak. Though his father had done everything in his power over the years to treat her, he could only alleviate her suffering, not cure the root cause.
If things continued like this, his mother would hardly live past the age of fifty.
And He Miaojun was already forty this year.
This was one of the reasons Lianshan Xin strove so desperately to climb—perhaps the greatest reason of all.
The finest resources were open only to the handful of people at the peak of the mountain; ordinary folk couldn't even touch them.
For the first eighteen years of his life, his parents had provided for him, as was right and proper.
Now that he was an adult of eighteen, it was time to repay their grace of raising him.
The speed of your success had to outpace the aging of your parents.
Otherwise, the child wishes to provide support, but the parents are already gone.
And he remembered with absolute clarity that Lianshan Jingcheng had once mentioned with utmost solemnity—a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus was the supreme natural treasure to heal his mother.
Unfortunately, a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus was something that could only be found by chance, never sought. Even if one existed, it was beyond their family's reach.
Lianshan Xin had only ever heard of it; today was the first time he had laid eyes on one.
"Lianshan Xin, you've rendered immense merit this time—monumental merit! A Qi Condensation Pill won't even be an issue, and you might even win the friendship of the Crown Prince!"
Qi Shiyun burst into laughter.
"As heir to the throne, the Crown Prince's greatest flaw has always been his frail health from birth. His imperial mother was poisoned before delivering him, leaving him with an innate deficiency. For years, His Majesty has searched for a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus. Only with a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus as medicine can the Crown Prince undergo a complete rebirth. A hundred-year snow lotus is easy to come by, but a thousand-year one can only be found by fate. Who would have thought we'd stumble across one right here in the Qu household?"
At this point, realization struck Qi Shiyun. "Of course. The Qu household was handling supply logistics for the Demon Cult. I heard the Demon Cult Leader nearly suffered cultivation deviation a few years back, sustaining grievous injuries. This Thousand-Year Snow Lotus must have been prepared for him. What blind luck did the Qu family have to discover a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus ahead of His Majesty?"
"Tanhua Qi, is a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus really that rare?" Lianshan Xin asked.
Qi Shiyun nodded. "Of course. Think about it: what are the odds of a plant growing for a thousand years without being harvested, without being trampled by wild beasts, surviving intact for ten whole centuries?"
Lianshan Xin considered it; the odds were indeed close to zero.
"It is the realm's premier sacred healing treasure. His Majesty had Lord Heavenly Divination perform a personal divination, and there are no more than three Thousand-Year Snow Lotuses left in the world."
Lianshan Xin lowered his head in silence.
*Three...*
The Crown Prince needed it.
The Demon Cult Leader needed it.
They were both towering figures.
*Yet my mother needs it too.*
Whether it was the Crown Prince or the Demon Cult Leader, Lianshan Xin knew neither of them.
He Miaojun, on the other hand, was the woman who had given him life.
"Lianshan Xin, you're truly blessed with fortune. On the merit of this single Thousand-Year Snow Lotus alone, your lifelong wealth and glory are guaranteed."
Qi Shiyun's voice and eyes brimmed with delight. She was beyond satisfied with Lianshan Xin—he was truly her lucky star.
Soon, however, she realized she had celebrated too early.
Lianshan Xin slowly raised his head, his voice resolute. "Tanhua Qi, other than Chairman Qu, no one should know of this Thousand-Year Snow Lotus's existence. Even Qu Junjie doesn't know."
If he had known, he would have brought it out to save his own life.
Qi Shiyun froze.
"As long as Chairman Qu is killed, the only people in this world who know of it will be you and me."
Sensing something amiss, Qi Shiyun cautioned, "Chairman Qu might have already sent word to the Demon Cult."
"He wouldn't have. He didn't even mention it to Thousand Faces' decoy. Otherwise, if Thousand Faces had consumed this Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, wouldn't his injuries have healed?"
"True. But the old demon might have wanted to save it for the Demon Cult Leader."
"Do you truly believe an evildoer of the Demon Cult would possess such loyalty and righteousness, Tanhua Qi?"
Qi Shiyun fell silent.
She didn't believe it either.
Rationally, she was inclined to think Chairman Qu had intended to present it directly to the Demon Cult Leader to claim the sole credit, securing favor straight from the top.
"My lady, you have no need for a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, do you?"
Qi Shiyun replied seriously, "If I present this Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, I will receive immense rewards from His Majesty and the Crown Prince."
Lianshan Xin paused for a moment, then dropped to both knees, giving Qi Shiyun quite a shock.
"What are you doing?"
"My mother suffers from a deep-seated illness that no ordinary medicine can cure. Only a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus can heal her completely. Please grant my plea, my lady! From this day forth, Lianshan Xin owes you his life. Through mountains of daggers or seas of fire, I will not hesitate! If I violate this oath, may heaven and earth destroy me!"
A man's knees were worth gold.
In this life, aside from his parents, Lianshan Xin had never knelt before anyone.
Yet this time, his knees bent.
He knelt without the slightest hesitation.
"My lady, I do not know how much I am worth, but I want you to know: if you offer the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus to the Crown Prince, you will only gain his reward. But if you bestow the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus upon me, you will gain my everything."
Qi Shiyun was struck speechless with shock. "Lianshan Xin, do you realize that by doing this, you are casting aside wealth and glory that were right within your grasp?"
"I know."
"Do you realize that if word of this ever leaks, you will never find a place of survival before His Majesty or the Crown Prince?"
"I know."
"Do you realize how colossal the risk is? If anyone else happens to know of the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus's existence, it will be a blade suspended above your neck forever."
"I know."
"You still want this Thousand-Year Snow Lotus?"
Lianshan Xin kowtowed. "Please, my lady, grant my plea."
Qi Shiyun sank into silence.
Lianshan Xin possessed value in her eyes, but the current Lianshan Xin was nowhere near as valuable as a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus.
She ought to have abandoned Lianshan Xin without hesitation and presented the lotus to the Crown Prince.
Yet his filial piety and determination moved her.
Most importantly, beyond his talent, she saw in Lianshan Xin the defining trait best suited for cultivating the Dragon Supporting lineage—a lawless heart that held no reverence for imperial authority!
"Lianshan Xin, you've handed me quite the dilemma. If I agree, it means I am deceiving His Majesty and harming the Crown Prince right alongside you."
"Everything was done by me alone. You were kept entirely in the dark, my lady," Lianshan Xin stated solemnly.
Qi Shiyun sneered. "Such words fool only fools. If His Majesty and the Crown Prince ever settle accounts, I won't be able to escape."
Lianshan Xin's heart sank.
"However, I agree. Take this Thousand-Year Snow Lotus to fulfill your filial duty. The price is that from now on, you follow me with undivided loyalty."
"Thank you, my lady, for granting my plea!"
Lianshan Xin was overjoyed.
"Don't rejoice so quickly. My lineage has the highest mortality rate in the entire Nine Heavens." Qi Shiyun's tone was loaded with deep meaning. "You and I are truly fated, Lianshan Xin. You are very fortunate. In any other lineage, your request today would mark you as a treacherous rebel committing treason. Only the Dragon Supporting lineage would ever embrace a lawless maniac like you."
The cultivation of the Dragon Supporting lineage fundamentally used the Great Yu imperial family as its raw material.
Yet Great Yu had reigned for a millennium; reverence for imperial power was etched into the very marrow of nearly everyone in the realm.
A lawless nature was a gift far rarer than a spiritual root.
And in Lianshan Xin, Qi Shiyun saw that exact gift—surpassing even her own!
"A monumental opportunity means monumental danger. Lianshan Xin, by accepting this Thousand-Year Snow Lotus today, you have decided who your friend is—and most crucially, the Crown Prince is now your inevitable enemy!"
At this moment, Lianshan Xin did not yet fully grasp the true weight of her words.
Yet he accepted the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus without a second thought.
Admiration shone in Qi Shiyun's eyes.
From this day forth, along this immortal path to the executioner's block, there was one more true fellow Daoist!
Chapter 14