Yesterday, when facing his interview with Heavenly Sword, Lianshan Xin had remarked:
"Who would become a rebel if they could be an official?"
The wisdom of that answer only continued to prove its worth.
Master Dai's perspective was simply too narrow. He lacked the innate reverence that Shandong natives had for the official system, nor could he see how the universe truly operated.
Even if the Demon Cult had a one-in-ten-thousand chance and ultimately succeeded in its rebellion, wouldn't they just become a new imperial court anyway?
If so, why insist on seeking out hardship when none was needed?
Furthermore, the Great Yu of today showed not the slightest sign of a dynasty in decline.
In his eighteen years of life, Lianshan Xin had learned that although Great Yu had endured for a millennium, piling up numerous problems with many conflicts teetering on the brink of explosion, it was nowhere near the endgame of a dynasty where the common people could no longer survive.
In a high-tier martial world of cultivating immortality, with legendary immortals anchoring the court's destiny, launching a rebellion was as difficult as toppling the top two superpowers of the UN Security Council in the twenty-first century.
Lianshan Xin admired the Demon Cult's grand ambition, but he possessed none of it himself—his only ambition was to climb to the very top from within the imperial court.
"In my memory, Master Dai was quite a decent person. Both his scholarship and competence were strong, making him one of the better tutors in all of Jiangzhou. What a pity that he took the wrong path."
Lianshan Xin shook his head, feeling it was hardly worth it for Master Dai.
"I listened to his lectures for years and always thought he was a wise man whose talents went unrecognized. It's truly hard to believe he would join a demon cult like this."
Lianshan Xin hadn't fallen for workplace manipulation and gaslighting like that even in his previous life.
He never imagined that Master Dai, a man of vast erudition in his eyes, could still be manipulated in such a way.
Du Jiu wasn't surprised in the least. "Your Excellency may not know this, but the core devotees of the Demon Cult are united primarily by faith. They genuinely venerate Maitreya Buddha and truly believe in the whole 'Maitreya descends, the Bright King appears' doctrine—and quite fanatically at that."
Lianshan Xin understood somewhat.
Once religious faith became involved, logic ceased to apply.
Faith and love were likely the two most irrational things in the world.
Even politics was more logical than those two.
"On the surface, many cultists look completely ordinary, and some are even outstanding talents. It's just a shame they've been brainwashed by the Demon Cult. Bound by their faith in Maitreya and the Bright King, they fear no death and spare no effort, doing many things beyond our comprehension. One can only say the Demon Cult has quite a knack for bewitching people's minds."
"I found something in the cellar!"
Qi Wenbin had uncovered something new as well.
Lianshan Xin and Du Jiu went down to the cellar.
They found Qi Wenbin studying a painting.
Depicted on the scroll was a stunning woman clad in a trailing red gown.
It inexplicably gave off an overwhelming aura of bloodshed.
"Sir, Xiao Jiu, take a look. Doesn't the beauty in this painting look familiar?"
Lianshan Xin didn't find her familiar at all.
Portraiture in Great Yu favored capturing spirit and essence rather than literal resemblance, and Lianshan Xin had never stepped foot outside Jiangzhou, so he knew little about many of this world's prominent figures.
Du Jiu, however, was visibly shaken in an instant. "Blood Guanyin?"
"Who is Blood Guanyin?" Lianshan Xin didn't hesitate to ask his subordinates.
He had only just joined the Nine Heavens and hadn't yet had time to review much intelligence, so it was only natural that he was unfamiliar with such common Demon Cult knowledge.
"One of the Four Great Elders of the Demon Cult, an entity on the same level as the fiend Thousand Faces. When she advanced to the Dharma Idol realm, she condensed a Guanyin dharma idol. However, she is ruthless and merciless; wherever she goes, rivers of blood flow in her wake. Hence, the jianghu calls her 'Blood Guanyin.' From the looks of it, Master Dai likely belongs to Blood Guanyin's branch, which is a separate line from Thousand Faces'."
Lianshan Xin understood.
Even the Nine Heavens had nine distinct lineages, so the Four Great Elders of the Demon Cult naturally wouldn't be united in seamless cooperation.
There were no villains in this world who were truly of one heart and mind—if they were, they wouldn't be villains.
"All four great elders are in the Dharma Idol realm?"
Lianshan Xin was somewhat surprised by the Demon Cult's strength.
After all, experts of the Dharma Idol realm were the highest echelon visible on the surface of the jianghu.
Qi Wenbin said in a deep voice, "Since it is a demon cult daring to oppose the imperial court, it naturally possesses some strength. Rumor has it in the jianghu that if the Demon Cult Leader, the Peacock Bright King, hadn't been nursing unhealed injuries over recent years, he might have already stepped into the Immortal realm."
Lianshan Xin quietly digested the information.
It appeared that by pocketing the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, he had not only offended the Crown Prince—who might become emperor in the future—but also crossed a Demon Cult Leader who might become an immortal in the future.
Tsk. When it came to making enemies, he was probably more gifted than at cultivating immortality.
Ordinary people weren't even worthy of being his enemies.
Lianshan Xin found some humor in his misery.
"'Blood Guanyin' is ruthless and far more bloodthirsty than Thousand Faces, especially toward men who harbor improper intentions toward her. Even exchanging a glance with her often ended with her gouging out their eyes. As far as I know, not even her subordinates dare secretly keep her portrait. This Master Dai... has quite the nerve. He must have been an admirer of Blood Guanyin as well," Du Jiu analyzed.
Lianshan Xin grew pensive. "Brother Jiu, is Blood Guanyin very beautiful?"
"Naturally. The Peerless Beauties Rankings only includes women under the age of forty. Before her name was removed upon aging out, Blood Guanyin never fell out of the top five—and that was with her ranking deliberately suppressed due to her background in the Demon Cult. Your Excellency, you must have faith in the aesthetic taste of the world's lechers."
Lianshan Xin nodded in agreement. A man's lower half was more persuasive than any official award.
It seemed Blood Guanyin was indeed a genuine peerless beauty.
And... unless he was mistaken, for Blood Guanyin to hate men so fiercely, she had likely suffered romantic heartbreak.
And the person who had broken her heart was probably a certain His Majesty the Emperor who preferred to remain anonymous.
So far, these were still merely conjectures.
Yet in Lianshan Xin's mind, the logic had essentially formed a closed loop.
Dai Yueying's identity felt all the more confirmed to him.
"Was Blood Guanyin ever married? Does she have any children?" Lianshan Xin asked.
"Of course not."
Lianshan Xin said nothing.
In Master Dai's letter, someone had specifically instructed him to take good care of Dai Yueying.
And in Master Dai's cellar, they had found a portrait of Blood Guanyin.
He had no concrete proof yet.
But proof was something only third-rate detectives needed.
Lianshan Xin didn't rely on such things.
A top-tier master detective always trusted his own intuition above all.
Lianshan Xin realized that his hasty rejection of Dai Yueying had dragged him into enormous trouble.
Yet riches were sought amidst danger; crisis and opportunity always coexisted.
Qi Shiyun's words echoed in his ears once more:
"The cultivation speed of our lineage depends entirely on your courage and methods. Riches are sought amidst danger, and the Great Dao is no different."
To others, huge trouble was simply huge trouble.
But for him, having joined the Dragon Supporting lineage and successfully condensed dragon qi, this immense trouble could very well help him leap from a young man with limited martial aptitude into one of the world's absolute top young prodigies.
Thinking back to the past dozen-plus years of bitter martial training without making any progress, compared to breaking through two realms in a single day after choosing to join the Nine Heavens and enter the Heaven's Chosen lineage...
Lianshan Xin lowered his eyes, his gaze brimming with resolute determination.
In this life, opportunities to change one's destiny were few and far between!
Chapter 29