Sophistry

Although Duxian Dao had retreated, they could march south at any moment, leaving Li Ximing no choice but to remain vigilant. Fortunately, in the battle on the river, while direct descendants like Guan Gongxiao and Guan Lingdie came out relatively unscathed, Gongsun Baifan and the others had suffered substantial injuries. Duxian Dao was not a lineage adept at healing. Mingyang at least had the power to stimulate vitality and growth; Ye Gui was likely even worse at healing than Li Ximing, his sole advantage being his blood qi. “At least for a short time, they won't make any major moves. As long as Shanji Commandery is dealt with... the wilderness will become a prolonged tug-of-war... As for whatever else Ye Gui might have in mind, we can only investigate further.” “And there is Wenhu's lineage...” Now that he knew Mifan Temple had a spirit repository on Mount Xiaoshi, Li Ximing didn't mind claiming a share of the spoils. He gave an order: “Bring Wenhu up!” At his command, Li Chenghuai soon rode the wind up the mountain, holding a disheveled man in hand. Iron chains clanked as they dragged behind him, leaving trails of blood. Wenhu had not suffered much torture in the dungeon; his cultivation had merely been sealed, and the injuries he sustained over a year ago had never truly healed. Though the Li family had treated him cursorily, blood still welled out from time to time. This man possessed a sharp, calculating mind. Back then, he had deliberately allowed Mount Hongfu to fall into the Li family's hands, which directly enabled them to secure the Funan borderlands today without suffering major casualties. As a result, he had incurred no hatred whatsoever from the Li family, keeping his presence as low as possible and surviving comfortably to this day... Had the inheritance of the Three Mifan Sects not been in his hands, Li Ximing might never have even remembered him, letting him linger in the dungeon. Looking at him now, Li Ximing could only comment that his luck had fallen short. A thought even crossed his mind: “Once I obtain the lineage, I could use him to trade with Ye Gui for An Siwei... Since Mount Xiaoshi is involved, Ye Gui might genuinely agree to an exchange, hisss...” He glanced at Wenhu—cultivation sealed, lips and teeth locked so he could not incant spells—and after the celestial light between his brows shone over him, Li Ximing silently dismissed the idea: ‘This man is no ordinary individual, and he is tied to the Mount Xiaoshi Mifan matter. If I really hand him over to Baiye Duxian Dao... the threat he poses might be too great... It is better to just kill him!’ Li Ximing casually undid the seal on Wenhu's mouth and sat in the high seat, watching the man roll on the ground before struggling to his feet and speaking hoarsely: “The sinner Wenhu pays respects to the Real Person!” Wenhu's supposed guilt was merely “deceiving” the Violet Palace—namely, the absence of Daoist Chidu from Duxian Dao, a crime pinned on him since he was the one who made the promise. Wenhu had never claimed innocence, silently accepting the blame. Li Ximing did not speak, only giving him a look. Deep down, Li Ximing felt some appreciation for this man's talent; after all, Wenhu had both schemes and methods. Yet this was a struggle on the Violet Palace level, far beyond what either of them could decide on a whim. To Violet Palace cultivators, most Foundation Establishment cultivators were mere chess pieces. What truly mattered was face and prestige. Wenhu was originally Real Person Ye Gui's man; in Li Ximing's hands, he was a bargaining chip, but he could never become a chess piece. If Li Ximing were to blatantly take him in, it would forge a true enmity. Not only that, it would break the rules; the moment Wenhu showed his face, it would be entirely reasonable for Ye Gui to tear open the Great Void with his own hands to take Wenhu away. Yet after receiving that single glance, Wenhu instantly realized his predicament: the blade was already resting against his neck. He bowed and said: “This humble one pays respects to Real Person Zhaojing... In the matter of the Mifan lineage, I never intended any disrespect toward you, Real Person. I merely carried a message under a senior's guidance, never expecting things would come to this pass.” Though Wenhu spoke thus, bitterness filled his heart. He had explicitly taken a stand on behalf of Baiye Duxian Dao. No matter how much he now tried to excuse himself by deflecting blame onto the lineage or Fuyun Cave, it would be difficult to win Li Ximing's trust... Sure enough, seeing him shift the blame onto Fuyun Cave, Li Ximing remained noncommittal, asking only: “Where is the lineage of Miyun Cave?” Wenhu's heart pounded violently. Knowing his death was near, he broke into a cold sweat. But what recourse did he have against a Violet Palace master? It was only because the Violet Palace cultivator before him was restrained and unwilling to damage cosmic harmony by searching his soul right away that he had enough time to say a single word. Yet catching the mention of the Miyun lineage, he trembled to the utmost. Thoughts raced through his mind, and he replied: “Replying to the Real Person, I can transcribe the Miyun lineage for you right now. And not just the Miyun lineage... Wenhu has also detected traces of the other Mount Xiaoshi Mifan lineages.” Li Ximing's expression suddenly grew strange. On one hand, he had some inkling of what Wenhu was referring to; on the other hand, he frowned at the sharpness of the cultivator before him. In silence, the killing intent in his heart deepened. Li Ximing smiled and said: “Oh? And which one would that be?” Wenhu spoke respectfully, answering: “Reporting to the Real Person, I once cultivated in the South Sea. Under Daoist Chidu's orders to search for traces of the Mifan lineages, I caught wind of something in Danrong Wuluo... but I secretly concealed it, and no one else knows.” Li Ximing grew suspicious, already seeing through his rhetoric, and deliberately asked: “Why didn't you report it to Chidu?” Wenhu wiped his sweat and replied: “Reporting to the Real Person, having received a Mifan lineage, I was not completely ignorant. I was also aware of the plans of the various Real Persons, so I communicated with fellow daoists in private and was unwilling to report back to Chidu...” Li Ximing quietly interrupted: “The Miyun lineage.” Li Chenghuai immediately took out a jade slip and presented it. Wenhu had no choice but to take the jade slip and quickly engrave it. After half a quarter of an hour, a copy of the Xiaoshi Lingfeng Duyin Jue was finished. Wenhu continued engraving another jade slip while Li Ximing casually took the first, scanning it with his spiritual sense. The celestial light between his brows flickered slightly. ‘Xiaoshi Lingfeng Duyin Jue, fourth-rank Foundation Establishment, Juguinyin.’ With divine abilities at his command, Li Ximing could easily tell whether a cultivation method had flaws. When Wenhu finished writing again, it turned out to be the Xiaoshi Tianqing Sanyun Jue—presumably the one he obtained by murdering someone, as Changyun had mentioned. “Xiaoshi Tianqing Sanyun Jue... fourth-rank Foundation Establishment, Fuyunshen.” Li Ximing deliberately asked: “Where did this come from?” Wiping his sweat, his face filled with trepidation, Wenhu respectfully replied: “It was obtained from Fudou. This humble one used torture to make him spill everything in short order...” Li Ximing then smiled: “I heard you stormed the mountain for merely a quarter of an hour; your skills are quite impressive.” Terrified by those words, the man offered up the jade slip and set to work again. After half an incense stick of time, he presented yet another jade slip: “Chant of the Feathered Guest.” Li Ximing finally showed some interest. This was half of a secret technique, and it appeared quite miraculous. Wenhu prostrated himself and spoke in a very natural tone: “This was passed down to this humble one by my master before his death. He said our predecessors obtained it from a fallen direct descendant of the Wanling Supreme Sect. It allows one to fold feathers into robes and was originally an extraordinarily formidable protective art...” “You can also see, Real Person, that this is likely a Violet Palace-tier spell between the fifth and sixth ranks. Now only half of it remains, and the rest...” He raised his brows and said: “Through my private verifications, I suspect it might be in the hands of that Mifan direct descendant in the South Sea!” Li Ximing glanced at him and put the item away. Looking at Wenhu kneeling on the ground in panic, his voice was very soft, yet it struck terror straight to Wenhu's marrow. He spoke with amusement: “You dare lie to me.”