Your Dad Was a Demonic Cult Master

Hearing what Xiao Qi said, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou couldn't help but turn to look at Li Haoran with peculiar expressions. There just so happened to be a former cult master right here. "Hey, hey, hey! What are you looking at me for?!" Li Haoran snapped in exasperation. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou looked away. Fair enough—there was no rule saying only the Nine Nether Cult had a former cult master; the Shining Sun Cult and the Emotionless Cult were just as likely. Besides, Qin Haoran had been broke to the point of fleeing from debt collectors. He hardly seemed like someone who could leave behind any treasure. "Who is Lord Mi? Who is this 'former Cult Master' he mentioned? And what is the 'treasure left behind'?" Qin Yanyan fired off a volley of questions. Across the entire Central Continent, only the Four Great Demonic Cults—no, wait, Three Great Demonic Cults—had the position of "Cult Master." This Lord Mi could very well be a member of the Three Great Demonic Cults. Startled by Qin Yanyan's intense reaction, Xiao Qi shrank back and shook her head. "I don't know. Our contact with Lord Mi is entirely one-way. He placed a restriction on our souls, forcing us to obey him, and he rarely tells us anything. "Every time Lord Mi comes to collect yang energy, he asks whether anything strange has happened in Guhuai Town or if anyone has found any unusual objects." The three ghosts truly knew nothing of Lord Mi's identity. Mayor Fan was equally alarmed. He had known the three ghosts served under a "Lord Mi," but had no clue Lord Mi belonged to the Three Great Demonic Cults. Had he known, he never would have dared to use the trio to promote the town. No matter how desperate he was for administrative accomplishments, he wouldn't dare get tangled up with the demonic cults. He had heard that after the Immortal Cult was uprooted, numerous officials who had collaborated with them for career achievements were sacked, sending shockwaves through the imperial court. Come to think of it, the Immortal Cult had been uncovered by the Dao Seeking Sect. The Dao Seeking Sect truly lived up to its name as one of the Five Great Immortal Sects. One wondered which legendary figure from the Dao Seeking Sect had managed to track down the Immortal Cult's headquarters. "Fairy, is there really a restriction on their souls?" When it came to soul craft, Lu Yang was utterly in the dark, so he figured he might as well consult the omniscient Immortal Fairy. "There is, but the technique is pretty crude—barely beginner level. Do you want me to wipe it out?" Lu Yang pondered for a moment and asked, "Will Lord Mi notice?" "Are you kidding? Who do you think this Fairy is? Never mind Lord Mi not even being here; even if these three ghosts were standing right in front of him, he wouldn't realize his restriction had been erased!" "Then I'll trouble you, Fairy." Lu Yang informed the three female ghosts that Lord Mi belonged to a demonic cult. The ghosts immediately began trembling like leaves, frantically protesting that they were good ghosts and had no ties to any demonic cult. Lu Yang smiled. "Of course I know you three have nothing to do with the demonic cults. I'm just worried that under Lord Mi's control, you might be forced to do things against your will. That's why I'd like to remove your restrictions. From now on, our Dao Seeking Sect will supervise you to ensure you don't commit evil deeds. How does that sound?" How could the three ghosts dare refuse? They nodded vigorously. The Immortal Fairy worked her magic in secret, erasing the restriction left by Lord Mi and forging a flawless duplicate in its place. Below the Body Integration stage, no one would ever spot the difference. The three ghosts instantly felt a weight lift from their souls as the long-standing shackle vanished without a trace. Xiao Qi timidly raised a hand and asked cautiously, "Um... excuse me, can we head back now? Class is about to start." They had to teach the scholars every day, right on schedule. They were exceptionally dedicated to their craft. "That works out; we've learned just about everything we need to know." The group prepared to depart. Before leaving, Lu Yang gave a quiet reminder. "Mayor Fan, matters concerning demonic cults are of grave importance. Please do not tell anyone that we've been here." Now that they had uncovered traces of a demonic cult, they had to take action before returning to the sect. "Of course, naturally." Mayor Fan nodded repeatedly. Where demonic cults were concerned, it was best left to experts like the Dao Seeking Sect. A minor figure like him had no business getting involved. After bidding farewell to Mayor Fan, the four humans and three ghosts returned to the dilapidated temple. The three ghosts went to the main hall to lecture, while the four cultivators gathered in a side room to discuss their next steps. Earlier, in front of the mayor, Li Haoran had held back. Now that there were no outsiders, there was no harm in speaking freely: "Actually, I recall a memory from my past life. I came to Guhuai Town to hide something. I even cut off all methods of detection, including karma and divine sense, so no one could find it. It's almost certainly a treasure." "There really is a treasure here?!" "Is Lord Mi actually from the Nine Nether Cult?" "Where is the treasure hidden?" "What kind of treasure is it?" "You were so broke in your past life, how could you have left behind a treasure?!" Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou gasped in overlapping astonishment. Li Haoran rolled his eyes and sighed helplessly. "It's just a fragment of a memory. How could I remember every detail? But it's true that something is here in Guhuai Town." "Wait, what are you three talking about?" Qin Yanyan asked, utterly bewildered. What treasure? What Nine Nether Cult? What did any of this have to do with her past-life dad? The three young men exchanged glances. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou both saw the resignation in Li Haoran's eyes. "Qin Yanyan and Su Yiren are bound to find out sooner or later. Rather than hiding it, you might as well tell her now," Lu Yang advised. As Qin Yanyan's elder uncle, he felt his niece deserved to know the truth. Meng Jingzhou felt the same way. After a moment's hesitation, Li Haoran decided to reveal Qin Haoran's true identity to his past-life daughter. "Actually... your father, Qin Haoran, was the previous Cult Master of the Nine Nether Cult..." Li Haoran laid out the entire truth. The more Qin Yanyan listened, the stranger her expression became. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that the father she had never met was the leader of a demonic cult—and a master swindler buried under staggering debts. After quietly listening to the end, Qin Yanyan let out a long sigh and gave a wry, helpless smile. Her father was a demonic cult master; what other reaction could she have except to accept it? To be fair, she had little emotional attachment to Qin Haoran. She had grown up with Su Yiren, so "Qin Haoran" was more of an abstract label called "Father" than a real person to her. "Oh, right. Since your father was a demonic cult master, your future career in politics, the military, or entering sect entrance exams will face restrictions. You won't pass the political background check," Lu Yang kindly reminded her. He had recently been cramming Great Xia law and had picked up a thing or two. Qin Yanyan: "..." *Thank you so much for the reminder.* Meng Jingzhou chimed in as well. "Your parents were married for five hundred years. Given your father's habits, he likely racked up debts throughout that time. But don't worry—your mother didn't know about his borrowing, and he spent all the money building up the Nine Nether Cult. According to the law, such debts do not count as joint spousal liabilities, so your mother isn't obligated to repay them." Meng Jingzhou was thoroughly well-versed in financial law. Qin Yanyan: "..." *Thank you so much for that reminder, too.* Qin Yanyan truly felt the deep, caring concern of her two elder uncles. "Then when my father was so desperate to break through to the Tribulation Transcendence stage back then, claiming he wanted to fight for a future for my mother and me..." Li Haoran nodded somberly. "It was to increase his borrowing limit." "And to boost his resistance to beatings when falling behind on repayments."