Chapter 545: Ten Great Lewd Sins

In the night, more than ten maids dressed in colorful skirts and dresses, carrying lanterns, had already arrived at the back of the Maid Courtyard.

"Oh my! Finally back! Running around all day, my legs are about to break!"

"Exactly! Those old men at the Tianyan Sect are so fierce! And these past few days we've been staying up so late, I can barely hold on."

"You should be content! We have it easy at the Elder Council! Haven't you seen the Longyu Hall these past few days? They've been working through the night every single day! Those Attendants are even sleeping on floor mats in the hall at night."

A tall maid carrying a lantern suddenly saw a piece of white paper hanging on a pine tree by the side of the road, and her moth-like eyebrows furrowed. "Huh, what is this?!"

The tall maid reached out and took the white paper down, reading it by the dim lamplight. This look was no small matter; her originally fair face instantly turned bright red.

"What are you looking at?" A group of maids immediately crowded around.

They saw that at the very top of the white paper, the four large characters "TenGreatLewdSins" were written with vigorous, flowing ink that seemed to Force Through Paper!

Below, ten items were listed, actually recounting ten lewd and unsightly scandals of the Tianyan Sect's Young Sect Master Li Ruozhou over the past two years.

Those maids, just by reading the text, all turned red-faced and embarrassed.

"How can this person be so wicked?!"

"More than just wicked, this is simply worse than a beast!?"

"This is talking about the Tianyan Sect's Young Sect Master Li Ruozhou! Isn't he about to marry into our Taiyi Sect?"

"Alright, stop wagging your tongues! Who knows if what's written on this paper is true or false?" The tall maid who first took the paper from the pine tree suddenly snapped, her hand loosening, and the white paper flew away with the night wind. "We shouldn't talk nonsense about what's written on this paper, be careful of being interrogated!"

"Sister is right!" Another slightly more composed maid also echoed: "I'm afraid someone is stirring up trouble."

"Let's go, let's go back and rest early. We have to get up early tomorrow!"

The group of maids carried their lanterns to the gate of the Maid Courtyard, and one of them fished a key from her waist and opened the gate.

A few bean-sized lights spilled into the pitch-black courtyard.

They scattered and walked through the courtyard, heading to their rooms in twos and threes; no one noticed Li Ruozhou, who was covered by a blanket and lying unconscious in the center of the courtyard.

Before long, dim yellow lights lit up in the various low-roofed rooms.

The maids took off their skirts, wearing only underpants and bodice-wraps, and carried wooden basins to the well in the courtyard to draw water and wash up.

Because there were many people queuing by the well, some were also making beds or collecting clothes.

A petite maid, wearing a bodice-wrap, was collecting clothes from a clothesline. After collecting a few pieces for herself and the sister she shared a room with, she walked to the center of the courtyard to pull at the blanket hanging there.

Just as she pulled the blanket down and held it in her arms, ready to leave, her footsteps suddenly stalled, and she turned her head to look at the wooden stake in the center of the courtyard.

This look was no small matter; she was instantly frightened out of her wits, her face turning pale with terror!

In the desolate night, a naked man was clearly tied to the wooden stake, his face beaten black and blue like a pig's head. Illuminated by the dim light shining from the rooms, he looked like a monster with a human body and a strange head.

"Ah~"

The petite maid dropped the clothes and blanket she was holding and screamed in terror...

"Xiao Qi, what's wrong?"

The maids in the rooms and by the well all gathered around.

They immediately saw Li Ruozhou, who was tied to the wooden stake and unconscious. Seeing his swollen face, bruised black and blue, hanging limp, they couldn't tell if he was dead or alive. Furthermore, because he was stark naked, the group of maids all turned deathly pale and dared not approach.

"Is this person dead or alive?!"

After a while, someone regained their composure and asked.

"It looks like there's a sign hanging on him?!" Someone standing closer saw it vaguely.

Most of these maids had not yet married; when had they ever seen a naked man? They all turned their faces away, not daring to look. Only a few older women stood at the front.

Just as they were recovering from their shock, someone suddenly knocked impatiently on the gate of the Maid Courtyard, shouting: "Open the door! Open the door!"

Hearing the rough male voice shouting, the maids, who were only wearing underpants and bodice-wraps, immediately huddled together in trembling silence...

Li Yunjing came out of the Elder Council, exhausted, and returned to his own room in the manor.

He sat on the grand armchair, sipped some ginseng tea, and suddenly shouted toward the door: "Yang Tianyi, come in!"

The door creaked open, and a middle-aged man dressed in coarse linen clothes walked in, cupping his hands: "Sect Leader!"

Li Yunjing glanced at him with a weary expression and said: "Go call Li Ruozhou over; I have something to instruct him!"

"Yes!" Yang Tianyi cupped his hands in a salute and left to carry out the order.

Not long after, he ran back with hurried steps and said: "Reporting to the Sect Leader, the Young Sect Master is not in his room!"

The muscles on Li Yunjing's face twitched, and he barked: "Not in his room?!"

It was already past the Hour of the Bo, and the brat was actually not in his room. Li Yunjing felt a bit anxious; he was afraid that Li Ruozhou would return to his old ways, and if he did something base here at the Taiyi Sect, it would be unsightly.

Yang Tianyi naturally noticed the change in Li Yunjing's expression. "The Personal Attendant in the Young Sect Master's room said that the Young Sect Master went out before the Hour of the Xu."

"Before the Hour of the Xu?" Li Yunjing's eyes flickered. "That's been more than two hours then?!"

Li Yunjing was not worried about Li Ruozhou's safety; Li Ruozhou had decent cultivation and was protected by the Li family's ancestral treasure. Unless a cultivator in the late stage of the Dongming Realm took action, it would be impossible to detain him.

"Yang Tianyi, take some men and go look for him," Li Yunjing ordered with a worried expression.

"Yes, Sect Leader!" Yang Tianyi cupped his hands in a salute, grabbed his blade, and strode away.

He picked seven or eight patrolling Guards and left the manor with them.

"Yang Tou, it's pitch black out here, where are we supposed to find the Young Sect Master?" a thin Guard asked, looking at the pitch-black Endless Great Mountains.

Yang Tianyi also furrowed his brows, feeling troubled. "Let's search Cuiwei Peak first. We'll see if we can't find him!"

Just then, a gust of night wind whistled, and a piece of white paper slapped onto the face of a Guard beside Yang Tianyi.

The group chuckled!

Yang Tianyi turned his head and, by the dim light, saw that the white paper stuck to the Guard's face was covered in writing. At the very top were four vigorous, flowing characters: "TenGreatLewdSins". Yang Tianyi's eyes jumped.

"Damn it!"

The Guard had already grabbed the white paper off his face. He had seen it flapping by, but hadn't paid it any mind; he didn't expect the wind to shift and slap it directly onto his face.

The Guard was just about to channel his Qi to blast the white paper into dust, but Yang Tianyi suddenly called out to him.

"Wait!"

Yang Tianyi reached out to take the white paper and looked at it by the dim lamplight.

After reading it, his heart was greatly shocked!

"What kind of person is this!? To dare to stir up trouble at such a critical juncture!?"

Three days later is the grand wedding ceremony for the alliance between the two sects, yet at this very moment, on this Cuiwei Peak, white papers have drifted out listing all the scandalous deeds of their Young Sect Master, and they are even titled the TenGreatLewdSins!

"Their heart deserves to be punished!?"

Yang Tianyi's expression was uncertain; he was just preparing to take the white paper back into the manor to show Li Yunjing when, at that moment, he heard a shrill, terrified scream coming from the foot of the mountain to the southeast.

That scream pierced through the pitch-black night sky.

It was clearly the scream of a woman who had been frightened!

Yang Tianyi's gaze tightened, and he raised his eyes to look; he saw a patch of dim lamplight shining at the pitch-black foot of the mountain. He knew the Young Sect Master's temperament all too well, but this was the territory of the Taiyi Sect!

"Follow me!"

Fearing that something had happened, Yang Tianyi immediately rose into the air by riding the wind, flying like a large bird toward the patch of dim courtyards at the foot of the mountain.

The group of Guards also leaped up, stepping on the treetops in the darkness, following behind Yang Tianyi as they bounded toward the foot of the mountain.

When Yang Tianyi arrived near the courtyard, he swept it with his Divine Sense and already knew what had happened. He was Li Yunjing's personal Guard and could be considered to have watched Li Ruozhou grow up; although Li Ruozhou had been beaten into a pig's head and tied up there, he recognized him immediately upon sweeping with his Divine Sense. More importantly, Li Ruozhou still had the Li family's ancestral Longevity Lock hanging around his neck.

Yang Tianyi did not leap directly into the courtyard; this was the territory of the Taiyi Sect, and the courtyard was full of maids wearing only undergarments and bodice covers. If he were to leap straight in, there was no telling what kind of trouble it might cause.

He immediately flashed to the courtyard gate, reached out to knock on the door, and shouted in a gruff voice: "Open the door! Open the door!"

The maids inside were in a panic. One tall maid among them had a cold look in her eyes and barked: "What are you panicking about!?"

She tore a blanket off the clothesline, wrapped it around herself, and asked toward the courtyard gate: "Who is knocking at the door in the middle of the night like this?"

Outside the gate, Yang Tianyi shouted: "I am a Guard from the Tianyan Sect. The one knocked unconscious in the courtyard is our Young Sect Master! Open the door quickly!"

The tall maid's eyes flashed; she turned her head to look at the panicked maids and said: "You all go back to your rooms first and put on your clothes!"

Upon hearing this, the maids immediately ran to their respective rooms.

Seeing that all her sisters had returned to their rooms, the tall maid wrapped herself in the blanket and went over to open the courtyard gate.

As soon as the courtyard gate opened, a black shadow flashed inside.

"Young Sect Master!"

The man called out once and immediately rushed to the wooden stake in the center of the courtyard.

Yang Tianyi reached out to check Li Ruozhou's breath, and only then did his heart ease; he was merely unconscious.

He noticed that a sign was hanging on Li Ruozhou's chest.

Yang Tianyi tore off the wooden sign and looked at it by the dim lamplight, only to see it written: Lewd Scoundrel Young Sect Master!

But looking at the style of the brushwork, it was different from the font on the white paper he had seen just moments ago.

The Spirit Tool of calligraphy and painting that Duan Rong had devoured was already quite significant; he changed the font every day, and he could go a month without repeating, and every style possessed the air of a master!

Yang Tianyi's palm turned into a blade, his Qi surging, and he severed the ropes binding Li Ruozhou. With a flick of his right hand, a blanket that had fallen on the ground not far away flew up with a 'whoosh' and wrapped around Li Ruozhou's body.

Holding the blanket-wrapped, unconscious Li Ruozhou, Yang Tianyi then looked at the tall woman behind him; at this time, the seven or eight Guards also surged in through the courtyard gate.

The tall woman, wrapped in her blanket, stood before the group of Guards; her expression was only slightly panicked before she calmed down.

Yang Tianyi asked: "Who injured our Young Sect Master?"

The tall maid said: "We just returned from the Elder Council after finishing our shift. It was Xiao Qi who first discovered the Young... that person tied to the wooden stake when she was collecting the laundry..."

Yang Tianyi's gaze flickered. These were indeed maids from the Elder Council, and the Elder Council had indeed just finished their shift. Furthermore, he himself had only heard that terrified scream that pierced the night sky from the manor gate a short while ago. It was likely around that time that someone discovered the Young Sect Master.

Moreover, the Young Sect Master was, after all, a cultivator in the Qi Cyclone Realm; these maids could not have injured him.

Yang Tianyi said in a deep voice: "Young lady, I know this has nothing to do with you. However, regarding today's events, if there are any questions, I hope you can answer truthfully."

The tall maid said: "Rest assured! I will say exactly what I saw!"

Yang Tianyi nodded and looked at the woman with a hint of appreciation in his eyes. To be able to remain calm in such a situation—this woman was someone who could handle matters.

"Let's go!"

Yang Tianyi held the blanket-wrapped Li Ruozhou, rose into the air, and flew toward the manor.

The group of Guards also suddenly leaped like large birds, their figures flickering as they vaulted over the wall.

The tall maid stood there, looking at the suddenly quiet, empty courtyard. She reached out a slender, cold hand from the blanket she was wrapped in and touched her own face, then let out a long sigh, as if she had just had a nightmare.

Only then did the doors of the rooms open, and the group of maids walked out of their rooms, timid and fearful...

Inside the manor, Li Yunjing was pacing back and forth in his room, quite worried, when he suddenly heard a shout from outside the door: "Sect Leader! Something has happened!"

Li Yunjing's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately pushed the door open and went out. He was just about to ask what happened when he saw Yang Tianyi leaping over while carrying the unconscious Li Ruozhou.

At a single glance, Li Yunjing saw Li Ruozhou, wrapped in a blanket, with his face bruised black and purple, having passed out. His heart felt a sudden pang of pain.

He had doted on Li Ruozhou since he was small; although this son was quite a scoundrel, the closeness between father and son was indeed real.

Li Yunjing was in a panic and asked: "What happened to my son?"

Yang Tianyi said: "Sect Leader, do not worry! The Young Sect Master is only unconscious; his dantian and meridians are unharmed!"

Li Yunjing's heart eased slightly, and he said: "Bring him into the room!"

Yang Tianyi carried Li Ruozhou into the room and placed him on the bed. Li Yunjing sat on the side, personally checked his pulse, then stuffed a Medicine Pill into Li Ruozhou's mouth and helped him swallow it with tea.

Seeing that Li Ruozhou was stark naked, Li Yunjing felt a surge of anger. He glanced at the Longevity Lock on Li Ruozhou's neck, turned his head to look at Yang Tianyi, and said: "Where did you find him?"

Yang Tianyi then recounted what he had seen and heard at the Maid Courtyard.

Upon hearing this, Li Yunjing's gaze flickered. The protective artifact, the Longevity Lock, was still on Li Ruozhou's neck, so who exactly had beaten him into unconsciousness?

Could it be a cultivator in the late stage of the Dongming Realm?

At this moment, Yang Tianyi suddenly handed a wooden sign and the white paper to Li Yunjing and said in a deep voice: "This wooden sign was hanging around the Young Sect Master's neck. My subordinates discovered that there are quite a few of these white papers drifting about on this Cuiwei Peak."

Li Yunjing took them, and upon looking, his fury surged upward.

"Lewd Scoundrel Young Sect Master!"

"TenGreatLewdSins!"

Li Yunjing suppressed his anger as he finished reading that blank sheet of paper, his heart suddenly filled with a complex mixture of emotions, because every single one of the Ten Great Lewd Sins was indeed true.

Li Yunjing stood up, his eyes gloomy, and he suddenly said in a desolate voice: "Tianyi, go find Sect Master Chu of the Taiyi Sect and Director Yang! It seems someone wants to sabotage the marriage alliance between our two sects!"

(End of chapter)