Chapter 546: Not Even as Good as a Beast

When Chu Qiushan and Yang Sixuan arrived at the manor on Cuiwei Peak, Li Ruozhou had already awakened, nourished by that Medicine Pill.

He did not even bother to put on his clothes; wrapped in a blanket, he sat in the hall, and with that head swollen like a pig's, he began to give an exaggerated account of his miserable encounter in the dense forest to Chu Qiushan and Yang Sixuan, who had just entered.

"That little girl Lv Qingzhu is too perverted!"

"She keeps a thug who is big and tall. I, your grandfather, consider myself quite talented, yet I couldn't even withstand a single move from that monster!"

"Beating me is one thing!"

"But she kept smashing me down, one blow after another! She actually carved three big characters into the ground! Is this something a human would do?" As Li Ruozhou spoke, he reached out to touch his crooked nose, and immediately winced in pain.

Upon hearing this, Yang Sixuan's expression shifted, and he asked, "Young Sect Master Li says that Miss Qingzhu keeps a thug! I wonder what that thug looks like?"

"What do they look like?! Hideously ugly!" Li Ruozhou chirped. Clearly stimulated by the night's events, his wanton nature had been ignited, and he spoke quite recklessly.

After finishing, Li Ruozhou saw that Yang Sixuan still looked puzzled, so he shouted, "It's that personal maid of hers, the one who grew up with her! What was her name... Right! A Mo! Her name is A Mo!"

"A Mo?!" Upon hearing this, Yang Sixuan gave Li Ruozhou a strange look but said nothing. As far as he knew, A Mo had been missing for over two years; could she have returned recently?

Seeing that Yang Sixuan remained silent, Li Ruozhou clamored, "Director Yang, that little girl Lv Qingzhu is the bloodline of your Sect Ancestor, I know you cannot afford to offend her! We won't talk about her! But that maid of hers named A Mo must be severely punished! At the very least, one of her hands must be severed! Otherwise, it will be hard to vent the hatred in my heart."

A flash of displeasure crossed Yang Sixuan's face. "I, Yang, am in charge of the Ruling Sect Justice Division; I am here to handle cases, not to vent anger for anyone!"

"You..." Li Ruozhou, wrapped in his blanket, stood up abruptly and glared at Yang Sixuan with resentment.

Li Yunjing gave a light cough and said, "Ruozhou, do not be rude! As a junior, do you still wish to teach Director Yang how to handle cases?"

"Father!?..." Li Ruozhou looked at Li Yunjing with some grievance, wanting to say more.

"Enough!" Li Yunjing cut him off directly. "Tianyi, take the Young Sect Master back to his own room to rest!"

He knew that Li Ruozhou had just woken up and had been frightened, so he seemed a bit out of sorts; it was not appropriate to let him stay in front of Chu Qiushan and the others for too long.

In fact, Li Ruozhou had only just woken up, and Li Yunjing had not yet had time to ask why he had been beaten like this before Chu Qiushan and Yang Sixuan arrived.

Li Ruozhou had simply wrapped himself in a blanket and clamored to come out to see Chu Qiushan and Yang Sixuan.

Li Yunjing stood to the side, listening very carefully to Li Ruozhou's account and Yang Sixuan's questioning.

In fact, while Li Ruozhou was lying unconscious on the bed earlier, Li Yunjing had already summoned the Guards who were on duty on the perimeter.

The manor itself had Guards, all of whom were people from the Taiyi Sect.

But their Tianyan Sect also had their own Guards, who were securing the area where they were staying.

After some questioning, Li Yunjing had already discovered that in the afternoon, Lv Qingzhu had come to see Li Ruozhou, and the two had chatted for a few moments in front of Li Ruozhou's door.

The area where the Tianyan Sect Leader and Young Sect Master stayed was heavily guarded; if Lv Qingzhu had not presented her Sect Cloud Token, she would not have been able to enter!

Combined with Li Ruozhou's words just now, Li Yunjing already had a rough judgment of the matter in his heart.

After Li Ruozhou was pushed and coaxed away by Yang Tianyi, Li Yunjing looked at Chu Qiushan and Yang Sixuan and said, "My son has been somewhat frightened. His words were a bit out of line; I hope you two will not take offense!"

Yang Sixuan kept a dark face and said nothing.

Chu Qiushan said, "Facing such a great shock, it is only human nature to act a bit abnormally. Sect Leader Li, please rest assured; since this happened within my Taiyi Sect, we will certainly investigate it thoroughly."

Li Yunjing cupped his hands and said, "I trouble Sect Master Chu and Director Yang."

As Li Yunjing spoke, his expression shifted, and he spread the wooden plaque and the white paper inscribed with the TenGreatLewdSins onto the small table. "Please, take a look at these two items as well."

Chu Qiushan and Yang Sixuan were both astonished after seeing the contents on the white paper.

Li Yunjing's expression could not help but turn somewhat awkward as he said, "The so-called TenGreatLewdSins mentioned on this paper are all fabricated, dirty slanders. My son did indeed have some absurd affairs in his earlier years, but that was merely youthful rebellion; he has long since changed his ways."

As Li Yunjing spoke, his face suddenly turned somewhat gloomy, and he said, "These white papers have been drifting all over Cuiwei Peak. And I wonder, are they on other peaks as well?"

"This thing has a truly terrible influence!" Li Yunjing said, pinching the white paper and shaking it. "My manpower is limited during this visit to your sect. I hope you two can send some people to search for those drifting white papers and destroy them all. Only then can we prevent the influence from spreading."

Yang Sixuan lowered his eyelids and did not make a sound; the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.

Chu Qiushan coughed and said, "Director Yang, do as Sect Leader Li says!"

"Yes, Sect Master!"

Seeing that Chu Qiushan had given the order, Li Yunjing's expression softened slightly, and he said, "The marriage between our two sects is a major event! The closer it gets, the less we can afford to have chaos!"

Chu Qiushan said, "Sect Leader Li is right to be concerned!"

Only then did Li Yunjing continue, "And regarding the Maid Courtyard, I must also trouble Director Yang to send someone to notify them and tell those maids not to wag their tongues."

A flash of disgust crossed Yang Sixuan's heart, and he thought to himself: This father and son are truly of the same ilk, both so fond of telling others what to do. However, he still nodded, effectively agreeing.

"Then I will trouble you both." Only then did Li Yunjing squeeze out a smile.

Li Yunjing personally saw Chu Qiushan and Yang Sixuan out of the room, and after the two bid him farewell, they transformed into two streaks of black light and shot into the night sky.

In the pitch-black night sky, the two suddenly halted their figures.

At this moment, the surroundings were pitch-black, and the night wind was howling.

Chu Qiushan said, "What do you think of this matter?"

Yang Sixuan said, "Well, it's a case! We can't just listen to the Li family's one-sided story." Yang Sixuan was very skeptical of what Li Ruozhou had said, but the matter of A Mo filled him with doubts.

Chu Qiushan nodded, clearly agreeing with Yang Sixuan's sentiment, but he still said, "The two things Li Yunjing mentioned are still quite important; you must arrange to handle them personally."

Yang Sixuan knew that Chu Qiushan was referring to the search and destruction of the white papers with the TenGreatLewdSins, as well as telling the maids in the Maid Courtyard to keep their mouths shut. "Sect Master, rest assured, I will certainly send capable people to handle it. It's just that since the matter has already occurred, I fear the paper cannot wrap up the fire."

Chu Qiushan said, "Do your best. The marriage between the two sects was planned by the Ancestor himself. We must ensure stability so we can answer to the Ancestor."

"The Sect Master is right," Yang Sixuan said. "Sect Master, there is one more thing I must trouble you with."

Chu Qiushan said, "What is it?"

Yang Sixuan said, "I must ask Lv Qingzhu about this matter personally. Since she lives in that deep valley with the Ancestor, I must ask the Sect Master to lead the way."

Although Yang Sixuan was an Elder of the Elder Council and in charge of the Ruling Sect Justice Division, he did not have the right to enter the valley to pay his respects to the Ancestor.

Chu Qiushan said, "Even if you hadn't asked, I was planning to take you there."

As the two spoke, they transformed into two streaks of black light and shot toward the deep valley.

Although it was already late at night, Chu Qiushan knew that the Ancestor Lv Yinlin almost never slept, so paying a visit at this time would not be considered a disturbance.

The two walked into the deep valley; the sound of footsteps in the Empty Valley was most clear in the quiet night.

Duan Rong, Lv Qingzhu, and Li Ruojian were none of them asleep, and lying on their beds, they heard it clearly.

The two walked to that ancient pine tree. Chu Qiushan looked at Yang Sixuan and said, "Wait for me here. I will go pay my respects to the Ancestor first and report this matter to him, as well as the recent progress in the alliance negotiations between the two sects."

"Yes, Sect Master!" Yang Sixuan said, cupping his hands. For some reason, ever since he entered this deep valley, he had felt a sense of trepidation in his heart.

Chu Qiushan walked to the front of Lv Yinlin's Cave Abode. Just as he was about to cup his hands in greeting, before he could speak, a voice rang out above his head. "Qiushan, come in!"

Chu Qiushan walked into the Cave Abode. The fluorescence emitted by the strange mushrooms growing on the stone walls illuminated the depths of the cave with a ghostly light.

Piled in front of Lv Yinlin were some yellowed books, many of which were open; he seemed to be searching for something.

Chu Qiushan entered, knelt to perform a salute, and then stood up on his own.

He often came to pay his respects and knew that Lv Yinlin did not like empty formalities; if he were to kneel for a long time without rising, it would instead cause Lv Yinlin displeasure.

Lv Yinlin looked at a booklet in his hand with a grave expression. He turned his head to glance at Chu Qiushan, flipped a page of the booklet, and said, "Qiushan, say what you have to say. I am listening!"

"Yes, Ancestor!"

As Chu Qiushan spoke, Lv Yinlin put down the booklet and tilted his head to listen.

Chu Qiushan stayed inside Lv Yinlin's Cave Abode for a full stick of incense's time.

When he walked out of the Cave Abode, Yang Sixuan was still standing at his original position by the ancient pine tree, not having moved at all.

Chu Qiushan said, "Department Head Yang, follow me; Lv Qingzhu's Cave Abode is over there."

The two came to the entrance of Lv Qingzhu's Cave Abode together.

Yang Sixuan stood at the cave entrance, his aura slightly surging, and said, "Lv Qingzhu, I apologize for the late-night disturbance! I hope to see you!"

The low voice immediately echoed within the cave.

Before long, Lv Qingzhu's voice came from within, saying, "Sect Master Chu, Department Head Yang, please come in!"

The two then entered the Cave Abode.

As soon as the two walked in, Lv Qingzhu said bluntly, "Are the two of you here to ask about that matter concerning Li Ruozhou?"

Yang Sixuan looked at Lv Qingzhu with a strange expression and smiled, "Girl Qingzhu, are you trying to confess without being asked?"

Lv Qingzhu's expression was grave as she said, "There is nothing to confess or not. Regarding this matter, I never intended to hide it in the first place."

"Is that so?" Yang Sixuan said, "Then tell me about it."

Lv Qingzhu said, "The marriage alliance was a hasty affair. I only found out a few days ago, so I inquired about Li Ruozhou's character."

When Lv Qingzhu reached this point, her face turned deathly pale and ugly, and she said, "I did not expect this person... to be so... corrupt... It is just that the invitations for the Engagement Ceremony have already been sent out... The more I thought about it, the angrier I became, so I arranged to meet Li Ruozhou to confront him face-to-face."

"I did not expect... did not expect... that in that dense forest, this person would harbor evil intentions and try to molest me!"

Hearing this, the expressions of both Chu Qiushan and Yang Sixuan froze.

This had truly become a Rashomon-style mystery.

Lv Qingzhu said angrily, "I truly wished I could have finished off this lecher with one Sword! But remembering the alliance between the two sects, the matter is of great importance! That is why I suppressed the anger in my heart, tied him up in the Maid Courtyard, and administered a slight punishment!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Qiushan said in a deep voice, "Girl Qingzhu! If you had really killed that boy, this matter would have blown up. Now is a critical time for the alliance between the two sects; the other side's Young Sect Master died on the territory of our Taiyi Sect, and the Ancestor will certainly look into this matter personally. If you really killed that boy and the Tianyan Sect demands we hand you over, even if you are of the Lu Clan bloodline, for the sake of the great cause of the alliance, I fear we would have to hand you over! You must take this as a warning and never be reckless again!"

Lv Qingzhu sneered and said, "For the great cause of the alliance, you would push me into a pit of fire!? Even the wild beasts in the mountains know how to protect their young! It is a pity that you are all great experts of a region, yet the things you do are not even as good as animals!"

Hearing this, Chu Qiushan and Yang Sixuan's faces turned deathly pale with fright. They naturally knew who Lv Qingzhu was insinuating. She was not scolding the two of them; she was clearly scolding the Ancestor, Lv Yinlin!

The two did not dare to stay in the cave any longer, so they hurried out and left the valley.

In the Cave Abode, Lv Yinlin was flipping through the yellowed books when his facial muscles suddenly twitched without warning. He closed the book and sighed, "This girl is usually a silent gourd, but when she starts scolding people, her mouth is like a knife."

Usually, in this valley, Lv Yinlin would not spy on the situations of Duan Rong, Lv Qingzhu, or Li Ruojian. After all, he was a great expert of the Nascent Soul Realm and had not stooped so low as to spy on the privacy of the younger generation.

It was just that Chu Qiushan had reported Lv Qingzhu's matter to him earlier, so when they went to interrogate Lv Qingzhu, Lv Yinlin had listened in, not expecting to hear Lv Qingzhu scolding him.

And the scolding was truly filthy!

Chu Qiushan and Yang Sixuan left the deep valley.

Yang Sixuan said, "Sect Master, I will return to the Ruling Sect Justice Division and push forward the investigation of this case overnight."

Chu Qiushan nodded and said, "Department Head Yang, thank you for your hard work!"

The two turned into two streaks of black light and went their separate ways.

While Yang Sixuan was running about investigating the case, Li Ruozhou was drinking alone in his room.

He looked at the white paper on his desk listing the TenGreatLewdSins, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. This paper had drifted down from the roof when his Personal Attendant went to fetch food and wine earlier.

"You are a vixen infected with venereal disease yourself, yet you have the nerve to talk about me!" Li Ruozhou pointed at the white paper and cursed, "A crow standing on a pig's back, only seeing the blackness of others!"

As he said this, he suddenly remembered A Mo's ugly and terrifying face, as well as those fists as large as pecks, and could not help but shiver.

"Damn it!" Li Ruozhou cursed in anger.

Earlier, in Li Yunjing's hall, it was not without reason that he had clamored for Yang Sixuan to cut off one of A Mo's hands.

If Yang Sixuan did not cripple A Mo, he truly did not dare to marry that Lv Qingzhu!

Not to mention, this woman was covered in venereal disease!

That was a small matter!

If he married such a Jade Rakshasa, a tigress, and she returned with him, she would abuse him every day; how could he possibly endure that!?

But the marriage between the two sects was a major event, and Li Yunjing had repeatedly warned him not to cause trouble, so he absolutely could not avoid this marriage.

Unless... unless... he fled the marriage!

Li Ruozhou threw away his wine cup and used the wine pot to pour a large gulp of wine down his throat.

His train of thought was already clear: first, find a way to make Yang Sixuan cripple A Mo. In that case, even if he married Lv Qingzhu, he could just serve her like a grandmother in the Tianyan Sect. That way, there would be no future worries.

But if A Mo was not crippled, his marrying Lv Qingzhu would be courting death!

Weighing the two evils, he would have to choose the lesser one and flee the marriage!

(End of chapter)