Chapter 48

Early the next morning, the Huashan Sword Sect party set off, heading toward the Taishan Sect.

Liu Baiyun had already spoken to his disciples last night about the Huashan Sect defecting to the imperial court. Although some disciples had objections, Liu Baiyun had been in charge of the Huashan Sect for twenty years and held immense prestige. Mei Qinghe was even one of the only two first-rate experts in the sect and was the recognized next-generation sect leader.

The Huashan Sect was already in a precarious state, and it could be said that it relied entirely on Liu Baiyun to hold it up, while Mei Qinghe was the hope for the sect's rise in the hearts of all the disciples.

With the two of them vouching for it, even if the others were instinctively unwilling to defect to the court, they could not say anything.

Returning to the present, the group was naturally led by Li Miao, with Liu Baiyun and Mei Qinghe following on either side, and Gao Ling and the others behind.

Mei Qinghe asked, "My lord, Zuo Lishan must hate you to the bone."

"If you go to his door so openly with us, won't it force him into a frenzy and make him attack you directly? If the people from the Taishan Sect all come up at once, I fear it might delay your plans..."

Mei Qinghe had already switched her cultivation method, and her temperament, which had been influenced by the Plum Blossom Thief's technique, had recovered somewhat. Furthermore, she had spoken openly with Liu Baiyun and was now wholeheartedly convinced by Li Miao, and had begun to actively think about Li Miao's affairs.

It was just that she was still a bit stubborn.

Li Miao did not mind; experience is honed by doing things, and doing more things will always lead to enlightenment.

He began to instruct her: "Of course he will attack, but he wouldn't dare do it in front of others. Otherwise, with no grudge or grievance, why would he use force against an Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion Commander?"

"He can't hide the fact that he fought me, but he certainly doesn't want others to know that he was seriously injured."

"If he wasn't injured, he would have no reason to attack me. Just attacking an Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion Commander because he lost a sparring match would be hard to justify to the public."

"If he was injured, he would have to explain why his wounds healed so quickly."

Li Miao held up three fingers and said, "This mission of ours has three goals."

"First, break up the Five Mountains Sword Sects. Those who can be subdued will be subdued, and those who cannot... kill them!"

"Second, kill Zuo Lishan and the Taishan Sect to intimidate the Jianghu. Witchcraft, the Ming Cult—if they dare to touch these two things, I might still be able to leave a few lives if I'm the one handling it. If someone else came, I fear they would just slaughter everyone clean."

"Third, the Ming Cult."

Li Miao smiled: "Zuo Lishan is likely unwilling to be under the Ming Cult, which is why he has never dared to use that technique and those insects. Even now, I suspect he still hasn't communicated with the Ming Cult. The Ming Cult is powerful; he is thinking of colluding with them through cooperation after he integrates the Five Mountains Sword Sects."

"Tonight, he will definitely come secretly to kill me and silence me."

"That is the opportunity to lure out the people from the Ming Cult."

After Li Miao finished speaking, he said no more, leaving time for Mei Qinghe to think for herself.

The group continued on their way and finally arrived at the main gate of the Taishan Sect.

With the Five Mountains Alliance Meeting approaching, disciples had long been arranged outside to welcome guests. They recognized Liu Baiyun from afar and hurriedly stepped forward to welcome them.

Although it was common knowledge that the Taishan Sect suppressed the Huashan Sect, surface-level courtesies cost nothing, and the disciple was sensible and spoke enthusiastically.

"Sect Leader Liu, long time no see! You've arrived a bit late this time. The senior sect leaders from the Hengshan, Hengshan, and Songshan sects have all arrived and are in the main hall. Would you like to—"

Halfway through his sentence, the disciple froze.

Because he saw Gao Ling.

The few things Gao Ling shouted when she fled down the mountain yesterday had been heard by someone after all, and they had recognized Gao Ling's voice.

An elder accusing the sect leader of practicing demonic arts and harming fellow sect members was no small matter. It was just that because of Zuo Lishan's prestige, and because it was the time of the Five Mountains Alliance Meeting, no one had brought this matter to the table for the time being.

But among the disciples, the news had already spread secretly.

Seeing Gao Ling appear before him, and following the Huashan Sect people at that, he naturally had all sorts of thoughts and didn't know what to do.

Liu Baiyun took the initiative to step forward: "We rested in Tai'an City last night, so there is no need to rest. Take us to the main hall to see the sect leaders."

"Yes, yes..." The disciple nodded, called someone to take the horses, and led the group toward the Taishan Sect's main hall.

When the group arrived at the main hall and stepped inside, they saw that there were already quite a few people there.

One person saw Liu Baiyun walk in and laughed: "Sect Leader Liu, long time no see! It's been several years, how have you been lately?"

Li Miao scanned the crowd from left to right, identifying them one by one.

The person who spoke was the Hengshan Sect leader, Deng Baixuan. Others sitting there included the Songshan Sect leader, Zhou Yingxue, and the Hengshan Sect leader, Zhang Jingfeng. As well as some miscellaneous leaders of second and third-rate sects—all small fry, and Li Miao couldn't be bothered to know them.

These people looked at Li Miao's group and all frowned secretly.

"Who is this person? Never seen him before. Why is Liu Baiyun falling slightly behind him, as if this person is the leader?"

"And Gao Ling... a veteran of the Taishan Sect, why did she come with the Huashan Sect?"

Liu Baiyun stepped forward to return the greetings one by one, then turned back to Li Miao's side: "My lord, please sit."

"Hmm."

Li Miao responded, walked to a front seat, and sat down. Liu Baiyun and Gao Ling stood on his left and right, and the other Huashan disciples stood behind them.

Mei Qinghe served tea, and Li Miao held it in his hands, sipping it slowly.

This whole self-absorbed process left the others dumbfounded!

No one in the room spoke for a long time.

Finally, it was the Hengshan Sect leader, Deng Baixuan, who spoke, smiling at Li Miao: "You are a new face, sir. Are you the new sect leader of the Huashan Sect?"

"My Hengshan Sect is far away in the south, and I actually didn't know that the Huashan Sect had changed its head."

"I haven't paid a visit to pay my respects, how rude of me, how rude. Hahaha—"

The Hengshan Sect hadn't participated much in the schemes to suppress the Huashan Sect, focusing instead on consolidating its own territory, and was considered neutral among the Five Mountains Sword Sects, so it was most appropriate for him to speak.

Li Miao put down his teacup, cupped his hands, and said calmly: "Sect Leader Deng, I have long heard of your name. Everyone, greetings."

"The Huashan Sect is still headed by Sect Leader Liu; I am just here as a guest."

Even though Deng Baixuan had been walking in the Jianghu for a long time, he didn't know how to respond at this moment.

Oh, you are sitting as a guest, the Huashan Sect leader is standing, and the direct disciple is serving you tea. And there is a veteran of the sect standing behind you.

Should we, the sect leaders, also stand and talk to you?

"May I ask—" Deng Baixuan asked.

"Oh."

Li Miao smiled, as if he had just remembered this: "I haven't announced my name to everyone yet."

"I am Li Miao, an Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion Commander."

"What!?" "Embroidered Uniform Guard!?" "Who!?"

As soon as Li Miao said this, there was a commotion in the room, and everyone looked sideways. A few people even had their legs trembling, wanting to leave first; they must have had friends or family who had fallen into the hands of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The room was in chaos at first, then gradually quieted down.

No one dared to speak easily again.

After a long while, the Songshan Sect leader, Zhou Yingxue, asked Liu Baiyun: "Sect Leader Liu... according to Jianghu rules, does the Huashan Sect not intend to acknowledge them anymore?"

Jianghu sects rarely had anything good happen when they met the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Li Miao was brought by the Huashan Sect, so naturally, she had to ask Liu Baiyun for an explanation.

Liu Baiyun had already made up her mind to defect to the imperial court, so naturally, she would not be two-faced, and she replied calmly at this moment.

"Under the whole heaven, is there any land that is not the king's; within the borders of the land, is there any person who is not the king's subject."

"My lord is here as a guest... whose rules could he possibly break?"

(End of chapter)