Chapter 50: Baishan

Early the next morning, the Huashan Sect group set off toward the Taishan Sect.

Liu Baiyun had already told her disciples last night about the Huashan Sect defecting to the Imperial Court. Although some disciples had objections, Liu Baiyun had led the Huashan Sect for twenty years and had extremely high prestige. Mei Qinghe was one of the only two first-class experts in the sect and was the recognized next-generation Sect Leader.

The Huashan Sect was already precarious, 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 Imperial Court, they couldn't say anything.

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

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

"With you showing up so openly with us, won't it force him into a frenzy and make him attack you directly? If the Taishan Sect people all come up at once, I'm afraid it will delay your plan..."

Mei Qinghe had now switched her cultivation technique, and the temperament affected by the Plum Blossom Thief technique had recovered somewhat. Having talked things out with Liu Baiyun and being completely convinced by Li Miao, she had already begun to think proactively about Li Miao's affairs.

It was just that she was still a bit stubborn.

Li Miao didn't mind; experience was honed by doing things, and doing more things would eventually lead to enlightenment.

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

"His fight with me can't be hidden, but he definitely doesn't want others to know about his heavy injuries."

"If he wasn't injured, he would have no reason to attack me; just attacking an Imperial Guard Battalion Commander because he lost a sparring match wouldn't convince the masses."

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

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

"First, break up the Five Mountains Sword Sects; those who can be won over, win over, and those who can't... kill!"

"Second, kill Zuo Lishan and the Taishan Sect to shock the Jianghu. Witchcraft and the Ming Sect—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'm afraid they would just slaughter them all."

"Third, the Ming Sect."

Li Miao smiled. "Zuo Lishan is probably unwilling to be under the Ming Sect, which is why he never dared to use that technique and the witchcraft. Even now, I estimate he still hasn't communicated with the Ming Sect. The Ming Sect is powerful; he is thinking of colluding with the Ming Sect through cooperation after integrating the Five Mountains Sword Sects."

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

"This is the opportunity to lure the Ming Sect people over."

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

The group traveled all the 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 the gate to welcome guests. They recognized Liu Baiyun from afar and hurriedly stepped forward to greet her.

Although it was a consensus that the Taishan Sect suppressed the Huashan Sect, surface-level politeness cost nothing. That disciple was sensible and said enthusiastically:

"Sect Leader Liu, long time no see! You've arrived a bit late this time; the Sect Leaders of 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.

When Gao Ling shouted those few sentences while fleeing down the mountain yesterday, someone had heard them, and they had recognized Gao Ling's voice.

An Elder accusing the Sect Leader of practicing demonic arts and harming fellow disciples was no small matter. It was just because of Zuo Lishan's prestige, and the fact that it was the time of the Five Mountains Alliance meeting, that no one had brought the matter to the table yet.

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 wild thoughts and didn't know what to do.

Liu Baiyun took the initiative to step forward: "We rested for a night 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 main hall of the Taishan Sect.

The group arrived at the main hall and stepped inside, seeing that there were already many people inside.

Someone 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 Sect Leader of the Hengshan Sect, Deng Baixuan. Others sitting there included the Sect Leader of the Songshan Sect, Zhou Yingxue, and the Sect Leader of the Hengshan Sect, Zhang Jingfeng. And there were some miscellaneous second and third-rate sect leaders; they were all small fry, and Li Miao couldn't be bothered to know them.

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

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

"And Gao Ling... a veteran of the Taishan Sect, why is she following the Huashan Sect?"

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

"Hmm."

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

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

This whole self-absorbed process left everyone else stunned!

No one spoke in the room for a long time.

Finally, it was the Hengshan Sect Leader, Deng Baixuan, who spoke, smiling at Li Miao: "You are a new face; are you the new Sect Leader of the Huashan Sect?"

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

"I haven't come to pay my respects; it was rude of me, rude of me. Hahaha—"

The Hengshan Sect hadn't participated much in the plot to suppress the Huashan Sect, focusing on consolidating its own territory, and could be 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 indifferently: "Sect Leader Deng, I've long heard of your name. Everyone, greetings."

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

Even though Deng Baixuan had walked 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.

Then wouldn't it be more appropriate for us Sect Leaders to stand and talk to you?

"May I ask your name—" Deng Baixuan asked.

"Oh."

Li Miao smiled, as if he had just remembered this.

"I haven't told everyone my name yet."

"I am an Imperial Guard Battalion Commander, Li Miao."

"What!?" "Imperial Guard!?" "Who!?"

As soon as Li Miao said this, there was a commotion in the room, and everyone looked sideways. Several people were trembling, wanting to leave first; they must have had friends or relatives who had fallen into the hands of the Imperial Guard.

The room was in chaos for a moment, 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... Jianghu rules, does the Huashan Sect not intend to recognize them anymore?"

Jianghu sects meeting the Imperial Guard was usually nothing good. 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 wouldn't be two-faced, and she answered indifferently at this moment.

"Under the vast heaven, is there any land that is not the Emperor's; to the shores of the land, is there any person who is not the Emperor's subject."

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