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Chapter 71 Stone Platform Remains
Nine Peaks City has recovered from its deathly silence.

People started coming and going on the road, shops reopened for business, and people began working in the fields on the outskirts of the city.

However, this siege still had an indelible impact on the area.

"Many people left, fearing the army would come again. I advised them that without travel permits, they could easily be treated as refugees and driven away or imprisoned even if they went to other cities, but it had little effect."

Liu Zhiyuan sat opposite Liu Shuyue, talking about the situation in the city while observing the subtle changes in the immortal master's expression with complicated thoughts.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find any information about it.

Now even Liu Zhiyuan is becoming somewhat uncertain.

He still wanted to treat her as his daughter, but his body couldn't, especially after witnessing her gather thousands of followers and swiftly destroy the army that came to besiege them. That kind of awe in the face of unimaginable power had taken root in his heart. Before meeting Liu Shuyue, his greatest expectation was that she could lead the entire Liu family to escape with their lives.

"Let those who can't be kept go," Liu Shuyue said calmly. "In the meantime, focus on getting the grain distribution and statistics done well, so as not to delay the autumn harvest. Don't rely solely on the Liu family for the government office, to avoid mutual protection. Letting in some outsiders will actually allow them to stay in their positions longer."

"I understand that, don't worry." Liu Zhiyuan nodded in agreement.

The government offices had long since fled, and the army's siege had been lifted. Jiufeng City was now completely under the control of the Immortal Master. Liu Shuyue handed over the management to the Liu family and rebuilt the government departments from the ground up.

This administrative system has a clearer division of responsibilities and powers, and is more efficient in operation.

Liu Zhiyuan could only sigh inwardly, realizing that the immortals' methods were indeed superior to those of the mortal world in every aspect.

"What are your plans next?" He hesitated for a moment before asking the question that mattered most to him. "King Qi will definitely not let this go."

He also had the Imperial Guard, the armies of five other states, and the national treasury, which contained the resources of the entire country; all of these could be considered potential for war.

Having reached this point—even if it wasn't a situation actively pushed by the Liu family—the Liu family had long since run out of choices. From any perspective, their actions constituted rebellion; they faced either the extermination of their entire clan or a full-scale revolt. But without Liu Shuyue's support, he would never have dared to raise the banner of rebellion alone.

Liu Shuyue did not answer immediately.

In fact, she had been pondering a question these past few days: since the King of Qi was no different from a demon, it was only natural to slay him. But what would happen after the King of Qi was overthrown? If a huge power vacuum appeared in the central government, it would inevitably cause chaos in various places, and someone would have to take his place.

The most suitable person for this position is someone with extensive knowledge of both ancient and modern times.

The mission entrusted to the disciples of the Lotus Cloud Sect is to assist the nation. Does that mean the disciples themselves are the nation? This is probably a serious violation of the sect's wishes.

Liu Shuyue wasn't worried about her own future; what she feared was that the achievements she had painstakingly protected would ultimately be rejected by the Lianyun Sect. That would plunge the world into chaos once more, and the people of all the states would suffer greatly.

Therefore, the most crucial factor in this matter lies in the sect's perspective.

Unfortunately, she had no way to return to the summit of Kunlun, nor could she get answers from her master or other seniors.

Unless... that pillar of smoke was truly left behind by the previous disciple.

After pondering for a moment, Liu Shuyue said, "Don't worry, I will stay here for a while to see what other tricks the Prince of Qi has up his sleeve. When the time is right, even if he hides in the royal city, he will not escape being held accountable."

Hearing her say that, Liu Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Relieved, he was even slightly excited—once Liu Shuyue conquered the royal city, wouldn't she...wouldn't she be able to declare herself king? Although the idea of ​​the Grand Master of the State becoming the ruler of a country was somewhat...illegitimate, what did such criticism matter in the face of true power!
Liu Shuyue is a queen, so the Liu family is the royal family, true royalty! The thought that he could live to see this day made Liu Zhiyuan feel that all the suffering he had endured these past few days was worthwhile!
"Shuyue, please take Qing'er and You'er with you. As for the other talented people in the family, if you take a liking to them, call them all as well. They are willing to go through fire and water for you."

She nodded. "If the head of the family is willing. Also, I will be in seclusion for the next few days, and a seal will be placed on my door so that no one else can get close."

“No problem,” Liu Zhiyuan replied immediately. “I’ll go and instruct my men right away.”

King Qi certainly wouldn't be able to recover in a short time, so Liu Shuyue planned to take this opportunity to investigate where the spirit of the smoke had drifted. Why would someone keep sending their portrait to the Liu family from there?
Is the growth and expansion of the Liu family really related to the previous disciple?

Who ended up with the child that Liu Zhiyuan had taken away?
Since this clue might involve the sect, she had to find out the details.

After setting up the seal, Liu Shuyue used an invisibility talisman to disappear from sight, then took out a wind-riding talisman and flew directly out of the Liu family.

The Wind Riding Talisman lasts for a very short time, only about half a minute per talisman. Fortunately, the village has collected tens of thousands of dragon scales. As long as there is enough spiritual energy, she can freely use this high-level talisman to cross those difficult and rugged terrains.

The scenery beneath her feet constantly changed, gradually transitioning from towns and countryside to vast forests. In about three hours, she crossed the border of Yunzhou, flying and running, and entered a mountainous region never before explored by anyone. This place was different from the desolate wilderness; it was sparsely populated by humans and demons, and the numerous, fragmented mountain ranges made it extremely difficult for people to traverse on foot.

It took her about a day and a half to finally reach the area connected to the Smoke Soul.

Liu Shuyue landed on a steep rock face, looking down at the old mountain.

To be honest, she didn't like this kind of place; it was secluded, gloomy, and utterly devoid of any spiritual energy. The mountains were all quite low, resembling rows of crisscrossing canine teeth; dense vines covered the forests, as if no one had disturbed them for thousands of years.

Not to mention the Lotus Cloud Sect, which is shrouded in clouds and snow all year round, even the Great Wilderness of Ten Thousand Mountains cannot compare to this place.

Would disciples trained by the Lianyun Sect really choose to live in seclusion in such an "ugly" place?

Liu Shuyue performed another divination by forming hand seals, and finally determined that her destination was a valley surrounded by many small hills of rubble.

Descending into the valley, she easily found a suspicious cave.

It's suspicious because there are several scattered animal bones at the entrance of the cave, with faint semi-circular tooth marks on them, clearly left by humans.

Ordinary hunters and herbalists can't get to this place!
Liu Shuyue maximized the perception ability of the Heavenly Cloud Skill, then stuck a Night-Shining Talisman on her head and slowly walked into the cave.

She hadn't walked more than a few steps when she realized she hadn't gone to the wrong place.

Inside the cave is a steep downward rock slope, but steps have been carved out along the slope, suggesting that people frequently come and go from here.

The cave space actually expanded as she descended, and when she reached the end of the steep slope, an extremely spacious underground cavern appeared before Liu Shuyue. Thin beams of light shone down from the high dome, suggesting a skylight structure; if one listened carefully, the sound of a babbling brook could be heard. Thanks to the connection between the inside and outside, the air inside the cave wasn't bad, although there was a lingering musty smell.

She suddenly noticed that there seemed to be something placed where the light was shining.

As Liu Shuyue slowly approached, she finally saw clearly that it was a mummified corpse that had been sitting upright!
Beneath him is a stone sculpture that resembles a lotus pedestal.

Who could this person be?
Liu Shuyue carefully examined the mummified corpse—according to the Liu family genealogy, their ancestor Liu Zhidong died of illness, but there was only a cenotaph in Jiufeng City. Because he was a celestial master, he should have been buried in the royal family after his death, according to royal rites, in the forbidden area of ​​the royal city.

In theory, such a grand funeral should have been recorded in the biographies of various states, but in fact, she could not find any relevant information at all.

Could he be Liu Zhidong?
The mummified body's skin was remarkably uniform, showing no signs of decay or decomposition. Considering the damp and dark environment of the cave, an ordinary person certainly couldn't remain intact after death, so this person was most likely a cultivator. There were also no signs of acute illness on his body, suggesting he wasn't seriously ill in life.

Liu Shuyue also noticed that there was a jade plaque with many small characters engraved on it in front of the mummy's legs as it sat cross-legged.

"This is……"

Liu Shuyue's heart skipped a beat! She had seen this style of jade pendant before in the sect.

"Sorry for bothering you."

She first clasped her hands in a respectful bow to the mummified corpse, then walked over to pick up the jade tablet to examine it further.

The moment her fingers touched the jade pendant, the mummified corpse suddenly stretched out a hand and tightly gripped her wrist!
(End of this chapter)