My Demonic Cult's Holy Maiden

As for why the letter was delivered to Qingyun Academy, Qi Yu was not surprised at all.

It's normal for major powers to plant spies in each other's camps, and Qingyun Academy is no exception.

His whereabouts were probably exposed on the very first day he entered Mohai City.

The reason they didn't take action against him was simply because they lacked a suitable reason and to give Qingyun Academy some face.

They didn't want to antagonize Confucianism at this critical juncture, after all, even a weakened Confucianism is still formidable and has a deep-rooted foundation.

“Senior, in that case, I’ll go back first and discuss it with my wife,” Qi Yu said.

Yang Xun shook his head and said, "Young friend, there's no time. The banquet starts the day after tomorrow. It's more than 40,000 li from here to Jiangzhou City. You won't arrive until tomorrow at the earliest, and even if you travel overnight, it will be past midnight."

"From Jiangzhou City to Mangshan, it is 130,000 li, and you cannot get there in less than two days and one night."

Qi Yu was speechless. Indeed!

Even if we go to Jiangzhou City, it doesn't seem to make any sense!

Does that mean I have no choice but to go to Mangshan first?

Su Yue must know about this too. If I go back, she definitely won't let me take any more risks.

Therefore, my best choice is to go to Mangshan first.

This brother-in-law is really a handful!

"Then, senior, I will head to Mangshan first and take my leave!" Qi Yu bowed to Yang Xun.

Yang Xun nodded, then, as if remembering something, smiled and said, "Young friend, if you go to Mangshan, take Zhou Zixun with you! Lin Yuchen has invited the most promising young talents from various forces, and Zixun is among them."

"If you're together, you can keep each other company!"

Zhou Zixun?

After pondering for a moment, Qi Yu nodded and did not refuse.

From Mohai City to Mangshan, where Ziqi Pavilion is located, it takes 60,000 li to travel southwest.

Bringing Zhou Zixun along wasn't a problem; he did have some goodwill towards this Confucian scholar.

After all, what he writes is really quite interesting.

……

That afternoon, Qingyun Academy lent Qi Yu a carriage left behind by a sage as a means of transportation.

It was that flying carriage; that's the one I rode in when I came.

Traveling thousands of miles a day is not a problem; if we hurry, we can reach Mangshan by tomorrow afternoon.

Accompanying him were Zhou Zixun and an acquaintance.

And it was indeed an acquaintance!

Zhuang Zhihuan!

To Qi Yu's surprise, Zhuang Zhihuan had already reached the first rank.

And he was also Yang Xun's disciple!

There was an unpleasant past between Song Yuntao and Zhuang Zhihuan.

Looking at him, Qi Yu couldn't help but think of Song Yuntao.

Zhuang Zhihuan, on the other hand, was very respectful and gentle towards Qi Yu, and did not harbor any resentment because of what had happened before.

He was only ordered to bring Song Yuntao back. Qi Yu's obstruction was something he couldn't do anything about, and he did indeed show mercy when they first met.

Otherwise, with his strength, he could have easily defeated Qi Yu at that time.

Among the younger generation of Confucian scholars, he and Zhou Zixun were the most outstanding.

Zhou Zixun is a student of the vice dean, while Yang Xun is a student of him. If nothing unexpected happens, he will succeed Yang Xun as the dean of Qingyun Academy.

He was also the only Confucian scholar who, after reading the extraordinary technique of "words become law," managed to develop some alternative uses for it through his own comprehension.

The true power of “words becoming law” requires a grandmaster to perform, but he was only a second-rank master at the time. Yet, when he said “stop” to Qi Yu, Qi Yu actually stopped.

Inside the carriage, Qi Yu and Zhuang Zhihuan sat facing each other, with Zhuang Zhihuan preparing tea.

"Wen Zun, please have some tea!" Zhuang Zhihuan filled the cup in front of Qi Yu with tea.

You can't hit someone who's smiling. Although I don't have a good impression of Zhuang Zhihuan, he doesn't seem to have done anything wrong.

He was just a bit rigid and got fooled by Song Yuntao.

Qi Yu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked, "Where is Song Yuntao? Didn't you say you would send his body back to the Great Yun Dynasty no matter what?"

Mentioning this, Zhuang Zhihuan's expression became slightly awkward, and he said with a wry smile, "After confirming that Brother Song was not the person we were looking for, I originally wanted to send Brother Song back so that he could return to his roots and be laid to rest in peace."

"But the day before our departure, Brother Song's body was stolen by evil spirits of the demonic cult, and its whereabouts remain unknown to this day!"

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Chapter 230 Purple Qi Pavilion

Qi Yu was speechless and puzzled when he heard that Song Yuntao's body had been stolen.

Song Yuntao is a despicable person; who would steal his corpse? And what use would it be?

Su Yue?

Su Yue had a motive, but if it were her, she would have told me.

Then, without thinking, Qi Yu thought of the Confucian characteristics of talent.

This talent is profound and enduring, and will not disappear immediately even after a person dies.

A body tempered by talent is undoubtedly excellent material for corpse refining.

So, Song Yuntao was taken by the person who stole the corpse to refine it?

It seems like it really is possible!

Does that mean I might see 'Song Yuntao' again in the future?

……

The next afternoon, Qi Yu arrived at the territory of the Purple Qi Pavilion.

As soon as we entered, Ziqi Pavilion sent people to meet us.

Mangshan, the location of the Ziqi Pavilion's sect, has seventeen peaks that rise high into the clouds, truly resembling a sacred immortal land.

Without guidance, ordinary people can easily get lost.

All those invited this time are upright and talented young people.

The Purple Qi Pavilion had arranged for disciples to come and meet them well in advance. They were already waiting on the only road ahead of them before they even arrived.

This shows that their every move is under the control of the Purple Qi Pavilion.

Qi Yu was not surprised by this; it was common practice for these righteous people to plant spies among themselves.

At the foot of Mang Mountain, horse-drawn carriages are no longer an option; one must proceed on foot.

After Qi Yu, Zhou Zixun, and Zhuang Zhihuan got out of the car, they handed over the invitations, which the disciples of Ziqi Pavilion carefully examined.

When Zhuang Zhihuan and Zhou Zixun received their invitations, there was no reaction. After checking them, he respectfully returned them to them.

However, when the two disciples of Ziqi Pavilion saw Qi Yu's invitation, their expressions changed drastically. After glancing at Qi Yu, they hurriedly returned the invitation to him with both hands, not daring to look at it any longer.

Although it is rumored that Qi Yu has destroyed his dantian and is now a cripple, he is just an ordinary disciple. Even if Qi Yu is crippled, he is not someone he can afford to offend.

After Qi Yu, Zhou Zixun, and Zhuang Zhihuan were led inside by a disciple, another disciple from the Purple Qi Pavilion hurriedly opened a cage next to them, grabbed a pigeon from inside, tied a piece of paper to its leg, and threw the pigeon into the air.

Watching the pigeons fly away, the disciple turned to look at the figure on the mountain path.

If the rumors are true, and Qi Yu really did marry the Holy Maiden of the Blood God Sect, then he probably won't be able to leave Mangshan today.

The Holy Maiden of the Blood God Cult was a major threat to all of them, but they couldn't defeat her in a fight. The only option they could use was to blackmail her family in order to create a glimmer of hope.

The reason Su Yun was captured was precisely for this reason, but we didn't expect Qi Yu to actually dare to come.

……

Qi Yu and his two companions followed the disciples of Ziqi Pavilion up the stone path to Mangshan Mountain. The scenery along the way was quite beautiful, with green mountains and clear waters, shady trees, and a pleasant temperature.

The higher you go, the thicker the fog becomes, as if you're walking in the clouds.

Mangshan has seventeen peaks, and each peak has a grand hall or pavilion, which are magnificent and look very grand.

The mountain peak he didn't climb was just the mountain gate. After reaching the top, a huge rock, more than ten meters high, stood there. The three characters "Ziqi Pavilion" were carved on the rock, the characters were vigorous and powerful, with strokes like dragons and snakes, very grand and magnificent.

Once you cross the large rock, you've entered the gate of the Purple Qi Pavilion.

Behind the stone tablet is a cliff. Looking down from the edge of the cliff, you can only see thick clouds and not the ground at all.

And in the clouds, mountain peaks stand tall, exactly seventeen in total.

These peaks are all connected by an iron chain as thick as an arm, and on the chain are platforms that resemble carriages.

This looks exactly like an aerial cable car!

The iron chain extends from the Stone Wall Sect, transmitting power through gears and a power unit, which should be located within the mountain peak.

Looking at the device, Qi Yu felt a sense of familiarity; it had a strong Mohist style.

When the Mohist school declined, many forces rushed in and divided up its technology and techniques.

If I'm not mistaken, this should be the part of the technology that was divided up from the Mohist school!

"The three of you, please!"

The disciple from the Purple Qi Pavilion who was leading the way pointed to the cable car parked in front of them, raised his palm and gestured for it to proceed.

Qi Yu and the other two didn't think much of it and boarded the cable car.

As the iron chains turned, the cable car slowly began to move, heading towards a mountain peak below the Ziqi Pavilion.

As Qi Yu looked at the large rock that was getting further and further away, he couldn't help but marvel at the profound heritage of the Purple Qi Pavilion!

This method of connecting mountain peaks with only iron chains and cable cars, while inconvenient, provides excellent protection.

If someone attacks the Purple Qi Pavilion, it will be very difficult to take it down in one fell swoop.