Chapter 444: Old News (2)
Chapter 444: Chapter 391: Old News (2)
Li Weikun’s eyes narrowed slightly at his words, and he fell silent.
He neither admitted nor denied it.
Chen Li had his reasons for asking.
Years ago, when Li Weikun was trapped in Hidden Emperor Castle, Chen Li had gone to his rescue. During that time, he encountered seven former disciples of the Kao Mountain Sect who had since joined the Celestial Sword Sect.
They had adamantly accused Li Weikun of defecting to the Su Family and betraying their sect, claiming he was the traitor responsible for the Kao Mountain Sect’s destruction.
Even at the time, Chen Li had found it suspicious.
By all logic, the Li Weikun of that era probably hadn’t even reached the Qi Realm. In a sect like the Kao Mountain Sect—a power that was at least a top-tier second-rate force—his status couldn’t have been high.
‘Even if an ordinary disciple wanted to betray his sect, how many core secrets vital to its survival could he possibly know?’
‘The so-called intelligence he possessed could surely be uncovered by any determined party willing to spend a little money and effort to snoop around.’
‘The Su Family is a Martial Dao Family with a long lineage; they must have had a Grandmaster in their ranks. The fact that even they found the situation so difficult that they had to call on the Seven Kills Ancestor for help proved that the Kao Mountain Sect was extraordinarily powerful back then.’
‘How could the downfall of such a behemoth be blamed entirely on an ordinary disciple who hadn’t even reached the Qi Realm?’
What made Chen Li even more suspicious was the attitude of those seven from the Celestial Sword Sect.
The moment they heard the rumors spread by the Su Family, they believed them without question. They were adamant that Li Weikun had betrayed the sect. Even after Li Weikun’s vehement denials, they still considered him a traitor, determined to eliminate him at all costs.
This almost fanatical certainty couldn’t have stemmed solely from the Su Family’s side of the story.
The only explanation was that Li Weikun’s identity within the Kao Mountain Sect was far from being as simple as it seemed.
Although Chen Li had his suspicions, Li Weikun had been unwilling to talk, and Chen Li hadn’t intended to press the matter before.
But now, with the incident of the Kao Mountain Wall stirring up trouble again—trouble that could drag them into an even larger vortex—Chen Li felt he had to ask.
Faced with Chen Li’s question, Li Weikun remained silent for a long time.
In the end, he didn’t answer Chen Li’s question. “The affairs of the Kao Mountain Sect involve Kyoto. It’s better for you not to know, my in-law.”
Kyoto?
A flash of surprise crossed Chen Li’s eyes.
‘I never thought the old affairs of a sect tucked away in Jiangzhou could actually be connected to Kyoto.’
But he wasn’t going to give up. He said immediately, “To be frank, my family is already caught in this vortex. The fallout is bound to be significant. At this point, even if I wanted to extricate myself, it’s no longer up to me. Now that I’m part of the game, knowing some of the inside story might offer a sliver of hope for survival. If I just stumble along in ignorance, I’m afraid I won’t even see disaster coming when it strikes.”
He spoke calmly, but Li Weikun naturally understood the meaning behind his words.
After a long moment, he finally raised his head and said in a heavy voice, “Just tell me what you want to know, my in-law.”
Chen Li nodded. Wasting no time on pleasantries, he went straight to the core of the issue. “The Little World behind the Kao Mountain Wall—what are its origins?”
Li Weikun didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he asked a question of his own. “Have you ever heard of the Four Symbols?”
Chen Li’s gaze sharpened.
He hadn’t just heard of them; he was intimately familiar with the concept. The Sixteen-Character Plate Book contained extensive passages on the subject. He nodded and said, “I’ve heard a little.”
Li Weikun said, “Cyan Dragon to the left, White Tiger to the right, Vermilion Bird to the front, and Black Tortoise to the rear. The Black Tortoise… is Kao Mountain.”
He paused, his voice dropping low. “The Kao Mountain Ancestor had another identity back then. He was… from the Garrison Command’s Northern Palace Black Tortoise Seven Stars. He was the Star Monarch, Bi Shuiyu.”
“Bi Shuiyu?”
Even with Chen Li’s steady disposition, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes when he heard this.
A Star Monarch of the Garrison Command!
He was certainly no stranger to the title; he had a Star Monarch from the White Tiger Seven Stars, the Water-Participating Ape, locked away in his own secret dungeon.
But he had never imagined that the patriarch of the Kao Mountain Sect was also one of the Garrison Command’s Star Monarchs.
Immediately, an even greater question surfaced in his mind.
‘A Star Monarch of the Garrison Command, based on the Water-Participating Ape’s case, should be a Grandmaster of the Guiyuan Realm at the very least.’
‘The Seven Kills Ancestor, though powerful, should have been no match for the Kao Mountain Ancestor. How could he have been killed by him?’
‘And how did the Su Family dare to tweak the tiger’s whiskers?’
‘Was there another secret at play? Or was there something wrong with this Star Monarch Bi Shuiyu himself? Was he not as strong as he should have been? Or perhaps he was severely injured?’
While he was lost in thought, he heard Li Weikun continue, “As for that Little World, I’ve only heard bits and pieces. It seems to be related to something called a Profound Embryo. What that is exactly, I’m not too clear on myself.”
“A Profound Embryo?”
Chen Li frowned and pressed on, “If the Kao Mountain Ancestor was a Star Monarch of the Garrison Command, why wasn’t he serving in the Capital City? Why come all the way to a place like Jiangzhou to establish the Kao Mountain Sect? And another thing—the Su Family is just one of the Noble Families. How would they dare to scheme against a Star Monarch?”
Li Weikun shook his head, smiling bitterly. “The secrets involved are beyond my knowledge.”
He thought for a moment before adding, “However, the ancestor of the Su Family once served as an Imperial Physician in the Imperial Hospital. I heard he was only fifty years old at the time, still in his prime, when he suddenly resigned and returned home. It was quite strange. Perhaps it’s related, but that’s just speculation. There’s no way to verify it.”
Chen Li nodded, mentally noting the suspicious details. He then asked, “And the Celestial Sword Sect? What’s their story?”
Li Weikun shook his head. “As for the Celestial Sword Sect, I truly don’t know anything.”
Realizing this was likely all the information he would get from Li Weikun, Chen Li didn’t press further. He cupped his hands in a gesture of thanks. “Thank you for sharing this, my in-law.”
The information was incomplete, but it was enough to give him a much deeper understanding of the situation.
These waters were indeed far deeper than he had anticipated.
Li Weikun fell silent for a moment, seemingly hesitating over something.
After a long while, he seemed to make up his mind. “Speaking of that Little World… if you truly have a way to get inside, my in-law, I know of a certain opportunity I can tell you about. It’s just that so much time has passed, I have no idea if it’s already been claimed by someone else.”