Manager Li was getting up in years, and as he knelt on the ground, he was trembling all over. Yet Li Feiyu showed no mercy.
"You've heard my nickname as a bandit. If even a single word you tell me is false, and I find out about it later, I'll wipe out your entire family!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Although we share the same clan, we were never very close. This apothecary was inherited from your ancestors. Back then, your father went missing away from home, and your mother passed away from a severe illness not long after giving birth to you. Thus, the apothecary fell into the hands of my branch..."
At this point, Manager Li looked up and collided with Li Feiyu's fierce gaze.
"No, no, no! It was merely managed on your behalf by my branch. Later, through some connections I pulled, the apothecary was officially registered under my name. We all thought of you as a burden and worried you'd cause trouble when you grew up, so we simply ignored you. After a while, as the fighting between your sect and the Wild Wolf Gang intensified, a huge quantity of medicinal herbs was needed. Hall Master He of the former Jubao Hall—who is now the Vice Master He—proposed buying back Huichun Hall. Thinking the price was fair, I agreed, though I remained the manager. All these years, we all assumed you had died out there... Until a couple of years ago, when Miss Zhang came here asking about this and that, giving me a vague feeling that you might still be alive. The moment you stepped through the door just now, I recognized you. You look so much like your father..."
The two of them walked out of Huichun Hall and onto the main street of Panlong Town.
"Your mother indeed died from postpartum complications; I've checked with the physicians. As for your father's death, there is still no clue to this day. I even questioned the enforcers who handled the purchase of the apothecary back then, but found no leads. The only one left to ask directly is Vice Master He, but he didn't take over until half a year after your father died. Here is the list of people I've contacted; you can investigate them yourself."
Li Feiyu took the list and stowed it away, thinking to herself that this girl had started doing all this at the age of twelve—she truly had her heart in it. No wonder in the original story, Li Feiyu could never let go of her.
Zhang Xiuer waited for a long time, then pouted her lips with a wronged expression. "Senior Brother Li, not even a single 'thank you'? If no thanks, at least say I've worked hard! Look how much I care about you!"
Li Feiyu gave a dry cough. Was this young girl really in such a rush for early romance?Li Feiyu casually bought a crimson cotton candy from a street vendor and handed it to the cheering little girl.
"Ahem, trying to be the first person to pull the tiger's tail? It's not that easy! Miss Zhang, you still need to work harder!"
Zhang Xiuer nibbled on the cotton candy. Her mouth was sweet, but she still felt a bit depressed inside. Li Feiyu neither accepted nor rejected—could this guy still be stringing someone along?
"Boss, make a copy of this book for me!"
Seeing that Li Feiyu wanted to make a copy of the *Incomplete Basic Incantation Formulas*, Zhang Xiuer burst out laughing.
"Senior Brother Li, you don't actually want to become an immortal, do you? How can you believe in such nonsense?"
Li Feiyu said, "Eternal life and wandering hand in hand with heaven and earth—who wouldn't want that? The world is boundless, and there are heavens beyond our own. Don't you want to see more of it?"
Zhang Xiuer furrowed her brow for a long time. Li Feiyu thought she was pondering his words.
To his surprise, she opened her mouth and asked, "Why make a copy? Who are you planning to give it to?"
Li Feiyu said to the boss, "Boss, print one more!"
He tossed the newly printed copy to Zhang Xiuer and then said, "That book is too worn out to be thumbed through anymore, so I'm printing two now. One for you and one for myself. Satisfied now?"
Zhang Xiuer took the racy little book, her face beaming with joy.
Li Feiyu thought to himself, I suppose Xiao Li will just have to make do with reading the battered old book.
……
Qixuan Sect Main Hall.
Despite achieving an unprecedented and resounding victory, the atmosphere in the main hall was heavy.
"Li Feiyu, you claim that Duoduo is a spy—what evidence do you have? Does my grandson, Qian Yifan, have any reason to act as a spy?"
Inside the main hall of the Qixuan Sect, Elder Qian Yifan angrily rebuked.
Li Feiyu replied calmly, "A few days ago, I happened to overhear Jiao Long and the kitchen steward conspiring about this in the mountains. I secretly reported it to the Sect Master, who initially wanted to apprehend them immediately. I suggested that the Sect Master play along and feign ignorance for the time being, and then swoop in like the mantis stalking the cicada to wipe out a detachment of Wild Wolf Gang elites!"
Qian Yifan immediately raged, "If the spies were those two, what does that have to do with Duoduo? You killed him just like that!"Li Feiyu said, "Three days before the trial, you first drafted the list of trial locations and participants, and then the Sect Master made the final decision. I had been keeping an eye on Jiao Long and the head steward of the kitchen. When they held a secret meeting, I notified the Sect Master. The Sect Master and I heard with our own ears that after the two finished discussing, Jiao Long went to find Qian Duoduo. Taking advantage of your inattention, Qian Duoduo sneaked a peek at the trial locations, and saw that the group led by Zhang Xiuer, Guo Laoshi, and Wu Yan was going to Qinglong Town."
As soon as Li Feiyu said this, the expressions of Elder Li, Elder Guo, and Vice Sect Master Ma changed instantly.
Qian Yifan burst out cursing, "Li Feiyu, you're talking nonsense! Duoduo has no reason to do such a thing at all!"
Li Feiyu continued, "After that, Qian Duoduo handed the name list over to Jiao Long, and Jiao Long passed the news out through a steward who frequently went outside. Moreover, he specifically told the Wild Wolf Gang that Qian Duoduo was one of their own. As for why Qian Duoduo helped Jiao Long, it was in exchange for Jiao Long doing one thing for him—and that was to kill me during the Sect Grand Tournament!"
Qian Yifan could no longer sit still. "You little bastard, spouting utter nonsense! What evidence do you have?"
Li Feiyu said, "Before the trial, Jiao Long and the steward had a secret meeting, which the Sect Master and I both heard. On the day of the trial, that Hu Bao specifically found an excuse to single out Qian Duoduo, and dozens of people saw it. As for Jiao Long wanting to kill me at the Grand Tournament, there were more than a thousand people witnessing it with their own eyes! Everyone present knows very well that Qian Duoduo has been going out of his way to make things difficult for me, Li Feiyu!"
In the main hall, Qian Yifan's expression was extremely ugly, and Wang Juechu's attitude could easily be guessed. The relationship between the Sect Master and the First Elder was already delicate; even if Li Feiyu's words were completely made up, Wang Juechu would still choose to believe them. According to Li Feiyu's account, the Sect Master was brilliant, having personally planned and executed this major victory, which would only enhance his prestige. Qian Duoduo would take the blame, and Elder Qian's leaking of the name list proved him either incompetent or derelict in his duties. Therefore, what the actual facts were no longer mattered.
He even felt that the scenario Li Feiyu described was entirely possible. Of course, the reality was actually that Jiao Long had stolen the name list himself, which had nothing to do with Qian Duoduo at all. Meanwhile, Qian Duoduo had merely hired Jiao Long to assassinate Li Feiyu. These were two villains acting on separate lines, and Li Feiyu had simply swept them up into one neat package.
Sure enough, Wang Juechu sighed and said, "Elder Qian, originally I intended to suppress this matter regarding Duoduo, and just claim that the spies were simply Jiao Long and that steward. But Li Feiyu is young and hot-blooded. He probably saw Qian Duoduo playing both sides right there at the scene, and in his boiling anger, he struck out..."
Li Feiyu sneered inwardly. This old fox truly took all the credit for himself while leaving everyone else to take the blame. Thick-skinned and dark-hearted, a master strategist—his methods were truly filthy!
Qian Yifan's face alternated between red and white, yet he could not find a single flaw to pick.
Wang Juechu continued, "This time, the Qixuan Sect achieved a major victory, wiping out nearly three hundred core enforcement warriors of the Wild Wolf Gang! Moreover, Protector Li Feiyu killed a Purple-Robed Flag Master, lopping off one of Jia Tianlong's arms! For this matter, Protector Li Feiyu has rendered monumental service. I propose making an exception and appointing Li Feiyu as the Deputy Hall Master of Qijue Hall!"
With this move, Wang Juechu played the good guy while pushing an unrooted, backgroundless young man straight onto the fire to roast, drawing all the hostility.
Li Feiyu did not care about any of this. He only wanted the title of Deputy Hall Master, bringing him one step closer to the Sect Master, and it would definitely yield Fortune rewards!
Although Qian Yifan had been prepared for this, he was still extremely unwilling. "Sect Master, to be promoted directly from a core disciple to a deputy hall master in just a few short days—and the deputy hall master of Qijue Hall at that—isn't this moving a bit too hastily? If the Sect Master has made up his mind, perhaps he could first gain experience in the Outer Sect..."
At this moment, Elder Li Changfeng spoke up, "Li Feiyu killed Hu Bao in six moves, and his strength is already on par with several inner sect hall masters. In investigating the sect's internal spies and assisting the Sect Master in executing this brilliant strategy of crossing the sea under camouflage and trapping the dog in the courtyard, he can be described as both resourceful and courageous."
Vice Sect Master Wu Guo said, "It is true there is no such precedent, but his merits and strength are both unquestionable. I, old Wu, have nothing to say!"
The sect masters and elders muttered among themselves for another half hour, and in the end, the decision was finalized just like that.
[Destiny's Fortune! Become the (Deputy) Hall Master of the Qixuan Sect, Fortune +100 (Total: 243 points)]