Evergreen Immortal-Chapter 31: Turmoil

The summer sun blazed fiercely, and the chirping of sparrows could be heard from time to time.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Li Rui moved like an old ape, his blade like an extension of his arm. He wielded the thirty-seven-catty broadsword with such ferocity that not even a breath of air could pass through the flurry of strikes. The fierce gusts raised by his swings flattened the little grasses in the courtyard.

After half an hour.

He put away his blade and let out a long breath.

Just then, a knocking sound came from outside the door.

"Is Hall Master Li inside?"

Li Rui frowned slightly.

It was Zhao Wei’s voice.

"Why would Zhao Wei come looking for me at this time?"

Though puzzled, he still walked to the door. After all, Zhao Wei was his superior and could not be easily offended.

As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw Zhao Wei’s large face. Besides Zhao Wei, there were two others.

One of them, to Li Rui’s surprise, was someone he recognized: head constable Liu who had previously gone to the abandoned temple with Zhu Family’s young master, Zhu Yue, and four other disciples from the Splendid Purity Sect. The other was a middle-aged man adorned with a jade belt, exuding a rich and noble aura.

"Deputy Branch Master Zhao, what’s the matter?"

Sensing the ill intent of the visitors, Li Rui’s heart chilled.

The fact that these two could enter the Heaven-Earth Alliance residence and come straight to his door clearly meant Zhao Wei had arranged it.

Zhao Wei grinned: "Old Li, you should recognize Constable Liu. He has some questions for you."

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Head Constable Liu stepped forward: "Old Brother Li, long time no see."

He gazed at Li Rui, whose aura was deep and body agile, looking as though he had been reborn.

He was shocked inside.

At first, when he heard that the Zhu family’s old stableman had become a Hall Master in the Heaven-Earth Alliance, he hadn’t believed it. Only now, seeing Li Rui in person, did he believe it.

"Do you still remember the incident when we and four noble disciples of the Splendid Purity Sect besieged a traitor at the abandoned temple?"

Li Rui corrected him:

"Constable Liu, I was merely a stablehand. I didn’t participate in anything."

Head Constable Liu did not dwell on it and his gaze sharpened: "Old Brother Li, those who were involved in that matter have almost all died. Other than the four noble disciples who returned to the Splendid Purity Sect, there’s only me... and you."

Li Rui feigned panic: "Constable Liu, what exactly happened?"

Head Constable Liu stared intently at Li Rui, unwilling to miss even a trace of emotion on his face.

Then, he sighed softly.

"Old Brother Li, you may not know, but the vicious person we hunted that night was originally a disciple of the Splendid Purity Sect. He killed his fellow senior brother, stole a technique, and fled the sect. After multiple investigations, it was finally confirmed that the man was hiding in the city, trying to recover the lost secret technique of the Splendid Purity Sect, the White Ape Phi Blade."

Li Rui was surprised: "The technique was in the hands of the traitorous disciple. How did it get lost?"

Head Constable Liu shook his head: "I don’t know the details either."

"But now he’s utterly deranged, hell-bent on reclaiming the secret technique, and has even colluded with the demonic members of the Ghost Nether Sect. He’s very dangerous."

Li Rui’s eyes narrowed slightly: "Is Constable Liu suspecting that I took the secret technique?"

Suddenly, the middle-aged man who had been smiling quietly at the side took a sudden step forward.

Speaking with an exceptionally gentle tone, he said, "Old Brother Li, you took the White Ape Phi Blade, didn’t you?"

Li Rui suddenly felt his mind grow dazed, and the middle-aged man before him seemed like an old friend he hadn’t seen in years, someone to whom he wanted to confess everything.

But very soon, a refreshing coolness surged from his dantian up to his crown.

His mind cleared again.

Bewitching Art!

Li Rui’s heart tightened in alarm.

The Bewitching Art can cause people to fall into a trance without even realizing it, at best making them blurt out the truth, at worst making them slaves to others' will.

I’ve heard that the more notorious brothels in Anning Prefecture often use such techniques to drag noble ladies into ruin.

He pretended to sway in a daze.

"I don’t know what the White Ape Phi Blade is," he said.

Hearing Li Rui’s reply, the middle-aged man and Zhao Wei exchanged a glance, both seeing disappointment in each other's eyes.

In the next moment, Li Rui’s eyes brightened and his expression turned cold: "You..."

Just as he was about to erupt, Zhao Wei hurriedly said: "Old Li, this gentleman is Senior Master Kong Xianian of the Splendid Purity Sect, Mister Kong. He has come especially to apprehend the traitor and purge the demons of the Ghost Nether Sect."

Someone from the Splendid Purity Sect?

Li Rui’s heart trembled.

Even the Splendid Purity Sect people would stoop to using such despicable methods.

Kong Xianian smiled slightly, his expression as serene as a clear breeze and bright moon: "Old Brother Li, I just used the Splendid Purity Sect’s secret True Word Art. You are innocent."

He was extremely confident in his own methods.

It had never failed.

With this technique, he had gained countless opportunities and fortunes.

Unless it was a martial arts expert with an incomparably firm mind, there was absolutely no possibility of resisting it.

Li Rui’s expression gradually eased.

"If that’s the case, then that’s good."

Zhao Wei said a few more words of consolation, then left with the two men.

Watching the three figures disappear, Li Rui’s face turned cold.

"Well done, Zhao Wei."

If Zhao Wei hadn't brought people directly to his door, he wouldn’t have been forced into being caught by that Splendid Purity Sect member’s trick.

A supposedly orthodox sect actually using bottom-tier trickery like a street kidnapper.

It seemed not all members of the Splendid Purity Sect were righteous gentlemen.

Li Rui had lived many years.

He had long seen through the illusions of so-called great sects; the filth inside orthodox sects was no less than that of the demonic ones.

Had he not recently glimpsed the Profound Clear Energy, strengthening his spirit severalfold compared to before, he might indeed have fallen to Kong Xianian’s technique.

Blessings and misfortunes often come hand in hand.

His suspicion was temporarily cleared, giving him a few more days of peace.

But as for Zhao Wei who collaborated with outsiders to deal with him, did he really think he was a dog of the Splendid Purity Sect?

Elsewhere.

Inside a grand and luxurious mansion.

Zhao Wei and Kong Xianian were in a room, with the occasional sound of women’s laughter ringing out.

"Brother Kong, are you sure there’s no problem with that Old Li?"

On the surface, Li Rui was his subordinate, but he was actually recommended by Wu Tu. That meant Li Rui was never truly usable.

As for why the Branch Master had placed Li Rui under his command, it was simply to maintain a balance of power.

If Li Rui really had taken the secret technique, Zhao Wei would not only have made great merit, but also gotten rid of a spy placed by the Branch Master, a perfect outcome.

Kong Xianian nodded confidently: "He didn’t take it."

He was extremely confident in his technique.

"That’s a pity then."

Zhao Wei shook his head regretfully.

If the manual wasn't with Li Rui, then most likely it had been taken by those four Splendid Purity Sect disciples. Taking it back wouldn't be so easy.

The reason he was so proactive was that if they could retrieve the manual, Kong Xianian was willing to share it with him, keeping it secret between them.

Kong Xianian said, "Brother Zhao, for now we must put the matter of the manual aside. If we can capture the traitor, that too would be a great achievement."

Only then did Zhao Wei laugh heartily again, his whole body shaking and causing the woman sitting on his lap to bounce heavily in her chest.

"Brother Kong, with a high ranking master from the Splendid Purity Sect like you here, it’s merely a matter of lifting a finger!"

Kong Xianian narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.

His large hand roamed up and down.

Where in the Splendid Purity Sect could one enjoy such pleasures?