Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 598 - 540: Senior

"The Academic Palace has always been a place where miracles are created, and Li Ang has always been a man of miracles."

Lin Hongbo glanced at Qi Ji from the corner of his eye and slowed his speech as he addressed his long-time subordinate, "I know that you suffered a setback with Ghost Shovel and would love to slay it with your own hands, but the garrison’s investigations must focus on facts and evidence. If Li Ang can eliminate Ghost Shovel and sever a limb of Zhao Ming, benefiting Yu Country, then he is Yu Country’s hero. We can’t allow a hero to be both injured and wrongfully accused."

"I have never doubted Li Ang’s achievements, it’s just..."

Qi Ji said helplessly, "Commander, you also know that those who gaze into the abyss will be devoured by it. Throughout history, so many morally upright cultivators have fallen into the Demon Path after frequent encounters with demons. In our garrison’s prison, there are also many comrades-in-arms who have been infected by Aliens, turned into demons—they were once passionately patriotic and at the forefront of battles. The higher one’s position, the deeper one’s cultivation, the greater the harm to Yu Country once they fall into the Demon Path. We must be cautious."

Li Ang personally established the current sick house system in Yu Country, and all of Yu Country’s citizens are using the medicine he developed. If he were to be turned against us or assimilated by demons during the four days he was missing, and tamper with the medicine distributed to the entire Yu Country, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Lin Hongbo understood the implication in Qi Ji’s words and shook his head, saying, "The Mountain Master said there’s no problem."

"Sometimes, even the Mountain Master can be deceived," Qi Ji reminded. "The precedent of Jun Qianzi is there..."

No one had expected that Jun Qianzi, who had a boundless future and was very likely to take up the position of Master, would betray Yu Country. This also indirectly proved that the Mountain Master was not infallible; he too had times where he misjudged people.

"..."

Lin Hongbo fell into silent contemplation. The duty of the garrison was to defend Yu Country at all costs. But after all, that was the Mountain Master.

Lin Hongbo shook his head. "Let’s talk later. The current focus of the investigation is still Zhao Ming. Don’t spread your energies too thin."

"...Yes."

Qi Ji sighed inwardly and had no choice but to drop the matter.

After leaving the garrison, Cheng Juxiu realized that the Mountain Master wanted to speak with Li Ang alone and excused himself, saying he needed to go home and water his flowers.

"Qi Ji is not a bad person, and he has no ill intent towards you," the Mountain Master suddenly said as they walked through the bustling market. "It’s just that he has seen too many cultivators ruined by demons, so he’s a bit sensitive."

"I understand." Li Ang could understand. From the standpoint of the garrison, his own actions were indeed suspicious. The claim that he had nearly perished with Ghost Shovel and later climbed up from Li Yuan was too fantastical to easily win people’s trust.

"Hmm," the Mountain Master nodded. "Tell me, how did you manage to survive?"

So Li Ang began his account, keeping the general content the same but adding some more realistic details. For instance, he had used Mo Si’s ability of the arbitrary gate to instantly teleport out of Tongluo City. It was also with the combined strength of the Mo Si Clones that he overcame Ghost Shovel and plummeted with it to the bottom of Li Yuan Valley. In the end, it was by relying on the remaining enhancement function of Mo Si’s body that he managed to climb out and escape to safety. Of course, out of a desire to protect his ally, Li Ang also omitted the part about Lu Yunan and skipped the detail of his own blindness.

The Mountain Master sighed. "To have climbed out from the bottomless Li Yuan with only your body, you must be the first one in history to do so."

"Luckily, the suppression effect of Li Yuan hadn’t completely sealed Mo Si."

Li Ang managed a wry smile and hesitantly said, "During my ascent of Li Yuan, I saw a spider of unimaginable size, its mouthparts clasping an artificial sword."

"Sword-Bearing Spider?" The Mountain Master raised an eyebrow. "Has it ever spoken to you?"

"No, it hasn’t." Li Ang paused. "It can talk?"

Communicating with demons was quite rare; otherwise, Li Ang wouldn’t have been so surprised when he first encountered the Huai Spirit.

"It can." The Mountain Master nodded. "It was originally a Guardian Mountain Beast that Su Zi brought back from the Endless Sea two hundred years ago and placed in the mountain behind the Academic Palace. Due to its rapid growth in size, Su Zi later took it and placed it in Li Yuan. I hadn’t expected it to still be alive after two centuries."

"So it’s a Guardian Mountain Beast from two hundred years ago..." Li Ang pondered. "Since the spider was brought back from the Endless Sea, why didn’t Su Zi release it back there? Wouldn’t the food be more plentiful?"

"Perhaps Su Zi had his own considerations. After all, he... was somewhat unconventional," Lian Xuanyao chose his words with care.

Su Zi, as one of the most famous Mountain Masters in the history of the Academic Palace, had a free-spirited and unrestrained personality. As a youth, he entered the Academic Palace with full marks in all subjects. He debated with esteemed high monks, causing three of them to vomit blood on the spot. While wandering the Jianghu, he once took offense over a trifle—something as minor as "I merely glanced at you one more time in the crowd"—and ended up in a dispute with the Saint Child of the Demon Sect. He then used his sword to kill everyone present, including the Saint Child and his guards. Standing atop the pile of corpses, he proceeded to slay the Demon Sect protectors who arrived as reinforcements. Even after becoming the Academic Palace Master, he didn’t mellow.

During an academic exchange between schools from various countries, an envoy from Taihao Mountain visiting Chang’an repeatedly criticized Yu Country for its lack of devotion. Annoyed by this, Su Zi bluntly issued the audacious statement: "Heaven’s changes are not to be feared, ancestral ways are not to be emulated, and human words are not to be heeded," causing great outrage among the Haotian Taoist Sect. The Imperial Uncle of Jing Country, who was most loyal to the Daoist Sect, immediately jumped out, demanding Su Zi apologize and retract these misleading and filthy words. Su Zi then literally stuffed a lump of dog feces into this Imperial Uncle’s mouth, nearly sparking a war between the two countries.

Later, the ruler of Yu Country grew complacent. Proud of his youthful diligence and the decades-long golden age he had maintained, he gradually neglected governance. He adopted the mindset that "one should enjoy life in old age," indulging in banquets and pleasures, even disregarding a drought in his own country. Su Zi then stormed into the Imperial Palace, picked out a few princes and imperial grandsons, walked into the middle of the old Emperor’s banquet, and coldly asked, "Your Majesty, you have grown old. In your opinion, which prince should inherit the throne?"

The Emperor, frightened, fell from his seat, and from then on, never dared to neglect his duties.

The thoughts of such an unbridled and eccentric senior of the Academic Palace were truly difficult for later generations to fathom.

A two-hundred-year-old Spider Demon, it must know quite a few secrets of the Academic Palace.

Li Ang was slightly regretful, but he didn’t mind too much. After two hundred years, who knew if the Spider Demon would still care about its old connection to the Academic Palace. If he had attempted to converse with it then, it’s uncertain whether it would have been a dialogue or if he would have just become an addition to its meal. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"There’s another matter. During my climb up Li Yuan, I had a dream."

Li Ang laid out the strange and eerie dream he had had in the tent, saying uneasily, "In the dream, I saw the backs of many people all saying the same thing: the sky is falling. Among them was even you, Mountain Master, with tears of blood streaming down your face. Does this... signify something?"

TAP.

The Mountain Master stopped in his tracks.