Su Yin was unable to discern the truth from her words, so he pondered for a moment before instructing, "Xiao Wu, have the Firmament Beast call Bai Zhanqing over."
"Alright!" Little Wu flew out, and not too long later, Bai Zhanqing rushed over. With a respectful expression on his face, he did not even dare to breathe too loudly. "Paying respects to Senior Granduncle!"
Even though he was the emperor, the other party's strength was unfathomable. Furthermore, the more he studied the patterns on the other party's body, the more impressed he was. As such, he didn't dare to show any disrespect to the other party.
"Un!" Su Yin nodded. "I called His Majesty here because I would like to trouble you to invite Prime Minister Qiu Zhaojun and Elder Qiu Yuan of the Poison Master Hall over."
As the prime minister of the Great Yan Dynasty, Qiu Zhaojun had to seek Zhang Xuan's permission before asking any questions.
"I'll send a message right now …"
Bai Zhanqing replied as he took out a Communication Jade Token and sent a message. In just an incense's time, an elder and the black-robed young man from before appeared in the courtyard.
"Paying respects to Senior Granduncle …"
After bowing deeply, Qiu Zhaojun carefully looked at the young man on the main seat.
He looked ordinary and quiet, and it was impossible to see through his cultivation.
If not for His Majesty accompanying him personally, it would have been hard to believe that the other party had caused such a huge commotion in the Great Yan Royal City in just a few hours.
"The reason I called you here is because Liu Yiyi, a disciple of my Zhenxian Sect, said that you poisoned 172 lives in her clan … I would like to hear your reply!" Su Yin said calmly.
Wiping out an entire clan was no small matter. He couldn't possibly exact vengeance for the young lady just because of a few words. He had to get to the bottom of the matter.
As for whether the other party would lie or not …
He believed that Bai Zhanqing would have a way to resolve this problem.
"Liu Yiyi?"
Qiu Zhaojun was stunned. He hurriedly turned to look at the young lady with agitation in his eyes. "You're … Liu Changxing's daughter? Y-you're still alive? That's great … "
Liu Yiyi clenched her teeth and said, "Stop pretending to be merciful. You probably didn't expect me to still be alive and have joined the Immortal Suppressing Sect …"
"Where did that come from? Brother Changxing and I have always been on good terms, and Yuan 'er was once betrothed to you. Why would I kill you? And annihilate the entire clan? "
Qiu Zhaojun looked over in confusion. "Is there some misunderstanding between us?"
"Misunderstanding? I don't think it's a misunderstanding. That night, I saw with my own eyes that you came to find my father and quarreled with him. Not long after, my entire family was killed. If my father hadn't guessed that there might be danger and used a treasure to change my appearance and secretly send me out of the mansion, I might have become a corpse long ago! "
Clenching her fists tightly, Liu Yiyi's body trembled uncontrollably.
She would never forget that night two years ago, especially this person's face and voice. Even if she turned into ashes, she would never forget it.
"I did quarrel with your father, but I didn't want to kill him. I just wanted to save you …"
Qiu Zhaojun hurriedly said.
"Save us? Hehe, an entire family of 172 lives were poisoned to death that night. Is this what you mean by saving us? "Liu Yiyi sneered coldly.
"They …" Qiu Zhaojun wanted to explain, but he found himself unable to speak.
"Allow me!"
Bai Zhanqing interjected. "Since your father is Liu Changxing, you are a descendant of the Liu Clan!"
Liu Yiyi nodded.
Bai Zhanqing said, "The Liu Clan was poisoned to death in a single night. This matter has caused a huge commotion, and as the emperor, I can't condone the culprit. Thus, I sent someone to investigate the matter, and it has nothing to do with Elder Qiu.
"Qiu Zhaojun is your prime minister. If news of him doing such a thing were to spread, what will happen to the prestige of the royal family? Naturally, you will cover up for him. You have your judgment, and I have mine. "
Liu Yiyi harrumphed coldly, seemingly unwilling to speak with the other party. She turned to Su Yin and said, "Since they are unwilling to admit it, I would like to voice my doubts. I hope that Senior Granduncle will allow me to do so!"
"Very well!" Su Yin nodded.
He took a closer look at Qiu Zhaojun and Bai Zhanqing, and it didn't seem like they were lying. Liu Yiyi had to bear with the humiliation, so it was impossible for her to not be able to differentiate between enemies. Thus, he decided to listen and observe more.
If the culprit was really the culprit, he wouldn't tolerate it.
Upon receiving permission, Liu Yiyi heaved a sigh of relief. She turned to look at the prime minister and asked, "Two years ago, you went to the Liu Clan and quarreled with my father. Do you dare to deny this?"
"It's true!" Qiu Zhaojun sighed and nodded.
"After that, the entire Liu Clan was poisoned. Everyone died in a single night, but this matter wasn't leaked. Instead, someone intentionally suppressed the news. Furthermore, the Liu Clan's businesses were all taken over by someone the next day, and everything went on as usual … I've investigated this matter, and it's all related to the prime minister's residence. I didn't accuse you wrongly, did I?"
Liu Yiyi continued.
The reason why the Liu Clan was able to become one of the most powerful clans in the Great Yan Royal City wasn't just due to the number of experts they had. More importantly, their businesses spanned the entire Great Yan Prefecture.
Under normal circumstances, the news of her clan being massacred should have spread throughout the Royal City and the entire Great Yan Prefecture. Yet … not a single piece of news was leaked. More importantly, the Liu Clan's businesses were all taken over in a single night, and there wasn't the slightest bit of chaos …
Without a powerful faction in the Royal City, it was impossible to achieve such a feat.
"I didn't accuse you wrongly!" Qiu Zhaojun sighed. "I was the one who sent someone to suppress the news and take over the Liu Clan's businesses. However, I reported this matter to His Majesty and received his approval. Otherwise, how could such a huge commotion in the Royal City be kept under wraps?"
"His Majesty knows about it?"
Hearing Zhang Xuan admit to it, Liu Yiyi was stunned. She hurriedly turned to look at the emperor.
"Elder Qiu came to me in the middle of the night. I was the one who asked him to take over the Liu Clan's businesses and suppress the news of the Liu Clan's destruction. He didn't lie to you about this …" Bai Zhanqing nodded.
"This …"
Liu Yiyi shuddered. "Then … he spread my portrait all over the Liu Clan and sent someone to hunt me down …"
"I knew about it, and I gave my consent!" Bai Zhanqing said.
"Why?" Liu Yiyi's eyes reddened in disbelief.
The emperor of the Great Yan royalty actually colluded with the prime minister to wipe out the Liu Clan … If he really wanted them dead, he could have just issued an order, and none of them would be able to escape. Why would he make a move in secret?
She wasn't the only one who had such an expression. Su Yin couldn't help but frown as well.
Quarreling, stealing the Liu Clan's businesses, and sending people to hunt them down … Putting aside Liu Yiyi, even Zhang Xuan would have no doubt that the other party was the culprit!
However … Bai Zhanqing was the emperor of a country. If he wanted to kill someone, he could have just come up with a random reason. There was no need for him to collude with the prime minister and go through so much trouble.
"When you escaped, you hadn't even reached Juxi realm yet. If I really wanted to kill you, do you think that you would have been able to escape?"
Qiu Zhaojun asked.
Liu Yiyi was rendered speechless.
Without sufficient strength, it would have been difficult for her to escape from the Prime Minister's pursuit. Yet, she had managed to escape successfully, and she even managed to enter the Zhenxian Sect as an ordinary disciple.
She didn't think much of it back then, but now that she thought about it, there was indeed something amiss about it.
"Even though your appearance and disposition couldn't be seen through by others, there were still many things that could have exposed your whereabouts."
Seeing that Liu Yiyi was at a loss for words, Qiu Zhaojun continued, "Two years ago, you escaped to Qingdu City and disguised yourself as a medicine peddler to investigate the Liu Clan's businesses. I guessed that it might have something to do with you, so I intentionally sent someone to kill you. However, I secretly let you escape, allowing you to steal an aerial spirit beast and acknowledge a sect as your master. You should still remember this, right?"
Liu Yiyi's body shuddered.
Two years ago, when her clan was wiped out, she didn't dare to investigate the matter in the Great Yan Royal Capital. Thus, she fled to the nearby Qingdu City to look for an opportunity to investigate the matter. She thought that her plan was flawless, but who knew that she would still be discovered. That very night, someone came to kill her …
It was fortunate that she was alert enough to not sleep in her room. Instead, she hid outside her room and happened to eavesdrop on the conversation between the 'assassin'.
The 'assassin' said that as long as she acknowledged a sect as her master, they wouldn't dare to pursue her … Thus, she stole an aerial spirit beast and headed to the Zhenxian Sect.
In other words, it wasn't that she was lucky but that the other party did it on purpose?
That made sense!
Aerial spirit beasts possessed intelligence of their own. Given that she didn't possess the slightest bit of cultivation, how could she have stolen it and ridden it for tens of thousands of li without anyone noticing?
After coming to a realization, Liu Yiyi couldn't help but ask, "What's going on?"
"It's because of the Violetwood Immortal Hairpin!"
Qiu Zhaojun sighed deeply. "The reason why your father was able to obtain the Violetwood Immortal Hairpin is partly because of me as well."
Liu Yiyi was stunned.
She had no idea where her father had obtained the Violetwood Immortal Hairpin from. All she knew was that it was extremely valuable, and there were many who coveted it.
"It happened around ten years ago. Something happened in the Jade Sea, one of the Ten Great Danger Zones, and a treasure appeared. Back then, I was only at Divinity 9-dan, and I wasn't the Prime Minister yet. Your father's cultivation was on par with mine, and we were close friends.
Qiu Zhaojun pondered for a moment before revealing the truth. "We were lucky. We encountered a treasure in the Jade Sea, and it allowed me to achieve a breakthrough. Your father also made great progress in his cultivation. It was due to this opportunity that Brother Changxing hoped to venture deeper into the Jade Sea!
"In a place as dangerous as the Jade Sea, the deeper one ventured, the more treasures one would encounter. However, at the same time, it would also be more dangerous. I had only just achieved a breakthrough, and my cultivation hadn't stabilized yet, so I rejected his suggestion. However, Brother Changxing didn't think much of it, and he decided to venture in alone!
"I waited outside for ten days, but he didn't return at all. Worried that something might have happened to him, I went to look for him. Who knew that I would encounter an unconscious Brother Changxing not too far away from the Jade Sea?
"I rescued him and asked him what happened, but he refused to speak. Back then, I didn't think too much of it. I thought that it was already fortunate that he was able to return alive.
"After returning to Royal City, due to my Zongshi realm cultivation, my standing rose higher and higher, and I eventually became the Prime Minister. On the other hand, Brother Changxing's cultivation didn't increase at all. In fact, it even showed signs of declining! Initially, I thought that it was due to the injuries he had sustained in the Jade Sea, but I gradually realized that something was amiss! "
At this point, Qiu Zhaojun paused. He had a troubled look on his face, seemingly at a loss for words.
"Allow me!"
Bai Zhanqing said. "Elder Qiu noticed that your father seems to be cultivating demonic arts!"
"Demonic arts?"
Liu Yiyi's body jolted in shock. She could hardly believe what she was hearing.
Her father was such a kind and gentle person, so how could he possibly cultivate demonic arts? How could that be?
"I knew that you wouldn't believe me, but Elder Qiu told me and Pavilion Master Fei Ting about it. If you don't believe me, you can ask him about it!"
Bai Zhanqing said.
Liu Yiyi turned to look at Senior Granduncle. Su Yin pondered for a moment before instructing.
Not too long later, Fei Ting flew in. After hearing Bai Zhanqing's question, he nodded and said, "There's indeed such a matter. Around eight years ago, Emperor Zhanqing sent a messenger to inform me that there was someone cultivating demonic arts in Royal City, and he asked me what I should do. Back then, the Alliance was busy fighting against the giant demons, so I told him that as long as he didn't do anything harmful to mankind, he should be spared for the time being! "
Although the sects and the human race forbade humans from cultivating demonic arts, as long as they didn't do anything particularly evil, they could temporarily let them off the hook. This wasn't because they were being lenient, but because it would allow them to better investigate the origin of demonic arts. From there, they would know whether or not there were demon spies who had infiltrated the human race.
Liu Yiyi's face paled upon hearing those words.
As the head of the Alliance's Elder Hall and an Eternal realm expert, there was no need for Fei Ting to lie. Since he had said so, it meant that what Bai Zhanqing and Qiu Zhaojun said was true.
Her father was really cultivating demonic arts!
"After receiving Pavilion Master Fei's instructions, I didn't tell anyone about this matter. Instead, I kept a close eye on him. Normally speaking, demonic arts consume a lot of resources, but for some reason, Brother Changxing didn't make any progress for several years!
"As time passed, I finally realized that his cultivation and strength had been channeled into the Violetwood Immortal Hairpin to nourish a giant demon!"
"Nourishing a giant demon with his own body?"
The Great Demon of Bliss interjected.
"That's right!" Qiu Zhaojun nodded.
"What's nourishing a giant demon with one's own body?" Su Yin asked.
"It's a method to heal a severely injured giant demon. As long as someone cultivates the technique he imparts, it's equivalent to providing him with a steady stream of energy … It can heal him and even increase his cultivation," Bliss explained.
"To put it bluntly, it's using the person who cultivates the technique as a nourishment extractor. In the end, it can directly devour the person!"
"Nourishment extractor? That's equivalent to … losing oneself. Why would anyone do that? "Su Yin was puzzled.
Cultivating one's own body would only benefit others and might even be devoured … How stupid would one be to be willing to do that?
"There are two most common methods. First, if one is controlled by the giant demon, one can only obey orders. Otherwise, one will die on the spot. Second, by promising benefits, coercion, and bribery! In short, there are many ways for the giant demon to control people with weaker cultivation than him, "Bliss said.
"Many ways to control people? Do you do that often? "
Su Yin frowned, looking displeased. "Using such an evil technique is unforgivable! Dahei, give him a small punishment as a warning! "
"Okay!" Dahei rushed over excitedly.
“？？？”
The Great Demon of Bliss's body stiffened as he looked at the donkey's hoof that was gradually getting bigger.
I answered your questions and even sold out the demonic technique. Not only are you ungrateful, you even beat me up …
You can't do this …
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