"Just one night, and the Ancestor has fallen. How can I not be suspicious? If it were you in my place, Father, would you really believe this was a coincidence?"
Wei Lingyue was stunned by his eldest daughter's words. He hadn't expected that the Ancestor would place such importance on Yun Qing, even going so far as to find a Nascent Soul cultivator to take her as a disciple. If that were true, then Yun Qing did have every reason to suspect foul play.
Du Ruolan, standing to the side, had first looked pleasantly surprised. But her joy quickly turned to regret and frustration. She felt the Ancestor had died at the worst possible time. He should've waited until their daughter formally acknowledged her master.
Strangely enough, Wei Lingyue shared that same sentiment. With a sigh, he said, "Yun Qing, did the Ancestor ever tell you which Zhēnjūn he intended you to apprentice under?"
Yun Qing frowned and shook her head. "He didn't say. Just told me to be prepared in the next couple of days."
The room fell into a heavy silence. Not only did Yun Qing suspect the Ancestor's death wasn't natural, even Wei Lingyue was beginning to feel uneasy about it.
Du Ruolan, unaware that the news had already been confirmed at the assembly hall, spoke up,"If there's doubt, then keep investigating. There's bound to be a clue somewhere."
Wei Lingyue shook his head. "Yun Qing didn't inform me beforehand. She even brought her fellow disciple and a sect treasure with her. After several rounds of verification, it's already been confirmed that the Ancestor passed due to the exhaustion of his lifespan.
Chen Zhēnrén, the medical cultivator, and Yun Qing's Senior Brother both came to the same conclusion. The matter has already been settled. How can we overturn it now? Even if we wanted to, we'd need actual evidence."
Yun Qing's brows drew tighter. She couldn't accept that this was how things had unfolded. Ancestor Nan Feng should've been her greatest backing. Yet now, he was gone. The clan head planned to bring back Ancestor Shen Yin, someone who had no relationship with her, to oversee the clan. That would put her at a severe disadvantage.
But she had been the one to invite her Senior Brother, and the mirror they used was a sect treasure. Everything it showed was true. It couldn't possibly be forged. Then where had things gone wrong?
She refused to give up and asked, "Father, before this happened, did the Ancestor ever meet with Yun Xi alone?"
Wei Lingyue thought for a moment. "No, he didn't. When we arrived in Haoran City, it was Yun Xi and her group who came to receive us.
Later, when she met with the Ancestor, your second uncle and I were both present. She only returned with Zong Jin for the celebration after your second uncle formed his Golden Core. That was when she visited the Ancestor alone—the same scene shown in the mirror. But she didn't do anything."
Yun Qing pressed further. "And the Longevity Pill she mentioned? Was that real?"
"It was. She brought it up on their first meeting. Said she had inherited the legacy of the Yixian Sect, found a Shouyuan Fruit, and invited Yu Huo Zhēnjūn to refine the Longevity Pill."
A flicker of something passed through Yun Qing's mind. She immediately said, "I remember back in Kunyu City, the Ancestor still looked old and frail. But overnight, he suddenly looked so much younger. I thought he must've taken the Longevity Pill. Now it seems that wasn't the case. Then how did he regain his youth?"
"I know about that," Wei Lingyue said. "At the time, Yun Xi said it would take time to refine the Longevity Pill. To convince the Ancestor to wait patiently and prove she wasn't lying, she gave him a bottle of 'Rejuvenation Elixir.' Supposedly a unique concoction from the Yixian Sect that could reverse aging and keep one perpetually youthful."
Yun Qing's eyes lit up. She was certain the problem lay with that elixir. She immediately asked,"After he took this 'Rejuvenation Elixir' and became like that, none of you thought to question whether the elixir was the issue?"
Wei Lingyue shook his head. "No. Yun Xi handed the elixir to Ancestor Nan Feng right in front of me and your second uncle. If there had been anything wrong with it, wouldn't she be afraid we'd speak out? Besides, the Ancestor's cultivation was higher than hers. If something were off, he would have noticed.
And he took it right then and there. The effect was instant and very obvious. Even I was tempted. Unfortunately, Yun Xi said she couldn't make another dose anytime soon. Many of the spirit herbs used were already extinct in the Weiyu Realm."
Yun Qing's gaze grew brighter with each word, but by the end, her expression twisted in rage."Father, I'm sure that elixir was the problem. It could've been a slow-acting poison, subtle enough to evade detection. Don't forget, she inherited the Yixian Sect's techniques. A sect like that must have hidden methods, poisons that kill invisibly, without leaving any trace. This is an open scheme, hiding in plain sight."
Both Du Ruolan and Wei Lingyue felt a chill crawl up their backs. If what their daughter said was true, then Yun Xi was terrifying.
"But what now? It's all still just your speculation. There's no proof."
Wei Lingyue didn't hide his hesitation. Without solid evidence, he didn't dare provoke Yun Xi. He knew well that in Yun Xi's heart, he held no place. If he dared to touch her bottom line, she'd lash out with old and new grudges together. He wouldn't be able to handle it.
Yun Qing clenched and unclenched her fists again and again. After a long silence, she finally said in a low, steady voice, "Ancestor Nan Feng cannot have died in vain. I will find the evidence."
Du Ruolan tried to dissuade her. "Yun Qing, she's now a Jīndān Zhēnrén. If she tries anything in secret, you won't be able to stop her. Don't act on impulse. These are just your suspicions. They might not be the truth."
Yun Qing waved a hand. "Don't worry, Mother. I know what I'm doing. I won't confront her directly."
Her tone was stiff. She hated how her mother kept reminding her that her cultivation couldn't compare to Yun Xi's.
Seeing the timing was right, Wei Lingyue spoke up, "Yun Qing, now that your second uncle has formed his Golden Core, I'm only one Golden Core Pill away from advancing myself. Can you help me?
Once I form my core, I'll be able to challenge him for the Patriarch position. That would give us more resources and also keep Yun Xi in check. It benefits both of us."
Yun Qing didn't expect her father to bring this up. Her lips pressed into a thin line. She replied flatly,"Father, if you want a Golden Core Pill, you shouldn't be coming to me. Go ask Little Sister Yun Xi. She's now a personal disciple of the Haoran Sect, and a Jīndān Zhēnrén. The scraps from between her fingers would probably be enough for your advancement."
Wei Lingyue chuckled awkwardly. "You think I haven't tried? I did ask. But she still holds a grudge over how I favored you when she was little, so she made an excuse to turn me down. I've given up on her."
Yun Qing let out a cold laugh. "Father, I haven't even formed my own core yet. I'm still saving up spirit stones to buy my own Golden Core Pill. If you can prepare the spirit stones, I'll help you get one from the Inner Sect Mission Hall."
Wei Lingyue's face twisted at the mention of spending spirit stones. He looked displeased."Yun Qing, you clearly managed to cultivate a high-grade spirit plant. That alone can help a cultivator break through a major realm. Why won't you help your own father just this once?"
Yun Qing's heart thumped at his words. Her face darkened for a moment before she asked,"Who told you I succeeded in cultivating high-grade spirit plants? Was it Yun Xi?"
Wei Lingyue quickly denied it. "It was some disciples from Haoran Sect. They said the reason you were accepted as Yu Huo Zhēnjūn's registered disciple was your talent in cultivating spiritual plants. I know Yun Xi won't help because I never treated her well. But you, I spoiled you since childhood. Can't you help your father, just this once?"