owlsbooks Chapter 5 Who's trying to frame me!
Chapter 5 Who's trying to frame me!
Li Qingyi's plan proceeded as scheduled without any errors, and the guards outside reacted exactly as in the simulation.
As dusk fell, Li Qingyi successfully forced back the guards. With a flick of her sleeve and a quick twist of her toes, she successfully buried the exploding spirit talisman under the tree.
"Brother, don't get excited. After all, I'm going to die tomorrow." Li Qingyi smiled and looked at the guard, feeling great.
"Hmph!" The guard snorted coldly and said no more.
Li Qingyi returned to the house, set up talismans, and waited for the right opportunity.
As night fell, just before midnight, Li Qingyi changed into her night clothes and silently recited an incantation in her mind.
His face instantly changed, becoming an extremely ordinary, generic face without any distinctive features.
Li Qingyi made a hand seal with one hand, detonating the talismans that had been buried outside to attract the guards.
After confirming that the enemies had been drawn away, he took out his own body, placed it in the center of the house, and then there was a loud bang.
Two perfect parabolas streaked across the smoke and dust.
……
Upon hearing the explosion, Zhou Chuan, who was standing at the foot of the mountain, immediately sensed something was wrong.
He immediately used his movement technique to rush towards Li Qingyi's residence.
When Zhou Chuan arrived at the courtyard where Li Qingyi was, he saw that the air was filled with smoke. He waved his hand and a gust of wind swept up the smoke and dust.
He was shocked when he saw the wounds on Li Qingyi's body!
"Which thief is framing me!"
Zhou Chuan recognized the scar immediately; it was clearly caused by his unique martial arts technique.
Upon seeing Zhou Chuan, the guards below immediately shouted, "Lord Zhou! Li Qingyi is dead! What should we do!"
"Damn it!" Zhou Chuan instantly realized he had fallen into a trap. Without hesitation, he fled as fast as he could.
Not long after, Qin Baisheng’s thunderous roar came from behind.
"Zhou Chuan! You deserve to die!"
At this moment, Zhou Chuan dared not conceal his strength. He activated his early Foundation Establishment cultivation to the fullest extent and soared into the air, all in an attempt to escape the Qin family.
"Who is trying to frame me!" Zhou Chuan cursed under his breath, his mind racing through all the possible enemies, but he couldn't figure it out.
Just as a glimmer of hope rose in their hearts, with the Qin family's borders so close, a figure suddenly appeared in the sky, blocking their path.
The young man was dressed in a moon-white robe, the hem of which fluttered lightly in the night breeze, and he possessed an extraordinary air about him. The aura emanating from him made Zhou Chuan feel immense pressure.
The young man asked calmly, "Where is Elder Zhou headed?"
Zhou Chuan's face showed anxiety; he could sense that Qin Baisheng was about to catch up behind him.
He immediately hardened his heart, unleashed his full magical power, and decided to fight to the death.
But the young man simply flicked his sleeve, and Zhou Chuan's surging magical power instantly subsided. He froze in mid-air, unable to move even a finger, his eyes filled with horror.
At this moment, Zhou Chuan felt utterly hopeless.
At this moment, Qin Baisheng also arrived.
The moment he saw the young man, even though killing intent surged in his heart, he forcibly suppressed it, lowered his head, and said, "Master Ziyu."
Ren Ziyu chuckled and tossed Zhou Chuan to Qin Baisheng, "You handle your own family affairs. After the pill is completed, let me observe it."
"Yes, sir. I shall take my leave." Qin Baisheng took Zhou Chuan and replied in a low voice, his posture extremely humble.
He grabbed Zhou Chuan and transformed into a streak of light, flying towards the clan's territory.
Ren Ziyu looked up at the bright moon in the sky and murmured:
"How interesting. Li Qingyi died a moment earlier than my martial uncle predicted. Who exactly is this Purple Mansion True Person interfering behind the scenes?"
……
In the bamboo grove, the night breeze rustled through the bamboo leaves.
Li Qingyi found a stone bench and sat down casually. Looking at the purple bamboo covering the mountains and fields, she took a deep breath of the air filled with the fragrance of bamboo leaves and gradually felt a sense of security.
Although they have escaped, the situation remains unclear.
Zhou Chuan's fate is unknown. If he survives, things may become more complicated. Will the Qin family uncover his tricks through the Qingchi Immortal Sect?
And... how to earn spirit stones (simulation).
These are all problems that Li Qingyi must solve, otherwise he will not be at peace.
The silver moon hung high, its clear light shining down, and only then did he notice that Qin Xiyue was not in the purple bamboo forest.
"That's true. In the simulation, I was injured and it took me 15 minutes to get there. Now that I'm 15 minutes early, she probably hasn't arrived yet."
As soon as Qingyi finished speaking, a girl in a white dress gracefully approached from afar, bathed in moonlight.
Upon seeing Qin Xiyue, Li Qingyi inevitably recalled the events of that morning.
"Let's go. I've prepared your new identity. Qin Feng, he lost both his parents at a young age and isn't well-liked in his clan. He also has no friends."
Qin Xiyue's voice pulled Li Qingyi back to reality. He looked at Qin Xiyue with a strange expression, "Where is he?"
"He's dead. I've already disposed of the body." With that, Qin Xiyue took out a scroll. "Make adjustments based on the appearance in the painting."
"You killed him?" Li Qingyi frowned.
"No, he was seriously injured in a competition a few days ago. I found his body this morning, so I just used body-dissolving liquid to dispose of it."
Seeing that she looked calm and didn't seem to be lying, Li Qingyi breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't want innocent people to die because of him.
"Wait, how come you're so skilled?"
Li Qingyi sensed something was amiss. In her memory, Qin Xiyue wouldn't even have the heart to kill and roast a rabbit.
"Let's go." Qin Xiyue was too lazy to explain and got up to leave.
Li Qingyi frowned slightly, her mind racing as she weighed the pros and cons.
Should we follow her arrangements, or flee the Qin family?
Below the mountain lies the mortal world, where earning spirit stones is extremely difficult.
Within the Qin clan, there is a market where cultivators trade, and I can also draw some talismans, so earning spirit stones is relatively easier.
Although it's a bit dangerous, ...fortune favors the bold, and if things go wrong, we can just run away.
Furthermore, one can receive firsthand information from the Qin family here, which will help in devising countermeasures.
After careful consideration, Li Qingyi decided to follow Qin Xiyue's arrangement.
He used his disguise technique to transform into Qin Feng's appearance, quickly followed Qin Xiyue who had walked away, and headed towards the gathering place of the collateral branches.
Thinking of Qin Feng, Qin Xiyue sighed inwardly. In her previous life, she had met him a few times and could barely be considered a friend.
When she heard that the other person had died alone in the house, she couldn't help but feel a little lonely in her past life. She never expected that she would have to deal with the other person's body herself in this life.
The branch of the family that Qin Xiyue belongs to resembles a large village or town.
Even at midnight, the place was still brightly lit and bustling with noise.
The houses are scattered among the mountains in a neat and orderly fashion, and people come and go on the winding streets.
Along the streets, rows of wooden houses of varying heights stand side by side, some leaning precariously and barely supported by thick wooden pillars.
A dim light shone through the window, casting shadows of figures moving inside.
"How many people are there in your branch?" Li Qingyi asked in a low voice, looking at the pedestrians coming and going on the street.
"Just over five thousand." Qin Xiyue asked, "Do you know how the Qin family's collateral branches came about?"
Li Qingyi shook her head.
"Those weak forces and families willing to swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao and offer monthly tributes will be granted the surname Qin." Qin Xiyue pointed to the wooden houses of varying heights around her and slowly spoke:
"Originally, only our lineage existed here."
As more and more people joined, the group began to expand downwards, gradually forming a natural barrier for the main branch of the Qin family.
Without orders, members of the collateral branch are not permitted to ascend the mountain to the main branch.
Li Qingyi nodded. In the six years he had been on the mountain, apart from Qin Xiyue, he had indeed not seen any other members of the collateral branches.
He had initially thought that the Qin family's collateral branch was related to the main family by blood, but it turned out they were all outsiders.
No wonder Qin Xiyue, who possesses the Moon Essence Spirit Body, was treated as a tool.
Following Qin Xiyue across the street to her residence, Li Qingyi curled her lip, 'Turns out, he's just a rich kid.'
The Qin residence was very large, and the servants and maids inside would bow to Qin Xiyue when they saw her.
Led by Qin Xiyue, Li Qingyi arrived at the accommodations arranged by them—a quiet and elegant courtyard, though its spiritual energy was rather weak, unlike the rich spiritual energy found in mountain retreats.
"Please cultivate diligently during this time. In one month, the Qingchi Immortal Sect will be recruiting disciples in various major cities of the Xuan Kingdom."
After giving her instructions, Qin Xiyue turned and left.
Li Qingyi was left alone in the courtyard, lost in thought.
He had heard of the Qingchi Immortal Sect during the first simulation; it was the sect the Qin family had allied themselves with.
Li Qingyi suddenly remembered something and immediately checked the consumption of the Deep Blue Simulator. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was still ten.
"It seems that the price will only increase once the cultivation level reaches the next stage."
Li Qingyi guessed that the price might go up when one reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and he subconsciously pondered this.
"I must say, the rewards from the simulator are truly top-notch. Once it helped me escape a dangerous situation, and another time it helped me break through to the second level of Qi Refining."
The biggest problem now is that we have the cheat codes but no spirit stones.
In the markets where cultivators from the collateral branches trade, there are always talismans for sale. This is my opportunity to earn spirit stones.
Li Qingyi made up her mind and decided to make money through her talisman skills.
……
In the alchemy room of the Qin family's main branch on Qingxin Peak, moonlight streamed into the hall, illuminating Qin Baisheng's gloomy face.
He and the alchemist stared at Li Qingyi's corpse without saying a word.
The alchemist said respectfully, "Ancestor, this matter is rather strange."
"Is there anything wrong with the body?"
"No, that wisp of primordial moonlight is still intact, and it is indeed Li Qingyi's corpse."
"Then... let's start refining the elixir!"
Qin Baisheng kept recalling Zhou Chuan's words before he went to prison:
"I didn't kill my apprentice!"
Based on his years of understanding of Zhou Chuan, he judged that what the other party said was very likely true, although he could not rule out the possibility that Zhou Chuan was still acting.
If Zhou Chuan is telling the truth, then this matter becomes even more perplexing.
Who is secretly plotting this behind the scenes?
Qin Baisheng thought to himself.
But the irrefutable evidence beside him made him stop this unrealistic idea.
His eyes narrowed slightly; centuries of experience had given him a glimpse of something different.
At that moment, Qin Baisheng made a decision.
He immediately left the alchemy room and arranged for a large number of people to search the clan to see if he could find any unfamiliar faces.