Chapter 55: The Sect Leader’s Decision, Asking for the Truth

Everyone had already reached the same conclusion about Yao Kaidong’s death.

Without Yun Man’s Nascent Soul cultivation, they would only have had their suspicions. But four people had vanished, and only two had returned. Now that she had reached Nascent Soul, it took no thinking to work out what had happened.

Had Yao Kaidong and Li Cheng returned alive instead, everyone would have assumed they had killed Qin Xiao and Yun Man.

Qin Xiao knew that too. But the encounter had been kill or be killed. He had no choice. He could not keep running forever.

“The Beast-Control Sect? It looks as though we won’t be able to use this secret realm again.”

Now that Lin Tiancheng knew what had happened, he spoke regretfully.

The Abyss Secret Realm had always been a prime location for major forces to acquire additional resources, but that path was likely closed now.

“But Meng’er, you said Qin Xiao saved those three talents? How did he do it?”

Lin Tiancheng still found it hard to believe. How could Qin Xiao possibly escape the encirclement of a Soul Formation Demon Beast?

“Father, none of them explained the details. I don’t really know either.”

Lin Shimeng was curious too. The survivors had all tacitly avoided saying much, leaving her unsure.

Meanwhile, a short distance away, Qin Xiao and Yun Man were speaking in low voices.

“Master, this situation looks grim. Even without proof, the Great Elder is unlikely to let us go.”

Yun Man voiced her concern.

“Don’t panic yet. Let’s see what the Sect Leader does. If he’s afraid of offending the Great Elder and won’t protect us, we won’t go back. We have other places to go.”

Qin Xiao sounded unconcerned. These old men cared about face. Even if they wanted to kill him, they would not strike secretly right away. They would need a proper excuse, since the sect’s reputation was at stake.

If they attacked openly, he could hide on Seven Stars Peak. Surely the Supreme Elder would not lower himself to kill him in person? The formation on the peak could withstand Soul Formation attacks.

The formation was one reason Qin Xiao dared return to the sect. As long as the Supreme Elder did not act, he had little to fear from anyone in the Tianyuan Sect trying to kill him. They could not get in.

“Qin Xiao, are your injuries improving?”

After questioning Lin Shimeng, Lin Tiancheng came over and asked about Qin Xiao’s injuries with concern.

“Thank you, Sect Leader. I’m all right.”

Qin Xiao could not yet read Lin Tiancheng’s true intentions, though his current attitude appeared neutral. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.

Lin Tiancheng was convinced that Qin Xiao and Yun Man had killed Yao Kaidong and Li Cheng. He did not know how to bring it up, or which side he should take.

“Shall we speak privately in the control room?”

After a moment’s reflection, Lin Tiancheng decided a private conversation was necessary.

“Very well.”

Qin Xiao stood up. His body still hurt a little, but he could walk without trouble.

They soon reached the Flying Ship’s control room. Wen Yuanying was a little surprised to see them.

“Sect Leader, should I step outside to give you two privacy?”

Wen Yuanying asked tentatively. If she left, Lin Tiancheng would have to control the Flying Ship, so she needed to ask first.

“Yuanying, there’s no need. Choosing to talk to Qin Xiao in private already makes my position clear. I know you. Even if you don’t help, you’ll stay neutral. We don’t have to hide this from you.”

After much inner struggle, Lin Tiancheng had decided to protect Qin Xiao. Junior Sister Wen’s support would be welcome too.

“Senior Brother Lin, you really intend to protect him? The Great Elder is the Supreme Elder’s adoptive son and Personal Disciple. Why not let Qin Xiao go and have him leave Qingzhou?”

With Lin Tiancheng speaking openly, Wen Yuanying did the same. They had studied under one master, so in private she called him Senior Brother.

“Are the two of you already certain that I killed Yao Kaidong?”

Qin Xiao interjected, having caught the clear implication of their words.

“Could it be otherwise?”

Lin Tiancheng answered irritably.

“Indeed, I killed him.”

Qin Xiao did not deny it. Since both had made clear that they would protect him, pretending ignorance would be unreasonable.

“Everyone has reached that conclusion. I thought long and hard before deciding to save your life. First, you’re the Seventh Elder’s only disciple. Second, you’ve taught a fine disciple yourself.”

Lin Tiancheng gave his reasons directly. Of course, the second mattered most. His regard for the Seventh Elder alone would not have been enough to make him protect Qin Xiao. At most, he would have helped him leave.

“Senior Brother, the Great Elder wouldn’t be so bad. What if the Supreme Elder gets involved?”

Wen Yuanying was not worried about the Great Elder. The Supreme Elder Yao Zhan was her concern: he was at late Body Integration.

“It’s all right. The Great Elder is his adoptive son and Personal Disciple, but the Supreme Elder serves the Tianyuan Sect, not just Immortal Sword Peak—”

Lin Tiancheng broke off mid-sentence, suddenly mindful of Qin Xiao’s presence. Find the original chapter at novеlping.com.

“All right. If that’s your decision, I’ll support you. You two talk. I’ll send Sister Qiuyue a message. This is no small trouble.”

Wen Yuanying was about to go outside.

“Elder Wen, why wasn’t my master’s wife outside the secret realm? Where did she go?”

Since Wen Yuanying had mentioned Ye Qiuyue, Qin Xiao asked about her.

“Word came from the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion that Tianyi suddenly gained an insight and needed to break through. Sister Qiuyue went back to oversee the pavilion.”

Wen Yuanying gave him a brief explanation.

Then she left to send the message, and Lin Tiancheng took control of the Flying Ship.

“Boy, can you tell me the truth now? I need to know how this happened. I can’t protect you without knowing what’s going on.”

Lin Tiancheng fixed Qin Xiao with a stern look.

Lin Tiancheng had other reasons to protect him too. One was his curiosity: how had Qin Xiao saved those three talents from a Soul Formation Demon Beast? A man capable of that would be worth keeping.

Ever since the Sect Disciple Recruitment, Qin Xiao had seemed like a different person. If his Soul Tablet had not remained normal, Lin Tiancheng would have suspected some powerful cultivator had taken over his body.

A Soul Tablet did more than reveal whether a disciple was alive. It held a wisp taken from the Main Soul. That wisp could not be used to contact or threaten the Main Soul, but the two were linked. If the Main Soul dissipated, the tablet would shatter.

The same happened when a body was taken over: the Main Soul dissipated, and the Soul Tablet shattered. Without Qin Xiao’s unchanged Soul Tablet, they really would have suspected possession. He had shocked them too much lately.

Since Lin Tiancheng had asked, Qin Xiao told him everything he could. He kept quiet about what he could not reveal, including the System and the supplies looted from the cave.

“So you really happened to find that entrance? And it happened to be the giant ape’s lair? And there happened to be a group of young apes inside? And you happened to tie them all up to threaten the other side? And your threats happened to work?”

After all those coincidences, Lin Tiancheng looked disbelieving.

“Sect Leader, you don’t have to tell me you don’t believe it. I don’t either! But it really was that much of a coincidence. Ling Wushuang of the Immortal Dao Merchant Association, Cang Xing of the Pure Yang Sect, and Su Lin of the Mysterious Yin Sect can all testify. I wasn’t the only one who escaped. Maybe I was lucky.”

Qin Xiao had not thought much of it at first. Only after Lin Tiancheng laid it all out did he find it hard to believe himself. But that was how it had happened.

It sounded easy in the telling. Had Qin Xiao made one mistake, he might have become the ape’s meal. Never mind five escaping—they would all have died on the second layer.

“Fine. I’ll take your word for it. What happened with Yao Kaidong, then?”

Lin Tiancheng still doubted it, but Qin Xiao had a point. He was not the only one who had escaped, so there was no need to make things up. The five survivors belonged to four different factions. Surely they could not all tell the same lie? The truth would become clear in time.