Another day passed.
Li An lay on the bed, silently contemplating.
He carefully recalled the details of the scene—
The fake jade talisman in Jing Ao’s hand had already been thoroughly cleaned up with no trace remaining.
As for giving Jing Ao a fake talisman—there was now no evidence, and no one would ever find out.
Back when Elder Li Yuan questioned him, it was clear he had used some secret art to observe him. But Li An had already built a fixed narrative in his mind, so his answers had no flaws.
The only thing he still worried about was the storage pouch hidden at the bottom of the old well in Market District.
That pouch held far too many things.
There was the Second-Grade Ghost Light Lotus he had obtained over a decade ago in the Spirit Beast Mountains, as well as the Second-Grade Violet Soul Grass, the Yin-Yang Demonic Furnace Technique, numerous magical artifacts from his first kill of a demonic cultivator, and the two Second-Grade spirit herbs he took from Horse Face of Death’s storage pouch.
If it were ever discovered—
His decade of hard work and accumulation would go up in smoke.
Fortunately, Market District was now a ruin under reconstruction.
No one would think to dig at the bottom of an old well, so it was likely safe.
For now, the main concern wasn’t the Foundation Establishment Pill.
But something else entirely:
Why did Horse Face of Death die in Market District?
He had already been deeply suspicious three days ago during the battle.
Li An had witnessed the entire fight, and he was certain—something wasn’t right.
Horse Face of Death… a notorious demonic cultivator with a bloody trail of exterminated cultivation clans, a scourge that Clear Sun Sect had failed to destroy for years…
A person like that wouldn’t lack keen intuition in combat, Nor would he be reckless or act out of impulse.
Yet when his identity was exposed, instead of fleeing, Horse Face of Death actually chose to stay and fight Han Zhong and the others until the bitter end?
That was suicide.
Even more suspicious. He was “fatally injured” by Han Zhong using Yu Xiong?
That seemed plausible… but not fitting for someone of Horse Face of Death’s experience.
This was a man who had lived on the knife’s edge—
He wouldn’t fall for such an obvious trick.
After thinking it through, Li An came to a chilling possibility:
Horse Face of Death was seeking death on purpose.
His heart sank.
No one wants to die…
Unless it's to live again, in a better way.
Could it be that…
Horse Face of Death wasn’t truly dead at all?
Li An abruptly closed his eyes and began mentally reviewing the Yin-Yang Demonic Furnace Technique over and over again.
He was certain—this was the key to what happened in Market District.
“During the advancement of the spiritual root, the original body and cauldron must be destroyed. A new host must be found. The better the host’s root quality and cultivation, the better the result.”
“To seize a root with the demonic furnace, a Third-Grade spirit herb is needed, and the host must have no Heart Demon…”
His eyes suddenly snapped open.
“Clear Sun Sect believed Horse Face of Death needed a Third-Grade spirit herb, but what if that was just a smokescreen he deliberately released? What if… he never lacked the herb at all?!”
“And what if… he never had a Heart Demon either?!”
“The so-called grudge against me—his obsession with killing me for selling fake talismans—what if it was all a pretense? A performance, staged precisely to mislead everyone?”
“After all, how could a Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator be so petty as to develop a Heart Demon over a few fake talismans?”
“So he made Clear Sun Sect believe he needed pills. Made them think I was his Heart Demon. That way, the sect would create a trap…”
“But if he didn’t actually need herb, and had no Heart Demon—then the entire operation was a setup by Horse Face of Death!”
“A scheme… within a scheme.”
“And if that’s true, then it makes perfect sense why he didn’t go intercept the Foundation Establishment Pills. Instead, he came to kill me, Dying like this, in front of everyone, makes it seem like his end was believable, If he died while trying to rob herb, it might raise suspicion…”
“Now, the entire Clear Sun Sect is convinced he’s truly dead!”
Li An was certain that even if he hadn’t uncovered the whole picture, he was already very close to the truth.
Then came the most terrifying question:
“Why would Horse Face of Death go to such lengths to stage this?”
“Was he already at the critical point of advancing his spiritual root, and just waiting for Clear Sun Sect to fall into his plan?”
“Could it be… he’s already possessed someone within Clear Sun Sect during the chaos?!”
A chill crept up Li An’s spine.
If that were true…
Then Horse Face of Death was now hiding somewhere in Clear Sun Sect, preparing to act as an inside agent for the Yin-Yang Demonic Sect.
If that was the case…
Then the entire sect was in grave danger.
Li An questioned whether he was overthinking it.
What if Horse Face of Death really did die?
But he quickly shook his head.
He had to plan for the worst-case scenario.
If this was true, then he now faced a choice:
Li An weighed the benefits of both.
If he were to warn the sect, he needed to be very careful about how he did it. He had to be ready to handle scrutiny, suspicion, and investigation.
If he chose silence, he would have to avoid all sect power centers and always keep escape plans ready.
Just then—
Knock knock.
A knock came at the door.
“Come in,” Li An said, quickly composing himself.
The door opened.
In walked the stunningly beautiful Xu Qiuhui, but this time, she wasn’t alone.
Following her was a stooped old woman.
She wore a gray robe adorned with spiritual threadwork and carried a gold-inlaid cane.
Her expression was dignified, her manner grave.
“Junior Brother Li,” Xu Qiuhui said, “this is Elder Yu, a Core Elder of the Inner Sect. She heard about your injuries and came to check on you personally.”
Li An’s heart stirred.
He had heard of this woman before.
Yu Hui, one of Clear Sun Sect’s four Fake Core Elders, and the junior martial sister of Clear Sun True Lord himself.
He had also heard from Zhao Xianchuan that this woman was Chen Cheng’s grandmother.
If not for her backing, Chen Cheng wouldn’t have been able to break Zhao Xianchuan’s arm and strip him of his disciple status without consequence.
“Disciple greets Elder Yu!” Li An quickly stood and bowed.
“No need, no need,” Elder Yu said, waving her hand, “You’re injured. Sit down and rest.”
Her deeply wrinkled face curved into a faint smile as she took a seat.
Xu Qiuhui poured her a cup of tea.
“Are you recovering well?” the old woman asked gently.
“I am, thank you for your concern, Elder Yu,” Li An replied respectfully.
“Mmm. I hear from this little girl that you’re in your forties? But you look like you’re still in your twenties.”
“I’m already forty-six, Elder. I just took a Youth-Retaining Pill many years ago. That’s why I appear a bit younger.”
Li An remained humble.
Elder Yu nodded. “Forty-six, and Fifth Layer of Qi Refining… Do you still intend to pursue Foundation Establishment?”
Li An’s heart stirred—
The old fox was finally showing her tail.
(End of Chapter)