The messenger was still sobbing, muttering incoherently, “Everyone’s saying… they’re saying even Heaven couldn’t stand to watch that demon Daoist uncle run wild anymore, so it struck him down with thunder… killed him with a bolt of lightning…”
Just thinking of how horrific Uncle Qiu looked when he was struck, the young Daoist felt chills run down his spine.
Li Changqing slammed the table and shouted sternly, “Nonsense! Utter nonsense! You’re a cultivator too—how can you believe such superstitious drivel?!”
But despite his words, his mood was at its worst.
Qiu Chuying was his fellow disciple. Back then, the two of them had conspired to frame the Mount Mao Sect and curse Princess Baorong with illness. They’d worked hard on that scheme.
He was the one in the capital setting up formations to “identify” the culprit, while Qiu Chuying acted as the insider—deliberately accusing the Mount Mao Sect of casting a curse on Baorong.
That led to the deaths of over a thousand people, both from the Mount Mao Sect and the local authorities.
Ever since then, the Mount Mao Sect had been hunting Qiu Chuying.
But he came up with a plan—he murdered the original master and disciple pair who ran the Huang Daxin Temple, hid their corpses in a secret tunnel, and had Qiu Chuying take their place. To outsiders, he simply said the previous priests had gone on a pilgrimage.
The matter had been tightly sealed ever since.
All these years, the Mount Mao people searched for Qiu Chuying but found nothing.
And now—how could it be such a coincidence?
His Highness had just arranged for their intel to be sent through Qiu Chuying, and the very next moment—Qiu Chuying was struck dead by lightning?!
The young Daoist cried harder. “Master, I’m not making this up! If you go outside and see for yourself… so many people saw it! They saw the statue weep tears of blood, and then the Shuntian Prefecture officers dug out piles of bones…”
Even though he was a practitioner, that scene had terrified him to the core.
Li Changqing closed his eyes, his expression worsening.
Of course there were corpses in that temple—not just the two murdered priests, but also the children they’d kidnapped to train as death warriors. The ones who disobeyed or died from illness had all been stuffed into the hidden tunnel.
It was over.
He could feel it—Qiu Chuying’s death meant things were spiraling out of control.
His heart pounded uncontrollably, even his right eyelid twitched. He lowered his voice: “Go to Duke Cheng’s manor—no, go find Lord Zhu Bin instead…”
Duke Cheng was an old fox, always siding with whoever had the upper hand. He’d already started distancing himself from Duke Chu.
But Zhu Bin—he had always worked for Duke Chu. His rise in rank was thanks to the Duke and His Highness.
He was still reliable.
Li Changqing took a deep breath. “Stop crying! The sky hasn’t fallen yet! Go tell Lord Zhu everything. He must find a way to suppress this matter.”
He paused, then added, “Also—tell Lord Zhu to kill Jiang Yanzhen.”
The young Daoist was still dazed and confused.
But Li Changqing had lost all patience. He smacked the boy hard on the head and shouted, “Did you hear me clearly? Snap out of it!”
Only then did the boy jolt back to his senses and nod frantically. “Yes! Yes!”
And with that, he bolted off.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Feng household was odd.
After Feng Caiwei’s fate was declared to be “Phoenix-born,” Madam Feng had been ecstatic. The grief of losing her grandson seemed to be washed away by this stroke of luck.
She wept tears of joy. “I knew it! I knew Caiwei was blessed! She’s always been born under a lucky star!”
But strangely, the one who should have been the happiest—Feng Yuzhang—was anything but.
He didn’t echo Madam Feng’s joy. Instead, he looked at her coldly and said, “This matter is far too suspicious. Don’t celebrate too early. And do not go blabbing about it outside.”
Madam Feng, doused like with a bucket of cold water, looked at him in confusion. “What’s wrong with you? We came all this way back from disaster, waited all these years—wasn’t it for this moment?”
Why now, when such a great thing had fallen into their laps, was Feng Yuzhang so displeased?
He let out a cold laugh. “Happy?”
He frowned. “I’m afraid it’s another one of her clever little tricks.”
Heavenly omens aren’t so easily manipulated.
Judging by Xiao Yunting’s reaction, he didn’t seem like someone who’d be swayed by a few lines of flattery.
More likely, he would suspect the Feng family of orchestrating this.
He coldly reminded Madam Feng, “Have you forgotten? It was Li Changqing who once claimed the Emperor and Crown Prince couldn’t coexist—that kings couldn’t see kings. He’s the Eastern Palace’s enemy—why would he suddenly be so kind as to help us?”
Something was clearly off.
Unable to sit still any longer, he sternly warned Madam Feng not to get carried away, then stormed off toward Feng Caiwei’s courtyard.
Feng Caiwei was reading, truly relaxed this time.
She was waiting to see how Xiao Yunting and Qi Yuan would deal with a crisis even the Crown Prince had once been powerless against.
She was especially curious about Xiao Yunting’s reaction.
Tsk tsk. What would he choose?
Power—or the girl?
A man couldn’t have it all.
The more she thought about it, the more amused she felt, and finally burst out laughing.
Just then, Feng Yuzhang strode in. Seeing her laughing, his face went cold. He asked sternly, “What’s your relationship with Li Changqing? How do you two know each other?”
Feng Caiwei closed her book and calmly shook her head. “Grandfather, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”
As if.
Feng Yuzhang grew anxious. “Don’t play dumb! Li Changqing was once with Duke Chu and Qi Wang—do you think he’s any kind of decent man? If you’re colluding with him, even the Empress won’t forgive you!”
You think a “Phoenix fate” can change everything?
Too naive.
He’d seen what Xiao Yunting was capable of—if he said he’d kill, he would kill.
Feng Yuzhang stared coldly at his granddaughter, inwardly filled with disappointment.
She couldn’t even see this clearly, yet still thought she was clever.
Just as Feng Caiwei was about to speak, the Feng family’s Third Master burst in, panting. “Second Brother—something’s happened! Did you hear? That Daoist Qiu at the Huang Daxin Temple in the west of the city—he was struck dead by lightning! They dug out piles of bones and gold underneath!”
Feng Caiwei’s hands clenched, her face paling.
Of course she knew what the Huang Daxin Temple was.
She had just recently sent someone there with a message.
So why, all of a sudden, had Daoist Qiu been struck by lightning?!
Feng Yuzhang did not miss her reaction. At once, he understood—and slapped her hard across the face.
