"Brother Ming, it's really been a long time since we've seen each other, almost twenty years without contact. I thought you had forgotten about me," Liu Tianming said with a smile.

"Your Majesty is too kind. I've always been entangled in trivial matters, and after several turns, I ended up in the Black Wind Desert, truly having no time at all," Yuan Ming replied with a bitter smile.

"Never mind, never mind, I was just speaking offhand. You've been alone outside, and cultivation isn't easy after all. How could I hold this against you? Besides, I've been a former monarch for quite some time now, so there is no need to address me as Your Majesty. It feels strange, just call me Tianming," Liu Tianming said as he led Yuan Ming into the house to sit down.

This underground stone house seemed not to have been built in haste. The space inside was not small, large enough to accommodate dozens of people living here, and it was furnished with all kinds of furniture, all of which bore the signs of use. It seemed that someone had lived here for a considerable time.

"When I was in power, I wanted to turn this place into a secret base for our agents. The framework had just been set up when I inadvertently stepped onto the Immortal Path and had to leave it unfinished. I didn't expect it would come in handy now," Liu Tianming explained upon seeing Yuan Ming's curiosity about the stone house.

Yuan Ming nodded and, noticing Liu Tianming fetching a jar of wine from who knows where, asked, "Tianming, it seems you have reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. Why not stay in the Chang Chun Temple and cultivate diligently, striving for an early breakthrough to Core Formation? Did you come to the Capital also regarding the matter of Zuo Qinghui?"

"Haha, you can't hide anything from Brother Ming! Indeed, I came for this matter, but the issue with Zuo Qinghui might be somewhat different from what you think."

"At first, when Zuo Qinghui disappeared, nobody took it seriously. After all, he was just an ordinary Core Formation Elder with modest cultivation, and he was old. He had only been missing for a little over ten years, and usually, even his disciples didn't see him much in the sect, let alone other elders. It was even possible they wouldn't notice he had gone missing."

"However, Cha Yancai, the elder responsible for thoroughly investigating this matter in the Capital seems to have had some private dealings with Zuo Qinghui. It was she who first reported to the sect that Zuo Qinghui was missing, and she even claimed with certainty, despite lacking evidence, that Zuo Qinghui must have been murdered."

"For some reason, the sect suddenly took this matter very seriously and assigned Cha Yancai to thoroughly investigate it. They ultimately traced it back to you, but they were still unable to find conclusive evidence that Zuo Qinghui had been killed by you. Cha Yancai spent years unable to trace your whereabouts and later came up with the distasteful idea of using your parents as leverage. However, with me manoeuvring within the temple and lobbying several Core Formation Elders of the Imperial Family lineage, in the end, they only monitored and searched without using any other means," Liu Tianming said as he poured wine for himself and Yuan Ming.

Hearing that a Chang Chun Temple elder had once thought of harming his parents, Yuan Ming's expression darkened. Then, he stood up and solemnly bowed to Liu Tianming, expressing his gratitude:

"Ah, Tianming, I really owe you for this one. Otherwise, I dare not think of what might have happened."

Liu Tianming waved his hand dismissively: "It's actually a minor thing. Those old fellows also have their own descendants. If they were to set a precedent for harming relatives, they too would suffer the consequences in the future. Besides, there was a dispute about this within the temple itself. Many elders disagreed with that approach. I merely went with the flow."

"Moreover, so many years have passed; to be honest, aside from Cha Yancai, there are not many now within the temple who still pay attention to this matter. They are much more concerned about the recently emerged Shura Palace," Liu Tianming continued.

"But, Brother Ming, give it to me straight – did you kill Zuo Qinghui?"

Yuan Ming raised his cup: "He died by my hand, indeed, but it was accidental. He took an interest in my ability to earn Spirit Stones, wishing to make me his servant. At first, he underestimated me, and I seriously injured him using a formation. Yet, he still retained formidable combat power. I nearly exhausted all my means before finally defeating him and killing him."

Hearing this, Liu Tianming was surprised and repeatedly praised Yuan Ming for his formidable strength.

After drinking together for a while, Liu Tianming suddenly asked, "By the way, Brother Ming, you mentioned you ended up in the Black Wind Desert. If I remember correctly, the Shura Palace also appeared there. Do you know the inside story?"

"Not only do I know about it, but I even entered it myself. Fortunately, with the protection of the Nascent Soul Ancestor from the Spirit Talisman Sect, I was able to come out unscathed," Yuan Ming said, partly in truth and partly fabrication.

"Ah? I heard that a peerless devil emerged from within the Shura Palace. Except for the Nascent Soul Ancestor from the Spirit Talisman Sect, only a few lucky individuals who managed to take treasures and leave early survived. I didn't expect you, Brother Ming, to also be involved? Tell me, what exactly happened inside?" Liu Tianming asked with even greater surprise and curiosity.

Yuan Ming found himself obliged to narrate his experiences briefly but only up to the battle for the Spiritual Treasures on the third layer of the high tower. Afterwards, he lied, claiming he was thrown out of the Shura Palace by Golden Dawn Fairy and knew nothing about what happened later.

Sometimes, knowing too much is not a good thing. Yuan Ming might soon be facing the Wuyue Sect, and if Liu Tianming were to learn of this, he would certainly get involved. Since he had not yet reached Core Formation, it was better not to get involved.

"…So that's how it was. To think so much happened within the Shura Palace. Sigh, it's also fortunate that you were thrown out at that time; otherwise, you might have been in trouble as well, given that even Ancestor Wan Qi met his end in there, the danger was unimaginable," Liu Tianming reflected after hearing Yuan Ming's account.

"Oh, and do you know how Golden Dawn Fairy managed to survive in the end?" Yuan Ming asked, pretending to be casual.

"How would I know about that? I've merely heard that even the Supreme Grand Elder, who had long been in seclusion, was stirred by this event. He personally took action, joining forces with the Five Thunder Sect and the Guiyuan Sect's ancestors to approach the Spirit Talisman Sect for inquiries, and they have yet to return," Liu Tianming said.

Yuan Ming nodded silently, contemplating the possible countermeasures that Golden Dawn Fairy might have taken.

So many Nascent Soul cultivators died because of the Shura Palace incident. If Golden Dawn Fairy couldn't give a good explanation, she probably wouldn't get off easily.

But soon, he shrugged it off with a self-deprecating laugh. Having dealt with Nascent Soul cultivators for so long, he had almost forgotten that he was just a minor Core Formation cultivator. As long as Golden Dawn Fairy did not expose his identity, no one would associate the deaths of the Nascent Soul cultivators with him.

"Since no one is paying attention to the matter of Zuo Qinghui's disappearance anymore, Tianming, why don't you return to Chang Chun Temple?" After some thought, Yuan Ming shifted the conversation back.

"Ah, it's all for the sake of finding an opportunity to break through to Core Formation. To be honest, I'm puzzled. Isn't it said that Brother Ming, your talent is lacking? How come you not only have superior methods but also reached Core Formation faster than I did?" Liu Tianming rolled his eyes, asking in confusion.

"Hehe, I was just lucky. I found a treasure in the Southern Border, and later, in the Black Wind Desert, I was able to make use of a specialty there, the Insect Pill," Yuan Ming didn't elaborate.

His ascension to Core Formation was something he couldn't hide. Rather than trying to conceal it, he simply acknowledged openly that he had encountered an opportunity in the Southern Border.

While it was enviable to be able to make use of the Insect Pill through such an opportunity, it wasn't of much use to Core Formation Cultivators. Besides, with his current strength, even a Nascent Soul Early Stage wouldn't necessarily be able to detain him.

"The Southern Border, huh... Well, if there's a chance, I may also take a look. Maybe I'll find my own opportunity," Tianming said thoughtfully.

"That's a good idea. If you run into any trouble there, just call me over. I have some acquaintances there who can help you out a lot," Yuan Ming nodded.

"Hehe, don't worry, I won't be shy if I really need it."

Liu Tianming chuckled twice, raised his cup to clink with Yuan Ming's, and then both of them drank their wine in one gulp.

"But although most people in the temple no longer care about Zuo Qinghui's disappearance, Brother Ming, you still shouldn't be careless," Liu Tianming took a deep breath, caressing his cup before speaking again.

"Oh? How so?" Yuan Ming placed his cup down and asked.

"It's still about Cha Yancai's issue; this woman has a cruel temperament and is extremely strict with her subordinates. During the Foundation Establishment Stage, she even caused a scandal where a disciple was pressured to death. It caused quite an uproar at the time, but ultimately, her master suppressed the incident. Since then, even though she has restrained her temper quite a bit, her persistent and severe approach to things hasn't changed, and only after she broke through to Core Formation and stopped handling mundane affairs did the news about her decrease," Liu Tianming said.

"Sounds like a tough nut to crack," Yuan Ming mused.

"Indeed, and moreover, she seems to have had a personal relationship with Zuo Qinghui. They were quite close, so even up to now, Cha Yancai is still obsessed with this matter and refuses to give up," Liu Tianming put down his cup as well and said.

"Speaking of which, I also have some doubts. While it's true that Zuo Qinghui died by my hand, with no witnesses and no evidence, Zuo Qinghui's disciples didn't realize it immediately; why is Cha Yancai so certain it has something to do with me?" Yuan Ming asked again.

"Actually, there are two main reasons; one is that before his death, Zuo Qinghui used his connections to inquire about you, and the second is because of the clerk from your Spiritual Fragrance Shop," Liu Tianming said.

"Hu Tu? Or Mu Yang?" Yuan Ming's brows furrowed.

Liu Tianming nodded: "Both were caught by Cha Yancai. She once personally visited Little Lake City in Thunder Continent, there she pinpointed your false identity, Hagon, and then followed the trail, eventually finding Hu Tu and the others. After being captured, Cha Yancai tortured them for information, and they quickly caved under the pressure, spilling everything about you and mentioned that after you left with Zuo Qinghui, you never showed up again."

"Are Hu Tu and the others still alive?" Yuan Ming suddenly asked.

"They are just minor characters, Cha Yancai didn't pay much attention to them. Although they are still alive, they've been reduced to almost invalids," Liu Tianming sighed.

Hearing this, Yuan Ming clenched his fists tightly.

He didn't blame Hu Tu and his accomplice for revealing information, as they were merely Qi Refinement cultivators, without any power to resist against a Core Formation being.

But what did they have to do with Zuo Qinghui's death? Now, simply because of their association with him, they had been tortured into invalids. Yuan Ming felt a sense of guilt and his killing intent towards Cha Yancai intensified.

"As I said, the idea of using your parents as leverage was also first proposed by Cha Yancai. Although I managed to persuade her otherwise, and it was not adopted by the other Core Formation Elders, given her unscrupulous nature in achieving her goals, she might take matters into her own hands. I'm still in the Capital primarily to prevent the worst-case scenario," Liu Tianming said.

Yuan Ming fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "What if Cha Yancai also died, who would Chang Chun Temple send to investigate?"

"Brother Ming, I advise you not to entertain such thoughts. The Imperial Family's influence in the Chang Chun Temple isn't strong. The death of a Zuo Qinghui could still withstand the pressure, but if Cha Yancai were to die as well, they might not be willing to exonerate you anymore. By then, you could really end up on Chang Chun Temple's wanted list, pursued relentlessly," Liu Tianming was startled by Yuan Ming's words, spilling some of the wine he'd just raised in his cup, and immediately advised him.

"So what if that happens? I haven't been idle these years outside; if they dare come after me, they'd better be ready to join Cha Yancai in the afterlife," Yuan Ming's eyes flashed coldly, calmly refilling Liu Tianming's cup, while saying this.

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