Luo Mengshen, Using Killing to End War

Princess Taiping was the one directing the Evil Sect?

After hearing Ying Huai's words, Ren Xiaoyao's expression naturally turned grim.

In truth, Ren Xiaoyao had suspected many people during this time. He had especially suspected his father, Ren Xuanji, who seemed the most suspicious to him. Ren Xuanji possessed enough power and status to command the Evil Sect to harm him, and he also had sufficient motive.

Yet the mastermind behind it all was Princess Taiping.

Ren Xiaoyao truly had not expected that.

After hearing Ying Huai's words, Li Chunfeng was equally bewildered as he said, "Ying Huai, have you made some mistake? The Evil Sect has an Old Grudge with me, so it is only natural for them to seek revenge on me. Even if we take ten thousand steps back and assume the Evil Sect was acting under someone's orders, that person should not have been Princess Taiping. Princess Taiping and Xiao Ren have neither grievance nor enmity between them!"

Li Chunfeng did not believe it either, for Princess Taiping had no motive to hire killers.

"At first, I did not suspect Princess Taiping either."

Ying Huai stroked his beard and said, "In fact, Phoenix and I had originally investigated the matter together and already closed the case."

"But not long ago, Fang Yuan discovered something. A crucial piece of evidence from the Evil Sect had been secretly taken away. After my covert investigation, I discovered that it was a portrait bearing Xiao Ren's likeness. That was when I realized something was amiss. The Evil Sect's target was not you, Li Chunfeng, but Xiao Ren!"

Ren Xiaoyao naturally knew of that portrait.

Back then, he had taken it from the Evil Sect's corpse, then put it back. He had done so to lure the snake from its hole and see whether he could fish out the person behind the scenes.

Previously, the portrait had apparently gone unnoticed by everyone. At that moment, Ren Xiaoyao knew that whoever had taken it must be an immensely powerful figure in Great Gan. Li Chunfeng, however, knew none of this. Hearing it now, he naturally widened his eyes and stared at Ying Huai in astonishment.

Ying Huai did not beat around the bush and continued, "Thus, through my secret investigation, I discovered that Princess Taiping had an Intertwined Connection with the Evil Sect. Before the Evil Sect came to the Imperial Observatory, they had even secretly met with Princess Taiping in the Capital City. That is why I inferred that Princess Taiping wanted Xiao Ren dead!"

Li Chunfeng's expression turned solemn as he nodded. "You are the Pavilion Master of the Facing Heaven Pavilion. Your intelligence network has never been wrong. Since you have made such an inference, it is basically true!"

But what exactly was Princess Taiping's motive?

Li Chunfeng could not understand it, and neither could Ren Xiaoyao. He was certain that neither he nor the original owner of this body had ever provoked Princess Taiping, so why had she gone to such lengths to take his life?

Ren Xiaoyao and Li Chunfeng both stared fixedly at Ying Huai.

Ying Huai Shook His Head and said, "I am not Princess Taiping, so naturally I do not understand her motive. Moreover, she is a princess. Having traced the matter to her, I can only stop there. I cannot continue investigating."

Leaving aside the fact that Ying Huai did not have conclusive evidence that Princess Taiping was responsible, even if the evidence were as solid as a mountain, he would not dare interrogate Princess Taiping. He did not even dare reveal this matter to the Empress.

Princess Taiping was simply too favored. Offending her would likely mean offending both the Empress and Princess Taiping at once, and the result would only be to set himself on fire. Even Ying Huai could not withstand that.

Ying Huai then looked at Ren Xiaoyao and said, "Xiao Ren, I will not investigate this matter any further. I came to the Imperial Observatory to warn you: in the future, be careful in all things. Remember not to leave your Master's protection, or your life will truly be in danger."

Ren Xiaoyao nodded. Although he now feared no one, he was still deeply grateful to Ying Huai. He also voiced the confusion in his heart. "Elder Ying, why do you take such good care of me?"

Ying Huai laughed heartily. "It is only right that I take care of you. Back then, your mother also took great care of me. You are her son, so naturally I will do everything I can to protect you."

Ying Huai mentioned Ren Xiaoyao's mother, Luo Mengshen, but he was unwilling to say much about her and quickly changed the subject. He then brought up Bai Su. "By the way, Bai Su's recent condition seems a little off. In the martial world, she appears to have been associating closely with experts from the Demonic Cult. Keep an eye on her. Do not let her go astray."

"The girl is grown now and has thoughts of her own. We cannot stop her."

Li Chunfeng was quite carefree. "Besides, what does it matter if she is close to the Demonic Cult? Is not our Princess Taiping colluding with the Evil Sect as well?"

"All right, all right, you have a point."

Li Chunfeng's retort left Ying Huai speechless, and he could only nod helplessly.

More than half an hour later, after Ying Huai and Fang Yuan left the Imperial Observatory, Li Chunfeng finally looked at Ren Xiaoyao and said, "I truly did not expect Princess Taiping to be so vicious. Her schemes run deep as well. Not long ago, she wanted to harm you, and now she wants to win you over."

"She does not want to win me over. The one she wants to win over is merely a Martial Artist in the Heavenly Human Realm."

A chill swept through Ren Xiaoyao's eyes. "Master, why do you think Princess Taiping wanted to harm me before?"

"All under heaven bustle for profit; all under heaven scurry for gain."

Li Chunfeng analyzed, "But there has been no exchange of interests between you and Princess Taiping. In that case, I think the issue does not lie with you. It most likely lies with your parents—Ren Xuanji and Luo Mengshen."

"If Princess Taiping's target were Ren Xuanji, however, she should not have acted against you. She should have acted against Ren Xuanji's other son, Ren Ruohai."

"After all, Ren Xuanji never liked you to begin with. Getting rid of you would mean nothing to him. Only by getting rid of Ren Ruohai could she make Ren Xuanji suffer. That leaves only one possibility: the karma left behind by your mother."

Li Chunfeng and Ren Xiaoyao made a bold analysis and ultimately reached a conclusion: Princess Taiping had previously ordered the Evil Sect to harm Ren Xiaoyao most likely because of Luo Mengshen.

What kind of person was this mother of mine?

Ren Xiaoyao grew even more curious about Luo Mengshen.

Of course, this was only speculation. To learn the truth, they would have to find Princess Taiping.

Ren Xiaoyao was not in a hurry, however. He was only at the Third Heaven of the Dao Realm. Though he appeared to stand at the pinnacle of Martial Dao, acting rashly would still be unwise and risky.

Once he reached the Dao Realm Fourth Heaven, or even the Dao Realm Fifth Heaven, and was certain that no one could threaten him, he would consider uncovering the truth of these matters. After all, the truth was far less important than his own safety.

For the next half month, Ren Xiaoyao lived peacefully. He cultivated every day and enjoyed himself at ease.

One day, Bai Su returned to the Imperial Observatory and told Ren Xiaoyao that Princess Taiping seemed to have given up on recruiting him. Instead, she was recruiting another disciple of the Imperial Observatory, Lin Ping.

"Xiao Lin really is something else. I have warned him several times that cooperating with Princess Taiping is no different from seeking a tiger's skin. In the end, he will definitely be eaten clean, but he simply refuses to listen!"

Bai Su sighed helplessly.

"Everyone has their own aspirations. You cannot stop them."

Ren Xiaoyao chuckled. "What about you, Senior Sister? Did Princess Taiping not try to recruit you? You are a Martial Artist in the Super-Rank Realm and the senior disciple of the Imperial Observatory. Recruiting you should have had even better results, shouldn't it?"

"I will not do something so foolish, lest I die without even knowing how."

Bai Su Shook His Head, then sighed. "But Xiao Lin is different from us. He has borne a Blood Sea Deep Grudge since childhood. I heard that his family possessed an inheritance of an invincible sword manual, which others coveted. As a result, his parents were murdered by enemies when he was young."

"He joined the Imperial Observatory in the hope that one day he could personally slay his enemies and avenge his parents. Now that Princess Taiping has offered him a broader stage and greater opportunities, he will naturally choose to join her."

Ren Xiaoyao nodded and offered no further judgment.

After all, everyone had their own path. Lin Ping choosing to join Princess Taiping was his own choice. But if one day Lin Ping helped Princess Taiping deal with him, Ren Xiaoyao would not show mercy either.

Ren Xiaoyao respected the choices of others, but he also respected his own life.

After being recruited by Princess Taiping, Lin Ping naturally tried his best to curry favor with Li Chunfeng. After all, his task was to build a bridge between Li Chunfeng and Princess Taiping.

Li Chunfeng remained as indifferent as ever toward everyone in the Imperial Observatory. Lin Ping felt as though he were pressing his warm face against a cold backside, and after being turned away time and again, he felt he was making a fool of himself. He could only temporarily give up.

One day, however, Lin Ping brought back a piece of news from the Capital City.

Lin Ping found Li Chunfeng and said, "Martial Uncle, Princess Taiping asked me to tell you that there seems to be an expert in the martial world recently who intends to challenge you. You must be careful."

Upon hearing Lin Ping's words, Li Chunfeng immediately frowned. His first instinct was that Princess Taiping had asked Lin Ping to deliver this message as a threat.

But upon further thought, he felt that was unlikely. Princess Taiping believed Li Chunfeng was in the Heavenly Human Realm, so she had no reason to provoke him.

Could someone truly be planning to challenge him?

Li Chunfeng's expression was grim.

He had long expected this day to come. A tall tree catches the wind. When he had been young, he had also challenged great experts throughout the martial world. Now, the boomerang had finally come back to strike him.

"Lin Ping, did Princess Taiping say who intends to challenge me?"

For once, Li Chunfeng asked Lin Ping a question.

Lin Ping Shook His Head. "She did not say. But if you wish to know, you may contact Princess Taiping yourself. Princess Taiping said that if you need it, she can provide you with any intelligence."

"That will not be necessary."

Li Chunfeng spoke calmly. "Thank Princess Taiping for me, but my affairs do not require her concern."

In truth, Li Chunfeng was quite nervous upon hearing that someone intended to challenge him. After all, he was no Heavenly Human and did not possess the strength to sweep everything aside.

But he knew that the one he could truly rely on was not Princess Taiping, but his disciple Ren Xiaoyao.

Very soon, Li Chunfeng found Ren Xiaoyao. Like a resentful woman, he complained, "Xiao Ren, what am I supposed to do? You have made me suffer terribly. You must take responsibility for me!"

"I will take responsibility to the very end."

Ren Xiaoyao gave an awkward smile.

But Li Chunfeng was dissatisfied. "You make it sound so easy. Now the entire martial world thinks I am the only Martial Artist in the Heavenly Human Realm. Next, I fear Martial Artists will come in an endless stream to challenge me. Just thinking about it gives me a headache! When one Martial Artist after another comes knocking, I will be annoyed to death!"

"Is that so?"

A sharp gleam appeared in Ren Xiaoyao's eyes. "I do have a way to solve this problem."

"What way? Let me hear it!"

Li Chunfeng looked curious.

"Use killing to end war."

Ren Xiaoyao spoke calmly.