Leaving a Bit of Hope for the World

"Who are you?"

Tang Ziqi asked cautiously. Meeting someone in a place like this, even if it was an old man, one couldn't let their guard down.

Moreover, in the martial arts world, cultivators of internal arts became more formidable with age, like old demons.

The unkempt old man stopped, opened one eye, and scanned Li Qingqiu and the other two, his gaze landing on Yan Wujin.

"Great Sun Yang Gong, what is your relationship with Zhao Yan?" the unkempt old man asked, his voice hoarse.

Hearing his question, Yan Wujin and Tang Ziqi's faces changed drastically.

Li Qingqiu felt like he had heard the name Zhao Yan somewhere before.

Wait.

The current Emperor's elder brother, the former Crown Prince, was named Zhao Yan, and he was also the one Wu Baoyu followed.

Tang Ziqi asked coldly, "And who are you? How do you recognize Great Sun Yang Gong?"

A sinister smile appeared on the unkempt old man's face, which was like tree bark. "You don't need to be nervous. Since you can inherit Great Sun Yang Gong, then we are family. I was the Grand Instructor of the Heavenly Guard Army under the former Crown Prince. My name is no longer important. You can call me Mad Old Freak. Everything from the past is irrelevant to me. I just want to live out my remaining years here in a state of blissful madness."

Tang Ziqi couldn't help but look back at Yan Wujin.

Yan Wujin took a step forward and said, "My father's letter said that after his death, the Heavenly Guard Army would surely be purged. Are you hiding here to escape the current Emperor's pursuit?"

"I did flee to the Tai Kun Mountain Range to escape the Third Prince's pursuit, but now I'm trapped here and can't get out."

Mad Old Freak said this and sat down on the ground.

Yan Wujin frowned and asked, "Is it because of the mist here?"

"Exactly. Although this miasma is not poisonous, it can trap people to death. I've been trapped here for nearly twenty years, living on raw meat and blood, barely surviving."

Mad Old Freak's words sent chills down Yan Wujin's and Tang Ziqi's spines. Trapped for twenty years?

This was too absurd!

Tang Ziqi suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Li Qingqiu, asking, "What about you? Why are you here?"

Yan Wujin and Mad Old Freak simultaneously turned their gazes to Li Qingqiu. They noticed that Li Qingqiu's robes were clean, and he didn't look like someone fleeing disaster.

Li Qingqiu smiled and said, "This is the back mountain of my sect. Why can't I come? I'm just taking a stroll."

Yan Wujin frowned deeply, while Tang Ziqi found Li Qingqiu too strange, making him inexplicably uncomfortable.

Mad Old Freak looked at Li Qingqiu and asked curiously, "You are a disciple of the Qingxiao Sect? Who is your master?"

"Lin Xunfeng."

"Ah, he was just a young lad back then, and now he's a master. Time flies so fast."

Mad Old Freak sighed, then his eyes flashed with ferocity, and his tone became chilling. "Since you are Lin Xunfeng's disciple, then True Master Qingxiao is your grandmaster. If he hadn't tolerated me and had even chased me back then, why would I have fled here? Very good, killing you will be considered revenge."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly threw the gourd in his hand, and a terrifying force shot towards Li Qingqiu, startling Yan Wujin, who quickly pulled Tang Ziqi back.

Crack!

Li Qingqiu caught the gourd, neutralizing the force. His arm did not tremble in the slightest, and his body remained as still as a mountain. This scene made Yan Wujin and Tang Ziqi's expressions change.

This brat is not simple!

Seeing this, Mad Old Freak narrowed his eyes and said, "To have such skill at such a young age, you are worthy of being remembered by me. What is your name? State it."

Li Qingqiu crushed the gourd in his hand and laughed, "Old geezer, you're quite ruthless!"

His right hand, suspended in the air, suddenly twisted, and two fingers flicked out an iron needle, piercing directly through Mad Old Freak's forehead.

Mad Old Freak's eyes widened, and he fell backward.

Yan Wujin could only vaguely see what Li Qingqiu had shot out. When he saw Mad Old Freak fall, he was horrified.

He could feel that Mad Old Freak's martial arts were no less than his own, yet such a powerful existence was instantly killed.

How many monsters are hidden in the Qingxiao Sect?

Tang Ziqi came back to his senses, trembling all over, and looked at Li Qingqiu in disbelief.

Before dawn, thick fog swirled in the forest. Tang Ziqi couldn't see Li Qingqiu's expression clearly. At this moment, Li Qingqiu seemed like a vengeful spirit in his eyes.

Yan Wujin was sweating profusely. With just that move, he felt he couldn't escape at all, especially since his injuries had not yet healed.

Tang Ziqi was also too terrified to move. For a moment, the forest fell silent, filled with oppressive tension.

Li Qingqiu shifted his gaze to Yan Wujin. He said nothing, but his gaze put immense pressure on Yan Wujin.

Clang--

Li Qingqiu suddenly drew the Heavenly Rainbow Sword from his waist. The sword light flashed, sweeping across the faces of Yan Wujin and Tang Ziqi.

Thump!

Tang Ziqi suddenly knelt down, crying and begging, "Please, senior, spare us. We cannot die, no, he cannot die!"

Hearing this, Yan Wujin lowered his head, his hands clenched tightly within his sleeves, filled with resentment.

Li Qingqiu asked, "Why can't he die?"

Tang Ziqi crawled forward a few steps, reaching Yan Wujin. He looked like a dog prostrating on the ground, his forehead touching the earth, gritting his teeth, "He is the son of the former Crown Prince Zhao Yan, the Imperial Grandson designated by the High Ancestor, the true Son of Heaven. His father was murdered by traitors, and he was left to wander the mortal world. The current Emperor is incompetent and easily believes in Yao. Not only has he brought chaos to the land, leaving countless people homeless, but the Yao Emperor also harbors greater ambitions. He desires immortality and, for that, has been secretly abducting young boys and girls, creating countless tragedies. Only when Yan Wujin overthrows the current imperial power can the world see the light again, and the common people usher in an era of peace and prosperity!"

"Enough!"

Yan Wujin said in a deep voice, his anger clearly at its peak.

Tang Ziqi turned to look at him and said hysterically, "Big Brother, you can't die, we can't die here. Even if we lose all dignity tonight, we have to beg him to spare our lives. You have a responsibility that prevents you from dying!"

Yan Wujin was caught in an internal struggle.

"You want to use the world to pressure me? You clearly provoked my Qingxiao Sect first, so why are you acting so wronged?" Li Qingqiu's tone remained unchanged.

Tang Ziqi turned back to look at him and quickly explained, "We had no choice. We had to build our influence from the martial world, gather power, and collect evidence of the current emperor's crimes. We chose the Qingxiao Sect because the Tai Kun Mountain Range is far from the secular world, and the imperial court rarely interferes here. We never intended to kill everyone; we just wanted to annex you. We would only resort to killing if you resisted with all your might."

Li Qingqiu did not sheathe his sword, nor did he speak, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

Tang Ziqi continued, "We admit our mistakes. We'll do whatever it takes to make amends, just please let us go. We can die, but we shouldn't die here!"

He felt true despair and unwillingness in his heart.

From the moment he met Yan Wujin, he had been shocked by his profound martial arts. After learning his story, he was filled with ambition. He thought that with Yan Wujin's powerful martial arts and his own status as a scion of a noble family, they could achieve great things.

He never expected that their sect would be crushed right after its founding. Now, in this desperate situation, he had to beg for mercy like a dog.

Tang Ziqi had always been a proud person since childhood, but at this moment, he was utterly humbled.

"You're his strategist, aren't you? He's been practicing martial arts all year round, so it's understandable that his mind isn't sharp. But you, as his strategist, before doing anything, you don't even investigate the opponent's situation? Can someone like you truly help him save all living beings in the world?"

Li Qingqiu's voice reached Tang Ziqi's ears, filling him with shame and leaving him unable to refute.

Yan Wujin's unwillingness was even greater than Tang Ziqi's. He didn't blame Tang Ziqi; if he had been strong enough, would they be in this situation?

"Leave in this direction, close your eyes, and don't open them. Only when you can no longer feel the cold air should you open them."

Li Qingqiu's words made Yan Wujin and Tang Ziqi look up in surprise. They saw Li Qingqiu raise his sword and point it diagonally in one direction.

"Thank you, senior!"

Tang Ziqi quickly bowed in thanks, then stood up, wanting to pull Yan Wujin away. However, he couldn't move Yan Wujin.

"You trust us so easily?" Yan Wujin couldn't help but ask. Tang Ziqi was anxious upon hearing this. Why was this guy suddenly being so foolish?

Li Qingqiu looked at him and replied, "It's not about trusting you. I just want to leave a sliver of hope for this world."

Yan Wujin gave him a deep look, then took a martial arts manual from his embrace and threw it to him, saying, "Our great undertaking may not succeed. This Great Sun Yang Art will be left with the Qingxiao Sect."

He turned and led Tang Ziqi in the direction Li Qingqiu had pointed, and they soon disappeared into the thick fog.

Li Qingqiu opened the Great Sun Yang Art and read a few pages. Seeing that there were no hidden weapons or poison, he put it away with peace of mind.

He walked in the direction indicated by his good fortune memory, but childhood memories kept flooding his mind.

Before he was even one year old, his father, in order to join the Linchuan Li clan, impersonated a member of the Li clan who had been lost outside. However, when his father brought him and his mother to the Linchuan Li clan's ancestral mansion, there was a Yao Dao inside who declared him an unlucky child and that he must be abandoned. Only by not entering the Li clan's genealogy would his parents be allowed to join the Li clan.

His parents agreed and abandoned him outside the city. Before parting, they told him they would be father and son, mother and son again in the next life.

In the past, Li Qingqiu didn't hate the Li clan, as his father was not a true member of the Li clan. He didn't hate his parents either, considering it repayment for the grace of giving birth to him.

Only now did he understand why they were being pursued when his master took him.

Even if his father joined the Li clan, he would only be an ordinary member. The real reason was that the emperor wanted to capture young boys. If not for his master's rescue, it was hard to imagine what fate would have befallen him.

Perhaps that Yao Dao was arranged by the emperor. The Li clan's rise to prominence was likely closely related to the emperor.

Recalling this past, Li Qingqiu quickened his pace.

The miasma here was not poisonous, but it could confuse the senses. To avoid getting lost, one had to keep their eyes on the ground. However, there were other beasts in the miasma, making it difficult for anyone within to constantly stare at the ground.

Looking closely, although fallen leaves were piled on the ground, a faint path could be seen. This was a path taken by predecessors.

As he walked, the morning sun shone into the forest, but the surroundings remained a vast expanse of white.

After walking about twenty li, he began to see human skeletons along the way, still wearing clothes. He did not stop. He had to find the giant tree first before examining the bodies along the route.

This tree could become his good fortune, which meant that for the current Li Qingqiu, there would be no threats on this path.

Thanks to JGXHYH for the 500 Origin Coins reward~