Hearing this, Li Yan was about to be polite, but Shuang Qingqing stopped him with a wave of her hand.
"I won't say much more to you. There's still some time before I meet with Bai Yihe. You two head back to the place we agreed on before and wait for Bai Rou there. I still need to prepare some things!"
All three of them knew that Meng Shangmo probably wouldn't rescue Bai Rou immediately, lest Bai Yihe become alert after discovering Bai Rou was missing, making him even harder to deal with. And Shuang Qingqing's goal, of course, was to expose the ugly face of his ancestors, to restore the truth of what happened back then, and more importantly, to commemorate Shen Yuhuan, whom she could never forget.
"Senior, must it be this way? Now that Senior Meng has agreed to help, as long as we are willing, he should be able to bring Senior Sister Bai out very soon. You just need to leave a jade slip and have either Senior Chongfeng or Senior Shuiyue deliver it. Why must you go into danger alone!"
Li Yan knew that Shuang Qingqing had absolutely no evidence to prove her innocence back then, let alone to say that Bai Fengtian was the problem. But Shuang Qingqing insisted on meeting Shuang Fengyan. Although Shuang Qingqing should have the ability to escape, why was this necessary? If it were him, as long as he could make the matter clear and have a clear conscience, that would be enough. When the opportunity arose in the future, he would naturally reclaim everything. Why insist on doing something he knew was impossible?
"I've recovered a lot of my memories. When I was at the Qi Condensation stage, I was accepted as a nominal disciple by my Master. At that time, she was already a lofty Golden Core expert. With her status in the clan back then, she had many better choices for a disciple, but in the end, Master only took me, the weakest one, and she only ever took one disciple. She always treated me as her own daughter. Now that my memories have returned, I know I am no match for Shuang Fengyan, but since I have returned to the Verdant Continent by some twist of fate, perhaps this is heaven's will."
"As cultivators, we all know that some things are just the reincarnation under the Rules of Heaven and Earth. Now that Bai Rou is basically safe, I will follow my heart. At my level of cultivation, as long as I don't have any lingering attachments, I will surely have to look for an ascension node soon. The Chaotic Flow Space associated with the ascension node is even more terrifying; it's not comparable to the Chaotic Flow Space between the continents of the Lower Realm. If I were to truly perish in the Chaotic Flow Space, then no one would ever speak of what happened to my Master. This time, I must see Shuang Fengyan!"
Shuang Qingqing stretched out her fair wrist and gently tucked a loose strand of black hair behind her ear with her fingers. At this moment, she appeared exceptionally calm.
Seeing this, Li Yan knew that further persuasion was useless.
Don't be fooled by Senior Shuang Qingqing's usual foxy and flirtatious demeanor and extremely flighty personality. In her bones, she was fiercely proud. Once she set her mind on something, it was very difficult for her to give up easily. Just as she had described before, even someone like Bai Rou, who was particularly attached to her own sect, was eventually brought to the Verdant Continent after her relentless persuasion. This showed just how persistent she was once she set her mind on something.
"Senior, take this Voice Transmission Talisman with you!"
As Li Yan spoke, he handed a Voice Transmission Talisman over.
"This is…"
"Senior Shuang, this is Senior Meng's Voice Transmission Talisman. He may have already gone to the Tianli Clan. He wanted me to tell you, 'Why must you follow Bai Yihe's pace?' At that time, if you receive a transmission from Senior Meng, you can go over immediately. He will have some things to say to you."
Hearing Li Yan's words, Shuang Qingqing was first startled, then her eyes lit up. It was as if a window had suddenly opened in her mind. She was an intelligent person. With her cunning, she naturally knew that she couldn't let Bai Yihe lead her by the nose. But some things were simply beyond her current ability to control. Coupled with Bai Rou falling into the other party's hands, her mind was in turmoil, and she could only consider how to rescue Bai Rou. Naturally, she would take it one step at a time, based on what Bai Yihe said.
"Oh, is that what Meng Shangmo said?"
"Precisely!"
...
Tianli Clan. This morning, a clear and pleasant voice suddenly shot into the clouds, echoing throughout the entire clan.
"Bai Yihe, get out here!"
The voice reverberated in the sky for a long time without dissipating.
Under such a huge commotion, cultivator after cultivator immediately flew out from the entire clan. Then, they looked up at the figure in the sky with some astonishment.
"It's Elder Qingqing!"
"Such a grand display. Why does it look like Elder Qingqing has had a falling out with the Second Elder…"
"Elder Qingqing has always been good-tempered. Today, she seems like a completely different person!"
"..."
In the sky, Shuang Qingqing exuded a chilling killing intent. She stood in the air, her purple gauze dress fluttering in the wind, her posture graceful. A pair of beautiful eyes looked down on the area below.
Just as those Tianli Clan cultivators were at a loss and dared not approach, a space suddenly fluctuated slightly. In an instant, a refined cultivator in his thirties appeared a thousand zhang in front of Shuang Qingqing.
He was dressed in a white robe, with handsome features, and was staring at Shuang Qingqing with an equally cold gaze. And beside the refined cultivator, a youth who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old appeared just as phantom-like. The moment his figure solidified, he spoke in a clear, youthful voice, full of dissatisfaction.
"Shuang Qingqing, to do such a thing in front of so many junior clansmen, right here in our clan, what are you trying to do?"
This youth, though seemingly slender, had an aura that faintly pulsed, an invisible pressure that shook the four directions, making the Tianli Clan cultivators tremble with fear. He was the Third Elder of the Tianli Clan. At this moment, he was extremely annoyed. Had this Shuang Qingqing taken the wrong medicine today? Was there anything that couldn't be discussed privately among the three of them, that she had to shout and yell in front of these juniors?
He then shot a sidelong glance at Bai Yihe and saw the same bone-chilling coldness in his eyes. In his opinion, anyone would be angry to be reprimanded like this in front of their clansmen. Ever since this Shuang Qingqing returned to the clan, she had been known to wander about, lacking any of the demeanor of an elder. Today, she had completely lost her usual easygoing nature.
The Third Elder was also somewhat displeased by this. An elder should have an elder's demeanor. But given Shuang Qingqing's formidable strength, even he and Bai Yihe together could not suppress her. Plus, he also knew that this Shuang Qingqing had amnesia, and most importantly, she was the person the Great Elder had been looking for all this time. So he had also been placating Shuang Qingqing on the surface, waiting for Shuang Fengyan's return.
But during this period, Shuang Qingqing had suddenly disappeared. This Third Elder had no choice but to go to Bai Yihe to discuss the matter. Bai Yihe, however, said he knew where Shuang Qingqing was and that she would return soon, so there was no need to worry about her not coming back.
Unexpectedly, early this morning, this Shuang Qingqing had come running back, and in front of all the clansmen, she had called for Bai Yihe to come out. This made him wonder if Shuang Qingqing knew of their intentions. However, that she was now only targeting Bai Yihe was beyond his expectations.
"Why am I doing this? You should ask Bai Yihe. As a powerful and lofty elder of the clan, why did he capture a junior? What clan rule did Bai Rou break?"
Shuang Qingqing's words stunned the youthful-looking Third Elder. He really didn't know about this matter. He was part of Shuang Fengyan's faction, and Bai Yihe was also wary of him in some matters.
"That low-level disciple was captured by Bai Yihe?"
The Third Elder turned to Bai Yihe with a puzzled look, his eyes filled with questions.
That Bai Rou was indeed extremely talented in the art of puppetry. She never socialized with others, spending her days engrossed in the study of puppetry. Such a person rarely attracted the attention of others. If Shuang Qingqing hadn't brought it up, the Third Elder would have almost forgotten about this young cultivator. In the Third Elder's view, Shuang Qingqing herself was the one who deserved the most attention and caution.
That incident happened a long, long time ago. To this day, he even still doubted whether this Shuang Qingqing was the same person from back then. According to the time and cultivation level, a Nascent Soul stage Shuang Qingqing should have perished an unknown number of years ago. But this returned Shuang Qingqing never said why she had lived so long, and her cultivation was still so "low." After being tested by the clan, it was confirmed that she was indeed a true Tianli Clan cultivator. This left both Bai Yihe and the Third Elder completely baffled.
Because of her cultivation level, Shuang Qingqing had been treated as an elder since her return to the clan. The Third Elder and Bai Yihe observed her in secret and found that this Shuang Qingqing was indeed very familiar with some things in the clan, as if she had lived there before. Thus, they began to believe that this woman might really be the long-lost Shuang Qingqing, the very person the Great Elder was looking for.
But Shuang Qingqing had really lost many of her memories and initially had no guard against the two of them. At that time, the Third Elder and Bai Yihe had wanted to take the opportunity to capture her. For the sake of prudence, they still found an opportunity to conduct a so-called Dao discussion and duel. But after a brief exchange, the two of them discovered to their dismay that Shuang Qingqing's combat power was too terrifying. If they were not allowed to escape, the two of them together probably wouldn't last a thousand moves against her. That was why they had chosen to placate her. The Third Elder hadn't expected Bai Yihe to have already made a move without notifying him, and against that young cultivator at that.
Hearing Shuang Qingqing's question, even the Tianli Clan cultivators who had flown out looked at Bai Yihe in surprise. Some of them had also had contact with Bai Rou. If anyone could violate the clan rules, it was absolutely impossible for it to be Bai Rou. That gentle-looking woman had always been one to ask again and again before deciding whether to do something. She was even more like gentle water, never contending with others.
"Hahaha… Why? Don't you know in your own heart? The current clansmen may not know, but the Third Elder and I know it all too well. This woman's heart is as venomous as a snake and scorpion. Back then, she actually murdered her own master, who had regarded her as her own child since she was young. But that's not all. She also secretly colluded with the Demon Clan and slaughtered nearly two thousand people of her master's lineage. She was injured by my ancestor back then and lost her memories. Now, she has returned to the clan by instinct, walking right into a trap. It's just that this wicked thief cultivates our clan's ancient puppet secret art and has outstanding magical power. Even the Third Elder and I together cannot capture her alive."
"A few days ago, this demoness Shuang Qingqing finally recovered a lot of her memories and was thinking of fleeing in a hurry. Out of desperation, I captured the disciple she brought back to the clan, hoping to use her as leverage and wait for the Great Elder's return. I thought that with her malicious heart and inhumanity, she would disregard Bai Rou's life and escape. But unexpectedly, she has returned today. Is she trying to turn the tables on me? Shuang Qingqing, if you truly had any humanity, how could you have done such a depraved thing back then? A woman's heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea. With one stab, you threw the entire Tianli Clan of that era into turmoil. Today, you return to the clan, thinking you can do as you please just because you can rival the two of us? Hmph, no matter what, you won't be able to escape today."
Bai Yihe's voice was sonorous. His speech left most of the Tianli Clan members below dumbfounded. They could not have known such secrets. Especially since Bai Yihe mentioned his ancestor. Although it was unclear which generation of ancestor, he mentioned colluding with the Demon Clan. What year and what month was this? Which generation of expert was this Elder Qingqing?