After Cultivating the Wrong Strong, Pitiful, and Beautiful Demonic Lord - Chapter 4

Li Jian was the first to notice that the divine statue had disappeared, but he didn’t make a sound. Instead, he feigned clumsiness and knocked over his teacup, causing the noisy front courtyard to instantly quiet down.

Everyone’s gaze first gravitated toward him. A maidservant stepped forward in a timely manner to clean up the mess, and seeing that nothing major had happened, the guests casually averted their eyes from Old Master Qi’s side.

Just then, someone noticed that something was amiss.

The middle-weight man who had previously been buttering up the Song family young master, asking him to offer guidance to his son, stood up. His tall, bulky frame cast a heavy shadow. Just as Old Master Qi was about to ask him what was the matter, the man pointed behind Old Master Qi and blurted out:

“The divine statue… the divine statue is gone!”

The Qi family’s grand banquet had invited not only prominent figures of Yangyang City with faces to show, but also wandering rogue travelers who happened to be resting or passing through by reputation—making the place a mixed bag of people.

If someone passing through harbored malicious intentions and wanted to claim the statue for themselves, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

However, when the divine statue vanished, everyone had been right there in the front courtyard without a single person leaving their seat. Moreover, the statue had been placed directly behind the screen, in full view of everyone. Who among those present possessed such incredible ability as to steal away a divine statue right under everyone’s noses?

Old Master Qi immediately stood up, casting an incredulous glance behind the screen just like everyone else, his expression tinged with visceral heartbreak.

This was a divine statue he had spent a small fortune and over half a year crafting! Even the jade stone used was of the absolute highest grade, all to present a grand tribute to the Immortal Lord of Mount Donglu. Yet after showing it off for barely a single glance, it was gone.

“Men, search! Turn the entire manor upside down if you have to, but find it for me!”

Old Master Qi swept his gaze around, firmly convinced that the divine statue must still be within the estate; it was impossible for it to have teleported away in the blink of an eye.

Knowing the critical importance of the statue, the servants in the manor dared not slack off. They scrambled out in a flurry, searched the entire premises, and hurried back one by one, shaking their heads with bated breath.

“Master, it’s not in the back courtyard.”

“The east and west side-courtyards don’t have it either.”

“It’s nowhere to be found in the front courtyard…”

Seeing that Old Master Qi remained silent, Qi Jingyao couldn’t help chiming in: “I refuse to believe the divine statue could just vanish into thin air! You guys must not have looked carefully enough—hurry up and look again!”

The Immortal Lord’s divine statue stood as tall as a man and was carved from solid jade; it would take the strength of seven or eight people just to move it. No matter where it was placed, it would be an extremely conspicuous presence. As long as it was still within the Qi family’s grounds, it was impossible to miss.

The visiting guests were equally bewildered, having witnessed with their own eyes how the divine statue had vanished into thin air.

At that moment, a bland, detached voice broke the silence: “Could it be… that ghosts are at play?”

Everyone’s expressions tightened. Old Master Qi raised his voice and declared: “Certainly not! Our Yangyang City has been protected by Mount Donglu for generations; ghosts and spirits have never manifested here. Everyone, please do not frighten yourselves.”

Yet the fact remained that the divine statue was gone, and they didn’t even know how it had disappeared. Even though they knew in their hearts that they enjoyed the protection of the Immortal Lords, they couldn’t help leaning toward the notion of supernatural mischief, as this genuinely defied common explanation.

Li Jian swept his gaze backward, letting his eyes linger in feigned casualness. He had been the one to sense a trace of chill just before the statue vanished. Saying there were no ghosts was untrue, but neither was it entirely the work of malevolent spirits.

“Where were you just a moment ago?” Just as everyone was chattering amongst themselves, Qi Jingyao’s sharp voice rang out once more.

Immediately afterward, Li Jian saw Qi Jingyao blocking the doorway leading to the inner chambers, where a white figure flickered vaguely in the entrance.

It was Xuan Lang.

He didn’t know when the youth had slipped in through the doorway connecting to the back courtyard. That was the exit closest to the screen; while everyone else had stayed rooted in their respective seats to avoid suspicion, he was the only one who had been missing for a while and was now returning from that exact direction.

No one could claim this was purely a coincidence.

Qi Jingyao evidently arrived at the same conclusion. He immediately grabbed Xuan Lang by the wrist, as if terrified that the youth might run away, and demanded: “Tell me, what on earth were you doing? You were nowhere to be seen just a moment ago, and now that the divine statue is lost, you swagger right back out from here.”

Xuan Lang neither shook off his grip nor wished to entangle himself further. “I had some business to attend to.”

“Business? What business could you possibly have? Putting on airs with me here—all these prestigious families are gathered in the front courtyard, yet you’re the only one with ‘business.’ Do you really expect me to believe that?”

Qi Jingyao cast a look of utter disdain at him. He had long found Xuan Lang an eyesore, and now he had finally managed to catch him in a compromising position.

Qi Jingyao sneered: “If you can’t give a proper explanation today, then this divine statue must be what you stole. Father, let’s report this to the authorities, have him arrested, and subject him to strict interrogation. I refuse to believe he won’t hand the divine statue over!”

“I didn’t steal it,” he said.

Xuan Lang had long known that Qi Jingyao was merely using this as a pretext for personal revenge to settle scores and bully him. Although Old Master Qi wouldn’t punish him publicly, given that the matter concerned the Immortal Lord’s divine statue and the peace of Yangyang City, Old Master Qi might have no choice but to go along with it.

Perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, he was merely an nominal cousin of the Qi family, a distant relative seeking refuge. Since Old Master Qi was kind-hearted, he naturally wouldn’t mistreat him.

Only Xuan Lang himself knew that in Old Master Qi’s eyes, he had always been a burden—an embarrassment too shameful to speak aloud.

That was why, even when Qi Jingyao bullied him overtly and covertly, Old Master Qi was well aware of it yet chose to turn a blind eye, pretending not to notice.

Xuan Lang didn’t even want to bother explaining. Let them report it to the authorities; after all, in a few days Old Master Qi would still have to bail him out anyway. He would just have to suffer a bit, which wasn’t as though he hadn’t endured it before.

However, just as everyone exchanged uncertain glances, someone from the crowd chimed in unhurriedly:

“Young Master Qi is speaking out of turn. Although he wasn’t present, that does not mean he stole the divine statue.”

Following the voice, Qi Jingyao looked over and saw that aloof-looking rogue cultivator gracefully smoothing down his robes, slowly standing up with an air of leisurely detachment.

“It’s you again!”

The moment Qi Jingyao saw him, his anger flared. This fellow had defended Xuan Lang just earlier, and now, once again on Xuan Lang’s account, he was openly contradicting him in public.

Qi Jingyao hurried over to complain to his father: “Father, it’s him! He was running amok in our back courtyard, speaking wild nonsense—not only did he call me a dog, but he also insulted my aptitude.”

Old Master Qi naturally followed his gaze. Recognizing Li Jian, he hastily slapped down his foolish son’s pointing finger, rebuking him for being impolite.

Li Jian stepped forward with a slight nod, offering a formal greeting: “Since Old Master Qi is a devout follower of the immortal sects, I kindly ask that you listen to a few words from me.”

“Please speak, Immortal Elder.”

Li Jian stated: “Just now, all of us were right here and witnessed the exquisite craftsmanship of the divine statue with our own eyes. A man-sized jade sculpture requires at least seven or eight servants just to lift it, let alone for this young master here.”

“Furthermore, this statue stood directly behind Old Master Qi, watched by countless eyes. May I ask: among those present, who possesses the supreme power to take objects across a distance, making the divine statue vanish into thin air?”

Saying this, his gaze shifted toward Qi Jingyao. “Young Master Qi, are you capable of that?”

Stumped by the question, Qi Jingyao wanted to claim he could do it so as not to lose face, but his mouth honestly betrayed him with a denial.

“I… I haven’t learned it yet, but I’ll be able to do it one day!”

“So, you cannot.”

Li Jian lowered his gaze and gave a light hmph. “Young Master Qi fancies himself a scion of an illustrious family and still cannot achieve this, so how could he?”

His gaze shifted slightly, unexpectedly colliding with Xuan Lang’s direct stare. The youth seemed momentarily startled before instantly dropping his gaze, not daring to meet Li Jian’s eyes any longer, as though Li Jian’s gaze were poisonous and would spell doom if looked at for too long.

Refusing to back down, Qi Jingyao pointed at Xuan Lang and argued: “Then why did he happen to appear right here? He’s the most suspicious person! Either he explains what he was just doing, or even if he didn’t do it, he’s definitely tied to this mess.”

Just as Li Jian prepared to retort, a hearty, resonant laugh rang out from outside the front courtyard doors.

Everyone turned their heads and saw an elegant, refined young master approaching from outside, holding a ink-splashed folding fan. His deep purple robes fluttered with his strides, making him look both noble and approachable.

“My deepest apologies, Su has arrived late.” The man maintained a gentle smile throughout, sweeping his gaze across the crowd.

Taking a closer look, Qi Hong immediately hurried forward to welcome him. “I had no idea Valley Master Su would honor us with his presence. Please forgive us for failing to welcome you properly.”

Everyone present seemed to have heard of this person, hurriedly stepping forward to cup their hands in greeting, terrified that a momentary lapse in attention might show disrespect to this Valley Master Su.

Li Jian, however, had no impression of this person. The system’s briefing hadn’t mentioned him either, indicating he was no one of major importance.

Curious about who could command such universal respect from everyone present, he heard a low, restrained voice explaining from beside him.

“He is Su Jianshan, the Valley Master of Chuyun Valley. Rumors say he is the supreme healing master of the Three Realms, capable of bringing the dead back to life—that’s him.”

Li Jian slanted his gaze and saw that somewhat familiar face of Song Zhiyuan right beside him, lowering his head to offer a patient explanation.

Li Jian nodded in acknowledgment. “I see. Thank you.”

The Valley Master of Chuyun Valley it seemed such a person did indeed exist. Primarily, the data provided by the system was simply too unreliable, lacking vital details and offering only stripped-down summaries, leaving him clueless about who was who.

More importantly, even the memories of the original host whose body he had hijacked were fragmented; he didn’t even know whom he was supposed to recognize and whom he should not.

What a load of garbage.

Right after that, they heard Su Jianshan saying: “Forgive me, Old Master Qi. Outside just now, Su happened to encounter an injured bird. Guided by a physician’s benevolent heart, I stopped to treat it. I must also thank young master Xuan here for helping me find some medicinal herbs, or I might have taken even longer to arrive.”

Even though Su Jianshan was revered as the supreme healing master of the Three Realms who could bring the dead back to life, healing was ultimately about saving human lives. No one had ever heard of his legendary medical skills extending to birds.

Since he phrased it that way, however, no one could press the matter further. Qi Hong immediately chimed in: “For Lang’s help to be of use to Valley Master Su, it is his absolute honor. Valley Master Su need not be so polite.”

Su Jianshan, however, had no intention of dropping the subject. “Yet I heard upon arriving just now that you all suspected young master Xuan of stealing things because of this incident? Doesn’t that drag Su into this mess as well?”

Qi Hong turned back to glare at Qi Jingyao, his expression somewhat awkward. “Valley Master Su, please take no offense. It’s just my foolish boy running his mouth. Because Immortal Lord Shiyuan’s divine statue went missing, he grew overly anxious and spoke rashly. He certainly had no intention of implicating Valley Master Su.”

“Oh?” Su Jianshan seemed suddenly intrigued. “Old Master Qi is saying that Immortal Lord Shiyuan’s divine statue is lost?”

“Indeed! This was meant to be presented as an offering to Mount Donglu. Not only did it cost a fortune to make, but there is simply no time to carve another one. Next month marks the once-in-a-decade date when the immortal elders of Mount Donglu descend to the mortal realm to perform the cleansing ritual. If we cannot present the offering on time, what are we to do if the immortal elder decides never to visit again?”

Su Jianshan shook his head. “That truly sounds like a troublesome predicament.”