I was reborn after cheating on the aloof and powerful man.

Chapter 148 The Martial World and the Imperial Court Have Always Been One and the Same

The swordsman didn't respond to Fei Xi, nor did he glance at her. He simply grabbed her by the back of her collar, pulled her behind him, and then spoke to Cui Chou:

"Take the things out and give them to her first."

"Tsk, truly a womanizer who forgets his friends. This is something I risked my life for." The swordsman narrowed his eyes slightly, his face showing displeasure. He took something from his pocket and tossed it towards Fei Xi.

"Little girl, consider this your consultation fee. Don't curse me in your heart or try to sabotage me behind my back anymore."

The blood-stained book was intercepted in mid-air by a long, slender hand with distinct knuckles.

Under the swordsman's inexplicable gaze, Fei Xi pouted, took the thing handed to her by Senior Bian, and looked at it curiously.

At just one glance, her expression changed drastically. She quickly opened the book and skimmed through it line by line.

Before Fei Xi could ask, the swordsman had already answered her question, his cold voice carrying a hint of admiration.

"Your earlier guess was correct. Someone in the Spirit Hall secretly colluded to steal the secret techniques and manuals of various sects."

"Unfortunately, the other side seems to have received advance warning. Although they managed to seize some items, the ship has been burned to the ground. Everyone on board perished in the flames, and even if we can guess who was responsible, there's no way to prove it now." A rough, hoarse voice took over the conversation, expressing regret but revealing a deep-seated hatred in his eyes.

Fei Xi, who was staring down at the words "Sixty-Four Hands of Heavenly Gang Palm" on the cover of the book in her hand, was unaware of the swordsman's expression.

The suspicion was confirmed; the other side was willing to destroy everything to silence them. Therefore, there must be evidence on the ship that could expose their identities. Thinking of this, Fei Xi looked up and subconsciously asked,

"What ship?"

"It does not matter."

Fei Xi looked at Senior Bian, who had interrupted her question, with a puzzled expression. In the depths of his gray-brown eyes, she found complex emotions that she couldn't understand.

Seemingly knowing she wouldn't give up easily, a hint of helplessness flashed in his deep eyes, and his tone became exceptionally serious.

"That ship involved all the sects of the Spirit Hall."

"All? Including the Tianshan Mountains?"

Fei Xi met his gaze firmly.

The more an organization claims to be righteous, the more meticulously it will put on a facade. As for how dirty its true nature is, only the higher-ups within the organization truly know.

Now that there is no evidence, even if the leaders of the major sects were not involved, they will choose to keep quiet in order to protect the reputation of their sects, and may even protect those who have done evil within their sects and deal with the people who raised the questions.

But what about the Tianshan Mountains? What if the Tianshan Mountains are also involved?

Will Senior Bian investigate to the end, or will he advise her to give up like before?

The atmosphere between the two instantly became tense, with neither willing to back down even a step.

Just then, the swordsman's rough voice broke the tense standoff between the two.

"Let me explain. That ship was originally intended to facilitate barter among martial arts practitioners, allowing each to obtain what they needed. However, after the ship's original owner disappeared, it fell into the hands of a schemer."

"Using the ship's rare treasures, the schemer instructed his men to approach the young talents of various sects under the guise of merchants. First, they would present them with rare treasures, and then gradually lure them into gambling, indulging in women, and even drugging them. This caused these elite disciples to sink deeper and deeper into the quagmire of desire."

“Conspirators deliberately open the door to desire for these people. Once the existing resources are no longer enough to satisfy their desires, people will naturally choose to overdraw their future.”

"When these disciples exhaust their own resources and still cannot be satisfied, they will use their sect's unique skills to exchange for what they desire. But in doing so, they are essentially handing over their own weaknesses to the schemers. The schemers not only want the unique skills of each sect, but they also select puppets from these degenerate disciples to use and support them. They eliminate dissidents and rivals for them."

"Once these people grow into the backbone of their sects, we will use them to entice the elders of various sects to join us in our corrupt practices. Recently, sects in the martial arts world have been frequently at odds with each other, not only because some people are taking advantage of the leak of their secret techniques, but also because there is a force stirring up trouble."

“It’s not recent; this conspiracy has lasted at least fifteen years,” Fei Xi suddenly interrupted the swordsman.

Meeting the puzzled looks from the two, Fei Xi calmly explained,

"Senior Bian, I have been checking all the martial arts gazettes published by the Jianghu Post Station since the Great War of National Defense. Since the war, a total of 57 sects have disappeared or changed their styles. Among them, 26 disappeared directly, and 31 changed their styles. There is a sect called 'Luming Pavilion' that has taken over the territory of 5 sects on the surface."

Fei Xi paused, glanced at the swordsman first, then looked at the knife-wielder: "It is not uncommon for sects in the martial arts world to lose their lineage and disappear. But it is rare for a sect to change its style. In just 15 years, 31 sects have changed their style, which is very abnormal. I suspect that someone from the imperial court is behind this."

"You! You're doubting me?" Cui Chou's face darkened, instantly understanding the deeper meaning behind the little girl's glance just now.

The swordsman drew his sword, turned around, and stood in front of Fei Xi again, his eyes sharp and warning as he stared at Cui Chou.

If it weren't for the fact that his injuries had just been treated, Cui Chou would have wanted to take a knife and cleave his friend's skull open right now.

They've known each other for so many years, but how long have they known this little girl? Can't sharing hardships be compared to a stroke of good fortune?

No matter how much he drinks normally, he's so fastidious that he won't even let the front door of his room enter. But now, he's willingly letting a little girl lie openly on his bed.

"People are better when they are new, clothes are better when they are old, and shedding blood is not as good as shedding tears. If I had known you were so heartless and ungrateful, why would I have gone through this ordeal with you?"

Seeing his friend start spouting nonsense again, the swordsman's forehead veins throbbed, and his cold voice carried a hint of gritted teeth.

"3 jars".

"10 jars".

"Five jars! We'll depart tonight."

"make a deal!"

Where things are, there love is.

Having received his reward for the trip, the swordsman raised an eyebrow at Fei Xi in a good mood.

"Keep talking!"

Virtue!

Fei Xi rolled her eyes at the swordsman, feeling much more relaxed. Since Senior Bian trusted Cui Chou, she could try to trust him too.

"Senior Cui, the martial world and the imperial court have always been one, only one was dominant in the past and the other secondary. Now the martial world is above the imperial court, and it is probably already seen as a major threat by some people. People can lie, but the data I have found is absolutely true."

With his nonchalant expression gone, Cui Chou said meaningfully, "Whoever you suspect, let me tell you first, what you just said is definitely not about Hua Di."

"...Lord Cui, what kind of person is Princess Lu Mingyue?"

"The Eldest Princess? That madwoman?"