Chapter 236 The Truth

Upon arriving at the West Mountain Villa, the retired emperor arranged for someone to interrogate Manager Xu.

However, Manager Xu was undeterred by the prospect of death, gritting his teeth and refusing to utter a single word, only insisting on talking to Li Xi.

Therefore, the next morning, the retired emperor sent someone to find Li Xi.

Li Xi walked into the dark and damp dungeon and saw Manager Xu tightly bound to a chair. His face was covered with wounds, but he still held his head high and showed no sign of submission.

"Since you have already surrendered, why should you endure this pointless suffering?"

Li Xi asked coldly, "If you honestly confess everything, at least you can die a quicker death."

He forced out a sneer that was more like a grimace, "I'm just telling you, it's something I owe you."

He clenched his teeth, as if he were enduring excruciating torture.

"You want to say something, but I don't want to hear it. I'm afraid I won't be able to resist tearing you to pieces." She looked at the man with disdain.

Although she was not the original owner, the pain and hatred were deeply etched into her heart like a brand, making it impossible for her to remain calm and composed.

Manager Xu closed his eyes and said, word by word, "Don't you want to know who's behind this? And what secrets does your Xuanming Sect hold?"

Li Xi's eyes instantly turned icy cold, as if they could pierce through people's hearts.

She grabbed Manager Xu by the collar and shouted sternly, "What do you know?"

Shopkeeper Xu winced in pain, but still forced himself to say, "Back then, I led several hundred followers on the orders of the sect leader to go to the Xuanming Sect to find the 'Heavenly Fate Stone'."

Li Xi's heart stirred, and she unconsciously increased the pressure on her hand: "Continue."

Manager Xu took a deep breath, as if gathering his courage: "We have put muscle relaxant in all the places where the Li family uses water, just as we expected."

That very night, they all fell for our trap. We threatened your grandfather with the lives of over a hundred members of the Li family to hand over the 'Destiny Stone.' Originally, we were supposed to retreat after obtaining the Destiny Stone.

But unexpectedly, the sect leader suddenly appeared, took the 'Heavenly Fate Stone,' and stayed in the room for half an hour. After emerging, he ordered the execution of all members of the Xuanming Sect.

Shopkeeper Xu shook his head, his eyes revealing deep despair: "I know I am guilty, and now I am telling the whole story in the hope that my daughter can find peace and happiness in another world."

Li Xi listened to his confession, her eyes flashing with anger.

She demanded loudly, "You're putting on a show of being a loving father! If you feel guilty, why are you only telling the truth now?"

Her voice was full of reproach and resentment, as if she wanted to unleash all her anger.

He paused for a moment, then said, "Because I saw you, and I recognized you at first glance. I knew my karma had come to pass."

His voice was filled with endless regret and pain, as if he were confessing to his past.

Li Xi listened to his explanation and felt it was an absurd joke.

"Just who exactly is the Red Lotus Cult Leader?" she interrupted him impatiently.

Although this person deserves to die, the real mastermind behind it all has committed far more heinous crimes.

Even if he died a thousand times, ten thousand times, it would not be enough to atone for the heinous crimes he committed.

Shopkeeper Xu hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "All I know is that he is a powerful figure in the capital. Within the Red Lotus Sect, followers receive generous rewards. Moreover, he has connections with some court officials, and there are even rumors that some of these officials are fanatical believers of the Red Lotus Sect."

Li Xi's heart sank. They had long guessed that the Red Lotus Sect must have considerable power behind it, but they never expected that it would also be colluding with court officials.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

The two talked for a long time.

"That's enough for today. Think carefully about what you might have missed." She said coldly before leaving.

Manager Xu watched Li Xi's departing figure with a complicated expression.

"How is it?" the retired emperor asked her.

"They've said quite a bit, but I don't know if it's true or false; we need to verify it." Who knows if the cult leader is luring them into a trap, deliberately sending someone to distract them.

Upon hearing this, the retired emperor frowned, clearly also pondering the question.

He paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Your concerns are valid. We can't jump to conclusions based on just one side of the story. We definitely need to investigate carefully."

Li Xi nodded in agreement.

After listening, everyone in the council chamber fell into deep thought.

At this moment, Master Jingxin asked, "Xiaoxi, do you think what he said is true?"

After a moment's thought, Li Xi replied, "At first, I did believe him. However, upon closer reflection, I found many things rather strange. He claimed to recognize me, and regardless of whether my father resembles me or not, the fact that he only came forward to expose the cult leader after so many years is perplexing."

Li Xi pondered the matter repeatedly, but still felt there were many suspicious points. Would he really give in so easily?

The Emperor Emeritus listened silently until he finally spoke, saying, "Xiao Xi, you should return to the capital first. I will handle this matter."

After lunch, Li Xi and the others set off for Kyoto.

But the shopkeeper's words kept lingering in her mind, making her unable to feel at ease.

"Xiaoxi, is there any news?" Wan Yue was now satisfied to be reunited with his granddaughter, but the tragic death of his daughter's family still pained him deeply.

"Grandfather, don't worry. After I've killed our enemies, I'll take you to Qingning Mountain to see our parents."

Li Xi said nothing more, holding the jade pendant in her hand, lost in thought.

Seeing her like this, Wan Yue felt a pang of pain in his heart.

Qin Xiaolin, who was standing to the side, wanted to pat her on the shoulder to comfort her, but he refrained when he saw Wan Yue keeping a close watch on her.

“Xixi, news of the Emperor Emeritus will arrive soon. Although he has abdicated, he still commands great influence in Jingyuan. My godfather achieved his later success by following in his footsteps.”

The retired emperor acted swiftly and decisively during his reign.

At that time, there was turmoil, but he was able to turn the tide and restore Jingyuan to its former glory.

“Brother Qin, what you said makes a lot of sense. But I'm wondering, how did my adoptive father manage to escape with us back then? Could it be that he wasn't in the manor that night, so…”

Li Xi only suddenly remembered this question.

"Perhaps he ran into them when he returned from his trip, but they probably didn't know how many people were in the household. Maybe there were other lucky survivors who went into hiding." Qin Xiaolin had also investigated this tragedy a few years ago.

He simply didn't find any useful clues at the time, so he stopped investigating.

Later, although Li Xi was a member of the Xuanming Sect, she had lost her memory. She didn't remember many things, and she was also very young at the time.