Zhu Xian: The way of heaven collapses, and I only have one sword!

Chapter 3: Conversation in the hall, the guy knows nothing about anything?

The door of the main hall was wide open, and inside were the tablets of the Jade Pure Yuanshi Tianzun, the Upper Pure Lingbao Tianzun and the Taiqing Daode Tianzun.

Below the Three Pure Ones' shrine, dozens of people were standing in the hall. In front of them were seven sandalwood chairs, with three people sitting on each of the three chairs on the left and right. Only the middle seat was empty.

Everyone in the hall was talking. The young Taoist priest who had brought Chen Qiye and the other two straightened his robes outside the door and said respectfully, "Master, fellow uncles, I, Chang Jian, have been ordered to bring the three young men from Cao Miao Village..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a shrill cry: "Ghost...Ghost...Ghost!"

Chang Jian was startled, and Chen Qiye and the other two were even more shocked. This voice was very familiar to the three of them. Zhang Xiaofan even rushed into the hall and shouted, "Uncle Wang, is that you?"

Behind the crowd, I saw a middle-aged woodcutter, holding his head helplessly with his hands, curled up tightly in the corner, his whole body trembling, and the same shouts as before kept coming out of his mouth.

Zhang Xiaofan came to Uncle Wang, grabbed his shoulders, and asked loudly, "Uncle Wang, what happened? Why are all the people in the village dead?"

Everyone in the hall couldn't help but be moved, and they all fell silent. Even some people sitting on the chairs stood up and watched this scene. They all wanted to see if Zhang Xiaofan could get the truth from the old man.

However, it was all in vain. The woodcutter known as "Second Uncle Wang" had gone mad. Sighs suddenly echoed throughout the hall. Everyone in the Qingyun Sect looked disappointed, and those who had just stood up sat back down dejectedly.

Chen Qiye looked into the hall. Six people, each with a striking presence, sat on chairs. While most of them appeared ordinary, the one sitting in the center, dressed in a dark green Taoist robe, exuded an air of immortality. Chen Qiye, fully aware of the unfolding events, recognized him immediately: he was none other than Daoxuan Zhenren, the head of the Qingyun Sect.

Without any hesitation, Chen Qiye hurriedly pulled Lin Jingyu beside him and Zhang Xiaofan who was not far away, ran quickly to the six people, knelt down in front of Taoist Master Daoxuan, and kowtowed continuously, although he thought this might not have any effect.

Taoist Master Daoxuan glanced at Chen Qiye and the other two, sighed softly, and said, "Alas, poor children, you all should get up."

Chen Qiye didn't stand up. Instead, he looked at Daoxuan Zhenren in front of him and said, "The three of us were ordinary children from Caomiao Village. Overnight, the entire village was massacred, and only the three of us are left. I beg you immortals to make a decision for us!"

Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu also hurriedly followed Chen Qiye in kowtow, their eyes filled with sorrow and anger.

Seeing this unwavering action, the other Five Sect Leaders also turned their gazes towards Chen Qiye and the other two, though most of their attention was focused on Chen Qiye and Lin Jingyu. To be the Seven Sect Leaders of Qingyun Sect, they were undoubtedly the top figures within the Qingyun Sect, and each of them possessed a unique perspective. In their view, Lin Jingyu was the most gifted of the three, naturally a gem in their eyes, while Zhang Xiaofan was relegated to the category of mediocre talent.

As for Chen Qiye's talent, they felt it was very strange. It wasn't that his talent was bad, on the contrary, his talent seemed to be extremely hidden, with a faint feeling of being unfathomable, like a turbulent current hidden beneath the calm surface of a lake.

The Caomiao Village tragedy occurred at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, shocking the Qingyun Sect. Upon receiving the report, Taoist Master Daoxuan was furious and quickly summoned the other six sects' chiefs to discuss the matter. With the exception of Master Shuiyue, the chief of Xiaozhu Peak, who was absent for some reason, the other five sects' chiefs were all present. Taoist Master Daoxuan's expression was solemn, and his gaze slowly swept over the people in the hall. He said in a deep voice, "The Caomiao Village tragedy was so horrific. Such evil deeds must not be tolerated. You live at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, so our Qingyun Sect will naturally not sit idly by. However, I have a few questions for you, and I hope you will answer them truthfully."

Chen Qiye nodded and said, "I will tell you everything I know."

Taoist Master Daoxuan nodded, looked at Chen Qiye, and asked, "How did you escape this disaster?"

"I wasn't in Cao Miao Village when the incident happened. I was in the mountains behind Cao Miao Village." Chen Qiye paused, his mind racing as he thought about how to make his answer flawless. "I was an orphan who ended up in Cao Miao Village. Thanks to the villagers for taking care of me, I wanted to help. Recently, an elderly man in the village became seriously ill. I knew there was a herb in the mountains behind that might be useful, so I went up there to look for it before the tragedy happened. By the time I got the herb and returned, the village had become a sea of ​​blood."

Taoist Master Daoxuan frowned slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. "Did you notice anything unusual on the mountain? For example, strange noises, fluctuations of spiritual energy, or something like that?"

Chen Qiye pretended to recall the past and slowly shook his head. "I was so focused on finding the herbs that I didn't notice anything unusual. It was only on my way back that I saw smoke billowing from the direction of the village, and I felt uneasy. When I arrived at the village, all I saw was ruins and corpses all over the ground."

In fact, Chen Qiye knew in his heart that this tragedy was the inevitable development of the plot, but he could not let anyone see that he knew everything.

Taoist Master Daoxuan nodded, looked at Lin Jingyu, and asked, "What about you?"

Lin Jingyu said, "I only remember sleeping at home last night, but in the morning I was lying under a tree in the wild with Xiaofan. I don't know what happened. Later, Xiaofan woke me up, and we ran back to the village together. Qiye and I saw that scene, and then we fainted from shock."

Taoist Master Daoxuan frowned, looked at Zhang Xiaofan, and asked, "You were the one who woke him up, so what do you know?"

Zhang Xiaofan thought for a moment and said, "I don't know how I ended up there. When I woke up, I saw Jingyu next to me, so I woke him up."

Taoist Master Daoxuan and the other abbots exchanged a bewildered glance. Chen Qiye was fine, but if someone had come to rescue Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan, who were already in the village, why did they only save two children?
Taoist Master Daoxuan pondered for a moment and said, "So that means you three know nothing about what happened last night?"

Chen Qiye and the other two said in unison, "Yes."

"Alas, three poor children, you get up first. My Qingyun Sect will investigate this matter thoroughly!" Taoist Master Daoxuan waved his hand, and an invisible force lifted up Chen Qiye and the other two.

After Daoxuan gestured for the other disciples in the hall to leave, he glanced from Chen Qiye and the other three to the other Five Sect Leaders. He sighed and said, "My fellow disciples, there are many doubts about the destruction of Caomiao Village, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to find out for the time being. However, the villagers of Caomiao Village have always been simple and honest. We cannot sit idly by and watch their orphans. Which disciple is willing to accept them as his disciples?"

(End of this chapter)