Do you really think you can get me with just a banana?

Li Xiuqi's eyes were dark, his brows furrowed to the point of two lines appearing. He asked in a calm voice, "What do you mean?"

Guan Shanyu looked at him calmly, his expression unchanged as he replied, "Rather than being unable to convict the elders due to a lack of hard evidence, it would be better to release them first. If they are indeed the murderers, they will surely cause chaos again. By then, Palace Master Li will have solid evidence and can deal with them later. Furthermore, it is true that the elders secretly arrested the rebel disciples of the Xianmen Sect. You have detained them for a long time, and most of the original Xianmen disciples have deserted, so they have received the punishment they deserve. As for their other crimes, detaining them will only make the outside world question our actions. It is better to release them first and then slowly gather evidence to prove their crimes. Moreover, if Palace Master Li is worried that they will cause chaos after being released, I also believe that the Xianmen Sect must have a way to restrain them, right?"

After all, whether it was shackles to suppress their spiritual power or even merging their spiritual power, Li Xiuqi naturally had plenty of ways to do it. Moreover, now that Yan Ruchen was dead and the other three immortal sects' disciples had left, their reputations in tatters, Li Xiuqi was undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary.

Rather than continuing to detain the elders and causing speculation from the outside world, it would be better to release them generously to demonstrate one's openness and magnanimity.

Moreover, Guan Shanyu knew who had done these things, so there was no need to keep these elders locked up. His decision to execute them first and report them later would not only help Li Xiuqi, but also give him peace of mind, preventing them from shouldering responsibilities that did not belong to them.

Li Xiuqi naturally understood this. Whether or not these elders were released was irrelevant to him. After all, he was the only one left in the Immortal Sect, and Yan Ruchen, the once-powerful newcomer, had died in the sacrifice to eliminate the evil spirit. He was now "a lone warrior seeking to defeat the enemy."

So instead of continuing to support and imprison these elders, it would be better to release them. But if he handled this matter personally, the outside world would only think that he chose to release them because he was incompetent to convict. But if it was Guan Shanyu who did it.

As a person who is in charge of investigating evidence and assisting Yan Ruchen, what he says will indeed make the world more convinced.

But he was angry because Guan Shanyu had acted without consulting him beforehand. If Guan Shanyu acted on his own again in the future, would he have to react passively like he had this time? What if Guan Shanyu's next move was unfavorable to him?

Guan Shanyu looked at Li Xiuqi without hesitation. He knew what this man was thinking. For an extremely selfish person like him, he just needed to make sure that his own interests were protected.

He slowed his tone and spoke with a hint of sadness, "This was also Ruchen's wish, but it happened so suddenly that I didn't have time to explain it to you. He previously claimed to be a demon, just to reassure everyone and to prevent the disciples of Wangshuiling from being too grief-stricken after his passing. But the news has already spread, and I'm seriously injured, and Wangshuiling is in chaos. Otherwise, I would have gone to Yuchen Palace in person to explain to you."

Li Xiuqi looked back at him with a deep gaze and asked, "Yan Ruchen, is he a demon?"

Guan Shanyu coughed and said, "Of course not. Otherwise, with the abilities of you and Sect Leader Yuan, if he really was a demon, how could you not find out?"

Li Xiuqi nodded slightly, his expression softening slightly, but he still stared at Guan Shanyu with a frown. Guan Shanyu's heart sank. Yan Ruchen's previous plan to frame him was flawless. He wanted to exonerate him without actually killing the elders, so he had to use this excuse.

But fortunately, the positive image that Yan Ruchen had previously established for himself in people's minds was deeply rooted in their hearts, and almost no one believed that he was a demon. If he gave a little explanation, would Li Xiuqi, who only cared about his own interests, pursue it?

Who would bother to pursue the dead?

If Yan Ruchen could come back, he wouldn't have to worry. Yan Ruchen's ability to control these people was far more powerful than he had imagined.

Seeing this, Li Suyin immediately stepped forward to support Li Xiuqi and whispered softly, "Dad, this matter won't have much impact on us. Look, he's injured like this and he's still thinking about us. Let's just forget it. Let's go back and arrange our affairs."

Li Xiuqi shook off Li Suyin's hand, but the excessive movement ripped the wound, causing him to grimace in pain. "What do you know? The interests involved in this are very complicated. Do you think it can be settled so easily?"

Li Suyin said quickly, "So we have to go back and discuss countermeasures. Look, my brother and Qingfan are lying in bed unable to move. Many disciples were injured that day. Now all the immortal sects are counting on you to make a decision."

After hearing this, Li Xiuqi's expression softened considerably. Although Guan Shanyu still maintained a mournful expression, he noticed the change in Li Xiuqi's expression and knew that his explanation had touched him. He was still feigning anger, simply because he needed to be coaxed and given a way out.

After thinking about it, Guan Shanyu covered his heart and coughed lightly a few times before saying, "Palace Master Li, there have been too many things happening recently. With such a sudden change, I really can't take care of all of them. If there is anything I did wrong, please forgive me and don't be angry with me." After saying that, he was about to lift the quilt, get out of bed and salute.

Seeing this, Li Xiuqi quickly stopped him. "Forget it. Like my daughter said, things have come to this. There's no point in blaming each other. I need to return to Yuchen Palace and think about how to deal with this. You should get some rest. But let me make this clear: if you make any major decisions without telling me again, I will not let you off."

Guan Shanyu coughed a few more times and nodded weakly. Li Xiuqi, upon seeing this, shook his sleeves and walked out on crutches. As soon as he opened the door, he found it crowded with Wangshuiling disciples, all peering into the room with worried expressions.

Seeing this, Li Xiuqi leaned on the ground with his cane in annoyance and shouted, "What are you looking at? Are you afraid that I will bully your people?"

Guan Shanyu quickly raised his hand to signal to his disciples that he was fine. The disciples then slowly dispersed, making way for Li Xiuqi.

Li Xiuqi turned around and glanced at Guan Shanyu again, snorted coldly, and walked away unhappily on his crutches. Li Suyin quietly pulled Guan Shanyu's arm and asked softly, "Master, what are you talking about? And is Yan Ruchen really dead?"

Guan Shanyu looked up at her and said, "He will come back."

Li Suyin was stunned and asked, "So is he dead or not?"

Guan Shanyu replied: "Dead, but not dead. He will come back anyway."

Li Suyin couldn't help but twist his arm and asked, "Can you please stop being so vague? You suddenly ran to Wuzijian, and then Yan Ruchen suddenly died. Now you're the only one guarding such a huge Wangshuiling. Are you... trying to usurp the throne? Do you want to replace Yan Ruchen?"

Guan Shanyu pushed her away and said tiredly, "No, don't think about it. Thank you for coming with me today. If you weren't here, your father would have beaten me to death."

Li Suyin curled her lips and asked, "Are you really planning to release all those elders? You and Yan Ruchen went through so much trouble to capture them. Aren't you afraid that they'll cause trouble again after you release them? And my father might take action against them because of what you said."

"As long as they don't die." Guan Shanyu replied indifferently.

These elders weren't the murderers, so they didn't need to pay for their lives. But since Yan Ruchen had captured them all, it meant they had hurt him in some way in their past lives. Guan Shanyu wasn't willing to forgive them on his behalf, so he simply released them. As for what happened next, it all depended on their fate.

He pushed Li Suyin's arm and said, "You go back first. There shouldn't be any more trouble in the future. Live your life well. Remember to say hello to Qingfan and Suyi for me. They must be seriously injured."

Seeing Guan Shanyu unwilling to speak further, Li Suyin didn't bother asking any more questions. She thought to herself that maybe this man really was plotting to usurp the throne and become the leader of Wangshuiling, and poor Yan Ruchen was just a stepping stone for him. She sighed. How could this protagonist possibly defeat the author?

After thinking about it, he sighed again and said to the bedridden Guan Shanyu, "Then I'm leaving. Your arms and legs are broken into pieces. It will probably take a year to recover. Don't go out and do it again. Otherwise, if you don't take good care of your body, you will be paralyzed in the next life. I know how it feels."

Guan Shanyu nodded, and Li Suyin gave him one last look before slowly walking out the door, twisting her handkerchief. As she passed the disciples huddled at the door, she gave a gentle smile, then, holding up the hem of her dress, she caught up with Li Xiuqi, who was calling out to her from the doorway.

Seeing that the room was empty, the disciples moved closer, crowding in front of Guan Shanyu's door and carefully observing him. The leading disciple asked softly, "Second Brother Guan, are you okay?"

Yan Ruchen is dead, and Guan Shanyu and others close to him are also seriously injured. With the exception of Guan Shanyu, who woke up two days ago, the others remain unconscious. Since waking up, Guan Shanyu has been busy spreading the news that the elders are not the murderer and writing Yan Ruchen's obituary. Today, he was also visited by the Master of Yuchen Palace, leaving the disciples with no opportunity to show their concern for him.

Now that the guests have finally left, Guan Shanyu's side has become quiet, and his disciples have come to visit him one after another.

Guan Shanyu knew they must be deeply saddened and confused. After all, he and Yan Ruchen had both claimed to be the instigators of the incident at Wuzijian, and these claims had spread widely. Although many outsiders believed they had sacrificed their lives for justice, he still needed to give an explanation to the Wangshuiling disciples he had spent so much time with.

Guan Shanyu said bluntly, "I know you have many questions in your mind, and I will answer them one by one. Yan Ruchen is not the murderer. He sacrificed himself to eliminate the evil spirits of the demon clan, and he is definitely not a demon. Everything he did was for the peace of the world."

As soon as these words were spoken, the disciples' faces showed sorrow, and several disciples in the back row couldn't help crying. Guan Shanyu's mood was also affected, his nose felt sore, and his eyes were red. He quickly turned his head, took a few deep breaths, suppressed his emotions, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you still willing to stay here and carry on his wishes?"

"Of course!" As soon as the words fell, a disciple responded loudly, "I was once unable to enter the major immortal gates because I couldn't afford the toll. If it weren't for the fact that the boss didn't look down on disciples of low birth, I would never have been able to realize my ambition of helping the weak and suppressing the strong. As long as Wangshuiling still exists, I am willing to follow!"

"I'm willing too!" another disciple echoed, "Although I've left the Immortal Sect, I won't give up just because the boss is gone. As long as Second Brother Guan and General Manager Hu are here, I'll always be here!"

...

The disciples expressed their loyalty one after another, but Guan Shanyu's expression was slightly gloomy, and his nose felt sore again.

In order to go to Tianxuan and pay the expensive toll, Yan Ruchen worked odd jobs in Xianyuan Village for a long time and finally saved enough money to barely cover the entry threshold. However, before going up the mountain, he was robbed by Li Qi and others.

He had never thought that this plot was anything special before. He thought it was just to increase the hardships of the protagonist. There should be as many plots as needed.

But for Yan Ruchen, it is something he has to go through step by step, every hour and every minute.

He also thought that Yan Ruchen put up the sign of no toll and no regard for background at Wangshuiling just to attract more people, but these passionate and simple disciples before him were all people who could not enter the ordinary immortal gate because they could not raise enough money.

It is these disciples who come from poor backgrounds who are more pure and more determined.

They followed Yan Ruchen to build Wangshuiling, learned how to eliminate evil spirits, and followed Hu Qi down the mountain to slay demons and monsters and quell the unrest.

only…

Guan Shanyu raised his head slightly and saw that heavy snow had begun to fall outside the house again. His heart trembled, and he finally turned his head away.

The young man who buried all his relatives alone over the long years did not survive that winter.