After his bow of apology sect master Han Qinling rose up and started recounting the version of events to Zhao Qi and Liu Yun. They both had complicated looks on their faces as they went through an array of emotions most of all Zhao Qi.
By the end, there was a looming silence when sect master Han Qingling had finished rehashing the sect's plan and the sham they created to ensure Zhao Qi's safety when the demise of the sect eventually happened.
"Isn't this a little too convenient? One minute I'm the parasite of the sect and the next I'm a precious seedling that the sect went to great lengths to protect. If you were in my shoes sect master would you believe what you just told me? That the things you put me through were all for my benefit?"
The whole tale seemed all too unbelievable for Zhao Qi. He found it hard to believe sect master Han Qingling's statement.
Though it was more appropriate to say he did not want to believe it as a way to protect himself. He had already been burned once by the sect after he let his guard down with them and actually really considered the sect and its members his home.
He moved from being the most prized disciple to the scourge of the sect too fast. Yes, some people like his master and some of his sect mates treated him with the same sincerity as before despite the scandal surrounding him but even then they were the scant few compared to the majority of the sect who saw him as an eyesore. The only reason he even managed to maintain his sanity was because of Deng Chao and the few who stuck by him.
But now he was supposed to believe the sect master that the sect never really betrayed him? It was easier for him to paint the sect as the villain despite some part of him believing the sect master's story and even finding a tiny comfort in it.
Deng Chao couldn't help but sigh at this. He had expected as much. Zhao Qi's greatest wound was pulled open. It was a given he would be weary, distrustful, and defensive like an injured cub.
"It's the truth Zhao Qi. Do you remember Shi Jia, Cheng Fu, Lu Ming, Liao Gen, and Lai Gang?" sect master Han Qingling gently asked.
"I do but what do they have to do with this?" Zhao Qi still with some venom in his tone asked. He knew those names all too well because just like him they were once core disciples whose talents stood out amongst their peers.
....
Shi Jia at just twenty was already an orange-grade alchemist who could make pills and potions that could be used by those in the core formation stage. Zhao Qi was still an outer sect disciple in his sixth year at the time when he heard of her tales.
Cheng Fu other than the sect master was the youngest person to become a core elder when he broke through to the seventh stage of the core formation realm at just 34 years old.
Lu Ming had the cerulean butterfly physique that made her have an abnormally large dantian that was three times the size of those at the same level. She was also counted among the youngest to reach the peak of qi refinement at 14.
Liao Gen got recognized by one of the swords belonging to the founder of the Yellow lotus sect who was gifted in the way of the sword. He had four swords each with its own spirit and in 15,000 years since his death, only 6 people have ever been accepted by them with Liao Gen being the seventh.
As for the last one, Lai Gang, he had reached the fifth level of the core cultivation art of the Yellow lotus sect, the 36 winding leaves of the yellow lotus. It was an upper blue-grade cultivation art. One would form a leaf at each mastery which would then result in a lotus leaf marking on the cultivator's glabella. One had to cultivate four leaves to move to the next level. Lai Gang at 29 years had already cultivated 23 leaves which put him at the peak of the fifth level in the art.
The founder of the sect had found the art by some stroke of luck in some mysterious realm. That art was the true foundation that helped the sect grow into what it is today.
The highest recorded level reached is 28 leaves and it was done by Han Qingling's predecessor, the previous sect master. Han Qingling is recorded to be close since he has 27 leaves and it is touted he would have likely reached 28 leaves if the sect wasn't facing a crisis leaving him without ample time to cultivate.
Every jump in level is a qualitative leap in both power and difficulty which only intensifies the further up one goes to the point where the difference between 27 leaves and 28 leaves is equivalent to the difference between someone with no leaves and one who has 16.
.....
To Zhao Qi even if he didn't know their relevance to the case he noted they had a few things in common. For one they were all geniuses and the other was they were all no longer in the sect.
Shi Jia took on a long-term mission to work as an assistant to some big-shot alchemist from a rank 3 organization. Said alchemist was a blue-grade alchemist. She hadn't been back to the sect in over a decade.
Cheng Fu was reported missing during an escort mission five years ago with no news being heard since. Lu Ming was the strangest as she somehow got taken in as a disciple by one of the elders of the Dreamcloud lake sect, an all-female cultivation sect with two palace stage experts. Even though Lu Ming never had a master in the sect it was still thought to be weird when she joined another sect without any pushback from the Yellow lotus sect.
As for Liao Gen rumor in the sect was that he was in the Death sword valley. A treacherous place where even early domain experts have lost their lives. However, despite its infamy, it is considered a treasure ground for sword cultivators. The wind there is made of sword qi and rumor has it that at the center of the valley lies an inheritance belonging to a sword cultivator in the sword formation stage. No one has been able to ascertain the veracity of that rumor as of yet but what is known is that sword cultivators who go to temper themselves there achieve significant breakthroughs the deeper they delve into the valley.
For 13 years Liao Gen hasn't come to the sect and his fate is unknown.
As for the last one Lai Gang, nothing was heard of him in the last sixteen years. It was like he never existed. The only thing that can be traced about him is the record. Zhao Qi doesn't even know what he looks like since he has never laid his eyes on the person and only heard of his tales.
....
Zhao Qi didn't have to wait too long to get his confusion answered.
"Of the names I've mentioned, Shi Jia and Lu Ming were purposefully sent away from the sect. We used the connections the previous sect master and the two supreme elders had built to send them to those organizations to ensure their safety. Luckily they have enough talent that it wasn't hard to convince those organizations to take them in.
Liao Gen rejected our plans and decided to temper himself in the Death sword valley in search of an opportunity to break through to the palace stage. It was deemed safe to escort him there since the area is declared a no-fight zone and anyone who breaks it gets executed on the spot inclusive of even domain experts. As for Cheng Fu..," sect master Han Qingling paused with a pained look on his face.
"He got killed when we had arranged a safe place for him to go to. I don't know how but our foes got wind of it and had him killed. We didn't inform anyone else from the sect other than the core elders for fear of creating mass hysteria.
As for the last one, Lai Gang, he never existed in the first place. We created him as a cover for those we intended to protect. We fabricated everything. Half of the sect's spirit stones were spent to ensure that little web of lies spread to every corner and that the story was as believable as possible both within and outside of the sect. Lai Gang had to come to life for our seed protection plan to have a chance. We successfully created someone with enough repute to attract the attention of our enemies but not absurd enough that they would suspect it. It was because of Lai Gang that we were able to safely bring out Lu Ming and a few other disciples," said sect master Han Qingling.
Zhao Qi's jaw hung wide open from what he had just heard as the rest wore dumbfounded expressions. They were all surprised at the lengths the Yellow lotus sect was willing to go to. The one intensely hit by this revelation was Deng Chao whose eyes seemed to quiver as a complicated look flashed in his eyes as he silently muttered.
"If we were like them maybe…."
…
"Zhao Qi there is little we can do about where we find ourselves in but what we can do is ensure the legacy and the future of the Yellow lotus sect doesn't end with us. It is my duty as the sect master to ensure it doesn't happen," Sect master Han Qingling said with a comforting smile.
"Then why don't we surrender? The Order can ensure our survival if we do. We will lose the sect but we can always rebuild," Zhao Qi said as his voice quivered and broke from the shock.
"We are old and have made all our memories around the sect over the centuries, some of us have even been born there. It's hard for our hearts to accept losing it even if our heads say it's the strategic thing to do. We are tied down to what we will leave behind. We do not want our legacy to be those who gave in without a single fight but we want it to be that we made sure the Yellow lotus sect's flame burned bright up to the very end. And in that brightness, we managed to pave the way for future seedlings who will one day grow and prop the Yellow lotus sect to greater heights than even we could.
If it's you lot then I'm sure you will be able to do it though it won't be easy but I'm sure in the end you will make it. I created a way you can find each other after we….....well make sure to look out for one another as you will all need each other in the times ahead.
I will also have to shamelessly ask for senior's help to look out for some of our disciples should they ever need assistance when we are not there," Sect master Han Qingling said once more with much solemnity in his tone as he bowed deeply.
