Chapter 293: Your Dad is the Demon Cult Leader

Upon hearing what Xiao Qi said, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou instinctively turned to look at Li Haoran, their expressions peculiar. It seemed there was a former sect leader right here.

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you all looking at me?!" Li Haoran exclaimed angrily.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou averted their gazes. True, there was no rule stating that only the Nine Nether Sect could have a former sect leader; the Blazing Sun Sect and the Heartless Sect were also possibilities. Moreover, Qin Haoran was so destitute, reduced to being pursued by creditors, he didn't seem like someone who could leave behind any treasures.

"Who is Lord Mi? Who is the 'previous sect leader' Lord Mi mentioned? And what are the 'treasures left behind'?" Qin Yanyan rattled off a series of questions. Across the entire Central Continent, only the Four Demonic Sects—oh, no, wait, the Three Demonic Sects—had individuals bearing the title of "sect leader." This Lord Mi might be a member of the Three Demonic Sects.

Xiao Qi was startled by Qin Yanyan's demeanor and shook her head, saying, "I don't know. Lord Mi only communicates with us one-way. He placed a restriction on our souls, forcing us to obey him. Lord Mi rarely tells us anything."

"Every time Lord Mi comes to collect yang energy, he asks us if anything strange has happened in Ancient Scholar Town, or if we've found anything unusual." Xiao Qi and the other two did not know Lord Mi's identity.

Town Chief Fan was also startled. He knew Xiao Qi and the other two were under "Lord Mi's" command. If he had known that Lord Mi was a member of the Three Demonic Sects, he would never have dared to use Xiao Qi and the others for publicity. No matter how much he wanted political achievements, he wouldn't dare to associate with the Three Demonic Sects.

He heard that with the Immortal Sect being uprooted, many officials who had cooperated with them for political gain were removed from office, causing turmoil in the imperial court. Speaking of which, the Immortal Sect was discovered by the Dao Seeking Sect. The Dao Seeking Sect truly lives up to its reputation as one of the five great immortal sects. He wondered which important figure from the Dao Seeking Sect had found the Immortal Sect's headquarters.

"Immortal Fairy, are there restrictions in the souls of these three?" Lu Yang was completely ignorant when it came to knowledge of souls, so he thought it best to ask the Immortal Fairy, who knew everything.

"Yes, but the method used to place the restriction is quite crude, barely entry-level," she replied. "Do you want me to remove it?"

Lu Yang pondered for a moment and asked, "Will Lord Mi discover it?"

"Are you kidding? Who do you think I am?" she scoffed. "Let alone Lord Mi not being here, even if these three female ghosts were right in front of him, Lord Mi wouldn't discover that the restriction he placed has been removed!"

"Then I'll trouble you, Immortal Fairy."

Lu Yang informed the three female ghosts that Lord Mi was a member of the Demonic Sect. The three female ghosts immediately trembled like sieves from fright, repeatedly insisting they were good ghosts and had no connection to the Demonic Sect.

Lu Yang smiled and said, "Of course, I know you three have no connection to the Demonic Sect. I'm just worried that under the control of Lord Mi's restriction, you might do things against your own will. That's why I want to remove your restrictions. In the future, our Dao Seeking Sect will supervise whether you commit evil. Is that alright?"

How could the three female ghosts dare to disagree? They vigorously nodded.

The Immortal Fairy secretly took action, removing the restriction left by Lord Mi and creating an identical fake one. No one below the Integration stage would be able to spot the flaw. The three female ghosts immediately felt a lightness in their souls; the restriction that had long weighed upon them had vanished.

Xiao Qi timidly raised a hand and cautiously asked, "Um, excuse me, can we go back now? Class is about to start." They had to teach the scholars every day, punctually and very professionally.

"Perfect, we've learned most of what we needed," the group said, preparing to leave.

Before leaving, Lu Yang reminded him, "Town Chief, the matter of the Demonic Sect is of great importance. Please do not mention our visit, Town Chief Fan." Now that they knew there were traces of the Demonic Sect here, they had to take some action before returning.

"Of course," Town Chief Fan nodded. Since it concerned the Demonic Sect, it was better to let professionals like the Dao Seeking Sect handle it; as a humble individual, he wouldn't get involved.

After bidding farewell to Town Chief Fan, the four individuals and three ghosts returned to the dilapidated temple. The three female ghosts went to the main hall to teach, while the four discussed their next steps in a side room.

Li Haoran had found some things inconvenient to say in front of the Town Chief earlier. Now that there were no outsiders, it was fine to speak. "Actually, I remember from my previous life that I came to Ancient Scholar Town to hide something," he began. "I also isolated it from all detection methods, including karma and divine sense. I didn't want anyone to find it, so it must undoubtedly be a treasure."

"There's really a treasure in this place?""Is Lord Mi really from the Nine Nether Sect?""Where is the treasure hidden?""What kind of treasure is it?""You were so poor in your last life, how could you leave behind a treasure?"Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou exclaimed in various ways.

Li Haoran rolled his eyes and said helplessly, "It's just a memory fragment; how could I remember it that clearly? But there is something in Ancient Scholar Town, that much is true."

"Wait, what are you three talking about?" Qin Yanyan was completely confused. What treasure? What Nine Nether Sect? What did this have to do with her former father?

The three exchanged glances. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou both noticed Li Haoran's helplessness.

"Qin Yanyan and Su Yiren will find out about this sooner or later," Lu Yang advised. "Instead of hiding it, it's better to tell them now." As Qin Yanyan's grand-uncle, he felt his grand-niece should know the truth. Meng Jingzhou thought the same.

Li Haoran hesitated for a moment and decided to tell his former daughter Qin Haoran's true identity.

"Actually, your father Qin Haoran was the previous sect leader of the Nine Nether Sect..."

Li Haoran revealed the entire story. The more Qin Yanyan listened, the stranger her expression became. She had never imagined that the father she had never met would turn out to be a demonic sect leader, skilled in deception, and burdened by massive debts.

After quietly listening to her father's identity, Qin Yanyan let out a long sigh, followed by a helpless, wry smile. With her father being a demonic sect leader, what reaction could she possibly have other than acceptance? In truth, she had no deep feelings for Qin Haoran. She had lived with Su Yiren since childhood, and to her, "Qin Haoran" was more like a symbolic "father."

"Oh, by the way, since your dad is a demonic sect leader," Lu Yang kindly reminded her, "your future political career, military service, and sect entrance exams will all be restricted; you won't pass the background check." He had recently crammed on Great Xia laws and gained some insights.

Qin Yanyan: "..."Thanks for the reminder.

Meng Jingzhou also chimed in, "Your parents have been married for five hundred years. Given your father's habits, there should also be debts incurred during these five centuries. But you don't need to worry. Your mother wasn't aware when your father borrowed the money, and your father used all the money to build the Nine Nether Sect. According to legal regulations, this type of debt does not fall under joint marital debt, so your mother doesn't have to repay it."

Qin Yanyan: "..."I also thank you for the reminder.

Qin Yanyan felt the earnest concern of her two grand-uncles.

"So, when my father was eager to break through to the Tribulation Transcending stage," Qin Yanyan mused, "and said he wanted to fight for a future for my mother and me..."

Li Haoran nodded calmly, "To increase his loan amount."

"And to improve his resistance to the impact of overdue payments."