The Grand Elder looked at Li Qiye.
"Do you understand why I've told you all this?"
Li Qiye smiled calmly. > "This disciple is listening attentively."
The elder sighed. > "We need allies — allies like the Nine Saint Demon Gate. That's why I hope you'll marry Princess Li. If you can win her hand, I will support you in everything."
Li Qiye chuckled. > "Elder, do you not fear that inviting a wolf to dinner will end with the wolf devouring its host?"
The elder smiled bitterly. > "Some things are beyond my control," he murmured. Then his gaze sharpened. "So I'm placing my bet on you. Let's hope this time fate grants us a miracle."
He paused, adding with a strange expression:
"Many have coveted the Ancient Washing Token in Old Man Three‑Smiles' hands — none succeeded until he chose to give it to you."
Li Qiye only smiled. Others couldn't see the truth behind that mystery — and he did not explain.
"Tell me," he asked lightly, "why place your bet on me instead of the sect master? Isn't he the heir designated by the previous master?"
The elder remained silent — his reaction made Li Qiye even more curious. What kind of man was Su Yonghuang, the current sect lord, and what secrets hid behind his title?
"This time, I proposed you take the teaching position," the elder continued instead, changing the subject. "I hope you can earn merit and a place in the sect's upper council."
Li Qiye laughed softly. > "So the Elder hopes to polish me up — let me rise as a protector or elder, a rank fit to match the Nine Saint successor and the Princess of the Gu‑Niu Kingdom?"
His easy exposure of the motive startled the elder. In truth, he had never trusted Li Qiye at first — no one had expected him to pass the Nine Saint Gate's trial so smoothly. Many suspected him as a spy.
But the arrival of Li Shuangyan and Elder Yu He had forced the Grand Elder to rethink. If Li Qiye were an infiltrator, the Nine Saint Demon Gate's method was far too open and brazen — and Yu He was no actor.
Moreover, if Li Qiye truly wanted their sect's emperor arts or divine treasures, he could have simply used the Ancient Washing Token to claim them by right. That token, given willingly by Old Man Three‑Smiles, carried authority none could refuse without breaking their ancestral oaths.
The truth was simple — and the Grand Elder knew it well — the sect had little left to protect.
"Among the elders, my seniority is the greatest," the Grand Elder said heavily. "Yet my talent is meager; I cannot reverse our decline. I do not believe in miracles, but I hope you are one — that perhaps our founder still shields us from Heaven's doom. I won't speak of reviving the sect; I'd be grateful enough if you could preserve it through the Nine Saint Demon Gate."
Li Qiye smiled faintly. > "To be so highly valued by the Grand Elder — I'm honored."
Of course, his tone showed no trace of true modesty, and the elder knew it. Still, he pressed on, his voice low.
"If your origins are uncertain," the elder said at last, "then the sect master's origins are something I wish I did not know."
Those words were laden with meaning. If Su Yonghuang was the chosen heir of the former sect‑master, why this disdain?
"Now, the title of sect master matters little," the elder sighed. "We stand on the edge of ruin; there is nothing left to fight for. But I will not see the Second Elder take that seat."
That remark piqued Li Qiye's interest; such confidences were reserved for trusted men.
"The Second Elder is said to be gifted," Li Qiye mused. "In his youth, his Dao was second only to yours among the six."
The elder fell silent for a moment. > "If Cao Xiong had remained true to his path, his rule would not concern me. But he joined hands with Dong Shenglong — and that will drag our sect into the abyss. He's let power cloud his mind."
"Dong Shenglong?" Li Qiye raised a brow. "Our sect's guest minister?" He recalled Nan Huairen mentioning the name.
The Grand Elder nodded grimly. > "As chief disciple, you should know the truth. Dong Shenglong was invited not by my will, but by decree of the Bao Sheng Empire. I had no choice."
His voice grew colder. > "Though not himself of the Holy Heaven Church, he is one of its crowned marquises. I need not say more."
Li Qiye understood. > "So, the Elder hopes I'll help remove Dong Shenglong?"
The Grand Elder hesitated long before answering. > "You couldn't — not yet. But Yu He could. You might use him to do so."
Li Qiye laughed quietly. > "A dangerous move, Elder."
The Elder fell into silence again before letting out a weary sigh.
"I know it — borrowing a wolf to fight a tiger. But between the two, the Holy Heaven Church is the greater danger. Thirty thousand years ago they defeated us, seized our ancient realm, and founded the Bao Sheng Empire upon our ruins. They spared us only out of caution. Someday they'll no longer tolerate us. To destroy the Washing Dust Sect completely, the Nine Saint Demon Gate would have to fight the Church first — and that buy us time."
A grim choice — to pit two giants and hope one shielded them from the other.
Li Qiye smiled lightly. > "I see your plan, Elder. But for me, there's another matter of importance — the Royal Body Ointment (皇体膏) you promised as a reward. When will it be delivered?"
Caught off guard, the elder paused mid‑breath. > "Ah … that."
Li Qiye added blandly, > "As for its chief ingredient — the beast marrow — I want that of a Hell Iron Ox. You have no objection, I assume?"
"That will take some time," the elder admitted, forcing a smile.
Li Qiye's eyes narrowed. > "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"
"The sect does not renege on its promises," the elder said firmly. "But you should know — to acquire a ten‑thousand‑year Hell Iron Ox marrow is no small thing. We do have a batch of Royal Body Ointment, but it uses a lesser beast's marrow."
"I need the Hell Iron Ox's marrow," Li Qiye stated flatly.
The elder took a deep breath and met his gaze. > "I can arrange it — if you marry the Princess."
Li Qiye sighed, rising to his feet. > "Elder, my women are mine to control — princess or saint, it matters not. As for your worries, I'll say this: anyone who dares threaten the Washing Dust Sect while I breathe — I'll slaughter them all. And whoever dares to block its rise — I will kill them too, god or devil alike."
With that, he turned and left.
The Grand Elder stood frozen, staring after the boy. A thirteen‑year‑old speaking such mad words — yet they didn't sound hollow. He couldn't see through Li Qiye at all. Where did such confidence come from?
At length, he let out a long, tired sigh. For years he had shouldered the sect's burdens, holding back its collapse. He knew it was beyond saving — but still, he hoped for a miracle.
Perhaps this boy was that miracle.
Believe it or not, he had to bet. Time was running out. The four elders had grown restless; without their support, the sect's fall would only accelerate.