Qingfeng Zhenren saw Xu Yi's disbelief and explained, "The Sect Master only joined the sect two hundred years after Patriarch Jinghong ascended. He was accepted as a disciple by Patriarch Fengjian. From where did you hear this news?"
Now it was Xu Yi's turn to be speechless.
Was Ji Buwang not a descendant of Liu Jinghong and Ji Xiu? Was his name truly just a coincidence?
Xu Yi felt something was amiss but couldn't pinpoint it, so she continued to ask, "Then was the Sect Master's name given by his parents?"
"That is not the case. The Sect Master's parents passed away when he was young. He only had a childhood nickname when he joined the Xuanji Sect. His given name was bestowed by Patriarch Fengjian."
Qingfeng Zhenren was already a disciple of the Xuanji Sect at the time and still remembered the Sect Master's apprenticeship.
Xu Yi's heart stirred, "Patriarch Fengjian? Did Patriarch Fengjian's common surname happen to be Ji?"
"That is not it either," Qingfeng Zhenren shook his head, a realization dawning on him.
If Patriarch Fengjian accepted the Sect Master, why would he give the Sect Master a name completely unrelated to him?
However, Patriarch Fengjian had passed away many years ago, and this question might never be answered.
Xu Yi nodded and asked no further questions.
Qingfeng Zhenren clearly didn't know much more.
But she had a premonition that Ji Buwang's name was definitely not a coincidence, and that Ji Buwang must have a special connection with Ji Xiu and Liu Jinghong.
Thinking this, Xu Yi suddenly paused. Ji Buwang was the Sect Master of the Xuanji Sect. Even if he was related to those two, it shouldn't matter. Why was she so concerned?
She shook her head and chuckled lightly, thinking she was being too sensitive. She cleared her mind, lay back comfortably in the rocking chair, closed her eyes to rest, and enjoyed the rare moment of leisure.
However, while she was relaxed, her questions had thrown Qingfeng Zhenren into a state of agitation.
Xu Yi was the Ancestor of the sect. Her sudden inquiries about the Sect Master's background and origins today, asking questions he had never heard before, forced him to take it seriously.
Considering that the Sect Master had been secretly staying by Xu Yi's side, Qingfeng Zhenren felt even more uneasy.
He had always wondered why the Sect Master was willing to set aside sect affairs to personally protect the Ancestor and even participate in the sect competition that only disciples attended. Such actions were clearly out of character for the Sect Master.
Even when Xu Yi was captured by Elder Zhao and had to leave, Qingfeng Zhenren was still pondering the strangeness of it all.
The more he thought, the more worried he became, and he finally couldn't help but reach for his communication disk.
Inside the stone chamber of the Time Realm.
Lu Zaiye suddenly opened his eyes, a faint smile curving his lips.
His eyes seemed to hold a deep vortex, captivating the soul.
He had finally comprehended the art of Time Reincarnation, fulfilling his hundred-year pact with the Dean.
Before Lu Zaiye could notify the Dean, the communication disk at his waist vibrated.
He tapped his finger, and his indifferent voice sounded.
"What is it?"
"Martial Nephew Sect Master, are you still at Kunlun Academy?"
Qingfeng Zhenren's slightly anxious voice came from the communication disk.
"Yes."
"The Ancestor has returned to the Xuanji Sect. Why are you still there? Has your identity been exposed? The Ancestor was asking me a lot of questions about you today."
The smile on Lu Zaiye's, or rather Ji Buwang's, lips immediately vanished, and his expression turned solemn. "What questions did she ask? Reiterate them to me, without missing a single one."
He had never revealed any information about himself to Xu Yi, so she shouldn't have found out.
"The Ancestor, from some rumor she heard, asked me if you were a descendant of Patriarch Jinghong and inquired about your background. You know, the Ancestor never bothers with trivial matters. She must have asked for a reason. I feel like we're about to be found out."
Qingfeng Zhenren regretted ever deceiving Xu Yi along with the Sect Master.
Now, they were in a difficult situation. Xu Yi would eventually see through this lie, and he wouldn't know how to explain it to her.
"Besides that, did she ask any other questions?"
Ji Buwang's voice remained steady, but his heart sank.
"Oh, yes, she also asked why you haven't emerged from seclusion yet, and expressed dissatisfaction with your prolonged closed-door cultivation."
The more Qingfeng Zhenren spoke, the more his head ached, regretting his past actions.
"I am aware. Do not tell her directly for now. I will personally beg for forgiveness later."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Buwang unhesitatingly ended the communication, his eyes filled with an unreadable mixture of emotions.
He had approached Xu Yi under the false name of Lu Zaiye with ulterior motives.
Later, as his understanding of Xu Yi deepened, he realized how wrong his actions were.
Perhaps due to fear or shame, he had never dared to explain himself to Xu Yi.
He had wavered before participating in the sect competition, contemplating ending it all.
However, a remark from the Dean of Kunlun Academy changed his mind.
He participated in the competition, entered Kunlun Academy, learned the art of Time Reincarnation, and completed all the tasks according to the Dean's plan.
Now, it was time to face his mistakes and uncover the doubts that had always clouded his mind.
"Dean! The hundred-year pact is fulfilled. Please show yourself."
Ji Buwang's thin lips curved slightly, his voice echoing in the stone chamber.
"Oh, you've really comprehended it?"
The Dean appeared quickly.
He sat opposite Ji Buwang, looking at him with surprise, his eyes gleaming as if harboring ill intentions.
"Dean, I have fulfilled all the requirements you proposed that day. You should give me an explanation now."
Ji Buwang's gaze turned sharp as he looked at the Dean.
"There's no rush for that matter," the Dean said, shaking his head with a smile. "Why don't you tell me first, are you still in contact with Liu Jinghong? If I tell you now, and you turn around and pass this information to someone else, that would be an unwarranted disaster for me."
Ji Buwang's heart skipped a beat, and his voice grew deeper, "How do you know about this?"
"I not only know you're in contact with Liu Jinghong, but I also know that it was she who instructed Patriarch Fengjian to take you in, name you Ji Buwang, and have you succeed to the position of Sect Master. Am I correct?"
The secrets of the Xuanji Sect were revealed one by one by the Dean.
Ji Buwang narrowed his eyes, a killing intent flashing through his mind.
Apart from him and the late Patriarch Fengjian, only Liu Jinghong knew about this. Where had the Dean obtained this information?
"I mean no harm. I just want to confirm the information I have is correct before I tell the story," the Dean's expression remained unchanged, still smiling. "After I finish the story, if you still don't believe me, it won't be too late to take action against me."
Ji Buwang closed his eyes, concealing the coldness within. "Yes, there is indeed contact between her and me, but that was years ago. I haven't contacted her for almost four hundred years."
From the day he joined the Xuanji Sect, Ji Buwang knew that his nominal master was Patriarch Fengjian, but his true master was the Immortal Jinghong, who had long since ascended.
Immortal Jinghong could still communicate with him from the upper realm through special artifacts.
Later, he cultivated under Immortal Jinghong's guidance until he succeeded to the position of Sect Master.
It was Xu Yi's name that he had heard from Immortal Jinghong, which was why he was so curious about Xu Yi.
Because he could tell that Immortal Jinghong was full of apprehension towards Xu Yi, and coincidentally, Xu Yi also held the same attitude towards this Immortal Jinghong whom she had never met.
This made him suspicious.