Once Shang Qinghua became the peak lord, he at long last no longer needed to bow and scrape to anyone.
A busy life was still a busy life, but at least he had been promoted from “exploited servant girl” to “head of internal affairs”; this totally counted as rapid progress in long steps.
Apparently, that particular person on Qing Jing Peak whom no one could afford to offend had fallen ill. After he recovered, a secret meeting was held on Qiong Ding Peak.
In the side hall of Qiong Ding Peak, ten of the twelve peak lords were present and accounted for.
“Do you feel that Qingqiu-shidi…has been very odd these past few days?” Yue Qingyuan asked, completely focused on the topic.
Several peak lords agreed.
“More than just odd,” said Liu Qingge in a solemn tone.
“He’s practically a whole different person,” muttered Qi Qingqi.
Just then, Shang Qinghua stepped into the side hall, worn and weary from travel. Over the past few years, Qian Cao Peak’s Dragon-Bone Cantaloupe seeds had been selling quite well outside the sect, and he had already spent several months rushing about on sales trips. He had been dragged into this mysterious meeting as soon as he got back, and he still didn’t quite understand the situation. He rubbed his hands together. “About that, I haven’t seen Shen-shixiong for a few days. Could everyone please elaborate? How exactly has he been odd?”
“He had a calm and harmonious conversation with me for a whole two hours,” said Yue Qingyuan.
Shang Qinghua was both speechless and terrified. “Aiyah, my god! How odd! That really is very odd!”
Ordinarily speaking, the bridge between these two was impassably burned. Without rebuilding the bridge, there was absolutely no chance of harmonious developments. Thus far, the T-Minus Five Sentences Until They Part on Terrible Terms rule had held true as baseline normal. A whole two hours’ worth of a calm and harmonious exchange—this was more than a fantastical level of progress.
“In the Ling Xi Caves, he…helped me,” said Liu Qingge.
Shang Qinghua finally remembered. Right, by now, Shen Qingqiu should already have “helped” Liu Qingge to his death. So how could Liu Qingge still be hanging about, sitting here to attend a meeting?!
Was it possible that the warning Shang Qinghua had given Shen Qingqiu after defeating the well creature had actually made an impact?
The other peak lords continued to list Shen Qingqiu’s every behavioral oddity over the last few days. “Sustaining injury while beating back an impetuous demoness” this, “stepping forward to protect his disciples and showing care and concern” that… Shang Qinghua’s face began to twitch.
He thought it over back and forth, but no matter how he looked at it, this kind of altruistic self-sacrificing character behavior was seriously OOC!
Unable to resist, he said, “Wait. He…couldn’t have been possessed, could he? Wei-shixiong, how is your sword trials terrace? Did he visit?”
At the sword trials terrace of Wei Qingwei’s Wan Jian Peak, there was a mystical sword known as Hong Jing, which no person had ever been able to draw. But if something like a resentful soul or evil spirit were to approach the blade, it unsheathed of its own accord. If Shen Qingqiu really had been possessed by some impure creature, as long as he approached the sword trials terrace, Hong Jing would emphatically sound the alarm.
However, Wei Qingwei said, “He went three times and tried to draw it every one, and there was absolutely no sign of movement.”
“There is no demonic energy in his body,” Yue Qingyuan said slowly. “I could detect no signs that he has been possessed.”
Qi Qingqi spread her hands. “It doesn’t make any sense for him to be possessed. Possession at least involves some sort of goal. But he hasn’t been doing anything; he’s even more idle than before.”
After the discussion session, they remained unable to reach a decision.
In the end, Mu Qingfang said, “It’s not necessarily a case of possession. In my opinion, perhaps Shen-shixiong’s old problem has reappeared.”
All the peak lords looked at each other.
What this “old problem” was didn’t need to be said aloud; everyone understood.
Shen Qingqiu, as a person, was ambitious and aggressive, proud and arrogant. This wasn’t the first time he’d tried to force instant success. Maybe he had gone off to cultivate in secret again and had ended up falling into a qi deviation.
Mu Qingfang continued his analysis. “I have heard of quite a few such cases. When a person is hit on the head with a large rock, or if they perhaps suffer a violent shock, sometimes they lose a few of their memories of the past. So, it’s not necessarily impossible for someone to fall into a qi deviation and forget their past, thus leading to their temperament to undergo major changes.”
“Then is it possible to recover?” Yue Qingyuan asked.
Qi Qingqi wrinkled her nose. “Zhangmen-shixiong, do you actually hope he’ll remember and recover his previous…character and conduct?”
Yue Qingyuan started. “Me? I cannot say.” When he continued, it was earnestly, “Even though the way he is now is overall very good as well… If he can remember, it will be for the better.”
“Before, he never offered a proper greeting when he met Zhangmen-shixiong or his fellow sect members,” one of the other peak lords said in confusion. “He never visited us at our homes, and when he spoke, it was all needles concealed in silk floss, full of biting sarcasm—what was good about that? The way he is now is quite an improvement.”
Yue Qingyuan smiled faintly, but he did not speak.
“The last time I went to write his prescription for Without a Cure, I examined him,” Mu Qingfang said awkwardly. “There were no significant symptoms, so it would be difficult to know where to begin. I’m afraid we can only let nature take its course.”
Having reached the verdict, “The Qing Jing Peak Lord has lost his memory; celebrate and spread the joyful news,” the meeting adjourned.
After this meeting concluded, Shang Qinghua felt he was very much obligated to investigate these strange happenings (in passing, while delivering Qing Jing Peak’s funds).