Chapter 855: Help

Chapter 855: A Favor

"Dad, could you speak a little quieter? I'm having a conversation with your wife."

After Li Sui finished speaking, she received no response from Li Huowang. He kept his head down, searching frantically through something, muttering to himself from time to time. "The content in this book... seems useless?"

Seeing that Li Huowang ignored her, Li Sui thought for a moment and let it go. She turned her gaze toward Bai Lingmiao and said, "Mother, I actually don't want you to be the Holy Maiden of the White Lotus Sect, because the higher up you are, the more dangerous it becomes. I'm somewhat worried about you."

"Dangerous? Isn't the Law Sect already gone? What kind of danger could there be? Or are you saying..." Bai Lingmiao looked anxiously toward the imperial city.

"The higher up, the more dangerous it is—no matter which level you're talking about."

"To be honest, I don't want Gao Zhijian to become emperor either, nor do I want Dad to be the Heart of the Celestial Dragon, because both positions are dangerous too. But they have no choice; you do."

"I can find a way to have someone else take your place."

Upon hearing these words, Bai Lingmiao silently lowered her head, staring at her own clothes. "Is it because of those emperors who came looking for me before? Are they planning to harm me now?"

Li Sui shook her head gently. "Not quite yet. But things will only get worse from here on. If you stay in that position, such incidents will only increase, and eventually, it'll become impossible to handle."

"Mother, don't forget—there are five emperors. Even if Gao Zhijian still holds some affection for you and doesn’t act against you, the others might not be so lenient. Some people in the various Heavenly Observing Offices across their territories are just as powerful as I am."

"And besides, the White Lotus Sect has no means to deal with this kind of situation. Any retaliation would amount to rebellion."

"They're turning their backs on us!" Bai Lingmiao's voice carried rare anger.

Ershen turned his head around, voicing everything Bai Lingmiao had been thinking. "Back when the Law Sect was still active, all its followers were taken in by our White Lotus Sect. We donated money, food, military supplies, everything!"

"But now, once we've served our purpose, they suddenly think we're too many? Do they really see us as mere brooms—used and discarded after being swept clean?"

"That's right. The White Lotus Sect is nothing but a tool," Li Sui said. At these words, silence filled the room except for the sound of Li Huowang rummaging through items.

Bai Lingmiao stared wide-eyed at Li Sui in disbelief.

"Mother, you may not know this, but the higher you sit, the more common such matters become. Emperors have always been fickle, and 'the most heartless family is the imperial one' isn't just idle talk. That's why I want you to step down—you’re too kind for this place."

"Since you’ve come through so much hardship from Qingfeng Monastery, and finally found some peace, you should enjoy it. Don’t dwell on these troubling thoughts anymore."

Bai Lingmiao recalled the past, remembered her youthful and absurd dreams, and gazed at the distant silhouette, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

But moments later, reality pulled her back down. She quickly looked away. "That’s true, but some things aren’t simply decided by what one wants to do."

"I can’t leave—not especially after hearing what you said."

"Why?" Li Sui showed no surprise on her face, yet she asked anyway.

"Because I don’t trust them. I don’t trust an emperor who casually mentions two million lives. They’re human beings, not grass growing from the land of emperors and kingdoms."

Bai Lingmiao clenched her fists tightly, pulling at her own clothing. "If I stay here, at least they’ll hesitate a bit. If I truly left, then the remaining White Lotus believers would become scattered sand, at the mercy of whoever chooses to devour them."

"You’re absolutely right. Since ancient times, emperors have been fickle. I dare not even imagine how they’ll deal with the White Lotus believers afterward."

At this point, Bai Lingmiao let go of her clothes forcefully. "Sui Sui, go tell Gao Zhijian that justice must be served. Show sincerity. I’ve already instructed my followers not to spread the teachings anymore."

Li Sui sipped her tea lightly before continuing, "Mother, not everything depends solely on people—it also hinges on what those above think. Would the Mother of the Unborn approve of what you’re doing? In the end, you’d be pleasing neither side."

"I’m your daughter, so I say this honestly. I don’t want you to suffer or feel troubled."

Bai Lingmiao’s expression shifted slightly, but she didn’t change her mind. "I know there will be trouble ahead, but I refuse to give up. I want to try."

"How can you say that we should just give up at the first sign of difficulty without even trying?"

"I don’t want to keep running away. This time, I won’t run anymore. No matter the outcome, I won’t regret it."

"Bravo!" Ershen twisted his upper body around and kissed Bai Lingmiao on the cheek.

"That’s exactly what I meant! I’ve suffered so much for this title. Why should they dictate what I should or shouldn’t do? Who do they think they are?"

"If they have the guts, let them try to challenge us directly. See if the current size of the White Lotus Sect can knock out a few of their teeth!"

Hearing this, Li Sui finally understood Bai Lingmiao’s intentions. She nodded softly. "Alright, I understand. I’ll convey your message."

With that, she stood up and walked toward Li Huowang. "Dad, haven’t you found anything yet? Should I help you look? By the way, what exactly are you looking for?"

Ershen glanced at the medicinal supplements beside him and muttered mentally to Bai Lingmiao, "We are, after all, stepmothers. There's still some distance between us. Look how relaxed she is with her own father."

"How can you think that of Sui Sui? Didn’t she used to be very close to her? It's not her fault. She’s forced to mediate between both sides."

"You know the truth yourself. I do care for her, but she’s no longer the two-year-old child she once was. She’s already 162 years old now. There’s still a gap."

Bai Lingmiao frowned slightly, stood up, and walked over to where Li Huowang sat.

Seeing that Bai Lingmiao didn’t want to hear more, Ershen stopped talking. The message had been delivered. "Madman, what are you looking for? You’ve been searching for so long without finding anything."

Eight pairs of eyes searching together made the task much faster than one pair. Soon enough, books from the cabinet were neatly arranged in categories.

There were picture books, biographies, Buddhist scriptures—all very chaotic and disorganized. Li Huowang sat on the floor, reading intently, examining every detail carefully, hoping to find what he sought among them.

"Dad, did something happen in Great Qi?" Li Sui sensed something unusual.

"Yeah, they’ve arrived. Their goal isn’t Great Qi—they’re heading straight for Great Liang! They passed through Great Qi on the way! Their real objective is to kill your mother!"

These words sent shockwaves through both Li Sui and Bai Lingmiao. Only now did they understand why Li Huowang had been in such a hurry earlier.