Cultivating Immortality: What kind of cheat can you use if you don't have money?

Chapter 109 The Intricate Zhao Family

Now that things have come to this, you have no choice but to marry Zhao Mengxi with tears in your eyes.

[Zhao Wuyi, considering your special status, did not make it public. He privately asked for your opinion via telepathy, and you said it would be fine to hold it within the Zhao family compound.]

For a time, you were the envy of everyone. Finally, the date for your wedding to Zhao Mengxi was set for one month later.

During this time, Qin Xiyue found you and looked at you with a strange expression. The two of you, with perfect understanding, returned a helpless glance.

She gestured to you with her eyes, asking if you needed her to run away, but you refused, after all, you hadn't yet figured out what Ling'er's fatal calamity was.

[You calmed down a bit and considered whether to reveal your true identity to approach Ling'er. You felt that using this identity would definitely lead to rejection.]

[While pondering, you arrived at Ling'er's courtyard. After a moment's hesitation, you transformed into your true form using the fake human skin and entered the courtyard.]

When she saw you, her eyes lit up again, and her eyes reddened. But the next moment, she asked you coldly who you were.

[You felt helpless, knowing this would be the outcome. You pointed to the sky. Ling'er, seeing your gesture, felt a chill, took out a talisman from her storage bag, and casually tossed it. An invisible barrier instantly enveloped the entire courtyard.]

[Ling'er explains to you that this talisman was crafted by her master and can shield you from the prying eyes of those at the Purple Mansion level, and then questions you about your identity.]

You claimed to be Li Qingyi herself, but unfortunately, she didn't believe you. After some conversation, you recounted many of their shared experiences, and she finally believed you were indeed Li Qingyi.

Ling'er's eyes turned cold as she questioned you about faking your death. You dared not tell her that you were the Master of Huanzhu Pavilion, and could only lie and say that you entered the Zhao family through Fang Yuan's connections.

After your coaxing and deception, she reluctantly believed your lies.

[From your conversation, you learned that Ling'er was brought to the Zhao family three days ago. Upon arrival, she was confined here and forbidden to leave.]

A chill ran through you. You didn't know what the Zhao family was up to, but you knew they were definitely up to no good.

You went to find Zhao Mengxi and inquired about Ling'er, but unfortunately, you found nothing.

For half a month, you noticed that Crown Prince Li Xuance frequently entered Ling'er's courtyard, only to leave with a dark expression. A chill ran down your spine, and you secretly followed the Crown Prince, intending to knock him unconscious and extract a confession through torture.

[You had already followed Li Xuance away from the Zhao family and were about to make your move when Zhao Zhouhui suddenly appeared and blocked your path. He then reassured you to focus on preparing for your wedding with Zhao Mengxi.]

[You suddenly remember that the Purple Mansion True Person who helped Li Xuance capture you in the last simulation was also from the Zhao family's Purple Mansion, and had even reduced you to ashes in a previous simulation.]

You sense that Li Xuance's relationship with the Zhao family isn't as simple as it seems. You know that Zhao Zhouhui's presence here is most likely at Zhao Wuyi's behest, but you have no choice but to return the way you came.

Three days before the wedding, you discover that Ling'er has suddenly disappeared, and a sense of foreboding creeps in. You immediately activate your divine sense to search the Zhao family compound, but find nothing.

Remembering the secluded mountain range Li Xuance had visited last time, you immediately headed there, exploring along the way. However, your divine sense was blocked by a mysterious array.

You feel that Ling'er is very likely here, just then, Li Xuance appears and stops you.

The two of you exchanged a glance, and the battle erupted. You went all out, and Li Xuance, a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, was no match for you. Just as Li Xuance was in mortal danger, another Purple Mansion True Person from the Zhao family stopped you.

Knowing this matter was unlikely to end well, you decided to unleash the Netherworld God-Slaying Talisman and engage the opponent in a fierce battle. Unfortunately, he didn't give you the chance; a gust of wind swept past, and you were reduced to a cloud of bluish-gray.

[You're dead. Rewards are being calculated...]

Li Qingyi stared at the image of her own death and fell into deep thought.

The sky outside the window was already beginning to lighten. Despite not having slept all night, there wasn't much weariness in his eyes.

"The Zhao family's affairs seem to be more complicated than I imagined..."

He muttered to himself, threw off the covers, got up and went behind the desk to take out paper and pen.

At this moment, Li Qingyi needs to sort out all the fragmented information obtained from the simulation, as well as her own speculations.

The pen tip touched the paper, and the ink spread out:

Crown Prince Li Xuance: He harbors an inexplicable and intense murderous intent towards me. I died twice in the simulation at his hands, or because of him.

He has an extremely close relationship with another Purple Mansion True Person in the Zhao family.

Another member of the Zhao family's Purple Mansion: clearly stands on the side of the Crown Prince, and is the Crown Prince's greatest reliance and trump card.

Its existence greatly restricted my freedom of movement and safety within the Zhao family.

Zhao Wuyi: His attitude...

At this point, Li Qingyi's pen stopped.

A previously unheard-of conjecture flashed through my mind like lightning.

"Could it be... that he sent Zhao Zhouhui to stop me from following the Crown Prince, in order to protect me?"

He connected this conjecture with the scene of encountering Li Xuance in that mountain range and being instantly killed by his Purple Mansion.

"Wouldn't that Purple Mansion Immortal be keeping watch over him day and night?"

"If we infer from this point, then Zhao Wuyi's attitude is quite intriguing."

Another member of the Zhao family at the Purple Mansion level... Could it be that he's at odds with Zhao Wuyi?

Li Qingyi suddenly felt that it was very likely, after all, this Purple Mansion True Person did not attend the clan gathering.

"It's quite interesting that a Purple Mansion Immortal from the Zhao family is guarding the Crown Prince. Their relationship is probably not simple."

He continued writing.

Speculation on Zhao Wuyi's attitude:

They appear to be overly friendly, or perhaps have ulterior motives. Their behavior may involve multiple intentions, including protection, observation, exploitation, and checks and balances. Close contact and probing are necessary.

Ling'er: Trapped in the Zhao family, she is in a depressed state.

The source of her "death calamity" is unclear, but it may be related to internal power struggles within the Zhao family, the Crown Prince's schemes, or the secrets of her own identity. It needs to be clarified and resolved as soon as possible.

When writing about Ling'er, Li Qingyi's hand froze again, and the ink drop from the tip of her pen fell onto the paper, spreading into a small smudge.

"What could be the reason?" He put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and rubbed his throbbing temples with his fingers.

"Who attacked the courtyard in the south of the city? What was their purpose? Was it merely to kill me? Or was it targeting Ling'er? Or were they trying to stir up some trouble?"

There are too few clues and the motive is unclear, so we need to wait and see.

A moment later, he sat up straight again, his eyes becoming resolute.

"Under the watchful eyes of the two Purple Mansions, I could hardly move an inch in the Zhao family. Any extreme action could lead to my annihilation."

Li Qingyi analyzed in a low voice, drawing a thick line between the words "Zhao Family Purple Mansion" and "Crown Prince" on the paper.

"No! We can't be this passive!" A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

"We must find a way to muddy the waters! The Zhao family's waters are too deep; I can't wade through them alone."

"We need to introduce more variables and involve more Purple Mansions in the game, making them check and balance each other, so that the Zhao family's Purple Mansions are too busy to attend to other matters, only then can I find an opening to act!"

"But how do we drag other major powers into this?" Li Qingyi frowned.

"The fact that disciples from various factions came to offer their congratulations at the Zhao family patriarch's birthday banquet alone is probably not enough to truly entangle them in the struggle between the Zhao family, the crown prince, and Ling'er."

"To catch fish, you need enough bait..." he pondered.

"But I don't even know what the Zhao family and the Crown Prince are plotting, so how can I create a 'bait' that no major power can ignore?"

With this in mind, Li Qingyi felt that she had to find a way to investigate Zhao Wuyi's true strength.

"Looks like we'll have to do many simulations..."

Li Qingyi realized that going to the Zhao family was no longer a simple matter of rescuing people, but rather that she had been drawn into a huge vortex involving the Purple Mansion True Person, the Crown Prince of the Imperial Family, and the internal struggles of the Immortal Clan.

Every step must be taken with utmost care and careful planning.

Li Qingyi then turned her gaze to the words "Crown Prince".

"We can't let our guard down in the capital either. It's illogical for a Purple Mansion True Person to be protecting a prince so closely for so long."

We must find out the Crown Prince's background and his relationship with the Zhao family's Purple Mansion. This might be the key to breaking the deadlock.

The Crown Prince has been completely categorized by Li Qingyi as an enemy to be fought to the death.

He did not want to be an enemy of the crown prince, but given the circumstances, he had no choice but to do so.

"For the next simulation, perhaps we can try to cooperate more deeply with Li Xuanwei and the others."

Li Qingyi wrote "Second Prince Li Xuanwei" on the paper.

"They are the Crown Prince's direct competitors, and they should know more about his secrets and weaknesses."

Even if it's just mutual exploitation, valuable intelligence can be obtained. But we must be careful not to actually get tied to their war machine.

Finally, Li Qingyi wrote the four characters "South City Courtyard" on the paper, her eyes flashing with a cold light and her killing intent soaring.

"No matter who you are, anyone who dares to lay a hand on me and Ling'er will be killed!"

Just then, the simulator's settlement information clearly appeared.

[Simulation ended, rewards settled...]

[Reward 1: Qi Refining Level 8. After extraction, your cultivation level will increase from the early stage of Qi Refining Level 8 to Qi Refining Level 9.]

Reward Two: A Commanding Aura. After extraction, you will possess an aura of leadership that commands respect and an invisible pressure, making your words and actions more persuasive and charismatic.

When activated actively, it can make cultivators whose cultivation level is one stage lower than yours submit willingly and find it difficult to resist.

Reward Three: Cultivation Insights. Upon extraction, you will receive your cultivation insights gained from several days of seclusion.

Reward Four: The True Inheritance of the Art of Acting. After extraction, you will gain a preliminary understanding of the essence of the art of acting, greatly enhancing your ability to play roles and disguise yourself.

It can perfectly portray different characters you are familiar with, so lifelike that it is hard to tell the difference between the real and the fake.

However, it's important not to lose yourself in the act.

Li Qingyi looked at the four rewards and nodded slightly.

This special reward is quite useful, as it is exactly what is needed in the current situation.

However, when he looked down, he suddenly paused, and after realizing what was happening, his face was full of strange expressions.

"Wait...no!" He pointed at the screen and questioned the simulator:

"Where are my ashes? How come you died so cleanly this time? Not even a speck of dust remained?!"