Li Hangguang, the old Daoist, stroked his beard and laughed. "Never thought that after waking up, a thousand years later, I would see the King of the Night interfering in the affairs of the living world. The name of the King of the Night is going to resound once again in this era."
As he spoke, he smiled, flicked his horsetail whisk, and had the air of making a firm declaration.
Qin Ye rolled his eyes. He did not show respect just because Li Hangguang was old and instead laughed and cursed. "Old man Li, stop teasing me. Calling me the King of the Night now? Are you trying to kill me with praise?"
"This old Daoist is not trying to kill you with praise. Since you have stepped in, there is nothing you cannot handle. At most, I am just stating the truth, which doesn't count as killing with praise."
Mentioning Qin Ye's intervention, his aged face showed emotion as he reminisced and said with nostalgia, "The last time I saw you make a move was also the first time I met you. Back then, my Maoshan Sect had declined, no longer its former glory. It was you who took action, helping my Maoshan Sect regain its splendor, allowing it to stand alongside Longhu Mountain and Gezhao Mountain as one of the three great talisman sects of Taoism."
"Without you, the Maoshan Sect might have disappeared as early as the Northern Song Dynasty."
In the world's records, the Maoshan Sect was noted to have declined in the mid-Northern Song period and only resurged in the later Northern Song period, earning its place alongside Longhu Mountain and Gezhao Mountain as the 'Three Talisman Mountains.'
The world only attributed this to the 23rd-generation sect master of Maoshan. He was granted the position of imperial preceptor after Emperor Zhenzong prayed for a son, and only then did the Maoshan Sect rise again.
From the 23rd-generation sect master onward, successive masters of Maoshan were deeply influenced by Li Hangguang.
It seemed that it was Li Hangguang's influence that prevented Maoshan from declining. But Li Hangguang, the old Daoist, knew well.
The Maoshan Sect's resurgence and widespread fame in the later Northern Song period were not because of him. It was because Qin Ye had taken action.
The one who truly influenced the 23rd-generation sect master was Qin Ye.
This, Li Hangguang knew in his heart. Even though the world did not know the truth, he had seen it with his own eyes.
Moreover, Li Hangguang also understood. If one were to deeply investigate Maoshan's ancient history, traces could be found—how the 23rd-generation sect master rose to prominence, how Emperor Zhenzong's prayers for a son were granted. It was not just divine favor preserving the Maoshan Sect. It was as if an unseen hand was pushing things from behind the scenes.
After all, at that time, Maoshan had already declined. Why would the emperor of the time favor it? And how could the 23rd-generation sect master be chosen to pray for a son on behalf of Emperor Zhenzong?
One must know that the Taoist sects at their peak then were not Maoshan. Why did the emperor choose Maoshan instead of other prominent Taoist sects? Clues of this were scattered throughout history.
It was precisely because Qin Ye had intervened. That was why the Maoshan Sect became what it is today.
And because of this, Li Hangguang, the old Daoist, knew well about Qin Ye's past. The title "King of the Night" was not given lightly.
At the same time, Li Hangguang also understood why Qin Ye was called the King of the Night.
King of the Night.
It did not mean the king of darkness. Instead, it was because, since ancient times, the term "night" in olden times referred to the time from dusk until dawn—a period when people's vision failed them, when darkness obscured everything.
King of the Night, the king unseen by the world.
At the same time, hearing Li Hangguang mention the past, feeling nostalgic, his eyes once again showed gratitude.
Qin Ye waved his hand dismissively, looking indifferent. "Tch, old man Li, listen to yourself. It's not that serious. I was just repaying a favor, and it just so happened to coincide with Maoshan's decline."
"At that time, I happened to notice that Mao Ziying had great talent and didn't want to see such a promising seed go to waste, so I gave him a few pointers. Later, I asked Xiao Hei to help him when he had the time."
"In the end, who knew Xiao Hei would run off to find his emperor friend instead?"
Qin Ye then shook his head and said, "In the end, it was still just to repay a favor. I made it very clear to Mao Ziying that I was helping him purely because of you, old man Li."
In response, Li Hangguang shook his head and refuted. "That's why the world says they were deeply influenced by me, the old Daoist. But in truth, the one who helped them was you, not me. I merely helped you solve some small problems."
"In my view, what you did for the Maoshan Sect has long surpassed repaying a favor. Instead, I owe you one now."
"Old man Li, you're making this sound too formal. But if you want to be formal, then I won't hold back either."
Qin Ye suddenly changed his tone, smiling as he leaned in. "Didn't you just mention someone from Maoshan? Oh, right, I remember now—the current sect master."
He wore a buddy-buddy expression, even draping an arm around Li Hangguang's shoulders. "Your sect's current master asked for your help in suppressing those ancient great demons of Changbai Mountain."
"That's true." Li Hangguang glanced at him, seemingly seeing through Qin Ye's intentions, and said, "You want me to help suppress the ancient great demons of Changbai Mountain?"
"Old man Li, listen to yourself. How is this asking you for help? You just said it yourself—repaying a favor, right? Just like back then. I owed you a favor, and it just happened to coincide with Maoshan's decline."
Qin Ye grinned, slinging an arm over Li Hangguang's shoulder. "This time, you owe me a favor, and it just so happens that I've stirred up some trouble. Now isn't this the perfect time for you to repay your debt?"
Li Hangguang stroked his white beard and laughed heartily. "If you put it that way, I suppose I do owe you a favor. It's only right that I help you sort out this mess."
"Right?" Qin Ye chuckled, his expression saying, 'You get me.'
"This matter, you know, I could have Xiao Hei handle it for me. But, well, let's put it this way—if I wake up too many ancient great demons across Daxia's mountains, Xiao Hei would be running around non-stop and wouldn't be able to resolve everything quickly."
"But if you lend a hand, that would be a great help and a perfect way to repay this small favor."
Li Hangguang stroked his white beard, giving him a look that said, 'You really know how to do calculations.'
"Should I be regretting saying that I owe you a favor now?" Though he said that, there wasn't a hint of reluctance in his tone.
Qin Ye, on the other hand, said, "You're already this old. Words spoken are like water spilled—you can't take them back, right, old man Li?"
As he spoke, he even reached out to help Li Hangguang smooth his beard. If anyone else dared to act like this, Li Hangguang would have frowned at their lack of respect. But since it was Qin Ye, he didn't mind and instead smiled and nodded.
"Then this old Daoist shall lend you a hand. But it must be done under your name. After all, my sect's current master already asked me, and I refused."
Without any hesitation, he immediately got up and said, "Once I've helped you, we can catch up properly. We should also talk about the Heavenly Court. I imagine things have gone quite wrong this time."
"No problem. I need to investigate as well. You can check with Bureau 749 on your end, and once everything is settled, we'll share our findings." Qin Ye said, exchanging smiles with Li Hangguang.
Then,Li Hangguang flicked his horsetail whisk and left.
Qin Ye watched him go and didn't idle either, muttering as he picked up the jade pendant used to contact the man in black mist. "Time to call Xiao Hei again. I wanted to let him experience more of this era, but with old man Li handling things for me, the rest can be left to Xiao Hei without delaying his experience."
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