Qi Xuansu slightly interrupted Qi Jiaozheng. “Sage Wanmiao, if Qi Haoran was your cousin, then why does Daoist Qi Muyu know nothing about him?”

Qi Jiaozheng replied, “The reason is simple. Qi Haoran was not originally called by that name. He only changed his name to Qi Haoran after leaving the Qi family and joining the Zhengyi Sect. Very few people knew about this matter. The Qi family had always publicly claimed that he was dead, so Muyu never knew that Qi Haoran was actually her brother. Since he had already changed his name, I may as well continue referring to him as Qi Haoran.”

Qi Xuansu nodded. “I see.”

Qi Jiaozheng continued, “The reason I call it a cliché story is that it follows the same old pattern of a man unable to escape a woman’s charms. He came to know a certain woman by chance.”

Hearing this, Qi Xuansu suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of dread.

Could this woman possibly be Madam Qi? After all, Madam Qi had once used the alias Qi Jiaoyao.

That would truly make the story unbearably cliché.

“This woman was named Zhou Mengyao.” Qi Jiaozheng’s next sentence immediately made Qi Xuansu breathe a sigh of relief. Thank goodness it was not Madam Qi.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Who’s Zhou Mengyao? I’ve never even heard of her.”

Qi Jiaozheng replied, “You’re still young, so it’s only natural you aren’t aware of many old matters. Strictly speaking, Zhou Mengyao was a seventh-generation disciple of the Daoist Order. But like Madam Qi, she left the Daoist Order very early on, so her official rank wasn’t high, nor did she hold any formal post. She was what people call a wandering Daoist.”

Such a situation was not unusual. Not only Madam Qi, but even the Golden Patriarch himself had originated as a wandering Daoist.

The Golden Patriarch once recounted that when he was young, he had traveled to Jinling Prefecture and stayed at Zhenwu Temple. Yet after only two days, he was politely asked to leave because an Omniscient Sage was coming. Around dusk, a squad of Spirit Guards arrived first to inspect the temple grounds and set up various formations. Then a flying ship descended onto Zhenwu Lake. Despite the vessel’s enormous size, only a single Omniscient Sage and several attendants emerged from it. As the Omniscient Sage walked down the ramp, everyone present bowed in salute. The display of authority and prestige was truly awe-inspiring. At that moment, the Golden Patriarch swore to himself that he would one day hold such power.

Due to certain historical complications, the Golden Patriarch found it difficult to rise within the Daoist Order itself. As a result, he established the Heavenly Court. Though he was not officially an Omniscient Sage, in reality, his authority rivaled one.

It was precisely because figures like the Golden Patriarch existed that wandering Daoists should not be underestimated. Whenever the Daoist Order expanded its ranks, the first people they targeted for recruitment were wandering Daoists from all walks of life.

The downside was that such people were undisciplined and accustomed to freedom. The upside was that wandering Daoists were capable. Without the Daoist Order supporting them, they had to survive on their own. Like gold sifted from sand by crashing waves, the incapable were eliminated early, leaving only the elite behind.

This was also one of the reasons why the Daoist Order had begun experimenting with normalizing certain secret societies. Wandering Daoists constituted a major force within those groups.

Qi Xuansu himself had originally followed the wandering Daoist path. When he was a seventh-rank Daoist, he had no official post. Later, Madam Qi changed her mind and had him apply to be a deacon at Tiangang Hall. After spending several hundred Taiping coins, he was finally able to serve the Daoist Order with an official post.

From this perspective, Zhou Mengyao being a wandering Daoist did not seem like such a major issue. After all, wandering Daoists were still Daoists. They were not yet considered cult demons or evil heretics. It hardly seemed enough to drive Qi Haoran to abandon his family.

Sensing Qi Xuansu’s confusion, Qi Jiaozheng continued, “Tian Yuan, you should know of the Qingping Society, right?”

Qi Xuansu’s expression did not change, but inwardly, his heart tightened.

He was all too familiar with the Qingping Society. A few years ago, he had effectively worked for both sides, balancing work for the Daoist Order and the Qingping Society at the same time. Only in the past two years, after truly rising to prominence, had he shifted his full attention to the Daoist Order and stopped involving himself with Qingping Society affairs.

Even now, his name technically remained on the Qingping Society’s roster.

So when Qi Jiaozheng suddenly mentioned the Qingping Society, Qi Xuansu was alarmed. For a moment, he almost thought Qi Jiaozheng was deliberately hinting at him.

However, Qi Xuansu knew not to reveal the slightest reaction on his face. He maintained a calm expression and replied, “Of course, I know of it. The Qingping Society was included in the recent normalization of certain secret societies.”

Qi Jiaozheng said, “The Qingping Society may be normalized now, but back then, it was still taboo. Zhou Mengyao was one of its upper echelon members. Unlike the Daoist Order, which has nine ranks, the Qingping Society only has four levels. A-rank members form the upper leadership. Excluding the Head of Society, six A-rank members make up the Privy Council, each holding one vote to decide major matters within the Qingping Society. There are also several non-administrative A-rank members who form the Advisory Council, overseeing and assisting the Privy Council in managing affairs. The six Privy Council members do not usually appear together. More often, they select one representative to act on behalf of the Council and handle daily affairs.”

Qi Xuansu thought to himself, Others may be unaware, but I know that Madam Qi is the one representing the Privy Council and managing the Qingping Society’s daily operations now.

Yet as this thought crossed his mind, Qi Xuansu suddenly felt something stir within him.

Sure enough, after circling around, it all came back to the Qingping Society.

Many matters that had once been obscured were gradually beginning to reveal their outlines.

Qi Xuansu said, “Sage Wanmiao, are you saying that Zhou Mengyao was one of the six members of the Privy Council? As far as I know, the six members all use codenames. The current head is Lady Qi, so may I ask what Zhou Mengyao’s codename was? I may have heard of it before.”

Madam Qi’s situation was not exactly common knowledge, but at the very least, it was no secret among the upper ranks of the Daoist Order. Qi Jiaozheng certainly knew about it, so there was no need for Qi Xuansu to awkwardly feign ignorance. That would only make him seem insincere.

Qi Jiaozheng said, “Her codename is Qingping Melody.”

Qi Xuansu froze for a moment.

As a senior member of the Qingping Society, Qi Xuansu naturally knew the significance of this codename. At certain times, this codename represented the Deputy Head of the Society or even the future Head of Society.

Qi Jiaozheng said, “It looks like you’ve heard of this codename. The Qingping Society was originally founded by the Holy Xuan to oppose the Confucian School, so it’s not strange that many Daoist seniors were once members of the Society. Back then, the Holy Xuan used the codenames ‘Qingping Tune’ and ‘Master Qingping.’ The Holy Xuan’s wife used the codename ‘Gold-Plated Knife.’

“At the time, the situation was extremely complicated, and the future was uncertain. The Holy Xuan prepared himself for a long struggle and even considered the possibility that he might meet an untimely end. Thus, he established the role of ‘Qingping Melody’ as his designated successor.

“Normally, after the Holy Xuan, no one should have continued using the codename ‘Qingping Tune.’ From that point onward, every Head of Society should have inherited the codename ‘Qingping Melody.’

“But you already know what happened afterward. The Daoist Order defeated the Confucian School, and the Holy Xuan no longer considered secret organizations like the Qingping Society or The Inn necessary, so he decided to abolish them entirely. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

“However, organizations of such importance naturally carried enormous vested interests within them. There were inevitably people dissatisfied with their dissolution. When the Creation Project was dismantled, it eventually gave rise to the Eight Tribes. Likewise, dismantling the Qingping Society and The Inn could never be that simple. So after the Holy Xuan’s death, both The Inn and the Qingping Society reemerged.”

Qi Xuansu remained silent.

Of course, he knew that it was the Third Earthly Preceptor who rebuilt the Qingping Society. This matter tied back to the Yao family.

Although the Yao family gradually withdrew from the Qingping Society after the Third Earthly Preceptor, Madam Qi’s return to power seemed to indicate that the Yao family had never truly loosened its control over the organization.

From this perspective, among the Three Daoist Sects, the Li family actually developed its secret-society influence the latest. It was not until the era of the fifth-generation disciples that the sixth-generation Golden Patriarch established the Heavenly Court. The Zhang family was the earliest, as the Ziguang Society could be traced all the way back to the Holy Xuan era. The Yao family stood somewhere in between the two.

So when the Holy Xuan once said that the Taiping Sect was the most loyal, it was not without reason.

Qi Xuansu asked, “As far as I know, the first Qingping Melody was also a Zhou. Is Zhou Mengyao related to the first Qingping Melody?”

“You guessed correctly,” Qi Jiaozheng confirmed. “Zhou Mengyao was a descendant of the first Qingping Melody. I know what you’re about to ask. That first Qingping Melody married into the Shen family, so logically speaking, her descendants ought to bear the Shen last name.

“However, the Daoist Order prides itself on being civilized. Throughout the world, women are generally expected to take their husband’s last name after marriage. But this is unnecessary within the Daoist Order. Even their children did not necessarily have to follow the father’s last name.

“The fact that Zhou Mengyao bore her mother’s last name was not actually the intention of the first Qingping Melody. Rather, when the Holy Xuan abolished the Qingping Society, her descendants became dissatisfied. After the Holy Xuan passed away, they reverted to the Zhou last name to emphasize their maternal lineage, essentially asserting their inheritance rights over the Qingping Society.

“In the end, they reached an agreement with the Third Earthly Preceptor and jointly rebuilt the Qingping Society. The Earthly Preceptor acted as the hidden patron behind the scenes, while the Zhou family managed the organization in the open. From then onward, their descendants continued carrying the Zhou last name generation after generation.

“This matter caused quite a stir within the Daoist Order at the time. The Third Earthly Preceptor remained hidden behind the scenes because very few people actually knew the truth. Even those who did know dared not openly point their swords at the Second Earthly Preceptor.

“The Shen family was especially furious at what they viewed as rebellion within their own bloodline, and the Li family stepped forward in support of the Shen family. Seizing the opportunity, they placed the Qingping Society onto the list of secret societies and launched large-scale suppression campaigns against it.

“Although the Qingping Society ultimately survived thanks to the Earthly Preceptor’s covert support and the Zhou family retained their status as Daoists, the Zhou family still carried serious historical baggage from that point onward.”

Qi Xuansu roughly understood now. This Zhou Mengyao was somewhat similar to Zhang Wuhen, someone burdened with historical baggage. Therefore, once Qi Haoran chose to be with Zhou Mengyao, it naturally doomed his career prospects within the Daoist Order.

As Qi Jiaozheng mentioned earlier, he had placed tremendous importance on his younger brother Qi Haoran and invested plenty of resources and effort into him, paving the way for his future. However, Qi Haoran completely destroyed his career because of Zhou Mengyao. One could easily imagine how furious Qi Jiaozheng must have been.

If Qi Xuansu himself had been placed in Qi Jiaozheng’s position, he probably would have reacted the same way.

From there, the falling-out between the two brothers was inevitable, and Qi Haoran ultimately left the Qi family.