Chapter 38: Mu Baiyun’s Melancholy

Ji Yao couldn't help but think deeper, her thoughts sending chills through her heart the more she pondered. To take a step back, if Master Suwen had protected himself when expelling the demonic aura and had not let it succeed—or perhaps did not expel it immediately—then this matter could continue to be delayed.

In the former case, since the demonic aura could deceive even a high-level cultivator, it would naturally know when to hide itself, biding its time for future schemes. In the latter, if the matter dragged on, it could hardly remain undiscovered, especially as it involved a matter tied to the demonic path. Those who would be alarmed the fastest would be the leaders of the sect, for they cherished their lives more than the low-ranking disciples. They would either incinerate Chen Shaohua at once or take a risk and attempt something.

Whichever course, the true culprit would welcome the outcome. If Chen Shaohua were burned, it would only mean the loss of a wisp of demonic aura, allowing the mastermind to conceal themselves even deeper, leaving a lasting thorn in the hearts of the sect's elders and intimidating the disobedient host. Should they attempt to expel it, the possibilities would multiply—perhaps they might even succeed.

If nothing had been done earlier, it was likely because the host—a low-level cultivator sharing their body with the demon—was either paralyzed by fear or worried that, should the demon prevail, it would turn on them immediately. But now, action had been taken against Chen Shaohua, which meant only one thing: there was a rift, or even open conflict, between the two coexisting parties. Whatever the original reason for choosing Chen Shaohua, the early exposure now could only mean that one of the two could not wait any longer.

Now it remained to be seen whether the Law Enforcement Hall was willing to relinquish this lead.

At the very least, the bet was on how they would handle Chen Shaohua. Since that was the case, Chen Shaohua could not be allowed to remain.

None of them could have imagined that Ji Yao, an insignificant and unrelated little cultivator, would deduce so much—if not everything, then at least enough to fill in the gaps.

Having made up her mind, Ji Yao lifted her head and found that the person beside her had never taken his eyes off her.

So absorbed had she been in her thoughts that she had forgotten about Mu Boyun, this formidable presence beside her. Embarrassed, she turned her head, meeting Mu Boyun's questioning gaze.

"You're sweating," Mu Boyun pointed out, stating what he observed.

How could she not be sweating? Anyone would break out in a cold sweat after running through such scenarios; someone with less composure might have cried out already.

"It's nothing, nothing. I was just frightened," Ji Yao replied lightly, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, completely forgetting that a simple Cleansing Spell would have left her fresh and dry.

Mu Boyun, about to form a hand seal, inconspicuously withdrew his fingers into his sleeve, and seeing Ji Yao's unconcern, decided not to cast the spell for her.

Truly frightened? It didn't seem so! Mu Boyun decided to follow his instincts.

"What have you thought of?" Mu Boyun asked quietly, waiting calmly for Ji Yao's reply.

Hearing this, Ji Yao realized she couldn't fool him so easily and grew serious.

"What I am about to say, Master Mu must listen carefully! Later, repeat my words verbatim to Master Suwen."

Mu Boyun wanted to raise an eyebrow, but, as much as he wished to, he simply couldn't.

"Why don't you go tell him yourself?"

"That's not important."

Ji Yao certainly couldn't say that she was afraid Suwen would guess she was a transmigrator the moment she spoke. After all, Suwen was the stalwart guardian of the Law Enforcement Hall of Lingyun Sect, renowned for his intellect within the sect and, throughout the entire Micang Realm, nearly unmatched. Lingyun Sect's enduring supremacy owed as much to the contributions of the Supreme Elder and the Sect Master as to Suwen's unwavering vigilance.

Ji Yao did not believe that one could secure the head of the Law Enforcement Hall merely by martial prowess; while strength played a part, his schemes and wit were surely unfathomable as well. At the very least, Ji Yao dreaded meeting his gaze—though not stern, it seemed to see through to her soul, as if he held all the answers and made one too intimidated to lie.

Of course, she would not reveal any of this to Mu Boyun. Regardless, she insisted he not let it be known the words came from her.

Mu Boyun did not argue with her insistence, more curious about what she had to say to Master Suwen, so he nodded his assent.

"Tell Master Suwen: the demonic aura must not be allowed to escape, or the consequences will be dire—first and foremost for the Law Enforcement Hall. Therefore, Chen Shaohua cannot remain alive. If possible, recommend that he be incinerated at once!"

The moment Ji Yao voiced this, she saw astonishment and a complex, hard-to-describe look in Mu Boyun's eyes.

Truthfully, she hadn't wanted this! Raised for over twenty years as an upright, law-abiding citizen, Ji Yao found it impossible to casually decide a person's fate. But if this person's existence threatened everyone around them, like a ticking time bomb, who could say when disaster would strike?

One might argue that Chen Shaohua could simply be imprisoned indefinitely, but to what end? Should he be left to waste away until his lifespan ran out, or should the elders handle him once they discovered the truth?

In any scenario, Chen Shaohua would only endure a prolonged agony before dying—better to grant him swift release now.

Ji Yao could only comfort herself that, as a mere novice cultivator, even if she offered her advice, the final decision lay with Master Suwen. Still, she knew she was only deceiving herself.

Ji Yao was no saint, but neither was she one to mistake right for wrong. If she were in Chen Shaohua's place, beyond salvation, she would rather choose death.

No longer caring what Mu Boyun might think, Ji Yao continued.

"From all the methods we've seen, it's clear the perpetrator is not just a Qi Refining cultivator. Their ultimate aim is to seize a suitable body through possession."

Ji Yao raised a hand, stopping Mu Boyun as he was about to speak.

"Please, let me finish! Ask Master Suwen to immediately order a covert lockdown of all passages out of the sect as well as into the inner sect."

"Second, rigorously investigate all disciples who have entered or left the outer sect in the past five days, especially those who took the Flying Rainbow Gorge assignment."

"Third, clarify who entered and left the outer sect between the time Li Fanghua's corpse was discovered and the time I was taken away by the Law Enforcement Hall."

"Fourth, also check the list of outer sect disciples who had contact with the missing servant girls from Blazing Flame Peak."

Having said all this, Ji Yao exhaled a hot breath that had been stifling her chest.

"You..." Mu Boyun started, but stopped at the first word. The aura this little girl had just displayed, he had only ever felt from one other person.

Though he too was a prodigy nurtured by the sect, his exposure to its affairs was limited; from Qi Refining to his current Core Formation stage, most of his time had been spent training in swordsmanship and cultivation. Though he'd occasionally received Law Enforcement Hall tasks from his elders, he rarely had the chance to consider matters from a policy-maker's perspective.

The Sect Master and Grand Elder always told him that his primary focus should still be on cultivation; other matters could wait until the Nascent Soul stage. Only Uncle Mo had demurred, involving him more in the Law Enforcement Hall's business.

Mu Boyun now felt that, in some respects, as a Core Formation cultivator, he was less thorough in his thinking than this ten-year-old Qi Refining girl. What kind of childhood did she have?

She must be similar to Gu Qiu in some ways.

Ji Yao had no idea that her words had left the renowned chief disciple of Lingyun Sect's Core Formation generation with an unprecedented sense of defeat, and a growing curiosity about her.

All she knew was that, after she finished speaking, the person beside her was actually lost in thought!

Paired with Mu Boyun's perpetually expressionless face, his absent-mindedness was truly disillusioning.

So this was the legendary, graceful chief disciple of Lingyun Sect? Was someone pulling her leg?