Chapter 141: Injury

Not far away, Mo Bai suddenly felt Nalan Xin'er's body flying directly toward him. A chill instantly struck his heart, and with a fierce flash of movement from his hands, an exceptionally sharp surge of spiritual energy shot straight toward the figure in black. It was as if that black-robed person had also been struck by Nalan Xin'er's counterattack. However, clenching her teeth, she braved Mo Bai's incoming assault and crashed forward aggressively. Leveraging the momentum generated by Mo Bai's spiritual energy, she spun around and made a desperate escape. Even so, at the very last moment, she released six incredibly fine flower needles, hurtling them straight toward the little demoness's body.

Mo Bai unleashed a wave of spiritual energy, wrapping it around the little demoness to pull her safely into his embrace. He then cast a cold gaze at the fleeing figure in black. For now, he had no desire to pursue her, knowing that sooner or later, he would personally hunt that person down and exact vengeance for the little demoness's suffering today.

"Xin'er, are you alright?" Mo Bai asked, looking at Nalan Xin'er's somewhat pale complexion.

The little demoness said intermittently, "Brother Mo, you're here. Just now, my head felt so dizzy, so dizzy. I thought I could dodge that person in black's palm strike, but for some reason... cough, cough." At this point, the little demoness coughed up a trace of fresh blood, clearly having suffered internal injuries.

"I am taking you back to see Brother Xiaohua right now. He has the finest healing elixirs. Let's go." Lifting the little demoness into his arms, Mo Bai's heart felt extremely heavy. The person in black had clearly targeted him, yet had dragged Nalan Xin'er into harm's way instead. What was the purpose behind all of this? Mo Bai's brows furrowed deeply, his expression exceptionally grim.

"Brother Mo, you mustn't be angry. You look so frightening when you're angry. Xin'er is fine," Nalan Xin'er murmured, paying no mind to her own condition, instead thoroughly relishing the sensation of resting against Mo Bai's chest and being held by him.

"Alright, don't worry." Exhibiting his movement technique, Mo Bai traversed the distance in a few leaps, returning to the guest courtyard. He then entered Wu Luohua's room, gently laid Nalan Xin'er down to the side, and approached Xiaohua. With a few swift movements of his fingers, Wu Luohua snapped back to consciousness with a gasp, looking at Mo Bai in a daze.

Mo Bai's expression remained dark. When Wu Luohua glanced at Nalan Xin'er, who was clearly injured beside them, he immediately understood what had happened. He asked quickly, "Big Mo, is it an internal injury or an external one?"

"Internal," Mo Bai answered grimly.

Wu Luohua hastily fished out his jade treasure pouch and extracted a medicinal pill from within. The pill immediately released a pungent, fragrant aroma. After a moment of thought, Xiaohua poured out yet another pill, handing them to Mo Bai as he said, "Big Mo, this is the Wu family's unique healing elixir. Feed it to Xin'er."

Mo Bai only took one of the pills, supporting the little demoness as he helped her swallow it. "When I carried Xin'er back just now, I noticed that the technique used by the person who injured her was extremely bizarre. I tried to use my spiritual energy to heal Xin'er, but it was completely useless. Although the Wu family's medicine is unique, I have no idea how effective it will be. Let's have her take one and see."

Wu Luohua's brows were likewise tightly furrowed. However, upon seeing Nalan Xin'er's breathing stabilize and her complexion improve considerably after taking the pill, and as Mo Bai laid her on the bed to fall into a deep sleep, the two of them stepped together into the outer room. Unable to hold back any longer, Wu Luohua asked, "Big Mo, what on earth is going on?"

Mo Bai shook his head. "I don't know either. Upon arriving at the Yihua Sect, we haven't offended a single soul, yet someone is determined to drive me to my grave. This is certainly interesting." Although Mo Bai described it as interesting, the words carried an infinite wave of killing intent to Wu Luohua's ears.

Regulating his emotions, Wu Luohua helped analyze the situation. "That means the person ambushed us while I was unaware of the situation, and you and Xin'er fought the enemy together. Yet that person managed to injure Xin'er while you were present. Such a person must be an absolute expert. Just how many individuals in the Yihua Sect are capable of pulling off such a feat? Big Mo, did you manage to clearly see the style of her spiritual arts?"

[Part 1 of 3]

[Part 2 of 3]

Wu Luohua pressed anxiously, "Could there really be not a single clue?"

Mo Bai replied, "No, at least there is still this." As he spoke, he pulled a hair hairpin from his hand.

Wu Luohua's eyes flashed instantly as he said, "This is a hairpin used by Daoist nuns to secure their topknots! It seems this case was committed by the Daoist nun faction within the Yihua Sect. Could it be... could it be one of those Daoist nuns we encountered at the pavilion down the mountain?"

Mo Bai stated, "I dare not conclude who it was for certain. After entering the mountain, we encountered at least six or seven individuals who possessed such profound methods. However, what puzzles me is that I felt a considerable discrepancy in power between the person in black who fought me in the courtyard and the person in black who was pursued. I wonder why that is."

Wu Luohua pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Could it be that the person in black was struck by Xin'er during the pursuit, which weakened her cultivation power?"

Mo Bai nodded. "Perhaps. With Xin'er's ability to wield the Nalan Purple Eyes, she might have been able to retaliate. We will have to wait until she wakes up to ask her."

Knowing that Mo Bai's primary concern at the moment was the little demoness's injuries, Wu Luohua felt a sense of helplessness, unable to offer any assistance. Furthermore, all of these events had transpired simply because he needed to come to the Yihua Sect to break through his spiritual barrier. In a sense, these tribulations had all originated because of him.

Noticing Xiaohua's expression, Mo Bai smiled faintly. "Blessings come without warning, and disasters cannot be avoided. Some things are beyond our control, Xiaohua, so do not overthink it. Based on our analysis just now, we can actually narrow down who the culprit might be, so that we can avenge the little girl for that palm strike."

Composing his mind as well, Wu Luohua pondered aloud, "From the moment we arrived at the Yihua Sect's territory, we met the erudite Yuzhi outside that pavilion. Then her third junior sister, Yuqiu, came down from Duifeng Mountain and crossed paths with us. Following that, we ascended Duifeng Mountain and met Daoist Master Guyun and Daoist Master Guyu. Finally, under the guidance of Yurou, you accompanied her into the Qionghua Hall. All of these individuals were dressed as Daoist nuns."

Mo Bai nodded. "I met one more person than you did—Daoist Master Gumeng."

Having grown calm as well, Wu Luohua proposed, "Although these individuals are all Daoist nuns and are extremely likely to wear such hairpins, just as you said, Big Mo, it is also possible that someone else deliberately dressed this way to frame the Yihua Sect. After all, subjectively speaking, we haven't offended anyone in the Yihua Sect."

Mo Bai countered, "No, perhaps we have already offended someone, only we aren't aware of it."

"Who?" Wu Luohua immediately asked.

[Part 2 of 3]

[Part 3 of 3]

"Do you remember the expression and words of Yuqiu when she saw Yuzhi at the pavilion down the mountain?" Mo Bai asked.

Wu Luohua reflected briefly. "It seemed as though she and her second senior sister were not on very good terms."

Standing up, Mo Bai slowly stated, "The Yihua Sect is one of the five major spiritual factions, yet it is also the most unique one. This sect only accepts female spiritual cultivators, and these female cultivators do not necessarily remain devoid of worldly desires. Throughout history, the sect masters of the Yihua Sect could only be inherited by disciples of the Daoist tradition. At present, Daoist Master Gumeng has governed the Yihua Sect for nineteen years; who knows how much longer she will remain at the helm?"

Wu Luohua stood up as well, chiming in, "Indeed, this is a young person's world, and several of these Yihua Sect disciples are experts in spiritual cultivation. Naturally, the cliché struggle for power and position is bound to occur among them. However, what does that have to do with us brothers? Even though Yu'er has become a disciple of Daoist Master Guyu, she is merely a lay disciple, and given Daoist Master Guyu's status, she poses no threat whatsoever to Daoist Master Gumeng's disciples. Aside from Yu'er, I truly cannot think of anyone else in the Yihua Sect connected to us. Could it be the Red Forest Woman? But that would be even stranger; surely the Yihua Sect wouldn't let a disciple with that kind of temperament inherit the position of sect master, even if she is the chief senior disciple."

Mo Bai remarked, "What you said is indeed correct. The Red Forest Woman will never be someone who makes others feel threatened. But Yuzhi and Yuqiu are different. The two of them are the second and third disciples of Daoist Master Gumeng, and their personal cultivation has undoubtedly reached the top tier. The fact that neither of them went to Guihai City this time demonstrates their importance. At her age, Yuzhi can travel and wander the world freely, which means her knowledge must be broad, and she presumably relays much of the external news back to the Yihua Sect. Meanwhile, Yuqiu assists their master in managing affairs within the sect. These two, one external and one internal, can be considered the two major pillars of the Yihua Sect. Thus, both of them are prime candidates to become the future sect master of the Yihua Sect."

Wu Luohua dawned in realization. "Big Mo, you mean that one of them is using our presence on the mountain to plot something?"

Mo Bai, however, replied, "No, if someone is plotting something, it would only be one person."

Wu Luohua asked in astonishment, "Are you saying it's Yuqiu?"

Mo Bai shook his head. "If someone is indeed plotting, it must be Yuzhi, whereas Yuqiu is someone driven by jealousy and hatred. Therefore, I cannot yet determine which of the two it is. Because of this, I must go find someone to verify my judgment."

Understanding Mo Bai's intent, Wu Luohua realized that Yuzhi was knowledgeable and meticulous, having crossed paths with them down the mountain—if it was a frame-up, it had to be her. Yet Yuqiu bore equal suspicion for the simple reason that she was deeply envious. She must have seen how cordially Mo Bai and Yuzhi were chatting at the foot of the mountain, assuming Yuzhi had invited him up to help defeat her formidable rival, meaning she also had a motive to launch a sneak attack. Thinking of this, Wu Luohua asked, "Who are you going to look for, Big Mo?"

Mo Bai answered, "Naturally, the Red Forest Woman. Is there anyone else in the Yihua Sect we are more familiar with?"

[Part 3 of 3]