Chapter 142 Hairpin

Mobai walked into the inner room and checked on the little enchantress. Seeing that there was no major movement, he finally set his mind at ease. It seemed that Wuluohua’s medicine was indeed very effective. Turning around, he saw Xiaohua standing at the doorway, holding the Divine Plate Medallion—which struck terror into the hearts of all spiritual cultivators across the realm—with the utmost solemnity. Xiaohua said, "Brother Mo, you can go with peace of mind. With me here, no one will ever dare to harm Xin'er again."

Mobai nodded to Wuluohua and said, "Alright, I'll be right back." He then patted Xiaohua on the shoulder, turned around, and left the courtyard.

Maple Mountain was quite vast, and since both Mobai and Wuluohua were men, the Yihua Sect had not specially arranged for female disciples to serve them. Stepping out of the courtyard, Mobai froze for a moment, unsure of which way to go. He could only rely on his memory of the path he had taken earlier that day, walking forward in the hope of running into a Yihua Sect disciple to ask for directions to Red Wood Woman's dwelling.

To his surprise, he had not walked far when he spotted a female cultivator dressed as a Daoist nun, pacing back and forth restlessly under the night sky. She looked deeply troubled, her hands helplessly gripping her Daoist robe and rubbing it up and down, completely at a loss as to what to do. She did not even notice Mobai approaching right up in front of her.

Mobai recognized her at once as Yurou, the young woman who had guided him to meet Realizer Gumeng earlier that day. As the sixth disciple of Realizer Gumeng, she should logically have possessed a quite commendable level of cultivation, yet how could she have failed to notice Mobai's approach? She must have been weighed down by heavy worries. Raising his eyes to look at her, Mobai received a great shock. He unexpectedly discovered that there was no hairpin in Yurou’s bun, and her hair was rather disheveled. This discovery sent a jolt through his heart: could it be her? Could she have realized that her hairpin was dropped here and fallen into a panic?

At this thought, Mobai gently patted Yurou on the shoulder and asked, "Lady Yurou, why are you out here so late at night?"

Yurou seemed not to have expected anyone to appear at this hour. Startled by the tap, she let out a cry of surprise. Upon recognizing that the newcomer was Mobai, her face flushed crimson, and she stammered, "So, so it is Grandmaster Mo! Yurou greets you." Instead of executing the standard cultivator's salute, she gave an awkward, incongruous half-bow.

This odd behavior only deepened Mobai's suspicions. What on earth was going on with this woman?

"Lady Yurou, just call me Mobai. May I ask why you are here so late?" Mobai pressed on immediately.

A flash of alarm crossed Yurou's heart, but she replied, "Oh, I had nothing to do at night, so I just took a walk. I wonder why Grandmaster Mo has come here as well?"

Yurou's face grew even redder before she softly murmured, "Ah, I accidentally dropped something. Grandmaster Mo, please don't laugh at me. I'll head back right now and properly tidy up my hair."

An indescribable feeling lingered in Mobai's heart. Why was she making such an expression? He urgently needed to see Red Wood Woman now to have her help resolve the confusion in his mind. "Lady Yurou, please stay. Could you tell me where your senior sister Red Wood Woman lives? I have some matters to discuss with her."

Only then did Yurou pause, asking with some puzzlement, "Grandmaster Mo, is there something so important that you must see my senior sister at this hour?"

Mobai nodded solemnly, and Yurou continued, "Very well, then please follow me, Grandmaster Mo. I will go in first to see if Senior Sister has already retired."

Mobai thought to himself that Yurou was being extremely considerate. It was indeed very late now, and for a grown man to go looking for a woman—especially a woman of such alluring charm—would inevitably invite misunderstandings. With Yurou present, things would be much easier to explain. Regardless of whether she was the culprit or not, he needed to maintain his composure for now.

Yurou led the way, several times opening her mouth to speak, only to swallow the words back, silently cursing herself for being useless. Before long, she brought Mobai to Red Wood Woman's quarters. Yurou said, "Grandmaster Mo, please wait a moment. I will go announce your arrival." With that, she slipped quietly into Red Wood Woman's small courtyard.

Shortly after, a lamp flickered to life inside the room, and Red Wood Woman's voice drifted out: "What important business brings Mobai here so late at night?"

Standing outside the courtyard, Mobai replied, "Lady Red, I truly do have a matter that requires your help."

The candlelight shifted, and Red Wood Woman stepped out of the room dressed entirely in red. Yurou, however, did not emerge. Red Wood Woman still appeared somewhat drowsy, but accompanied by her bewitching smile, she looked exceptionally provocative. In her sultry voice, she said, "Mobai, coming to see me this late at night—aren't you afraid I'll eat you up? Hehe."

Under normal circumstances, Mobai might have bantered playfully with a woman who dared to joke so boldly with him upon their first meeting, but today he was in no mood for such things. Speaking with a firm, weighty tone, he said, "Xin'er was attacked and injured. The method used felt entirely unique. Would you accompany me to take a look?"

Red Wood Woman was clearly taken aback. She had never expected anyone to be assaulted while staying within the Yihua Sect, let alone a friend of Mobai's. Leaving aside how profound Mobai's own cultivation was, that young girl from the Nalan family was certainly no ordinary person either. Who possessed such formidable skill to injure her right here in the middle of the night? As the head senior disciple of the Yihua Sect, Red Wood Woman's alertness was instantly triggered. She immediately demanded, "Where is Xin'er now? Let's go take a look right away."

Mobai nodded, took the lead, and walked with Red Wood Woman back to the guest courtyard. The moment Wuluohua saw Mobai and Red Wood Woman returning together, he let out a relieved smile and said, "The little girl just woke up and was crying out to see you."

The heavy stone weighing on Red Wood Woman's heart finally lifted. She smiled and said, "Since the little girl still has the energy to make a fuss, she shouldn't be in any serious trouble. Let's go in and take a look."

The three of them entered the room together and indeed found Nalan Xin'er staring widely at the ceiling with her big eyes. The moment she saw Mobai return, she immediately cried out, "Brother Mo, you're finally back! I've missed you so much."

Red Wood Woman cast a bewitching glance at Mobai but remained silent, though Mobai could easily read the expression in her eyes. Red Wood Woman quickly walked over to Nalan Xin'er's bedside and said apologetically, "Xin'er, how are you feeling? For such a thing to happen here in the Yihua Sect, big sister truly owes you an apology."

Nalan Xin'er gave a faint smile and replied, "I'm quite alright. I just feel a sense of obstruction in my arm, but there's no actual pain in my body."

Red Wood Woman reached out and pressed her fingers against Nalan Xin'er's wrist. Suddenly, her expression altered dramatically in sheer terror.