Yue Qingsu slowly walked over and sat down on his right.
"It was the elders of Miao Yun Sect. They accidentally crushed the Central Domain Great Decree. Elder Xiao can still handle matters over there, we don't need to concern ourselves."
Han Huijun suddenly stopped massaging his brow and looked at him in surprise.
"Elder Xiao? Who is that? Didn't I only ask you to take the Great Decree over? Why did you bring Elder Xiao along?"
Yue Qingsu: "...Sect master, did you forget? Elder Xiao visited our Wuxiang Sect a hundred years ago."
Han Huijun suddenly understood. "Ah, so it was him!"
"Yes, exactly him."
"So who is he?" Han Huijun leaned over curiously.
Yue Qingsu: "..."So you didn't remember at all!
"Elder Xiao is Miao Yun Sect's Great Elder. His strength is decent, though not comparable to Elder Shen."
Yue Qingsu patiently explained.
Han Huijun finally recalled.
"So why did you take Miao Yun Sect's Elder Xiao to the Eastern Wilderness? I remember the moment you received the Great Decree, you set out immediately. How did you bring him along?"
Yue Qingsu silently tightened his grip on the teacup, barely restraining the urge to dump the spirit tea over Han Huijun's head.
"Sect master, is there not a possibility… that he was already in the Eastern Wilderness and summoned me there?"
Han Huijun pressed his fingers to his brow, seriously thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Indeed, now that you put it that way, I see through the whole situation!"
Yue Qingsu: "...Or perhaps there is another possibility. That this is not just a guess."
At those words, Han Huijun suddenly slammed the table and stood up. "Yes, you're right. A guess is truth!"
"It must be that Elder Xiao discovered trouble in the Eastern Wilderness ahead of time, brought several Miao Yun Sect elders there, but when they found themselves powerless and couldn't bring themselves to seek our help, they deliberately crushed the Great Decree to force us to go!"
Han Huijun spoke with sudden excitement, as though he had uncovered the entire scheme.
Yue Qingsu: "..." Well, at least he had helped patch up the lie.
"Elder Yue, you went to the Eastern Wilderness with the Great Decree?"
A cold and aloof voice came from outside the hall. Shen Yuefu, robed in dark sandalwood-colored brocade, walked in at a slow pace.
Yue Qingsu cast him a faint glance. "That's right. The people of Miao Yun Sect crushed the Great Decree in the Eastern Wilderness, and I was drawn over as well."
Han Huijun looked curiously at Shen Yuefu. "Do you still remember Elder Xiao, the one who came to our sect a hundred years ago?"
Shen Yuefu shook his head lightly. "I do not remember such a person."
Han Huijun suddenly smiled. "So Elder Shen is the same as I am. Neither of us remembered him!"
Shen Yuefu looked at him calmly. "Is Miao Yun Sect a newly established sect in the Eastern Wilderness?"
Crack!
The teacup in Yue Qingsu's hand was crushed in astonishment.
Han Huijun's smile stiffened. "Elder Shen, are you serious?"
Shen Yuefu calmly lifted his robe and sat down. His voice was cool. "Of course it was a joke."
Han Huijun and Yue Qingsu exchanged glances, swallowing hard.
"That joke was rather cold... ha... ha..." Han Huijun forced a laugh, but quickly fell silent under Shen Yuefu's unruffled gaze.
Yue Qingsu asked him, "The matter over there, was it resolved?"
Shen Yuefu's fingers moved slightly on the table. "No. It is difficult to resolve."
"Your blood cannot suppress that miasma's spread?"
Shen Yuefu looked at his wrist, where old scars overlapped with new wounds.
"It has some effect, but it cannot save them. Suppression is temporary. To resolve it fully, one must refine a pill that can dissolve the miasma."
Yue Qingsu fell silent.
Han Huijun sighed helplessly.
"Your blood was examined by the alchemists of the Dan Peak. They managed to extract a wisp of pure white spiritual power. It does not seem to originate from your essence, but was instead infused from an external source.
If we could locate a large amount of this white spiritual power, perhaps they could attempt to refine an antidote.
Unfortunately, since you yourself do not know where it comes from, we can only search blindly. Who knows how long it will take..."
Listening to his heavy words, Shen Yuefu's mind suddenly flashed with the image of a white figure, both strange and familiar.
He remembered, long ago, she had always loved to wear white robes.
"White spiritual power? I think I may know where it is!" Yue Qingsu suddenly leapt to his feet, unable to contain his excitement.
Han Huijun looked at him expectantly. "Elder Yue has seen such power as well? Where is it hidden? I will immediately order men to seek it. No, I will go myself!"
Yue Qingsu laughed brightly and pulled him back into his seat.
"Sect master, no need to rush. Let me ask something first before answering."
Han Huijun blinked in confusion. "Then ask quickly! At this moment, I can answer anything!"
Yue Qingsu studied his eager face, then turned him aside and fixed his gaze on Shen Yuefu. "I ask that Elder Shen answer me honestly."
Shen Yuefu paused slightly, then replied calmly, "Please speak, Elder Yue."
"Good. Elder Shen is straightforward." Yue Qingsu stared at him directly. "Did my disciple Xian Qiao ever pass you spiritual energy to heal your wounds?"
Han Huijun turned back, confused. "What kind of question is that?"
Shen Yuefu frowned slightly. "She never..."
"Mm? Please think carefully before answering." Yue Qingsu interrupted.
Shen Yuefu's brows furrowed deeper. Memories of his encounters with Pei Xianqiao surfaced vividly.
"She... once saved me."
Yue Qingsu slammed the table and stood up. "Then it is certain!"
"My disciple Xian Qiao is already on her way. This matter must not be leaked outside. Xian Qiao's life is of utmost importance. She is not only the key to unraveling the miasma, she is also my most beloved disciple!"
Yue Qingsu sealed every window and door of the hall in a breath, then faced them with grave seriousness.
Han Huijun rubbed his forehead, bewildered. "Elder Yue... you're not saying this white spiritual power comes from your disciple Pei Xianqiao, are you?"
Yue Qingsu's expression hardened as he silenced Han Huijun with a seal. "Sect master, I am not joking. I have seen the spiritual power within Xian Qiao's body. Though not pure white, it contains a strange force.
I once thought it was a flaw in her cultivation, but later, seeing her cultivation speed grow only faster, I set it aside. Until Elder Shen's blood reminded me.
Xian Qiao was born with extraordinary gifts, her fortune unparalleled, her cultivation method unique. It is very possible that she is one nurtured by Heaven itself beneath this great calamity."
Han Huijun stiffened, muttering under his breath. "She is... the one chosen by Heaven?"
Yue Qingsu cast a wary glance around and looked to Shen Yuefu. "Elder Shen, do you also not believe this?"