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Two figures watched Qing Xuanling's hunched, exhausted back from a rooftop terrace in the distance—their gazes complex.
"Wow—I must say the Saint still has an unmatched eye for talent!" One figure smiled. "Who would've thought a mere minor figure you befriended would turn out so remarkable?"
"Su Meiren—I warned you recently—but you'd best think twice before even considering touching a single hair on her head." The other figure—fiery red hair and emerald eyes—threatened.
Su Meiren offered her characteristic gentle, maternal smile. "Oh Yechan, oh Yechan… Are you her mother or something? She has the right to associate with whomever she pleases. Besides—you no longer have the authority to command me~"
Su Meiren's smile remained kind—but a menacing aura erupted from her as purple mist began emanating from her body.
Madam Yechan regarded the purple mist with disdain and waved her hand—dispersing it instantly. Simultaneously, a thick red mist—like blood—surged from her own body!
The mist immediately took forms: lions and soldiers that menacingly encircled Su Meiren.
A cold bead of sweat trickled down Su Meiren's forehead. She frowned upon sensing the aura of the mist-formed figures. Peak Foundation Establishment!
Su Meiren laughed gracefully—though she couldn't hide the nervousness in her voice. "Haha—I suppose the Saint is the Saint for a reason… Forgive my impudence."
Madam Yechan glanced sideways at her and snorted. The mist figures dispersed into the air.
"Don't cross the boundaries again… And Meiren—I won't return. My decision won't change. Don't do this again."
Su Meiren's eyes trembled slightly. She regarded Madam Yechan with conflicted emotions and nodded.
"Master still reserves a seat for you…"
She left those final words hanging before departing.
Madam Yechan frowned—her eyes filled with complicated emotions. She desperately wanted to stop Su Meiren and say something—but restrained herself. She could no longer return.
She sighed with mixed feelings before focusing on something else.
'This girl truly possesses immense talent… I already knew someone like her wasn't destined to remain in the Qi Refinement realm—but she undoubtedly has the potential to advance even further… Though I wonder if that's good or bad.'
Madam Yechan sighed. In most cases, people who couldn't see many things lived happier lives. The further one advanced, the more one witnessed—and the less likely one could protect that fleeting emotion called happiness…
Madam Yechan's figure dissolved into red mist before vanishing.
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Qing Xuanling's return to the Qing Clan was arduous. Her steps were slow—she felt as if a mountain weighed upon her shoulders while simultaneously feeling drunk. She collapsed to the ground several times along the way from losing balance.
She could no longer even hear the drops of blood falling from her body—audible in the solitary darkness where not a single soul was in sight.
Yet somehow—she persisted.
She forgot all pain and entered a strange trance-like state. Her mind suddenly became clear and undistracted. She didn't comprehend any technique or learn any magical power—she simply thought of walking.
In that strange undistracted state—she reached the Qing Clan gates. She squinted at the guards on duty—vaguely recognizing them though she couldn't recall their names at that moment.
"H-he… P…"
That was all she managed to articulate before collapsing to the ground.
The guards' eyes widened in shock. They'd only seen a blood-soaked figure slowly approaching and had readied themselves—but surprisingly, they recognized the wounded figure's voice.
"Little Xuan!"
Both shouted in terror, rushing toward Qing Xuanling in panic.
They began inspecting her condition—checking her pulse and examining her wounds.
The one checking her pulse immediately cried out:
"Damn it!" His face filled with terror. "She has several broken ribs, severe blood loss, and two different types of poison circulating in her blood! Not to mention wounds on her side, arm, and leg! A doctor! Bring a doctor immediately!"
The other guard immediately sprinted away—his face filled with disbelief and shock. Who dared leave a Qing Clan member in such a state—and more importantly, how did little Xuan even survive?!
The guard who remained with Qing Xuanling quickly injected Qi into her body while attempting to staunch her bleeding. He also retrieved a healing pill from his storage pouch and placed it in her mouth.
But the expression of pain and pallor on Qing Xuanling's face didn't improve. No surprise—healing pills weren't omnipotent. A healing pill merely enhanced natural regeneration by supplying large amounts of vital Qi.
It wasn't a panacea that cured all ailments.
The guard's face grew increasingly worried as he awaited the doctor arrival. The passing seconds felt eternal.
Fortunately—three minutes later—the other guard returned with two figures behind him: one in a white robe, the other in duck-patterned pajamas—who somehow still looked refreshing!
The eyes of the guard beside Qing Xuanling lit up. "The doctor—and the Young Master! Thank heavens you arrived quickly! This girl won't last much longer!"
The doctor's eyes narrowed—he retrieved several items from his storage pouch. He planned to administer emergency treatment right there!
Meanwhile, the Young Master stared in disbelief at Qing Xuanling's condition. It was pitiful. Wounds covered her body, her face was pale, and a dense aura of death—visible only to him—permeated her form.
His eyes trembled as fury erupted like a volcano. He managed to force out words through gritted teeth:
"…What happened here?"
The two guards immediately stood and reported all they knew—which was little. The only new detail was the mention of poison.
The young master's face turned red with anger upon hearing that. "Poison?! They actually dared use poison against a child?! Fine—fine—no matter who did this—they'll pay dearly!"
Veins bulged on the Young Master's forehead as he began issuing orders to the guards. Surprisingly, his commands remained precise and logical despite his fury.
"One of you go to the Green Heaven Palace and report what happened!" His voice was heavy. "The other—go to the seniors residential quarters and sound the emergency alarm! I want a team of ten people—all late-stage cultivators—to follow Xuanling's blood trail and uncover what occurred! All within ten minutes!"
The guards nodded firmly and immediately departed to carry out his orders. Their hearts felt heavy. They sensed war was imminent—but they felt no fear!
Anyone who dared touch a Qing Clan member would pay in blood!
The Young Master took a deep breath as the fury within him calmed—giving way to a deep, sinister killing intent. He retrieved a communication token from his chest—one that only functioned within the clan.
"Older brother Huan—bring everyone who participated in the demonic cultivator mission to the clan entrance."
No immediate response came. It was nearly eleven at night—most were cultivating. But the Young Master waited calmly. Instructor Huan's reply arrived a minute later.
"…What happened?"
"Qing Xuanling."
"…Understood. I'll bring them immediately."
The Young Master sighed wearily and quickly turned to the doctor—who was applying red powder to Qing Xuanling's still-bleeding wounds.
"How is she, doctor?" the Young Master asked with concern. "Will she suffer any lasting consequences?"
The doctor shook his head—brow slightly furrowed—causing concern in the Young Master.
"She's fine—surprisingly…" The doctor regarded Qing Xuanling with astonishment. "This girl's body is in a strange state of self-recovery—unconsciously circulating her cultivation technique and using Qi to prevent irreversible damage. I haven't seen anyone capable of this in decades…"
The Young Master's eyes gleamed. He thought he'd already discovered all the girl's talents—but she kept surprising him. Only battle-born geniuses could achieve such a state.
The Young Master sighed in relief and waited for those he'd summoned to arrive. Ten minutes later—ten late-stage clan members along with the other five participants from the mortal village mission arrived.
Behind them gathered a curious crowd who'd witnessed the commotion. Cultivators naturally required little sleep—some remained awake even at late hours.
And clearly—they couldn't resist curiosity after seeing clan veterans hastily leave their chambers.
The Young Master first addressed the ten who would follow Qing Xuanling's blood trail.
"Follow the blood trail the girl left and uncover any clues the attacker might have left at the scene. The attacker likely already cleaned—or is currently cleaning—the crime scene—so proceed with caution!"
The ten shouted in agreement and immediately mobilized. They were clan elites—needing no reasons, only orders. Besides—the clan would never treat them poorly.
Afterward, the Young Master turned to the remaining five from the mortal village mission. Each wore a different expression.
Instructor Huan's gaze was dark with concern as he observed Qing Xuanling's precarious state; Qing Ziyi and Qing Wan frowned deeply; Qing Linxi simply covered her mouth—not appearing overly worried…
However, the strongest reaction came from Qing Chu—whose face instantly paled as he stared in terror at the unconscious girl.
The Young Master smiled with contempt. "You know why I summoned you here, correct?"
The five—excluding Qing Chu—exchanged glances and nodded. Instructor Huan was the one who spoke.
"You've already identified the spy leaking our information—haven't you? The same one who leaked Ling'er's information and left her in this state?!"
The Young Master nodded. "You haven't realized—but I've had my men monitoring your movements within the clan. Though I didn't send them to follow you outside for security reasons—I'm fully aware of when you entered or exited…"
The Young Master's black eyes seemed like an abyss as he spoke. "Having a spy is normal—but the events in the mortal village made me realize something. The spy was closer to you than I'd thought."
"I already had a suspect in mind—so I thought we could use Xuanling as bait… But who would've thought the spy would be so foolish as to leak clearly classified information on the second day after returning?!"
The Young Master seethed with fury. He and the clan chief had planned to station a Foundation Establishment cultivator near Qing Xuanling as a bodyguard. They sensed the conspiracy behind everything was far greater than they'd imagined.
The available Foundation Establishment cultivator was days away from the clan—but believing the other side wouldn't move so quickly, they hadn't prevented Qing Xuanling from leaving the clan.
But they'd been completely wrong. The spy was foolish enough to expose himself one day after the bait was set.
The Young Master turned to the mission members. "Let the spy step forward immediately—before I grab them by the neck myself."
His calm yet icy voice sent chills down spines.
Instructor Huan wore a conflicted expression—but remained silent even as the Young Master's Foundation Establishment aura pressed down on them.
The others endured it well—though Qing Chu's knees nearly buckled.
The Young Master waited ten seconds for the culprit to speak—but even after that time passed—no one stepped forward.
He murmured in disappointment. "…I didn't want to do this to someone from our own clan—even a traitor."
He shook his head—and suddenly vanished from his position—reappearing before Qing Chu. His hand blurred as he seized Qing Chu's neck and lifted him—his grip firm as steel.
Qing Chu's eyes filled with terror as he tried to speak—but the pressure on his throat prevented even breathing, let alone speech. He kicked desperately—but his weak strength caused no harm to the Young Master.
The Young Master looked at the small crowd that had gathered and spoke forcefully. This was precisely why he hadn't dispersed them earlier.
"Many of you may be confused about what's happening—so allow me to explain." The Young Master's voice was monotone—but that only intensified Qing Chu's fear. "Qing Chu—twenty-ninth generation clan member—has been exposed as a spy within our clan!"
"His crimes range from leaking information that endangered the clan's hero, Qing Huan—to leaking information about our clan's new sword and alchemy genius, Qing Xuanling! His betrayal endangered Qing Huan and left Qing Xuanling in this state!"
The Young Master pointed to Qing Xuanling—who was still receiving medical treatment while breathing with difficulty.
His words caused shock throughout the crowd—even among mission members. Especially Instructor Huan.
'Alchemy genius?! Since when?!'
He stood stunned—like the rest of the clan—at the sudden revelation of Qing Xuanling's talents.