Pei Yunqing’s suicide became a major piece of news known to everyone in Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect in an extremely short time through word of mouth from Yao Furnace Peak disciples.
For a while, Yao Furnace Peak was bustling with activity.
Lin Rou led the Yao Furnace Peak disciples and put on an all-out effort to save Pei Yunqing.
An incident of an outsider committing suicide on their own territory was an unacceptable scandal for any sect.
Su Yunluo of Breaking Abyss Peak also brought elite disciples to stand guard, the purpose being to prevent people from Red Sun Phoenix Heaven Sect from causing trouble during the chaos.
As for Mistveil Pavilion…
Pei Ruanyan knelt outside the main hall.
Tears surged forth and the shrill, mournful wailing from her mouth echoed for a long time without stopping.
Her appearance of being torn with grief was as if she wished she could use her own life to exchange for Pei Yunqing’s survival.
“Qing’er! My Qing’er!!! Even if Chu Mo no longer wants you, why did you have to be so foolish as to do something like this!!! Chu Mo! Where is Chu Mo?! Qing’er already attempted suicide for her sake! Could she truly be so heartless as to not even show her face?!”
The watching disciples looked at one another.
They held no good feelings toward Mistveil Pavilion or the Pei mother and son.
However, Pei Ruanyan’s performance was too good, too perfect.
This appearance of being grief-stricken for her son truly deceived the young and inexperienced disciples around her.
One disciple’s heart softened.
She sighed and could not help but step forward to support Pei Ruanyan.
“Pavilion Master Pei, please get up quickly. Senior Sister Chu has not appeared recently. She might be in secluded cultivation. Even True Disciple Yan cannot see her. Do not be too sad. Peak Master Lin’s medical skills are superb. She will definitely be able to save Pei Yunqing.”
Pei Ruanyan rose while putting on an act, as if her grief was so great that her figure was somewhat unsteady.
At this moment she wished she could shed two lines of bloody tears to gain even more sympathy.
“I know Mistveil Pavilion did wrong. Qing’er… Qing’er was unable to cure True Disciple Yan, which lost face for Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect and also hurt Chu Mo’s heart. But… but his crime does not deserve death… My Qing’er…”
Her words were filled with unbearable pain and her expression was one of deep sorrow.
This caused many disciples to whisper among themselves.
Listening carefully to the meaning behind her words, they actually began to feel some sympathy for the Pei mother and son, and also some blame toward Chu Mo for not appearing for so long.
“Disperse. What are you all blocking here for?”
An icy-cold voice instantly silenced the crowd. .
Everyone looked over nervously.
The one who had come was Lin Rou.
Her cold gaze swept over the disciples who were watching the spectacle.
The pressure from the Yao Furnace Peak Master made them all lower their heads with their mouths shut.
They shrank their heads and hurriedly scattered, afraid that running even one step slower would bring trouble.
Lin Rou’s gaze finally landed on Pei Ruanyan.
This hypocritical act looked disgusting no matter how she looked at it.
Rumors about Pei Ruanyan had never been good.
The few times they had crossed paths had also made Lin Rou keenly feel that Pei Ruanyan could not possibly be someone who would collapse so completely at a time like this.
Moreover, she had already examined Pei Yunqing’s injuries.
The wounds looked serious but were not fatal.
At this critical juncture, how could Pei Yunqing have committed suicide so conveniently?
“Pavilion Master Pei, come inside. I have something to say to you.”
After speaking, Lin Rou turned and stepped into the great hall.
Pei Ruanyan stared at Lin Rou’s back and clenched her fists.
Damn it… Why did I have to meet Lin Rou first?
This Peak Master of Yao Furnace Peak was probably even more scheming than herself.
Upon entering the Yao Furnace Peak main hall, a complex and strange medicinal fragrance filled the air.
Lin Rou waved her hand and the attending disciples respectfully withdrew.
The hall fell into dead silence.
Only she and Pei Ruanyan remained.
“Pavilion Master Pei, I have already stabilized Pei Yunqing’s injuries. Fortunately, he was discovered early and no tragedy occurred. It is just…”
A playful smile hooked at the corner of Lin Rou’s mouth.
Her face carried doubt and disdain.
“The timing of this suicide—could it be a little too perfect?”
Tsk. Pei Ruanyan cursed inwardly.
Her heart sank into trouble.
Fooling those young, inexperienced disciples outside was easy, but facing Lin Rou, this old fox, crying and begging for sympathy would probably backfire.
The miserable expression on her face faded, replaced by a gloomy hatred.
“Peak Master Lin, I do not understand what you mean. I only know that my Qing’er committed suicide for love, yet Chu Mo still has not shown her face even now. Is this not unreasonable? Could it be that just because he failed to cure Yan Qingge, Chu Mo intends to never forgive Qing’er for the rest of her life?”
Heh.
Lin Rou sneered inwardly.
Setting aside the fact that Chu Mo was currently imprisoned by Nalan Qingjue, even if she were outside, how blind would she have to be to choose Pei Yunqing over Bai Qingran?
“Pavilion Master Pei, from the moment you met me—no, from the moment you sent Pei Yunqing to Yao Furnace Peak—you seem to have never once asked how Pei Yunqing was doing. Instead, every word and every sentence revolves around Chu Mo. You seem very anxious to see Chu Mo, do you not?”
Although her words were light, they struck Pei Ruanyan like a ten-thousand-jin hammer, causing her expression to stiffen.
She had not yet thought of how to respond when she looked up and met Lin Rou’s pair of narrowed eyes that remained gentle yet carried an icy coldness.
“Pavilion Master Pei, Senior Sister Chu received a secret order from the Sect Master and is currently not in Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect. Additionally, let me remind you once more—Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect absolutely does not permit outsiders to die on our territory, whether killed by another sect or… through a self-directed performance.”
The smile on Lin Rou’s face gradually turned cold. In an instant, the pressure of her Spirit Emperor Stage cultivation pressed down like Mount Tai, smashing straight onto Pei Ruanyan.
In just a moment, Pei Ruanyan’s face turned deathly pale.
A despairing suffocation gripped her throat like a pair of large hands.
Cold sweat slid down from her temples.
“Pavilion Master Pei, I did not call you here because of Pei Yunqing. I am very interested in your medical skills. Tell me in detail about their origin.”
With every word she uttered, Pei Ruanyan felt as if her bones were being mercilessly ground back and forth.
The piercing pain almost made her scream out loud.
With a thud, she could no longer endure it and rolled off the chair, landing on all fours like a wild dog in a wretched state.
She could no longer think about why Lin Rou was interested in her medical skills.
The most important thing right now was that she absolutely could not reveal the true origin of these medical skills!
This was a secret she intended to rot in her stomach forever and never let anyone else know!
“Peak Master Lin, this was written by a certain great medical expert. I only obtained the remnant volume by chance. This is… Ah!!!”
The pressure on Pei Ruanyan’s body instantly surged.
Lin Rou frowned in dissatisfaction.
She did not want to hear this kind of nonsense. What surprised her, however, was that even under this pain that was close to lingchi, Pei Ruanyan clenched her teeth and refused to reveal even the slightest bit.
It seemed there was a huge secret behind this. Lin Rou’s thoughts turned.
She could see Pei Ruanyan’s determination to die rather than submit.
Continuing to pressure her would only be useless effort.
“In that case, Pavilion Master Pei, hand over the remnant volume for me to look at. How about it?”
After she finished speaking, the pressure on Pei Ruanyan’s body receded like a tide.
She gasped for breath in large mouthfuls.
Her eyes were filled with humiliation and resentment.
Her teeth were clenched so hard that her face looked ferocious.
This was not a request—it was an order.
In her current situation, being able to keep the secret was already a great fortune.
She had no right to bargain for anything else.
Trembling as she climbed up from the ground, Pei Ruanyan took out the remnant scroll from her Storage Ring and handed it to Lin Rou with the utmost respect, even humility.
She then shrank back to the side.
However, the hand behind her back trembled violently from anger.
Her fingernails pierced her palm and a trace of unwilling crimson blood slid down between her fingers.
After a long while, Lin Rou finished reading.
She raised her head.
Her eyes held thought and uncertainty.
The remnant scroll’s records were incomplete, but the medical skills that remained were exactly the same as those Bai Qingran had taught her.
What exactly was going on?
Moreover, Lin Rou licked her lips.
This Bai Qingran had actually hidden a hand.
A twisted, fanatical possessiveness flashed in her eyes.
Bai Qingran, even if you have not completely trusted me yet, this kind of behavior is truly disobedient. It makes me… really want to punish you…
***
The perspective shifted to Red Sun Phoenix Heaven Sect.
After learning the news of Pei Yunqing’s suicide, Elder Wang and the others did not feel even half a bit of sympathy.
Instead, they burst into extremely delighted laughter.
A few who were usually unrestrained even shouted that they should open a bottle of good wine to celebrate properly.
However, when Elder Wang excitedly told Yan Qingge the news, the latter had an expression as if she had fallen into some kind of contemplation and completely did not hear the voices around her.
“Qingge, Qingge? What are you thinking about? Pei Yunqing committed suicide. Let’s celebrate later.”
“Oh, oh… I see…”
Yan Qingge’s reaction was flat. She did not care at all about news like Pei Yunqing’s suicide.
These past few days, only one person had been on her mind.
Xiao Tao.
This menial disciple whose name Yan Qingge did not even know had reacted in a truly strange manner.
Yan Qingge’s pair of golden pupils slightly narrowed.
That day, perhaps she should not have let that girl run away.
Maybe she could have learned something from her mouth.