It was Li Caixia, Zheng Yulan, Lu Feishuang, and several others.
Besides them, the fellow Leng Dong was also present. At the moment, he was following a group of Inner Sect Disciples, blocking the way of Zheng Yulan and the others.
During the last secret realm excursion, Zheng Yulan and Lu Feishuang, along with others, were inferior in strength compared to the rest and would have been unable to come out alive from the secret realm. Fortunately, they encountered Lin Chen, who even distributed some elixirs and Talisman Inscriptions to them, thus allowing them to survive by a stroke of luck.
Lin Chen was no saint. After parting ways last time and returning to the Sect, he did not pay attention to them. His help in the secret realm was simply out of a sense of camaraderie between fellow Sect members, and he had no other intentions.
Following their venture into the secret realm last time, the strength of these women indeed improved somewhat. At this moment, they were leading a group of disciples from the White Phoenix Hall, intent on entering the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion to purchase and sell materials. Mu Qingxuan, who was acquainted with Lin Chen, was also among them.
During his last encounter with the grotesque Mu Qingxue in the secret realm, Lin Chen didn’t know why, but his hatred for her seemed to have somewhat diminished in his heart.
It wasn’t that Lin Chen had forgotten his grudge or forgiven her, but rather, with the betrayal incident behind him, his state of mind had changed and matured.
Now seeing Mu Qingxuan, Lin Chen didn’t feel the awkwardness of the past days. He simply regarded her as a fellow Sect member, not as Mu Qingxue’s sister anymore.
Among the group that Leng Dong was with, there was a man dressed in white robes, holding a white feather fan, looking extremely gentlemanly. However, his gaze betrayed him.
The man was looking at Mu Qingxuan with a face full of wicked smirks.
And beside the man in white robes, a group of lackeys had completely surrounded Mu Qingxuan and the others, not allowing them to leave.
"Junior Sister Mu, Young Master Gao has taken a liking to you, it’s the fortune of eight lifetimes you’ve cultivated, to think that you would dare to refuse to serve Young Master Gao as a maid for a few days, how ungrateful of you."
"With your status and talent, no matter how much you cultivate, who knows in what year and month you will be able to break through to the Melding Earth Realm. But if you submit to Young Master Gao and serve as a maid for a few days, pleasing him, he will, in his happiness, bestow you with Cultivation Resources, something you couldn’t earn from countless Sect missions."
Standing with Leng Dong was a man with a mean and petty appearance, his voice like that of a eunuch, as he pointed at Mu Qingxuan and the others while speaking.
The voice was extremely grating to the ears, and Lin Chen frowned upon hearing it.
He hadn’t expected that such an atmosphere of the strong preying on the weak could be so rampant within the Jade Cauldron Sect, so much so that they could coerce disciples of lesser strength to serve as their maids right in front of the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion.
Lin Chen also knew that, for disciples without an influential background, the Sect would not intervene no matter how much they were bullied; they would simply use the excuse ’this is a test for those disciples with lower cultivation.’
It seemed that whether in Desolate Sky City or within the Jade Cauldron Sect, there was this kind of sickness, a disease of the strong preying on the weak, where those in power would always favor the stronger side.
Justice and righteousness only seemed to exist for those with backgrounds and strength.
Members of the Law Enforcement Hall clearly noticed the commotion here, but they pretended not to see and instead moved away in the opposite direction.
"How presumptuous. If you dare to touch Junior Sister Mu, Junior Brother Lin Chen will never let you off. She is Junior Brother Lin Chen’s person."
At this moment, blood lingered at the corner of Zheng Yulan’s mouth, evidently she had sustained some injuries. After the trip to the secret realm, her relationship with Mu Qingxuan had grown closer. Just now, seeing that they were about to make things difficult for Mu Qingxuan, she and Li Caixia took action to resist these people.
But how could the two of them, with their level of cultivation, possibly be a match for these Inner Sect Disciples?
"Yes, Senior Brother Gao. It’s rumored that you already have enough maids to tend to your personal affairs; losing Junior Sister Mu won’t make a difference. Please let them go."
Li Caixia did not resist the ruffians before her; instead, she spoke pleadingly.
As the leader of the White Phoenix Hall, she couldn’t be too emotional.
To survive in the Jade Cauldron Sect, she naturally understood the law of the strong preying on the weak.
If she were to engage in a fight with the white-robed man before her leading the people from White Phoenix Hall, not only would she fail to save Mu Qingxuan, but she would also drag her sisters from the White Phoenix Hall into trouble.
"Hmph, Lin Chen? The very Lin Chen that you all have been praising extravagantly, claiming he destroyed the Black Cloud Sect’s schemes?"
"Even if he’s not here today, he wouldn’t be able to save the girl even if he were. She has been taken a liking to by our Young Master Gao."
Leng Dong looked at Li Caixia and the others and said with a cold smile. This update ıs available on novel-fire.ɴet
Previously in the Mire Dragon Marsh Secret Realm, Lin Chen had caused him to lose face, and his plan to ingratiate himself with Baili Wentian had also gone down the drain. Thus, upon returning to the sect, he had latched onto Gao Zhipeng’s coattails.
This man was also a True Disciple. Although his power and status in the sect were not as great as Baili Wentian’s, he was still a True Disciple, and what’s more, he was extremely lecherous, which made it easy to use him.
Therefore, with just a little plotting, Leng Dong had made Gao Zhipeng set his sights on Mu Qingxuan and Zheng Yulan among others.
As long as Gao Zhipeng made a move on Mu Qingxuan, he would be at odds with Lin Chen. Leng Dong was eager to see how Lin Chen would fight against Gao Zhipeng.
"You... I would rather die than become his maid."
Mu Qingxuan looked at the white-robed man in front of her, her eyes filled with disgust.
She had heard more or less about Gao Zhipeng’s reputation in the sect; he was a True Disciple and was valued by the sect for his skill in refining magic artifacts.
But he was extremely lecherous and had some peculiar fetishes, having harmed who knows how many female Outer Sect disciples.
To say she would become his maid was no different from becoming one of his playthings.
Mu Qingxuan, not wanting to be defiled, drew her long sword, ready to fight to the death against the opponent.
"You think you’re fit to make a move against Young Master Gao?"
Leng Dong watched Mu Qingxuan, not knowing her own limitations, as she drew her sword to attack, and with a wave of his hand, he sent out a palm strike that snapped Mu Qingxuan’s sword and sent her flying, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood.
Leng Dong’s strike was perfectly measured. He naturally wouldn’t kill someone Young Master Gao had taken an interest in, but that palm strike had severely injured Mu Qingxuan.
Just then, a figure appeared and caught Mu Qingxuan.
A gentle stream of spiritual power flowed into Mu Qingxuan’s body, quickly healing her injuries.
Lin Chen looked at Mu Qingxuan in his arms and asked gently.
Lin Chen had always been aware of Mu Qingxuan’s feelings for him.
Back in Desolate Sky City, Lin Chen had always treated her as a sister. Now, more than ever, Lin Chen didn’t want the matters of love to affect his cultivation. However, seeing Mu Qingxuan in distress, he had to intervene.