In the main hall of the Taiyan Sect, several senior disciples were gathered around.
Ziluo stamped her foot anxiously. “Senior disciples, we need to think of a solution—”
“What solution is there?” Fourth Senior Uncle, Li Danshu, adjusted his veil calmly. “You know how terrifying Gufeng Mountain is at night. Over twenty years ago, a group of new disciples entered the mountain. One of them, relying on his high cultivation level, harbored greed in his heart. Even after sunset, he lingered in the forest. When the Sect Master led a team to rescue him, not only was his cultivation destroyed, but he also lost an arm. He could never cultivate again.”
On the other side, Third Senior Uncle, Cui Yufu, who was skilled in talismans, snorted coldly. “That’s still considered fortunate. Over a decade ago, a disciple wanted to pick spiritual fruits for alchemy. Taking advantage of others’ inattentiveness, he sneaked into the mountain and startled the fierce beast, the Two-Headed Medicine Fork. He was torn in half, and even his qi was devoured, leaving behind a pile of bones. After that incident, the Sect Master prohibited anyone from entering Gufeng Mountain after sunset.”
“Junior Sister Zanxing isn’t a greedy person,” Ziluo explained. “She must have encountered some trouble inside. Senior Uncle,” she looked at Li Danshu, “if it weren’t for searching for that Night Vine Branch, Junior Sister Zanxing wouldn’t have been in danger. I don’t care, you have to think of a solution!”
Li Danshu cleared his throat. “How would I know… cough, Ziluo, I also want to go rescue her, but I can’t undo the Sect Master’s prohibition!”
“Indeed,” Daoist Yueguang sighed. “Ziluo, don’t make things difficult for your senior uncle.”
“Are you saying that no one can undo the Sect Master’s prohibition?” Ziluo retorted. “If the Sect Master closes off from the world and a disciple is in danger, does the Taiyan Sect just stand by and watch, refusing to help?”
“If Seventh Junior Brother were here, there might be a chance,” Daoist Moonlight shook his head, “but…”
He had already left the sect for a year, and nobody knew when he would return.
“Currently, all we can do is hope that the girl is clever enough to survive the night,” Daoist Moonlight said. “When dawn breaks and the prohibition is lifted, we can enter the mountain together to search for her.”
Cui Yufu poured cold water on his words, expressionless. “By the time morning comes, that girl will probably be nothing but bones. For so many years, apart from the Sect Master and Seventh Junior Brother, no one has spent the night in Gufeng Mountain without harm.”
Ziluo was burning with impatience but felt helpless at the same time.
*
The dust frost formed into white dew, rolling off the broad leaves of the trees and dripping onto the tip of someone’s nose below.
The woman’s nose twitched slightly, and suddenly, an Ah-choo! echoed through the entire morning.
Zanxing opened her eyes and looked towards the distant horizon.
As the starlight faded along with the night, she was greeted by the white mist enveloping Gufeng Mountain, and the faintly visible giant dragon statue at the end of the peaks, representing the Taiyan Sect.
She lifted her head, wiped her face, stood up, feeling slightly surprised. Unknowingly, the night had passed.
Last night, she had been walking around with the golden egg, and somehow got lost. She had intended to take a rest under a tree, but she didn’t even know when she fell asleep. Oh right, the egg. Zanxing lowered her head and looked at the egg firmly clasped in her arms. In the daylight, the golden egg had dimmed considerably and was no longer warm. It looked like an ordinary decorative egg now.
But thanks to this egg last night, she didn’t freeze and fall ill.
Zanxing looked around, and in the daylight, Gufeng Mountain had returned to its usual picturesque beauty, like a paradise bathed in the morning glow. Ziluo had mentioned that Gufeng Mountain was very dangerous at night, with ferocious beasts roaming about. Yet, despite walking for a long time last night and sleeping under a tree, she had remained unharmed.
Could it be that the Xiao Yuan Pearl was secretly protecting her?
Well, it didn’t matter. She had safely made it through the night, and now that it was daylight, she would muster her courage and leave Gufeng Mountain. Once she returned to the Taiyan Sect, she would definitely make Hua Yue pay for his despicable actions.
*
At the hour of the Dragon, the rooster perched on a branch, precisely and accurately beginning to crow.
The waning moon hid behind the clouds, and a ray of sunlight gradually emerged from between the peaks, casting a fiery glow.
The sun rose, and the clouds boiled with color.
Ziluo, who had been dozing off, woke up with a start and quickly got up to wake the others who had fallen asleep around him: “Senior Uncles, it’s dawn! The restriction has been lifted!”
“Has it been lifted?” Li Danshu rubbed his eyes and looked out the window. He was squinted by the sunlight outside and said, “Ah, it’s already so late.”
“Hurry up,” Ziluo pulled Li Danshu’s sleeve and pulled him up from the ground: “Junior Sister Zanxing is still in the mountains, go and save her…”
“Save who?” A voice came from behind him, with a hint of teasing laughter: “Ziluo, why are you in such a hurry? Where are you going?”
Ziluo turned around in surprise. A middle-aged man walked in. The man was dressed in a brown coarse linen robe, his eyebrows and eyes were clear and elegant, his long hair was tied up with a hairpiece of the same color, and a pointed beard was left under his chin, giving him a mischievous look. At first glance, he looked like a scholar or a folk storyteller.
“Fifth Uncle?” Ziluo was stunned: “Didn’t you go wandering with Seventh Uncle? Why are you back?” Her heart moved, “Could it be…”
“What?” A young man’s clear voice came from outside, with a hint of arrogance: “You only welcome him, not me?”
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