Mo Huaiyu had just finished clearing a Demon Cult stronghold when a massive firework suddenly shot into the sky and bloomed against the horizon.
*Bang!*
The firework was exceptionally brilliant.
To an outsider, it might have seemed like an ordinary firework, but any disciple of the Yuling Sect would understand the meaning behind it.
A Yuling Sect disciple was under attack!
“Junior Brother Mo, let’s go.”
“Huh?”
Without leaving any room for argument, An Ruoxi swept her spiritual qi out from her body, wrapping it around the youth.
In the next instant, she transformed into a streak of light and took flight.
Before long, the light landed steadily in a small forest, revealing the figures of the tall, mature woman and the young boy.
They were in a clearing filled with the obvious marks of a fierce battle.
At the center of the clearing, a figure lay collapsed on the ground.
His face had been destroyed, but the token hanging from his waist identified him as a disciple sent by the Yuling Sect.
After finishing his investigation, Zhao Long stood up and shook his head toward the crowd.
“His meridians are completely severed, and his spiritual root has been dug out. There is no life left in him.”
“Just what happened here?”
One person asked, their voice filled with shock and fury.
To dare strike a disciple of the Yuling Sect—a Core Disciple, no less—and to murder him in such a cruel fashion… did they not fear the retaliation of the Yuling Sect?
“I don’t know. By the time I arrived, he was already like this. However, it is certain that this is the work of the Demon Cult.”
Zhao Long spoke with conviction.
Only those from the Demon Cult would not fear the Yuling Sect’s revenge.
Perhaps this was retaliation for the Yuling Sect’s recent purge of their members.
*Whoosh!*
Another streak of light arrived.
Once the figure manifested, it revealed a beautiful woman dressed in men’s clothing.
“Eldest Senior Sister!”
The crowd cupped their hands in greeting upon seeing An Ruojun.
An Ruojun gave a slight nod.
When she saw the dead Yuling Sect disciple, her eyes narrowed.
With a single glance, she recognized which faction of the Demon Cult was responsible.
“Severed meridians and a stolen spiritual root… these methods resemble the Wantu Sect of the Demon Cult.”
As the Captain of this mission, she was naturally furious that such a situation had occurred, but she did not lose her cool.
“The Wantu Sect!?”
Even within the Demon Cult, the Wantu Sect was notorious.
When they went insane, they wouldn’t even spare their own sect members.
Not only did they kill for pleasure, but they also enjoyed eating human spiritual roots and spiritual bones—yes, eating them!
“It’s actually the Wantu Sect?”
Zhao Long said in surprise.
“But I remember the Wantu Sect was wiped out by the Orthodox Path Alliance 100 years ago.”
“It is difficult to completely clear out a pack of rats living in the gutters,” An Ruojun said coldly.
Afterward, Zhao Long silently gathered the disciple’s body and removed the token from his waist, handing it to An Ruojun.
After all, she was the Captain of this team.
An Ruojun took the token expressionlessly.
Her eyes were cold and sharp, and the spiritual qi around her began to grow restless, as if it were about to boil over.
This time, she was truly enraged!
Mo Huaiyu studied the dead disciple.
He had never seen a corpse before he started searching for traces of Sister Yuyun, but after seeing quite a few lately, he had gradually grown used to it.
However, this was the first time he had seen someone murdered with such cruel methods.
From the moment he saw the firework to the time he arrived, less than ten breaths of time had passed.
Furthermore, Zhao Long was already here before they arrived.
In other words, the person from the Demon Cult had ended the battle almost instantly.
While he was in a daze, An Ruoxi’s slender hand reached out and took Mo Huaiyu’s small hand.
The cold beauty stared at the youth with her beautiful eyes and parted her red lips.
“Don’t worry, I will protect you, Junior Brother Mo.”
Mo Huaiyu was stunned.
He hadn’t expected Sister Ruoxi to say such a thing.
Just as he was about to say thank you, the cold beauty tightened her grip and pulled him along to follow the team as they flew away in streaks of light.
After returning to the City Lord’s Mansion, they reported the matter to the City Lord.
The City Lord said, “It is truly heartbreaking that such a thing has happened. Please rest assured, juniors, I will definitely capture the Demon Cult remnants as soon as possible to give you all an explanation!”
With that, the meeting was adjourned.
Upon returning to his room, Mo Huaiyu prepared to organize the clues he had gathered.
Just then, a graceful figure walked in.
“Sister Ruoxi, why are you here?”
Mo Huaiyu walked over quickly.
As An Ruoxi watched the youth approach, a hint of tenderness suddenly surfaced in her cold eyes.
“Junior Brother Mo, after what happened today, I feel I must protect you every step of the way.”
“This… actually, I’m fine. I have the protective Dharma treasure that Sister Yuyun gave me. Even if I can’t win a fight, escaping shouldn’t be a problem.”
An Ruoxi slowly shook her head and said indifferently, “You and I are fiances. Moreover, Master entrusted you to my care. I will take responsibility for you until the very end.”
Hearing this, Mo Huaiyu wondered, ‘Was this role relationship somewhat mixed up? Logically, shouldn’t a man be the one saying such things?’
Nevertheless, his heart warmed at her words.
Aside from Sister Yuyun, she was the second person to treat him this well.
“Since that’s the case, Sister Ruoxi, please have a seat.”
Mo Huaiyu brought out his treasured tea leaves and began boiling water to brew tea.
An Ruoxi lifted the teacup with her slender hand and took a small sip.
Her beautiful eyes instantly lit up.
As the tea entered her throat, it transformed into pure spiritual qi.
Not only that, but in that moment, she entered a state of enlightenment!
What seemed like a brief instant felt as if a long time had passed.
As the tea went down, it wasn’t just the purity of the spiritual qi that affected her; it also swept away all the confusion she had regarding her previous cultivation techniques.
Even her cultivation base, which had been stagnant due to the Dao wound, began to stir.
The beauty was somewhat dazed as she looked at the youth’s tender face.
“Junior Brother Mo, this is…?”
“Path-Enlightening Tea!”
Mo Huaiyu said.
“Sister Ruoxi, these are for you.”
With that, he handed a small tea bag to An Ruoxi.
Despite the small size of the bag, only one small leaf was needed for each steeping.
This had been a gift from a beautiful older sister friend of Sister Yuyun.
She had told him that the tea was extremely precious and that he should drink it sparingly rather than steeping it all at once.
It had proven to be precious indeed.
Every time Mo Huaiyu’s cultivation reached a bottleneck, a single sip would lead to a sudden realization before long.
Path-Enlightening Tea!
Even An Ruoxi’s slender hand trembled upon hearing the name.
Path-Enlightening Tea was categorized into grades.
She had drunk it before, but the grade of the tea Junior Brother Mo possessed was even better than what she had experienced.
She recalled that Junior Brother Mo’s sister was the Yaotian Empress, and among the Yaotian Empress’s friends, there was a peerless beauty known as the Pill Venerable.
Any pill or item that passed through the Pill Venerable’s hands was priceless and beyond the reach of the market.
“Junior Brother Mo, this is far too precious.”
“It’s fine, Sister Ruoxi. Like I said, what is mine is yours!”
Under Mo Huaiyu’s repeated insistence, An Ruoxi eventually accepted the Path-Enlightening Tea.
When the cold Fairy’s delicate hand gripped the teacup again, warmth transferred to her fingertips.
That warmth spread even further, reaching the depths of her heart and slowly beginning to melt her icy resolve.