When Yun Xi heard those words, what was unclear to her? The smile at the corner of her lips faded as she asked, "Respected Hao Yi Zūnzhě, what exactly do you want to hear from me?"
Hao Yi's smile did not change.
"That depends on how much you wish to let me know."
The ball was tossed back into her court. Yun Xi immediately grew cautious, and almost by instinct, the Huadian Immortal Artifact appeared between her brows.
Hao Yi Zūnzhě arched a brow and gave her a long, meaningful glance.
Yun Xi frowned. "If there is something you want to know, Zūnzhě may ask directly. What I can answer, I will. What I cannot…"
"You may leave unsaid." Hao Yi was surprisingly generous. But before asking anything, she threw out a thunderbolt of her own: "Zuo Qiu has escaped from Haoran Sect."
Yun Xi froze for a moment, disbelief flickering across her face. "Master said he had been taken into the Law Enforcement Hall. How could he escape so easily?"
"He abandoned his body," Hao Yi replied calmly.
Yun Xi's mind spun rapidly before her brows furrowed. "Zūnzhě, someone in the sect must have helped him. Was it the evil cultivators who used a Soul-Nurturing Stone to smuggle him out?"
"You respond quickly. That Soul-Nurturing Stone you handed to Hao Hui is now in my hands."
Hearing this, Yun Xi instantly guessed why Hao Yi had come to her.
"Zūnzhě, that was the only Soul-Nurturing Stone I had. I borrowed it from Han Lian Zhēnjūn of Jihan Sect. It was only meant to give Yu Su Zhēnjūn's soul a place to rest and to confront the imposter posing as her upon our return to the sect.
Yun Chen Fózǐ of Yunmen Temple was there at the time. He can testify for me."
"That wisp of evil soul has already been extracted by me. But Yu Su cannot yet return to her body. It requires purification. For now, she must remain within the stone."
Yun Xi asked curiously, "Why tell me this?"
Hao Yi's smile finally faded. "Because I want your help in exposing the traitor within our sect. Haoran Sect cannot afford a second Zuo Qiu."
Yun Xi did not know what use she could be in her half-crippled state, but she still cupped her hands. "This junior will give her utmost effort, though I cannot say how much I can do."
Hao Yi's smile returned. "What I really want is your 'Huayan.' Will you part with it?"
The words circled back again. Yun Xi rubbed her nose, saying nothing this time. She flicked her sleeve, releasing two vials of the drug she had prepared earlier in her storage space. These were her own concoctions, made according to the formula. Even the one given to Wei Nanfeng had been hers. The preserved original from Yixian Gate, she would never waste on that old fox.
Hao Yi's eyes lit up as she collected the vials. Her smile deepened.
"Why did you give this to Wei Nanfeng?"
Yun Xi answered evenly, "He wanted benefits from me, while secretly supporting Wei Yunqing to oppose me. He fancied himself skilled in balancing factions. Unfortunately for him, I am not his pawn, nor will I allow Wei Clan to become his stepping stone for advancement.
A man whose virtue falls short of his ambition, selfish and narrow-minded, cannot lead the Wei Clan. I simply struck first to cut off hidden dangers, paving the way ahead of time for my clan."
"Your methods are impressive," Hao Yi said with a rare note of approval. "A little hasty, perhaps, but impressive."
"Zūnzhě does not think me ruthless, to scheme even against my clan's own Ancestor?" Yun Xi asked coolly.
Hao Yi waved a dismissive hand. "Wei Nanfeng is no good man. Besides, he has already been expelled from Haoran Sect. His life and death are his family's affair. It does not concern the sect. You need not worry about me intervening. I simply wanted the 'Huayan.'
That drug has vanished from Weiyu Realm for a thousand years. The old fellow of Yixian Gate refused to sell it to me, yet now a disciple of Haoran Sect inherits his legacy. That makes me very pleased."
Yun Xi could only smile awkwardly. There was no easy response, not when she herself counted as half a successor of Yixian Gate.
Hao Yi continued, "Rest assured, I won't use 'Huayan' for ill. But there are several people in the sect whose identities remain unverifiable. I intend to spring a harsh test. You should stay inside the sect for now."
Black lines all but appeared on Yun Xi's forehead, but she still nodded. "Zūnzhě, I am half-crippled as it is. I could hardly leave even if I wished to."
"I know. I only warn you to be careful. If I use 'Huayan,' those people will come seeking you for an antidote."
Yun Xi nearly snorted out tea. So this was Hao Yi Zūnzhě's trap all along.
She sipped her spirit tea to calm her temper. At least her master would protect her on Lingxue Peak. Still, she muttered under her breath, "If you already suspect them, why not capture and interrogate directly? Why waste all this effort?"
"Ah, because they are not easy to seize."
"Then kill them straight out. Better to strike wrongly than let one slip."
Her words carried no small amount of spite. Who asked her to become the scapegoat target in all this?
"Hahaha! You, little girl, suit my temper well."
Hao Yi laughed heartily, eyes gleaming. "I will consider your suggestion. But until the Five Sect Tournament, do not leave Haoran Sect. Huaxian Gate has been watching you from the shadows.
Since the Baohua Mountain secret realm vanished after closing, they suspect you refined it and brought it back to the sect. Be on your guard."
More black lines. Yun Xi wanted to throw up blood. That fragment was a budding world with its own will, not something she could refine on a whim. They had only given her a single payment, forcing her to wound Li Chang and destroy the Evil Flower. Miserly to the extreme. And now they wanted to dump the blame on her?
She stood and declared solemnly, "I, Wei Yunxi, swear upon the heavens. I have not refined the new secret realm of Baohua Mountain. Should I speak falsehood, may lightning strike me and sever my path to immortality."
At once, heavenly rules descended to confirm the truth of her oath.
Hao Yi nodded in satisfaction. She had learned what she wanted. Rising to her feet, she said,"Recover well. I will visit again."
She vanished without a ripple, leaving Yun Xi alone with her frustration. She wanted to shout after her not to come again, that she was planning to shut herself into seclusion.
Meanwhile, Hao Yi Zūnzhě's figure appeared atop Lingxue Peak. Yu Ling was already waiting respectfully.
"Hao Yi Ancestor!"
Hao Yi waved a hand with a smile. "Do not call me old. You may now address me as Senior Sister."
"Yu Ling dares not," Yu Ling bowed deeply.
And he truly meant it. Hao Yi Zūnzhě's cultivation method was unique. She had existed since the founding of Haoran Sect, a peer of the Ascended Founder himself.
Combined with what Hao Hui had confided earlier, Yu Ling realized the truth. Zuo Qiu's betrayal had drawn out this ancient Ancestor, and she was most likely the leader of Umbral Rain.
Hao Yi seated herself casually at the jade table, still smiling. "Your disciple is very interesting. She carries many secrets, yet knows how to protect herself. More importantly, she helped you resolve your calamity. You must guard her well."
===
I see, the leader of Umbral Rain huh? No wonder her heart is black