Chapter 74

“What about this person?” Xia Tianwu, driven by her instinct as a healer, wanted to provide treatment but was stopped by Mo Lin.

“Take her to Junding Mansion,” Mo Lin said coldly. He frowned, placing a hand in front of his squatting junior sister, but his gaze was on the young master.

The young master looked… very unwell.

Her face, usually adorned with a smile even if it had no meaning, was now expressionless. The golden light had long faded, leaving only the pale moonlight of the cold night, making her look more forlorn than snow.

“Junior Master is in a bad state. Could it be the pills aren’t working yet?” Mo Lin paused and added when Xia Tianwu cast a challenging glance, “Look, she’s in so much pain she can’t even show an expression.”

Xia Tianwu turned and noticed Lin Du standing there with a vacant expression.

She said, “She must be exhausted. Let’s take her back to the room first.”

Let the officials of Junding Mansion, who are responsible for dealing with evil cultivators, sort out the mess. He Gui and Real Person Ju Yuan can stay in Junding Mansion to oversee the situation.

The Supreme Sect is small in number, but within the sect, it is harmonious and peaceful. However, the officials managing Junding Mansion, responsible for Ding Jiu City, not only maintain peace in the city but also ensure the safety of all territories belonging to the Supreme Sect.

Evil cultivators and troublemakers who dare to provoke righteous territories, those who cause chaos, violate city rules, or harm lives, are all imprisoned in the eighteen dungeons of Junding Mansion.

Ding Jiu City is the safest city in the Zhongzhou, which is why it is this way.

Lin Du nodded. It was good; the plot had finally passed another hurdle. Originally, Shao Fei would have been taken to the Supreme Sect for treatment. After many twists and turns, she was taken back, only to end up in the dungeons of Junding Mansion. Rounded up, it was as good as being brought back.

She was too tired to show many expressions or say much. She watched as Mo Lin used the demon-binding ropes, meant for binding demonic beasts, to tie up Shao Fei and take her back to the room where the children were gathered.

Ni Jinxuan rushed over immediately. “Junior Master, are you alright?”

Lin Du forced a smile and patted her shoulder. “Junior Master is fine. You did very well.”

Mo Lin and Xia Tianwu exchanged glances at the junior master who was speaking insincerely.

Once inside the room, Xia Tianwu forced Lin Du onto the heated bed.

Ni Jinxuan suddenly asked, “Junior Master, are you lying to me? The fire under the bed hasn’t been put out.”

Lin Du curled her lips into a smile. “Is that so?”

She lightly pressed her hand on the bed, letting out just a tiny bit of spiritual energy. The fire extinguished immediately.

At first, there was no immediate effect, but soon Yuan Ye jumped up. Having been pampered and not accustomed to the cold, he exclaimed, “Why did it suddenly get so cold? Brr, it’s so cold.”

Lin Du smiled silently. Indeed, if she hadn’t released her spiritual energy, the fire would still be burning. But once her spiritual energy was released, the fire sensed her presence and immediately went out.

In the cold winter without the warmth of the bed, and with the door left open while waiting for Lin Du, the room had cooled down.

Sitting alone on the bed, Lin Du supported her head and smiled happily. “See, Junior Master never lies to you.”

“Yuan Ye, if you’re cold, move around a bit, run or jump. Jumping a bit might even help you grow taller.”

She teased the child like that, and Yuan Ye actually started jumping. The soft flesh on his cheeks still hadn’t settled, quivering like a round, plump rabbit.

“I forgot something. That tiger cub,” Lin Du said, looking at Mo Lin.

Mo Lin smacked his forehead. Lin Du had mentioned this in the evening, suspecting someone had deliberately set up a trap.

But the problem now was that Shao Fei, trying to escape Qi Zhun’s control, had left some Little poison and flesh at the scene, but the aura of the cub couldn’t be explained.

Shao Fei had been poisoned by a Gu worm and seemed to have used some secret method, almost falling into a coma, making it impossible to question her.

Lin Du got up again, probing with her spiritual sense to search for the soul, searching once, then twice.

There was no trace of the tiger cub in her memories.

That was strange.

The room was filled with the sound of heavy breathing and a thudding noise, like the footsteps of a beast descending from the mountain.

“What’s that noise? Did a wild boar come into the room?” Mo Lin turned around.

Everyone’s gaze turned to Yuan Ye, who was jumping in the corner.

Yuan Ye actually had physical training; after all, he and Yan Qing’s master, Cang Li, were not only proficient in music but also skilled in crafting. Aside from metal, wood is also a material for magical tools. Yuan Ye had a natural understanding of wooden structures, learning from the Lu Ban Book. As a carpenter, he needed physical strength, carrying wood up the mountain daily. However, it was cold today, so he was breathing heavily.

He stopped and looked at his senior brother with a grievance.

“Sorry…” Mo Lin apologized sincerely. “I forgot you were jumping.”

It was actually Junior Master who told him to jump.

Lin Du, having teased him deliberately, finally couldn’t hold back her laughter and tilted her head, trying to contain it.

Yuan Ye looked at Junior Master with a forlorn expression. “Junior Master, you’re laughing too loudly.”

Lin Du tilted her head. “Sorry, Junior Master isn’t laughing at you.”

She just wanted to laugh.

After she finished laughing, Lin Du leaned her head on her hand and looked at Yuan Ye. “Are you still cold?”

Yuan Ye was so distracted by the interruption that he forgot about the cold, nodding and shaking his head.

Lin Du nodded, asking him to help set up a formation, and asked Mo Lin to release the tiger demon, plucking a hair to leave behind some demon aura and look for a match.

The tiger demon was uncooperative. Mo Lin punched it in the back of the neck, and Yuan Ye seized the chance to pluck a tuft of hair from its rear.

With the same source of demonic energy, they might be able to find a match by chance.

Lin Du disliked having her intelligence challenged, especially by adding more chaos to the situation.

Mo Lin suddenly spoke, rubbing his arms in suspicion. “Why do I feel a bit cold too?”

He had heard of a place in the Forbidden Land called Luo Ze that was cold year-round. His master, Ju Yuan, had once gone there and returned shivering from the cold.

Lin Du’s expression suddenly turned cold, her heart racing. She looked at Xia Tianwu. “Check his pulse.”

Mo Lin obediently extended his hand, not forgetting to pull up his wrist guard.

Xia Tianwu stood in front of him, frowning as she felt his pulse. “Senior Brother… Can you use spiritual energy to dispel the cold?”

Cultivators can use spiritual energy to resist severe cold. Mo Lin adjusted his spiritual energy, but before he could channel it through his meridians, Xia Tianwu’s spiritual energy suddenly surged into his channels.

The spiritual energy carried the fire element’s intensity, which matched his mutated lightning root. There was no discomfort; instead, it felt especially soothing.

He stopped moving.

“What’s wrong?”

Xia Tianwu whispered, “Don’t move. I’ll handle it.”

Mo Lin’s meridians accepted the compatible spiritual energy, waiting obediently as Xia Tianwu’s energy flowed through his channels.

Trusting someone else with your meridians is a significant level of trust for a cultivator.

After inspecting, Xia Tianwu asked, “Are you still cold?”

Mo Lin felt and replied, “Not cold anymore.”

As the spiritual energy gradually withdrew, Mo Lin instinctively placed his other hand over Xia Tianwu’s hand.

She looked up, puzzled by her senior brother’s reaction.

Mo Lin looked a bit aggrieved, his big eyes blinking. “It’s cold where your spiritual energy isn’t.”

Xia Tianwu lowered her gaze, looking at his hand. “I didn’t mean to remove my hand, so please take your hand off first.”

Mo Lin felt his senior brother’s authority was diminished today, silently retracting his hand. He muttered, “It’s really cold.”

Lin Du suddenly spoke up, “Tianwu, what kind of poison is this?”

Mo Lin’s eyes widened in surprise as he turned sharply to look at Junior Master. “Huh?”

Xia Tianwu took a deep breath. “Don’t be afraid. Whatever poison it is, I’ll save you.”

The room fell silent, almost cold enough to drop icicles.

Mo Lin’s eyes couldn’t hide his concern. He blinked, thinking of something, and carefully asked the two people who were deep in thought, “Is it Little poison? Would it still be effective if I take a Five Flavored Detoxification Pill now?”

Lin Du and Xia Tianwu both avoided his eager gaze.

After a long pause, Lin Du spoke in a hoarse, muddled voice. “It’s my fault, I overlooked it.”

Mo Lin interrupted, “Junior Master, this has never been your fault, nor will it ever be.”

“You’re Junior Master, but I’m the senior brother of this generation, older than you. It’s my responsibility to ensure your safety. It was my mistake not to realize sooner that Qi Zhun was the one who harmed people. Luckily, it’s me and not you. I’m strong and healthy; it’s just a bit cold, isn’t it?”

Yuan Ye suddenly interjected, “Senior Brother, why don’t you try jumping too? Jumping might warm you up.”