HuLü Wan thought Ni Wenhui would immediately refute what he said because, given Ni Wenhui’s shy and reserved personality, she wouldn’t easily reveal such things. He knew Ni Wenhui well and could discern everything just by observing her reactions.

However, to his surprise, right after he spoke, Ni Wenhui was stunned.

Under the moonlight, Ni Wenhui’s delicate face appeared even more pale. HuLü Wan could clearly see the changes in her expression: first surprise, then confusion, and finally a look of guilt, as if a secret had been exposed.

In just a brief moment, Ni Wenhui’s face went through several different expressions. But soon, she composed herself, suppressing her emotions, and pretended to be calm as she looked at HuLü Wan, replying evasively: “I’ve already told you the main reason why I want to cancel the engagement. I realized that our feelings might not be pure love, but merely the result of years of habit. We’re only fourteen, and we’ve barely made any progress in our cultivation. Talking about relationships this early seems a bit rushed. I want to take it slower.”

HuLü Wan’s entire face turned cold. Though his appearance resembled HuLü Xing more, when he wasn’t smiling, his eyes were more like Situ Wenwan’s.

Both of them had slightly drooping eyelids. Though their eye shape wasn’t aggressive, the cold glint in their gaze gave them an aloof, distant demeanor.

Ni Wenhui had rarely seen this side of HuLü Wan and became frightened, instinctively stepping back.

HuLü Wan lowered his gaze to glance at Ni Wenhui’s retreating steps, and suddenly, he let out a soft laugh. “I understand now.”

Ni Wenhui was startled.

She didn’t understand what exactly HuLü Wan had “understood.”

“You think it’s too soon, right? Then I can wait.” The curve of HuLü Wan’s lips dispelled the coldness from him as he squinted slightly. “Wenhui, I truly care for you. If you think we’re too young, I can wait until we’re older. Two years, six years, ten years, even twenty years—I can wait. As long as you don’t fall for someone else, I’ll be at ease.”

“I…” Ni Wenhui hesitated.

“Hmm?” HuLü Wan gazed at her almost gently. “What is it?”

Ni Wenhui frowned slightly, struggling for a moment before shaking her head. “It’s nothing.”

For a brief moment, she felt an urge to confess.

Luckily, she suppressed that impulse as soon as it arose.

She had only met that person once, and she didn’t even know his name or where he lived. How could she possibly like him?

If she said anything, it would only cause trouble for him.

Thinking this, Ni Wenhui secretly felt relieved. She told HuLü Wan, “Do you have anything else to say? If not, I’ll be leaving now. My mother and my senior and junior sisters are waiting for me, and there’s a lot to do back at the sect.”

HuLü Wan smiled. “Go ahead, don’t keep them waiting.”

After bidding farewell to HuLü Wan, Ni Wenhui lifted her skirt and ran off.

HuLü Wan watched as Ni Wenhui’s figure gradually disappeared. Before long, she had vanished into the thick night alongside Ni Shu and the others.

The smile on HuLü Wan’s face suddenly vanished, replaced by a thoughtful and unreadable expression.

He stared in the direction where Ni Wenhui had disappeared for a long time. Only when he heard footsteps behind him did he turn around, as if waking from a dream.

The newcomer was Situ Wenwan.

Situ Wenwan had been present for the entire discussion about how to deal with HuLü Yan, so she was in a heavy mood, her expression quite cold.

But when she met HuLü Wan’s gaze, she forced a smile. “How did your conversation go? Do you need me to talk to Wenhui’s mother again?”

“No need. Don’t talk to her mother,” HuLü Wan quickly said. “We’ve talked it through.”

Naturally, Situ Wenwan assumed that Ni Wenhui had regretted her previous decision and planned to proceed with the marriage as usual. She asked, “Did she explain why she wanted to cancel the engagement earlier?”

“She said we’re too young and should focus on cultivation rather than romance,” HuLü Wan embellished Ni Wenhui’s words, then added, “Mother, I think Wenhui is right. We are indeed too young. Perhaps waiting a few more years before getting married is the best choice.”

Situ Wenwan didn’t detect anything amiss and simply frowned. “Weren’t you eager to marry her as soon as you turned fourteen? Why aren’t you in a rush now?”

“I’m not in a hurry anymore,” HuLü Wan said. “Spending a few more years cultivating won’t hurt.”

Situ Wenwan nodded. “I respect your decision, but this is no small matter. We’ll need to inform your father.”

“I’ll speak to Father first thing tomorrow morning,” HuLü Wan said. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he added, “Mother, I have a request.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’ve grown up without ever traveling far. I’d like to take advantage of the long holiday my master gave me and go out to gain some experience.”

“Oh?” Situ Wenwan was surprised. “Where do you want to go?”

HuLü Wan thought for a moment. “I want to head northwest. I’ve heard Kunlun Mountain is in that direction, and I’d like to see it.”

He thought it would take a lot of persuasion to get Situ Wenwan to agree, but to his surprise, she immediately agreed without a second thought.

“As it happens, your father and I are heading in that direction too. You can travel with us, and we’ll take care of you along the way.”

HuLü Wan was taken aback. “You’re going too? Why?”

“Of course, we have some matters to attend to.”

What a coincidence, HuLü Wan thought. I have my own matters to attend to as well.

He wanted to find out for himself what had happened to Ni Wenhui on her journey to Immortal Valley that had made her suddenly push him away.

If it was truly because of a man who had made her change her mind…

A vicious glint flashed in HuLü Wan’s eyes.

He would make sure that man regretted ever being born!

Situ Wenwan had no idea what her son was thinking. Her mind was filled with thoughts of HuLü Yan.

She regretted her moment of softness in persuading HuLü Xing not to kill HuLü Yan after he was carried down from the sacrificial altar. Though she had once wanted to spare his life, she had never expected HuLü Yan to cause them so much trouble.

Now, things were spiraling out of control.

HuLü Yan… must be eliminated.

At that moment, mother and son shared a rare moment of understanding.

Mi Lu finally walked out of the Peach Blossom Formation.

After spending the entire night inside, daylight had already broken.

However, as soon as he stepped out of the barrier, the sky turned dark, the entire atmosphere heavy with a gloomy gray, and snow was falling.

Mi Lu’s arms were numb from holding HuLü Yan, and the cold wind outside the barrier, mixed with snow, brought with it a sharp pain that felt like countless biting ants crawling all over him.

Clenching his teeth, Mi Lu stood outside the barrier, struggling for a long time before finally deciding to leave.

At that moment, he heard the faint sound of someone stepping cautiously on the snow behind him.

He turned around—

He saw several disciples of the Medical Hall huddled together, sneakily hiding behind a small tree trunk, peeking at him with wide eyes.

They must have known what had happened yesterday.

What Mi Lu didn’t expect was that not only had they not escaped during the chaos or pretended not to know anything, but they had also secretly followed him out of the barrier.

When they met his gaze, they all shrank back guiltily.

After a moment of pushing and shoving, the girl named Jing Lan cautiously called out, “Sect Master.”

The others echoed her, calling out, “Sect Master.”

Mi Lu had a decent impression of them. They were all honest and didn’t stir up trouble. Especially Jing Lan, who had even helped them deceive Yan Feng once.

Though, to be fair, it was probably because they were intimidated by HuLü Yan…

Still, Mi Lu didn’t intend to harm them. He gestured with his chin, “Come here.”

The group exchanged glances, then, led by Jing Lan, they timidly shuffled over to him.

“I won’t do anything to you, nor will I control your choices. Now that the Medical Hall is gone, you can choose to stay and rebuild a new Medical Hall, or you can leave with people from other sects. I imagine other sects will arrive today.” Mi Lu’s expression suddenly darkened, and his tone shifted. “But let me make this clear: if any of you reveal our whereabouts to those people, I will find you, no matter where you hide, even if it’s at the ends of the earth.”

At his words, the group shuddered in unison.

Mi Lu knew his threat had worked.

Even if they didn’t respect him, they certainly feared HuLü Yan. After all, no one else in the cultivation world had done anything as horrifying as HuLü Yan’s massacre of the Medical Hall.

Mi Lu asked, “Do you understand?”

They all nodded furiously like chickens pecking at rice.

“Good. We’re leaving. Take care of yourselves.” With that, Mi Lu prepared to leave.

“Sect Master!” Jing Lan suddenly mustered the courage to call after him. “Sect Master, you are now our new sect master. Wherever you go, we will follow. The Medical Hall is our past, and we don’t want to stay behind guarding the past.”

Mi Lu paused in his tracks, turning to look at them, unable to hide the surprise in his eyes.

If it weren’t for Jing Lan’s determined expression and her resolute stance, he might have thought he had misheard.

But the truth was, he still couldn’t believe it. “Do you know what you’re saying?”

“Yes, Sect Master, I’m very clear about it. This is the decision we all reached after careful consideration.” Jing Lan, seeing that Mi Lu hadn’t rejected her outright, gained some confidence. “What you don’t know, Sect Master, is that we never willingly joined the Medical Hall.”

Mi Lu’s face showed confusion.

Recalling their sad past, Jing Lan’s eyes reddened, and she spoke in a soft voice: “We were all kidnapped by the Medical Hall from other places. They drugged us, made us lose our memories, and treated us like slaves. If we were still useful, they kept us in the sect to work for them. If we were no longer of use, they would…”

Her voice caught in her throat, unable to continue.

A young boy beside her finished for her: “They would turn us into corpse puppets.”

Then, in a weak voice, the boy added, “We overheard this from an elder. Apparently, most of the former sect master’s corpse puppets were made this way. But not many people know this; most still think we’re fellow disciples.”