Chapter 75

Xia Tianwu was eager to take Mo Lin back to the sect for treatment, but suddenly, the tracking formation Yuan Ye had set up showed some activity.

Within the small, carefully constructed circle of the formation, a faint spiritual energy fluctuation appeared. Then, demonic energy surged, and a burst of flames suddenly leaped up, flickering and drifting toward the northwest.

“I’ll take the kids; you take your senior brother back to the sect,” Lin Du said.

Mo Lin was a bit reluctant to leave, but Xia Tianwu had already sealed his meridians to prevent him from using his spiritual energy, to stop the spread of the little poison.

“It’s fine, I have my master. If it comes to it, I can call him. He hasn’t been out in years, so it might do him good to stretch his legs,” Lin Du replied, her attitude showing that she was already back to her confident self, clearly having forgotten the pain once her injuries healed.

In the face of difficulty, call for help—that’s a traditional virtue of the Supreme Sect.

Xia Tianwu looked at her with a kindly gaze. “Why didn’t you think of mentioning your master earlier?”

“Oh, the tiger hair in the formation is burning. It looks like the cub isn’t far. Yuan Ye, let’s go. I’ll take you to hunt the tiger.”

Lin Du turned to leave but suddenly felt her actions restricted by some mysterious force—Xia Tianwu had grabbed her collar.

She turned around innocently. “Second Junior Nephew, what’s the matter? I’m in a hurry to catch the tiger.”

“Don’t use your spiritual energy recklessly. If there’s something, let Jinxuan and the others handle it,” Xia Tianwu said firmly, her eyes carrying a heavy sense of authority.

Lin Du hadn’t realized how intimidating a healer’s pressure could be.

She agreed promptly, “Alright then.”

“Repeat what I said,” Xia Tianwu said, not letting go.

Lin Du felt like she was no different from the tiger being held by its scruff. She spoke quietly, “Second Junior Nephew, let go first.”

Xia Tianwu remained unmoved.

After a moment of tension, Lin Du closed her eyes and quickly repeated, “Don’t use your spiritual energy recklessly. If there’s something, let Yan Qing and the others handle it.”

Xia Tianwu, indifferent to the change in names, released her grip and patted her head. “Be good. I’ll check your pulse. I can detect how much of your spiritual energy you’ve used and how long it’s been stored.”

A subtle form of intimidation.

Lin Du quickly left, almost bursting out the door.

The wind blew into the room, and in the distance, the sound of small bells gradually faded away.

Mo Lin shivered. “It’s so cold.”

Xia Tianwu glanced at him. He was tall and had been practicing swordplay for years, wearing thin clothing. Without spiritual protection, the cold was severe.

“Stretch out your hand.”

Her voice was cold and detached. Mo Lin felt a bit scared and shrank his shoulders. “What’s the matter? I’m being obedient, unlike Junior Sister.”

“Isn’t it cold? Although you can’t use your spiritual energy, my spiritual energy contains a type of fire that can counteract evil and toxic forces. It won’t accelerate the spread of the little poison and will help alleviate it.”

Mo Lin obediently extended his hand. She clasped his wrist, and a fire-infused spiritual energy flowed into his meridians. The cold, which seemed to seep from his bones, was quickly dispelled by the flow of spiritual energy.

He glanced at Xia Tianwu. Her expression remained indifferent, with her eyes lowered, lips pressed together. Her long eyelashes resembled fluffy willow catkins in the spring sunlight, and the vermilion mole at the corner of her eye seemed to be the source of her vitality.

“Junior Sister.”

“Hmm?” Xia Tianwu looked up.

“You’re really fiery today.”

Xia Tianwu: …

“If it weren’t for the fire, I’d be worried that I couldn’t suppress your little poison.”

Mo Lin thought to himself that it wasn’t just about that; it was also about how she was harsh with him after being harsh with Junior Sister.

He felt scared.

But he also felt warm.

It was as if Xia Tianwu had come back to life, no longer cold and unfeeling.

The four youths followed the tracking formation’s direction to the edge of the village, heading toward the mountain. The cold wind hit them, but they didn’t feel cold.

Yuan Ye opened his mouth to speak, took a breath of cold air, and then remembered to put on a scarf. “The wind is strong. You guys, wear scarves.”

The four of them quickly put on their scarves and continued running, eventually noticing signs of human presence.

“Jinxuan and Yan Qing are distracting the enemy. Yuan Ye, prepare to set up a trapping formation,” Lin Du quickly instructed.

“Who dares steal our Supreme Sect’s tiger cub?” Yuan Ye shouted from afar.

The person was startled and then heard the sound of a whip slicing through the air.

The Yunpo Whip, seemingly gentle but actually fierce, struck directly at his face.

The cultivator tried to push it away and saw someone leap into the air. Under the pale moonlight, the blue-clad youth wielded a large blade with a cold, dark sheen, leaping high like a ferocious tiger. The blade’s wind was sharp and straight, carrying a heavy pressure that descended upon him.

The man was caught off guard by the two simultaneous attacks. Even though they were from cultivators at the Qin Heart Realm, they were still formidable.

The loud crack of the whip and the sharp sound of the blade in the air continued. The man was first tangled by the whip and then forced to retreat repeatedly by the intense blade aura.

The spiritual energy flashes in front of him were constant. The whip’s tail even struck him several times, making his internal energy burn with pain.

“What’s going on? I’m just a passerby!”

“A passerby? Can a passerby steal tiger cubs? Every blade of grass, every tree, every mountain, and every rock here belongs to our Supreme Sect!”

While Yuan Ye set up the formation according to the position reported by Junior Sister, he loudly declared, “This mountain was opened by me, this tree was planted by me! If you want to pass through here, leave the tiger cub behind!”

The man, stunned, looked in the direction of the voice, trying to end the fight quickly. He released the pressure of a Sky Cloud Realm cultivator, but in an instant, he heard a light, airy voice say, “Alright, retreat.”

Before the cultivator could comprehend the meaning of the words, he found himself unable to mobilize his pressure.

“A Grade Three Pure Spirit Formation? How is this possible? Aren’t they just new disciples?”

He looked up and saw four people standing around, their scarves covering their faces. Only their eyes, which were different but intense, were visible in the cold night.

Was this really a bandit ambush?

“You have the aura of a tiger demon cub on you,” Lin Du said. “During the day, you took the tiger demon cub to the scene where the evil cultivators were eating people, didn’t you?”

The air suddenly grew still.

The four of them eyed the person in the formation with intense scrutiny, making him feel as if his hair was standing on end.

“I’m not…”

Lin Du tilted her head. “Did everyone hear that? He said he won’t talk. What should we do?”

“Beat him!” Yuan Ye shouted with enthusiasm.

“Use the whip! Your hands won’t hurt!” Ni Jinxuan added.

The cultivator: … What kind of people are these new disciples of the Supreme Sect?

Yan Qing sheathed his sword and rolled up his sleeves. “Junior Sister, let me handle it. I’m strong.”

“Don’t beat him just yet. I’ll talk. I just released the tiger cub back into the forest. You can still catch up if you hurry!”

Lin Du narrowed her eyes. “So you saw the evil cultivators eating people?”

The man fell silent. Lin Du nodded, expressionless, and stepped into the formation, delivering a punch to his face.

Even without spiritual energy, Lin Du’s punch was extremely powerful. Though she couldn’t exercise her muscles like an ordinary person, her daily training in the cold depths of Luo Ze was not just for mental conditioning.

She trained not only her lungs but also her muscle strength and endurance.

“Did you see the evil cultivators eating people?” Lin Du asked again.

Her voice was very cold, even more so in the chilly night, and seemed to carry a frosty edge that sent a shiver down one’s spine.