The next morning, Yun Xian was awakened by the sound of a horn.

The resounding sound of a charge, like a rhino horn, without any buffering, woke her up immediately. She was stunned for a moment, sat up with disheveled hair, and looked down from the window.

It was still dawn, and the wind and frost were still blowing. The early morning chill was bone-chilling, the breath turning to frost. However, the disciples of the Body Strengthening Sect opened their doors almost simultaneously, wearing the same uniforms as their sect, and ran energetically towards the training grounds.

There was smoke under my feet, as if I would miss the opportunity if I ran any slower.

Yun Xian went to grab his sword, only to remember that the leader had been taken away. He asked confusedly, "Taiping, what time is it now?"

"It's just the hour of Mao," Taiping said. "The days are long in the Far North, so it's been daybreak for quite some time."

What, the hour of the morning? Isn't that just five o'clock? You won't grow taller if you get up so early!

But even though Yun Xian enjoyed the same high-quality sleep as his father, it wasn't easy to fall back asleep after being woken. Furthermore, not long after, people gathered at the martial arts training ground and began beating drums again. Boom, boom, boom, the drums were so deep and deep that they pierced his heart, as if his internal organs were about to burst out of his chest. It was impossible to ignore them. Yun Xian couldn't lie down any longer and jumped up. "Shut up! Can't I sleep anymore?!"

There were two knocks on the door, and Ji Rongxue said with a smile, "Yun Xian."

As soon as Yun Xian went out, she found that everyone was awake, dressed neatly, and seemed to be waiting for her.

"The cows in the back hills started mooing earlier." Xue Lingxiu said, "Didn't you hear it?"

Qiao Lingshan: "I was woken up by a tiger fight."

Qi Zhiye was annoyed: "What I heard was the grunting of a pig. You raise pigs here? Who would practice the same exercises as a pig?"

Ji Rongxue was stunned: "There are no pigs."

After a few glances, the case was solved. The room next to Qi Zhiye was Yun Xian, and the "Zhu Hengheng" was her snoring.

Yun Xian didn't feel the slightest bit sorry about this. Instead, he raised his eyes and asked, "Where's Senior Brother? Is he practicing sword again?"

No one knew. Of course, Yun Xian didn't know, so the others were even less aware. They weren't all sleeping in the same room, so with Su Chi's agility, it was normal for him to be so quiet and unnoticed. But this time, it was strange; he left without telling Yun Xian.

Yun Xian was also confused and asked the almighty Taiping, "Where is the eldest brother?"

"Do you think he's just sitting there doing nothing?" Taiping said, "When you're in an unfamiliar place, you definitely have to do more research. Otherwise, what if something goes wrong?"

Yun Xian thought, judging from the current situation, something was bound to happen.

She glanced out the window again. With the recent death of their leader, the sect was leaderless. White mourning cloths were hung everywhere in the bodybuilding sect, but even so, daily training showed no sign of stopping. The white cloths fluttered in the cold wind, and the snow remained stagnant, making the scene seem rather eerie.

Breakfast was hot noodle soup. The broth was watery and covered in a layer of oil, which didn't look good. The only good thing was that the beef was a large piece. Seeing that Qi Zhiye didn't move his chopsticks, Yun Xian said sympathetically, "Give me the beef, and we'll have vegetarian noodles."

Qi Zhiye: “…” He simply had no appetite.

He passed the meat to Yun Xian and said solemnly, "It doesn't feel right."

He was the only one present who practiced Buddhist techniques, often accompanying Master Mingguang in rituals to liberate the souls of the deceased. Sometimes, souls died a violent death, their attachments lingering, and while they wouldn't immediately transform into spirits, the negative emotions within them were vastly different from those of a person who had died a natural death. He could tell at a glance.

According to the statements made by the Body Strengthening Sect, Qiu Mo had been suffering from a serious illness, a stubborn disease, and had just passed away. However, his death was not sudden, and he should have been prepared for his physical condition. Even if he was reluctant to leave the Body Strengthening Sect, how could he have such a deep obsession?

It looked like he had been murdered. Or perhaps it was someone closest to him, someone he least expected to kill, that would cause him to be in such a state of shock, anger, and disbelief.

It seemed that Qiu Mo's death was clearly suspicious, and Ji Rongxue must have known it. She had also said that Qiu Mo's life span was not over yet and he should not die so soon.

Qi Zhiye looked at Ji Rongxue's cold and beautiful profile with his golden eyes and frowned slightly.

He didn't rule out the possibility that Ji Rongxue had taken action. Although Ji Rongxue had been with everyone recently, sometimes she didn't need to do it herself. Or perhaps, before the Smiling Buddha, she had spent a long time in the Body Refining Sect, giving her many opportunities.

It wasn't that he didn't trust this person. If he didn't, Ji Rongxue wouldn't have been able to enter his spiritual platform at all during the Lotus Seat. However, trust in fighting side by side didn't mean he would reveal everything. Just because he trusted Ji Rongxue didn't mean Ji Rongxue trusted him.

"..." Moreover, Qi Zhiye had an inexplicable thought. Even if Qiu Mo's death really wasn't Ji Rongxue's doing, she would do it without hesitation if she had the chance.

After the meal, Ji Rongxue took the idle crowd to visit the Body Strengthening Sect again.

Just as she'd said last night, today, the gates were open, and people from other sects came to pay their respects. This time, they were a few young men in thin, blue shirts. The north wind was howling, freezing cold, but they were still clutching scrolls and book fans, exclaiming in admiration, "The glory of the Body-Tempering Sect is truly extraordinary!"

Yun Xian assured him that from his perspective, he couldn't see anything except the large iron gate and the glacier. But something even more outrageous was that the others sat down right there, as if they were about to start sketching. Yun Xian was stunned: "Why does this look a little familiar?"

Ji Rongxue said, "The Yanmo Sect in the Northern Realm."

Yun Xian: "What door?"

Ji Rongxue: "Yanmo Sect."

Yun Xian: "What are you researching?"

"Zhang Heyan's sect." Ji Rongxue gave up and stepped forward, saying, "Please hand over your books and writing materials to the guards. This is the rule."

"What do you mean?" the leader said, "These aren't our weapons. We just saw this unique scenery and wanted to record it. Doesn't the Body Strengthening Sect welcome it?"

Yesterday, the Rhino brother's attitude towards this group of people was much better. He didn't search them and said lazily, "Miss, I'm just drawing."

"Just drawing?" Ji Rongxue said coldly, "If you enter the sect and draw all the terrain, layout, and even the location of the formations, what does it mean? You are the captain of the guards, do I need to explain it?"

When Brother Rhino was stared at by her, his expression suddenly changed and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"...Miss, I was negligent." He turned around speechlessly and said, "Please follow the rules and put down your things."

The Yanmo sect members were stunned by the accusation. "She, she, she..."

Ji Rongxue walked away, returned to the group, and said, "Let's go."

Yun Xian admired him and said, "I didn't think that much."

At most, I just thought that there was no scenery worth painting in this place where there was not even a single bird feather. I didn't expect that the young lady was so prepared for danger and had such a strong sense of security.

"Yeah." Ji Rongxue said calmly, "Actually, I was just thinking about their attitude yesterday and got a little angry, so I was just looking for trouble. Don't think too much about it, it's okay."

Everyone: “…”

It all happened yesterday. They thought Ji Rongxue didn't care at all, but she actually holds such a grudge?!

The group continued on their way and came across Ji Rongxue's residence. She and her mother Ji Shang didn't live in the same place, but they lived relatively close. Yun Xian saw Ji Rongxue walking by without changing her expression, and he could tell that she didn't seem to want anyone to pay too much attention to this place.

Previously, in Qi Xingye’s spiritual platform, Yun Xian was forced to see Qi Xingye’s boudoir through his inner demon, and he was actually a little embarrassed.

For some people, especially those who are more reserved, their own home is the most private and the place where they can best reveal their true self. Given Ji Rongxue's personality, it's obvious that she would never let anyone into her space easily. Furthermore, lions have a strong sense of territory...

"That building is where my mother lives." Ji Rongxue said briefly to everyone, "Don't go near."

Qi Zhiye: "Why?"

Ji Rongxue said calmly, "My mother has lived alone for many years, and her mind is a little hazy, making it difficult to talk to her. I'm worried she might hurt someone."

Everyone paused and nodded silently.

It's a rather euphemistic way of saying it, but the meaning is clear.

Seeing her calm profile, Yun Xian sighed and lamented to everyone in the sound transmission array, "Young Miss, you're in a real predicament. There are wolves in front and tigers behind. All your brothers are idiots. You must have had a very difficult childhood. Everyone, please be nice to her."

There was a moment of silence before Ji Rongxue said, "I'm in the sound transmission array."

Yun Xian: “!!!”

Damn it! Because the eldest daughter usually has a low presence and doesn't like to talk, she forgot about this! !

Yun Xian blushed in embarrassment, a rare occurrence. Xue Lingxiu held her forehead with her hand, while Ji Rongxue raised the corner of her lips slightly and added, "Thank you."

“…”

As they traveled along, everyone thoroughly understood the differences between the Body Forging Sect and other worlds.

As expected of the people who can ignite artillery fire with just "What are you looking at?" or "What's wrong with me looking at you?", Yun Xian saw at least three pairs of people along the way.

But in other sects, couples might be in love, but here, couples are fighting. Occasionally, there are people around, just like the third elder before, just watching and not intervening, waiting until the situation is over and the truth is revealed, and then they go to ask people to get a stretcher and send them to the hospital.

"This is a 'reasonable provocation,'" Ji Rongxue explained. "If you're dissatisfied, you can apply for a challenge. The challenged person has three chances a month to refuse. If three times is too late, the fourth time, you must accept the challenge. No third party is allowed to interfere, unless life is endangered."

Yun Xian wondered, "Can you tell whether these punches and kicks will cause life-threatening injuries or not?"

Look at these two deer men on the roadside, their horns are about to emit sparks.

She observed the road for a while and then realized it.

Firstly, none of the disciples of the Body Tempering Sect have weapons. Secondly, all of them are very durable. Thirdly, when challenging, they choose those with similar cultivation levels. No one would be so shameless as to challenge the weaker ones. Therefore, the probability of someone losing their life is almost zero.

It's like two thousand-year-old turtles gnawing at each other, neither of them will die.

The few members of the Yanmo Sect walked past the crowd, looking very unhappy. Qiu Zhuo came to greet them. The leader's eyes were bloodshot and he was limping. The man brought up the matter and exclaimed, "Brother Zhuo! Whoever dared to hurt you like this in the sect is asking for his life!"

Qiu Zhuo's face twitched, and he said, "I fell."

"How could it be from a fall? There are even teeth marks on it!"

"I already told you I fell! Thanks for your concern!!"

It seemed that the Yanmo Sect was on Qiu Zhuo's side this time. After all, it was a sect with several golden bells. Although it was not as powerful as the Daoduan Sect, it should not be underestimated.

Yun Xian couldn't help but say, "What kind of taste is that?"

"Think about it more positively." Qiao Lingshan comforted him, "Maybe they just don't want the Body Strengthening Sect to be good."

When they were almost done with their stroll, Tiedan hurried over, seemingly having something important to discuss with Ji Rongxue. Before she left, she told everyone again, "Don't go to the places I mentioned."

One is the death row where Jiang Lancui is currently imprisoned, one is the hall where Qiu Mo is placed, and the last one is the small building where Ji Shang lives.

No one knew where Su Chi had gone and he had not returned yet. No matter where the group went, they saw the same desolate snowfield. After sticking an incense stick, they finally saw a place that could be called a "landscape".

The gourd-shaped glacial lake was crystal clear, with occasional sunlight filtering through, creating ripples and shimmering light. Along the shore stood a series of small pavilions, their pointed corners and snow-covered eaves creating a vast expanse.

The only downside was that there were already five or six people sitting in the small pavilion. Judging from their clothing, it was hard to tell what sect they belonged to. They had green jade flutes pinned to their collars, and their expressions weren't particularly friendly when they saw everyone approaching.

Yun Xian could see the words "Don't come over and disturb my peace!" on their faces, but she never liked to make people who didn't like her feel comfortable. Not only did she go over, but she also chose a place closer to sit in a swaggering manner. Qiao Lingshan skillfully arranged the melon seeds on the table, and the man's eyes were about to blaze with anger.

It would be fine if he didn't just sit back and admire the beauty, but he was actually eating sunflower seeds?! Where did this wild kid come from?!

"Feng Ye, do you want to eat some?" Qiao Lingshan asked, "Sunflower seeds."

Feng Ye shook his head: "No."

Qiao Lingshan glanced at him and said, "...Okay."

Everyone sat and watched the lake. Qi Zhiye sent a message and briefly told them what he thought about Qiu Mo's death.

"He was murdered?" Yun Xian had actually considered this possibility a long time ago, and now it seemed to be confirmed. "But, who killed him?"

"The question should be, who would benefit from his death?" Xue Lingxiu pondered. "If the Sect Master dies, there will definitely be some turmoil within the sect, and it's possible that someone from outside the sect will be involved. But judging by these guests, it seems they only hastily took sides after the incident. If they had planned this earlier and taken such a huge risk, they wouldn't be so hasty and unprepared now. Secondly, Qiu Mo's serious illness has only occurred in the past two years, and he has remained secluded since then, refraining from participating in the conflicts within the martial arts world. A sect leader within this body-building sect is bound to be heavily protected and heavily guarded. Therefore, the person who would attack him would have to be from within the sect."

Qi Zhiye said: "The descendants come first."

"Qiu Dan is a possibility. With Qiu Zhuo's personality, would he do such a thing..." Qiao Lingshan pondered, "But who knows, it's also possible that he's just a fool doing a foolish thing."

Feng Ye said weakly: "Descendants, including the eldest lady..."

Qiao Lingshan had actually thought of this, but she didn't want to say it out loud. How many people could a sect leader be close to? Elders, descendants, and wives. Not to mention guessing about Ji Rongxue's mother.

A teasing voice suddenly rose from the back, "Brother Zhuo is truly miserable. Back then, when Miss Ji was recognized, he was only in his early twenties, right? His father didn't care and just left the child to him. He was exhausted during that time, playing both father and mother, and even teaching martial arts. Yet, she didn't appreciate it and was always sour-faced..."

If you really want to gossip, you can use the sound transmission array.

Now, he said it directly to Yun Xian and his group.

Qiu Zhuo is ten years older than Ji Rongxue. That was about eight years ago, when Ji Rongxue was ten and Qiu Zhuo was twenty.

Qiao Lingshan was shocked, "So he was the one who taught the young lady the martial arts? Then how could he have learned it so poorly?"

"With Qiu Zhuo's character, even if he wanted to teach Ji Rongxue at first, he would have wanted to destroy him later." Xue Lingxiu said coldly, "People like that don't mind not making progress themselves, but watching others make rapid progress is more painful than killing them."

Everyone remained silent and continued to listen to what nonsense this group of people had to say.

As the group of people talked, they brought up Ji Shang, and their tone was full of affection, as if this was some extraordinary romantic affair.

"Ji" is a noble surname. Ji Shang was also a noble lady from an official family. Unfortunately, her family fell into poverty and her entire family was killed, leaving only a few daughters who were sent to brothels. Soon, they hanged themselves one by one, and she was the only one alive.

It is not known whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, but because of her outstanding appearance, Ji Shang was chosen to be the top courtesan for auction. It was at that time that she met Qiu Mo, who had gone down the mountain in private to eliminate demons.

You must know that one of the two greatest hobbies of a man is to save a prostitute. In short, after this and that, after this and that, the clichéd plot, Ji Shang's heart was hanging on Qiu Mo, and he thought he was lucky enough to be saved, but unexpectedly Qiu Mo patted his butt and disappeared without a trace.

He didn't need to worry about how Ji Shang would live his life from now on. He only knew that he had just come to the common people for a chance encounter and would eventually return to the Body Forging Sect.

From then on, Ji Shang embarked on his journey of searching.

For ordinary people, finding a cultivator is a daunting task, as difficult as ascending to heaven. They might spend their entire lives searching for a cultivator. But no one could have imagined human stubbornness could reach such a degree. Ji Shang not only secretly copied the fragments of the cultivation technique, gave birth to Ji Rongxue, and then schemed everywhere to find spiritual stones and elixirs for her, ultimately giving birth to a child of exceptional talent. What she encountered during this time is unknown to outsiders, but she ultimately found the path to body forging.

At that time, everyone thought she was crazy.

When asked why, she said it was because she loved him. Just because she loved him, she didn't want money, compensation, or anything else. She just wanted to stay by Qiu Mo's side. No matter how cold Qiu Mo looked at her or ignored her, she would always be the same.

As a result, even when Qiu Mo died, she never got a second glance from him.

"It's like a piece of taffy, once it sticks you can't tear it off..."

"Don't circuses always have lions jumping through hoops of fire? How did they develop this technique?"

"Hahahahaha, I heard that they used to raise a brown puppy to guard the house, but now I don't know where it is. Maybe it's dead. Anyway, they are all the same, they all have four legs! We can still practice with it if we make do!"

“…”

The more he talked, the more disgusting it became. Yun Xian was just about to stand up and go over to "reasonably provoke" the other party when he heard a female voice from not far away. The voice was very low: "Even if you are a guest, you should not make irresponsible remarks about others."

A strange voice made everyone turn their heads. A woman was standing on the lakeshore.

He wore a white robe on his head, his face was pale, his lips were smiling but his eyes were not. He glanced at me calmly, revealing his majesty and creating pressure.

The man stood up in panic and said, "Nan, Madam Nan..."

Yun Xian paused.

It turns out that this is the headmaster’s wife, Nan Ronghong!

Nan Ronghong didn't look in his direction, her gaze cold and indifferent. She was exactly the type Yun Xian feared most: her face betrayed no emotion, a single expression that remained unchanged from beginning to end. You couldn't tell if she was angry or happy; you had to guess.

Judging from the tone now, it seems that he is not very happy.

The man was also dumbfounded. It was obvious that Nan Ronghong and Ji Shang had no chance of getting along. Shouldn't he have been justifying her feelings by scolding Ji Shang and her daughter? Why did he still get scolded?

Behind Nan Ronghong, several attendants were hurriedly moving the charcoal basin. Strange, she was burning paper here? What special meaning did it have? Could this icy lake be the place where they had sealed their love?

Xue Lingxiu transmitted a message: "Her complexion is rosy, her spirits are excellent, and her mood is cheerful. The paleness is covered up with makeup. Not only is she not sad, she should be eager to set off ten thousand firecrackers."

The wind blew up a corner, and Yun Xian also saw what was in the charcoal brazier. It seemed to be a portrait of someone.

Yun Xian: “…”

Qiu Mo, you really deserve to be the leader. If you weren't the leader, the entire land of China would be filled with the sound of firecrackers. There would be too many people who want you dead!

"Madam Nan, we're sorry, we didn't mean that." The men glanced at the charcoal basin, thinking they'd interrupted Madam Nan's remembrance of her late husband. They spoke cautiously, "We're as heartbroken as Madam Nan when we heard the Sect Leader passed away... Accept our condolences!"

Yun Xian was closest and clearly saw the rare change in Nan Ronghong's expression.

After hearing the word "died of illness", the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, her eyes were cold, as if she had heard a huge joke and couldn't help but be sarcastic.

She knew how Qiu Mo died and was sure it was not from illness.

"It seems," Yun Xian said in a voice transmission, "it's really hard to say who killed Sect Leader Qiu."