Chapter 61 Demon Cult White Moonlight 16 Get to know each other again

Linfeng Villa.

At noon, with the sun blazing overhead, a man was kneeling in the empty martial arts training ground.

He knelt straight, the unhealed scars on his back were bleeding faintly, his forehead was covered with sweat, and his expression was stubborn.

"Do you know why your father wants to punish you?" Ning Yueze stood under the eaves, his expression more serious than ever.

Ning Huaiqing gritted his teeth and lowered his eyes: "I don't know."

Ning Yueze frowned and said in a deep voice, "On Piaomiao Peak, in Ziwei Pavilion, how did you do anything that complies with the sect's rules and moral principles? What did your father teach you?"

A few days ago, the news that Ziwei Pavilion had kidnapped the three leaders of Piaomiao Peak and other sects and surrounded and killed many disciples spread like wildfire. Linfeng Villa quickly led its disciples to rescue them.

Ning Yueze and his son fought for a whole day and night before they reached Quanqing Mountain. By then, He Wenqing and the others had already fled. Ning Huaiqing and Duan Yiwan searched for a long time before they found Wen Su and the other two who were under house arrest.

But just as they were leaving the dungeon with the three weak people, they accidentally stepped into an ambush set by He Wenqing early in the morning.

At the critical moment, it was Cangwu Sect's leader Duan who pushed Ning Huaiqing away and blocked the fatal arrow for him. But before they could get down the mountain, Sect Leader Duan had already taken effect of the poison.

In front of everyone, the dying Sect Leader Duan passed on his lifelong cultivation and a sect leader seal to Ning Huaiqing.

He also said that the only thing he couldn't let go of was Duan Yiwan and her daughter. He and his wife had intended to marry into the Linfeng Villa before, but something unexpected happened before they could discuss it.

Sect Leader Duan held Ning Huaiqing's hand and begged him to marry Duan Yiwan and take good care of the mother and daughter.

Everyone then realized that this Miss Qin was actually the daughter of Sect Leader Duan.

Seeing the elder who was always highly respected asking for help like this, Ning Huaiqing had tears in his eyes, but he just knelt in silence in front of him and never agreed.

Sect Leader Duan was on his deathbed. He knew that he was forcing others to do him a favor, but seeing the drastic changes in the martial arts world, he was really worried about the future of the orphan and his widow.

Ning Huaiqing is a young hero who acts uprightly and values ​​friendship. He is a person who can be trusted. After handing my daughter over to him, I can close my eyes in peace.

But until Master Duan took his last breath, he did not hear Ning Huaiqing's reply, and could only die with hatred in his heart amid his daughter's crying.

After Ning Yueze and his disciples took control of the situation in Quanqing Mountain, Ning Huaiqing sent the body of Sect Leader Duan back to Cangwu Sect. On the way, he returned the sect leader's seal to Duan Yiwan.

The Sect Leader passed away, and his wife fell ill due to grief. Duan Yiwan had never managed the affairs of a sect before. Now the entire Cangwu Sect was leaderless and in trouble, but she was helpless and could only seek help from Ning Huaiqing.

In desperation, Ning Huaiqing stood up. After he dealt with the affairs of his disciples, he asked for leave from Madam Duan and returned to Linfeng Villa. However, Duan Yiwan secretly followed him all the way and finally returned to Linfeng Villa with him and stayed there temporarily.

"He mingled with the evil and devious people of Ziwei Pavilion, spoke wildly and rebelliously in public, and ignored Sect Leader Duan's dying wish, leaving him unable to rest in peace even after his death..."

"Huaiqing, when did you become like this?" Ning Yueze said with great sorrow.

From childhood to adulthood, his father had never scolded him like this.

Ning Huaiqing's figure swayed, his eyes slightly hot, but he just said: "I have said everything I need to say. I don't understand where I am wrong."

Ning Yueze became increasingly disappointed. He was silent for a moment, his voice filled with weariness and powerlessness. "Since you don't know, then kneel for another day. After kneeling for a long time, you will understand."

After saying that, he turned away.

He was the only one left in the huge martial arts training ground.

His knees were numb from kneeling on the bluestone slabs, and even the pain in his back gradually faded away. Ning Huaiqing vaguely thought of the person he met on Quanqing Mountain.

After that battle, most of the disciples of Ziwei Pavilion were either dead or injured, and the rest were temporarily locked up in their own courtyards and were not allowed to move around.

That day, Ning Huaiqing searched the entire Quanqing Mountain, but could not find the person he was always concerned about.

On the way, he met Zhou Miaoqin, who was in a dishevel, but she cried and said that she saw with her own eyes that Senior Sister Mu accidentally fell off the cliff during the battle and her body was not found.

Ning Huaiqing didn't believe it, didn't believe she would die.

He frantically examined the hundreds of disciples in Ziwei Pavilion one by one, even the corpses gathered from the bottom of the cliff. He uncovered the white cloths one by one and carefully examined their faces.

None of them is her.

The two hundred and fifty-three disciples of Ziwei Pavilion, dead or alive, are all here.

Only she is missing.

Things have been happening one after another recently. Ning Huaiqing is too busy to spare any time to look for her, and he is exhausted both physically and mentally. However, the worries in his heart are growing day by day.

He always thought that his senior sister must have been seriously injured and trapped somewhere. If he went too late, his senior sister would suffer even more.

Thinking of this, I felt like I had a surge of energy in my heart.

He quickly resolved all the difficult issues one by one, unlike his previous indecisive behavior.

Even Ning Huaixiu said that he had been acting more decisively recently and was becoming more and more like his uncle.

Although he came from a prominent family and had been learning from his father since childhood, Ning Huaiqing actually didn't like these things. He only forced himself to learn and do well because his elders asked him to.

If he had a choice, he would rather be a small swordsman without any school or sect, wandering freely in the world, rather than being caught up in mundane affairs and schemes like he is now, with a heavy burden on his shoulders.

His body had reached its limit, his vision was blacking out, Ning Huaiqing felt a pain in his heart, and he fainted on the scorching ground.

*

When he woke up again, he was back in his own room.

Looking at the familiar curtain above his head, Ning Huaiqing felt dry in his mouth. As soon as he moved, someone brought a teacup to his lips.

Ning Huaiqing took a big gulp of the drink, and his mind finally became clearer. He could see clearly the person sitting beside his bed.

"Ms. Qin...Miss Duan, thank you very much."

Duan Yiwan was dressed in mourning and looked much thinner. She nodded and said, "The doctor came to see you and gave you some medicine."

"Thank you." Ning Huaiqing could not say anything else except this.

The two faced each other, feeling only awkward.

Sect Leader Ning scolded and even beat Ning Huaiqing many times for her, but he never gave in and no one could persuade him.

Duan Yiwan felt an immense pain in her heart and asked the question buried deep in her heart: "Are you really that unwilling to marry me?"

She had never thought that her father would force Ning Huaiqing to marry her before he died, but when her father really said it, she was heartbroken, but shamefully felt a little bit of joy and anticipation in her heart.

She hoped Ning Huaiqing would agree, as this was her wish and also her father's last wish.

But it was all in vain.

After her father left, the entire Cangwu Sect suddenly lost its backbone. She was afraid of seeing her mother crying all day long, afraid of hearing the temptations between the lines of the elders' words, and afraid of facing the complicated and chaotic affairs of the sect.

So, she ran away from home again to follow the only person who could make her feel safe.

Ning Huaiqing reluctantly sat up, and said in a calm tone, "Miss Duan deserves someone who treats her sincerely. I am not worthy of her."

"Did I do something wrong?" Duan Yiwan looked at him with tears in her eyes, her voice sad.

Ning Huaiqing shook his head: "No, Miss Duan is very good, but it's a matter of lifelong love, so it can't be decided rashly. You and I have no feelings for each other, and even if we are forced to be together, it will only cause resentment between us."

Seeing Duan Yiwan's gloomy face, he added: "I promised Sect Leader Duan that I would take good care of you, and I will definitely fulfill my promise. Don't worry."

The tears in Duan Yiwan's eyes flowed down.

Faced with the bewildered Ning Huaiqing, she cast aside all her daughterly reserve and spoke one last time to persuade him to stay: "But I love you! I want to be with you year after year, spending the rest of my life with you. I don't want to be just one of the people you take care of!"

"I want you to only have eyes for me!"

Ning Huaiqing's face showed shock and disbelief. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

After a moment, under Duan Yiwan's almost pleading gaze, he shook his head firmly.

Duan Yiwan felt like she was struck by lightning, and her heart seemed to be grabbed and crushed by someone.

"Why?"

She murmured, as if she remembered something. Her expression suddenly changed and she looked up at Ning Huaiqing: "Is it because of Mu Li?"

Ning Huaiqing's pupils trembled, but he didn't say anything.

Duan Yiwan laughed sadly: "It's really because of her."

She raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks and stood up: "It's a pity that you can never be together."

Ning Huaiqing's heart tightened: "What do you mean?"

Could it be that Senior Sister has already...

Duan Yiwan became even more disheartened when she saw that he finally looked at her straight in the eye after hearing about Mu Li.

She finally grabbed her trembling hand and said coldly, "Because Mu Li is a member of the Demon Cult."

Ning Huaiqing paused, then laughed, thinking Duan Yiwan was just speaking in anger. "That's impossible! How could Senior Sister be from the Demonic Cult? If she were, why would the headmaster and elders of Ziwei Pavilion accept her as their disciple?"

Duan Yiwan sneered, "Ziwei Pavilion has always been a bad place and caused the death of my father... so it's not surprising that they're harboring a demonic woman."

The words "demon cult witch" sounded particularly harsh to Ning Huaiqing's ears. He frowned and said, "Miss Duan, please be careful with your words. How can you make random assumptions about others without any investigation?"

Duan Yiwan just couldn't stand seeing him believe Mu Li without knowing the truth. The sadness and shame of being rejected just now turned into anger and disappointment.

She spoke, and every word she said was like a needle piercing Ning Huaiqing's heart: "Yan Feng, the disciple of Ziwei Pavilion, do you still remember him?"

"He's been with Mu Li longer than any of us. He told me personally that he once saw Mu Li using the cult's exclusive Black Leaf Butterfly to communicate with the Demon Cult. I wonder what they're plotting."

Seeing Ning Huaiqing's expression change, Duan Yiwan took a few steps forward and said, "I guess you've also discovered something unusual."

"I heard that you looked for her for a long time but couldn't find her. Maybe she is not dead, but just returned to her hometown."

She stood two steps away, her expression cold: "You may not know yet, but the day after we left, the disciple who had attacked Mu Li but injured you died inexplicably."

"Who told you that killed him?"

The memories of the past journey resurfaced, and Ning Huaiqing felt inexplicably anxious.

Senior sister has only been in Ziwei Pavilion for two years, but her internal strength is very profound.

That night at the inn, he saw the innkeeper, whom he had never met before, coming out of his senior sister's room. Later, when he asked his senior sister about it, she seemed very surprised and made up an excuse.

There are also many places that are difficult to notice... He used to believe in these anomalies and never thought about them.

But now, Duan Yiwan's words made him waver.

What is the identity of the senior sister?

*

Duan Yiwan had left at some point, and as night fell, Ning Huaiqing sat on the bed, feeling cold all over.

After a long time, he got out of bed and lit the lamp. While moving, he accidentally touched the Frost Sword on the table.

This was brought back from Quanqing Mountain.

Quanqing Mountain was in chaos, and many people were taking advantage of the disorder to steal. He was worried that his senior sister's things would be damaged, so he asked Zhou Miaoqin and went to her room.

There were few things in the room, and he immediately saw the Frost Sword on the shelf.

Ning Huaiqing took down the sword, feeling a dull pain in his heart. The situation must have been extremely urgent at the time, as his senior sister didn't even have time to take out her sword, otherwise she wouldn't have been defeated by her opponent and fallen off the cliff.

He took out a clean cloth, wiped the Frost Sword carefully, and placed it properly on his sword rack.

The moonlight was like water. Ning Huaiqing sat under the corridor with a pot of sake. He leaned against the railing, drinking and looking at the waning moon in the sky.

On that night several months ago, under the same moonlight, he and his senior sister drank together under the moon. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Where on earth are you?"

Ning Huaiqing took a sip of the extremely spicy wine, letting it slide down his throat and into his heart, as if this could offset the deep-seated pain.

Suddenly, his eyes became stern.

Someone is nearby.

Ning Huaiqing looked around vigilantly and found that there seemed to be a figure flashing on the tree in front of the yard. He walked slowly towards it with a sullen face, but the man seemed not afraid at all. He used his lightness skills to land on it.

The woman was wearing a crimson robe with many vine patterns embroidered on the lapels and cuffs, winding and snaking behind her. Silver hair accessories were dotted among her braids, jingling as she moved.

After seeing the appearance of the person coming, Ning Huaiqing dropped the wine jug in his hand and ran over to hug Ali tightly.

He buried his whole body in her neck, feeling her familiar breath, his voice almost choked.

"You're not dead."

Ali was strangled by him and was a little breathless, but still hugged him back: "Who said I was dead?"

"Where have you been these days? What happened?" Ning Huaiqing had a hundred, a thousand questions he wanted to ask her, and he held her tightly and refused to let go.

Ali patted him with a red face: "Let me go first." She was suffocating.

Ning Huaiqing said nothing, but just hugged her tighter, as if he could keep her forever.

Ali couldn't push away the mountain-like person in front of him, so he could only grab a strand of his hair and pull it hard.

"Ah!" Ning Huaiqing felt pain and finally let her go.

He rubbed the back of his head and then saw clearly that Ali was wearing an unusual outfit tonight. He seemed to have seen the pattern on it in a book.

Ah Li didn't say anything. After he finished looking at her, he said, "I've been fine for a while, but I'm not in Ziwei Pavilion anymore."

Ning Huaiqing looked into her extremely seductive eyes, feeling that something was about to happen: "What do you mean, Senior Sister?"

"I came here tonight to tell you something." Ali opened her red lips slightly and took a step closer to him.

"Do you remember the surnames of the former leader and his wife of the Lingxiao Divine Cult?"

Ning Huaiqing was in a state of confusion at the moment, but he still thought for a moment: "The previous leader's surname was Jiang, and his wife's surname was Mu."

Ali nodded, his voice soft, "My real surname isn't Mu. I changed it when I was a kid to avoid being hunted down by your prestigious and upright sects."

The surprise of regaining what he had lost was gone at this moment. His heart sank slowly and he spoke with difficulty: "You... are their daughter?"

Ali said "hmm" with a faint smile on his lips: "Let me introduce myself again. My name is Mu Li, the current leader of the Lingxiao Divine Sect, or what you call the leader of the Demon Sect."

Ning Huaiqing felt as if a thunderbolt exploded in his head, his back felt cold, and the look in his eyes when he looked at her became particularly unfamiliar.

He shook his head and slowly backed away.

The moonlight drew a clear line between them.