Chapter 38: The First Follower
Within the quiet room, spiritual energy thickened, and the light of the formation shone, completely isolating the inside from the outside. Ye Li sat cross-legged, his mind deep in concentration, having already entered a deep state of retreat, with all his might attacking the barrier of the Condensing Veins Realm that trapped countless cultivators.
However, not long after she went into seclusion, a small disturbance was indirectly caused by her at the foot of Yundan Peak.
The living quarters for outer disciples were far inferior to those for the inner disciples. In a crowded service room, Zhao Xiaoyi carefully put away a bottle of diluted Cold Marrow Quenching Elixir gifted by Ye Li, his face filled with gratitude and excitement. Senior Sister Ye not only trusted him and guided his cultivation, but also gifted him such a precious elixir. He was determined to work even harder to repay her kindness.
Seeing this, the outer disciples in the same room couldn't help but show envy and jealousy in their eyes. One of them, named Sun Hu, was usually a bit idle. He liked to curry favor with the inner disciples but was repeatedly rejected. Seeing that Zhao Xiaoyi, a taciturn person, had actually hooked up with Ye Li, who was recently in the limelight, he said sourly, "Hey, Zhao Xiaoyi, you've got someone powerful? What good stuff did you get? Show it to us brothers."
Zhao Xiaoyi was honest, but not stupid. He quickly hid the jade bottle in his arms and shook his head, saying, "Nothing... nothing, just an ordinary body-refining medicine."
"What are you hiding, just ordinary liquid medicine?" Sun Hu sneered and stepped forward to snatch it. "Take it out and let me see! Maybe you stole it!"
The other two disciples also came over, obviously wanting to take advantage of the opportunity.
Zhao Xiaoyi's face flushed red as he tightly protected his chest: "Senior Sister Ye gave it to me! You can't take it away!"
"Senior Sister Ye? Humph, who knows if you stole it from her! Even if it really is hers, she is a newcomer, what good things can she have?" Sun Hu was disdainful and became even more violent.
As several people pushed and shoved, although Zhao Xiaoyi fought hard, he was no match for four hands with two fists, and the jade bottle was about to be snatched away!
At this moment, a thin young man who had been sitting in the corner quietly reading a book suddenly stood up. He looked a little frail, and his cultivation was only in the middle stage of the Spiritual Awakening Realm, but his eyes were unusually clear and calm.
"Sun Hu, stop!" The young man's voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable force. "Snatching resources from fellow disciples is against the sect's rules. If this gets to the deacon, none of you will be in trouble!"
Sun Hu froze in his tracks, turned around and cursed, "Lin Feng! You have nothing to do here! Go away and read your crappy books! You're a useless bookworm, and you still want to learn from others?"
The young man named Lin Feng did not retreat. Instead, he took a step forward and said calmly: "Whether I am a waste or not is not for you to judge. But I have recorded your current behavior with the photo stone. If you don't stop, I don't mind going to the Deacon Hall now." In his hand, he was holding a lowest-level photo stone, emitting a faint light.
Sun Hu and the others' expressions suddenly changed. It would be fine if they could bully the honest Zhao Xiaoyi, but if the evidence was recorded and reported to the Deacon Hall, they would definitely be in big trouble!
"You...you are great! Lin Feng! Zhao Xiaoyi! Just wait for me!" Sun Hu said harshly in a cowardly manner, and left angrily with his two followers, slamming the door.
The room suddenly became quiet.
Zhao Xiaoyi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly thanked Lin Feng: "Brother Lin Feng, thank you so much!"
Lin Feng shook his head, put away the photo stone (in fact, there was no recording in it, it was just for scaring people), and said calmly: "It's just a small effort. However, it is a crime to possess a treasure. The things given by Senior Sister Ye should be carefully kept in the future and don't show them to others easily."
Zhao Xiaoyi nodded repeatedly: "I understand, thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother."
Lin Feng looked at Zhao Xiaoyi, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Xiaoyi, have you been doing things for Senior Sister Ye a lot recently?"
Zhao Xiaoyi answered honestly, "Yes, my senior sister is very nice and occasionally asks me to run errands."
A complex light flashed in Lin Feng's eyes, as if envy, and as if thinking, and finally he whispered: "Senior Sister Ye... is an extraordinary person. It is your opportunity to follow her. Seize it well, but be careful in everything and don't cause trouble for her." After that, he said no more and went back to the corner to continue reading his book.
Zhao Xiaoyi nodded, not quite understanding, and kept these words in mind.
This incident, like a minor incident, passed quickly. But a few days later, when Zhao Xiaoyi went to the Wanxiang Palace as usual to look out for some rare materials for Ye Li, he accidentally heard a conspiracy against Ye Li!
At that time, he was pretending to look at something in front of a stall. Two disciples wearing Zhan Kuangfeng's uniforms did not notice him, an inconspicuous outer disciple, and were talking in low voices.
"Senior Brother Gao has instructed that Ye Li must be taught a lesson this time!"
"But Brother, she has been at Yundan Peak the whole time. We don't have a chance, right?"
"Idiot! She's going to take a mission, right? Find out what her next mission is, and we'll go and 'set up' it in advance! That incident at the West Mountain Abandoned Mine was an accident, but this time... hmph, let's find a more secluded place and make her disappear without a trace!"
"But...over there at the Law Enforcement Hall..."
"Don't worry. We won't need anyone from outside the sect this time. We can just find a few desperate criminals from the Black Cave. If we do it cleanly, no one will know it was us. As long as we make it look like an accident or a vendetta..."
Zhao Xiaoyi was horrified when he heard this, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back! He lowered his head tightly, not daring to let the other party notice him. He didn't dare to breathe deeply until the two people walked away.
Black Cave! It was a famous black market and lawless place near the sect, filled with desperate criminals and shady transactions!
He didn't dare to neglect it, and didn't even bother to look at the things. He ran back to Yundan Peak like crazy, wanting to tell Ye Li the news immediately. However, when he ran outside the courtyard, he only saw a wooden sign that said "Retreat, Do Not Disturb" and the light of the closed formation!
Senior sister is in seclusion!
Zhao Xiaoyi felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. He stood there in a daze, anxious as an ant on a hot pot! This news was crucial; it concerned Senior Sister's life! But Senior Sister was in seclusion and must not be disturbed, otherwise she might go astray!
What should he do? Go to Elder Mu Yun? But how could he, an outer disciple, easily meet the master of a peak? Even if he did, would the elders believe him without proof? Go to Senior Brother Han Li or Senior Brother Chen Mo? Could they handle Zhan Kuangfeng's scheme? Wouldn't that alert the enemy?
Zhao Xiaoyi was extremely anxious, but found that he had no way out. He was powerless and had no one to turn to for help!
Just when he was in despair, he suddenly remembered Lin Feng's calm eyes and words that day - "Be careful in everything, don't cause trouble for her."
Yes! Senior Brother Lin Feng! He has always had a quick wit!
Zhao Xiaoyi immediately ran back to the outer disciples' dormitory and found Lin Feng who was reading a book. Without caring about anything else, he pulled him to a deserted place and told him all the conspiracy he had heard!
After hearing this, Lin Feng's delicate brows furrowed tightly, his expression becoming extremely solemn. He paced a few steps in the small room, pondered for a moment, and then quickly asked, "Did you hear exactly what they were planning? When would they start? Which member of the Black Cave were they looking for?"
Zhao Xiaoyi shook his head blankly. "I... I was too scared at the time and didn't hear clearly. I only heard them say they were going to use people from the Black Cave and make it look like an accident..."
Lin Feng's brows furrowed even more tightly. "The information is too vague. If we report it directly, we'll lack evidence and easily be attacked back. It will also alert the enemy. We must find a way to find out their specific plan, or... let Senior Sister Ye take precautions before they act. But we can't alert them and cause them to change their plan, making it even more difficult to defend against."
He pondered for a long time, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Zhao Xiaoyi: "Xiaoyi, when you go to the Wanxiang Palace again soon, you must behave as usual. You can even... deliberately let out a little (false) that Senior Sister Ye might be coming out of seclusion soon and is interested in a certain type of mission, and see if you can lure her out of her hole and get more information. But remember, your own safety comes first! If you notice anything amiss, evacuate immediately!"
"I...I'm going to get some information?" Zhao Xiaoyi was a little scared.
"There's no other way." Lin Feng's eyes were sharp. "This is the only way to get more information without alerting the other party. I will secretly monitor the movements of Zhan Kuangfeng's disciples and see who they've been in frequent contact with recently. We'll take a two-pronged approach."
Zhao Xiaoyi looked at Lin Feng's calm eyes and gritted his teeth: "Okay! I'll listen to you, Senior Brother!"
In the next few days, Zhao Xiaoyi suppressed his fear and continued to enter and exit the Wanxiang Hall according to Lin Feng's instructions. He also "accidentally" revealed vague information to familiar stall owners, such as "Senior Sister Ye is making rapid progress in her cultivation and seems to be quite interested in gathering tasks. She may be coming out soon."
Lin Feng, on the other hand, used all his spare time to silently monitor the whereabouts of the Zhan Kuang Peak disciples that Zhao Xiaoyi had previously identified. Although his cultivation level was not high, he was extremely skilled in observation and concealment. He was meticulous and could always find unexpected angles and opportunities.
Hard work pays off. On the evening of the third day, Lin Feng finally made a significant discovery! He witnessed with his own eyes the leading disciple from Zhan Kuang Peak sneaking around in the dense forest outside the sect's mountain gate. He approached a strange cultivator with a scar on his face and a fierce aura, and then handed him a bag of spirit stones and a scroll!
Lin Feng ventured closer and vaguely heard sporadic words such as "miasma rain forest", "three days later", and "no one left alive"!
He was shocked and immediately retreated to find Zhao Xiaoyi who was waiting anxiously.
"It's confirmed! The place where they hired the killer is most likely the 'Miasma Rain Forest'! It could be three days from now! The goal is to create an accident and leave no one alive!" Lin Feng spoke very quickly, his face pale but with a hint of excitement. "We must pass the news to Senior Sister Ye immediately! Even if she is in seclusion, she can't care! This matter concerns life and death!"
"But...but Senior Sister is in seclusion..."
"I can't care about that! If Senior Sister blames me for this, I will take the responsibility alone!" Lin Feng said firmly. He knew very well that if he missed this opportunity, Ye Li might really meet with an accident!
The two of them arrived outside Yeli's courtyard again. The formation was still tightly closed.
Lin Feng took a deep breath, summoning his meager spiritual power. His voice condensed into a line, penetrating the formation barrier. He said in a deep voice, "Senior Sister Ye! Outer disciples Lin Feng and Zhao Xiaoyi have an extremely urgent matter to report! It concerns Senior Sister's safety. Zhan Kuangfeng has hired someone to harm you in the miasma forest! Time is running out, and I hope you will forgive us for disturbing you!"
The sound entered the quiet room, and Ye Li, who was attacking the key point of the pass, frowned slightly.
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