Chapter 19 I Only Trust You
The person who arrived was Xiaobai. As soon as she landed, Qin Wuyan asked, "How is Meng Guang doing?"
Xiao Bai said, "Zeng Shushu is the city lord, and he hates you to the bone. After discovering that Meng Guang is one of your people, he wanted to drive them out of Yudu City without saying a word. I had no choice but to let them withdraw temporarily and move to Luozhou City."
Qin Wuyan smiled faintly, the outcome of the matter seemed to be within his expectations. "A cunning rabbit has three burrows, so Meng Guang and the others naturally cannot stay in Yudu any longer. But Yudu is an important stronghold of the Divine Sect, and it cannot be left unattended. Tomorrow I will have Qingqiu bring a new group of people to take over."
Xiao Bai nodded slightly and said, "There's something else. Meng Guang told me that they were discovered because, over the past two months, several people in Yudu City have been suffering from a soul-loss disease. Qingyun Sect suspects that it was done by our Tianli Divine Sect."
Qin Wuyan frowned: "A condition of losing one's soul?"
“That’s right. Today I went with him to see those people whose souls had been sucked away. Several of them had symptoms that were quite similar to Yunniang’s current appearance.”
Qin Wuyan was puzzled: "What do you mean by saying that several people have similar symptoms to Yunniang? Are their symptoms different?"
Xiao Bai said, "That's right. Ten people were found in Yudu City, six men and four women, all young men and women. Three men and two women have gone mad, while the other three women and two men have breath and pulse, but they can't be woken up no matter what."
Qin Wuyan pondered for a moment, then asked, "Did these people go to the same places? And when were they discovered?"
Xiao Bai said, "No, there is no connection between these people, and the time of their incidents is different. The earliest one was two months ago. At first, their families mistakenly thought they were sick and took them to see a doctor. It just so happened that Meng Guang's clinic admitted four patients with the same symptoms in a row, and that's when he realized something was wrong. Later, the people complained to Zeng Shushu. Now, Qingyun Sect is also investigating this matter. That's all I know."
Upon hearing this, Qin Wuyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had initially thought someone was targeting Yunniang, but the real target was Mu Yao. However, now that something similar had happened in Yudu City, it meant that this person was unlikely to be specifically targeting Mu Yao.
After all, only he and Xiaobai knew about Biyao's reincarnation through the divine tree.
Qin Wuyan said, "You are a nine-tailed celestial fox who has lived for over three thousand years. In your opinion, who could have done this?"
Xiao Bai said, "Soul loss is not uncommon. Those capable of absorbing souls are of two kinds: ghosts and demons. But ghosts fear daylight; even with high cultivation, they cannot withstand sunlight. Yunniang's accident happened during the day, so it shouldn't be the work of a ghost. As for the demon race, after the great war between gods and demons three thousand years ago, they have never appeared in the human world. Otherwise, the demonic sects in the human world wouldn't have fallen to the point of being oppressed by righteous cultivators for thousands of years. However…"
She sighed and said, "I was imprisoned by the Incense Valley for eight hundred years. I don't know if any demons have reappeared during these eight hundred years."
Qin Wuyan frowned even more: "That's right, you don't know, there's a third one."
"Oh?" Xiaobai was quite surprised.
"Although there are no gods or demons in the cultivation world now, there are still cultivators who have gone mad from practicing their techniques. Among these people, those with milder cases only need to absorb human blood or the cultivation of others to resist the backlash, while others need to absorb human souls. I once saw in an ancient book left by Linglong that it is said that five hundred years ago, a high priest of the Witch Clan accidentally went mad while practicing the Soul Absorption Technique, and later had to periodically absorb the souls of mortals to maintain his sanity. This person was later killed by Linglong, and the Soul Absorption Technique was lost ever since."
Xiao Bai laughed, "So, there's still no way to investigate."
Qin Wuyan shook his head: "Six years ago, the war between the righteous and demonic factions resulted in countless deaths and injuries. Perhaps someone found the secret manual of the Soul-Eating Technique in the Southern Frontier."
Xiao Bai nodded in agreement. Although the Blood Killing Array that Qin Wuyan had set up was incredibly powerful, those with high cultivation levels could still escape it. Suddenly, she thought of something and said, "If the person who attacked Yunniang and the one who caused trouble in Yudu are the same person, then it means that this person may also be hiding in Fox Ridge Mountain."
Qin Wuyan had also considered this, which was why he was so worried. He couldn't help but look towards Mu Yao's room, but suddenly noticed that there seemed to be someone at the door. Instinctively, he assumed someone was going to harm Mu Yao, so he used magic to teleport to the door and pushed it open: "Who's there!"
"Ah!" Caught off guard, Mu Yao fell to the ground with a thud. She hurriedly cried out, "Master, it's me!"
"Yao'er?" Qin Wuyan was taken aback, and quickly helped her up, asking gently, "Are you alright?"
Mu Yao shook her head, but in reality, her bottom was sore from the fall. However, she felt embarrassed to say it out loud, so she just pouted and said with a displeased look, "Master, why did you prepare to hit me without even looking properly?"
Qin Wuyan was both amused and exasperated: "I thought someone was trying to harm you in your room, but it turns out you were the one eavesdropping at the door."
Mu Yao lowered her head guiltily after he said that.
"It's almost midnight, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Mu Yao clutched his sleeve and whispered, "I...I can't sleep..."
Is it because of fear?
"Um……"
Qin Wuyan sighed softly, then reached out and picked her up. Mu Yao was still just a child, so he didn't hold back and treated her like a little girl, often holding her and holding her hand. He gently placed her on the couch, but Mu Yao still clung to his right sleeve, refusing to let go.
Helpless, he waved his left hand and cast a spell to light the oil lamp on the table, illuminating the room with a dim yellow light. He held her hand and comforted her, "Sleep, I'm here with you, don't be afraid."
The warm orange light illuminated his handsome face, his sideburns were sharply defined, his eyebrows were like a painting, and his eyes shone with a gentle light, filled with a tender smile.
Mu Yao stared intently at that handsome, jade-like face, those bright and piercing phoenix eyes, like the brightest morning star in the cold night falling on a warm white jade plate, a blend of coolness and elegance that made one forget the mundane world and stir one's heart.
She was so captivated that she blurted out, "Master is so handsome!"
Qin Wuyan was quite surprised to hear her praise his appearance for the first time. He didn't know what to say, so he reached out and patted her head: "Go to sleep, you still have to practice tomorrow."
Mu Yao wasn't sleepy at all, so she hugged his arms even tighter and said coquettishly, "Master, tell me a story, and I'll fall asleep if you tell me a story."
"What story would you like to hear?"
"I want to hear Master's story."
Qin Wuyan was taken aback. "My story? What story could I possibly have?"
Mu Yao blinked: "But my father and mother used to tell me stories about my master all the time. My father said that he used to be a member of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect and was controlled by a bad guy. Later, my master defeated that bad guy and gave those who didn't want to cultivate the antidote and released them. That's why he married my mother and had me."
"Oh?" Qin Wuyan was slightly surprised: "So your father was a disciple of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect."
Six years ago, after the Poison God died, he did release many severely injured disciples of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect and even gave them the antidote for the Gu poison. Unexpectedly, this person would be the one who later adopted her.
"Yes, but my father said that he was just a small fry back then, only responsible for doing odd jobs like serving tea and water in the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect. He had no chance to cultivate at all. But he did see a lot of terrifying poisons."
She was filled with curiosity about everything about Qin Wuyan, and before he could speak, she asked, "Where are Master's parents?"
Unexpectedly, she asked this. A hint of surprise flashed in Qin Wuyan's eyes. He smiled faintly, his tone nonchalant:
“I was abandoned in the mountains by my parents when I was five years old. Now, I don’t even remember what they look like, and I don’t know where they are.”
Mu Yao was shocked. In her mind, parents would protect their children no matter what happened. Hearing that Qin Wuyan had been abandoned by his parents, she found it hard to believe and asked, "Why did Master's parents abandon him?"
Qin Wuyan was speechless, and said with a bitter smile, "I don't know either. I only remember that they seemed to be fleeing. I fell seriously ill on the way. Perhaps they didn't have the money to treat me, and even if they did, they didn't know if I would survive, so they simply abandoned me."
His tone remained calm, but a faint trace of sorrow flowed in his eyes.
Although Mu Yao was young, she was very perceptive and noticed the sadness in his expression. She said regretfully, "Master, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad."
The more Mu Yao thought about how her master had grown up without parents, the more heartbroken she felt. She felt she had reopened her master's wounds and didn't want to ask any more questions.
Qin Wuyan tucked the blanket around her and said, "It's alright, I'm not sad. These things happened many, many years ago, and I don't really care."
He smiled and said, "Yao'er, you see, your parents dote on you and love you. You are lucky to have met kind people. But there are many wicked people in the world, so from now on, you must remember not to trust others easily. The only person you can trust and rely on is yourself."
Mu Yao shook her head: "No, the only one I can trust and rely on is my master."
Hearing this, Qin Wuyan couldn't help but smile. "Yes, you can still trust your master. Your master will never hurt you."
Recalling Biyao's past experiences, he felt that now was a good opportunity to guide her, so he said again:
"Yao'er, you must remember that not everyone who is kind to you is sincere. Some people may be kind to you in order to use you and get something from you. So, from now on, you can't let your guard down just because someone is kind to you. Do you understand?"
Mu Yao nodded as if she understood, "I only believe in my master and mother."
After a moment, she added, "Master can also trust me. I will never hurt Master."
Her voice still sounded childish, yet it carried a mature firmness.
Looking into her clear and bright eyes, Qin Wuyan felt a softness and warmth in a certain part of his heart. A small shadow that had long lingered there seemed to be gently dissipated by the warm sunshine.
Perhaps she was finally feeling sleepy, Mu Yao soon fell into a deep sleep.
Qin Wuyan stayed by her bedside for a long time, gazing at her jade-like sleeping face, recalling his earlier conversation with Xiaobai. He vaguely felt that Yunniang's current state of being afflicted with a loss of soul was not as simple as it seemed.
The next morning, Mu Yao woke up because she had gone to bed late the night before. As soon as she got up, she heard people talking in the courtyard. After she got dressed and went out, she saw Qin Wuyan talking to Xie Qingqiu and Tang Yuan and a group of disciples in the pavilion.
As she approached, she saw a girl who looked two or three years older than her standing in front of Qin Wuyan. Although it was late spring, it wasn't cold, but the girl was wearing a thick brocade cloak with fur trim. Her fair and delicate face was shrouded in the cloak, making her look even more charming. Her almond-shaped eyes were deep and bright, staring intently at Qin Wuyan, listening to him speak with utmost seriousness.
Qin Wuyan had his back to Mu Yao and didn't see her. He looked at the girl and said, "You can move here. But Yao'er's mother is still unconscious. You can't move around anywhere except your own room without permission, understand?"
The girl nodded gently and smiled softly: "Thank you, Sect Master. I will definitely not run away."
Mu Yao was displeased upon hearing this. Although she had only been there for less than a month, Xiao Bai had told her that Peach Blossom Garden was specially arranged for her by Qin Wuyan, and that the place was large enough to accommodate seven or eight people. But for some reason, she became unhappy as soon as she heard that Qin Wuyan had arranged for another girl to move in.
She was always straightforward, her happiness or troubles written all over her face. Now, she was even more uninhibited, stepping directly up to the girl and asking, "Who are you? Why did you move in with me?"
Everyone turned to look at the sound, and Qin Wuyan also turned to look at her. He saw that the little girl looked unhappy, but her voice was low and carried a hint of grievance and dissatisfaction: "Master, are you going to take on another disciple?"
The residences of the Tianli Divine Sect are arranged according to the disciples' status. She knew that she was living here because she had become Qin Wuyan's disciple. Now that another girl had come in, she could only think of this.
But the thought of having to share such a wonderful master with another person was something Mu Yao couldn't accept.
Qin Wuyan was completely taken aback by her thoughts and quickly explained with a smile, "No, Yao'er, I will only have you as my disciple. This is Qingwan, Qingqiu's younger sister. The sect has a mission to send Qingqiu out, and Qingwan is not feeling well. Recently, I have been helping her heal her injuries, so I arranged for her to stay at Peach Blossom Garden temporarily. What, you don't want to live in the same courtyard as her?"
Mu Yao was originally unwilling, but Qin Wuyan's words, "I will only have you as my disciple," instantly made her happy. When she learned that Qing Wan was only staying temporarily, she couldn't refuse and could only stammer, "Then... how long will she stay?"
"At most two months. Once I've cured her, I'll let her move out."
Mu Yao looked at Xie Qingwan. Although she was beautiful, her face was pale and she looked very thin. She asked Qin Wuyan curiously, "What illness does she have? Does Master need to treat her?"
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