The rain stopped and the wind picked up.
Meng Jue was the first to react, exclaiming in shock and anger, "Senior Sister!"
The Hidden World Sect is currently operating in the southwest, and due to its relationship with Gu Yi, its strength and reputation are considerable. Xiao Yu, as the eldest daughter of the Lanling Xiao Clan, played a significant role in this. Meng Jue, the son of the local prefect, joined the Hidden World Sect as an outer disciple, largely because the sect is currently thriving and enjoys a very high reputation.
Xiao Yu waved his hand to stop him from speaking, and calmly said, "I am a sinner of this sect, there is no need to say more." He then looked at the other disciples and said, "I am about to leave the mountain, and the Hidden World Sect will no longer be open to the outside world. The rest of you may decide for yourselves whether to stay or leave."
Although Xiao Yu confessed, her words were veiled, because the matter involved the secrets of Tianxia and Gu Yi, which she could not reveal openly. However, the other disciples were all shocked to hear her say this.
In fact, over the past year, Li Wujiu suddenly entered seclusion, and the atmosphere throughout the Hidden World Sect was unusual. Many people speculated that something had happened to the sect leader. However, Xiao Yu had always been a person who obeyed orders in the sect. In addition, she had managed the sect in an orderly manner over the past year, and the sect was thriving. Therefore, even if people had doubts, they did not dare to question her.
Only now, with A Qiu holding the sword bestowed upon Li Wujiu and questioning him, and Xiao Yu admitting his guilt, did everyone realize that their previous suspicions were indeed not unfounded. Seeing that Xiao Yu was leaving the mountain, most of them were willing to go with her. Others, having completed their training, wished to travel the world, and A Qiu granted their requests.
Meng Jue hesitated for a moment, then said, "I am a local. Once I am a disciple of the Hidden World Sect, I am willing to serve for life. Even if I cannot be as close to the sect as my senior sister was, I am still willing to take on the responsibility of maintaining the sect in the secular world. Please, Miss Qiu, do not expel me."
A Qiu knew that even when Li Wujiu was alive, the Hidden World Sect often had outer disciples living in Huanhua City, practicing medicine, divination, and astrology, and interacting with officials and merchants, though none were as powerful as Meng Jue. Just as she hesitated, Bai Shi stepped forward and said from the side, "Although Young Master Meng is a businessman, he is not a bad person. The relationship between the Meng family and the Hidden World Sect is not limited to Miss Xiao's generation. Please, Miss A Qiu, understand the situation."
A Qiu nodded, allowing Meng Jue to remain an outer disciple. By this time, most of the people on the mountain had dispersed, but Xiao Yu still showed no sign of leaving.
At this moment, Lie Changkong and Gongye Fusu jumped out together, and together with Bai Shi, surrounded Xiao Yu in the center.
Xiao Yu seemed to have been prepared, just waiting for them to ask questions.
Lie Changkong spoke first: "Please tell me, Miss Xiao, about Xiao Chang'an's infiltration of the palace and his obstruction of the Junior Tutor."
Recalling the events of the day he left the mountain, Xiao Yu sighed and said with emotion, "I am no match for Chang'an."
A few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, she received a letter from Gu Yi in the Hidden World Sect. The letter specified that a disciple of the Hidden World Sect was needed to come to the capital. She immediately followed Li Wujiu's instructions before entering the pass, arranged all matters in the sect, and set off.
A Qiu understood this as well, because Li Wujiu had told her that his original choice for going to the capital to assist Gu Yi was Xiao Yu. It could even be said that when Li Wujiu met Xiao Yu, who came from the Lanling Xiao Clan, he decided to take her as his disciple because he had considered Gu Yi's need for talent in the near future.
Xiao Yu set off alone with the letter, riding at breakneck speed, finding lodging at night without any delay, until he reached the Qingxi Mountain Road, where he was suddenly caught in a downpour.
It was late autumn, and the continuous heavy rain was to be expected. However, the mountain paths were already difficult to traverse, and the muddy roads made it easy to slip and fall. Although Xiao Yu was eager to get going, he had to suppress his excitement and stayed at the inn for several days.
In truth, she had vaguely sensed that someone was following her on her journey, but given her high level of martial arts skills and her dual identity as a disciple of the Hidden World Sect and the eldest daughter of the Xiao family, she wasn't worried about ordinary bandits or mountain thieves. She thought that as long as she rode quickly to the capital, she could shake off her pursuers. However, this heavy rain unexpectedly left her stranded at the inn.
She had only been inside a short while when two men wearing sun hats and carrying knives entered. The two men deliberately lowered their hats, seemingly ignoring her presence, and went to sit at another table. However, she had excellent eyesight and a good memory, and she remembered that one of them had passed by her on the mountain path, glancing at her as if trying to remember her face.
Although Xiao Yu was highly skilled and daring, she was not arrogant. She had never made enemies since taking charge of the Hidden World Sect. The fact that she was being targeted now was most likely because her clothes were somewhat expensive and she was a beautiful woman traveling alone, which aroused the bandits' sudden desire for money and sex.
Xiao Yu was a composed and steady person. Being alone, her primary principle was to minimize trouble and avoid problems altogether. She could handle any harassment from petty thieves. However, dealing with such matters would require reporting to the authorities, delaying her journey and potentially interfering with Gu Yi's plans. Therefore, she decided to leave early the next morning. Her horse was fast; ordinary people couldn't keep up with her, and she should be able to shake off the two men.
But the heavy rain completely disrupted her plans, forcing her to stay in the inn and wait for the rain to stop.
The next morning, as she stood under the eaves of the inn, watching the torrential rain pounding on the bamboo forest path, she was suddenly distracted and felt someone silently approaching from her left, right, and rear.
She immediately turned around and saw that it was the two men who had been tailing her yesterday. They had wanted to take advantage of her when she was not paying attention, but Xiao Yu's sharp eyes stopped them, and they dared not make any further moves.
Xiao Yu did not want to kill anyone here, and having no grudge against the other party, he clasped his hands in a salute, adhering to the principle of settling things peacefully, and said in a low voice, "My surname is Xiao, and I am from a reclusive sect. I am on my way to the capital on business. May I ask what you two have to say?"
This also shows that Xiao Yu, as the senior sister, is far more cultured and kind than the average martial arts disciple. A Qiu asked herself if she were in Xiao Yu's shoes, if someone coveted her wealth and beauty, she would definitely teach them a lesson first, instead of being like Xiao Yu, who would first reveal her identity and status, implying that she was someone not to be trifled with, and giving the other party a chance to back down.
The reputation of the Hidden World Sect was already known to everyone along the southwestern official road. And who else in the world, besides the Lanling Xiao clan, would specifically emphasize their surname as Xiao?
At this point, anyone who isn't blind or deaf in the underworld can guess about 70-80% of her identity.
When the two men heard her words, although their eyes widened in surprise, which was unexpected, they were not particularly astonished. It was as if they were simply instinctively shocked to hear her reveal her identity.
One of them, realizing that she had seen through his intentions, simply took off his straw hat and bowed slightly to her. This person was the same one who had galloped through the mountains and forests and had given her a special look.
The man said in a deep voice, "We have no ill intentions. We are here to verify your identity, Miss. We are glad to have you confirm it yourself. Please forgive us for any offense we may have caused you along the way."
The two exchanged a glance, then left the inn without looking back, riding away through the rain and mud.
The person who had been watching her the whole way was dismissed with just a few words; Xiao Yu should have felt relieved.
But only now did her heart truly settle down.
The two men's actions were skillful and well-trained, which truly surprised her. She had initially thought they were just petty thieves from the martial arts world, coveting wealth and women, but now it seemed they were clearly spies sent by a powerful force with deep roots.
Knowing her prominent status, the fact that they still dared to send people to spy on her clearly indicates that they had planned this carefully and were not someone to be trifled with.
Two or three petty thieves can be easily dealt with, but attracting the attention of such a powerful force requires careful handling, both for the Hidden World Sect and for herself.
The heavy rain had not yet stopped, but at this moment, Xiao Yu steeled his heart and braved the rain to mount his horse and set off.
It's better to avoid trouble and get to a densely populated town as soon as possible.
After two days and two nights of rapid travel, Xiao Yu finally arrived in Fengling City at dusk. From there, traveling east for another two days would take him to the capital.
Only when she saw the streetlights and bustling pedestrians did she begin to relax slightly.
Wherever there are government offices, if she reveals the name of the Xiao family of Lanling, everyone will have to give her some respect. After all, regardless of the Southern Dynasty or the Northern Qiang, there are always countless connections between prominent families, often going beyond kinship and marriage to subtle mutual political needs.
The letter from Junior Tutor Gu Yi almost guaranteed her unimpeded access to any government office in the Southern Dynasty.
She went straight to the largest and most magnificent inn in Fengling City and specified that she wanted a superior room. This was not because she was extravagant, but because the larger and more luxurious the inn, the more hesitant troublemakers would be to come and cause trouble, and thus the safer it would be.
After handing over the horses, she went straight into her room without exchanging glances with anyone else.
After days of travel and constant vigilance, she was quite exhausted. Now that she had finally arrived at a safe place, she took a bath and fell asleep immediately. The fragrant and warm bedding, the sweet and gentle incense burning in the room, the calligraphy and paintings by famous people hanging on the walls, and the exquisitely clean and gleaming furniture all made her feel at home, and her mind relaxed.
The hermit sect uses only simple and unadorned things, regarding external possessions as burdens, and always preferring to have as little as possible.
When Xiao Yu was in the Hidden World Sect, her life was as simple and frugal as her master, Li Wujiu's, and she wasn't being materialistic or snobbish. It was just that everything before her was the atmosphere she had grown up in since childhood, the environment she had been immersed in. Having spent so long in the secluded, quiet, and natural environment of the Hidden World Sect, it was inevitable that she would feel a sense of familiarity and warmth when she returned to it.
In the mansions of wealthy and powerful families, there is always warm hot water, fragrant drinks and delicacies served by servants on time, and exquisite flowers arranged on time. As a young lady, she is never short of ingratiating and obsequious smiles.
However, genuine feelings are extremely faint among them. All transactions are driven by self-interest and are entangled in the complexities of human nature.
If it were her, Xiao Yu, she would be like any other noblewoman, only seeking fame and fortune.
As long as you maintain and gain more power and status, there will be plenty of people to flatter and fawn over you. Why worry about not having people around you to keep you entertained and please you? After all, in a strictly hierarchical society, everyone depends on the favor and attitude of those in power to live.
Within the inner quarters, his mother was shrewd and adaptable, her position unshakeable. But no matter how advanced those Taoist arts were, Xiao Yu always felt that if one devoted their entire life to them, it was a waste of energy. Of course, his father was similar, but his domain was not at home, but in the imperial court.
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