Chapter 88 Creating Witnesses for the Impending Kidnapping
Although Mu Jianjian did not step forward to stop the Grand Elder's faction's unusual movements, she was keeping a close eye on them. She realized that her opponents were about to make their move ahead of schedule when they began to reshuffle the personnel of each hall of the Xuan Shuang Sect.
She immediately adjusted her laid-back attitude and started heading towards the Third Elder's Huai'an Peak.
In the original book, the Third Elder has always remained neutral, but now that the residual poison in Mu's father's body has not been completely cleared, she must gather some people to buy some time.
Huai'an Peak is the southernmost low peak of the Xuan Shuang Sect. The deep green bamboo forest rustled in the wind. Mu Jianjian walked up the stone platform, but she didn't see a single disciple.
It wasn't until they entered the courtyard made of bamboo that they saw two disciples guarding the gate.
"The Third Elder said that no outside guests will be received," a disciple dressed in a pale yellow robe said slowly, looking at the person in front of him who was completely wrapped in black cloth.
Mu Jianjian, holding a paper lantern in one hand and taking off her hat with the other, revealed her stunningly beautiful face. "Can't I have one too?"
The calm rhetorical question reached the ears of the two disciples, who were startled, completely unaware that the newcomer was the once delicate young lady of the sect.
The pearl that was originally cherished by the leader of the sect, only began to shine after the leader's accident, causing the disciples in the sect to sigh with regret.
The tall disciple looked at Mu Jianjian with pity in his eyes. "Miss Mu, please wait a moment. I will go and inform her."
The other disciple vaguely guessed the purpose of Miss Mu's visit and sighed inwardly.
The Third Elder was a fair and just man who always valued cultivation and disliked internal strife within the sect the most.
Miss Mu is destined to leave disappointed.
[Host, isn't the Grand Elder's faction looking for an opportunity to capture you? Is it really okay for you to come to Huai'an Peak so openly...?] the system asked worriedly.
He even came alone, without bringing anyone with him!
“I’m coming openly and honestly, and I’ll drag as many people as I can down with me.” Mu Jianjian’s mind was clear and her ideas were novel. “I need to stay in crowded places to increase my sense of security, while also giving them the feeling that ‘I’m easy to catch.’”
Why? The system didn't understand.
"Are you stupid? Even if I get caught at Huai'an Peak, the Third Elder will be dragged down with me. That way, I'll have achieved half of my goal. Besides, all the disciples I meet along the way will be eyewitnesses for the upcoming kidnapping."
system:……
——
An hour later, Mu Jianjian followed the disciple to the Third Elder.
After the disciple closed the door and left, she was about to speak when the Third Elder interrupted her.
"If you've come to persuade me, I hope you'll leave." The Third Elder was writing on white paper with a brush on a rosewood table. He finished writing a sentence and looked up at the girl in black robes.
Mu Jianjian had anticipated the Third Elder's coldness, after all, in the original story, Yueyue had not been able to persuade him.
She smiled gently and didn't bother with pleasantries or beating around the bush. Instead, she asked a question: "I know that the Third Elder has a scale in his heart, but if he ignores it after it has worn down, isn't that unfair to justice?"
The girl's soft and gentle words contained an undeniable solemnity. The Third Elder paused, his hand about to pick up his pen to write, and finally raised his head to truly examine this "resurrected" young lady.
This is not the same little girl who used to clamor for precious herbs.
The fact that he dared to come to Huai'an Peak alone to say these words to him is quite like the personality of Master Mu.
The Third Elder's tone softened slightly, "It's not a matter of fairness, but rather that when too much has accumulated on a scale over a long period of time, it's inevitable that it will tip over."
Whether the scales would be replaced or not was not something he needed to care about; he only needed to make sure the scales were there.
Mu Jianjian recalled the conversation between Yueyue and the Third Elder in the original novel.
Even though she and Yueyue asked different questions, the Third Elder gave the same answer—
He didn't care who took power in the Xuan Shuang Sect; he could even maintain his position and protect his disciples amidst internal strife.
“But the reality is that this scale didn’t collapse naturally; it was manipulated,” Mu Jianjian said, word by word. “This time, the poison from Yingzhou fell on my father. Who knows if it will fall on the entire Xuanshuang Sect next time?”
She must guide the Third Elder to confront the real troublemaker behind this internal strife.
It was obvious that the other party was fully aware of the situation, and even after the topic was brought up, they remained unmoved.
“Miss Mu, I believe I have made myself very clear.” The Third Elder sighed and did not want to say anything more.
Mu Jianjian was helpless, knowing it was useless. She put her hat back on to cover most of her face and was about to leave when she said something unwillingly before leaving.
"Even if the poison of Yingzhou can be cured, how can the nameless poison be cured?" His words were loaded with meaning.
The Grand Elder's faction is backed by the Poison Masters of Yingzhou. Who knows if Yingzhou is being manipulated by people from the Upper Realm?
Ten years ago, the Third Elder was already the one among the five elders closest to Mu's father in strength, and he was also one of the two cultivators in the Xuan Shuang Sect who had reached the Nascent Soul stage. Now, ten years later, it is hard to imagine how far his cultivation has grown.
This is also why he has the leverage to remain neutral in internal power struggles.
It would be a real shame not to bring him into our camp.
"Wait." The Third Elder called out to the black-robed girl who was about to close the door.
"Third Elder, you've changed your mind?" Mu Jianjian eagerly pushed open the door, focusing all her attention on the wooden door, only revealing her expectant little head.
Third Elder: ...
You pretended to close the door but didn't actually intend to leave, did you?
And why did the voice change so much? Where did the dignified and calm demeanor from just now go?
"What do you mean by the nameless poison you just mentioned?" the Third Elder coughed for a moment and asked slowly.
Mu Jianjian immediately stopped smiling, her tone and attitude becoming more serious than ever before, "Some outsiders are gradually infiltrating, not just the Xuan Shuang Sect. We need to be prepared for danger even in times of peace."
He only said half of what he meant.
You should know that she used to hate riddle people the most, but now she has become the very thing she hated the most.
Mu Jianjian was moved to tears.
The Third Elder narrowed his eyes, slowly recalling the strange events that had occurred on the continent and within the sect in the past, and realized that the black-robed girl in front of him knew many hidden things.
After all, her appearance at the Public Affairs Hall was a shocking event.
The Third Elder felt a long-lost curiosity rise in his heart. He said, "I can agree, but on the condition that you have to withstand a hundred moves from Song Yin and then tell me what you know."
It is said that she was rescued by a reclusive master, but the other disciples did not know that day. He saw it clearly: Lin Changkuo seemed to be attacking her, but he was actually being controlled from beginning to end.
He was eager to see where her strength and value truly lay.
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