Chapter Thirty-Four: An Envoy Visits, Hidden Arrows Are Hard to Defend

At noon three days later, an uninvited guest arrived outside the mountain gate of Bailian Villa.

The visitor was dressed in a green Daoist robe, with a lean face and a three-strand beard. His aura was steady and restrained, clearly at the Middle Stage of the Foundation Establishment realm. He stood with his hands behind his back before the stone lions, calmly gazing at the towering stone gate with a faint smile playing on his lips.

The gate-keeping Disciples had already reported his arrival. Before long, the mountain gate slowly opened, and a grey-robed old man came out to meet him—it was "Old Wu," the same man who had driven the carriage to bring Lin Xuan here that day.

"Li Han, a Disciple under Elder Zhao Yuanqing of the Yunni Sect, has come by order to pay respects to the Villa Master of Bailian Villa." The visitor cupped his hands in greeting, neither humble nor arrogant.

Old Wu's cloudy eyes lingered on him for a moment before he nodded slightly. "Please."

...

Main Hall.

Sect Master Ouyang Lie sat in the main seat, with several Elders lined up on either side. Li Han was led into the hall, where he performed his salutations composedly and then presented a letter with both hands.

"This is a personal letter from my master, Elder Zhao Yuanqing. Please have a look, Villa Master."

Sect Master Ouyang Lie took the letter and opened it to read carefully. The letter was not long, but he read it very slowly, his brows gradually furrowing. After finishing, he handed the letter to Grand Elder Ouyang Zhen beside him, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke:

"I understand Elder Zhao's meaning. However... that Lin Xuan is someone our Bailian Villa's Old Ancestor personally brought back. If the Yunni Sect wants him, they must provide a plausible reason."

Li Han seemed to have anticipated this question and said unhurriedly, "My master has already stated in the letter that this boy, Lin Xuan, heavily wounded a Sect deacon at the Yunni Sect's Qingshi Town outpost, assassinated an Inner Sect Disciple (he was deliberately exaggerating), and is further suspected of embezzling a great treasure while exploring the Black Wind Ridge ruins. According to the Sect's laws, he should be taken back for trial. My master, mindful of the long-standing friendship between Bailian Villa and the Yunni Sect, does not wish to damage our harmony over this, so he sent me here to request the Villa Master's cooperation in handing him over. Once the matter is settled, the Yunni Sect will surely offer a generous reward."

"Heavily wounding a deacon? Assassinating a Disciple?" Second Elder Ouyang Hong cold snorted. "Why did this old man hear that it was your Yunni Sect's people who first used the Soul Searching Technique against him, only to be met with a counterattack?"

Li Han's expression remained unchanged. "Second Elder, please be discerning; those are merely Lin Xuan's one-sided claims. As an Inner Sect Elder, how could my master frame a mere Loose Cultivator? The matter of the Soul Searching Technique is pure fabrication—a rumor deliberately spread by that boy to escape his crimes."

"Rumors?" Third Elder Ouyang Bo sneered. "Then your Yunni Sect's Su Qingyue using a Memory Stone to testify in public is also a rumor?"

Li Han's expression stiffened slightly, but he quickly recovered. "Junior Sister Su is young and inexperienced, and she was deceived. Her words cannot be relied upon. My master will handle this matter himself; there is no need for Third Elder Ouyang Bo to worry about it."

Sect Master Ouyang Lie raised his hand, stopping the Elders' argument. He looked at Li Han with a profound gaze. "Nephew Li, I will ask you for the truth—does Elder Zhao want the boy for 'justice,' or for... the things Lin Xuan has on him?"

Li Han was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "I do not dare to speculate on my master's actions. But what I can tell the Villa Master is that Lin Xuan is definitely not as simple as he appears on the surface. What he obtained in the Black Wind Ridge ruins likely far exceeds ordinary imagination. Keeping such a person in Bailian Villa may not necessarily be a blessing."

These words were spoken flawlessly, neither admitting nor denying anything, but instead throwing the problem back to Sect Master Ouyang Lie.

A brief silence fell over the hall.

Just then, a raspy, aged voice drifted in from outside the hall:

"Whether the person this old man brought back is a blessing or a curse is not for an outsider to judge."

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw Ouyang Ye leaning on his pitch-black cane, his back hunched, walking in step by step. He walked very slowly, but with every step he took, the entire Main Hall seemed to tremble slightly.

Li Han's expression changed, and he hurriedly bowed in greeting. "Junior Li Han greets Senior Ouyang Ye."

Ouyang Ye walked up to him and stopped. His cloudy old eyes stared at him for a long time, making Li Han's back turn cold, before he slowly spoke: "Go back and tell Zhao Yuanqing that this kid, Lin Xuan, is under this old man's protection. If he wants the person, let him come himself."

"Senior..." Li Han tried to say something more.

Ouyang Ye waved his hand, interrupting him. "This old man does not repeat himself. You may leave."

Li Han's face turned between pale and green. Finally, he gritted his teeth and bowed. "This Junior takes his leave." After saying that, he turned and hurriedly departed.

Once he was far away, Sect Master Ouyang Lie spoke up: "Old Ancestor, regarding the Yunni Sect..."

"The Yunni Sect?" Ouyang Ye snorted coldly. "A bunch of fellows who have forgotten their roots—are they even worthy of negotiating with me?" He looked at Sect Master Ouyang Lie. "Lie'er, do you also think that this old man bringing this kid back is a source of trouble?"

Sect Master Ouyang Lie was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Your grandson wouldn't dare. It's just... the Yunni Sect is, after all, a famous Sect in the North Region. If we become enemies because of this..."

"If we become enemies, so be it." Ouyang Ye waved his hand. "What is there to fear? Back when they were first establishing their Sect, they still owed us a favor. That boy Zhao Yuanqing is merely an Inner Sect Elder; he cannot overturn the heavens." He paused, a glint of sharpness flashing in his cloudy eyes. "Besides, do you think this old man brought that kid back just to protect him?"

Sect Master Ouyang Lie was startled. "Old Ancestor, you mean..."

Ouyang Ye did not answer directly but gave a meaningful smile. "Just wait and see. That kid is much more interesting than you imagine."

Having said that, he leaned on his cane, his back hunched, and slowly walked away.

The people remaining in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment.

...

Guest Elder Courtyard.

Lin Xuan sat cross-legged in the courtyard, slowly finishing his exercise. After three days of recuperation, his injuries were seventy to eighty percent healed, and the Source Martial Spiritual Energy in his Dantian had finally broken through eight hundred wisps, reaching over nine hundred, just one step away from the Perfection of a thousand wisps.

He opened his eyes and looked toward the courtyard gate. There, Li Dali was rushing over.

"Brother Lin! This is bad!" Li Dali panted heavily. "People from the Yunni Sect have arrived! They're in the Main Hall! They've named you specifically!"

Lin Xuan's gaze sharpened slightly before returning to calm. "Who came?"

"I heard it's a Disciple of Zhao Yuanqing, someone named Li Han." Li Dali looked extremely anxious. "He's currently negotiating with the Villa Master and the others! Brother Lin, what should we do?"

Lin Xuan stood up, brushed off his robes, and said calmly, "No need to rush. This is Bailian Villa, not the Yunni Sect. Since Senior Ouyang Ye brought us here, he won't just sit by and watch."

Li Dali was stunned. "Brother Lin, you're that certain?"

Lin Xuan looked toward the Main Hall, his gaze deep. "Because I am the one he brought back. If he cannot protect me, he would be the one losing face. Old fellows like him care most about their reputation."

Just as he finished speaking, a flurry of footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Old Wu pushed open the door and entered, still with that expressionless face and raspy voice: "The Old Ancestor told me to inform you that the Yunni Sect people have been sent away. During this time, focus on healing your injuries and don't go running around outside."

Lin Xuan nodded slightly. "Thank you."

Old Wu nodded and turned to leave.

Li Dali let out a long breath and slumped onto the ground, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. "That scared me to death... thank goodness for Senior Ouyang Ye..."

Lin Xuan did not respond, but simply watched Old Wu's departing figure, a hint of deep thought flashing in his eyes.

Ouyang Ye protecting him naturally had his own reasons. But what exactly were those reasons?

Was it simply because he was an "Ancient Martial Arts Successor"? Or was it because this elderly man, who seemed to have one foot in the grave, was also playing a very large game of chess?

He didn't know.

But he was very clear on one point—in this Bailian Villa, he was not isolated and without help. And as long as he was given enough time to fully recover and advance his strength further, no matter how many people the Yunni Sect sent, he would have the confidence to fight.

He turned around, walked back into the courtyard, and sat down cross-legged once more.

"Continue."

Li Dali looked at his back, scratched his head, and eventually returned to his own room to continue his cultivation.

The bamboo forest rustled, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, spilling onto Lin Xuan.

The disturbance in the Main Hall seemed like only a distant interlude.

But Lin Xuan knew this was only the beginning.

Zhao Yuanqing would not let this go. The next one to come likely wouldn't be just a Disciple.

He needed to become stronger.

Faster.

(End of Volume 2, Chapter 34)

---

[Next Chapter Preview]: The Yunni Sect envoy was forcefully expelled by Ouyang Ye, temporarily resolving the crisis. But Lin Xuan knows this is only the calm before the storm. Zhao Yuanqing will definitely not give up, and a larger storm is brewing. Meanwhile, within Bailian Villa, some people are starting to become restless. And the injuries inside Lin Xuan's body have finally reached the final stage—breaking through a thousand wisps happens tonight! Next Chapter: Perfection of a Thousand Wisps, Breaking Through Like a Tide!