After the mind-reading cripple junior sister, the entire sect rose to prominence.

Chapter 103 End of the Study
It's not really a notification, but a reminder.

Chen Lan and Liu Feng need to know in advance that their every word and action can be seen and heard inside, so that they won't blurt out anything about their junior sister's feelings!

Chen Lan quickly understood his meaning and replied with a telepathic message, indicating that she understood.

Once the runes were finalized, Hu Jiu began his work within the immortal abode.

And now, it's finally done!

Ah, finally we can see what's outside!

After being cooped up for days, I feel like life has lost all its joy.

Chen Lan and Liu Feng exchanged a glance, both of them showing unexpected joy.

After opening the window, they naturally couldn't hear what others were saying inside, but they could hear Mo Jiuwei's thoughts!
The voice in my heart still rings directly in my ears or in my mind, just like when someone is speaking to me.

That's truly amazing.

Mo Jiuwei was naturally unaware of this; she was simply captivated by looking out at the world through the window.

She watched Chen Lan take classes and cultivate in the immortal abode, and also learned about Zhao Ning from the disciples' casual conversations.

How could Zhao Ning be a suspect? That's utter nonsense!

She's been missing for so many days, could she have gotten herself into trouble by being blamed? Let me check first...

[Holy crap, the sect leader and his men did a soul search and turned me into an idiot?! Those scum of the Qingyue Sect!]

Upon hearing Mo Jiuwei's words, everyone in the Immortal Sect was first stunned, and then enraged.

Whether Zhao Ning was involved or not, they knew perfectly well.

Yet this innocent disciple was subjected to soul-searching by the higher-ups of the Qingyue Sect. How utterly innocent!

[Tsk, not only did they search her soul, but they also discovered she possesses a family-inherited weapon-forging technique, and someone is eyeing that technique? Utterly disgusting.]

Mo Jiuwei was either unaware of the situation or, upon learning about it, was so angry she almost laughed.

In the cultivation world, there is a strong aversion to "evil cultivators" because their path is often too dark, involving the use of other people's souls or blood, which is extremely immoral and harmful.

Although Zhao Ninglian's artifact was made with blood, it was not actually an evil object.

Since it only involves taking a drop of blood from each person to use as material for crafting magical artifacts, it will not cause any harm to people.

Moreover, Zhao Ning took the blood in a fair fight with her opponent and then took it from her own sword afterwards, so it can't be considered a despicable tactic.

However, since it involves blood, and not just one person, it inevitably draws criticism.

The Zhao family probably feared that this point would be blown out of proportion and cause trouble, so they dared not make it public and only dared to do it secretly in private.

If it weren't for this magical artifact, Zhao Ning wouldn't have been suspected by the higher-ups, and wouldn't have had her soul searched.

Strange magical artifact? Strange Zhao Ning?
No, this is entirely the fault of Qingyue Sect! They didn't treat their disciples like human beings and acted too hastily.

Otherwise, they would have plenty of time to investigate first, then interrogate the suspects, and only if the interrogation failed would they attempt to search the soul.

【Pah! What a bunch of righteous sects! They're utter trash.】

These major sects have done no shortage of dirty tricks; it's only because they kept it well hidden that the news didn't leak out, otherwise their aura of prestige would have been shattered long ago.

It's pitiful for Zhao Ning. Although our Immortal Sect had no intention of harming her, she did indeed suffer a calamity because of us.

The people of the Immortal Sect were filled with remorse, wondering if they would not have harmed others if they hadn't acted at that time.

However, a wound to the soul is not incurable. Keeping a piece of calming wood with you for a few months should largely repair it.

Anshenmu (安神木)?
Liu Feng's heart skipped a beat.

They didn't have any calming wood, but they did have a magical artifact made from it. It was a gift from the Immortal Sect to their leader, Xu Yihan, after the sect had become wealthy, so that he could calm his mind and stop worrying about his injured leg.

However, it seems there's no need for this calming wood, because the sect leader himself has already stood up and is no longer the self-pitying person he used to be.

Then, could we find Zhao Ning and give her this calming wood?

……

"Sect Leader, tomorrow is the end of the training course, and those disciples should be leaving. What do you think..."

On this day, a steward approached Sect Leader Liu to report to him.

Several days have passed since the Nine Nether Spring incident. They have not given up searching for the Spring Spirit and have investigated everyone they found suspicious, but they still have nothing to show for it.

The sect was sealed off for two days. After that, entry was permitted but exit was not. However, this could not continue indefinitely.

The disciples, unaware of the truth and constantly imprisoned, were already complaining bitterly about the matter.

Tomorrow is the end of the rotation period. If they are still not allowed to leave, what will happen to these dispatched personnel?
Sect Leader Liu seems to have aged ten years in the past few days. The lines between his brows have become more pronounced, and he appears irritable and easily angered. He has lost his temper in public several times.

The Nine Ghosts are slowly drying up, and it will only be a few days before they completely disappear. There are already a lot of people talking about it. How will they explain it to the outside world when the time comes?

The thought of the consequences of this matter being exposed gave Sect Leader Liu a headache and made him irritable.

"How about we keep them for a few more days and continue looking for clues?" an elder suggested.

Liu Wuhan shook his head, "That's enough, the time has come. We can't refuse to release them, otherwise those sects will definitely get restless, and it will only attract more criticism."

The sect has been closed for so many days, yet there is still no clue. It's as if the spring spirit has vanished into thin air, which is truly perplexing.

Now that things have come to this, closing the sect again is useless.

The next day, Chen Lan and Liu Feng left Qingyue Sect with the other disciples of the Wheel School.

The sect leader and his men were still not giving up. Before they left, they investigated them one more time, but naturally, they still found nothing.

After stepping out of the Qingyue Gate, Liu Feng and Chen Lan both breathed a long sigh of relief.

Wow, finally we're out of this place!

I'll soon be free and able to breathe fresh air again, haha.

Mo Jiuwei was overjoyed.

"Chen Lan, we're leaving now, goodbye!"

"Okay, take care!"

Chen Lan and her companion bid farewell to the disciples they had become close to during their studies, but they did not rush to leave like the others.

"Chen Lan, where do you think Zhao Ning is?" Liu Feng asked deliberately.

"Zhao Ning... Uncle-Master, do you also want to find her?"

“That’s right, she did it because of us after all… If I can help, I still want to help her.” Liu Feng nodded.

Mo Jiuwei was also reminded upon hearing this.

[Yes, and there's Zhao Ning too; we can't ignore her.]

Let me see where she is... Ah, she's at Niutou Mountain to the east. How did she end up leaving the village by herself?

Mo Jiuwei's investigation revealed Zhao Ning's whereabouts.

Zhao Ning was sent to a mountain village by the Qingyue Sect, but she ran away on her own at night.

(End of this chapter)