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

Chapter 98 Mysterious Confidence
"Greetings, Sect Leader, and all Garden Masters," someone stammered.

Once someone started, the others followed suit, calling out to each other and rising to greet the newcomers.

"Master!"

One of the female cultivators cried out as if she had seen a savior.

"Yu Yu, come here." The person Zhang Yu Yu called "Master" was Qiao Yu, the owner of Luoya Garden.

Zhang Yuyu's face lit up with joy, and she quickly ran over, grabbing her master's sleeve. "Master, what exactly happened?"

"Don't ask about anything else yet. Just tell me if anything unusual happened today," Qiao Yu said with a reassuring smile, asking softly.

They had already been asked this question while they were waiting, and more than once, and they had said everything they could think of and knew.

Zhang Yuyu shook her head. "No, I originally wanted to break through to the middle stage of the Golden Core realm, so I kept cultivating until I found that I was absorbing less and less spiritual energy, and that's when I realized something was wrong."

Zhang Yuyu was the junior disciple of Master Qiao. She had accumulated four days' worth of cultivation qualifications in the Nine Nether Spring and deliberately gathered them together, intending to break through to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm in one fell swoop.

Today is only the second day, and things were going quite smoothly until this happened.

"Besides that, did you hear any other noises? From cultivators?" Qiao Yu asked again.

“The noise made by cultivators?” Zhang Yuyu thought for a moment and said, “I think I heard footsteps leaving about an hour ago, but nothing else.”

The reason they could tell it was the footsteps of someone leaving was because it was already afternoon an hour ago, more than half the day had passed, and it was impossible for anyone to have just entered the Nine Nether Garden at this time.

There can only be one reason why they left in such a hurry.

Qiao Yu looked at Sect Leader Liu.

If he left an hour ago, then that person must be Zhao Ning.

However, this doesn't really count as a clue.

Liu Wuhan didn't expect to get any answers now, because he had already asked everything he needed to, and those who were willing to tell the truth wouldn't wait until now to speak.

In other words, those who want to hide something will continue to do so, and won't obediently reveal it just because he asks a few more times.

Liu Wuhan's gaze swept over the disciples present, pausing briefly on Chen Lan.

When Chen Lan met his gaze, her heart tightened, but she managed to put on a fearful expression similar to that of others.

This is a normal and reasonable reaction from a disciple with low cultivation level upon seeing many powerful beings.

Liu Wuhan's eyes were somewhat cold, it was unclear whether this was his true nature or a result of being provoked by Quanling's escape.

Chen Lan felt a chill run down her spine from the gaze, and before she knew it, her back was covered in cold sweat.

But then she remembered Mo Jiuwei's thoughts before entering the Immortal Abode—

We've all gone in, but now only Senior Sister Chen is left to face this. Don't panic, Senior Sister. No matter how the Qingyue Sect investigates, they definitely won't suspect you.

Basically, you just need to mimic everyone else's expression to get away with it.

Just as he thought of this, he felt the gaze that was watching him shift away and move to a disciple next to him.

Chen Lan breathed a long sigh of relief.

"You're here too?" A garden owner surnamed Qi also saw Chen Lan. They had met at the photo stone that day, so he recognized her. "Have you found anything?"

Chen Lan was taken aback, then quickly replied, "No... However, you promised me two days of cultivation in the Nine Nether Spring, but my time hasn't come yet. Will you make it up to me later?"

She looked like she was afraid of being taken advantage of.

These words left even the high-ranking officials who knew the inside story speechless.

"Fix your head my foot! Still trying to fix it? The Spring Spirit has already run away, what are you going to fix for me?"
With the source gone and the body abandoned, within ten days, all the spiritual energy in the Nine Nether Spring will dissipate, and even the spring water will dry up.

Previously, the Nine Nether Spring was the place with the most abundant spiritual energy in the Qingyue Sect, but if the spring spirit cannot be found, it will become the place with the least spiritual energy in the entire sect!
Even if I did offer to make up for half a day's absence, I doubt you'd come!

But this cannot be said, because this is the worst-case scenario where the Spring Spirit cannot be found, and the reality could never have turned out that way—

Everyone had a mysterious confidence that the Spring Spirit would definitely be found and would obediently return to the Nine Nether Spring!

Even if we assume that Quanling really can't be found, we can't say it now, otherwise it will cause panic among all the disciples, leading to unrest and disrupting the sect's discipline.

Even if you have to tell someone, you should try to postpone it and keep it a secret for now.

"We'll discuss this later," Master Qi said dismissively.

Chen Lan gave him a strange look, seemingly with some doubt. "Yes... but I don't think Qingyue Sect would take advantage of an outer sect disciple like me and then go back on their word."

Junior Sister Jiuwei also said—

By the way, we not only can't be guilty, we have to be assertive, because we agreed on two days, so why is it suddenly being interrupted?

If it's interrupted, it has to be made up for!

If time can't be made up for, then something else must be used to make up for it; otherwise, it's bullying outsiders and breaking promises!

When Chen Lan heard this, she almost burst out laughing, just like her fellow disciples.

This is probably a classic case of the thief crying "stop thief!" and turning the tables on the victim.

But my junior sister is right. I am an outsider, and the two days I have been cultivating were a favor that Qingyue Sect deliberately bestowed upon me for the sake of its reputation.

If it is a favor, how can it be taken back halfway through?
As someone unrelated to Quanling's disappearance, Chen Lan not only shouldn't feel guilty, but should also take the initiative to demand compensation. Even if the Qingyue Sect members are disgusted, they will still consider it a reasonable request, and she should at least offer some form of compensation.

Conversely, if she were to leave first out of guilt, that would seem suspicious.

"It's natural."

Liu Wuhan said calmly, but a hint of annoyance flashed through his mind—

That's just how small sects are—shortsighted and petty!

They only ever focus on the small benefits in front of them, lacking any vision or overall perspective. No wonder their Immortal Sect is becoming increasingly impoverished.

Ah, this is a case of having no successor; the disciples are disappointing!
When Chen Lan heard him say this, she knew that the compensation was definitely in order, and only then did she show a relaxed expression.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded, and then Steward Hu and several others appeared outside the door—

"Sect Leader Liu!"

"What is it?" Liu Wuhan turned around.

"Lin Zhaofeng has brought her, but Zhao Ning has already left the sect and is no longer with us." Manager Hu said with a look of anxiety.

Upon hearing this, Liu Wuhan and the other garden masters immediately changed their expressions.

"Please wait here for now."

After speaking to his disciples, Liu Wuhan led everyone outside for a talk.

"What exactly happened? How did she leave the sect?" Liu Wuhan asked Hu Yu in a cold voice.

Hu Yu's forehead was covered in sweat. "She just walked through the main gate normally. I asked the gatekeeper, and the time was around the same time we discovered something was wrong."

(End of this chapter)