Wandering Swordsman |

"Yes, Sect Leader!" the disciple nodded breathlessly. "She is safe and sound and is waiting in the front courtyard!"

"Hahaha!" Elder Jianxin Li Qingyang slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, almost jumping with excitement. "Heaven bless Qingcheng! Heaven bless the righteous path! Miss Meng has actually returned on her own!"

The elders all breathed a sigh of relief, their gloomy expressions vanishing. Some even whispered among themselves, "It seems the Righteous Alliance traitors changed their minds midway, allowing Miss Meng to escape!"

However, Master Yuxu did not laugh.

His brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and the initial elation in his eyes was quickly replaced by doubt.

"No..." he murmured, "Last night I witnessed Situ Changkong and the Red Lotus Demon abduct Situ Meng. Judging from the power they displayed, few in the world could rival them!"

After speaking, he immediately stood up, seemingly more eager to find out who had saved Situ Meng than to ensure her safety.

Then, Master Yuxu sped out, his white robes fluttering like a flowing cloud.

The elders behind them exchanged bewildered glances and hurriedly followed.

The morning light slanted down the stone steps in the front yard, casting long, slender shadows of the three people.

Shen Mo stood in the center, his black robes flowing down his back, his expression as calm as an ancient well; Situ Meng wore an indigo coarse cloth dress, her hair slightly disheveled, but her eyes were clear and bright; Li Fanglin stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes as cold and sharp as knives. The three stood silently, like a frozen scroll of a martial arts world.

The sound of footsteps grew louder as they approached, like the wind rustling through the forest.

Master Yuxu, his white robes fluttering, moved with the grace of a crane, and quickly arrived before the three. His gaze was urgent, passing over Shen Mo and Li Fanglin, and landing directly on Situ Meng.

"Miss Meng!" His voice trembled slightly, filled with the excitement of surviving a disaster. "Are you...are you alright? Are you injured?"

Situ Mengjian recognized him as the leader of Qingcheng Sect and quickly stepped forward to bow, saying, "Master Yuxu, I am fine. Thank you for your concern."

Master Yuxu looked her up and down and saw that although she looked tired, she had no external injuries and her breathing was steady. A great weight was finally lifted from his heart.

He let out a long sigh, flicked his whisk, and asked again, "Situ Changkong and the Red Lotus Demon are ruthless. How exactly did you escape?"

Upon hearing this question, Situ Meng blushed slightly and looked at Shen Mo with some difficulty.

Shen Mo stepped forward calmly, cupped his hands and said, "Senior Yu Xu, last night I happened to be tracking the thieves of the Righteous Alliance here. I saw Miss Situ being held hostage, so I took advantage of their unpreparedness and launched a sneak attack from the shadows. I managed to defeat them and rescue Miss Situ."

He spoke calmly, as if he were merely recounting a trivial matter.

Upon hearing this, Situ Meng's eyes flickered slightly, and she couldn't help but look at Shen Mo.

—A sneak attack?

She was startled.

Last night, it was clearly Shen Mo who, masked, ambushed me head-on with overwhelming strength and saved me with his power!

But then she thought about it again and immediately understood—

Shen Mo was disguised and wearing a mask at the time, clearly not wanting to reveal his identity.

Now, facing the Qingcheng Sect leader and many elders, if he were to openly admit that he had directly confronted Situ Changkong and the Red Lotus Demon, wouldn't that be revealing his superior strength and arousing suspicion?

A warmth spread through her heart, and a slight smile played on her lips. She remained silent, only whispering, "Young Master Shen is absolutely right. If he hadn't appeared in time, I would have already…"

She didn't say anything more, but everyone already understood.

Master Yuxu did not believe it entirely.

As a grandmaster of a sect, how discerning was he? He carefully examined Shen Mo—this man was no more than twenty years old, with a handsome face and an aloof temperament. He seemed ordinary, but his eyes were as deep as an abyss, as if they held a thousand mountains and rivers.

More importantly, he was able to successfully rescue people despite the combined efforts of Situ Changkong and the Red Lotus Demon. Even if it was a sneak attack, what kind of agility and courage would that require?

"A sneak attack..." Master Yuxu repeated in a low voice, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, then he smiled, "Never mind. No matter what method is used, rescuing Miss Meng is a great achievement. On behalf of the Qingcheng Sect, I thank you for your help, young hero!"

He solemnly cupped his hands, bowing to an unknown young man with the dignity of a sect leader.

The elders behind him were all startled, but none of them dared to speak.

Although they had doubts, seeing their sect leader's attitude, they could only clasp their hands in greeting.

Just then, Li Fanglin stepped forward, his voice cold and stern: "Senior Yuxu, we are here on the orders of the Martial Arts Alliance Leader to escort Situ Meng back to the Martial Arts Alliance. We have come to say goodbye."

Master Yuxu frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly said, "Since Miss Meng was invited by my Qingcheng Sect to assist in the investigation of the 'ghostly' matter, and some progress has already been made, why not wait until the matter is clarified before setting off?"

Shen Mo nodded slightly upon hearing this. He knew that Master Yuxu's actions were both to save face for Qingcheng and to use Situ Meng's name to stabilize the morale of the sect.

Situ Meng nodded and said, "What you say is absolutely right. Now that I'm here, I should do my part."

Li Fanglin snorted coldly, but did not object.

......

That night, the moonlight was like a ribbon, and mist swirled deep within Qingcheng Mountain. Ancient trees reached for the sky, their branches swaying and dancing like ghosts.

Sure enough, just after midnight, strange phenomena reappeared—the bell tower rang without wind, and the eaves bells chimed in unison; a sound like a woman's low weeping came from the ancient well in the back mountain, and a chilling aura emanated from it; and some disciples exclaimed in surprise that they saw a white shadow pass through the forest and land without a trace.

The entire Qingcheng Sect was on high alert, with the nine elders each guarding their key positions. They unleashed talismans, thunder magic, and sword formations, but they were still unable to capture the true form of the "ghostly figure."

Deep within the medicinal herb garden on the back mountain, the withered branches of an ancient osmanthus tree, like claws, twisted and reached towards the sky, as if silently accusing the strange activity underground. According to Situ Meng's investigation over this period, the ghostly incidents originated in this vicinity.

At this moment, Shen Mo stood under the tree with his eyes slightly closed. The demonic energy surged from his dantian like an undercurrent. The energy spread out quietly like a net in the deep sea, seeping into the soil, roots, and decaying leaves, sensing every subtle spiritual fluctuation.

suddenly--

He frowned, his eyes snapped open, and a cold glint flashed in them!

"There!" he shouted, his figure darting out like a hawk.

The crowd followed closely behind, and they saw him stop in front of a withered old osmanthus tree, slamming his right palm into the ground!

"boom--!"

With a muffled thud, the earth exploded, sending shards of stone flying! A beam of eerie green light shot upwards from the ground, like a gushing spring, casting an strange blue glow upon the surrounding trees. As the dust settled, a Ganoderma lucidum was revealed—its entire body was a jade-green, its cap unfolding like lotus petals, its edges shimmering with a pale blue halo. Its slender yet upright stem seemed to be carved from a single piece of jade. Even more strangely, it trembled slightly, as if breathing, its surrounding air swirling, a faint hum emanating from within, as if telling of a thousand years of loneliness and resentment.

"This is... the 'Azure Netherworld Herb'?!" Master Yuxu gasped, his white beard trembling slightly, his eyes filled with shock. "A legendary herb that grows only once every thousand years at the confluence of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, capable of triggering wondrous phenomena?! It... has actually appeared in my Qingcheng?!"