"Ah?!" The moment Xu Yinyin heard the words "assassination," her heart felt as if someone had seized it in a crushing grip, and it leaped into her throat! Almost without thinking, she dashed to Yang Ning's side and grabbed his wrist. A faint wisp of True Qi slipped from her fingertips as she began examining his condition.
"Don't worry. Boss Yang wasn't injured." Seeing this, Dong Xiaojie hurried to explain.
Only after hearing her explanation did Xu Yinyin's taut nerves relax a little. Even so, she didn't release Yang Ning's wrist. She examined him carefully, again and again, and only truly relaxed once she confirmed there were no signs of poison or internal injuries in his body.
Yang Ning's pulse felt rather strange to her. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was... missing, as if it had been forcibly stripped away. Overall, though, his condition was stable, and there was nothing seriously wrong.
Watching Xu Yinyin remain so tense and refuse to let her guard down even after hearing her assurance, Dong Xiaojie couldn't help feeling even more worried about her own master's future "competition."
She unfolded the handkerchief on the counter, revealing a slender needle black from end to end. "This is the poisoned Silver Needle the assassin shot at him. Junior Disciple Xu, since you're with the Law Enforcement Hall, this matter should, by the rules, be handled by your hall. I'm formally handing this important piece of evidence over to you now."
Xu Yinyin looked at the Poison Needle, its surface glinting with a cold, sinister light, and unconsciously clenched both hands into fists. Her knuckles turned faintly white with the force.
She immediately took a specially made leather case for preserving evidence from her Storage Bag. With practiced movements, she used tweezers to carefully place the handkerchief and needle inside, then closed the lid and put it away.
After securing the evidence, Xu Yinyin's expression turned solemn. She bowed deeply to Dong Xiaojie in a formal salute and said with heartfelt sincerity, "Thank you, Senior Disciple Dong! I'll remember your kindness in coming to our aid! If you ever need anything, Junior Disciple Xu will spare no effort to help you!"
Dong Xiaojie hurried forward and helped Xu Yinyin up with both hands. "Junior Disciple Xu, there's no need for that. Please, get up!" She glanced at Yang Ning beside her and spoke gently. "Boss Yang and I are friends. Looking out for each other is only natural between friends. I hardly deserve such a grand gesture from you."
Xu Yinyin realized that she might have reacted a little too strongly. Her face warmed, and she hurriedly added, "Boss Yang is an Advisor to our Law Enforcement Hall, and his position is a special one. As a member of the hall, it's my duty to protect his safety and uncover the truth. So, on behalf of the Law Enforcement Hall, I'd like to express my deepest gratitude for Senior Disciple Dong's courageous intervention!"
Dong Xiaojie nodded and said no more, instead reminding her, "Although the assassin has already fled, there's no telling whether he'll return or whether he has accomplices. I'll leave Boss Yang's safety in your hands tonight, Junior Disciple Xu."
Xu Yinyin immediately straightened up and cupped her hands, her tone resolute. "Don't worry, Senior Disciple Dong! As long as I'm here, I won't let any scoundrel get within a step of Boss Yang! I'll protect him, no matter what!"
Dong Xiaojie nodded with satisfaction, then cupped her hands toward Yang Ning. "Boss Yang, I'll take my leave."
Yang Ning returned the salute. "Take care, Senior Disciple Dong. Thank you."
Then Dong Xiaojie opened the shop's wooden door. Amid the crisp, melodious chime of the wind bell, her figure melted into the night outside.
Once Dong Xiaojie had left the grounds of the Myriad Things Come shop, she instinctively wiped her smooth forehead with her sleeve. As she walked toward the gate of Jade Maiden Peak, she muttered under her breath, her voice carrying the exhausted relief of someone finally released from a burden:
"Today... was just too much to take in. The pressure... was simply too great..."
She summoned her Sword Light and soon returned to the gate of Jade Maiden Peak. Yet just as she landed and sheathed her sword, preparing to head back to her residence, she spotted a tall, slender figure standing silently in the shadow of the enormous stone stele beside the gate.
Dong Xiaojie's heart gave a sudden lurch. She approached with reluctance, bracing herself, then respectfully cupped her hands toward the figure. "Senior Sister, I'm back."
In the moonlight, the woman turned around. She wore an unadorned, pure-blue martial outfit, and her shoulder-length hair gave her a neat, brisk appearance. Her brown eyes were calm as still water. Though she was a female cultivator, she wore no hairpins, jade pendants, or other ornaments. Her whole bearing was capable and stern. She was none other than the Eldest Senior Sister of Jade Maiden Peak, the woman most revered and trusted by every female cultivator on the entire peak—Ouyang Biting.
"Junior Sister, come up the mountain with me."
Ouyang Biting turned and stepped onto the stone stairs.
Inside the Myriad Things Come shop, after Dong Xiaojie left, the atmosphere seemed to relax all at once. Yang Ning walked to the door and gently flicked the iron wind bell hanging there. It was still swaying slightly, and rang out with a crisp series of jingles.
"Did you hang this up today?" He turned to look at Xu Yinyin.
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