Murder

Chen Yan knew nothing at all about the white-robed girl before him.

He could only tell from her attire that she was an Inner Sect Disciple—and one of considerable standing at that. Nothing more.

Because whether they were Outer Court Disciples or Inner Sect Disciples, they were ordinarily required to wear the Empty Mountain Sect's standard Daoist robes.

Only those holding positions of deacon rank or above within the sect, or Core Disciples and even Elders' Personal Disciples, could break free from this restriction.

Chen Yan naturally had no desire to take her to the Detention Center.

If there truly was some hidden scheme behind this, and anything happened, then Chen Yan, as the one leading the way, would naturally bear joint responsibility.

Thus, Chen Yan merely stood there without moving. After pondering for a moment longer, he finally spoke:

"May I ask Senior Sister's name, which Inner Sect peak you hail from, and who your master is?"

The white-robed girl said nothing. She simply removed a token from her waist and tossed it to Chen Yan with crisp efficiency.

Chen Yan instinctively caught the token the girl had thrown him. Lowering his head, he focused his eyes beneath the moonlight—

Qingchan Martial Suppression!

It was the token of Qingchan Peak's Martial Suppression Elder.

Of course, Qingchan Peak's Martial Suppression Elder at this time was not yet Lu Li.

He had once heard some anecdotes about the current Martial Suppression Elder of Qingchan Peak. It was said that the elder's surname was Fu, that he was highly revered, and that he was already more than six hundred years old.

Yet for a Spirit 통 Realm cultivator with a lifespan of over a thousand years, Elder Fu was still in the prime of life.

"Lead the way."

The white-robed girl spoke flatly.

"Yes, Senior Sister."

Chen Yan smiled awkwardly and promptly agreed.

Once the Qingchan Martial Suppression Token was produced, Chen Yan had no right to refuse.

The Martial Suppression Elder was an absolute high-level figure in the sect. On Qingchan Peak, his standing was second only to the Sword-wielding Elder and Elder Zhengfa, making him Qingchan Peak's undisputed third most important figure.

For someone to possess Qingchan Peak Martial Suppression Elder's token undoubtedly proclaimed that their status was eminent.

She was likely more than merely a Core Disciple—perhaps an Elder's Personal Disciple, or even something higher.

Chen Yan silently guessed at her identity.

Muttering to himself all the while, he began walking down the mountain.

The white-robed girl followed behind Chen Yan.

Moonlight cast a greenish sheen over the mountain path. The two walked one before the other down the stone steps, their shadows stretching long between the trees.

"Senior Sister, the Outer Court Law Enforcement Hall is just ahead."

Chen Yan stopped, then turned to speak to the white-robed girl.

"To the Detention Center."

The girl said.

"Senior Sister, after the hour of the pig, unrelated disciples are strictly forbidden from approaching the Law Enforcement Hall, so..."

"Is the token of Qingchan Peak's Martial Suppression Elder not weighty enough?"

"Senior Sister naturally may pass unimpeded, but as for me..."

"If you don't want to die, come with me."

The white-robed girl's cool voice spoke with the finality of a nail driven into wood.

Chen Yan's expression stiffened slightly, then he gave an embarrassed smile.

"Senior Sister, there is no need to make things so difficult for an Outer Court Disciple merely leading the way, is there?"

"This isn't making things difficult. It's a warning."

As the words fell, the white-robed girl lifted her fair wrist. Her palm settled upon the sword at her waist, and she began walking slowly toward the Law Enforcement Hall.

Chen Yan watched as the white-robed girl passed by him, the hem of her skirt brushing over the green bricks beneath her feet.

Strange.

A warning for me?

Does someone want to kill me again?

Everything that had happened tonight seemed rather strange.

After hesitating for a while, Chen Yan ultimately chose to follow the white-robed Senior Sister from the Inner Sect.

She did not seem to mean him harm, and under such circumstances, Chen Yan chose to trust her warning.

The Black Iron Gate of the Law Enforcement Hall stood right before them. Under the cold, clear moonlight, the pitch-black iron gate appeared even more frigid.

Before long, Chen Yan noticed something strange: there were no disciples standing guard before the Law Enforcement Hall's gate tonight.

"Do you know that the Outer Court's Detention Center has recently imprisoned a deacon from Shang Gong Hall?"

A deacon?

The position of deacon was hardly a low one in the outer court, ranking only below the outer court Elders and supervisors.

Although Chen Yan had held no interest whatsoever in the affairs of the sect's outer court since his reincarnation, and had never even gone to the Scripture Hall to listen to the teachings, if some outer court deacon had been thrown into the Detention Center, he should at least have heard something about such a major incident.

"I don't know."

Chen Yan answered.

The White-robed Girl said nothing more. She simply pushed open the Black Iron Gate of the Law Enforcement Hall. Half a shadow slanted across the blue bricks on the ground, and then the central courtyard of the Law Enforcement Hall appeared before Chen Yan and the White-robed Girl.

There was no one there. Only a Thousand-Year Ancient Tree stood in the very center of the courtyard, its shadow mottled beneath the moonlight.

Strange.

At this hour, it was perfectly normal for the courtyard to be empty. But coupled with the fact that not a single disciple was standing guard outside the Law Enforcement Hall tonight, it struck Chen Yan as deeply strange.

Beyond the corridor crossing the Law Enforcement Hall's central courtyard lay the outer court's Detention Center.

The outer court's Detention Center had a total of seventy-two cells. Though the outer court had more than twenty-five thousand disciples in all, that was still more than enough.

After all, only disciples who had committed grave offenses would be imprisoned in the Detention Center.

The White-robed Girl raised her hand, her fingertips dancing through the air several times as she muttered an incantation. Then she gave a light tap, and a streak of Clear Light flashed through the air before them.

It was the Spirit Tracing Technique.

Chen Yan recognized the technique the White-robed Girl had cast.

The Spirit Tracing Technique was a common technique widely used throughout the cultivation world. It could determine a person's current precise location based on the characteristics of their qi.

"This way."

The girl quickly reached a conclusion through the Spirit Tracing Technique.

She was facing a cell in the northwest corner of the Detention Center.

The cell door was not locked, but left half-open.

That immediately sent the White-robed Girl's vigilance soaring. Qi began to surge and gather within her Meridians, as though she might draw the sword at her waist at any moment.

Martial Spring Realm.

Judging from the fluctuations of the girl's qi, Chen Yan determined her cultivation level.

At the very least, someone at the Martial Spring Realm possessed qi so abundant that it was on a completely different level from his current Qi Condensation Realm Peak.

The White-robed Girl slowly pushed open the Room Door to the cell. Then her body stiffened, and she stood motionless before the entrance.

"...Senior Sister?"

Chen Yan called out tentatively.

He edged forward a few steps. Looking past the White-robed Girl's back, Chen Yan could make out the rough scene inside the cell—

A chair, a pool of blood, and a corpse with its head severed from its body.

The corpse slumped in the chair still wore an outer court Shang Gong Hall token at its waist, undoubtedly proclaiming its identity.

It was precisely the outer court Shang Gong Hall deacon the White-robed Girl had mentioned earlier.

The White-robed Girl's hand fell from the hilt at her waist, and she slowly turned around.

"I'm returning to Qingchan Peak. Right now."

As the White-robed Girl spoke, her gaze fell upon Chen Yan again.

"You should come back with me for now too. Otherwise, you'll die. You'll definitely die."

Chen Yan's mind raced as he tried to make sense of the situation.

Everything that had happened tonight had come far too suddenly.