Heaven Has Been Kind to Me and Emei!

A moment later, after Gu Shaoan set down his teacup, he poured two fresh cups of tea and handed them to Miejue and Zhou Zhiruo.

Holding her teacup, Zhou Zhiruo couldn't help asking, "Junior Brother, what were you doing just now?"

Gu Shaoan replied, "Checking whether there was anything wrong with the tea."

Zhou Zhiruo seemed to realize what he meant. "Junior Brother, were you checking whether someone had poisoned the tea? Senior Sister said that a silver needle was best for testing for poison. Why did you use those powders?"

Gu Shaoan shook his head. "Silver needles can only detect a few common substances. There are countless medicines in the world, and a silver needle can't detect them all. I made these powders myself. Apart from a few unusual poisons, they can identify most of them."

Miejue asked, "Where did you get these powders, Shaoan?"

Gu Shaoan answered honestly, "I made them from medicinal ingredients I found in the medicine storehouse on the mountain."

After his secondary profession as a physician reached the advanced level, Gu Shaoan had not only made great strides in medicine; some prescriptions had also appeared in his mind.

The powders he had just used were made according to those prescriptions.

"You made them yourself?"

Gu Shaoan nodded. "An elder in my family is skilled in medicine. I studied under them for two years when I was younger, so I know a little about medicinal ingredients and medical theory."

Miejue nodded. "No wonder you know the body's meridians at such a young age. You studied medicine before."

Then Miejue looked at Zhou Zhiruo.

"Zhiruo, you have a simple heart. This is your first time traveling beyond home, and you don't know how dangerous the jianghu can be. Remember, one of the most common ways those treacherous people in the jianghu harm others is with poison."

"Poison is hard to guard against. And as a woman, you must be especially careful."

"If you let your guard down and fall into their hands, you may be subjected to torments worse than death."

Although Zhou Zhiruo had joined the Emei Sect, she had previously been no more than an ordinary girl from an ordinary family.

She knew nothing of the depths of human cruelty.

But Zhou Zhiruo was good-natured and obedient. Even though she didn't understand Miejue's words just then, she still committed them to memory.

Then Miejue looked at Gu Shaoan. "Yunlai Inn belongs to the Emei Sect, and the people who run it are ours. Do you still think there might be poison in this tea?"

Gu Shaoan paused briefly before answering seriously, "It's always better to be extra cautious."

"Well said!"

Miejue smiled with approval.

"Evil people are vicious and stop at nothing. Though this inn is managed by our people, you can never know what's in someone's heart. Someone who has been away from home for a long time might be bought off."

"We of the righteous sects must not commit evil, but we must never let our guard down either, lest we fall victim to a villain's schemes."

As she spoke, Miejue looked at Gu Shaoan with approval and warmth.

The longer she spent with Gu Shaoan, the more she felt that her disciple was exceptional.

He was gifted, yet still diligent.

He was compassionate and just, yet knew to guard against the wickedness in people's hearts.

Just then, Gu Shaoan put away the medicine pouch he'd taken out earlier, then pulled a folded sheet of paper from his robe and handed it to Miejue.

Miejue took it and unfolded it. It was a prescription.

"Master, the senior and junior sisters in the sect often need to travel. With this powder, we can reduce the chance of them being secretly poisoned by petty villains."

As his master, Miejue wasn't someone who coveted her disciple's possessions.

But as Gu Shaoan had said, this prescription could greatly reduce the chance of Emei disciples being poisoned. It was tremendously useful.

After hesitating for a moment, Miejue accepted the prescription.

Powder like Gu Shaoan's, which could identify whether someone had been poisoned, was valuable. Yet he hadn't hesitated to give her the method for making it.

Miejue had never imagined that in this life, she would receive such an excellent disciple.

"Heaven has been kind to me and Emei!"

Then Miejue explained to Gu Shaoan and Zhou Zhiruo what they needed to avoid and guard against when traveling away from home.

She covered everything in great detail, often drawing on her own experiences.

Some of the incidents she'd recounted had been harrowing. Zhou Zhiruo's little face had paled as she listened.

From time to time, Miejue posed questions to gauge how Gu Shaoan and Zhou Zhiruo would react.

When they answered correctly, she praised them without reservation.

When they were wrong, she explained why.

She wanted them to understand what was evil and what was good in the jianghu.

A master was both a teacher and a parent.

To set an example as a teacher meant that what one imparted to one's disciples wasn't limited to martial arts.

It also included how to conduct oneself, how to treat others, and how to survive.

By turning the lessons of her own life and experience into guidance, she could teach her disciples how to make their way in the world.

For Gu Shaoan and Zhou Zhiruo, Miejue was, at present, a fine teacher indeed.

The next day.

At noon.

In the inn, Gu Shaoan, Zhou Zhiruo, and Ding Minjun each sat on a stool, eyes closed as they practiced.

Miejue was also sitting cross-legged on the bed. Her breathing seemed faint, but in truth, she had reached a high level of mastery in her inner cultivation.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Just then, three quick knocks followed by a pause sounded outside the door.

"Come in. The door's unlocked."

Miejue's voice was calm and light.

As soon as she spoke, the door swung open.

Master Juechen hurried into the room. After sweeping her gaze around, she strode up to Miejue.

"Sect Leader, we've finished investigating. All the bandits outside Yushan City are on Heimu Mountain, twenty li from the city."

"This bandit gang formed six months ago. In that short time, they've made a habit of robbing and killing travelers and merchant caravans around Yushan City."

"Last night, I and several elders sneaked in to investigate. There are two hundred and twenty-one people in the stronghold, along with dozens of women."

"All those women were abducted by the bandits and are being held on the mountain for their amusement."

Though Juechen put it delicately, Miejue knew exactly what "for their amusement" meant.

When she learned that the bandits were keeping the women they'd abducted on the mountain to torment them, Miejue's face turned icy.

"A pack of beasts. They deserve to die."

A cold glint flashed in Juechen's eyes as well. She, too, was clearly intent on killing them.

"Here's a map of the bandits' stronghold."

As she spoke, Master Juechen took a scroll of hide from her robe. A map had been drawn on it in charcoal, with the number of people inside some of the buildings marked down as well.

It wasn't as detailed as a military map, but it was straightforward enough to understand at a glance.

After carefully committing the map to memory, Miejue set it aside and asked, "When do you think we should strike?"

Miejue replied calmly, "These people dare to run amok on Emei's territory. How could we let them live another day? Pass the word down: have the disciples move out at the dead of night."

"I'll notify them right away."

With that, Juechen turned and left at once, without the slightest hesitation.