A Scheme in the Open (Happy Dragon Boat Festival)

The sky was covered in dark clouds, a gray expanse radiating an eerie aura. The air was thick with a suffocating pressure that weighed heavily on the chest.

A howling wind whipped up fallen leaves and dust from the ground, sending them swirling into the sky. A travel-worn caravan of horses appeared on the horizon.

As the caravan drew closer, Li Mu's expression turned solemn. The junior brothers and sisters behind him were infected by the oppressive atmosphere, not daring to utter a single word.

Frankly speaking, Li Mu had no desire to be in the spotlight at a time like this. Wearing mourning clothes to welcome the sect elders' "triumphant return"—the mere thought of such an awkward scene was enough to make one want to collapse.

Yet, there was no other way. Grandmaster Liu held a position of supreme status and the highest seniority; naturally, he could not be expected to welcome these juniors. With the few remaining inner-sect seniors still recovering from their injuries, the task fell to him to lead the junior brothers and sisters in this reception.

"Disciple Li Bumu, escorting..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the elder at the front of the caravan interrupted, "The sect has suffered a great disaster; there is no need for these flowery formalities."

Li Mu rolled his eyes inwardly. These were all old traditions of the sect. Had he not lacked the authority to change them, he would have abolished them long ago.

He suspected that the elder who had established these rules never imagined there would be such an awkward occasion.

In truth, Li Mu had already shown some initiative by canceling the welcoming music and pageantry beforehand; otherwise, the scene would have been even more mortifying.

Scolded by the sect elder, Li Mu—who was accustomed to being berated by superiors—remained indifferent, but the junior brothers and sisters behind him were not so resilient. They looked like eggplants withered by frost, and some of the younger ones were on the verge of tears.

"Do not blame them; this matter was difficult for them."

Seeing Ning Qingyu speak as he stepped down from the carriage, Li Mu's expression changed instantly. Only one thought flashed through his mind: The Sect Leader is injured.

Although he had never seen Ning Qingyu fight, Li Mu knew from the glimpse of his power during the Grand Competition that he was one of the world's top-tier experts.

Who could have wounded him so severely?

Li Mu filtered through all the famous experts in the pugilistic world within his mind, yet he could not find a single suspect.

At this point, dwelling on the question was meaningless. Fortunately, this was a wuxia world where the unscientific existence of internal energy allowed for survival; otherwise, in his current state, Ning Qingyu would have already met his end.

Li Mu had not spent the last half-year in vain. He had scanned through almost all the books collected in the Scripture Library, and his insight and knowledge were far beyond what they once were.

However, regarding Ning Qingyu's current condition, Li Mu was helpless.

He could only hope that the sect elders possessed some hidden means to heal such injuries, though the prospect was slim.

His internal organs were failing; this was not something that could be treated with mere pharmacology. Even the legendary heavenly treasures were not known to have such restorative effects.

As for martial arts manuals, the Mount Hua Sect's techniques already placed great emphasis on health preservation, but preservation was not the same as resurrection.

Rummaging through his memories, it seemed only the Kongtong Sect's Seven Injuries Fist, if cultivated to the highest realm and breaking through to the innate stage, could heal such damage.

Clearly, in Ning Qingyu's current physical state, even if the Seven Injuries Fist were placed before him, he could not practice it.

If something were to happen to Ning Qingyu, who else could suppress the conflict between the Sword Sect and the Qi Sect?

Li Mu knew that the Mount Hua Sect was in for major trouble, and he was as well.

His original plan to compete for the position of Sect Leader successor to prevent the Sword-Qi conflict was predicated on Ning Qingyu remaining alive.

Now, he could only hope that Ning Qingyu would hold on for a few more years—ideally until he himself broke through to the pinnacle and possessed the strength to dictate the sect's internal strife.

Sword Qi Soaring Hall

The sect's high-ranking members gathered in the hall. Li Mu also had a seat in the corner, becoming the third person of the "Bu" generation, after Cai and Yao, to be qualified to participate in sect deliberations.

Though his status had risen, Li Mu could not find it in himself to be happy. Whether due to "transferred anger" or conflicts of interest, many elders glared at him with hostility.

Grandmaster Liu briefly recounted the attack on the mountain gate. The crowd gnashed their teeth in hatred toward the traitors, and those with fiery tempers had already begun to curse aloud.

From the head seat, Ning Qingyu waved his hand to signal silence. "Grand Uncle-Master Liu has already clarified the details of the attack; it was primarily due to traitors working from within.

"The urgent priority now is to root out the traitors lurking in the sect. I entrust the investigation to Senior Brother Yang, with Buzhou, Buli, and Bumu assisting.

"Our Mount Hua Sect has always been clear in rewards and punishments. Merit must be rewarded, and faults must be punished. While the attack was aided by traitors, the negligence of the guarding disciples was also a factor.

"Junior Brother Yue, you are in charge of sect discipline; handle this matter and ensure every responsible party is held accountable.

"Junior Brother Feng, please put some effort into the compensation for the fallen and the rewards for those who performed meritorious service. Follow the old sect standards, and ensure that nothing is..."

The swift and decisive setting of the tone gave Li Mu a clearer understanding of Ning Qingyu's prestige within the sect.

He had just seen several elders who wanted to voice objections, especially when he was placed on the investigation team. Several had nearly risen from their seats, only to restrain themselves at the last moment.

Joining the investigation team might seem to offer no immediate benefit, but it was a clear political signal: Li Mu's status in the sect had been elevated to match that of Cai and Yao.

This result was both outside Li Mu's expectations and within them.

His performance during the attack on the mountain gate had been commendable. With hundreds of fellow disciples as witnesses, the merit he had earned could not be erased.

Moreover, he had secured the support of Grandmaster Liu beforehand, who had just explicitly named him as the primary contributor to repelling the Demonic Cult's evildoers.

Given his achievements and strength, an elevation in status was inevitable; he simply hadn't expected it to come so quickly.

In this regard, it was no accident that Ning Qingyu possessed such prestige.

Even when he was calculating, it was a grand, upright strategy that left no room for criticism.

By bringing Li Mu forward at this moment, he not only pacified the emotions of the Sword Sect disciples but also took the opportunity to divide the Sword Sect.

Both disciples were excellent, but there could only be one successor; to support one was to abandon the other. It could be said that he had used this opportunity to bring the internal divisions of the Sword Sect out into the open.

This was not a problem that would be resolved overnight. Once the Sword Sect began to fight internally, they would have no time to cause trouble for him.

By comparison, the situation in the Qi Sect was much better. Although Yao Buzhou was not necessarily the consensus choice, no one more outstanding had emerged from the Qi Sect lineage yet.

Even if some were dissatisfied with Yao Buzhou, they would choose neutrality at a time like this. No matter what, they would not run off to support the successor put forward by the Sword Sect.