Sect Master, Please Restrain Yourself

Lu Yuan liked to think things over before acting.

One could say he was timid, but he preferred to call it "cautious courage." The path of keeping a low profile was the true path.

Yun Yun was certain to be included in the Fortune Catalog. He had long been thinking about playing the hero and saving the beauty, and had considered the various mishaps that might arise.

To that end, he had made thorough preparations: pills of all kinds to conceal his presence, clothing suited for hiding, and so on.

He had even ridden Xiao Lan around the area beforehand to scout out escape routes.

After traveling through the mountain forest for over two hours and successfully avoiding several groups of third- and fourth-order magical beasts searching for Yun Yun along the way, Lu Yuan rode the Earth Nether Rock Turtle back to the hidden valley Xiao Yi Xian had discovered.

The Azure-Feathered Flame Snake was the first to notice the commotion and passed word to Qing Lin. She immediately set aside the meat congee she was cooking and ran over, saying joyfully, "Young master, you're back!"

Not far away, Xiao Yi Xian, who was preparing a fish, looked up at the sound. Her gaze swept over Lu Yuan, and once she saw that he appeared unharmed and his breathing was steady, her tension immediately eased.

"Qing Lin was riding the Purple Nether Flame Snake when she discovered that large numbers of magical beasts had gone on a rampage deep in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, enough to form a small beast tide. We were all worried," Xiao Yi Xian said, her gaze as gentle as her voice.

"I'm fine." Lu Yuan reached out and pinched Qing Lin's nose, then took her hand and walked toward Xiao Yi Xian. "There wasn't a beast tide deep in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, but the situation was even more terrifying. A sixth-order magical beast had flown into a rage."

With that, Lu Yuan recounted what had happened deep in the mountain range.

In short, a mysterious female Dou Huang expert had fought the Amethyst Winged Lion King. Its hardest horn had been severed, sending it into a fury.

In the end, the female Dou Huang had been gravely injured and her cultivation sealed. By a stroke of luck, he had saved her and hidden her somewhere reasonably safe.

After listening, Zhang Qingqing analyzed the situation. "The Dou Huang experts in the Jia Ma Empire can be counted on one hand, and Yun Yun is the only female Dou Huang known to the public."

"The Yun surname belongs to the direct line of the Misty Cloud Sect. The previous sect master, Yun Shan, and the current sect master, Yun Yun, are both named Yun."

"This Yun Zhi you mentioned, Xiao Yuan, is either Yun Yun using an alias or a Dou Huang secretly nurtured by the Misty Cloud Sect."

"That's what I thought too." Lu Yuan took a sip of the water Qing Lin handed him. "Either way, this is a rare opportunity. I intend to take it and have the Misty Cloud Sect owe me a favor."

"Then, as long as the Misty Cloud Sect remains neutral in the future, my Lu Clan won't have to fear the Mo Clan if we face them."

The Mo Clan was known as the foremost of the four great clans of the Northeastern Province and held most of its resources, but its strongest members were only Dou Ling.

Without the Misty Cloud Sect backing the Mo Clan, many clans would have no reason to fear them.

"You plan to go back and stay with that Dou Huang?" Zhang Qingqing understood Lu Yuan's intentions and could not help frowning. "It's too risky."

"If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch its cubs?" Lu Yuan's gaze was firm. "Don't worry, Aunt Qing. I'm confident nothing will go wrong, and Yun Zhi promised to repay me once she recovers.

"A promise from a Dou Huang expert is absolutely worth the gamble."

"Can't you bring that Dou Huang back here?" Xiao Yi Xian asked.

"No." Lu Yuan shook his head. "She's injured, and the smell of blood on her won't be easy to conceal. Besides, the seal the Amethyst Winged Lion King left inside her might also give her away."

"That underground cavern is a good place. I've already used all kinds of methods to conceal her presence."

"If I go back now and she still hasn't been discovered, then she probably won't be found easily."

"If she has already been discovered, I'll come straight back."

Seeing that Lu Yuan had made up his mind, Qing Lin immediately said, "Young master, I'll go with you!"

"No." Lu Yuan refused at once and said sternly, "More people would only make us easier to discover. You should all stay here. Qing Lin, you can control the Azure-Feathered Flame Snake now. That's enough to protect yourselves in these secluded mountains, a fair distance from the inner region."

Seeing the determination in Lu Yuan's eyes, Qing Lin remained worried, but chose to obey. "Then, young master, you must be careful."

Seeing this, Xiao Yi Xian did not try to dissuade him either. She simply took some bottles and jars from her Storage Ring. "These poisons, sedatives, bone-dissolving powder, and other things can threaten the life of a third-order magical beast. Take them with you."

Lu Yuan accepted them without ceremony and smiled. "Thanks, Xian'er."

"If you want to thank me, come back safe and sound as soon as you can." Xiao Yi Xian's eyes held boundless tenderness.

"Don't worry." Lu Yuan leaped back onto the Earth Nether Rock Turtle's shell and waved to the three women. "I'll be back in seven days at most."

After bidding the three women farewell, Lu Yuan patted the Earth Nether Rock Turtle's shell. "Let's go."

The Earth Nether Rock Turtle immediately set off across the ground, climbing straight up any mountainside in its path.

In the blink of an eye, another two hours passed.

In the narrow underground cavern, the only light came from a moonstone Lu Yuan had left behind, casting a soft, pale-white glow.

Yun Yun lay on a blanket nearby, covered by the outer robe Lu Yuan had left her. She repeatedly tried to break through the Amethyst Winged Lion King's seal, only to find that she was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree.

That purple energy barrier was like an invisible dome, sealing all the Dou Qi in her body deep within her dantian.

Being unable to summon her Dou Qi was one thing, but she was also gravely injured and had only just had medicine applied to her wounds. Although the pills she had swallowed were beginning to take effect, she still found it difficult to move even a finger. Her elbows and knees were even weaker, and she could not so much as prop herself up.

That helpless feeling of having lost her strength made her deeply uncomfortable.

As the Misty Cloud Sect Master and a Dou Huang expert who ordinarily stood above ten thousand people, she had never experienced anything like this. She had never even imagined that one day she would lie so powerless and helpless in an enclosed cave, unable even to turn over.

All manner of beast roars kept filtering down into the earth and reaching her ears, leaving her terribly anxious. She feared that at any moment a magical beast would break through the ground and find her.

Yun Yun closed her eyes and forced herself to steady her heartbeat.

All she hoped for now was for Lu Yuan to return quickly. At least then she would not be facing all this alone.

Time stretched out in the darkness. After an unknown length of time, Yun Yun felt a gradually growing pressure in her lower abdomen.

How many years has it been since I last felt this? Yun Yun's delicate brows knitted slightly.

Once cultivators reached the level of a high-level Dou Ling, they could directly draw on the natural energy of the same attribute as their Dou Qi.

A Dou Huang like her could call on large amounts of external energy of the same attribute to accomplish certain things.

For example, she could use wind-attribute energy to wash her body and obliterate any filth.

But now, she could not stir even a trace of Dou Qi. She had to use the most primitive method to relieve herself.

What do I do!?

As time passed, her urge to urinate grew stronger. Yun Yun's cheeks burned, and she was mortified and furious enough to die.

She was the dignified Misty Cloud Sect Master, yet here she lay on the ground, unable to move or even take care of her bodily needs.

If she could not hold it in, she might have to relieve herself in her current position.

If that happened, she would rather die.

Someone, save me!

Yun Yun thought in a panic.

The young man's face involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

Only then did she belatedly realize that she had not even asked his name.

What do I do!?

Just then, the first level of the cavern suddenly began to shake.

Yun Yun's pupils contracted, and she looked in that direction.

"Who is it!?"