NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15: Warning
Chapter 15: Warning
By the time Ji Wutong returned, it was already the middle of the night.
As soon as she vaulted over the wall and landed in the courtyard, she was startled to find that Lin Mu was still waiting for her inside the house.
“Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
After entering the house, Ji Wutong added some firewood to the stove and then asked softly, “Were you waiting for me?”
“Mm!” Lin Mu nodded.
Though his words were few, the affirmative response warmed Ji Wutong’s heart.
“How did the investigation go? Any leads on that traitor?”
“I’ve got some clues~”
Ji Wutong sat beside Lin Mu, poured herself a cup of hot tea, and began recounting the day’s events.
After following that person, she had left Yanshan City and arrived at a small village nestled in a mountain valley.
This was a stronghold of the Demon Sect’s disciples.
Every man, woman, and child in the village was a member of the Demon Sect.
Fearing exposure, Ji Wutong did not continue tailing the person after they entered the village. Instead, she sought out a few trusted Demon Sect elders and explained the danger she was in.
Upon hearing this, the elders were furious and tried to persuade Ji Wutong to relocate and hide elsewhere, but she firmly refused.
Left with no choice, the elders agreed to help investigate which elder was responsible for that village.
Moreover, since the person had been needled by Lin Mu, they would likely seek medical help in the coming days due to unbearable pain—perhaps even turning to the Demon Sect traitor for aid.
Thus, they would continue tracking this person. Any news would be immediately relayed to Ji Wutong as an added precaution.
“In that case, I can rest easy!”
Lin Mu nodded and let out a long sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, inside the Gu family residence…
A hunched figure, clad in black night attire and wearing a veil, sprinted across the rooftops with two kitchen knives in hand.
It was none other than the notorious bandit Old Man Li, acting under Lin Mu’s instructions.
After some searching, he finally located Elder Ku Die’s bedroom. Without hesitation, he stomped down with his right foot, shattering the roof and dropping into the room.
At that moment, Elder Ku Die was about to undress for bed when she was suddenly ambushed, sending her into a rage.
She instantly drew the sword from its rack and engaged Old Man Li in battle.
“Perverted thief, die!”
Elder Ku Die roared angrily, her sword flickering like a silver serpent as it stabbed toward Old Man Li from various tricky angles.
“You old nun, stop spouting nonsense!”
Old Man Li’s two kitchen knives whirled, deflecting every thrust of her sword.
“At your age, what pervert would even look your way?”
“If my wife heard you say that, she’d skin me alive!”
Seizing an opening, Old Man Li slashed through Elder Ku Die’s robe with one of his knives.
Had Elder Ku Die not dodged in time, the blade would have severed her left arm.
A moment later, the outer robe fell away, revealing the undergarments beneath, much to Elder Ku Die’s humiliation.
Fortunately, it was the dead of winter—otherwise, she would have been exposed.
Just then, a mocking laugh came from the side.
“Hahahaha, Elder Ku Die, at your age, you still enjoy playing these kinds of games with your lover?”
“Xianyun, what nonsense are you spouting? Hurry up and help!”
Elder Ku Die turned toward Xianyun and Yehe, urgently calling for assistance.
“No, no—what is improper must not be seen!”
Yehe, the monk, clasped his hands together and turned away.
Elder Xianyun, however, had no such reservations and immediately leapt into the fray.
Old Man Li, Elder Ku Die, and Elder Xianyun were all second-rank martial artists.
In a one-on-one fight, Old Man Li feared no one and could even gain the upper hand.
But fighting two at once was beyond his strength.
Still, his objective here had already been accomplished.
With a slash, he forced both of them back and said coldly, “Listen well, you old nun—today was just a warning. If you dare plot against the Benevolent Clinic again, don’t blame me for splitting your skull open!”
With that, Old Man Li flipped back onto the roof and vanished into the night.
As a seasoned bandit, lightness skill was his specialty—there was no way the others could catch him.
Besides, Elder Xianyun had no intention of pursuing him.
“Elder Ku Die, what is the meaning of this?”
Elder Xianyun blocked her path, holding a horsetail whisk, and demanded sternly, “You made a move against the Benevolent Clinic?”
Meanwhile, Yehe, who had earlier claimed “what is improper must not be seen,” now stood behind Elder Ku Die with a smile.
“Please, honored nun, give the two of us an explanation.”
“This…” Elder Ku Die was at a loss for words.
The day before, Elder Xianyun had already clarified that Ji Wutong was the daughter of an old friend—not the Demon Sect’s Holy Maiden.
Yehe had also vouched for this.
Yet she had still contacted a Demon Sect traitor to probe the situation in secret.
If Elder Xianyun found out, it would surely damage their relationship.
At the same time, Elder Ku Die was deeply puzzled.
How had the Benevolent Clinic discovered that the Demon Sect agent had been sent by her?
But now was not the time for contemplation.
After stammering for a long while, she finally explained, “I was merely curious about how the Benevolent Clinic gained such fame in Yanshan City.”
“Besides, don’t you find it strange?”
“The Benevolent Clinic actually has a second-rank martial artist hiding there—that’s no small matter!”
“What’s so strange about it?” Elder Xianyun snorted. “The Benevolent Clinic is the secluded residence of Lin Hetong, the peerless master of medicine and martial arts!”
“It’s only natural that some in the martial world, grateful for his kindness, would protect it in secret.”
“Out of respect for our shared service under His Highness Prince Qi, I’ll give you a friendly warning—stay far away from that place!”
“The Demon Sect is the Demon Sect, and the Benevolent Clinic is the Benevolent Clinic!”
“Lin Hetong, the peerless master of medicine and martial arts,” was the title the old clinic master had gone by before his seclusion.
Disturbing his retirement would have unthinkable consequences.
Elder Ku Die was stunned by this revelation.
So that was why Elder Xianyun had sent his old friend’s daughter to the Benevolent Clinic for treatment—there had been this hidden connection all along.
“Many thanks for the warning, Daoist!”
Elder Ku Die bowed gratefully, inwardly relieved.
“Keep this to yourself—don’t spread it around!”
“Otherwise, not even we can save you.”
Elder Xianyun snorted coldly, issuing another warning.
He had already guessed Lin Mu’s intention in sending Old Man Li—to pressure Elder Ku Die through him and Yehe, thereby shielding Ji Wutong’s identity.
It seemed their suspicions were correct: Ji Wutong truly was the Demon Sect’s Holy Maiden.
Otherwise, Lin Mu would never have gone to such lengths.
“Divine Physician Lin, you’ve got quite the nerve!”
“Letting the Demon Sect’s Holy Maiden live in your house—could it be you’ve taken a fancy to that woman?”
After Elder Ku Die left, Xianyun and Yehe exchanged glances, their expressions full of resignation.
Repaying a life-saving favor was no easy task!