NOVEL NEXT Volume 3 Chapter 46 / Chapter 212: Yiyi, Getting the Point Instantly
In the afternoon, a light snow began to fall, quickly covering the paths in the Yun Residence that the maids and servants had just swept.
The maids, carrying rolls of ancient books, hurried back and forth between the main gate and the main hall.
Yun Yiyi, dressed in a golden, ethereal robe with her feathered sash floating gently behind her as if defying gravity, sat on the main seat in the hall, frowning as she read through the documents the maids had brought from the records hall.
Earlier, during the Wutian Shadowmoon Sword Pavilion incident, she had sent disciples from Yishui Peak to investigate the identities and whereabouts of the 27 inner disciples over the past five days.
She had just received their reports.
According to the statements of those close to the 27 disciples, they had all disappeared the day before the incident—either leaving on missions, going into the mountains to gather herbs, or hunting demonic beasts.
There wasn’t anything particularly suspicious about this, except that these 27 disciples, who should have been in different places, were all found dead at Wutian Shadowmoon Sword Pavilion.
Based on these points, Ye Anping’s conclusion that it was a “group crime” after inspecting the scene seemed correct.
However, the problem lay in this very conclusion.
—Who exactly helped Xue Xinghai kill those 27 inner disciples?
Elder Zhuang was indeed highly suspicious.
But what Yun Yiyi was more curious about was…
—Where did Elder Zhuang find the manpower?
He couldn’t have done it himself; there must have been another force assisting him.
And this force could freely enter and exit the gates of Shadowmoon Sword Sect…
In other words, the people helping Elder Zhuang were likely also disciples of Shadowmoon Sword Sect.
As Yun Yiyi thought of this, she couldn’t help but feel a bit scared.
This whole affair might not just be related to Zhuang Yan; it could involve other Nascent Soul elders of Shadowmoon Sword Sect and even some Core Formation disciples.
As the saying goes, “When one hair is pulled, the whole body moves.”
Yun Yiyi was now worried that if the investigation did reveal that the deaths of those 27 disciples were connected to several elders, how would she deal with it?
“There are currently eight Nascent Soul elders in Shadowmoon Sword Sect. All the Core Formation disciples in total are 421.”
“Then there’s the three inner peaks, with about 30,000 Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining disciples.”
“And finally, the seven outer peaks with over 100,000 Body Tempering disciples.”
Yun Yiyi muttered to herself, then looked up at Ye Anping, who was helping her with the internal affairs of Yishui Peak, and said, “This is the entirety of Shadowmoon Sword Sect.”
Ye Anping, who was focused on his paperwork, paused slightly when he heard this.
He put down his ink brush and looked at Yun Yiyi, noticing a trace of helplessness on her face.
He asked, “Hmm? Miss Yun, why bring this up now?”
“Well…” Yun Yiyi sighed deeply, “I’m worried about the Wutian Shadowmoon Sword Pavilion incident. If the investigation uncovers the involvement of three or four elders, what should I do? I can’t just banish or imprison that many elders, can I?”
“…”
“And they wouldn’t surrender quietly. My father is still in seclusion, and there’s no one to take charge. The Nascent Soul elders won’t submit to a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like me. If they retaliate, even if I win with the help of other elders, the sect would lose half of its Nascent Soul elders and possibly many Core Formation disciples.”
Hearing this, Ye Anping understood the source of her helpless expression.
After hesitating for a moment, he asked, “So, Miss Yun, do you still want to investigate?”
Yun Yiyi remained silent for a while before replying somewhat despondently, “Even if we find out the truth, if we can’t punish them, then what’s the point of investigating?”
She seemed to be in low spirits, so Ye Anping decided to encourage her.
With a slight smile, he picked up the teapot beside him, poured her a cup of tea, and stood up to bring it to her, saying, “But what if this matter concerns the entire Shadowmoon Sword Sect?”
Yun Yiyi tilted her head in confusion, “The entire Shadowmoon Sword Sect?”
“Yes,” Ye Anping nodded. “Elder Zhuang is highly suspicious, but we don’t know why he would kill those 27 disciples. Those 27 disciples all happened to be from the Yun family bloodline. And the most coincidental part… In a few months, Sect Master Yun will come out of seclusion and pass on the sect master position. For Elder Zhuang to act at this critical moment is certainly no coincidence, don’t you think?”
Yun Yiyi listened to Ye Anping’s words, resting her chin on her hand as she pondered for a while.
She then asked, “How should we investigate? Yesterday, I sent someone to find Yun Kunwu, but there’s been no news. I can’t figure out why Elder Zhuang would kill those 27 inner disciples…”
Ye Anping thought for a moment, deciding to give her a push.
He suggested, “In my opinion, he didn’t choose those 27 people at random. There must be something special about them.”
Yun Yiyi furrowed her brows, deep in thought, and suddenly seemed to have an epiphany.
She immediately called out, “Someone, come here!”
At her command, two or three disciples from Yishui Peak hurried in, bowing respectfully. “First Young Mistress, what are your orders?”
Yun Yiyi took out a jade token from her storage pouch and tossed it in front of them. “Take this token and go to the Zhongfeng Records Hall to bring me the Yun family genealogy. But don’t let anyone know that you’re retrieving the Yun family genealogy.”
The disciples hesitated for a moment but then bowed and accepted the order.
They took the token and quickly left the main hall.
Ye Anping watched them leave, silently admiring Yun Yiyi’s quick thinking.
Once she has the Yun family genealogy, she should be able to trace that the 27 deceased disciples were all descendants of her elder brother, Yun Kunwu.
However, Yun Yiyi and her sister Yun Xi only know of him by name, having never met him, and they believe he’s been dead for a long time.
The truth is that their elder brother committed a grave mistake, and Yun Tianchong destroyed his body, imprisoning his soul in the forbidden grounds of Shadowmoon Sword Sect.
Elder Zhuang killed those 27 people to harvest their organs and stitch them together into a powerful corpse, intending to use it to free Yun Kunwu from Yun Tianchong’s imprisonment.
But that revelation would come later.
For now, Ye Anping needed to focus on the present.
Elder Zhuang might send someone to kidnap Yun Yiyi tonight or tomorrow night.
As this thought crossed his mind, Ye Anping glanced out the window at the falling snow in the courtyard.
He said, “Miss Yun, I must excuse myself for a moment.”
“Hmm? Do you need me to accompany you?” Yun Yiyi asked.
“No, I’ll be back shortly.”
“Alright then…” Yun Yiyi paused, then stood up and took out a cloak from her storage pouch.
She walked over and draped it over Ye Anping’s shoulders. “It’s cold outside. Be careful not to catch a chill.”
“Thank you.”
Ye Anping bowed slightly, fastening the cloak’s ties.
He then stepped out of the main hall, taking an umbrella from his storage pouch, and walked out into the snow.