Early the next morning.
Li Nanzhu had just finished washing up when the communication jade slip at her waist suddenly vibrated violently.
"Liu Qingyang?" She quickly injected her spiritual energy, and his urgent voice immediately rang out from the slip.
"Junior Sister Li! Sorry I’m only getting back to you now! My old man was called away yesterday on an emergency to handle the business with Mo Lin. The whole Water Moon Sect has been a mess, and I only just found a moment to check my communication jade slip."
Li Nanzhu’s heart skipped a beat. "How are things on your end?"
"Don't even ask!" Liu Qingyang’s voice carried clear exhaustion. "My old man didn't get back until the middle of the night. He said the whole thing is incredibly fishy. I went out of my way to pry some information out of him because I thought you’d need it, so I contacted you as soon as I could this morning."
"Thank you for thinking of us," Li Nanzhu said, feeling a warmth in her heart. "Did you find anything?"
"They say it's exceptionally bizarre!" Liu Qingyang lowered his voice. "My father said someone tampered with Mo Lin’s body. The skin on his chest and back was completely flayed off, as if someone was deliberately trying to hide something."
Li Nanzhu drew in a sharp breath. "Who did it?"
"Unclear. However..." Liu Qingyang paused. "The culprit might have been in too much of a hurry, because they didn't do a perfect job of cleaning it up."
Li Nanzhu’s breathing tightened at his words. She heard him continue.
"He found some residual patterns on the inner side of the corpse's arm and recorded them with a memory stone. I’ll send them over for you to see now."
The jade slip vibrated slightly, and an image made of light projected into the air.
Li Nanzhu stared at the fragmented patterns, her brow furrowed—the lines were too disjointed to make out a complete design.
"Well? Do you recognize them?" Liu Qingyang asked.
Li Nanzhu shook her head. "It’s too blurry. But thank you anyway; this information is very important."
"Don't mention it; we’ve been through life and death together," Liu Qingyang’s tone lightened a bit. "Is everything okay over there? My old man said this probably has nothing to do with the Five Elements Dao Sect. Mo Lin's wicked cultivation technique was obvious to anyone who saw it."
Li Nanzhu breathed a long sigh of relief. "Don't worry, we’re fine here."
"Right," Liu Qingyang suddenly dropped his voice even lower. "You lot should stay on your guard at the residence for a while."
Li Nanzhu’s heart tightened, and her fingers instinctively gripped the jade slip. "What do you mean by that...?"
Liu Qingyang’s voice dropped another notch. "My old man’s face was grim when he returned last night. I overheard him talking to a few elders... they said this whole incident isn't as simple as it looks."
"What did they say specifically?" Li Nanzhu held her breath.
"It’s hard to say for sure," Liu Qingyang spoke faster. "Basically, they think Mo Lin wasn't killed over a grudge. It looked more like..."
"Like what?"
"Like someone was destroying evidence." Liu Qingyang paused. "And my old man specifically mentioned that Senior Brother Mu was the last person to fight Mo Lin. It’s hard to guarantee that no one will try to use this as an excuse to cause trouble."
Li Nanzhu took a deep breath. "I understand. Thank you for the warning."
Liu Qingyang sighed. "There were already undercurrents during this Sect Competition, and now this happened... Just be careful."
"And... did your father say anything else?"
"Just that we shouldn't act alone for the time being." Liu Qingyang hesitated. "By the way... did your residence..."
Li Nanzhu understood. "Yes, we’ve taken some precautions."
"That’s good then." Liu Qingyang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "I knew you’d be prepared, given your personality."
"Thanks to your warning," Li Nanzhu said sincerely. "I won't forget this favor."
"It's nothing," Liu Qingyang laughed. "Once this is over, remember to call Zhu Yinxi and Duan Xianxing. I’m going to make you treat me to a huge meal."
"Definitely." Li Nanzhu smiled as well. "And if you find anything more about those patterns..."
"Don't worry, you’ll be the first to know if I hear anything. And if you find any clues, you have to tell me too." Liu Qingyang suddenly whispered, "I have to hang up, the old man is calling me again. Be careful!"
After ending the transmission, Li Nanzhu hurried out of her room and found Mu Wenyan practicing his swordplay in the courtyard.
"Eldest Senior Brother! Liu Qingyang sent news!"
Mu Wenyan sheathed his sword. "What news?"
Li Nanzhu displayed the image Liu Qingyang had provided. "The residual patterns found on Mo Lin’s body."
Feng Qingping, Zhu Yinxi, and the others gathered around at the sound of her voice. Everyone stared at the fragmented lines with varying expressions.
"They’re too scattered," Feng Qingping frowned. "Is it some kind of ancient rune?"
Duan Xianxing scratched his head. "What can anyone even see in this?"
Li Nanzhu noticed Jiang Yifan’s unusual expression and quickly asked, "Fourth Senior Brother, do you recognize these patterns?"
Jiang Yifan’s brow was tightly knit as his gaze remained locked on the broken lines. "They look somewhat familiar..."
Everyone immediately fell silent, their eyes snapping toward him.
"Where have you seen them?" Feng Qingping asked urgently.
Jiang Yifan thought for a moment longer before finally shaking his head. "The patterns are too fragmented. Not even a single complete line can be pieced together. Even if I have seen them before, I can't confirm their origin like this."
"But at least it's a lead." Li Nanzhu sighed softly and turned to Jiang Yifan. "Fourth Senior Brother, if you remember where these patterns came from, you must tell us immediately."
Jiang Yifan nodded solemnly. "Of course."
Feng Qingping tapped her finger against an array disk. "It’s a pity we aren't at the sect right now, otherwise we could check the records in the Library Pavilion."
"Don't rush just yet," Zhu Yinxi said, twirling his jade flute. "If the investigation yields no results, it won't be too late to check after the Sect Competition is over."
The group fell into a temporary silence.
Suisui crouched on the stone table, its soul fire flickering erratically. Its bone claws occasionally scratched marks into the ground, only to quickly wipe them away.
"Everyone, go back to your cultivation," Feng Qingping said, breaking the silence. "Building up our strength is the most important thing right now."
The following two days were exceptionally quiet at the residence.
Over a hundred memory stones ran day and night, but they captured nothing unusual. Everyone spent their time cultivating and meditating, and the wound on Mu Wenyan’s side gradually healed.
On the morning of the third day, a sharp ringing broke the silence.
"Attention to all disciples of every sect," the voice of a steward of the competition rang out from their communication jade slips. "The restrictions on movement are lifted effective immediately. The Sect Competition will resume tomorrow."
Li Nanzhu had just stepped out of her room when she saw Duan Xianxing standing in the courtyard with a look of disbelief. "The lockdown is over already? They cleared up the matter with Mo Lin?"
Feng Qingping frowned. "That seems a bit too fast."
Zhu Yinxi paused with his jade flute. "Fishy."
Jiang Yifan silently put away his warning artifacts. "There’s a catch."
Mu Wenyan stepped out of his room, his expression calm. "Wait and see."
"Eldest Senior Brother!" Li Nanzhu stepped forward. "What do you think of this?"
"When things are this abnormal, there must be something sinister afoot." Mu Wenyan’s gaze swept over the group. "From today on, no one is allowed to act alone."
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