Chapter 58: Indecisiveness

“What’s the matter? What happened? Could it be what just occurred…” the elder asked.

“Elder, all I can say now is that Tianyu Mountain is not safe to stay in for long. If you trust me, please, take everyone and leave at once,” Lin Hao replied, his face serious.

The elder hesitated at Lin Hao’s words.

Wu Wen, standing nearby, quickly voiced his agreement, “Elder, since Brother Lin Hao says so, he must have his reasons. For everyone’s sake, we should leave immediately. I trust Brother Lin Hao.”

“That’s right, Elder, let’s leave first. We also trust Brother Lin Hao,” others echoed after Wu Wen spoke.

Only the two who were close to Zhou Yichen looked sullen and kept silent.

As the group voiced their support for Lin Hao, one of the two friends of Zhou Yichen finally stepped forward and said, “No, Elder, we still haven’t found Brother Zhou. We can’t just abandon him and leave.”

When Zhou Yichen was mentioned, Lin Hao’s gaze sharpened as he looked at the speaker.

Without another word, he turned and began making his way toward the outskirts of Tianyu Mountain. “Since everyone’s opinions differ, those who wish to come with me, follow. If you want to stay, I won’t stop you.”

With that, Lin Hao strode off, unburdened.

Wu Wen was the first to follow.

He caught up with Lin Hao and said, “Brother Lin Hao, let’s help you with Brother Mo Ming. It must be exhausting for you to carry him alone.”

When Wu Wen joined, several of his close friends followed as well.

Thus, most of the Qingfeng Sect’s members went with Lin Hao.

The elder stood in place, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. At last, he stepped forward to join Lin Hao. Looking back at the two holdouts, he said, “Let’s leave first and discuss our next steps later.”

He made no mention of Zhou Yichen.

Left alone, the two exchanged glances, hesitated, then gritted their teeth and caught up with the rest, their faces dark and scheming, as if plotting something.

And so, except for those two, everyone from the Qingfeng Sect followed Lin Hao out of Tianyu Mountain.

When the elder caught up, Lin Hao slowed his pace. Once the elder was beside him, he said earnestly, “This time, I’ll trust you. As a disciple of Qingfeng Sect, I believe you wouldn’t endanger us. Let’s leave for now and decide what to do next.”

The elder then stepped forward, frowning as he looked at Mo Ming.

He reached out to feel Mo Ming’s pulse, then turned to Lin Hao and asked, “How was Mo Ming injured? The wound is severe. Set him down so I can stabilize his heart meridian—otherwise, he won’t last until we’re out of Tianyu Mountain.”

At this, Lin Hao stopped and gently placed Mo Ming beneath a tree. Wu Wen and the others helped, watching Mo Ming anxiously.

The elder first gave Mo Ming a healing pill, then sat cross-legged behind him, pressed his palm to Mo Ming’s back, and channeled spiritual energy to clear his heart meridians and ease his internal injuries.

Color gradually returned to Mo Ming’s face.

Lin Hao felt a measure of relief, silently grateful they had encountered the elder. If he’d tried to carry Mo Ming out alone, he might not have made it in time.

With Mo Ming’s condition stabilized, the elder withdrew his spiritual energy and opened his eyes. Lin Hao looked at him gratefully. “Thank you for saving Brother Mo Ming.”

“I’ve only alleviated his injuries for now. He should regain consciousness soon, but I can’t fully heal him at the moment—his wounds are too grave. What exactly happened to you?” the elder asked, troubled. Internally, he was shocked at the severity of Mo Ming’s injuries, and couldn’t help but wonder why Lin Hao was unharmed.

Others, too, looked at Lin Hao with suspicion and surprise.

Meeting their gazes, Lin Hao remained calm. He addressed the elder, “We encountered something strange. It’s a secret about Tianyu Mountain. I ask that you allow me to report everything after we return to the sect.”

The elder’s eyes flickered with mixed emotions, but he nodded. “Very well. Two of you, help Mo Ming, let’s keep moving.”

With orders given, the group helped support Mo Ming and continued toward the exit.

Along the way, they passed members of other sects.

Seeing Qingfeng Sect leaving so soon, some mocked Lin Hao and his companions.

Lin Hao, however, subtly warned them that it would be wise to leave Tianyu Mountain as well. Whether they listened was up to them—he was no saint.

After traveling more than halfway, with the exit almost in sight, they encountered the elder of the Honglian Sect.

Upon seeing Lin Hao, the Honglian elder’s eyes flashed with murderous intent before he sneered at Lin Hao and the Qingfeng elder. “Well, what’s this? Fleeing with your tails between your legs already?”

The Honglian elder’s words darkened the faces of all from Qingfeng Sect.

“Exactly! Who do you think you are, coming into Tianyu Mountain? You should have gone home long ago!”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

“You’re just a pack of stray dogs! Hahaha!” the other Honglian disciples jeered as well.

The Qingfeng disciples glared at the Honglian group, some almost stepping forward to retort.

The elder of Qingfeng Sect, however, stepped forward, composed. “Whether we stay or go is our own affair. Tianyu Mountain doesn’t belong to Honglian Sect. What we do is none of your business.”

He gestured for his disciples to move on.

The Honglian elder was not about to let them go easily. Fixing his gaze on the elder and then on Lin Hao, his eyes gleamed with mockery and malice. “Stray dogs, indeed. You’ve only just entered and already want to leave. You shouldn’t have come in the first place. With your Qingfeng Sect’s feeble strength, stay a few days longer and you’ll all be finished. Looks like you’re already missing someone.”

He glanced over their group. Not seeing Zhou Yichen, he assumed Zhou had been killed by a frenzied beast and mocked them further.

At the mention of Zhou Yichen, Lin Hao’s eyes darkened. He stepped forward and said, “Our sect’s matters are none of your concern. May Honglian Sect find what you desire in Tianyu Mountain.”

A strange, cryptic smile curved Lin Hao’s lips as he spoke.

The Honglian elder’s eyelid twitched, an uneasy premonition rising in his heart. He snapped, “Boy, what do you mean by that?”

“Nothing at all. Just wishing you a safe journey.” With that, Lin Hao turned and led the way, helping Mo Ming along.

The rest of Qingfeng Sect followed, ignoring the Honglian group.

The Honglian elder trembled with rage, pointing after Lin Hao’s retreating figure.

A disciple hurried to comfort him, “Elder, don’t bother with them. Qingfeng Sect is so timid—they must have been frightened by a few beasts. We should keep moving; maybe we’ll find treasure next.”

At last, after half a day’s journey, Lin Hao and the others emerged from Tianyu Mountain. Though there had been barriers on the way in, leaving was smooth, and there were far fewer dangers.

The closer they came to the mountain’s entrance, the more unnaturally still everything seemed. The difference from their arrival was striking, and only once they were outside did everyone finally breathe easy.

No one knew why, but a pall of death seemed to hang over the place.

Outside, representatives from each major sect stood guard.

When they saw people coming out—and realized it was the entire Qingfeng Sect—they hurried forward.

A few from other sects stepped up and asked, “What’s this? Elder, why is all of Qingfeng Sect leaving together? What happened inside?”

“Nothing happened. We have some urgent internal matters to attend to, so we left,” the elder replied, feigning innocence.

No one really believed him.

But since Qingfeng Sect had come out and no other sects had, the rest could only stew in their anxiety and report the news to their own sects.

Some, like the Honglian Sect, mocked them in secret. “Looks like Qingfeng Sect is the weakest. Who knows what scared them inside—they must have run away.”

“Yeah, small sects like that should know their limits. Lucky they all made it out alive.”

“Right? Qingfeng Sect is a joke now. In the cultivation world, they’ll be laughed at for years—they might as well have stayed home,” others said, ridiculing them.

The Qingfeng disciples heard it all.

But, as the elder had instructed before leaving, no one was to reveal what happened inside to outsiders. No matter what the others said, they pretended not to hear.

Led by the elder, they boarded their airship and departed.

As soon as they were on board, Mo Ming, whom Lin Hao had carried the entire way, stirred.

He struggled to move his arm, then slowly opened his eyes.

Lin Hao quickly laid him flat on the airship and stood beside him. “Brother, how do you feel?”