Chapter Sixty-Six: Captured

Qu Yi Qiu gazed southeast, her expression puzzled.

Back then, in order to treat Mu Yunjin’s injuries, Mo Qingli’s cultivation had fallen all the way to the Qi Refining stage. Now, not long after he’d left, he’d already ventured into the territory of the demonic cultivators. Had Mo Qingli stumbled upon another opportunity outside?

"Impossible, impossible! How could he possibly be so fast?!" Qu Yi Qiu shook her head with envy and jealousy, waving her hand to put away the soul lamp. She had planned to enter her inner space to cultivate and check on the state of her Violet Phoenix Fire, but just as her spiritual awareness swept the area, she caught the faintest hint of movement.

Her sensitive ears twitched; she withdrew her consciousness and communicated with Xiao Yan in her mind.

"Xiao Yan, quietly check for me—see if anyone nearby is spying on me."

Xiao Yan’s sleepy eyes fluttered open, her tiny mouth moving, "Yes, Master."

A grayish-white spiritual light, invisible to others, flew from Qu Yi Qiu’s brow and burrowed into the ground.

Qu Yi Qiu sat cross-legged on the bed as if nothing was amiss, slipping into meditation.

Xiao Yan drifted to the inn’s main hall, hiding in the shadows beneath a table, where she saw the innkeeper, Sun Hao, speaking to a man and a young boy.

"Sun Hao, which room is the female cultivator who checked in earlier staying in?" The man wore tight-fitting clothes, looking every inch a household guard. The young boy beside him was the one Qu Yi Qiu had questioned earlier in the day.

Sun Hao, the innkeeper, bowed and scraped before the guard, eager to please. "That female cultivator is staying in Heaven Room C—here's her room token." He produced a badge from his sleeve and handed it over.

The man grinned wickedly. "Are you sure she’s alone? No companions at all?"

Sun Hao nodded and laughed obsequiously, "Absolutely, from the moment she checked in, no one else has visited—she’s definitely alone!"

The boy added with a proud grin, "No need to worry, big brother. When she questioned me earlier, I dusted her with rosemary pollen. If she had companions, they'd have picked up the scent too—I'll spot them at once!"

The man let out a few suppressed laughs, ruffling the boy’s hair. "You little rascal, you really were born for this line of work!"

The boy beamed with pride, his eyes shining in the darkness.

Sun Hao chuckled in a low voice, "Senior Brother, you make your move—I'll keep watch downstairs!"

"Let’s go!" The man turned, taking the boy upstairs with him.

At the same time, Xiao Yan returned to Qu Yi Qiu’s side.

"Senior Brother? Rosemary pollen? So the boy, the Four Directions Inn, and the Hehuan Sect are all in league together."

As far as she knew, rosemary pollen was a favorite tool of the Hehuan Sect. She hadn’t expected to be targeted so soon after arriving—she’d been careless.

Qu Yi Qiu closed her eyes and waited for them to come.

The man in tight clothes took out a wooden tube and blew a stream of white smoke toward her room.

The boy watched proudly. "Big brother, if we take her to Spring Rain House, how many spirit stones will I get as a reward?"

The man carefully put away the tube, smirking, "You’re in luck. Right now, Qu Yi Qiu of the Tianyan Sect is making quite a stir. If we deliver a woman who resembles one of those righteous sect disciples, Spring Rain House will give you at least three hundred lower-grade spirit stones!"

The boy’s eyes sparkled as he rubbed his hands in excitement. "The fairies at Spring Rain House are so generous!"

The man laughed, and hearing the sound of someone collapsing inside, immediately pushed open the door.

He rushed to Qu Yi Qiu’s side, gazing at her and murmured, "Average looks, but excellent bearing. Not bad, kid."

The boy’s lips curled in pride. Seeing how easily they’d succeeded, a strange feeling flickered through his mind—he’d thought this woman would be difficult, given how she’d subdued him in an instant earlier. But with Brother Zhao from Spring Rain House here, he wasn’t worried.

The man deftly bundled Qu Yi Qiu into a sack and carried her out of the inn, the boy trailing close behind.

Qu Yi Qiu was thrown into a dark, damp basement. The man and the boy left.

She opened her eyes slowly, observing her surroundings.

There was not a ray of sunlight here; the space was divided into many cells. She was confined in one of them.

Most of the prisoners were women with passable looks.

"Spring Rain House, Hehuan Sect, Immortal Gathering Inn—they’re all part of the same group," Qu Yi Qiu muttered to herself, yawning lazily.

"Sob… sob… Father, Mother…"

"Stop crying, it’s useless. There’s no way out of here…"

"So Qian’er still has her father and mother… I have nothing. Maybe Spring Rain House is just where I belong."

"Li Qing, don’t say such things—don’t give up. You still have us… sob…"

"Everyone, stop crying. Disciples from the Xuan Yi Sect will come to save us!"

In the stifling, wailing dungeon, a woman in blue stood tall and proud. At her words, all eyes in the cell turned to her.

The woman called Li Qing stared at her, dazed, and murmured, "Who is she?"

One of the crying women wiped her tears and replied, "I think she was brought in just yesterday."

"No wonder she says someone will come to rescue her—such wishful thinking." Li Qing lowered her head, looking away.

"Are you a disciple of Xuan Yi Sect? Will they really come to save us?" Qian’er, eyes brimming with hope, stood and clutched the iron bars, gazing tearfully at the woman in blue.

The blue-clad woman was still fuming over Li Qing’s words, but seeing Qian’er’s desperate hope, her anger lessened. She smiled proudly, "That’s right! I am You Ruoying, an elite disciple of the Wuhui Peak of Xuan Yi Sect! This capture by Spring Rain House was intentional on our part—our goal is to expose and destroy Hehuan Sect’s scheme of secretly abducting lone female cultivators!"

At the mention of Wuhui Peak, a stir swept through the imprisoned women. The despair on their faces gave way to hope.

Li Qing’s head lifted slightly, and she gazed weakly at You Ruoying. "How many people from Wuhui Peak did you send? Do you know this is all demonic cultivators’ territory?"

Li Qing’s words struck a chord; fear, worry, and anticipation filled the prisoners’ faces. "Fellow Daoist You, how many are here from Wuhui Peak?"

You Ruoying hid the trace of contempt in her eyes, raising her lips in a confident smile. "Forgive me for not giving an exact number, but for a small sect like Hehuan, we have more than enough."

"Really? That’s wonderful! When will they come to save us?" Qian’er gripped the bars, her hands trembling with excitement.

"Yes, Fellow Daoist You, when will the disciples arrive? I can’t take it anymore… sob…"

"Fellow Daoist You, please, save us—ask them to hurry…"

Even Li Qing, infected by the rising hope, couldn’t help but look expectant.

"Has Wuhui Peak planned everything? The Hehuan Sect’s power runs deep; are all your people in place?"