The crowd strained to lift their eyelids and glance at Lü Jing, then responded dejectedly,
"Sect Leader, it's not that we're not trying our best, but as you can see, there's nothing we can do in this situation."
"According to what that demon fellow said last time, today is the day Lü Xin takes over as Sect Leader. Her wicked plan has likely succeeded by now. Even if we escape, what's the point? The overall situation is decided; Mount Lü Sect is no longer our Mount Lü Sect..."
They hadn't been despairing from the start. They had struggled and encouraged each other, but in the end, all efforts proved futile.
Seeing their state, the short-tempered Lü Jing became furious:
"Although we are imprisoned here, Zi Tong and the others are still out there. She can definitely defeat Lü Xin and resolve the crisis. When they arrive and find you all in such a dejected state, won't you feel ashamed?"
The others remained unmoved. "Sect Leader, how do you know Junior Sister Zi Tong will return? And even if she does, with Lü Xin being someone even you can't handle, what can she do?"
"You scoundrel! Say that again?"
Lü Jing was furious, almost raising his hand to strike.
The disciple who had spoken up immediately shut his mouth and wisely retreated to a corner.
After taking several deep breaths, Lü Jing calmed down.
He extended his hand, showing his missing fingers, and said calmly,
"Lü Xin only imprisoned us before, she didn't kill us to silence us. Yet a few days ago, she suddenly sent someone to chop off my finger. This means she needs my finger to threaten someone, and that someone is naturally Zi Tong."
The crowd listened and suddenly found his reasoning sound.
If Lü Xin wanted to torture Lü Jing, she had countless methods, even killing him in the end.
But merely chopping off a finger, and specifically the one with the ring, its purpose was self-evident.
Lü Jing continued, "Zi Tong was chosen by the former Sect Leader as her successor. She has limitless potential, and with Yan Shouyi by her side to help, things we cannot accomplish, she might be able to."
"She is certainly battling Lü Xin right now, so we cannot be discouraged. I hope that when Zi Tong comes to rescue everyone, she sees a group of Mount Lü Sect disciples who haven't given up. Otherwise, it would truly be a betrayal of her efforts and sacrifice!"
After Lü Jing's words, the crowd's spirits lifted somewhat.
They all mustered their strength, trying their best to appear less disheveled.
At this moment.
A commotion suddenly arose from outside the tightly locked large door.
Everyone immediately became vigilant.
Who was it?
Was it Junior Sister Zi Tong coming to rescue them, or Lü Xin, who had succeeded in her wicked plan and was coming to silence them?
For a moment, they dared not breathe, all huddling together, staring intently at the door.
"Sect Leader Lü Jing? Are you inside?"
Suddenly, Yan Shouyi's voice came from outside the door.
The crowd was stunned, then overjoyed. They all crowded towards the door, shouting for help!
"It sounds like Yan Shouyi's voice! It's Yan Shouyi's voice!"
"That's right, it's him! He's here to save us, we're saved!"
"We're here, hurry and open the door!!"
Lü Jing was also momentarily dazed for a full three seconds before heaving a sigh of relief, completely unburdened, and sinking to the ground, leaning against the wall.
Hearing their commotion and confirming their location, Yan Shouyi said, "Everyone, step back a little, don't stand by the door!"
Everyone immediately retreated to the sides. A few seconds later, with a tremendous crash, the large door was smashed to smithereens!
The fallen door was covered in talismans and seals, and secured with several iron chains. It was precisely because of these heavy restrictions that the members of Mount Lü Sect could not escape.
Not to mention that they were all severely injured by Lü Xin and her cohorts.
Seeing Yan Shouyi and the others appear at the doorway, several female disciples of Mount Lü Sect broke down in tears on the spot.
The past period had indeed been difficult. They lived under the shadow of death every day, worrying about the future of Mount Lü Sect and their own safety.
Now that Yan Shouyi had appeared, everyone was saved.
Some of the usually reserved elders of Mount Lü Sect knelt down on the spot, kowtowing to Yan Shouyi in gratitude, completely disregarding their status and image.
Seeing their state, Yan Shouyi also felt a pang of distress. Long Feicheng and the others immediately began to guide everyone away, while Yan Shouyi's eyes fell on Lü Jing, who was leaning against the wall. He hurried over.
"Sect Leader Lü Jing, are you alright?" Yan Shouyi asked the red-faced elder with concern.
Lü Jing shook his head, his face suddenly turning a few shades paler.
In order not to let the people of Mount Lü Sect lose hope of survival, the severely injured Lü Jing had been holding on. Only now, seeing Yan Shouyi arrive, did he relax, and his condition instantly worsened.
Yan Shouyi quickly took out several pills from the Eastern King Gourd and gave them to Lü Jing. Seeing that his complexion had improved, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mount Lü Sect... how is it..." Lü Jing asked nervously.
"Lü Xin has been captured by us, and the remnants of the Four Symbols Mountain have also been controlled. Rest assured, all troubles have been resolved," Yan Shouyi said reassuringly.
Lü Jing's expression softened slightly, then he frowned. "Why is it only you who came? Where is Zi Tong?"
"She was injured while pursuing Lü Xin and is currently recuperating. But rest assured, she is very safe," Yan Shouyi replied, his tone carrying a hint of guilt.
Lü Jing relaxed a bit more, a smile appearing on his face.
"Very good, very good... Young man, we owe you a lot this time."
"The affairs of Mount Lü Sect are my affairs. I cannot stand idly by," Yan Shouyi said, picking up Lü Jing. "I will take you back for treatment now."
Lü Jing placed great trust in Yan Shouyi. After shedding his burdens, he fell into a deep sleep shortly after and was eventually carried downstairs by Yan Shouyi.
The rescue of the Mount Lü Sect disciples meant that Mount Lü Sect, which had been infiltrated by Lü Xin, would slowly return to normal.
After seeing everyone into the vehicles, Yan Shouyi received a call from Luo Ning.
All the people from Four Symbols Mountain had been apprehended, not a single one escaping. During this process, Sun Tangzhi and others had also contributed significantly, even getting injured in the process.
Yan Shouyi instructed Luo Ning to send all the people from Four Symbols Mountain to the research association's dungeon and simultaneously asked her to seal off news about Mount Lü Sect.
He had a meeting with the person from Jiazi Island tonight, and the news of Lü Xin's failure absolutely could not get out.
Lü Xin was captured, Xi Po was dead, not a single remnant of Four Symbols Mountain escaped, Lü Jing and the others were all rescued, and the news of Lü Xin's failure was also sealed... the wrap-up work was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
By the time Lü Jing and the others were settled, it was already dusk. Yan Shouyi, who had been swamped with work, finally sat down to catch his breath and called Weng Qianxiang over.
"Old Weng, it's time for you to shine," Yan Shouyi said with a smile.
Weng Qianxiang couldn't help but take two steps back.
He felt that Yan Shouyi wasn't someone who particularly loved to laugh, and even when he smiled, it was usually very bright. But at this moment, he saw cunning in Yan Shouyi's smile!
"W-what do you want me to do?" Weng Qianxiang asked guiltily.