Two questions, incisive indeed.
Back at the Flying Palace, Yan Shouyi and Master Guanyun had meticulously reviewed everything. According to Master Guanyun, no one in the Emei Sect, apart from herself, could possibly know about the Emei Lotus Array.
If she spoke the truth, it essentially ruled out the possibility of a traitor among the Emei disciples. The only remaining explanation was—Master Guanyun herself was the traitor of the Emei Sect!
But if that were the case, it would be absurd to the extreme!
Yan Shouyi was certain Master Guanyun was no traitor.
This, however, created a paradox. Only Master Guanyun knew the Emei Lotus Array, yet the Twelve Yuan Chen knew about it and how to activate it to trap Yan Shouyi and the others.
Therefore, clarifying this was paramount. Da Feng Novel Network.
The character Wei remained silent, not answering immediately.
Yan Shouyi smiled. "If you didn't know the answer, you would have shaken your head right away. Your silence is, in fact, an indirect answer to my question."
Wei's expression changed. She hadn't expected Yan Shouyi, so young, to be so skilled in reading people—or rather, in observing the expressions of a pale ghost.
As the saying goes, a person's words are often wise when they are about to die. Wei sighed and replied,
"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you her identity."
"I, Yan Shouyi, have walked the martial world for many years and have seen all sorts of absurdities. Speak freely!"
"The person who revealed the secret to us was the former abbess of the Emei Sect, Master Miaohui."
"..."
Yan Shouyi, who had claimed to have seen the most absurd things, fell into silence at that moment.
Then he waved his hand, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Wei remained silent, but her expression seemed to say: What the hell did I just say?
Yan Shouyi, who had denied it a moment ago, accepted reality in the next:
"Didn't Master Miaohui die already?"
Wei answered, "She merely faked her death to escape. She is now among the Twelve Yuan Chen, identified as 'Mao'."
The information was so overwhelming that Yan Shouyi didn't know how to proceed.
Master Miaohui, the former abbess of the Emei Sect, was the master of Yan Shouyi's grandmother, Wen Yuxian, and the current abbess, Master Guanyun. She was also the person Qi Dongqiang hated the most.
According to the stories Yan Shouyi had heard, Master Miaohui had been gravely ill years ago and had little time left. She intended to pass the position of abbess to her grandmother, Wen Yuxian. However, just as his grandmother was about to succeed her, his grandfather, Yan Baixiang, intervened late at night, fabricating his father, Yan Chou, overnight.
The next morning, upon learning that her direct disciple had been usurped by an outsider, Master Miaohui was so enraged that her cultivation was completely ruined. She died of illness shortly after Wen Yuxian left, and the position of abbess was then passed to Master Guanyun.
In this narrative, Master Miaohui was already dead.
But who could have imagined that she was still alive and had joined the Twelve Yuan Chen.
Yan Shouyi still found it utterly preposterous!
Putting aside whether Master Miaohui was still alive, she was a Buddhist, always espousing compassion. How could she possibly join the Twelve Yuan Chen?
Furthermore, she was already the abbess of the Emei Sect. If she could continue to live and remain abbess, wouldn't that be better? What was the point of joining the Twelve Yuan Chen?
Yan Shouyi's mind was in turmoil, but it ended in vain; he couldn't figure it out.
Seeing Yan Shouyi's disbelief, Wei could only emphasize:
"What I'm saying is the absolute truth. If there's even a hint of falsehood, I shall die a terrible death!"
"You're already going to die a terrible death," Yan Shouyi gave her a sideways glance. "But I'll take your word for it, for now."
Wei breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright, now you should answer my second question."
This time, Wei no longer hesitated and confessed directly: "To disable the Emei Lotus Array, one must destroy the three lotus array cores hidden within Mount Emei."
"Three? Where are they located?"
"I only know of one. It's hidden beneath the third step northwest of the Wuliang Hall. I don't know the locations of the other two."
Fearing that Yan Shouyi wouldn't believe her, Wei quickly explained:
"Actually, Mao told me and Si and Shen the locations of the three array cores separately. If the plan had proceeded to the end and we three had survived, it would have meant you were all dead, and we could have destroyed the array and left early. But if any one of us died, it meant the plan failed, and we would have to be trapped on Mount Emei with you. Even if we wanted to leave, we couldn't."
Yan Shouyi's mouth fell open. "Holy shit..."
He realized he had been impulsive. He could have killed the other henchmen first as a warning.
As a result, he only learned this information after killing Si, the shadow puppeteer, and it was already too late.
Seeing Yan Shouyi's expression, Wei deliberately turned her head aside, not wanting Yan Shouyi to mistake her for gloating.
Yan Shouyi's liver ached with anger, but he soon recovered. Since the clues had been found, he figured that once the love-silk gu disappeared, he could rally everyone to search for the array cores, and it shouldn't take too long.
Wei added, "Each array core destroyed will weaken the Emei Lotus Array. The array cores are lotus-shaped, but they could be an ornament, a mural, or even a real lotus. In short, anything related to lotuses could be an array core."
Yan Shouyi nodded, very satisfied with Wei's candor.
He asked Wei to wait while he went to find the lotus array core hidden on the third step, just as Wei had described.
Indeed, there was a different flagstone here, with a small lotus carved on the upper left corner. It would have been impossible to notice without a careful inspection.
Yan Shouyi punched down, and the flagstone instantly shattered, the lotus pattern breaking into pieces.
The next second, a force erupted from the shattered lotus, blowing Yan Shouyi's bangs askew.
The power of the Emei Lotus Array was stored within the array cores. When an array core was destroyed, the energy would dissipate, reducing the energy maintaining the Emei Lotus Array. Naturally, the array would no longer be able to trap them for three months.
Sensing the weakening of the power enveloping Mount Emei, Yan Shouyi turned and said, "You spoke the truth. In return for your confession, I can give you a swift end."
Wei: "..."
So, all this talking only earned me a quick death?
Wei gnashed her teeth in anger. Yan Shouyi, with his upright eyebrows and large eyes, seemed honest, but he turned out to be like other men—disposable after use.
In order to have a peaceful departure, Wei suppressed her anger and said,
"I can offer you one more very important piece of intelligence. In exchange, will you let me depart for reincarnation with peace of mind?"
Wei no longer hoped for Yan Shouyi to allow her to linger in the mortal world. Being able to reincarnate was her greatest wish now.