The last clue was abruptly cut off.
This innocent disciple of the Dianyi Sect died filled with regret, his eyes wide open.
After Tian Jue'er revealed the cause of death, everyone was silent for a long time.
"You damn scoundrel!!"
Qi Dongqiang smashed a nearby boulder with his staff, still unable to vent his anger, scratching his ears and cheeks in agitation.
"That guy surnamed Huang just now, he said he was playing you like a fiddle, what does that mean? Are they targeting Mount Emei, or are they targeting you?" From an outsider's perspective, Qi Dongqiang could indeed spot some issues.
But Yan Shouyi could only shake his head, indicating he didn't know.
Controlling the shadow puppet inheritors like Huang Qingcang and having them secretly put poison in the mouths of the Dianyi Sect disciples clearly pointed to an unspeakable secret, one they didn't want Yan Shouyi to discover.
What was this secret?
Long Feicheng couldn't help but walk to the side of the Wash Elephant Pond and saw the pond bottom filled with the corpses of Qingcheng Sect disciples, his face turning pale with fright, "Why did they throw the bodies into the Wash Elephant Pond?"
"Probably to destroy the evidence," Zhuge Ji analyzed.
Yan Shouyi stood at the edge of the cliff, pondered for a moment, and sighed:
"Let's continue the search. What we need to find now is Daoist Jin Bi and other survivors of the Emei Sect."
He already had a general guess about the entire incident in his heart, but he felt that things were not that simple, and he needed to gather more clues to deduce the accurate outcome.
The other brainpower in the team was Zhuge Ji. He also had a head full of speculations, some of which had already come true. However, seeing Yan Shouyi constantly in a state of thought, he knew that Yan Shouyi definitely knew more than he did.
To avoid alarming the enemy and disrupting Yan Shouyi's thoughts and plans, Zhuge Ji decided to suppress his urge to speak for the moment and observe Yan Shouyi's next move.
Everyone tidied up the scene and continued deeper into Wannian Temple. Before long, they arrived at the "dormitories" where the Emei Sect disciples lived daily.
This area consisted of low houses, with many daily necessities placed in the courtyards. However, they were all overturned, and several corpses lay in the courtyard.
To the dismay of everyone, these corpses were also in disarray.
Yan Shouyi said, "Jue'er, go into the house and check."
There were bound to be more corpses of Emei Sect disciples inside the house, and they had likely been violated. Yan Shouyi asked Tian Jue'er to check to ensure their last dignity.
The others checked for clues in the courtyard.
The other Emei Sect disciples were also violated. Did this mean that Caiyun was not an isolated case?
No, Caiyun must have been an isolated case because her location was too specific.
At the time of the incident, Caiyun couldn't have been the only one in the Wuliang Hall; she was likely brought to the Wuliang Hall specifically.
Yan Shouyi looked down and found that the cause of death for these Emei Sect disciples was the same as those in the plaza – they died from what appeared to be wild beast bites.
It seemed they were killed by the same group of culprits.
It was now clear that the murderers of the Qingcheng Sect and Dianyi Sect disciples were the controlled Huang Qingcang and the Dianyi Sect disciples. However, the killers of the Emei Sect disciples were others. Both groups were likely the Twelve Yuan Chen of the Xin Xuan Mountain Sect.
It was just that the Twelve Yuan Chen had not yet appeared, but it was certain that they were still hiding near Mount Emei.
A moment later, Tian Jue'er came out of the house and reported to Yan Shouyi:
"There are many corpses of Emei Sect female disciples inside the house, all of whom have been violated."
"Did you find anything else?" Yan Shouyi asked.
Tian Jue'er hesitated for a moment, then stood on her tiptoes and whispered a few words into Yan Shouyi's ear. After listening, Yan Shouyi nodded slightly, without commenting.
Ye Tianyuan was still examining corpses in a corner of the courtyard when he suddenly heard a faint cough.
He immediately became alert, turned back, gestured to Yan Shouyi and the others, and whispered:
"President, there's movement here!"
There were still survivors?!
Everyone immediately became excited. Yan Shouyi quickly went to Ye Tianyuan's side and also heard the faint cough.
Qi Dongqiang, being the most impatient, leaped onto the roof to look.
Yan Shouyi also quickened his pace, and soon he identified the direction – the firewood shed furthest in the courtyard.
Without any hesitation, he kicked open the door of the firewood shed.
The shed was filled with dry branches. On top of these branches lay Daoist Jin Bi, severely wounded and covered in blood. He coughed incessantly, was on the verge of death, and was in a semi-conscious state, completely unresponsive to Yan Shouyi and the others' intrusion.
"It's Daoist Jin Bi!"
Yan Shouyi turned back and shouted, "Jue'er, come in, everyone else guard the door!"
Tian Jue'er ran into the shed, took one look at Daoist Jin Bi's injuries, and her expression changed slightly.
He had been stabbed through the heart with a sword, bleeding profusely. His spirit was unstable, and he could die at any moment.
Yan Shouyi took out the Dongwang Gourd from his satchel and said to Tian Jue'er, "Jue'er, can you find a way to temporarily sustain Daoist Jin Bi's life?"
Tian Jue'er nodded, "I can temporarily borrow some of the power of the Yuan Sheng Gu, but I'll need to eat a lot afterwards..."
"Food is not a problem, saving lives is the priority!"
Tian Jue'er immediately placed her hands on Daoist Jin Bi's chest and channeled life force into his body.
With the input of life force, Daoist Jin Bi seemed to be less uncomfortable, and his complexion improved. However, his injuries were too severe, and if the wounds were not treated quickly, he would still die.
Long Feicheng and others guarding the door couldn't help but peek in to see the situation.
Qi Dongqiang frowned and said, "He's so badly injured. If it were my monkey, he probably wouldn't have survived."
"Don't say such disheartening things!" Long Feicheng retorted.
Qi Dongqiang stuck out his tongue and restlessly squatted on the ground, scratching his ears and cheeks.
Inside the firewood shed, Yan Shouyi roughly tore open Daoist Jin Bi's Daoist robe, took out various elixirs from the Dongwang Gourd, stuffed some into Daoist Jin Bi's mouth as if they were free, and then ground some into powder to sprinkle on the wounds.
The effect of Elder Jin's elixirs was immediate. The wounds stopped bleeding instantly, and Daoist Jin Bi's breathing was no longer difficult, although he remained in a dazed state.
Yan Shouyi didn't stop there. After stabilizing Daoist Jin Bi's life, he took out the Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate for final emergency treatment.
The thirteen ghost needles were inserted into Daoist Jin Bi's body, and Tian Jue'er instantly felt Daoist Jin Bi's soul returning.
"Hoo..."
She released her hands and said weakly, "He's alive."
Immediately, a rumbling sound came from the firewood shed. Tian Jue'er embarrassedly covered her stomach and said, "I'm hungry."
"You go eat," Yan Shouyi smiled at her.
Tian Jue'er got up and walked outside. Qi Dongqiang curiously turned his head, "That old Daoist is alive?"
"Yes."
Tian Jue'er nodded, then reached out to Zhuge Ji for food. Zhuge Ji quickly took off his backpack, took out the compressed biscuits, and even thoughtfully helped Tian Jue'er tear open the packaging.
Unfortunately, Tian Jue'er didn't notice Zhuge Ji's small movements. Her attention was entirely on the biscuits. After taking them, she devoured them like a glutton, which startled Ye Tianyuan.
Eating so much, wouldn't her stomach burst?
Yan Shouyi stayed in the room with Daoist Jin Bi for a while. When he slowly woke up, Yan Shouyi immediately gave him some water.
Daoist Jin Bi's complexion recovered slightly. When he opened his eyes and saw Yan Shouyi beside him, his expression became very complicated.
"I never expected that the one who saved me in the end would be from your folk sect..."
Because of his daughter's tragic death, Daoist Jin Bi had always held prejudice against inheritors of folk sects. Even though he knew Yan Shouyi was a true gentleman and had contributed much to the Xuanmen, he still didn't want to interact with him properly.
But fate played a trick on him. After being severely injured, Daoist Jin Bi had already prepared to die in this small firewood shed. He never expected to be rescued at the last moment by Yan Shouyi, whom he had always looked down upon.
Yan Shouyi comforted him, "That's all in the past. How are you feeling now?"
Daoist Jin Bi tried to move his body, but even moving a finger caused him excruciating pain, so he had to give up and sighed, "I'm afraid I have no mobility."
This was within Yan Shouyi's expectations. After all, Daoist Jin Bi's body was still mortal, and he had been on the verge of death just now. Even with Elder Jin's potent medicine, he couldn't be instantly revitalized.
However, whether Daoist Jin Bi could move on his own was not important. What Yan Shouyi needed was to get some information from him.
"What happened after you arrived at the mountain, Senior?" Yan Shouyi asked seriously.
As things stood, Daoist Jin Bi had nothing more to hide. Moreover, Yan Shouyi had saved his life. Daoist Jin Bi told him everything truthfully:
"After we arrived at Wannian Temple, Huang Qingcang suddenly attacked us and severely injured me. We fought all the way to the Wash Elephant Pond, but we were no match for them. The Qingcheng Sect disciples desperately held back Huang Qingcang, allowing me to escape... After that, I hid in this firewood shed to recuperate, but it was already beyond hope until I met you."
This made logical sense.
Huang Qingcang's fabricated story was full of loopholes, which Yan Shouyi saw through at a glance.
Daoist Jin Bi then looked at Yan Shouyi and asked with concern, "Did you encounter Huang Qingcang? Absolutely do not be deceived by him. I suspect he is allied with those who annihilated the Emei Sect!"
"We have already met Huang Qingcang, at the Wash Elephant Pond," Yan Shouyi replied. "We saw through his lies and pursued him. In the end, Huang Qingcang and a few Dianyi Sect disciples jumped off a cliff."
"Jumped off a cliff?" Daoist Jin Bi was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, "No! They are definitely still alive!"
"Why do you say that, Daoist Jin Bi?"
"The disciples of the Dianyi Sect are skilled at transforming qi. Huang Qingcang can even walk vertically on sheer cliffs! Jumping off a cliff is a matter of life and death for ordinary people, but for Huang Qingcang, it's nothing!"