"Master, Uncle Wuwei, you two chat first, I'm going back."
Seeing Yang Jingyi enter, Wan Yunting said to Chang Wude and turned to leave.
Yang Jingyi raised an eyebrow, wondering what Wuweizi and Chang Wude wanted to say by calling her over...
Leaving Uncle Wuwei's residence, Wan Yunting headed towards the residence of the Taoist Master Duan Wuyu at the fastest speed. He moved stealthily along the way, quickly passing through the main hall of the Taoist temple and arriving at the Taoist Master's residence.
However, he immediately ducked into the corner of a nearby house, looking back slightly at the entrance of the Taoist Master's courtyard. Disciples patrolled in groups of three.
He also saw Zhu Yangyu and Zeng Yongchang squatting at the base of the wall of the house to the left of the main entrance. One was playing on his phone, while Zhu Yangyu sat cross-legged on the ground, silently cultivating to alleviate the injury to his left kidney from Wan Yunting's earlier attack...
Wan Yunting's eyes narrowed, and an eerie green light flickered in his pupils. Although it was pitch dark all around, to him, it was as clear as if he were wearing night-vision goggles.
"It's so cold, let's go to bed..."
Suddenly, a voice came from the side. Wan Yunting looked up at the house, then jumped up. Using a nearby tree to push off, he landed silently on the gray tiled roof of the house...
"Huh, what was that noise?"
The patrolling disciples approached, looked left and right at the corner where Wan Yunting had just stood, then looked up. One disciple waved his hand and said, "It's just the wind rustling the leaves. What's all the fuss about? Let's go back to bed..."
The patrolling disciples in groups of three left leisurely, still chatting about Zhou Ruoxi, a female disciple from the Emei sect...
Wan Yunting crouched on the roof, and after the three patrolling disciples had gone far away, he moved along the roof towards Zhu Yangyu and Zeng Yongchang. He knew he couldn't sneak into the Taoist Master's residence without dealing with them first.
So, Wan Yunting lifted his Taoist robe and drew out two silver needles from the hem of his inner shirt. Crouching on the roof, he looked down at Zhu Yangyu sitting at the corner of the wall and Zeng Yongchang, who was looking down at his phone. Wan Yunting's eyes narrowed, and then he flicked the two silver needles out with his right hand.
The two silver needles, imbued with vital energy, moved as fast as lightning. They pierced the snowflakes floating in the air and shot towards the acupoints on the left shoulder of Zhu Yangyu and Zeng Yongchang...
Instantly, Zhu Yangyu sensed something and his eyes snapped open. But in that moment, the two silver needles accurately hit the acupoints on the left chest of both men. Zhu Yangyu and Zeng Yongchang trembled, their eyes wide open, their expressions frozen. They remained motionless, unable to even speak.
This was because the acupoints directly sealed the flow of a person's vital energy, blood, and essence in their meridians, causing temporary paralysis and the inability to speak. However, Wan Yunting knew that Zhu Yangyu and Zeng Yongchang were skilled in martial arts and could only be incapacitated for about half an hour, so time was of the essence for him.
Wan Yunting then got up and leaped directly onto the roof of the opposite house. He then moved closer to the Taoist Master's residence. Below was a small path. Three disciples in a patrol team were patrolling around the Taoist Master's residence. There were two such groups, so every two minutes, one group would turn down this path.
Wan Yunting crouched on the roof and observed for five minutes, confirming the gaps in their patrol. He saw one group just pass by and turn into the left corner of the courtyard gate...
Immediately, Wan Yunting jumped down from the roof, landing silently on the ground. He quickly moved towards the two-meter-high wall of the Taoist Master's residence. With a slight push off the wall with his left foot, he somersaulted over the wall and landed steadily on the ground in the small garden within the courtyard.
Wan Yunting immediately crouched down and looked around the courtyard. The main house was on the left, with lights on. The house opposite also had lights on, which was a side room, likely Duan Yingying's.
Seeing no one else in the courtyard, Wan Yunting stood up with relief and walked out of the small garden, heading straight for the Taoist Master's room. The wooden door behind the curtain was closed, but it was not bolted. With a gentle push, it opened.
However, the old wooden door creaked, startling Wan Yunting. He quickly withdrew his hand and listened carefully. No one inside seemed to have woken up.
Wan Yunting assumed the Taoist Master was asleep, so he pushed the door open with force. Indeed, the creaking sound of the old wooden door stopped. With that, Wan Yunting stepped inside, only to freeze. He found Duan Yingying asleep, propped up on the round table in the middle of the room, but she didn't seem to be woken up.
"Hoo~~"
Seeing this, Wan Yunting breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that he hadn't woken the girl up. He then tiptoed, carefully moving towards the bed, passing behind Duan Yingying...
"Mom, you're back?"
But as Wan Yunting reached Duan Yingying's back, the girl suddenly lifted her head and asked sleepily in a languid voice. This startled Wan Yunting, and he froze behind her, not daring to put down his raised left foot...
"Hm?"
Duan Yingying, coming to her senses, looked at the open door but didn't see her mother. She turned around, but at that moment, a large hand reached out towards her...
Wan Yunting covered Duan Yingying's mouth with his hand and simultaneously pressed his forearm against her, trying to push her onto the table behind her. As a result, Wan Yunting's right palm landed on Duan Yingying's right chest...
"Mmm..."
Duan Yingying's eyes widened. Seeing the man's large hand, she struggled in anger...
"Excuse me..."
Wan Yunting finally reacted and quickly pulled his right hand away. He hadn't expected to touch her inappropriately in his haste. Seeing Duan Yingying's hands starting to struggle, Wan Yunting immediately pressed an acupoint on her right chest with his right hand.
Instantly, Duan Yingying stiffened. Apart from her large, angry eyes glaring at Wan Yunting, her body was immobilized, and she couldn't speak.
Hoo...
Seeing that he had restrained the girl, Wan Yunting breathed a sigh of relief and quickly turned away, ignoring Duan Yingying's angry, wide-eyed gaze. He came to the bedside and looked at Duan Wuyu, who was fast asleep due to his illness.
Wan Yunting carefully took out his right hand from under the quilt and placed three fingers on his emaciated wrist to feel his pulse. He frowned and seriously felt his weak pulse. After a full three minutes, Wan Yunting's expression became increasingly grave.
To confirm his diagnosis, Wan Yunting got up to take Duan Wuyu's left pulse. However, at this moment, Duan Wuyu slowly opened his eyes and looked at Wan Yunting. Seeing Duan Wuyu awake, Wan Yunting was stunned. They looked at each other, and Wan Yunting quickly said, "Uncle Shibo, my master was worried about your health and sent me to check on you."
"Cough cough..."
Duan Wuyu coughed weakly. He was finding it difficult to even breathe. His old eyes, dim with age, looked at Wan Yunting before him and said weakly, "Where is your master?"
"My master is outside."
Wan Yunting said, "Uncle Shibo, let me take your left pulse."
Duan Wuyu remained silent, his melancholic gaze fixed on Wan Yunting, making him a bit awkward. He forced a stiff smile and then sat by the bed, reaching for Duan Wuyu's left hand to continue taking his pulse. Gradually, Wan Yunting's brows furrowed even more.
After carefully taking his pulse and diagnosing for several minutes, he put down Duan Wuyu's left hand, pulled the quilt up for him, and said with a smile, "Uncle Shibo, your body is fine. You should rest well, and I'll be going now."
With that, he quickly got up to leave. Duan Wuyu said weakly, "Chang Shidi is not your master, is he?"
This question startled Wan Yunting, who stopped and turned to look at Duan Wuyu lying in bed. Duan Wuyu's melancholic gaze made Wan Yunting feel a pang of sympathy, and he really wanted to reveal that his master was Gongsun Xiuliang.
"Uncle Shibo, you should rest well, you'll get better soon. I'm leaving now."
However, Wan Yunting held back, smiled at Duan Wuyu, and then turned and left directly.
Duan Wuyu, lying in bed, his old eyes filled with sadness, teared up and sighed weakly...
Creak...
Wan Yunting gently closed the door, not bothering with Duan Yingying inside. After all, the acupoints would automatically unlock in about half an hour. Wan Yunting then cautiously stood at the base of the wall in the small garden, carefully listening to the sounds outside.
He just heard the faint sound of the footsteps of a patrol team crunching on the snow, and their idle chatter fading into the distance, knowing they had passed that section of the road...
Wan Yunting jumped up and leaped directly over the two-meter-high city wall, landing steadily on the small path. He looked left and right, saw no one, and quickly squeezed through the gap between the two houses ahead, entering another small path.
He saw people approaching from behind but was not afraid. He swaggered back towards Uncle Wuwei's residence.
Meanwhile, in the reception room of Wuweizi's residence, there was only a round small table and a few small stools. A heater was placed beneath the table.
Chang Wude, Yang Jingyi, and Wuweizi sat around the round table, their faces somber.
Yang Jingyi listened to what Chang Wude had just told Wuweizi, saying that Sima Boyong might harm her husband, Duan Wuyu. This caused Yang Jingyi's heart to sink, and she did not refute Chang Wude's words.
It was clear that since Duan Wuyu's hidden illness had relapsed and he had fallen ill, Sima Boyong had repeatedly claimed he could cure him. Yet, after several days, her husband's hidden illness had not only failed to improve but his body had grown weaker, as if his life force was draining away, and he could die at any moment.
Therefore, Yang Jingyi had already begun to suspect!
In addition, Sima Boyong had returned to the sect over the years, repairing the sect, building new houses, and establishing a school at the foot of the mountain to teach Wuliang Daoist Temple's martial arts, recruiting many talented disciples. The once dilapidated Taoist temple had been revitalized with these years of development.
Moreover, it was precisely because of Sima Boyong's contributions that sects like Shaolin and Qingcheng sent people to participate in the grand ceremony of ancestor worship.
After all, Wuliang Daoist Temple was a relatively insignificant sect among the major sects, and it had very little interaction with major sects like Shaolin and Qingcheng.
But why did Sima Boyong do all this? Why did he bring these benefits to the sect? Was it simply because he wanted to repay the sect?
In fact, Yang Jingyi had already understood everything!
"Junior Brother Wan is back."
Xue Xinghe, who was guarding the entrance, greeted Wan Yunting as he returned.
Wan Yunting nodded and quickly walked into the reception room. Seeing Chang Wude, Yang Jingyi, and Wuweizi seated around the table, they also turned to look at the entering Wan Yunting. Yang Jingyi knew what he had been doing.
"How is it?"
Chang Wude asked impatiently.
Wan Yunting's expression was solemn. He looked at Yang Jingyi and said with a heavy tone, "It's poisoning!"