Half a year later, the Yisheng Valley will hold a grand competition. By then, a precious pill capable of repairing the Dao Foundation should emerge. Take my token to participate, and find a way to acquire one.”
Lin Huanhuan’s spirits lifted at this. “Thank you for the guidance, Shizun.”
“No need. I’m just offering some advice. Ultimately, you have to handle it yourself.”
Then, Lin Huanhuan asked the question weighing on her mind:
“By the way, Shizun, since you possess the Childlike Heart and cannot be exposed to too much darkness, how do you know that the Demonic Path uses people as medicinal ingredients? Wouldn’t such dark matters damage your Childlike Heart?”
Song Zhuying smiled faintly and explained:
“It’s about not being exposed to too much darkness at once. A small amount, taken gradually, poses little problem. Moreover, whether something is dark or not depends on my perception.”
Hearing this, Lin Huanhuan couldn’t help but widen her eyes.
“So it’s still idealism after all?”
“What is idealism? Huanhuan, you’re going to have some trouble ahead. Be prepared.”
“Don’t worry. I saw it coming.”
“Huanhuan, what trouble? Do you need my help?”
You Yuelan, standing nearby, asked in confusion.
Lin Huanhuan glanced at her, her eyelids twitching before she replied:
“Have you forgotten? You’re a spy from the Demon Sect. Hanging out with me and returning to the Lingyun Sect together—how could no one come to question us?”
“Oh, so that’s it.”
Realization dawned on You Yuelan, and she looked a bit flustered.
“I completely forgot I was still on the run. Should we keep running now? Are you coming with me?”
“Run where? This is the Lingyun Sect. Are we supposed to fight our way out?”
“Well…”
You Yuelan scratched her head. With her thinking speed, she couldn’t come up with any plan.
Lin Huanhuan shook her head.
“Don’t worry. Just wait. They’ll probably be here soon.”
They walked to the main hall and sat down, calmly sipping the Cloud Top Haojian tea Dong Yuner had just brewed, showing no signs of panic.
After about half a cup of tea’s time, several streaks of light flew in from the horizon and landed there.
A squad from the Punishment Hall, dressed in moon-white outfits with silver borders, arrived.
Wang Ye first gave Lin Huanhuan a slight bow, then spoke blandly:
“Miss Lin Huanhuan, you really are unfazed.”
“Would being flustered help? Probably not.”
“Indeed.”
Wang Ye said calmly:
“Lin Huanhuan, you have privately colluded with the Chaos Demon Mountain spy You Yuelan, and during our previous pursuit of her and another Demon Sect disciple, you are suspected of covertly assisting. The evidence is solid. Since you were both severely injured, we’ve given you ample time to recover.”
“Now, we must take you both back for custody and investigation. Do you have any objections?”
Wang Ye’s expression was composed, like a perfectly impartial enforcer who would show no leniency under any circumstances.
But in truth, if one were strict about it, although the Lingyun Sect would provide humanitarian aid to wounded captives, that treatment should have taken place within the Punishment Hall. Allowing Lin Huanhuan and You Yuelan to recover at Xiaozhu Peak was already a special privilege.
Lin Huanhuan nodded.
“Of course I have no objection. I believe this is all a misunderstanding. The Punishment Hall, acting with justice, will uncover the truth.”
“Honestly, this trial isn’t that dangerous for me. In the Original Work, the reason I ended up framed for colluding with the Demonic Path and expelled from the sect was entirely due to my own ridiculous actions.”
“Back then, Bai Lingfeng showed up at the last moment and secretly took You Yuelan away for treatment without bringing her back to the sect, but her identity as a Demonic Path spy was still confirmed.”
“As for me, who had threatened her many times and followed her around constantly, of course I was investigated too.”
“The Punishment Hall people came sniffing around. At first, they were polite, just asking me to cooperate with the investigation. But then, for some reason, my wires got crossed. Hearing how serious it was, I directly attacked the Punishment Hall squad sent to notify me, and fled the sect.”
“Attacking law enforcement, plus fleeing to evade punishment—that sealed my guilt.”
“In the end, the sect had no choice but to expel me on the surface, but they never pursued me.”
A Punishment Hall disciple stepped forward to place restraints on them to prevent escape, but Wang Ye raised a hand to stop him.
Lin Huanhuan smiled and said:
“Right now, I’m only a suspect at most, not confirmed guilty, right? And since I’m cooperating, you shouldn’t need those. Don’t worry, I’m not stupid enough to run.”
Wang Ye nodded.
“Indeed. We would never unjustly frame an innocent person. Those unnecessary things aren’t needed.”
Lin Huanhuan and You Yuelan stood up and followed the Punishment Hall members inside.
They were taken to the Punishment Hall’s prison and assigned a cell to stay in.
It was a standard double cell, not very large—just over a hundred square meters.
Inside, there were two beds, a table, chairs, and a toilet of little use. The overall environment was decent, with marble tiles on the floor and no dark stains.
You Yuelan scratched her head in confusion, bewildered by the scene.
She asked doubtfully:
“Hey, aren’t we arrested? Why are we staying in a place like this? Have we been released without charge?”
“But I really am from the Chaos Demon Mountain. I remember that clearly.”
Lin Huanhuan walked over to a chair, sat down casually, and crossed her legs, replying:
“This is indeed a prison. What, is that strange?”
“Why must a prison be dilapidated and filthy? This is the Punishment Hall of the Lingyun Sect, not some Demonic Path sect. Although the rules are a bit rigid, they generally don’t mistreat prisoners.”
“The only bad thing here is that you can’t cultivate. They’ve set up a reverse Spirit Gathering Array—a Spirit Dispersing Array—so the spiritual energy is extremely low, and you can’t meditate to cultivate, or someone will stop you.”
“For most people, that’s already the greatest torment.”
“Oh, I see.”
You Yuelan scratched her head, unable to fully grasp it, but she didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she walked over to Lin Huanhuan, hugged her, and buried her head in her arms.
“I’m a little sleepy. I’ll sleep for a while.”
Lin Huanhuan looked at the woman lying directly in her lap, her eyelids twitching, but in the end, she stroked her face.
“Alright, it’s fine. Sleep.”
Just then, after several days of interrogation and finally having all their information squeezed out, the Black-Clothed Leader and Red Fang were sent to the neighboring cell.
They looked at the surroundings, froze for a moment, and rubbed their eyes, only to find nothing had changed.
“Wait, where have they sent me? Is this really a prison?”