“Will you be disappointed in me, Senior Brother?”
Shen Qi lowered his eyes, not looking at him, appearing utterly dejected.
Mu Congyun often couldn’t understand where these baseless worries of his came from and could only attribute them to his past life of wandering, which left him with no sense of security.
Still, he answered his question earnestly: “Lacking talent in swordsmanship doesn’t mean you can’t excel elsewhere. Besides, people in this world come in all kinds-not everyone is a genius.”
This was a lesson he himself had taken a long time to learn.
In the orphanage, he had desperately tried to fit in with the other children but was never truly accepted. During school, he listened attentively in class and reviewed diligently after, yet still struggled to keep up with his brighter peers.
Later, at work, he was always the last to leave, yet his colleagues and superiors still found fault with him.
Things in this world don’t always go as one hopes.
When the voices outside grow too loud and chaotic, and you don’t know what to do, simply close your ears and follow your own heart.
“If you continue practicing the sword just to avoid disappointing me, you’ll only hold yourself back, and I won’t be happy either.”
Mu Congyun bent down to hang the wooden sword at his waist.
“Those who truly care for you won’t be disappointed if you don’t excel. Instead, they’ll walk with you to find the right path.”
“Instead, they’ll walk with you to find the right path.”
Shen Qi savored these words, lifting his gaze to meet Mu Congyun’s, his eyes suddenly alight.
“No one has ever said that to me before.”
Those people only called him a useless bastard, a disgrace to the Zhulong clan, wishing he had never existed-that even the traces of his existence would vanish.
But his life was stubborn, and no matter how hard they tried, he refused to die.
Walking a path of death to its end, he became the one who survived.
No one had ever told him that if one path was blocked, he could take another.
“Will you walk with me to find the right path, Senior Brother?”
“Of course,” Mu Congyun answered without hesitation.
A strange feeling surged in Shen Qi’s heart.
One voice sneered, How can you believe such a clumsy lie? Once he learns who you truly are, he’ll be the first to kill you.
Another whispered, He’s different from the rest.
Shen Qi buried the dark, viscous emotions deep within his eyes and instead pressed his lips together, smiling as he hugged Mu Congyun, nuzzling his face against his neck like a spoiled child.
“Senior Brother, you’re so good to me.”
*
By evening, Jinni returned with news.
Thanks to his unparalleled social skills, he had spent most of the day mingling with the Poison Sect disciples and gathered quite a bit of information.
However, it was all similar to what Zhang Qing had told them—nothing substantial.
“In that case, we’ll have to investigate tonight and see if we can uncover anything,” Mu Congyun said.
Jinni had complete faith in Mu Congyun’s abilities and nodded in agreement.
He then raised his hand and added, “Then I’ll stay here and keep watch tonight. If you leave, Senior Brother, Shen Qi and I can look out for each other.”
Shen Qi, who had been pretending to practice nearby, abruptly lifted his head, his lips tightening in displeasure.
“That works,” Mu Congyun agreed after a moment’s thought.
Given the urgency of the situation and with Jiang Ling absent, Jinni was left alone.
Staying together would indeed be safer.
Jinni was granted permission to stay overnight and immediately dragged the daybed from outside into the inner chamber, bringing over pillows and bedding from the neighboring room.
Shen Qi watched his busy movements coldly.
If it weren’t for Mu Congyun’s presence, he would have already lost patience and thrown the man out.
Yet Jinni remained blissfully unaware, approaching him to say, “If you’re scared at night, just call for me.”
Shen Qi gave him a frigid glance and ignored him.
Jinni muttered discontentedly, “Why is he suddenly ignoring me?”
* * *
Late at night, Mu Congyun finally seized the right moment, concealing his form and silently slipping out of the Red Wall Courtyard.
Though Jinni trusted his senior brother, he wasn’t entirely carefree either.
Sitting cross-legged on the daybed, he fretted anxiously, “I wonder if we’ll find any leads. If only we could locate our junior sister. With her and Senior Brother here, I’d feel much more at ease.”
Shen Qi turned his head to look at him, flicking a wisp of gray mist from his fingertips that silently enveloped Jinni.
Jinni suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness.
After a single yawn, he collapsed.
Confirming the man was unconscious, Shen Qi scoffed lightly, altered his appearance, and swiftly pursued Mu Congyun.
*
During the day’s stroll with Zhang Qing, Mu Congyun had already memorized the general layout of the Poison Sect.
The Poison Sect was built within a valley, its structures far more numerous and densely packed than those of Profound Ridge.
Heading straight north from the Red Wall Courtyard led to the disciples’ quarters.
Mu Congyun planned to investigate the disciples’ quarters first.
If nothing turned up, he would then search Baili Zhen’s residence.
Concealing his form and suppressing his aura, Mu Congyun swiftly made his way to the disciples’ quarters. Before even entering, he heard faint, indecent sounds—both male and female.
Thinking he might have misheard, he drew closer, only for the noises to grow clearer.
The Poison Sect’s customs were truly improper.
Mu Congyun initially intended to leave quickly, but then he recalled that there were no female disciples in the sect-meaning the women inside were likely those eerily peculiar maids.
Hesitating for a moment, he leaped onto the roof and cast a Water Mirror spell to observe the scene inside.
The sight within was even more debauched than he could have imagined.
Frowning tightly, Mu Congyun forced himself to endure the discomfort and focused on the woman at the center.
She happened to be facing away, and on the prominent ridge of her shoulder blades was indeed a butterfly.
The butterfly was entirely black-red, its wings adorned with overlapping crimson patterns.
The insect’s body burrowed beneath the skin, lying dormant-its slight bulge and outline visible through the woman’s pale, nearly translucent flesh.
The beautiful wings, meanwhile, spread openly across her back, appearing at first glance like nothing more than an ordinary tattoo.
But upon closer inspection, the wings would occasionally tremble slightly.
Each time they fluttered, the insect’s body beneath the skin would stir as well, its antennae unfurling and swaying-indistinguishable from a living creature.
Yet the disciples seemed completely oblivious to the grotesque butterfly on the woman’s back.
After observing for a while, Mu Congyun moved on to inspect other rooms.
The Poison Sect had few disciples, with only a few dozen rooms in the disciples’ quarters.
Mu Congyun swiftly inspected the entire area and discovered that five more rooms shared the same eerie phenomenon-women with those strange butterflies lurking on their backs.
In one of the rooms, he even spotted Zhang Qing.
The same Zhang Qing who had seemed honest and warm during the day now appeared entirely different at night-his face twisted and distorted, less like a human and more like a beast that had lost all reason.
Mu Congyun’s heart pounded as he wondered how long the Poison Sect had been in such a state.
The conclusion he reached only deepened his unease.
If this truly had something to do with Madam Liu, then the anomalies in the Poison Sect had likely persisted for over a year.
His mood heavy, Mu Congyun steadied himself before stealthily making his way toward Baili Zhen’s residence.
Baili Zhen’s Canglan Courtyard lay to the northwest, separated from the disciples’ quarters by a garden and an artificial pond with rockeries.
Given Baili Zhen’s formidable cultivation, Mu Congyun didn’t dare act carelessly. He moved cautiously along the rooftops, careful not to get too close.
Canglan Courtyard was far more luxurious than the disciples’ quarters.
Even in the dead of night, red lanterns still hung beneath the eaves and throughout the courtyard, casting dim candlelight over the blooming crimson roses and the black-and-red butterflies flitting busily among them.
Mu Congyun stared at these butterflies-identical to those on the maids’ backs—and felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Just as he was about to descend for a closer look, the main door creaked open, and Madam Liu stepped out.
Mu Congyun immediately froze, carefully suppressing his aura.
But Madam Liu showed no signs of suspicion.
Instead, she seemed to have merely stepped out for some night air, standing quietly beneath the eaves as she gazed at the roses in the garden.
A butterfly fluttered near her. She raised her hand, allowing it to alight on her skin.
After watching it for a moment, she returned inside once the butterfly took flight again.
Mu Congyun waited patiently until the lights inside went out before leaping down from the roof.
-He wanted to capture one of the butterflies.
Identifying their species and origin might provide a crucial lead.
While Mu Congyun observed the butterflies, Shen Qi, hidden in the shadows, watched the now-closed door with keen interest.
-The moment Madam Liu stepped out, he had sensed the presence of Corrosive Mist. Though faint, it couldn’t escape his notice.
Shen Qi extended his hand.
A dark red gleam flickered across the surface of the Locked Red Tower as countless gray threads spread swiftly and silently in all directions, tracing the lingering traces of Corrosive Mist back to their source.
The scent seemed to emanate from inside the room-yet also as if it came from everywhere at once, converging from all directions.
Shen Qi withdrew his hand, lips curling in amusement.
Who would have thought this trip to the Poison Sect would yield such a delightful surprise?
It saved him the trouble of searching elsewhere for the source of the anomaly.
Mu Congyun carefully stepped into the rose bushes, retrieving an empty storage pouch.
Channeling Spiritual Power into his palm, he focused intently on the nearest butterfly—
Just as he made his move, a sharp pain shot through his leg.
His Spiritual Power faltered, startling the butterfly before him.
It took flight in a panic, disturbing the rest of the resting swarm.
Mu Congyun no longer paid attention to the butterfly.
Reacting swiftly, he drew his sword to slash at the rose vines entwined around his calf.