Chapter 74: Mei Xueyin And Lan Ruoyan
It had been a month since Mei Xueyin and Lan Ruoyan had met. Mei Xueyin did not go out of her residence, afraid that she would encounter her best friend, who might notice that something had happened. Lan Ruoyan also did not force herself upon her friend and decided to give her some time alone to settle her thoughts.
Mei Xueyin had done this to create distance between Lan Ruoyan and herself, as she did not want to see a kind person being dragged into her adversary. The real reason she had targeted Xu Mo wasn't because she was concerned about Xue Lingxi or anything. She had seen from the teahouse that the Head Elder, the Saintess, and Wei Han were all accompanying Xu Mo. This clearly showed that Xu Mo had something more than what he was showing to the outside world.
She had received reports stating that the Saintess had been stealing glances at Xu Mo from time to time. This showed that even if she did not like Xu Mo, she was interested in knowing more about him. From that moment, Mei Xueyin had decided to target Xu Mo. She did not care about the place, as the chances of meeting him alone were close to none—though not impossible—but taking the time to get close to him and all would take too much of her time.
She had thought that the moment she attacked or tried to attack Xu Mo, someone like the Head Elder would show up to save him. Seeing how relaxed Xu Mo became when he noticed the strange atmosphere around him—a reaction completely opposite to what one might have in such a situation—signified that Xu Mo had confidence in the person behind him to take care of this.
Mei Xueyin's motives ran deeper than simple curiosity or a petty rivalry. The organization she was a part of—the Veiled Serpents—had given her a clear mission: uncover the true heir of the Hidden Dragon Sect and determine their value. The sect was too vast and too deeply rooted in history for outside forces to manipulate freely, but if a true successor emerged, that would change everything.
The Saintess, with her deep ties to the sect's upper echelons, was one of the prime suspects. If Mei Xueyin could get close to her, she could either control, manipulate, or eliminate her if necessary. However, recent reports hinted at another potential successor—the enigmatic Xu Mo. His connection to high-ranking figures, his unnatural calm in the face of danger, and the interest of the Saintess herself all pointed to something deeper. If Xu Mo was indeed the Hidden Dragon Sect's true successor, then the mission parameters would shift drastically.
Her move in the teahouse had been a calculated risk. She never intended to actually poison Xu Mo in broad daylight. The Truth Poison was a means to an end—to see who would intervene. If the Head Elder or another powerful figure appeared before she even acted, it would confirm Xu Mo's status beyond doubt. If that had happened, she would have instantly backed off, playing the role of an arrogant but ultimately foolish outer disciple who was simply testing her limits. This was also the reason why she used the Truth Poison on the needle that she was going to use on him—to at least have the backup or excuse of using the reputation and image she had built in the outer sect as someone who punishes people who hurt female disciples of the sect.
Acting like the harbinger of justice, making the higher-ups think that she was just one of the few eccentric cultivators out of thousands in the sect.
However, if no one of true power appeared and Xu Mo was left to fend for himself, then it would mean that the high-ranking figures surrounding him had no real intention of shielding him permanently. That would make him vulnerable—a potential ally to be turned or an enemy to be disposed of.
To Mei Xueyin, the mission was everything. Whether it was the Saintess or Xu Mo, she had to find the true successor. And once she did, she would determine if they were to be controlled… or destroyed.
...
(Xu Mo's POV)
It had been a week since that incident with Mei Xueyin. I chose to ignore it for now, as on the surface, she was stronger than me, and I was just one of the fresh outer sect disciples.
I had managed to break through to the fourth level of Qi Condensation, and my strength had once again increased. I was still unable to break the black metal sheet, but I chose to keep on trying. I also stopped the Head Elder from preparing any more herbs and rare medicines for my bath, as I lied to him, saying that these days when I dip in the tub filled with rare herbs, it feels like my body is about to explode under the nourishment from the rare herbs.
Listening to what I said, Long Bai lost his composure and immediately decided to close the medicinal bath sessions, afraid that because of him, the sect might lose a promising candidate as the future Sect Master of the Hidden Dragon Sect. Though the current Sect Master—Bai Xu—was still in his prime years, and it would not be an issue for him to live for another one or two centuries, there was no fixed future. Problems arise in a person's life almost daily, whether mortal or cultivator. Some are so small that we do not even count them, and some are so big that we are unable to forget them for life.
And there was also good news! Long Bai had a change of heart and had allowed me to accept missions, but now I was no longer in the mood to accept missions. Because out there were Mei Xueyin, Jin Meiyu, and the reborn person Xue Lingxi. I had recently offended Jin Meiyu—who knew if she held some grudge against me? The moment I step out of the bounds of the Hidden Dragon Sect, she might send some strong men to dig out my eyeballs. Just the thought of such a thing happening to me sent a shiver throughout my body. I had no interest in pursuing the Dao of Blindness. There were still many places I wanted to travel, to visit other domains on the continent where I was born, and also to see what lay beyond this continent.
Reading the information from books and seeing it visually were two completely different experiences.
The other danger was Mei Xueyin, who had just tried to kill me. If my guess is not wrong, I was sure she must be a spy on a mission because no one would be desperate enough to put their life on the line to kill me in front of so many people and in broad day—No, when the sun was on the horizon. I had thought about reporting Mei Xueyin to the Head Elder, but this would have alerted the other spy in the sect, so I decided to hold on a bit and carefully bide my time.
The last one was the most dangerous—Xue Lingxi. I did not know what relationship I had with her before she was reborn. Or was my personality before she was reborn the same as in the trial? Then it was obvious—she had been planning to take me to the secret realm and then silence me there. She was really doing her name justice—gentle beauty masking hidden danger.