Inner Sect Turmoil Chapter 12: The Senior Sister’s Secret

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Inside the cavern, the moonlight was cold and clear.

Who else could that pale-purple figure be but Mu Wanqing?

Chu Xing felt as though he had been struck by lightning. He instantly held his breath, his heart pounding so violently it seemed ready to leap from his throat.

How could it be her?

This secret cavern… could it actually belong to her?

A thought shot through Chu Xing’s mind like an electric current, instantly linking together every doubt he had had before.

The steward senior disciple’s pointed warning, the Blue Vein Grass at the entrance that had been used as bait, and this blessed cavern overflowing with elemental energy… Who else could possibly have the nerve and the ability to transplant spirit herbs in secret, forcing even the Pill Hall’s steward to turn a blind eye, except this personal disciple whom the Pill Hall elder regarded as a priceless treasure?

The moment Chu Xing understood this, a layer of cold sweat broke out across his back.

Had he… occupied this girl’s secret hideaway?

Worse still, he had planted all those precious seeds he had painstakingly revived in her garden!

Daring not even to breathe loudly, Chu Xing stared intently through the gaps in the vines at everything inside the cavern.

Mu Wanqing was crouching before his little medicinal plot, her jade-like fingers gently brushing over a seedling that had just sprouted. Her cool, beautiful face was filled with bewilderment and disbelief.

“Impossible…”

Her chilly voice, carrying a faint tremor that was almost impossible to detect, echoed through the silent cavern.

“The vitality of these seeds was clearly on the verge of dying out. How could they… how could they have sprouted again?”

She turned her gaze toward the Blue Vein Grass that Chu Xing had transplanted there, her willow brows drawing together even more tightly.

“And this Blue Vein Grass… It was clearly about to wither, yet it has somehow regained a trace of vitality. What is going on?”

Hearing her murmur, Chu Xing’s suspended heart settled back into his chest.

A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

So that was it. She knew only that this was a blessed place, but she knew nothing about the secret behind bringing dead plants back to life.

In that case… this was going to be interesting.

While Chu Xing rapidly calculated his next move, the bewilderment on Mu Wanqing’s face gradually gave way to pain.

She rose with a stiffness so subtle it was nearly imperceptible, then slowly walked toward the spring bubbling with spiritual energy.

She stood there quietly for a while, biting her lower lip tightly.

A scorching, chaotic sensation was surging from the depths of her dantian like a rising tide.

This feeling again!

Mu Wanqing’s heart was filled with profound helplessness. Born with a Sacred Alchemical Heart physique, she possessed an affinity for alchemical flames and medicinal power far beyond that of ordinary people. This had allowed her to advance by leaps and bounds in the art of alchemy, earning her a reputation as a genius.

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But only she knew the price.

Every bout of high-intensity alchemy left behind medicinal residue that could not be completely refined. It settled within her meridians, and over time, this impure alchemical poison transformed into shackles wrapped around them.

At first, she had needed to come here only once a month, using the spring’s pure elemental energy to force the alchemical poison from her body.

But as the grade of her alchemy rose higher and higher, the poison accumulated faster and more violently. Once a month became once every half-month… and now, she had to come here almost every three to five days to endure the bone-scraping agony.

If this continued, it would not be long before even this spiritual spring could no longer suppress it. When that happened, the alchemical poison would erupt completely, destroying her meridians and leaving her with no hope.

Mu Wanqing drew a deep breath. Her trembling hands, filled with both resolve and helplessness, reached toward the sash around her waist.

Chu Xing’s heart gave a violent jolt, and his eyelids began to twitch.

What was this girl planning to do?

The next moment, under Chu Xing’s astonished gaze, Mu Wanqing extended her slender jade-like hands and began untying the sash around her waist.

Not good!

Chu Xing’s mind gave a loud buzz, and his first reaction was to retreat immediately. But the instant he moved, his foot stepped on a withered vine, producing an exceedingly faint sound.

Mu Wanqing paused and warily glanced toward the entrance of the cavern.

Chu Xing froze where he stood, afraid to move even a finger. His heartbeat seemed to stop altogether.

Fortunately, Mu Wanqing appeared to be too distracted by the pain within her body to think further. She merely assumed it had been the sound of wind stirring the grass. She withdrew her gaze and continued removing her clothes.

Her pale-purple dress slipped from her graceful figure like a fallen petal.

Chu Xing went completely numb.

He could neither retreat nor stay. If he moved again, he would certainly be discovered. But if he did not move, was he really supposed to stand there and watch?

He instinctively tried to turn his head away, but that fleeting glimpse of snowy white had already seared itself into his mind like a brand.

His mouth went dry, and his heart pounded even more fiercely than it had when he was fighting Zhao Hu moments earlier.

What kind of situation was this?

Just as Chu Xing’s thoughts had become a chaotic mess and he was nearly suffering internal injuries from holding everything in—

“Splash…”

A faint sound of water rang out.

That flawless body had already disappeared beneath the clear spring water.

The elemental energy in the spring seemed to comfort her. Leaning against the edge of the pool, Mu Wanqing let out a soft, satisfied moan. The usually icy beauty of her face was now tinged with a captivating blush.

She closed her eyes, apparently sinking completely into her cultivation.

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Chu Xing slowly exhaled a long breath, feeling as though he had just been hauled from the water. His entire body was drenched in cold sweat.

An opportunity!

While she was cultivating, he had to slip away at once!

Chu Xing had just begun carefully shifting his feet when—

Suddenly!

Mu Wanqing’s tightly closed phoenix eyes snapped open without warning!

A gaze as cold as ice, sharp as two swords, shot with uncanny precision toward the entrance where Chu Xing was hiding.

“Who is there?”

Her clear, icy shout exploded through the cavern!

It was over!

Those were the only words left in Chu Xing’s mind. His body reacted faster than his thoughts, and without a moment’s hesitation, he turned and prepared to run.

But though he was fast, someone else was faster!

“Whoosh!”

A spray of water burst into the air, and a fierce gust of force had already reached his back.

Chu Xing felt a chill at the nape of his neck. A cold, murderous intent locked firmly onto him. He had no doubt that if he dared move even once more, his neck would be twisted apart in the next instant.

Stiffly, he turned around inch by inch.

Mu Wanqing had somehow already put on a thin undergarment. The soaked fabric clung tightly to her delicate, shapely body, outlining curves that were breathtakingly alluring.

Her beautiful face was filled with murderous fury, and the killing intent in her eyes was colder and more resolute than anything Chu Xing had ever seen.

“It’s you?”

When she recognized Chu Xing, the murderous intent in Mu Wanqing’s eyes deepened. Mixed with it were shame, indignation, and humiliation.

“You saw everything?”

Chu Xing’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He swallowed with difficulty as his mind raced, desperately trying to find a reasonable explanation.

But in a situation like this, any explanation would sound feeble.

“I… I only came to… see how my vegetables were growing,” Chu Xing said stiffly.

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