"Who is it?" Gu Mo immediately asked, his voice much louder than before.
Liu Yinzhu didn’t directly answer but said, "Sect Master, before I recommend this person, I need to mention a few other matters."
"Go ahead," Gu Mo said, knowing that Liu Yinzhu wouldn’t speak without reason or purpose.
Liu Yinzhu began:
"Not just us, but also people from Yanyue Sect and Heavenly Artifact Sect were able to return because of one person. This person is Ding Huan, just a cook."
Hearing that a cook could influence so many people to escape from the great canyon, Gu Mo was also curious,
"Is this cook’s cultivation very strong?"
Liu Yinzhu shook her head:
"No, not only is his cultivation not strong, his aptitude is also quite ordinary. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to become a common disciple’s cook just to enter the Taoist Realm."
Liu Yinzhu had traveled some distance with Ding Huan and naturally knew that the reason Ding Huan had become the cook for the Yanyue Sect was because Guan Pou needed a cook.
"Tell me about it," Gu Mo said, his interest also piqued.
He was eager to know how a cook was able to lead so many people out of the great canyon.
Liu Yinzhu didn’t hide anything, describing everything Ding Huan did along the way as well as her own judgments and speculations.
"Are you saying that after knowing that Qu Yueshan wanted to kill him, he schemed to have Qu Yueshan die in an inexplicable manner?"
Gu Mo frowned as he spoke, finding what Liu Yinzhu said a bit unrealistic.
Liu Yinzhu nodded:
"The first time he schemed against Qu Yueshan, I saw it with my own eyes, heard it with my own ears.
After he infuriated Qu Yueshan into leaving, we safely returned to the main road, but when Qu Yueshan barely made it back, he had already lost his legs.
I suspect that when he slipped into the forest, he knew there was something wrong with the path ahead. He even calculated what Qu Yueshan was thinking, knowing that Qu Yueshan definitely wouldn’t follow us into the forest."
"Could Qu Yueshan’s death have been caused by the residual somber poison of the Swallowing Foot Corpse?" Gu Mo asked.
Liu Yinzhu’s tone was very certain:
"That’s very unlikely. I saw Qu Yueshan’s body; his flesh and meridians had all turned into a mushy substance, not the poison from a Swallowing Foot Corpse.
And with Qu Yueshan’s knowledge, it’s unlikely he wouldn’t have known he was poisoned and still stayed in his tent."
"How did Qu Yueshan die then?" Gu Mo asked again.
Liu Yinzhu was perplexed:
"That’s exactly what I’m puzzled about. When Qu Yueshan was found dead, I was talking to Ding Huan; he simply didn’t have the time to commit the crime."
"Who discovered it?"
"It was Yan Mei, a newly recruited disciple of the Dual Soul Sect. I never suspected him until the end when Yan Mei didn’t follow us but instead went with Ding Huan. That’s when I began to doubt him."
"There’s no need to doubt; it must have been Yan Mei."
"But how could Yan Mei have had the chance to plot against Qu Yueshan?"
"That’s very likely related to Ding Huan as well," Gu Mo said, "You mentioned he not only led you safely out of the great canyon.
He also safely crossed the Lost Swamp; if he didn’t have some means, that wouldn’t have been possible."
After finishing, Gu Mo took a few deep breaths.
Liu Yinzhu pondered thoughtfully; she really hadn’t seen through Ding Huan’s methods.
Returning to the topic, if she could decipher Ding Huan’s methods, then Ding Huan wouldn’t have been able to kill Qu Yueshan.
"You should have brought him back," Gu Mo sighed. "From what you’ve said, it seems like Ding Huan is eager to join a sect."
Liu Yinzhu quickly said:
"I indeed wanted to bring him back, but thinking of how he schemed against Elder Qu, I got scared.
He’s just a cook and yet so formidable; if his cultivation were to grow strong..."
Liu Yinzhu didn’t finish, but Gu Mo understood her concern, breathing somewhat heavily:
"Yinzhu, judging from Ding Huan’s actions, he doesn’t seem to be a ruthless person, but rather one who is loyal and keeps promises.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have continued to cook for Guan Pou during such dangerous times. Such a person who keeps promises definitely isn’t a villain. His actions were merely self-preservation.
Should this person be as formidable as you’ve said, he is indeed suitable to become the Sect Master of Purple Mist Valley. Yinzhu, do you know the current situation of Purple Mist Valley?"
Liu Yinzhu shook her head; she really didn’t know.
Gu Mo pointed outside:
"Purple Mist Valley is now plagued by internal strife and external threats. Although I plan to entrust the sect to you, I’m worried that you won’t be able to manage Purple Mist Valley and am preparing to help you before I die..."
"Sect Master..."
Gu Mo waved his hand, stopping Liu Yinzhu’s words:
"The internal strife you’ll soon know about, and you can guess some of the external threats. It’s because of Purple Garden Mountain; the Nine Sounds Sect is nearly outright claiming that Purple Garden Mountain is theirs.
I’m sure that as soon as the news of my demise spreads, they will directly occupy Purple Garden Mountain. Even Elder Pu Jun’s mishap might not be unrelated to them.
With your abilities, you might manage to hold control over the sect. But to bring Purple Garden Mountain back to Purple Mist Valley would be nearly impossible.
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If Ding Huan truly is as fearsome as you say, then he indeed has the credentials to become the Sect Master of Purple Mist Valley.
He doesn’t need to have high aptitude; although Purple Mist Valley is in decline, we still have some resources. What does low aptitude matter?"
"As long as he could make good use of everything at hand, there was no reason why Purple Garden Mountain couldn’t belong to both Sects. At the very least, our Purple Mist Valley could also utilize Purple Garden Mountain…"
Perhaps it was due to expending too much energy earlier, Gu Mo couldn’t help but suddenly spit out a Blood Arrow.
"Sect Master!" Liu Yinzhu urgently tried to rush forward to protect Gu Mo.
"No need, just go now and look for Ding Huan. If you find him, invite him to Purple Mist Valley, and I will have a face-to-face chat with him.
Such talent won’t wander outside for long. I’m just worried that by the time you get there, he might have already joined another Sect."
Having forcefully finished speaking, Gu Mo closed his eyes and began to rest.
"Don’t worry, Sect Master. I will definitely find him."
Liu Yinzhu increasingly regretted not having kept Ding Huan.
…
Since Ding Huan had taught the Extreme Shadow Jutsu to Yan Mei, their speed had increased significantly.
After traveling with another person and a monkey for seven days, Ding Huan stopped.
"Brother Huan, are we setting up camp here today?"
Yan Mei felt it was only noon, as they had been rapidly traveling for the past few days and only stopped when it was dark.
Having seen Lao Liu adoringly addressing Brother Huan, he too began calling him Brother Huan.
"No, today we cross the Lost Swamp again from here, and then we’ll blend into the Taoist Realm," Ding Huan said, looking at the Lost Swamp ahead.
"But this part of the Lost Swamp seems wider than the other places," Yan Mei said, puzzled.
In other places, one could see the vague outlines of jungles and mountains across the Lost Swamp, but here, all that could be seen was an endless swampy terrain.
"It can’t be helped, someone wants to kill me," Ding Huan sighed.
He wasn’t sure whether Deacon Qiong had given up pursuing him, but it’s better to be cautious.
"You really talk too much, just listen to Brother Huan," Lao Liu said contemptuously to Yan Mei.
Lao Liu’s mood was somewhat deteriorated due to several failed attempts at Foundation Establishment over the last few days.
Ding Huan had already entered the Lost Swamp, with Lao Liu following him immediately, and Yan Mei hurriedly followed suit.
Perhaps it was because almost no one traversed this area, but Ding Huan had only walked a few steps when he noticed something hidden beneath the swamp.
Before he could see clearly what it was, a black shadow pounced towards him.
Having already been vigilant, Ding Huan swung his long knife, cutting the black shadow into two halves.
"This is a Black Silence Snake. A bite from it could be fatal even for those at Foundation Establishment level."
Liu Yinzhu, following closely behind Ding Huan, said with some lingering fear after seeing the snake.
"Don’t worry; it poses no threat to us," Ding Huan indicated to Yan Mei not to worry.
He led the way, how could he let a Black Silence Snake bite them? Even if it did, what of it?
Ding Huan not only didn’t slow down, but he also sped up even more.
Along the way, he killed at least dozens of Black Silence Snakes, sending shivers of fear down Yan Mei’s spine.
Their chosen path through the swamp was indeed wide, and even with Ding Huan’s swift pace, it took them until the next morning to step out of the swamp.
Seeing the vast wilderness before them, Yan Mei finally exhaled a sigh of relief.
He figured that if he shared his experiences, no one would believe that a newcomer who hadn’t yet joined a Sect had crossed the Lost Swamp three times, one of which was during the night.
"Let’s hurry up and leave this place." Regardless of whether Deacon Qiong could find this place or not, he didn’t want to linger near the Lost Swamp for long.
Lao Liu and Yan Mei naturally did whatever Ding Huan said.
…
While Ding Huan, Yan Mei, and Lao Liu were still frantically fleeing,
Yanyue Sect had made a name for itself in the Taoist Realm.
This time, the Sects from the Taoist Realm going to the Mortal World to recruit disciples numbered not one hundred, but dozens.
However, the only one who managed to bring back a large number of people was Yanyue Sect.
Other Sects either returned with a few people or were completely wiped out.
Yanyue Sect was already strong in the Taoist Realm, and this time, it had risen to another level.
With the rising status of Yanyue Sect, the status of its Young Sect Master naturally increased, subsequently elevating Guan Pou, the future wife of the Young Sect Master, as well.
When Qing Yue returned, she hadn’t noticed Guan Pou frowning with excitement and said:
"Sister Hou, did you know? Our Young Sect Master has been invited to attend the Ascension Realm’s Tao Discussing Conference."
Guan Pou, as the future wife of the Young Sect Master, hadn’t yet met the Young Sect Master since arriving at Yanyue Sect.
Because the Young Sect Master was attending the Taoist Cultivation World Sect Alliance, and before he could return, he was invited again to the Ascension Realm’s Tao Discussing Conference.
Guan Pou wasn’t as happy and looked at Qing Yue with an even tone:
"Qing Yue, do you know why the Law Enforcement Elder from Dual Soul Sect came to our Yanyue Sect?"
"Ah…" Qing Yue’s eyes flashed with panic, and she quickly responded, "I don’t know."
"No, you know," Guan Pou’s tone was even colder.