12 – Chapter
A Deadly Mission: Investigating the Skin-Peeling Murder Case
“Knock, knock, knock—”
“Master? May this disciple come in?”
The hall door was not closed.
After knocking on the side hall door for a while, no sound came from inside the room.
Mu Lingyan glanced around the hall but did not see He Xuan.
Carrying a food box, she walked inside.
Carefully lifting the plain-colored gauze curtain of the floor-length screen, she saw He Xuan leaning against the bedside with his ink-black hair loose and his eyes closed.
With those ruthless, pitch-black eyes closed, he actually appeared much gentler.
Catching a glimpse of his jade-like chest through the open collar, his picturesque face seemed to shimmer faintly.
Mu Lingyan couldn’t help but lick her lips.
Seeing He Xuan’s eyelashes tremble slightly, she immediately retreated outside the gauze curtain.
Blushing, she softly asked outside the curtain, “Master, are you well? Would you like to have lunch?”
Inside the gauze curtain, He Xuan did not look like he had just woken up at all.
He pulled his collar together, narrowing his eyes.
He stared intently at Mu Lingyan outside the curtain, as if certain of his success.
Feigning indifference, he said, “Hmm, just leave it in the front hall.”
As the jade-like pleasant voice fell, He Xuan, dressed in a dark green robe embroidered with intricate cranes at the hem, slowly walked out.
Mu Lingyan inadvertently caught sight of He Xuan’s stunning elegance as he moved.
She couldn’t help but feel that he was the true Demon Venerable, while she was just a novice in the Cultivation World.
“Master, I’ve prepared steamed mandarin fish for you,” Mu Lingyan said with a smile, turning around to busy herself.
But she didn’t see that behind her, He Xuan’s expression turned icy with disgust upon hearing the words “steamed mandarin fish.”
He stared coldly at her back as if looking at a dead person.
When Mu Lingyan turned back, the aura around He Xuan suddenly changed, returning to the cold, aloof, and solitary Worry-Free Peak Master.
As the radiant hem of his robe settled, He Xuan had already taken a seat opposite the dining table.
He raised an eyebrow, “Mandarin fish? You’ve put thought into this, disciple.”
Thinking of the System eagerly waiting to level up, Mu Lingyan hurriedly said, “Master, please taste it. Is it good?” After speaking, her sparkling eyes clearly sought praise.
He Xuan elegantly picked up his jade chopsticks, lifted a piece of fresh and tender fish, and placed it in his mouth.
Mu Lingyan leaned forward, hands on the table, and asked, “How is it, Master…?”
He Xuan picked up another piece and ate it. After finishing, he looked up, his pitch-black pupils fixed on Mu Lingyan’s face.
“The mandarin fish you made is quite delicious, disciple.”
System: “Ding—Experience points increased by 1. Host still needs 99 experience points!”
Mu Lingyan’s eyes lit up, filled with fighting spirit.
With such a good start, why worry about not leveling up?
The Sun-Moon Formation would surely be within her grasp.
Woo-hoo—
“Master, please try this plate of spirit fruit! I specially went down the mountain to pick it for you! And I carved it myself.”
He Xuan glanced down and saw the white spirit fruit carved into a lifelike rabbit.
The green spirit fruit, on the other hand, was carved into…
A large cabbage?
He Xuan raised his eyebrows slightly, a flicker of delight passing through his cool, dark eyes as he curled his lips and whispered.
“Quite interesting. This rabbit is adorably clumsy. My disciple has such skills?”
System: “Ding—Experience points +1. Now have 2 experience points.”
Mu Lingyan was overjoyed to hear the System’s announcement in her Sea of Consciousness.
Holding up the porcelain plate, she said spiritedly, “Hehe, I’m glad Master likes it. If Master could praise Lingyan a bit more, that would be even better…”
A flash of surprise crossed He Xuan’s eyes.
He regretted the genuine joy he had felt just moments before.
With graceful elegance, he picked up the spirit fruit carved into a rabbit and placed it directly into his mouth, his expression calm and composed.
“The rabbit is quite good, quite delicious,” he remarked casually, then picked up a handkerchief from the table and meticulously wiped his fingers clean. “No need for excessive praise—too much of it cheapens the words.”
“Don’t you agree, disciple?”
Mu Lingyan was momentarily stunned, stumbling over her words. “M-Master… speaks wisely…”
Why did she feel that her upright, morally sound male lead had a hint of a villainous aura?
Was it just her imagination?
Mu Lingyan immediately dismissed the thought. After all, He Xuan’s character was originally portrayed as a disciplined, aloof, and emotionless sword cultivator.
Perhaps his earlier behavior was simply due to his inherently reserved nature, which made him unaccustomed to giving praise.
Just as the atmosphere settled into a slightly awkward silence, a rippling, water-like mirror appeared between the two of them.
With gentle undulations, the face of True Venerable Taihe materialized in the mirror.
“Junior Brother…”
He Xuan nodded slightly. “Senior Brother Sect Leader, is there something you require?”
True Venerable Taihe in the mirror sighed. “There is a matter that requires you to lead some disciples to handle it. The disciples stationed outside have just sent word. In White Egret Town, about fifty kilometers from Kun Mountain, three bodies have been discovered within a month, all stripped of their skin. The town’s constables have been investigating for a long time, but the culprit left no trace. I suspect this is not the work of an ordinary person—it could be a demon or a fiend.”
A skin-stripping monster?
Just imagining the scene made Mu Lingyan feel nauseous.
Fortunately, her acting skills were decent, and she managed to maintain an expressionless facade.
He Xuan glanced subtly at Mu Lingyan’s slightly trembling hands and replied to True Venerable Taihe, “Understood. I will take Lingyan with me to investigate.”
Mu Lingyan: In the water mirror, True Venerable Taihe stroked his snow-white beard. “Good, with Lingyan assisting you, I am at ease. Junior Brother, remember to proceed with caution and return safely.”
“Mmm.” He Xuan nodded, and the water mirror vanished into thin air.
He Xuan turned around, idly fiddling with the red cord on his left wrist, and looked up to instruct Mu Lingyan.
“Disciple, go and prepare. We will depart immediately.”
Mu Lingyan hesitated slightly, whispering, “Master, Third Junior Brother is quite bored lately. Why not have him accompany you?” A skin-stripping murderer—I’m terrified, you know.
“He is currently attempting to break through to the Golden Core Realm and has entered seclusion. The two of us will go.”
Noticing Mu Lingyan’s hesitant expression, He Xuan stated plainly, “That settles it. I will wait for you in front of the sect’s protective formation.”
With that, he turned and entered the inner hall.
Mu Lingyan was left speechless, her spirits dampened as she trudged away, her steps heavy.
Her current cultivation level was even lower than that of her Third Junior Brother, who was still in the Foundation Establishment Stage. The skin-stripping monster sounded absolutely terrifying.
“Little Weakling, can you protect me?”
System: “Wah, host, I’m called the Sickly Weakness Halo. How could I possibly perform heroic rescues?”
“Uh…” Mu Lingyan sighed with every step, just as she encountered Ruan Jiujiu, who was cheerfully making her way up the peak.
Ruan Jiujiu held apricot blossoms in her hand and waved carelessly. “Eldest Senior Sister! You just came from Master’s place, right? Why are you sighing?”
“There have been three skin-stripping murders in White Egret Town. The Sect Leader has asked Master to handle it, and I have to go with him.”
Ruan Jiujiu’s apricot-shaped eyes widened. “Third Senior Brother is in seclusion, and now you and Master are leaving too. I’ll be so bored all alone on Worry-Free Peak.”
“Senior Sister, let me go with you!” With that, she tossed the apricot blossoms aside and wrapped both arms around Mu Lingyan’s, shaking them back and forth.
Mu Lingyan looked troubled. “Junior Sister, you’d better not go. That skinning murderer might be a vicious demon, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you.”
Ruan Jiujiu continued to plead, “Master is highly skilled in the Immortal Arts, no demon would be a match for him. Please, Senior Sister, let me go with you.”
“Senior Sister, just let me board the Flying Ship first. If Master agrees, I’ll go along; if not, I’ll come back. Is that okay…?”
Who could resist a soft girl’s coquettish pleas?
No one could…
Not even Mu Lingyan!