Chapter 241: Qing Lin's Perception
Xiao Ze frowned slightly as he stored the bodies of the Danta disciples in his ring. After all, they were from Danta, and it wasn't appropriate to leave them exposed in the wild.
"Let's go. The Great Elder has contacted me. He probably discovered something," Xiao Ze said to the delicate-looking girl. With one hand around Qing Lin's waist and the other holding the girl's arm, they quickly moved towards the Great Elder's location.
Soon, they arrived near a mountain. The Great Elder lowered Song Qing from his back. "When I found Song Qing, he was already seriously injured and unconscious," the Great Elder said calmly, though there was a volcanic fury in his serenity.
"I also found other Danta disciples, but they had all been killed. Based on the residual energy and wounds on their bodies, it was the work of the Hall of Souls," Xiao Ze reported quickly, then looked at Song Qing. At that moment, Song Qing was in a deplorable state, with multiple wounds all over his body. However, what had rendered him unconscious was a blow to the chest that had crushed him.
The Great Elder had obviously given him some healing medicine, as Song Qing's breathing had improved and many of his wounds were healing. Even the crushed chest was beginning to recover with a teeth-grinding crunch.
The Great Elder, upon hearing Xiao Ze, darkened even more. "Damn Hall of Souls! If it weren't for their great power, they would have been exterminated in Zhongzhou long ago," the Great Elder exclaimed in frustration. Xiao Ze nodded in agreement, though his gaze shifted to Song Qing.
The elders of the Hall of Souls were not easy enemies; they were all formidable fighters. That Song Qing had survived an encounter with one of them seemed improbable. Although Xiao Ze had his doubts, without concrete evidence, he could only consider them unfounded suspicions.
Qing Lin remained silent on the side, but suddenly felt an unusual warmth in her eyes, as if something was calling her. She looked around, noticing nothing strange. Biting her lip, she hesitated whether to tell Xiao Ze.
After thinking for a moment, Qing Lin finally gently tugged on Xiao Ze's sleeve. "What is it, Qing Lin?" Xiao Ze asked.
"Young Master Xiao Ze, I have something to tell you," Qing Lin said.
Seeing her reaction, Xiao Ze nodded and told the Great Elder, "Great Elder, I have a personal matter to attend to. Here are the bodies of the Danta disciples."
The Great Elder, with a sad expression, took the ring Xiao Ze offered. "Don't worry, I'll make sure they get a proper burial. If you have a personal matter, go ahead."
Xiao Ze nodded and took Qing Lin to a secluded corner. "What's the matter, Qing Lin? Are you feeling unwell?" Xiao Ze asked.
"Young Master Xiao Ze, I feel a strange attraction in this area, as if something is calling me," Qing Lin confessed.
"Do you think it's due to your special ability or another reason?" Xiao Ze asked, taking the situation seriously.
"I think it's because of the Biyan Sanhua Tong (Green Snake Three Flower Eyes)," Qing Lin replied.
"Could it be that there's a powerful serpent beast nearby and the Biyan Sanhua Tong is alerting you?" Xiao Ze murmured, always preparing for the worst-case scenario.
Qing Lin closed her eyes and tried to sense more precisely. "It doesn't seem like that. I don't feel any sense of danger..." she said after a moment.
"In that case, once we resolve this, I'll help you investigate," Xiao Ze decided.
Shortly after, Song Qing began to wake up slowly. Upon opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was the Great Elder, which startled him. After all, when one does something wrong, there is always a sense of guilt.
But he quickly calmed down, struggled to his feet, and knelt before the Great Elder, speaking with a voice full of sorrow. "Master, I'm sorry. I failed to fulfill my duty as an elder of Danta and allowed the disciples to be killed by the Hall of Souls."
"I don't blame you. After all, no one could have predicted that we would encounter people from the Hall of Souls here," the Great Elder said with a sigh. Moreover, Song Qing was also seriously injured.
Without the Great Elder's intervention, Song Qing would have died in this mountain full of magical beasts, being devoured in no time.
The Great Elder didn't suspect anything more and helped Song Qing up, speaking seriously, "Tell me in detail what happened."
"I brought the disciples here to hunt magical beasts. Suddenly, people from the Hall of Souls appeared and attacked us without saying a word..."
"All the disciples were massacred... I used a secret technique to repel the Hall of Souls guardian who attacked me," Song Qing narrated.
From a distance, Xiao Ze listened to Song Qing's narration with a frown. According to Song Qing, during the battle, no Hall of Souls elder appeared. The highest-ranking enemy was a guardian, which allowed him to escape.
But this didn't match what Xiao Ze had discovered. If the Hall of Souls elders had arrived later, they certainly wouldn't have left Song Qing, a seventh-grade alchemist, alive. Repelling a Hall of Souls guardian surely would have attracted more searches from the enemy. However, until the Great Elder rescued Song Qing, no one from the Hall of Souls had found him.
'It seems Song Qing has a problem. Why would he hide this from the Great Elder?' Xiao Ze thought. 'If he faced an elder of the Hall of Souls directly, how could he survive?' he wondered, recalling the battle traces in the valley. Those marks of destruction could only have been caused by a Hall of Souls elder.
'Without concrete evidence, it's better not to say anything yet. The Great Elder seems to value Song Qing a lot.' 'If there's no clear proof that Song Qing has issues, it's better to keep it secret for now,' Xiao Ze decided, returning to Qing Lin.
"Xiao Ze, the elder is also here?" Song Qing asked, surprised to see him return.
"We are both elders of Danta. When I heard about your problem, I came to help," Xiao Ze replied calmly.
"Thank you, Elder Xiao Ze," Song Qing said.
The Great Elder, seeing Xiao Ze had returned, said, "Since Song Qing has recovered, we should leave this dangerous place as soon as possible."
"Great Elder, take them back first. I have personal matters to resolve here."
"But there were just people from the Hall of Souls here..." the Great Elder said with concern.
"Don't worry. According to what Song Qing said, the highest rank was a guardian, not a threat to me," Xiao Ze said with a smile, observing Song Qing's reaction.
"Alright, be careful," the Great Elder agreed, remembering Xiao Ze's ways to deal with the eighth-grade alchemy rays.
Song Qing looked at Xiao Ze one last time before leaving, thinking about how to report this to the Hall of Souls.
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