Ranran, after using a Flash technique to descend from the building, immediately blended into the crowd. After passing two streets, she encountered Gao Cang and Qiu Xier, who were tasting snacks in a pastry shop.
She only said "Wei Jiu is here" and the other two immediately turned pale with fear. The three of them then rushed out of the town at full speed. When they were about to run towards Tea Fragrance Mountain, Ranran closed her eyes and listened carefully, whispering, "Not good! Someone is chasing us!"
Since they had ambushed their second senior brother, they must know where their Shifu was hiding. Although Ranran had left the town just now, as long as Wei Jiu sent someone to chase in the direction of Cha Ming Mountain, they would definitely be caught.
Ranran knew that their Shifu had hidden Netherworld Spirit Spring on him. If Wei Jiu discovered this, there would be a fierce fight for it. If they were to fall into the hands of the Crimson Gate, their Shifu might be coerced by this demon... Right now they could only quickly inform their Shifu and ask for help.
With this in mind, she glanced at a magpie perched on a branch, then leaped up and swiftly caught the bird. From the charm pouch given to her by Elder Jiu, she took out a bird control charm and tied it to the magpie's slender leg before releasing it.
With the bird controlled by the charm, it could now deliver messages like the crows of Cuiwei Mountain.
After doing this, she said briefly to her two fellow disciples, "The sound of the pursuers coming up behind us is very fast. We can't outrun them. We can only delay now and wait for our Shifu and Uncle Master to come save us."
After speaking, she looked around and saw a secluded mountain hollow with dense tree shade, perfect for hiding.
She then said, "Quick, let's hide there. We need to meditate quickly and slow down our breathing. That way, we can evade the pursuers' detection."
When she eavesdropped in the teahouse earlier, she meditated and listened quietly. Even Wei Jiu didn't notice her until she stood up later.
So now, they had to hide first, slow down their breathing, and see if they could escape the pursuers.
Qiu Xier and Gao Cang, having experienced trials in Wangxiang Pass, although they felt a bit panicked imagining Wei Jiu's brutal methods of disembowelment, but they still reacted quickly to Ranran's words and followed her to hide in the mountain hollow.
When the three of them sat cross-legged, silently reciting the Calming Heart Mantra they had been punished to write along the way. Surprisingly they quickly entered a state of meditation, reaching a state of selflessness. Not only did their breathing become slow and steady, but their heartbeats also gradually slowed down, almost as if they were dead.
The disciples of the Crimson Gate soon arrived at this location, but they suddenly couldn't sense the traces of their targets, causing them to stop in their tracks and look at each other.
The surrounding area was dense with trees, providing ample hiding spots.
One of them drew a sharp arrow and shot dozens of arrows towards several hidden spots in the woods. Unfortunately, apart from the startled birds that flew away, there was no human sound.
So the disciples quickly continued to chase in the direction of Cha Ming Mountain.
When the pursuers passed by, Qiu Xier opened her eyes and took a sharp breath.
Because she just noticed that Ranran's arm had been hit by an arrow, with blood gushing out. She couldn't imagine how Ranran endured it when she was hit. Not only did she not make a sound, but she also managed to conceal her breathing.
Ranran, now recovered from her meditative state, felt a sharp pain in her arm. She had never experienced such suffering since childhood, so tears were swirling in her eyes.
"Little junior sister, let's hurry and go. If we wait to be rescued, you might already have bled to death!" Qiu Xier urged with concern.
Ranran gritted her teeth and shook her head. "No, we can't go anywhere now. We can only wait here. Tie my arm tightly with a cloth strip to slow down the blood flow. Then you two go first. Otherwise... I'll only drag you down."
Qiu Xier and Gao Cang exchanged glances. Gao Cang spoke first, "We won't leave. We'll stay here with you. If we leave you behind and go, how can we face your parents?"
Qiu Xier, who was initially undecided, agreed with what her senior brother said. She took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, tore it into strips, and bound Ranran's arm tightly.
Ranran took a deep breath and tried to regulate her blood flow, slowing down her heartbeat to mimic a meditative state.
Even a swift bird would take about ten minutes to locate Shifu and deliver the message. It would also take time for their Shifu to arrive after receiving the message.
*一盏茶 10 minutes
So now, all she could do was wait, ensuring she didn't bleed to death before Shifu arrived.
Unfortunately, fate seemed unwilling to give her even that little bit of time.
Just after Qiu Xier had finished tending to Ranran's wound, Ranran's ears twitched, and then she whispered, "More people are coming, meditate quickly!"
The disciples of XiShan were not particularly skilled, but their basic meditation skills were solid, and they quickly entered a meditative state!
This time, the newcomers were none other than the Elder of Crimson Gate, Tu Jiuyuan. She was uneasy and had brought two more disciples to investigate.
Their Excellency was currently recuperating and couldn't use true qi, so such tasks of chasing down and eliminating people naturally fell to her, the capable right hand.
When they arrived here, Tu Jiuyuan didn't notice anything at first. However, her red-eyed falcon suddenly moved its hooked beak and made a sharp cry. It then flapped its wings, attacking the hiding place of Ranran and the others like how it would attack a rabbit.
The Crimson Gate's red-eyed falcons were raised on human flesh and blood from young, so they immediately sensed the smell of human blood and flew straight towards the injured Ranran.
Gao Cang and Qiu Xier quickly drew their weapons and, as the falcon swooped down, waved their swords to drive away the fierce bird's sharp claws.
At this point, Tu Jiuyuan also saw the three people hiding in the mountain hollow. She couldn't help but sneer, "How did Su Yishui train such a bunch of weaklings? Always hiding, not daring to fight back?"
Gao Cang, a hot-blooded youth willing to seek justice, couldn't bear the mockery. He jumped up and drew his sword, ready to fight her.
But before he could even get close, Tu Jiuyuan caught him with her whip, and sent him flying straight into a nearby tree trunk.
Tu Jiuyuan's wrist turned, and her whip now lashed towards the neck of the silly and dazed chubby girl.
She had already wasted too much time with these weaklings, Tu Jiuyuan was about to break her neck with one strike, then end the lives of the other two as well.
Qiu Xier was terrified, not knowing how to dodge at all. At this critical moment, she was suddenly pushed aside by Ranran.
Ranran had already broken off the long arrow on her arm. She picked up her mechanical staff again, entangling Tu Jiuyuan's whip.
Unfortunately, this is now an old move, and Tu Jiuyuan was prepared. She swung her whip in time, pulling Ranran up and throwing her towards another sturdy tree trunk.
Well trained by Shifu's stone-throwing practices, Ranran's reflexes kicked in. As she was flung towards the tree, she grabbed a handful of leaves and threw them into the air. Then she let go of the whip with her staff, gliding lightly in the air, lightly touching the falling leaves with her toes, like she was a swan gracefully dancing in mid-air.
Tu Jiuyuan swung her whip several times, but couldn't get close to the girl's body. Feeling frustrated, she threw away her whip, drew out her twin daggers from her waist, ready to fight this slippery little girl hand-to-hand.
But as she thrust her daggers, she realized that the girl had turned her body, with legs split, hands poised, using Wei Jiu's special technique Thunderous Sky Slash.
The disciples of the Crimson Gate all knew the power of this move; if struck, either death or serious injury awaited. Tu Jiuyuan, without time to think, instinctively dodged to the side.
Ranran seized this opportunity and shouted loudly, "Get into formation!"
This time, Gao Cang and Qiu Xier didn't hesitate. They quickly took up their positions, forming a Demon-subduing formation.
Although their second senior brother was not there, the three of them could still form a *square formation. After silently reciting the mantra, they instantly became rooted in place.
*品 I guess this is close to a square lol
In fact, Ranran had improvised earlier, learning Wei Jiu's moves from when he fought with Su Yishui in the Demon Vine Forest. It looked impressive but lacked any real power. However, she naturally had a good memory and managed to mimic it perfectly after just one look, enough to intimidate.
Tu Jiuyuan also realized this only after she dodged. Being tricked twice by this girl, she became enraged. As her whip struck out again, she was determined to kill this time.
Su Yishui's self-arranged formation looked ordinary but was both offensive and defensive. These rookies, after experiencing trials in the Wangxiang River, had been focused on studying formations and had achieved some proficiency. Now, in actual combat, they were surprisingly adept at handling the situation.
Tu Jiuyuan swung her whip again, but even if the whip was as dense as raindrops, it couldn't splash in.
But Ranran knew in her heart that her injured arm couldn't hold up for too long. Once she fell, the formation would be broken, and none of them would survive, so... she absolutely couldn't fall!
Tu Jiuyuan also noticed the gradually expanding bloodstain on her arm and knew she was the weakest link. So, she concentrated her attacks on Ranran, intending to crush this little girl.
Seeing how heavily injured her arm was and how young she was, logically this girl should be in a panic at this stage. However, while Tu Jiuyuan continued her relentless attacks, she noticed that the expression on this little girl's face gradually became resolute, especially those eyes, which exuded an indescribable coldness...
deceived by Crimson Gate with a sinister move. He's in the second courtyard of Scholar Tree Lane in the town..."
Hearing Ranran speak with difficulty, Su Yishui's tone was gruffly, "Be quiet, quickly adjust your breath to relieve pain!"
Ranran was very obedient and did become quiet. She didn't even adjust her breathing because she had already passed out from the pain.
It was convenient that she had fainted because when she woke up again, she was lying in a warm bed in the hot spring Inn room. Her injured arm had also been bandaged properly. Although there was still a little bit of pain, it didn't seem to be a big deal. At least she could still stretch her arm to touch the bag of dried sweet potatoes snack by her pillow.
She had brought these sweet potatoes from Cuiwei Mountain. They were gifts from Elder Jiu. Those sweet potatoes grown in climates adjusted by talismans were especially sweet, not only suitable for making wine and also perfect for drying into sweet potato slices. They were chewy and aromatic...
At that moment, Qiu Xier, who brought in some porridge, was pleasantly surprised to see her awake. She put down the porridge with a face full of joy and said, "Little Miss, you finally woke up. Do you know how long you've been sleeping?"
Ranran thought for a moment and said, "I must have slept for three or four days, right?"
Qiu Xier didn't expect her to guess it correctly and admired her while saying, "Exactly three days. But how did you guess?"
Ranran pointed to the dried sweet potatoes in her mouth, "They're not as moist as before. Estimating the time they turned hard, it's probably three or four days... Pass me the porridge quickly; I'm really hungry!"
This ability to estimate time as a gourmand was really unparalleled.
Unfortunately, Qiu Xier was not in the mood to admire Ranran at all. She helped her up and fed her porridge while saying, "You've slept through *a whole day in the heavens. The human realm has changed drastically!"
*天上一日 is from the phrase 天上一日, 地上一年
Its kind of like Interstellar's time dilation; means many things happened during this time
Ranran was really hungry, so she ate while urging her senior sister not to keep her in suspense and tell her quickly about what had happened.
Qiu Xier then recounted everything from the beginning. The first thing was that Shifu was absolutely terrifying that day, rushing as he carried her, like he was possessed by a god-slayer, killing anyone who blocked the way.
The Crimson Gate trackers who couldn't find their targets had later turned back and ran straight into the mouth of the volcano.
Recalling the scene, it was extremely brutal. When Shifu went on a killing spree, Wei Jiu's savagery of disembowelment would seem mild.
"Tearing live people apart with his hands! And they were burned to ashes before even hitting the ground! In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen Crimson Gate disciples were gone, nothing was left..."
Qiu Xier couldn't help but shivered again, then she spoke of another matter, "Second senior brother has been in a water vat being punished all this time. Shifu said he would disperse his foundation and drive him out of the sect..."
Ranran looked up, slightly widening her eyes.
It turned out that after Ranran fainted, Su Yishui immediately took her back to Cha Ming Mountain. Second Uncle Master took Gao Cang and Qiu Xier to look for Bai Baishan.
Perhaps because they knew Bai Baishan was already a useless pawn, or they were afraid of being caught by Su Yishui, Tu Jiuyuan did not return to the courtyard to tell them to retreat.
So when Second Uncle Master kicked open the door, she saw second senior brother lying on the bed with a dark, burly man, looking completely mesmerized. His mouth was still nuzzling the bearded face...
In Qiu Xier's words, seeing that scene made her wish she could gouge out her eyeballs, and immediately forget the horrible sight she saw.
When the burly man saw someone break in, he tried to get up but was quickly immobilized by Second Uncle Master's swift hands.
Second senior brother was still defending the burly man, cradling him in his arms, loudly telling everyone not to scare his Rou'er.
Second Uncle Master snorted and forcefully stuffed a Calming pill into Bai Baishan's mouth. When Bai Baishan came back to his senses and saw the facial hair on his "Ruo'er," he screamed in terror and kicked "Ruo'er" to the ground with one foot.
Then, perhaps recalling the intimate moments he had with "her" over the past few days, Bai Baishan immediately felt nauseated and vomited profusely, according to Qiu Xier's recollection, even vomiting up meals from the previous night.
Ranran cautiously stepped back and said to Su Yishui, "Shifu, he should be poisoned by the horned demon. Please don't let come into contact with him..."
Yu Tong coldly remarked by the side, "Master also noticed the poison in him, so these past days he was left soaking in a vat filled with cow bezoar and incense ash. The poison should be mostly cleared by now."
Hearing Second Uncle Master say this, Bai Baishan suddenly realized that these past few days of soaking was not a punishment but detoxification.
Thinking about how he had cursing bitterly while in the vat, feeling wronged, Bai Baishan couldn't help but feel ashamed and couldn't lift his head.
But since Shifu was willing to take care of him, does this mean he wouldn't be expelled from the sect?
Su Yishui said mildly, "You've soaked in the Water of the horned demon for many days, damaging your foundation. Even if the poison has been removed, it cannot be reversed. So, there's no need for me to disperse your skills. Our master-disciple relationship has come to an end. You can leave the mountain to marry and have children."
This horned demon poison was very insidious, capable of preventing the gathering of true qi. Ground into powder and used for bathing, its effects were even more potent. Fortunately, Su Yishui had a bit of cleanliness obsession and never went to soak in the hot springs; otherwise, he would have been affected already. It was clear that Wei Jiu wanted to control second senior brother, to poison Su Yishui, then take advantage of the situation to overwhelm the people from XiShan, reclaim his core, and get his revenge!
Bai Baishan had always harbored the ambition of dominating the three major sects and becoming a legendary figure. But now, hearing that he was on the verge of becoming useless, he sat back in the vat and burst into tears.
With flowing tears he said that he didn't do it on purpose. He wouldn't dare to betray his master if not for being compelled by evil spirits. His master had great divine powers and extraordinary medical skills; surely, he would find a way to cure the poison from the horned demon.
The once dignified young man cried like a three-year-old rolling on the ground. Even the eldest senior brother and third senior sister couldn't help but plead for him.
Su Yishui seemed unmoved as he listened, only saying slowly later on "Your Bai family risked themselves to save a Xishan Elder, and was seriously injured as a result. I've always remembered this favor, which is why I accepted you as my disciple. The poison in your body is deep. Even if I kept you at West Mountain, you would be useless. Moreover, you were seduced by lust, which endangered your fellow disciples and caused them to be injured. Originally, you should have atoned for this with your life, but now I am only expelling you from the sect, which also fulfills our master-disciple relationship. Go on, collect some silver from Yu Tong before leaving. You can start a small business at home and live a comfortable life."
After saying this, he couldn't be bothered to talk further with Bai Baishan and left directly.
Bai Baishan finally managed to rein in his sorrow, he couldn't help but try to gather his true qi, only to find that his dantian was really completely empty, with nothing left.
Out of the few disciples who entered the sect with him, he considered himself to have the highest talent. Who would have thought he would be ambushed and lose all his cultivation over the past year in one go.
He was familiar with the unwritten rules of cultivation. Once branded as a disowned disciple, bearing the reputation of betraying the master, it would be difficult to turn things around. Other reputable orthodox sects would not accept him either.
Even Su Yishui, who had put righteousness before family and betrayed Mu Qingge in the past, although praised verbally by the righteous path, was still secretly looked down upon by them for his actions.
But until the end, Su Yishui still refused to see him again. He was given some money before being told to leave Cha Ming Mountain.
Bai Baishan refused to leave and knelt at the foot of the mountain, even enduring heavy rain without getting up.
Su Yishui ignored the one who stubbornly refused to leave. After clarifying that it was Qiu Xier who had proposed to go down the mountain, she was also punished with a bamboo board beating along with Gao Cang, leaving them unable to move for a day, and could only sit on soft cushions.
Ranran felt that she had also made a major mistake this time. It was only because she had been unconscious and managed to escape, but she didn't know how Shifu would punish her now.