Chapter 62: Just Checking Him For Injuries, That’s All~

“Yuyan…? What exactly… are you two doing over there…?”

Hearing Mu Yanran’s voice drift over, the White-Robed Kensei, who had been leaning close, practically breathing into He Yimo’s ear, instantly flinched. Eek! She scrambled back two steps, her jade-like hand flying up to cover her mouth, abruptly creating a ‘safe’ distance from the shirtless youth. As she moved, Mo Yuyan also subtly released the pressure point on He Yimo’s back.

Snatch! She quickly grabbed He Yimo’s discarded clothes from Yun Jin (who was still standing nearby, blushing furiously), thrust them back at him, and shot him a pointed look that clearly screamed, “Get dressed! NOW!”

“See?” Mo Yuyan declared loudly, regaining her composure instantly, arms crossed, standing tall and aloof. She cleared her throat, seamlessly resuming her previous ‘instructive’ tone as Mu Yanran approached. “This is why, when Senior Sister teaches you Body Tempering techniques in the future, you shouldn’t just brush them off because they aren’t sword skills! Don’t be so dismissive!”

“Body Tempering isn’t just about building strength! It also helps protect these vital acupoints! Prevents you from easily exposing weaknesses to your opponents later on!” she lectured sternly, conveniently ignoring the actual reason she’d been poking his Kidney Source.

He Yimo, sensing someone approaching from behind, frantically pulled his clothes back on. Turning around, he came face-to-face with the graceful, black-clad fairy.

“M-Mu…! Ah! Wh-What… What are these…?!” He Yimo’s pupils contracted sharply the moment he saw Mu Yanran. Oh shit. Ohshit ohshit. Traumatic memories of knife-edge plot points from his past life surged violently, nearly making him blurt out her name. Control! Control!

Luckily, as a veteran completionist player—the Red Stone King himself—He Yimo was now basically immune to plot-induced trauma. Mostly. His reaction was lightning fast. Spotting the three corpses being dragged by Mu Yanran’s ice sword, he quickly pivoted, pointing towards the gruesome bodies. “Those… guys?! What happened?!” Phew. Smooth save.

“…?” Meanwhile, Mu Yanran also recovered from her brief surprise at seeing He Yimo shirtless and being lectured. Her recovery mirrored Mo Yuyan’s almost perfectly: a slight cough behind a closed hand, averting her gaze momentarily, before smoothly picking up He Yimo’s conversational thread. “Ah, yes…” she explained calmly, though her words were clearly directed at Mo Yuyan, “These were the Miyue cultists who escaped earlier. All the infiltrators on Northfall Snow Mountain have now been… dealt with. Completely.”

Although He Yimo had initiated the topic change, Mu Yanran’s statement carried a clear subtext for Mo Yuyan.

Mo Yuyan glanced back at the corpses, frowning slightly. “…A pity,” she murmured, shaking her head with mild disappointment. “They’re completely dead. Senior Sister Mu, you should have left at least one alive for interrogation back at the sect.”

“Hmm? Oh, these Miyue cultists are quite cunning,” Mu Yanran replied smoothly, weaving a completely false narrative without batting an eye. “They had poison hidden in their teeth. Once I caught up to them, knowing escape was impossible, they all chose to… bite down… and end their own lives.” She delivered the lie with perfect composure.

He Yimo stared at her, his own brow furrowing slightly, unable to suppress a small, exasperated sigh. Wow. Effortless bullshit, just like Jiang Jinyue. Definitely one of the original story’s Wuji Sect traitors, alright. No doubt about it.

“Hidden poison…?” Mo Yuyan murmured, accepting the explanation without question, her cold eyes flickering with renewed disgust for the cultists. “As expected of such deviants.”

But just as He Yimo was studying Mu Yanran’s face, lost in thought about her treacherous future… both fairies suddenly fell silent. They were supposedly discussing the disposal of the cultists, but…

“Hm?” He Yimo blinked, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “W-What? Is… Is something wrong with me…?” He shifted awkwardly, caught between the intense gazes of the two Kensei. Why were they both sneaking glances at his face while pretending to talk about dead bodies?! This… This wasn’t right… He hadn’t even met Mu Yanran in this life yet! Why was she looking at him like that?!

“…?” Mu Yanran looked from He Yimo to Mo Yuyan, her sapphire-blue eyes clouding over with complex, unreadable thoughts.

Just as the silence stretched awkwardly, Mo Yuyan abruptly broke it, offering an explanation unprompted. “Actually…” she began, a slight cough punctuating her words, her arms crossing defensively again, a telltale sign of her own discomfort. “I was just… checking He Yimo for injuries earlier… That’s why I had him… remove his shirt…”

Mu Yanran listened silently, her expression unreadable.

Mo Yuyan felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down her temple despite the freezing air. She looked away, continuing hurriedly, “After checking… I noticed he had a slight injury near his waist… So I took the opportunity to… instruct him personally… Urging him to practice his Body Tempering diligently in the future, to protect his vital points properly… Yes.” Mo Yuyan tacked on the clarification, repeating her justification almost defensively.

But Mu Yanran merely quirked an eyebrow, a faint, knowing smile touching her lips. “Ah, is that so? I thought we’d already moved past that topic.” Mu Yanran’s tone was light, but it carried a subtle implication. She had only asked casually upon arriving. The subject had been dropped when the corpses came up. Mu Yanran hadn’t given it a second thought… yet Mo Yuyan felt the need to bring it up again, explaining herself twice.

Hoooh~? Interesting~…

“It’s… It’s nothing. I was just worried Senior Sister might… misunderstand, that’s all,” Mo Yuyan replied coolly, though her eyes shifted uncomfortably.

The atmosphere became decidedly… strange.

Mu Yanran’s gaze swept across the gathered group. She first locked eyes briefly with the fox girl, Jiang Jinyue, who was still lurking behind He Yimo, pretending she hadn’t heard or seen anything suspicious at all. Heh. Then, as if suddenly remembering something important, Mu Yanran’s attention snapped towards the figure lying crumpled on the ground nearby, almost forgotten in the recent drama—Chen Jianxin.

Right. Chen Jianxin. The actual target. After his Qi Deviation, when he attacked He Yimo, Mo Yuyan had casually swatted him aside with a single flick of her sword. He’d collapsed instantly, knocked unconscious by the impact. Mu Yanran realized with a jolt that the actual protagonist had been out cold on the ground this whole time!

“Ah… This must be the talented young swordsman who took first place in the recent entrance exams…” Mu Yanran murmured, tapping a finger thoughtfully against her lips, her beautiful eyes studying the unconscious boy with keen interest. “What happened to him…? Is he… still alive?”

Mo Yuyan also turned her gaze towards Chen Jianxin, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her usually frosty expression. “Chen Jianxin. Yes, that’s him.”

“When I arrived earlier… this child seemed to be suffering from Qi Deviation. He even attacked a fellow disciple. Thus… I administered a small punishment…” she explained calmly. “He’s alive, of course. Just… taking a short nap.” Mo Yuyan finished, then glanced meaningfully at the ahoge girl beside He Yimo.

Yun Jin, ever perceptive to Mo Yuyan’s cues, nodded quickly. She stepped forward, picked up a small twig from the snowy ground, and gently… poked… Chen Jianxin’s nostril with it. Poke poke.

Almost immediately, Chen Jianxin’s face scrunched up. His eyebrows twitched violently. Snort! Gasp! He shot upright, sucking in huge gulps of air. The surrounding Wuji Sect disciples instantly jumped back, their faces filled with fear and apprehension, watching him warily like he was a dangerous beast waking from slumber. The two fairies observed the disciples’ reactions, exchanging knowing glances.

“W-Wha… What happened…? Where am I…?” Chen Jianxin muttered groggily, blinking his eyes open… to see the ahoge girl crouching beside him, still holding the offending twig. “S-Senior Sister Yun Jin?”

He started to raise a hand, but Yun Jin flinched back instinctively, her eyes wide with caution, putting a clear ‘safe distance’ between them. Zap! Fragmented memories flooded Chen Jianxin’s mind—the rage, the black flames, attacking… He Yimo… Being struck down… He remembered. Oh. Right. He’d been consumed by his inner demon. No wonder Senior Sister Yun Jin is scared of me… He sighed internally, feeling a pang of regret. He forced a weak smile, scratching his head sheepishly. “Sorry… Did I worry you, Senior Sister? I’m… I’m alright now!”

“Mm…” Yun Jin nodded curtly, her expression still guarded, clearly not entirely convinced.

Chen Jianxin, painfully aware of the awkward tension, grit his teeth against the lingering aches all over his body and pushed himself to his feet. He looked around, first taking in the fearful expressions of the other disciples, before his gaze finally locked onto the two imposing, beautiful Kensei standing front and center, watching him intently.

“Ah…! Y-You two are… Oh!” Recognition dawned. “This disciple greets Sword Head Mo!” Chen Jianxin exclaimed, dropping immediately to one knee, performing a formal salute. He didn’t recognize the fairy in black standing beside Mo Yuyan, but judging by her imposing aura and the way she scrutinized him… she was clearly someone important too! At least Senior Sister level, maybe even on par with Senior Brother Gu!

“Chen Jianxin,” Mo Yuyan spoke first, her voice crisp and cold, cutting through the silence. “I witnessed your actions in Snow Village tonight. And these disciples here have verify the events.” Her tone was severe, yet held the rational authority expected of the Sword Head. “While you did slay many cultists, which is commendable… you later succumbed to your inner demons, entered Qi Deviation, and lethally attacked your own sect brother!”

“Fortunately, I intervened in time to prevent a greater tragedy.” Mo Yuyan stated the facts objectively, her face an unreadable mask. She showed no bias due to her… complicated relationship with He Yimo, nor did she show any particular favor towards Chen Jianxin despite his newly revealed, terrifying potential. She was simply evaluating him as a disciple.

Chen Jianxin remained kneeling, head bowed respectfully, listening silently to the judgment.

“Chen Jianxin,” Mo Yuyan continued, “Perhaps your initial descent into Qi Deviation stemmed from a desire to defeat the evil cultists. However, based on the outcome… you clearly lack the necessary control to wield the potential residing within you…”

“Therefore…” Mo Yuyan concluded, her gaze finally shifting towards He Yimo, a fraction of warmth finally entering her icy eyes, “…now that Muji Sect have suffered great losses, you will follow my instruction to return to the sect, bring your peers with you, and report what happened here…. and also you should first apologize to He Yimo.”

Chen Jianxin listened, then slowly lifted his head, his gaze meeting the handsome youth still standing between the two Kensei. He thought about He Yimo’s suspicious absence earlier… the strange scaled armor on his arm during the fight… those hushed, suspect conversations with the cultists… Honestly? Chen Jianxin was now convinced He Yimo was the traitor Senior Brother Gu had warned him about!

But… he had no proof. He was currently the one in the wrong. And with both Kensei watching him with cold, assessing eyes… All those fragmented clues and suspicions had to be swallowed down, remaining unspoken. He sighed again, deeply reluctant, but knowing he had no choice. He slowly rose, walked towards He Yimo, and bowed his head slightly. “My apologies…” he ground out, his voice thick with resentment. “I harbor… intense hatred for the cultists… In my madness… I mistook Daoist Brother He for one of them… and nearly wounded you gravely… Forgive me.”

His ‘apology’ dripped with insinuation, his glare towards He Yimo simmering with unconcealed animosity.

Beside them, Mo Yuyan took a sharp breath, her perpetually icy expression finally cracking with a flicker of annoyance. However, before she could say anything, He Yimo just smiled pleasantly and clapped Chen Jianxin amiably on the shoulder.

“Pfft— Oh, don’t worry about it!” He Yimo said cheerfully. “No harm done! Besides… with Brother Chen’s current level of skill…” He leaned in slightly, his smile widening into something sharp and knowing. “…hurting me would probably be… quite difficult.”