Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Witch Rescues

Wu Mei? Looking at the youth’s face, Lin Xiaobao struggled to hold back his laughter and said, “That’s a fine name!” Then he quickly ran toward the two brothers from the Disciplinary Hall.

At first, the two brothers from the Disciplinary Hall looked after Lin Xiaobao and didn’t move too fast. But when they realized he was handling himself with ease, they steadily increased their pace. Only when they unleashed the full speed of someone at the First Stage of the Acquired Realm did Lin Xiaobao start to show signs of strain.

No wonder this kid was able to cut off Han Yongfeng’s arm. It seems he does have some ability. The two thought this to themselves but said nothing more to Lin Xiaobao. After all, they were only errand-runners in the Disciplinary Hall, and questioning wasn’t part of their duties.

The Disciplinary Hall was located on the far left side of the Frost and Snow Pavilion, on Longzhou Mountain. After more than an hour, the two brothers handed Lin Xiaobao over to a disciple at the entrance and did not go in themselves.

A long corridor stretched ahead, its construction material unknown. The narrow space was shrouded in darkness, and walking through it brought an inexplicable sense of pressure.

The Disciplinary Hall seemed to be set within the belly of Longzhou Mountain, with no light penetrating from outside. Several fire towers burned in the main hall, making the light clear yet casting a shadowy gloom. At the very front of the hall stood a youth in yellow robes. “You are Lin Xiaobao?”

“Reporting to Brother Long, I am indeed!” On the way here, the accompanying disciple had already told him that this was Long Xingtian, the direct disciple of the Third Elder, who also happened to be the head of the Disciplinary Hall. Knowing his identity, Lin Xiaobao naturally showed the proper respect.

“Han Yongfeng, an outer disciple, accused you of severing his right arm through a sneak attack. Is this true?” Long Xingtian’s face was expressionless, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“I did sever his arm, but it was by no means a sneak attack!” Lin Xiaobao immediately recounted the entire incident in detail, though his heart pounded. Such a simple matter could be cleared up with a few questions, so why had Senior Brother Long summoned him to the Disciplinary Hall? Unless...

“So you’re saying you used your Seventh Stage Martial Artist strength to break the Sun-Eroding Sword Formation and then cut off Han Yongfeng’s arm?” Long Xingtian suddenly snorted coldly, his voice booming: “This is the Disciplinary Hall. Don’t try to play clever tricks in front of me. You’d better tell the truth, or don’t blame me for using harsher methods!”

“Every word I said is true!” Lin Xiaobao replied, all the while trying to figure out Long Xingtian’s real motive.

“If what you say is true, then you hadn’t trained before entering the Frost and Snow Pavilion. How did you reach the Seventh Stage in just half a year, and how do you possess such formidable combat power?” Long Xingtian’s gaze was fixed on Lin Xiaobao, as though afraid to miss the smallest detail.

So, he’s after my cultivation method! At this, Lin Xiaobao realized Long Xingtian wasn’t in league with Han Yongfeng, and most of his worries faded away.

“I don’t really know. I just followed the instructions in the Frost and Snow Introduction, and after training for a while, I reached this level.” Anticipating that his rapid progress would arouse suspicion, Lin Xiaobao had already prepared this excuse.

“Still not telling the truth? It seems you won’t be satisfied until I use force!” Long Xingtian snorted coldly. Instantly, two Disciplinary Hall disciples stepped up behind Lin Xiaobao.

“Is Senior Brother Long busy?” Just then, a sweet, delicate voice floated in from the entrance of the Disciplinary Hall.

“So it’s Junior Sister Cen. What brings you to the Disciplinary Hall today?” Long Xingtian’s cold expression flickered with surprise before melting into a broad smile. “Quick, find a seat for our junior sister!”

His face was all enthusiasm, but inwardly Long Xingtian felt uneasy. He was fairly sure he hadn’t offended this little witch recently, so why had she come here? Remembering her infamous exploits, he couldn’t help but feel a chill.

Cen Shuyah—her graceful name hardly matched her conduct. The granddaughter of Cen Yuanbai, the First Elder of the Frost and Snow Pavilion, she had been doted on since childhood after her parents disappeared during sect business, their fate still unknown. The First Elder cherished her like a pearl in his palm, and she’d grown up utterly spoiled and willful.

She was the youngest of all the direct disciples, so everyone called her “Junior Sister.” Yet, among the direct disciples, aside from one person, hardly anyone hadn’t been on the receiving end of her mischief.

“No need, I’ll stand.” Cen Shuyah smiled gently, looking so charming that no one unfamiliar with her background could have connected her to the title of Little Witch. “I heard that a genius has emerged among this year’s outer disciples, and that Senior Brother Long summoned him to the Disciplinary Hall. So I came to take a look. I hope you don’t mind?”

“It’s an honor to have you visit the Disciplinary Hall, Junior Sister. How could I mind?” Long Xingtian replied with a forced smile, knowing full well what might befall him if he offended her.

As they spoke, Cen Shuyah walked up to Lin Xiaobao and, glancing at him sideways, froze in surprise.

“It’s you?” they both exclaimed in unison.

Isn’t this the girl from the Task Hall who helped me exchange contribution points? How is she also a direct disciple? And Long Xingtian even seems somewhat afraid of her.

“I should have guessed it was you!” Cen Shuyah, recovering from her surprise, laughed. “Anyone who can open three pages of the Frost and Snow Introduction in half a day is nothing short of a genius!”

“Thank you for the compliment, Senior Sister!” Lin Xiaobao then deliberately patted the storage pouch at his waist and said, “I still have some personal belongings in this storage pouch. I’ll return it to you once I’ve put them away.”

She actually knows the little witch? And gave him a storage pouch? What’s their relationship? Long Xingtian’s heart tightened. But he was unwilling to let Lin Xiaobao go just like that. Besides, now that Cen Shuyah had gotten wind of Lin Xiaobao, the other direct disciples would soon hear as well. By then, he wouldn’t be able to keep Lin Xiaobao’s cultivation method to himself.

After weighing his options, Long Xingtian said, “He attacked Han Yongfeng and is currently under interrogation. Junior Sister Cen, what do you think of this matter?”

He dreaded the little witch, but the temptation of acquiring a cultivation method that enabled a Seventh Stage Martial Artist to achieve such speed was even greater. Even if he had to suffer her mischief, he was determined to get it. As long as he insisted Lin Xiaobao had broken sect rules, no one could take him away. Or perhaps Junior Sister Cen had come for the very same reason.

“No worries, I’m just curious. You carry on—I’ll just watch from the side,” Cen Shuyah replied, wearing a look of pure innocence and blinking as if filled with curiosity about Lin Xiaobao.

With Cen Shuyah present, Long Xingtian could not resort to force. Relying on words alone, he was no match for Lin Xiaobao. Not only did he fail to extract any useful information, he was often left speechless by Lin Xiaobao’s counter-questions.