Arden and his group returned to Yunkui Summit, bringing Bu Lü, the mole, and the report detailing the investigation results.
"Sect Master, this is how it all happened… everything I did was forced on me by Master Yi Jing!"
Bu Lü wept bitterly. Under Arden's prompting and guidance, he portrayed Yi Jing as a villain who appeared kind on the surface but was in truth beastly at heart—cruel, ruthless, secretly colluding with Porcelumex, and plotting to harm Yunkui Summit as well as Arden Xu, a beloved disciple of Yixuan.
"….."
Yixuan looked at Bu Lü kneeling below, the mole tied up like a rice dumpling, and the report in her hands. Her expression was extremely grim.
With traitors appearing both within the sect and among their partners, it would be strange if her face looked anything but ugly.
"Arden, where is that guy Yi Jing?"
Referring to Yi Jing as "that guy" made it clear that Yixuan no longer regarded him as a fellow disciple.
"Reporting to Master, when I went to his residence, Yi Jing was already gone. He probably learned that the matter had been exposed and fled in fear of punishment."
The first thing Arden did upon returning to Yunkui Summit was rush straight to Yi Jing's courtyard, hoping for a dramatic confrontation. Unfortunately, when he kicked the courtyard gate flying, Yi Jing had already vanished without a trace.
Clearly, someone had tipped Yi Jing off in advance.
Arden suspected there might still be another mole—or that Bu Lü, remembering their master-disciple bond, had given Yi Jing one last send-off.
Of course, whichever it was, Arden's goal had already been achieved: making Yi Jing disappear from Yunkui Summit.
"Arden, Fufu, Yinhu… take them away. I need to rest for a while."
Faced with such a major incident, Yixuan needed time to steady herself, calm down, and only then make a rational judgment and appropriate decision.
…..
Only Yixuan remained in the hall.
She sat on a wooden chair, head lowered, her delicate brows slightly furrowed as she carefully read the report Arden had submitted.
"Haah~! Capable, clever, and his loyalty… doesn't seem to be a problem either?"
In Yixuan's mind appeared the image of a young man who had once declared in public that he wanted to marry her—it was Arden. "Such a capable disciple… if this had been ten years ago, perhaps Sister and the other senior and junior disciples wouldn't have…"
At this point, Yixuan shook her head.
There was no such thing as "if" in this world. Everything had already happened, and no amount of thinking or action now could change established facts.
"Junior Brother Yi Jing…"
Yixuan read the report to the very end. "This is the last time I'll call you my junior brother. From now on, among the thirteenth generation of Yunkui Summit disciples, I alone remain."
Early the next morning, Yixuan summoned all Yunkui Summit disciples, publicly announced Yi Jing's betrayal of the sect, and declared on the spot that Yi Jing was expelled from the sect!
As for Bu Lü, persuaded by Arden, Yixuan gave him a chance to reform and start anew.
Regarding Mayor Mayflower's side, while handing the mole over to the mayor for handling, Yixuan also expressed her dissatisfaction and emphasized that in future cooperation with Yunkui Summit, only trustworthy people should be sent. She did not wish for Yunkui Summit's disciples to suffer losses because of the mayor's people.
…..
Porcelumex Headquarters.
"Get lost! This is not a place you should be!"
"Bastards, bastards… damn it~ damn it!"
Yi Jing, having been driven out, cursed under his breath. "Yunkui Summit, Porcelumex… everyone, all of you deserve to die!"
Not only had the mission failed, it had even provoked Arden Xu and Ju Fufu into storming his doorstep. Laurent had already grown extremely dissatisfied with Yi Jing. Now that he had been expelled from Yunkui Summit and completely lost his value, Porcelumex and Laurent immediately threw him out like trash.
"Arden, Yixuan…!!"
At the thought of that scheming master-and-disciple pair still living comfortably in Yunkui Summit while he himself was cornered with no way out, Yi Jing's resentment was so heavy it nearly rivaled that of a vengeful spirit. "Heavens! It's unfair… this is unfair!"
Yi Jing blamed the heavens, blamed the earth, blamed the sect—but never blamed himself.
Because he didn't believe he had done anything wrong. In his view, ending up like this today was entirely due to others deliberately targeting him.
"And you, Bu Lü, you traitorous disciple… you were the one who connected me with Porcelumex, yet when things went south, you washed your hands of it completely."
"Master, that's really an injustice to this disciple."
Suddenly, Bu Lü's voice came from behind. "If I hadn't sent word in advance to let you escape, Master, you'd probably already be in Arden's hands by now."
"It was you!!"
Yi Jing spun around abruptly, staring warily at Bu Lü as he emerged from the shadows. "I've already been expelled from the sect. Why are you still coming to find me?"
"Heh."
Bu Lü let out a soft laugh. At this moment, he looked confident and composed—nothing like the tearful, repentant figure he had shown before Yixuan. "This disciple came here, naturally, to find you a new way out, Master."
"A way out? What way out?"
Yi Jing could tell that Bu Lü had been hiding himself deeply and definitely harbored ill intentions. But now that he was truly at the end of the road, whether or not to grasp the last straw was no longer something he could decide.
"Of course it's…"
As he spoke, Bu Lü waved his hand. In the next instant, several figures hidden within long robes emerged from the dark-purple, filthy miasma. "The path of revenge against Yunkui Summit and Porcelumex!"
…..
Thanks to Arden's outstanding ability to get things done, construction at Meffer Mine returned to the right track.
Porcelumex also ceased its overt interference—or rather, the obstruction didn't stop, it simply shifted from the open into the shadows.
And with Yi Jing, that internal mole, gone, Yunkui Summit became much calmer and more leisurely.
On this day, the sky was clear and crisp with autumn air. Sect Master Yixuan leisurely savored the flower tea she had brewed herself in the courtyard.
Slurp…
However, after taking a sip, instead of showing enjoyment of the tea's fragrance and flavor, Yixuan frowned.
"This taste… it's still missing something."
Not long ago, Arden had found an ancient flower tea recipe in the Scripture Pavilion and tried brewing it himself.
After tasting it, Yixuan not only enjoyed its wonderful flavor but also sensed a lingering, nostalgic quality within it.
She was very satisfied with that flower tea. Arden was willing to brew it for her, but Yixuan didn't want to trouble her disciple with daily offerings, so she decided to brew it herself. Unfortunately, no matter how many times she tried, it always felt just a bit off.
"Mm… where exactly did I go wrong?"
Yixuan pondered that when she had the chance, she should let Arden teach her personally. That way, he could also experience what it felt like to be a master, understand how hard it was, cleanse his heart, and stop always trying to take advantage of his master—and sneak a feel.
"Haah~~! This disciple Arden… I really don't know if he's good or bad."
Perhaps recalling various improper scenes involving Arden, Yixuan sighed and her face flushed slightly.
"Master, Master!"
At that moment, Ju Fufu rushed into the courtyard, looking hurried.
"What is it? Why so urgent?"
Could it be that something happened to Arden?
Usually, Arden and Ju Fufu were together. Now only Ju Fufu had come—and in such a rush—Yixuan couldn't help but worry instinctively.