Saving the White Moonlight Chapter 28

Fenghua Immortal Sect’s small recruitment gathering still ended smoothly in the end. Although the new disciples following some elders, or gathering in little groups, did not look very happy, Yan Zhuguang, who had gotten her wish and stood beside Yun Mixue, was very relaxed.
In general, Fenghua Immortal Sect had achieved its goal of using this small recruitment gathering to show the sect’s new spirit. After news of this gathering spread, Fenghua Immortal Sect would likely enjoy a small burst of fame.
After all, a talent like Yan Zhuguang, who combined a wood heavenly single spiritual root with the Wood Spirit Body, was extremely rare even in the cultivation world, where talented people appeared one after another.
No one knew how far such a shocking talent would go in the future. The name Yan Zhuguang also caused a small stir across the cultivation world.
That came later.
For now, the small recruitment gathering had ended, and the people who attended left one after another. Gu Chen seemed to need to discuss some sect matter with Yun Mixue, but it was not urgent, so he let Yun Mixue settle Yan Zhuguang first.
Yan Zhuguang already had the right to enter Fenghua Immortal Sect. What remained was the entry process, such as lighting her soul lamp, receiving her disciple token, receiving the entry reward, receiving her starter supplies, and so on.
Most of these steps were not handled in one place. If she had to run around by herself, it would be quite troublesome. With Yun Mixue there, it was different. Yun Mixue brought her along, clouds rose beneath their feet, and they flew there directly.
When only the two of them were left, Yun Mixue could not help saying, “You little girl. Why must you stay by my side? The elders are powerful and would be more helpful to your cultivation. If you stay by my side, you will have to rely on yourself for everything in cultivation.”
Yan Zhuguang raised her head and smiled. “Zhuguang said she would properly repay Honored Senior Sister. How can I go back on my word? When I was in Yimiao Sect before, did I not also cultivate by myself? I think I can do it.”
Yun Mixue was helpless. “What do I need you to repay? How can future cultivation be the same as it was in Yimiao Sect? As your cultivation deepens, you will meet more and more problems. We will see what you do then!”
Yun Mixue “fiercely” poked Yan Zhuguang’s head.
Yan Zhuguang covered the spot she had poked and bared her teeth. “Then we can talk about it when that time comes. Honored Senior Sister does not need to worry about me.”
Yun Mixue shook her head, feeling that there was truly nothing she could do with this stubborn silly girl. Forget it. Since things were already like this, she would just think of more ways for her in the future.
Yun Mixue first brought Yan Zhuguang to the Soul Lamp Hall. Yan Zhuguang was an inner sect disciple, so her soul lamp naturally belonged under the inner sect Soul Lamp Hall. The small recruitment gathering had been at Qingfeng Square by Fenghua Immortal Sect’s south gate. To get from there to the inner sect Soul Lamp Hall, they still had to pass through the outer sect area.
Yan Zhuguang stood on Yun Mixue’s cloud and looked down at Fenghua Immortal Sect from above. When they flew to a certain place, the system, which usually did not speak when others were present, suddenly said, “Host, that is the little woods from before.”
Yan Zhuguang looked at the little woods below a few more times.
Perhaps Yun Mixue noticed Yan Zhuguang’s gaze, because she said, “That is a small trial forest for the outer sect of the immortal sect. There are some demon beasts below Core Formation inside. The inner sect also has a few scattered areas like it.”
Yan Zhuguang nodded. Since this was a trial forest, when He Sheng left the sect, she should not have specially gone toward the trial forest. Then if she was killed there, had she happened to meet the killer and then been called over?
Yan Zhuguang asked, “Senior Sister, is this road the only way to the inner sect Soul Lamp Hall?”
“This road is the shortest path between the inner sect Soul Lamp Hall and the immortal sect’s south gate,” Yun Mixue said. “Not far ahead is the outer sect Soul Lamp Hall. The soul lamps of the immortal sect’s registered disciples and outer sect disciples are kept there.”
“Registered disciples…” Yan Zhuguang said carefully, “Right, Honored Senior Sister, what happened to the older sister who came to find me before?”
Although Yan Zhuguang had been tangled up over the question of who killed He Sheng this whole time, she had never asked Yun Mixue about He Sheng.
Yun Mixue froze for a moment after hearing this, then said to Yan Zhuguang, “She treated you that way and was unworthy of being an immortal sect disciple. I drove her out of Fenghua Immortal Sect that same day.”
Yan Zhuguang opened her mouth. “Driven out of Fenghua Immortal Sect, like Tao Zhi?”
Yun Mixue said, “The punishment of destroying her spiritual core would be too heavy. The mistake she made did not deserve that.”
“Oh,” Yan Zhuguang said again. “Then was her sect record erased like Tao Zhi’s?”
“In Fenghua Immortal Sect, the soul lamp must be erased first, then the other records are erased,” Yun Mixue said. Although she did not know why Yan Zhuguang was so interested in expulsion from the sect, she still explained it to her. “For example, the record of her being Senior Sister’s registered disciple would also be erased one by one.”
Yan Zhuguang’s thoughts moved. “Where is that record kept?”
“Deep inside the inner sect Soul Lamp Hall, in the titled disciples’ Soul Lamp Chamber. Since she was originally Senior Sister’s registered disciple, part of the aura of her soul lamp needed to hang beside Senior Sister’s soul lamp.”
It seemed the key lay in this step. She wondered whether they could find any clues when they went to the Soul Lamp Hall in a moment.
Yun Mixue’s cloud moved very quickly. Even though she had slowed down a little on purpose for Yan Zhuguang, they soon reached the inner sect Soul Lamp Hall.
At this time, no new disciples had come to light their soul lamps yet. With the elders’ status, they would not personally bring disciples here. Most likely, they would take the people directly back to their cave residences, then tell their own disciples or registered disciples to bring them over to light their soul lamps.
There were almost none like Yun Mixue, who directly brought Yan Zhuguang over herself, so the two did not need to wait in line.
The elder who managed the Soul Lamp Hall had also sent a representative to attend the small recruitment gathering. The number of new disciples, along with each person’s appearance and features, had already been sent back ahead of time.
So when Yun Mixue and Yan Zhuguang arrived, before they even had time to explain why they had come, the elder of the Soul Lamp Hall directly led them into the inner sect disciples’ Soul Lamp Chamber.
The Soul Lamp Chamber was an extremely broad hall. Inside, it was dark and empty. Aside from the orange firelight that jumped and flickered like a sea of stars, the entire hall was quiet. No matter how light the footsteps were, they still made tiny sounds.
Of course, with Yun Mixue’s and the elder’s strength, in this chamber, only Yan Zhuguang’s lonely footsteps could be heard.
She walked a little nervously. Seeing this, Yun Mixue thoughtfully stepped the same way as her, making small footsteps too. Yan Zhuguang turned her head and smiled gratefully at Yun Mixue.
They did not go far in. After only a few steps, they stopped at an area where the candle-like starry sea was a bit dimmer than the rest. There were not many soul lamps placed here yet.
The elder took out a palm-sized metal lotus lamp with a long handle and said to Yan Zhuguang, “Force out a drop of blood essence.”
Yan Zhuguang obediently did as told. The elder did not take the blood essence. He directly brought the lotus lamp forward and had Yan Zhuguang force the blood essence into the wick. Then he began casting spells on the lotus lamp.
Before long, the lotus lamp hummed. From the wick, it “spat out” a small rectangular silver token two fingers wide. With a push from the elder that seemed heavy but was truly gentle, the lotus lamp flew onto a slightly raised little mound and settled steadily.
The elder handed the small silver token to Yan Zhuguang. “This is your disciple identity token. It is something you must have when moving around the sect. Keep it on you. While in the sect, it is best not to put it inside a storage tool.”
“Yes. Thank you, Elder.”
The elder nodded. Since the soul lamp was lit, he sent Yan Zhuguang and Yun Mixue back out.
Yan Zhuguang played with the small silver token with great interest. When they were about to leave the Soul Lamp Chamber, she said quietly to Yun Mixue, “Senior Sister, has the Soul Lamp Chamber always been this deserted?”
No matter how softly she spoke, it could not escape the ears of high-level cultivators. The kind-looking elder of the Soul Lamp Chamber naturally heard it too.
Yun Mixue had just said, “This place has always been like this,” when that elder also answered. He smiled and said, “Isn’t that right? No one comes here all year round. Only when new disciples like you enter the sect does it become a little lively.”
“New disciples entering the sect?” Yan Zhuguang asked Yun Mixue, “How often are new disciples recruited?”
Yun Mixue said, “The immortal sect’s major recruitment is once every ten years. Sometimes there are several small recruitments within four years.”
“Then it must take a long time before this place becomes lively.”
The elder smiled and joked, “Aside from disciples entering the sect, there are also times when disciples are expelled from the sect. If you think this place is too deserted, you may as well come a second time. I would welcome you very much.”
“Are many people expelled from the sect?” Yan Zhuguang widened her eyes and shook her head. “Does coming a second time mean being expelled from the sect? I do not want to come a second time.”
The elder laughed even more happily. “My place is still all right. Occasionally, there are lively moments. The titled disciples’ Soul Lamp Chamber deeper inside is the truly deserted one. Sometimes, no one goes there for more than ten years.”
“But speaking of expelled disciples, about a month ago, it seems a registered disciple was expelled from the immortal sect.” The elder “frightened” Yan Zhuguang. “Who knows who it will be next time? You must be careful.”
Both Yun Mixue and Yan Zhuguang knew who had been expelled about a month ago. Yan Zhuguang had not known that this elder of the inner sect Soul Lamp Chamber also knew about it.
Yan Zhuguang secretly glanced at Yun Mixue. Yun Mixue smiled comfortingly at Yan Zhuguang. He Sheng had been driven out of Fenghua Immortal Sect by her, but how could she ever drive Yan Zhuguang out of the immortal sect?
The elder did not see the two of them interact. He continued, “However, about a month ago, the Soul Lamp Hall was indeed rather lively. A few people even came to the Soul Lamp Hall to ask around-”
The elder seemed to think of something. He drew in his expression and said no more. “It is better for this Soul Lamp Chamber to stay quiet. If it becomes lively, that is not necessarily a good thing.”
Yan Zhuguang’s eyes flashed. It seemed this elder had hidden some important information. Unfortunately, he was already alert. It would be hard for her to find out anything more. Knowing this, Yan Zhuguang did not try to ask again.
The system rolled around in Yan Zhuguang’s mind in distress. Why did he stop talking? They were about to get important information!
Yan Zhuguang ignored the system’s madness.
She thought it over. A few people had come to the Soul Lamp Hall to ask around. Perhaps the killer who killed He Sheng was among them.
When Yun Mixue heard the elder’s words, her expression moved slightly, but she did not show anything. By then, they had also left the Soul Lamp Chamber.
Coincidentally, just as they came out, they ran into another group of people arriving to light their soul lamps. The woman leading them wore a water-colored dress. Her eyes swept over Yan Zhuguang, then landed on Yun Mixue. She raised a not very obvious smile. “Sister, you came so quickly?”
Yan Zhuguang frowned and suddenly said to the system, “No need to look. The killer is her.”
The system froze for a long while. “Ah?!”
Isn’t that too careless, Host? You do not want all your earlier reasoning anymore?!
Just because she seems to have a bad attitude toward Eldest Senior Sister, you picked her? I am telling you, Host, the punishment for failing a main quest is very heavy!