Saving the White Moonlight Chapter 72

Yan Zhuguang frowned and turned to exchange a glance with Yun Mixue.
Qiao Shengjiao could not hold back and crushed the message jade arrow into powder. He looked up at Yun Mixue and Yan Zhuguang and said heavily, “The group escorting the branch family members back to the main family has been wiped out.”
“What?”
Yun Mixue hesitated for a moment, then said, “Second Young Master Qiao means… Branch Family Head Qiao and his group have already…”
Qiao Shengjiao nodded. He threw the jade arrow powder in his hand hard onto the ground. “Damn it! These demonic cultivators are far too arrogant!”
Yun Mixue truly had not expected Qiao Zhenbang and the others to lose their lives so quickly. Earlier, they had still been guessing why Qiao Zhenbang had sent Su Qian’er into Fenghua Immortal Sect. Who knew that in the blink of an eye, he would be gone…
“Eldest Senior Sister,” Yan Zhuguang said, “could Qiao Zhenbang have guessed long ago that the demonic cultivators would not easily let the remaining Qiao family members go, so he sent Su Qian’er to the immortal sect in hopes that she could gain the sect’s protection?”
Yun Mixue nodded. At this point, that was the only guess they could make.
In truth, if not for Su Qian’er’s identity as the former sect master’s daughter interfering and making them think too much, Qiao Zhenbang’s purpose was not hard to guess.
It was only that the Fenghua Immortal Sect he had entrusted the orphan to had too delicate a relationship with Su Qian’er. That was why their thoughts had gone astray for a while.
“Lianji Immortal, Little Junior Sister,” Qiao Shengjiao said, “the people from the main family have already surrounded that area. As long as those demonic cultivators have not run far, we will certainly catch them. At worst, we can find some clues.”
“I am going to the place where they were killed now.” Qiao Shengjiao looked at the two of them. “Would you two like to go with me?”
His hope was almost written across his face. It seemed he very much wanted them to nod and agree.
Yun Mixue was about to speak, but Yan Zhuguang tugged at her. Yun Mixue restrained her expression and let Yan Zhuguang speak.
“That place must be very chaotic right now. Eldest Senior Sister and I would not be able to help much. If we went, we would only add to the mess.”
“It would be better for us to return first and report to the elders, then let the elders decide. If the Qiao family needs our support, I believe the elders will not be stingy about helping.”
Seeing this, Qiao Shengjiao sighed. At this point, he had no time to try to keep them. He nodded at the two of them, took the jade flute from his waist, threw it into the air, jumped onto it, and quickly flew away.
That movement… was very practiced.
“Eldest Senior Sister,” Yan Zhuguang said to Yun Mixue as she watched Qiao Shengjiao disappear, “do you have any way to follow him without anyone noticing?”
Yun Mixue shook her head. “I am not skilled in that path.”
She knew how to hide her aura, but in a fast-changing situation like tracking someone, doing it without being noticed was rather difficult.
That required special training, and Yun Mixue naturally would not have trained in such a thing.
Yan Zhuguang nodded. She had already guessed that Eldest Senior Sister would not be good at it. “Then forget him. Let us go back.”
On the way back, Yun Mixue’s brows stayed tightly furrowed as she thought about the Qiao family’s matter.
The first time, the branch family had been destroyed without a sound, and that could still be explained by a lack of defense. But the second time, even the people from the Qiao main family were wiped out along with them. The person behind this was far too arrogant. To commit crimes in the righteous path’s territory one after another like this, were they so certain the righteous path would not find them?
If they angered the righteous path enough and forced several great sects to join hands, the demonic cultivators might not gain anything good. What exactly had the Qiao branch family done to make these demonic cultivators take such a risk and kill them all?
“Eldest Senior Sister,” Yan Zhuguang could not help saying when she saw Yun Mixue stay silent, “what are you thinking about?”
Yun Mixue said, “I am thinking about the Qiao family… Why does that demonic cultivator want to kill every last member of the Qiao family?”
Yan Zhuguang said, “The thoughts of demonic cultivators are not hard to guess. If they do not kill them all, are they supposed to wait for those people to rise again and take revenge?”
“They have already provoked the Qiao main family. Is it not too late to cut the weeds and pull up the roots now?” Killing the remaining branch family members was meaningless. If they wanted to cut the weeds and pull up the roots, would they not have to destroy the whole Qiao main family too? Dealing with the Qiao main family would not be as easy as dealing with the branch family.
Yan Zhuguang said, “If it is not to cut the weeds and pull up the roots, then it is to silence them.”
“Perhaps the Qiao branch family members learned some secret and brought this killing disaster on themselves.”
For example… Su Qian’er’s identity.
Although from Eldest Senior Sister’s meaning, the demonic cultivators who attacked this time did not seem like the usual style of the Dripping Blood Demon Domain, if they wanted to silence people, of course they would hide and cover things up. How could they act so openly? They were not fools.
Of course, it was also possible that the Qiao family had provoked some other demonic force. These were only Yan Zhuguang’s guesses, and there were still no clues to prove them.
Yun Mixue sighed softly.
Yan Zhuguang changed the subject. “Eldest Senior Sister, are you not going to ask why I refused Qiao Shengjiao and did not go to the place where Branch Family Head Qiao and his group fell?”
Yun Mixue’s gaze fell on Yan Zhuguang, and the corner of her lips curved faintly. “If Zhuguang wants to tell Eldest Senior Sister, you will naturally mention it. If you do not wish to, I need not ask.”
“Besides, the Qiao branch family’s matter is ultimately for the Qiao family to handle. You and I are only outsiders. We truly should not interfere too much.”
Earlier, they had gone to the branch family’s remains only because the sect master wanted them to keep investigating as a cover. They had nowhere else to go, so they thought they might as well visit the Qiao family. If not for that, they would not have gotten involved in this matter.
As for Qiao Zhenbang and his group being wiped out, although it was a pity, the Qiao main family had already stepped forward. In the end, it was not their place to handle it.
Yan Zhuguang nodded. Even though Eldest Senior Sister was kindhearted, she was very clear about what she should step into and what she should not touch.
But with an Eldest Senior Sister like this, why had someone harmed her? And how had that killer done it?
“Eldest Senior Sister must have noticed that something was a little wrong with Qiao Shengjiao too, right?” Yan Zhuguang said.
Yun Mixue nodded. “He seemed… very determined to make us stay?”
“Mm… precisely the opposite.” Yan Zhuguang shook her head. “To me, he clearly did not want us to stay there. That was why he acted that way, making us suspicious so we would leave as soon as possible.”
“He wanted us to leave?”
“But why did he stop us several times, and after the message jade arrow came, invite us to go with him?”
Yan Zhuguang said, “The more urgent he appeared and the more he tried to keep us, the more we wanted to leave quickly, right?”
Indeed, when Qiao Shengjiao opened his mouth to invite them, Yun Mixue’s first thought had been rejection.
“Since Zhuguang guessed his purpose, why did you leave just like that?” With Zhuguang’s personality, should she not want to dig to the bottom of the matter the more someone refused to let her see it?
Yan Zhuguang said, “I originally wanted to secretly follow him and see what medicine he was selling in his gourd, but since Eldest Senior Sister is not good at tracking, let it be.”
“If I secretly followed alone, Eldest Senior Sister would surely worry, right?”
Yun Mixue said, “More than worry. I would be extremely worried. At least you know yourself well enough not to put yourself in danger.”
Yan Zhuguang laughed. “Anyway, what happens to the Qiao family has nothing to do with us. If we leave, then we leave. We will not lose anything. The cultivation world has been very chaotic lately. Our own safety is more important.”
Yun Mixue said, “Still, the Qiao family’s matter must be reported to the sect master and elders.”
“Mm.”
Yan Zhuguang said, “And Su Qian’er…”
Qiao Zhenbang was dead too. Now, Su Qian’er was truly “alone.”
Yun Mixue sighed softly. “She… this matter cannot be hidden from her.”
“Since it cannot be hidden, we should tell her directly,” Yan Zhuguang said. Her eyes turned, and a trace of slyness suddenly flashed through them. “Eldest Senior Sister, let us tell the sect master and let the sect master pass it on to Junior Sister Su.”
Since he kept ordering Eldest Senior Sister to run errands every day, this kind of thankless task should naturally be done by him.
If Su Qian’er was truly the person she guessed… it would definitely be very interesting then.
Yun Mixue did not notice Yan Zhuguang’s “evil intention.” Since Su Qian’er was now in Fenghua Immortal Sect, the only person who could tell her was indeed the sect master.
“I will send the sect master a message.”
“Wait,” Yan Zhuguang said. “Now that the Qiao branch family only has Su Qian’er left, we still do not know whether those demonic cultivators will target her.”
“After this matter is told to Su Qian’er, it will be hard to guarantee that she will not secretly run out to investigate the truth behind the Qiao branch family’s deaths. Once she is alone, those demonic cultivators may very well attack her. It would be too late for regret then.”
“Junior Sister Su has not yet begun proper cultivation. How could she leave the sect?”
Inner disciples of Fenghua Immortal Sect who had not reached Foundation Establishment were not allowed to leave the sect without the company of a fellow disciple or elder at Foundation Establishment or above. Even if Su Qian’er had already begun cultivating, there was no way she could reach Foundation Establishment in only a few days.
“If Junior Sister Su is set on leaving, she will naturally think of every possible way. We cannot place our hopes on this.”
Mistakes often happened by accident. If something went wrong carelessly, it would be too late for regret. Yan Zhuguang had always liked to plan ahead. Passively waiting was not her style.
“After this matter is told to the sect master, he must keep a close eye on her and stop her from doing anything foolish.”
“If that is the case, why not simply hide it from her until it can no longer be hidden?”
“Eldest Senior Sister, you do not know,” Yan Zhuguang said to Yun Mixue with a serious face. “When things reach the point where it ‘cannot be helped’ and can no longer be hidden, the situation may not be something we can control.”
“Do not forget, Junior Sister Su’s mother is Su You Demon Lord of the Dripping Blood Demon Domain.”
“If she wants to use this to drive a wedge between Junior Sister Su and the immortal sect…” Yan Zhuguang lowered her voice again. “It is still uncertain which side’s demonic cultivators destroyed the Qiao branch family.”
Yun Mixue said, “All right. I will tell the sect master.”
In truth, Yan Zhuguang was not worried about Gu Chen. The male lead was a smart person. What she could think of, Gu Chen might not fail to think of. She had said all this only to take the chance to tell Yun Mixue.
By using Eldest Senior Sister’s mouth to remind Gu Chen, if something still happened to Su Qian’er in the future, it would be Gu Chen’s fault. It would have nothing to do with Eldest Senior Sister, and Eldest Senior Sister would not have to feel guilty.
Yun Mixue and Yan Zhuguang returned to the small courtyard in Tianyu City. They had not been gone for long, and at this moment, the courtyard was still empty.
Yun Mixue wrote everything she and Yan Zhuguang had seen and heard into a message jade tablet. She also included the matters Yan Zhuguang had especially stressed and sent it to Gu Chen.
This kind of message jade tablet had been given to Yun Mixue by Gu Chen before they came out this time.
These jade tablets came in pairs. A message written into one tablet would be sent to the other. It was a very stable long-distance messaging tool, much safer than a message jade arrow.
Its only flaw was that this kind of jade tablet could only send messages to its paired tablet, not to anyone else.
Originally, Gu Chen had planned to give the jade tablet to Yan Zhuguang. Unfortunately, this kind of message jade tablet required too much spiritual energy. It was a messaging tool used between high-level cultivators. Yan Zhuguang’s current strength was still not enough, so Yun Mixue held it instead.
In any case, the two of them were always together. It made no difference who held it.
Gu Chen soon replied from the other side. There were only two words.
“Understood.”
When Yan Zhuguang heard this, she could not help curling her lip.