Chapter 40: Gao Ling

Taishan Sect elder Gao Ling had been feeling uneasy for the past few days.

The sect leader's direct disciple had gone into demonic deviation while practicing, her true energy had gone astray, breaking her heart meridians, and she had died in the quiet room. Her family hadn't even seen the body before she was hurriedly buried, and the sect was in an uproar.

This female disciple was beautiful, had excellent Wu Gong, and a kind nature, and she had quite a reputation in the sect; her relationship with her was also quite good.

At first, she thought it was this matter that had disturbed her state of mind.

But she practiced internal energy, sat in meditation to adjust her state of mind, and after a few days, there was still no improvement. Her chest always felt stuffy, as if a mountain rain was about to come, pressing her so hard she couldn't breathe.

She wanted to go down the mountain to Tai'an City to walk around and get some air; perhaps there would be improvement.

Gao Ling was forty-five this year and was a famous female expert in the Qi-Lu region. When she was young, she had a strong character and hated evil, killing many evil people in the Jianghu, and her name was quite big.

It was just that she had never married in her life, and as she got older, her character gradually became gentle, only practicing martial arts and teaching disciples in the sect, so there weren't many people who knew her now.

She disguised herself, went down the mountain alone, and found a tavern in Tai'an City to eat.

Halfway through the meal, Gao Ling heard a few Jianghu figures at the next table, who were drinking and chatting about Jianghu anecdotes with great interest.

"The matter of the Embroidered Uniform Guard looking for trouble with the Taishan Sect a few days ago... did you go to see it?"

"Saw it, saw it. Good fellow, I originally thought Fei Junxuan was the end of it, who knew Zuo Lishan would go down the mountain to fight himself, and still didn't win!"

"Who exactly is that Embroidered Uniform Guard? Everyone has been asking for the past few days, and there is no news at all. When did the imperial court hide such a top-tier expert? Even Sect Leader Zuo is not his opponent; I really don't know how he practiced."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard came to the door single-handedly, and the sect leader went down the mountain himself and didn't win. The Taishan Sect is going to suffer heavy blows this time!"

"I originally wanted to come and see the excitement of the Five Mountains Alliance meeting, but in this situation, it's better for us to stay away. The imperial court's eagles and dogs strike ruthlessly and heavily; don't let us be rounded up together."

"Yes, yes. Life is the most important."

Several people didn't avoid others and chatted wantonly.

When Li Miao went to find trouble with Fei Junxuan, he was swaggering through the streets, intending to make it known to everyone. Fei Junxuan was forced to go to the restaurant to buy food, and the Jianghu figures present at the time all saw it.

And the fight between Zuo Lishan and Li Miao the next day, Jianghu people near the Taishan Sect had to give Zuo Lishan some face, so they didn't go up to watch, just looking from a distance.

They didn't see Zuo Lishan's injuries and didn't know how miserably Zuo Lishan was defeated. But his back as he fled in a sorry state was seen clearly by these people.

This matter was already known to everyone in Tai'an City.

Gao Ling was anxious, no longer caring about hiding her identity, and walked straight to the table with her sword.

"Tell me in detail about the matter you just mentioned."

"Who the fuck are you!?"

In her anxiety, Gao Ling didn't speak politely, and her tone was unfriendly. One of the Jianghu people felt uncomfortable and looked up at Gao Ling recklessly.

It was a coincidence that Gao Ling hadn't walked in the Jianghu for many years, her name was still there, but there weren't many people who recognized her. Coincidentally, this one was someone who recognized her.

This person felt familiar at a glance, and after looking carefully, his face stiffened, revealing an awkward smile: "Gao... Heroine Gao..."

They were editing other people's gossip behind their backs, not to mention being caught by the main person, and it was someone they couldn't afford to offend.

This person knew he was in the wrong, and plus Gao Ling's Wu Gong was far above their few, so he replied and told Gao Ling in detail about what had happened in the past few days.

The more Gao Ling heard, the more shocked she became.

Fei Junxuan's life or death unknown?

Embroidered Uniform Guard came to the door?

Sect leader defeated?

Why did no one in the sect mention these things?

She suddenly knew the reason for her panic these past few days—Zuo Lishan hadn't appeared for several days. His female disciple died strangely, but her family didn't have any movement.

Zuo Lishan's few confidants hadn't been seen for several days, and the disciples responsible for purchasing in Tai'an City didn't know where they had gone.

She vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but couldn't form a concrete concept. Under the uneasiness, it caused her true energy to be restless and unable to be calmed.

The most urgent task was to return to the sect to check Zuo Lishan's situation. He hadn't appeared for several days; could it be that he was seriously injured?

Gao Ling stood up, no longer caring about riding a horse, and directly used light-body techniques to return to the Taishan Sect rapidly.

Returning to the sect, she also knew she couldn't make a sound, and directly found the small courtyard where Zuo Lishan lived, knocking heavily on the door: "Sect Leader!"

"Gao Ling requests an audience!"

"Sect Leader!"

There was no response from the door.

This was not the time to pay attention to etiquette. Gao Ling gritted her teeth, kicked open the courtyard door, and walked quickly toward the main room.

She pushed the door and entered; there was no one in the room.

Gao Ling turned around in the room. The Taishan Sect was on the mountainside, and it was windy, so there were some fallen leaves rolled in from the window. It seemed that no one had lived there for two or three days.

She searched left and right and found some women's clothing. When she brought it to her face to look, it looked familiar.

It was the dead female disciple's; Gao Ling had seen her wear it. How could it appear in Zuo Lishan's bedroom?

Gao Ling remembered some bad rumors she had heard before, her face changed, she put the clothes back in the distance, and closed the cabinet door.

Illicit affair between master and disciple, violating human ethics.

If such a thing happened to the Taishan Sect leader and it spread, people of the Taishan Sect would probably not be able to lift their heads in the Jianghu in the future.

However, this was not the time to care about this matter.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard came to the door with great fanfare, Zuo Lishan was defeated and disappeared, and the Taishan Sect was already on the verge of disaster. We must get through the matter at hand first, and then discuss other things later.

Gao Ling turned and walked toward the quiet room where Zuo Lishan practiced.

Zuo Lishan had practiced internal energy in the quiet room every morning for more than ten years, and everyone in the sect knew this habit of his.

Gao Ling walked to the quiet room door, held her breath, and listened carefully to see if there was any sound inside.

She was afraid that Zuo Lishan was inside using true energy to warm his injuries, and it wouldn't be good if she broke in rashly and caused Zuo Lishan to go into demonic deviation.

Gao Ling listened for a while; there was no breathing sound inside, so it should be empty.

Only then did she push the door and walk in.

As soon as she entered, Gao Ling smelled a strong smell of blood.

The quiet room was not big, the walls were built thick for soundproofing, and there were no windows, so the smell accumulated inside and didn't dissipate for a long time.

Gao Ling looked carefully with the sunlight from outside the door.

In a corner of the quiet room, a pool of dried blood remained on the ground, which had already turned black and had been there for some time.

Beside the blood was a broken floor tile, and beside the floor tile were some fragments that looked like a jar.

Gao Ling stepped forward and picked up a fragment, which was covered in heavy bloodstains. She wiped it with her hand, picked up a strand of hair from the dried bloodstains, and it was still stained with some minced meat.

Just at this moment, she heard footsteps in the courtyard behind her.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 41 =====