Misty Rain of the Old Times

Liu Yuehong, a beautiful and chivalrous woman from a prestigious sect, possesses a cultivation level at the mid-stage of the Innate Realm. She has roamed the martial world for many years without incident, demonstrating her exceptional intelligence. Although she is unfamiliar with formations, she quickly devised a way to break the deadlock after a brief investigation and encounter with several people. However, whether this method will work remains to be verified through actual testing.

With a flicker of thought, Liu Yuehong glanced around, her expression heavy with sorrow, and said, "Gentlemen, we, the people of the martial world, have never feared death since embarking on this path. However, the sneak attack by the villains within the formation ahead caused us heavy casualties. It was our failure to take good care of them, and we express our deepest apologies."

She paused, her tone rising slightly, her gaze resolute, and said, "Those who died or were injured came for the sake of upholding justice with fervent passion. Their deaths will not be in vain, their blood will not be shed in vain. We should remember and sing their praises to comfort their souls in heaven."

"Yet the villains remain, and countless women have disappeared over the years. Recently, they have become increasingly brazen. Behind that formation may very well lie the truth that countless people have been searching for for years. Every moment that passes could mean the persecution of innocent women. We martial artists prioritize chivalry, and it is our duty to punish evil and promote good. Since the villains are right in front of us, we cannot afford to delay. Even if it means facing mountains of knives and seas of fire, I will never back down. I will confront them, uncover that heinous truth, and bring justice to the world."

Then, with a firm gaze, she took a deep breath and said, "I know none of you are cowards, but the road ahead is extremely dangerous. I have no intention of belittling anyone, but please think carefully before you step forward. If you are not confident, do not put yourself in danger. If you are still alive, you can do chivalrous deeds anywhere. So please think it over carefully."

Liu Yuehong was simply stating her own views and determination; she did not use moral principles to coerce others, but instead offered kind advice.

Then she turned her gaze to the white-clad girl beside her and said gently, "Xue'er, you stay here and remember not to wander off. Your martial aunt is going to meet those sneaky attackers. If I haven't come out in half an hour, go to the Jade City main sect's headquarters. Don't act rashly or take any risks, understand? Don't worry, I promise you, I will definitely come back to find you alive."

After saying that, she patted the girl in white on the shoulder, took out a silk scarf from her sleeve, and was about to cover her eyes.

But the girl in white grabbed her sleeve, her face full of worry, and said urgently, "Uncle-Master, you mustn't! That formation is too evil and dangerous. Why rush? It would be better to wait until there are more people going together so we can look after each other. That way, the danger will be much less."

The girl in white knew her elder master's personality; once he made a decision, he would go all out. She wasn't trying to persuade him, but rather explaining a more prudent approach.

Shaking her head slightly, Liu Yuehong's gaze was deep and cold as she said, "Xue'er, I understand what you're saying, but I don't want to wait any longer. Your junior sister disappeared two years ago. She came to Yucheng for travel and vanished overnight without a trace. She was only fourteen years old then. She was my daughter. The thought of her being harmed makes my heart bleed. And your junior sister was most likely persecuted by those stinking rats behind that formation. They're right in front of me. Before, I could suppress the torment in my heart when there were no clues, but now I can't hold back anymore. I wish I could tear them to pieces. Be good, Xue'er, please listen to me."

She opened her mouth, but stopped trying to persuade her. She nodded slightly and took a step back. She thought of her junior sister, who used to be close to her, the girl who followed behind her calling her "senior sister." Two years ago, she disappeared without a trace. How much her master must have suffered! For this reason, her master had been investigating the matter for the past two years, staying around Jade City. She herself had only come to find her because she was feeling down and had gone out to clear her head. She never expected that not long after she arrived, a clue about the missing woman's case would come up, and that's why they came here together.

The girl in white knew her cultivation level was low, and forcibly following would only cause trouble. Although she didn't try to persuade her further, she still spoke up: "Uncle-Master, you haven't found Junior Sister yet. You must not put yourself in life-or-death danger. Be careful and come back safely. If all else fails, we can send a message back to our sect. Father and the others won't stand idly by. With Father's cultivation, if he comes in person, a few rats in the gutter are nothing to fear. Moreover... Moreover, besides that, I can also ask him for help. I've figured it out now. He was just bluffing me back then; he wouldn't really do anything to me. If I had realized it then, I wouldn't have missed the opportunity to get what I wanted. In short, with his cultivation, there's nothing in the world that can stump him."

"Xue'er is our precious daughter, there's no need for her to suffer. Don't worry, I'm not so irrational as to lose my mind. This trip is mainly to investigate the villains' strength and pave the way for uncovering the truth. I won't give up my life here easily until I've uncovered the truth and understood what happened to your junior sister," Liu Yuehong said with a forced smile.

Without further hesitation, she covered her eyes with a silk scarf and stepped forward to enter the formation, using this method to shield herself from the illusion's interference.

However, at this moment, Wu Kai, another innate master present, stepped forward and said loudly, "Miss Liu, please wait. Let me go first. Although I'm not as quick-witted as you, I'm still a dignified man. How can I let you rush ahead? Otherwise, how will we ever face anyone again? Wouldn't we become a laughingstock? You hold off and let me see what kind of bullshit formation this is and how capable the guy hiding inside really is."

After making such a bold statement, Wu Kai didn't give anyone a chance to dissuade him. He went straight to the edge of the formation, closed his eyes, and with his long staff surging with intense true energy, he entered the formation without hesitation. His heroic figure disappeared from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye, like a pebble thrown into the water.

His move caught Liu Yuehong off guard, causing her to pause. It wasn't because Wu Kai had taken the lead that she stopped going forward, but because she quickly realized that it wouldn't make much sense for her to go along. The situation inside the formation was unclear, and if the two of them went in together, they might accidentally injure each other due to the illusion. It would be best to wait for Liu Kai to come out before going in to investigate.

Liu Yuehong and Wu Kai had the highest cultivation levels here. Although the others were also full of enthusiasm, they knew their own limitations and did not rush forward. Instead, they waited for further instructions.

Wu Kai entered the formation and disappeared from everyone's sight. No one could see what he went through inside, but they could hear some noises, the sounds of fighting, and Wu Kai's shouts and curses, which were brief and urgent.

People outside were understandably tense and anxious about what happened to Wu Kai after he went inside. What relieved them a little was that although there were constant groans and screams inside, Wu Kai himself kept reminding them that everything was alright.

The illusion array can block people's vision, but it cannot conceal the transmission of sound.

However, after a hundred breaths, people's expressions changed, and their hearts jumped again. The sound of gongs and drums suddenly rang out from inside the illusion array, covering up the commotion inside. Even Wu Kai shouted "Despicable!" followed by his painful scream.

The commotion inside was disrupted by the loud banging of gongs and drums, and people could only wait anxiously, unaware of Wu Kai's specific fate.

Nearly half an hour passed before a figure burst out of the formation. It was Wu Kai, who had gone in. He was covered in wounds, the most serious being the knife wound on his chest, where several ribs had been severed, and his beating heart was faintly visible. It was almost fatal, but fortunately, his innate cultivation and astonishing physique prevented his heart from being truly injured; at most, he was severely injured but not fatal. Upon emerging, he feigned madness, cautiously scanning his surroundings. Only after confirming he was out of the illusion did he relax slightly. He wielded his long staff like a wheel, shattering the crossbow bolts that were hurtling towards him, before quickly moving away from the illusion formation and rushing towards the crowd.

After reuniting with the others, he sat down heavily on the ground, panting heavily. He quickly tapped his chest and abdomen with his fingers to stop the bleeding, then his breath weakened and he looked terrified.

"Master Wu, how are you? Are you alright?" Liu Yuehong quickly stepped forward and asked with concern. As men and women in the martial world, they shared the same goal. At this moment, she disregarded the difference between men and women and reached out to place her hand on Wu Kai's back to help him circulate his internal energy to heal his injuries.

Letting out a long breath, Wu Kai said in a deep voice, "Thank you, Heroine Liu. I'm alright, I won't die. I just suffered some injuries and my internal energy was depleted. Don't let my intimidating appearance fool you, I'll be back to my old self in a few days. Besides, I didn't lose out on this trip. I killed at least a dozen cowardly guys, including one innate master who was hiding. That wound on my chest was inflicted by him. Damn it, he ambushed me. If he hadn't been hiding in the illusion, I would have killed him with one blow."

As he spoke, he gritted his teeth. He had suffered a great loss because of the illusion, and he was powerless against someone who was clearly no match for him. He was extremely frustrated.

Seeing that he didn't seem to be dying and still had the energy to curse, everyone was relieved.

After Liu Yuehong helped stabilize his injuries, she withdrew her hand and asked, "If Master Wu is alright, could you tell me what you encountered inside? Didn't we agree to close your eyes and rely solely on your hearing to eliminate the illusions? Why did it seem like you had your eyes open before?"

Hearing her question, Wu Kai's pale face flashed with embarrassment. He said in a muffled and frustrated voice, "Just as Miss Liu said before, when I first entered the illusion and closed my eyes, I could move freely using only my hearing. Some people tried to ambush me, and I killed quite a few of them. I guess they realized that the illusion couldn't interfere with me when my eyes were closed, and they definitely anticipated that someone would use this method to solve the problem. So they shamelessly started making a scene, which put me on the defensive. I was ambushed a few times, but luckily I'm not a pushover, and I didn't suffer too much."

"If that were all, they wouldn't be able to do anything to me. What's infuriating is that they actually had a hidden master of the Innate Realm who launched a sneak attack. I almost died at his hands, stabbed in the chest. At that moment, I instinctively opened my eyes to try and see who was attacking me, but because of that carelessness, I only saw a blurry figure disappear into the illusion. The key point is that after opening my eyes, I lost my sense of direction under the influence of the illusion. As a result, I even confused the direction I remembered to go in. They were using noise interference and sneak attacks, making me look disheveled and afraid. Anyway, I just rushed out in a daze. After all, the area covered by this illusion is only so big. If it were several times larger, I would really be trapped inside and ambushed to death by them."

After hearing his story, everyone felt relieved for him, while secretly wondering if they could have survived if it had been them.

Liu Yuehong frowned and glanced in the direction of the illusion, then said in a deep voice, "They've even thought of using noise to prevent the illusion from interfering with our vision. It seems this method won't work. What should we do?"

It's one thing to be unafraid of death, but one can't die in vain. Liu Yuehong, who knew a little about the situation, was also conflicted and couldn't think of a better solution. Was she just going to be helpless like this?
However, Wu Kai laughed loudly and said, "Miss Liu, do you now think that we can't do anything to those cowardly dogs?"

With a gleam of joy, Liu Yuehong asked eagerly, "From what Master Wu has said, you already have a solution?"

"Not bad!" He nodded first, then, without keeping anyone in suspense, said directly, "Although I was in great danger inside, I did come up with a solution. Although I, Old Wu, am not very bright, I can still be quick-witted in critical moments. This is all thanks to Miss Liu's suggestion earlier; I was just picking up scraps from her."

"Actually, dealing with the illusion array and the sneak attacks from those inside is quite simple. As you said, closing our eyes can prevent the illusion from interfering with our judgment. As for their noise interference, we can just plug our ears. Although this would limit our vision and hearing, making us feel like we're deaf and blind, we're not ordinary people. We can still sense their presence through the air currents caused by their movements. Even if they launch a sneak attack from a distance, it will still make a sound, which is how we can deal with them. However, this will inevitably greatly reduce our strength and put us in a very passive position, but it's the only way. Moreover, if our cultivation level is below the Innate Realm, we will find it difficult to move an inch inside and will only lose our lives in vain. Only those with the Innate Realm cultivation level have room to maneuver inside, but it is still extremely dangerous."

After hearing his words, the surrounding crowd fell silent and helpless. Without innate cultivation, they didn't even have the qualifications to go in; otherwise, they would be throwing their lives away. This situation was truly frustrating. They wanted to eliminate the threat, but their strength was inexhaustible.

On the contrary, Liu Yuehong, who also possessed the innate cultivation level, said with a glint in her eyes: "What Hero Wu said is absolutely right. According to you, at worst we can shield our eyesight and hearing. With our cultivation level, we can sense even the sound of a feather falling within a three-zhang radius. Although we will be on the defensive and our strength will be greatly reduced, it is not an unsolvable dead end!"

With that, she strode resolutely toward the formation and said in a deep voice, "Since Master Wu risked his life to find a way to break the deadlock, I, though just a woman, am not willing to fall behind. I will go and meet them. Although it is extremely dangerous, with a solution, I am confident that I can protect myself. I want to see what kind of ugly faces those cowards really have."

As soon as she finished speaking, under the worried gazes of the girl in white and the others, her figure disappeared into the formation.

"Miss Liu, please go ahead. I will come to help you after I have calmed down and stabilized my injuries," Wu Kai shouted in the direction she disappeared. If a woman can risk her life without hesitation, how could he, a grown man, be a coward who is afraid of death, unlike those delicate, round-faced, mustachioed rabbits?

As time passed, the long-standing case of the missing woman had already caused a great uproar and shocked the court and the public. It was a major event that countless people were paying attention to. The clue that Liu Yuyuan passed on last night was revealed by someone who had been drinking and made a mistake. It attracted Liu Yuehong and others, and then spread rapidly. More and more people were converging on this direction. The Yuhua Kingdom's court even sent people. Three innate masters were directly dispatched. This matter concerned the face of the court. If it was confirmed, even more powerful people would be sent later.

Just as the winds of change were gathering and rushing towards that once insignificant, desolate mountain wilderness, in the Qin residence within Jade City, in Qin Ruyu's boudoir, she appeared sickly, a fox-like smile playing on her lips, as she weakly murmured, "So they've taken the bait..." (End of Chapter)