When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

As if he had obtained some kind of evidence, many details that he had previously ignored came together in his mind. Yi Chen pursed his lips uncomfortably, and a strange sense of awkwardness washed over him. What he had previously taken as a disciple’s ordinary act of reliance and trust now seemed to have taken on a different meaning.

Despite his inner surprise and doubt, he maintained a calm voice:

"Cultivation is for your own benefit; you don't need to always think about how others see you."

"Master is right," Chu Xianlan nodded emphatically, "Disciple will follow your teachings."

I blurted it all out tonight on a whim. Chu Xianlan wasn't trying to prove anything; she was simply setting some standards for herself.

Anyway, Master doesn't care about these empty titles, so he probably just listened casually and didn't take it to heart.

Yi Chen felt his heart grow heavier and heavier.

Should we strictly follow the teachings? If we truly followed the teachings, we would not have any thoughts that violated common sense. We should cultivate ourselves diligently and fulfill our duties as teacher and disciple.

Think about it.

They couldn't find the reason why Chu Xianlan went astray.

Yi Chen even began to suspect that there was something wrong with his way of disciplining his disciples.

...Could it be that because I had been in seclusion for five years, my disciple developed an obsession and mistakenly thought it was love?

Ordinary cultivators would develop inner demons due to evil thoughts, but Chu Xianlan's spiritual energy was stable and pure, without any signs of inner demons. Therefore, she did not harbor any ill intentions, but simply wanted to stand by his side and maintain the master-disciple relationship. She did not seek any outcome, did not want to disturb him, and did not intend to express her feelings.

At least, when Qu Ling proposed the extreme method of the Life-Binding Gu, Chu Xianlan's first reaction was to refuse.

Even when he couldn't get what he wanted, his disciples never overstepped their boundaries or thought of harming him in the slightest.

At most, it's because they couldn't help themselves and couldn't restrain themselves from some intimate behaviors.

Yi Chen seemed to understand a little.

Five years is not a long time for him, but it is not so for Chu Xianlan. Perhaps every day she waits for him to come out of seclusion, her obsession is getting stronger.

His responsibility for upbringing also lies in this.

If you push all the blame onto your disciples and keep blaming them, you are just shirking your responsibility.

Yi Chen glanced sideways and saw Chu Xianlan squatting down with a serious expression, helping to pick up the scattered pills and clean up the mess.

This matter cannot be rushed.

Returning to calm, Yi Chen devised the most appropriate outcome, with reason prevailing.

Even assuming the worst, if Chu Xianlan's love interest today were not him, but some other stranger with ulterior motives, it would be very dangerous; she might be taken advantage of...

The only thing we can do is make him understand that this obsession is not the right path, maintain the proper distance between master and disciple, and reduce overly intimate actions.

As Chu Xianlan's cultivation deepens and her horizons broaden, she will naturally let go of it.

It's best to maintain some distance between a master and his apprentice.

Moreover, his identity...

Suddenly, a loud argument broke out.

"not good!"

The sound came from the direction of the wanderers' main tent, instantly drowning out the surrounding noises. Everyone stopped what they were doing and rushed to the main tent, and the scene, which had been gradually calming down, became chaotic again.

A demon guard frantically gripped his weapon, shouting, "The Thousand-Frost Iron is gone!"

Thousand-layered cold iron?

Chu Xianlan also frowned and stood up. The piece of Thousand-Glazed Cold Iron that the Crown Prince bought? That was a material that could be described as priceless, how could it... have been stolen?

Tonight, the lights are destined to be on full display.

With such an incident, the banquet could no longer be held.

The Taiyi Sect immediately assisted the demon race in their investigation and sealed off their mountain gates.

After all, the theft occurred within the sect's territory, so it was impossible to ignore it. However, this also meant that everyone present, including the demons, was a suspect.

Around the main tent, everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts.

Qionglan remained relatively calm at this moment, clenching her fist and pressing it against her forehead, her voice filled with resentment, "If I catch this thief, I will definitely skin him alive and tear him apart."

This matter concerns the alliance between the Wanderer Tribe and the Royal Family. The Cold Iron was personally ordered by the Crown Prince. If it cannot be found, the Demon Clan will not only have to pay an astronomical amount of spirit stones, but will also damage the reputation that the Wanderer Tribe has accumulated over the years, and trade routes and resource exchanges will be affected.

We were supposed to leave in two days, so why did this have to happen at this crucial moment!

Thinking of this, Qionglan's eyes flashed with a fierce light, making her look more like a black panther poised to pounce.

"Don't worry, now that the Taiyi Sect has intervened, they will definitely do their best to help." Pei Fang'an asked gently, "What was the situation around the market when the Cold Iron was stolen? Who was present at the time?"

Chu Xianlan, who was standing to the side, answered:

"My master and I were nearby at the time."

Pei Fang'an looked at Yi Chen in surprise, seemingly not expecting him to appear in that kind of situation, while the latter nodded slightly.

"What were you two doing so late at night? Taking a walk under the moon? Wow, how romantic." Wei Jin had just arrived when he heard this.

Chu Xianlan was speechless. "Junior Uncle, don't joke around in this situation."

Yi Chen merely glanced at Wei Jin without saying anything more.

Just that one glance sent chills down Wei Jin's spine. He thought to himself, "I was just trying to ease the tension, is it really that serious?"

The group had heard about the incident involving the spirit pets' rampage that evening.

Upon hearing this, Qionglan's eyes darkened: "So, the spirit pets' disturbance wasn't an accident at all? Someone deliberately broke the spirit pets' restrictions, creating chaos to distract the guards, all for the purpose of stealing the Thousand-Glazed Cold Iron!"

Just then, two disciples dressed in the robes of the Discipline Hall entered, bowing respectfully.

"Reporting to everyone, the Discipline Hall has thoroughly investigated all records of the Taiyi Sect's Spirit Gathering Array tonight and has not found any traces of any unusual personnel entering or leaving."

The tent fell silent for a moment.

The fact that no trace was left means that the thief did not leave the territory of Taiyi Sect and must still be hiding within the sect.

That's understandable.

Since the thief was able to infiltrate the Taiyi Sect, he must have known about the situation within the sect. He knew that rashly entering and leaving would easily arouse suspicion, and hiding in time would prevent alerting the thief.

"No abnormalities?"

Wei Jin couldn't help but ask, "Within the Spirit Gathering Array, any living thing that forcibly crosses it will leave a spiritual energy imprint. Are you sure you've checked carefully?"

"Reporting to Immortal Lord Zhaoyan, there are indeed no new entry or exit marks."

The disciple from the Discipline Hall continued, "We've also checked the triple warning array around the main tent, but strangely... there's no sign that the array has been broken."

Chu Xianlan's lips twitched. Wait a minute, it's a bit absurd that even the warning array around the main tent hasn't moved. Did this thief just vanish into thin air?

Pei Fang'an did not hesitate. "Now that we've confirmed the person is still in the sect, things will be easier. Issue the order to immediately seal off all entrances and exits of the sect, strictly prohibiting anyone from leaving without authorization. The entire Discipline Hall will be mobilized, and together with the demon race, they will guard the entire sect and conduct a thorough search."

At this moment, Qionglan said coldly:

"There's no need to go to such lengths."

"The Thousand-Condensed Cold Iron has always been kept in a specially made storage bag. The main tent is protected by a demon clan warning array. As long as someone tries to forcibly move it or use external force to break the storage bag, it will definitely trigger the array alarm. It should be impossible for it to be stolen," Qionglan slowly raised her head, her beautiful face covered with a layer of frost. "Unless, that person took the Cold Iron through normal means."

Wei Jin stroked his chin. "What constitutes 'normal methods,' and what constitutes 'abnormal methods'?"

Chu Xianlan's pupils contracted as she recalled the scene she had seen in the main tent earlier.

At that time, it seemed that Qionglan dripped a drop of blood onto the storage pouch.

"Due to the precious materials, the conditions for opening the storage pouch are extremely stringent, with multiple layers of security, requiring blood as a catalyst. Only my blood, or the blood of the human royal family, can open it... and it is immune to magic array attacks."

At this point, everyone in the tent changed their expressions.

...the royal family?

Isn't there a ready-made royal bloodline within the Taiyi Sect right now?

What was initially a very difficult case seemed to become clear instantly, solved in a second.

The situation had taken a rather bizarre turn, and Pei Fang'an coughed awkwardly.

Just as he was about to say something to ease the tension, another team of demons in charge of the investigation returned anxiously. "My lords, we've spotted a suspicious person near the market!!"

Qionglan said menacingly, "Bring him up."

Soon after, a man in black, bound hand and foot, appeared before the crowd.

Chu Xianlan narrowed her eyes, staring at the "suspicious person" who was being brought in.

The more I look at it, the more familiar it seems.

Damn, isn't that Ji Cheng'an's shadow guard?!