Su Yunyun stared out, seemingly capable of piercing the gloom of the chasm, and said faintly, “…This man possesses an inherent pride; there is no need to waste any effort on him…”

“Young Palace Mistress…,” an old woman bowed, a look of awkwardness on her face.

Su Yunyun turned to look at her, “Granny Wang, Mingkong’s martial arts are peculiar, and he had that swift horse; truly, stopping him was impossible, so it is not your fault.”

“Alas…,” Granny Wang shook her head in shame.

The round-faced middle-aged woman remarked, “Miss, this man’s martial arts bear the air of a master; he must come from an extraordinary background. If he escapes, the repercussions will be endless…”

Su Yunyun said lightly, “He was stabbed in the chest.”

“That is good then…” The round-faced woman let out a long sigh of relief, and the other women relaxed too.

This was the first time they had encountered such a master. The power of the Baji Array was immense, combining the superimposed internal energy of eight people with an illusionary effect, yet it still failed to subdue him—it was astonishing.

It was fortunate that the Young Palace Mistress possessed heaven-sent talent and had mastered the Ice Jade Divine Sword, rendering her invincible in this age; otherwise, he would have escaped today, and that truly would have led to endless trouble.

Su Yunyun frowned and pondered for a moment, “Granny Wang, please trouble yourselves to follow him. He is, after all, a master of his generation; he deserves a proper burial…”

“The Young Palace Mistress is merciful; this old woman obeys!” Granny Wang nodded.

…………………………………………………… She left with the other seven old women, disappearing into the depths of the canyon.

A cool breeze pierced the chasm, softly fluttering the white robes of the three women, their sashes swaying in the air.

The round-faced middle-aged woman pondered for a moment, then whispered, “Miss, are you afraid Mingkong is not dead?” Another woman stood with her back to them, her hand resting on her sword hilt, scanning their surroundings, her eyes flashing with sharp light, missing not the slightest disturbance.

Su Yunyun gave a slight nod, “He is a man of the Buddhist sect. The Dayuan Dynasty highly values Buddhism; their depths are unfathomable.” “Among them are certainly esoteric skills and strange arts; we cannot afford to be careless.”

“Indeed.” The round-faced woman nodded gently, glancing around. “Miss, you should heal your injuries first. That was a prized horse; it runs fast. We likely won’t have news for a while.” Su Yunyun nodded.

The round-faced woman carefully tore open the garment on her right shoulder, exposing only the wound just right. She widened her bright eyes and saw a gash nearly a palm’s length long—flesh torn away, revealing stark white bone.

She had expected a flesh wound, not something this severe. Since childhood, the Miss had never suffered such a grave injury—it was a wonder she could still act as if nothing had happened.

“Miss, you…!” she glared at Su Yunyun in a mixture of reproach and concern.

Su Yunyun smiled faintly.

Monk Mingkong’s desperate strike was no trivial matter. Had his blade been half an inch longer, she would have been relegated to using only her left hand for the sword from this day forward.

“Sigh… such a ruthless monk!” the round-faced woman mumbled, quickly applying medicine for her.

Fortunately, the medicinal salves of the Jade Cold Palace possessed extraordinary efficacy. She carefully sprinkled the medicine on the wound and cautioned, “Miss, you cannot use your right hand for half a month; it must rest.”

Su Yunyun gave a slight nod, somewhat absentmindedly, staring towards the distant chasm.

The round-faced woman worked meticulously, taking a full quarter of an hour to dress the wound. By now, Granny Wang should have news, Su Yunyun thought inwardly, her eyes flickering.

……………………………………, the three of them stood in the gentle breeze as the twilight deepened, the sky growing dim.

Time passed… Su Yunyun gazed steadily in the direction of the chasm. The two middle-aged women grew somewhat uneasy. The round-faced woman whispered, “Miss, Granny Wang and the others should be back by now.”

Su Yunyun nodded but remained silent.

“Shall I… go look for them?” the round-faced woman offered.

Su Yunyun pondered for a moment, “Send the signal; have them return.”

The round-faced woman responded with an affirmation, taking a short tube from her breast pocket and aiming it toward the sky. She pulled the attached cord, and instantly, a burst of silver flowers exploded in the sky, showering down like fluttering snowflakes.

Moments later, eight old women emerged from the darkness of the night, their white robes drifting.

“Young Palace Mistress!” Granny Wang approached and bowed, her face grave.

Su Yunyun asked, “You didn’t find him?” Granny Wang nodded solemnly, “No, not a trace of him…”

“Could he have hidden himself nearby?” the round-faced woman suggested.

Granny Wang shook her head, “We followed the hoof prints for over a hundred li, but found no trace of him. They eventually vanished toward Mount Hualing.” Mount Hualing was a massive mountain straddling the border between Dayuan and Dongchu, towering and treacherous, impossible for anyone without high-level martial arts skills to cross.

Su Yunyun frowned, pondering, “With his injury, he shouldn't have been able to sustain travel for a hundred li…”

Granny Wang stated, “Judging by the depth of the hoof prints, he remained on the horse the entire time.” The round-faced woman urged immediately, “Miss, attacking a tiger and failing brings disaster upon oneself; we must pursue him quickly…”

“It’s too late now; we won’t catch him,” Granny Wang shook her head.

The round-faced woman pressed, “Even if we can’t catch him, we must pursue! Who knows where he comes from? If he manages to return to Dayuan and brings people back to cause trouble for our Jade Cold Palace, it will create chaos!”

Granny Wang replied, “Miss Li, many have sought to trouble us over the years. Which one succeeded?”

Her tone was steady, her expression proud, possessing an inherent air of looking down on all others.

The round-faced woman’s face flushed. Concealed by the night, the others hadn't noticed, but she realized she had lost her composure. He was just a young monk; he couldn't stir up major waves.

However, thinking of his age combined with such profound martial skill, he must hail from a famous lineage. If the disciple was this formidable, how could the elders of his sect be inferior? Once he returned seeking revenge, the fear wasn't overt attack, but hidden assassination, impossible to guard against.

With these thoughts, her mood grew heavy. She shook her head, “Miss, regardless, we need to see him alive or find his corpse. We cannot be careless!”

Su Yunyun gave a slight nod. “Auntie Li speaks wisely. Pursue him!”

……………………………………………… At this moment, Li Muzhan was situated inside a mountain cave.

This cave was only a step deep, located on the edge of a cliff, hidden beneath trailing vines, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to detect—it would have been impossible to find without Li Muzhan’s Eye of the Heavens.

Chiying had run far off, seeking food on its own, melting into the forest. The sheer size of this mountain almost rivaled Mount Canghai.

Li Muzhan gathered some dead branches and spread them on the ground, then sat cross-legged, beginning his meditation and breath regulation.

Recalling the battle with Su Yunyun, a chill still ran through him, and his chest ached faintly.

Her swordplay surpassed imagination. He saw a curtain of sword light, as if transforming into thousands of blades. Even with his Eye of the Void, he could not discern illusion from reality and could only defend with all his might.

In the end, he could not fully block it; a sword strike landed on his chest, nearly shattering his heart meridian.

He possessed the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art, which offered some resistance. During that instant of resistance, his internal force circulated wildly, deflecting the majority of the power; the remainder stopped just inside the flesh.

Chiying, sharing a mutual connection with him, immediately retreated and fled. Su Yunyun’s swordplay was too strange; another strike, and he would not have survived, even though he had wounded her.

Chiying galloped swiftly, reaching Mount Hualing. Once inside the mountain, he felt truly secure. He found a cave, let Chiying play on its own, and entered a state of meditative healing.

As his internal force grew stronger, the power of the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art increased. If he had not relied on this technique during today’s onslaught, he would surely have perished.

Despite possessing the Technique of Guiding Cranes to Add Oil, the Art of Yin-Yang Creation, and the Scripture of Observing Heaven and Divine Illumination, taking a direct strike to the chest would have meant instant death, leaving no time for anything else.

Recalling the peril he faced today, Li Muzhan felt a bone-deep chill. It had been terrifyingly close. If Su Yunyun’s internal energy had been slightly deeper, she could truly have taken his life.

If she was already this formidable, how much more so must the seniors of the Jade Cold Palace be? Daring to trespass upon the Jade Cold Palace was truly a case of not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth; he had only been lucky.

After thinking for a while, he quickly dismissed the thoughts and began his deep meditation.

Entering the realm of the Scripture of Observing Heaven and Divine Illumination, the moonlight poured like water, nourishing his body. He became engrossed, slowly sinking into a state of profound oblivion.

After an unknown length of time, a sudden alarm stirred in his heart, jolting him awake.

He withdrew from the Scripture of Observing Heaven and Divine Illumination, opened his Eye of the Void, and within ten li was laid bare before him. He saw the ten figures of Su Yunyun slowly ascending the mountain.

He sighed inwardly. Just as he expected; they had still tracked him down.

He shook his head and offered a wry smile. If he were in her position, he would also eradicate potential threats. There was nothing to complain about. Su Yunyun seemed to have recovered from her injuries; his sword technique still fell short somehow.

…………………………………………………… He frowned slightly. Su Yunyun had been observing everything, constantly looking around, which piqued Li Muzhan’s interest. Could it be that she could detect his surveillance?

Judging by her demeanor, it seemed she genuinely could.

Since acquiring the Eye of the Void, among all those he had encountered, Su Yunyun was the first one to perceive him. The other ten women, being older than her, showed no unusual reaction; clearly, they had not noticed.

He frowned again suddenly. The eleven figures were moving in a straight line, heading directly toward his location. Li Muzhan instantly deduced that they had discovered him.

Li Muzhan squinted his eyes and thought for a moment, then suddenly drifted out. In a flash, he reached a water pool, stripped off his jade-colored monastic robe, and plunged into the water.

The moon was like ice hanging in the air.

The pool was clear, and the water was bitterly cold. However, as his internal energy circulated, it instantly banished the chill, instead bringing a refreshing coolness, like sinking into a spring on a hot summer day.

Floating in the pool, he pondered when his monastic robe might have been tampered with.

The scene with Su Yunyun that day was vivid in his mind. He replayed it, suddenly concentrating and noticing that as they parted near the city wall, her fingernails had momentarily changed color. She had carelessly brushed against his sleeve, silently and without his awareness.

He shook his head with a wry smile. This Su Yunyun truly could not be underestimated. Under such circumstances, she remained calm and composed, setting a trap for him.

Since this was the case, he could only change clothes. Fortunately, he had brought his satchel, which contained a change of garments; otherwise, he would have cut a ridiculous figure.

Moments later, he emerged from the pool, shook his body once to dry the water droplets, then opened his satchel and changed into a set of gray monastic robes.

His injury was not severe. After healing with the Scripture of Observing Heaven and Divine Illumination, it was nearly gone. As his Heart Pearl increased, the power of the Scripture also grew stronger.

After changing, he turned and left, disappearing into the deep woods in the blink of an eye.

A moment later, Su Yunyun and her company appeared, spotting the jade-colored monastic robe discarded by the water pool.

Su Yunyun’s face instantly darkened, and the expressions of the other ten women also sank. They knew that Li Muzhan had not died; instead, he had slipped away.