“All right, Junior Brother, take a moment to regulate your breathing. I’ll stay here and watch over you, don’t worry,” Xu Xiaorou said with a smile as she sized up Li Muchan.

Seeing that Li Muchan was unharmed and showed no sign of his injury worsening, she let out a quiet sigh of relief. Such sword wounds were most feared for poison on the blade or striking a vital area.

While the sword was in place, there was nothing unusual, but once withdrawn, the wound would bleed profusely, and the injury would immediately worsen, potentially becoming life-threatening. Though no abnormality was detected during the probe, if the sword was suddenly withdrawn and the situation took a sharp downturn, his life could be in immediate peril—such scenarios were not uncommon. Though she appeared composed, her heart had been clenched tight. Seeing that Li Muchan, while somewhat haggard, appeared calm and without any distress, she could finally breathe easy.

Li Muchan said, “Senior Sister Xu, you don’t need to stay here. Go and help the Lake Master. We cannot let the people from the Three Smiles Hall escape, or we will be in serious trouble immediately.”

Xu Xiaorou chuckled brightly, “Junior Brother, stop worrying your head over trivial matters! Aren’t you confident in the Lake Master’s abilities? Those fellows can’t possibly slip out of the Lake Master’s grasp!”

Li Muchan shook his head, “The Three Smiles Hall must not be underestimated, otherwise, they wouldn't have stood for so long. Senior Sister Xu, please hurry.”

“Taking care of you is the top priority! What if someone barges in right now and you can’t defend yourself?!” Xu Xiaorou refused, shaking her head.

Li Muchan frowned, “Why would anyone from the Three Smiles Hall dare to run over here now? Besides, no one knows I’m here. It’s fine.”

His insistence was so strong and his expression so urgent that Xu Xiaorou’s resolve quickly softened. Finally, she yielded with resignation, “Fine, fine, I’ll do as you say. I’ll go take a look!”

Though she didn’t entirely agree, she truly couldn’t stand his pleading. She could only placate him for the moment—a quick trip out and then she’d return.

Li Muchan smiled, “If we let the people from the Three Smiles Hall slip away this time, we’ll face a grueling battle. We must fight for this night; as soon as we pull back and they discover it tomorrow morning, it will be too late for them.”

Xu Xiaorou laughed, “Exactly! Once we return to the Lake, we’ll be like dragons returning to the vast sea. They wouldn’t dare cause trouble in our waters!”

Li Muchan nodded, “Senior Sister Xu, please go quickly.”

Xu Xiaorou said, “Alright, I’m leaving. Be careful. If anything happens, immediately set off the signal. I will return swiftly!”

She pulled out a signaling device from her robes and tucked it into Li Muchan’s embrace. If trouble arose, pulling this would immediately alert her.

She glanced at Li Muchan one last time before turning to leave with lingering worry. She carefully closed the door and stepped away lightly, leaving the room to settle back into silence.

The faint, lingering fragrance had not yet dispersed. Li Muchan let out a breath and activated his Void Eye to survey the surroundings.

“Not good!” he muttered inwardly.

Before the sound of his alarm had fully faded, the sky outside suddenly blazed with light. With a dull thump, the entire night sky was illuminated, pouring bright radiance through the window.

It was as if a sun had dropped into the sky, instantly turning night into day, or perhaps like a modern flare—the entire White Cloud City seemed to brighten up at once.

Li Muchan’s heart slowly sank. They had succeeded in sending a signal after all. This was his greatest worry: even if the individuals couldn't escape, they would send a signal.

However, he reasoned that only high-ranking members, perhaps those six old men, would possess such a device. Those six were dealt with by the Lake Master before they could even strike, eliminating a major threat.

Alas… he should have realized sooner. The hegemony of the Three Smiles Hall could not be underestimated; they must be tightly organized. Lin Zizhi’s arrival meant there would be hidden observers monitoring the situation, ready to signal distress immediately.

But the senior brothers and sisters in the lake were no amateurs either. They likely anticipated this and attempted to intercept the signal, yet they fell just slightly short—the enemy had succeeded.

With this signal sent, the situation escalated dramatically. The entire Southern Altar of the Three Smiles Hall would mobilize. The tide had turned sharply against them!

He paused, but did not rush out. In his current state, going out would be useless. He needed to heal his injuries first.

He turned, picked up a soft cushion, and with a graceful leap, sprang directly onto the crossbeam above the bed. He laid the cushion down and sat upright, adjusting himself.

There was a triangular space on the beam perfectly sized for him to sit.

Once settled, he swiftly entered the Gazing at Heaven and Man’s Illumination Sutra. His manifested form appeared upon the lotus flower, and simultaneously, the moonlight and sunlight descended upon the form, nourishing his body.

The manifested form flickered in and out of existence, seeming as if it could dissipate at any moment—this was due to his depleted Qi and blood. As the moonlight and sunlight nourished him, the form slowly solidified, becoming white jade once more.

Upon entering the state of deep meditation, he completely shut down his five senses, immersing himself in the Chart of Illumination, feeling absolutely nothing from the outside world.

He dared to do this because of his intuition, which was astonishingly accurate and reliably potent. If real danger arose, his intuition would issue a warning, and he would instantly withdraw from the Chart.

The absorbed sunlight and moonlight were thicker than before, almost tangible, immersing him as if in both a cold spring and a warm bath—the sensation was incredibly real.

After absorbing the sunlight, his spirit grew vigorous; absorbing the moonlight made his body feel light and ethereal, like a feather ready to be blown away by the slightest breeze.

In what felt like an instant, a warning alarm flared. He snapped awake, instantly retracting from his manifested form back into his physical body. His five senses reconnected with the external world.

He perceived that two figures had entered the room below. Although the moonlight was dim, casting poor light, which would make them mere shadows to ordinary eyes—without even discernible outlines—to him, they were perfectly clear, as if it were daytime.

Both figures were middle-aged men. One was pale-faced and clean-shaven, with an unremarkable appearance. The other possessed a three-strand goatee beneath his jaw, a dignified bearing, handsome, and possessing an uncommon aura.

They spoke in low voices. The pale-faced man shook his head, “Brother Zhao, no one is here. Let’s move on to the next room!”

The other, stroking his beard, shook his head and surveyed the surroundings, “Something isn’t right. I have a persistent feeling that someone is here. I can smell a human scent!”

His eyes flashed brilliantly, like twin gemstones, casting a bit more light into the room.

This was clearly an exertion of internal energy channeled into the eyes, an attempt to see through the room’s arrangement and locate Li Muchan’s hiding spot. Li Muchan frowned slightly.

Scent? He had truly overlooked that aspect. The hemostatic powder he used was incredibly effective, but it had one drawback: the scent was pungent and dissipated slowly, filling the room.

Normally, this wouldn't be an issue, but at this moment, it became a problem. Regardless of the specific drug, medicine carried peculiarities. The dashing middle-aged man had likely deduced this.

As for smelling a person, Li Muchan assumed the other was bluffing to exert pressure and force him out.

Li Muchan smiled faintly, restraining his spirit and vital essence, curious to see if the two could find him. His position was on the main beam, shielded partially by a crossbeam beneath him.

Even if they looked straight up, they would have difficulty seeing him, unless they jumped onto the beam to get a clearer view.

He remained motionless, like an uncarved block of wood, his spirit and essence completely drawn back into his body, leaking not a flicker, leaving no trace of fluctuation. In the darkness, even if someone passed by, they would not sense his presence.

This was not just concealment of breath, but a disappearance on the spiritual plane—profound and inexplicable.

The two did not leave. Standing back-to-back, they slowly drew their swords and cautiously approached the bed. Suddenly, a flash of sword light illuminated the room.

“Chii! Chii! Chii! Chii!” Several light whistling sounds pierced the air, and cotton stuffing flew out in a swirling flurry. Their few strikes pulverized the bedding instantly.

Li Muchan remained motionless as stone, without the slightest ripple, as if he had seen and heard nothing.

The two relaxed momentarily, turning to survey the area, then slowly moved to the bedside. “Chii chii chii chii!” Another series of sharp whistles, and their long swords stabbed straight through the wooden bed planks—if anyone had been underneath, they would surely have been skewered.

The two men stepped back, examined their swords, and seeing no blood, exchanged a glance. The pale-faced man said, “Are you satisfied now?”

The elegant middle-aged man shook his head, frowning, “Brother Chang, something is wrong. I still feel something strange in here; there should be someone in this room!”

“Sigh… look around. Where could anyone hide?” the pale-faced man countered, shaking his head.

The elegant man frowned, scrutinizing the surroundings, then suddenly froze, slowly raising his head.

Seeing this, the pale-faced man also started, slowly tilting his head up to look at the ceiling. The dim light did not impede their vision.

The two exchanged a look, nodded subtly, and suddenly floated upwards.

They simultaneously landed on the crossbeam and immediately spotted Li Muchan. Li Muchan sat there like a clay figure, utterly still, his eyelids slightly lowered, devoid of any aura.

The moment they discovered Li Muchan, their bodies tensed, and the swords in their hands tightened, ready to strike. But upon noticing Li Muchan’s utter stillness and hearing no breath, they hesitated.

With their cultivation, they could hear a fly land within ten yards, let alone breathing at this proximity—it would sound as loud as thunder.

Li Muchan sat motionless, without breath or life force, appearing like a corpse. The two began to suspect he might indeed be deceased.

They crept slowly along the main beam, swords held tightly, ready to deliver a fatal blow. As they drew closer, they positioned themselves in front and behind him, forming a pincer attack.

Even if the person before them wasn't a corpse, if he tried to counterattack, he couldn't escape their simultaneous strikes—they were absolutely certain of this.

When they were close enough, they saw Li Muchan’s face and found it somewhat unfamiliar.

The elegant middle-aged man, positioned in front, suddenly lunged his sword, piercing swiftly toward Li Muchan’s throat, intending to test the depth of his condition.

Li Muchan abruptly opened his eyes and smiled, as two small pebbles shot out from his sleeve.

“Bang! Bang!” The two men flew backward as if struck by massive stones, crashing into the vertical support beams before tumbling off the crossbeam and landing heavily on the floor.

Just as the two hit the ground, footsteps sounded, and over a dozen figures rushed in, flying onto the wooden beam simultaneously, surrounding Li Muchan.