They weren't afraid of being suspected either.
After all, weren't they waiting for Old Mu to lead the way?
They didn't wait very long before seeing Old Mu and Yi Zhiye arrive one after another.
Although both of them had expressionless faces, Yi Zhiye's bright eyes still told them that the matter was accomplished.
When Shen Xiaoyan thought of the pretentious Elder Wang being disgusted like this by Yi Zhiye, she wanted to burst out laughing.
However, considering the current situation, Shen Xiaoyan endured it repeatedly, and in the end, only her eyes and brows showed a hint of a smile.
When Mo Lai walked closer, the group didn't speak. Shen Xiaoyan merely cast a cold glance at Yi Zhiye, sternly asking why he had come again. Without listening to Yi Zhiye's explanation, she turned and walked forward.
As she walked, Shen Xiaoyan urged, "Hurry up, why are you so troublesome?"
The disciples of Medicine Emperor Valley standing not far away naturally saw Shen Xiaoyan's words and actions. After Shen Xiaoyan and her group walked away, they quickly went to Elder Wang and reported everything to him.
Shen Xiaoyan and her group followed Old Mu for a long time, passing through forests and flower bushes, passing by streams and waterfalls. After walking for an hour, they crossed two canyons and finally stopped in front of a courtyard built on the mountainside.
Looking at the courtyard before them, Shen Xiaoyan frowned.
"This is the residence of the Valley Master of Medicine Emperor Valley?"
Two young disciples in white robes stood on either side of the main gate. Hearing Shen Xiaoyan's question, although they didn't know who Shen Xiaoyan was, they replied, "Yes, this is the Valley Master's residence. May I ask who you are, miss, and what business you have here? The Valley Master generally does not see external guests."
Old Mu walked out from behind Shen Xiaoyan at this moment. "I brought them here. This is Miss Shen, the daughter of the Hall Master of Changqiu Hall. We have already met Elder Wang just now, and Elder Wang told me to bring Miss Shen and her companions here."
Hearing this, the two disciples looked behind them. Seeing the people following behind them, they nodded and said with a smile, "So it's Old Mu. Since Old Mu brought you, there must be no problem. I assume you have business, so I won't stop you. Please come in quickly."
Looking at the slightly fawning smiles of the two disciples, Shen Xiaoyan frowned.
Why did it feel like the Valley Master of Medicine Emperor Valley had been imprisoned by Elder Wang?
Otherwise, why did these two give her the feeling of being guards rather than doormen?
Although there was only a difference of one word, the meaning behind it was far from the same.
Shen Xiaoyan's mind raced with thoughts, but outwardly, she let out a cold哼, and followed Old Mu into the main gate.
Yi Zhiye also followed behind.
No one knew that at this moment, within his lowered eyes, murderous intent and fury were surging.
If he hadn't known that the time was not right, he would have really wanted to turn back immediately and tear Elder Wang into five pieces.
Fortunately, he knew that a small concession could lead to a larger plan, and he forced himself to endure it.
The group followed Old Mu through countless twists and turns for another quarter of an hour before finally entering a room.
This time, there was no one guarding the door.
Or rather, after entering this main gate, there were no guards.
Or rather, there was no one at all.
They walked for a quarter of an hour, covering a long distance, passing through many corridors, and seeing many rooms. Each one was exquisitely beautiful, but there was no one.
There wasn't even a hint of life.
What was the difference between such a cold and emotionless courtyard and an exquisite prison?
Instinctively, Shen Xiaoyan felt that the situation of the Valley Master of Medicine Emperor Valley was probably more difficult than Old Mu had described.
Did Old Mu not know about these things, or did he not want Yi Zhiye to worry, so he didn't tell them before?
These things didn't need to be rushed, as they would soon find out.
Entering the room, they still saw no one.
It was probably because the windows were covered with thick curtains, making the room somewhat dim.
But even though Medicine Emperor Valley had been full of spring vitality and life all the way here,
it still couldn't conceal the dead atmosphere in this room.
In such a place, anyone who stayed for a long time would be unbearable?
Even though cultivators had strong bodies, being able to endure it physically didn't mean they could endure it mentally.
Yi Zhiye could no longer stand it. Since there was no one else, he didn't want to pretend anymore.
Seeing him rushing towards the inner chamber, Shen Xiaoyan and the others looked at each other, then quickly followed.
Entering the door of the inner chamber, Shen Xiaoyan froze.
And in front of her stood Yi Zhiye, who had just rushed in.
Those who followed Shen Xiaoyan also froze in place.
It turned out that the room was not empty.
Instead, all the people were in this room.
Seven or eight people stood by the bedside, each with a sad expression, all staring blankly at the person on the bed.
Even when Shen Xiaoyan and her group entered, they couldn't make them turn their heads.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at the bed. On it lay a gaunt old man.
The old man's hair was white, and his face was etched with deep furrows, as if they had been carved with a knife, full of the marks of time.
The old man's eyes were tightly closed, his lips were pale, and his face was filled with deathly stillness.
Anyone could see at a glance that this old man was nearing his end.
At this moment, Yi Zhiye suddenly moved. He rushed to the side of the bed and knelt down.
Yi Zhiye's sudden appearance startled everyone in the room. Before they could react, they heard Yi Zhiye choked out, "Grandfather!"
Everyone was surprised!
Other than Yi Zhiye, who else could call out "Grandfather"?
But wasn't Yi Zhiye already banished to the lower world?
How could he appear here?
Could this be someone impersonating him?
Unexpectedly, Yi Zhiye then cried out, "Grandfather, it's A Xie! Open your eyes and look at me!"
Although they heard Yi Zhiye admit his identity, the people by the bedside still had expressions of doubt, mainly because Yi Zhiye now was so different from their impression of Yi Zhiye.
Especially...
Why did he look so much like the eunuchs in the palace?
Elder Wang had gone too far this time. Even if he wanted to disgust them, he shouldn't find someone like this to impersonate Yi Zhiye.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at Yi Zhiye's figure and felt goosebumps crawling all over her body.
She had forgotten such an important matter.
It was Nà mù zhōng who reacted first.
She trotted to Yi Zhiye's side and whispered a few words in his ear. Yi Zhiye's crying stopped abruptly.
The people by the bedside, upon seeing Nà mù zhōng, finally turned their heads slowly. When they saw Shen Xiaoyan and her group, they realized that so many people had come into the room.
And when they saw Old Mu, an old woman closest to the bed immediately cried out.
"Brother Mu, why have you only come now!"
She clearly looked very old, and one could guess her identity.
But seeing her cry like a child, Shen Xiaoyan still felt a bit unable to accept it.
If she guessed correctly, the people in this room should be the Valley Master's wife and descendants.
But seeing their lifeless expressions, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't understand.
Logically speaking, they were all people of status and position, so why did they all live their lives like this?
What surprised her the most was the Valley Master's wife. She was clearly very old, but she cried like a child.
Anyone who saw this would feel sad and a little amused at the same time.
Old Mu was clearly startled by the Valley Master's wife's cry.
He could guess that the Valley Master's family probably hadn't had a good life in recent years, and might have been imprisoned or something else.
But looking at the Valley Master on the bed, who was between life and death, and the Valley Master's wife crying like a child, his heart still ached.
He remembered how spirited and close he, the Valley Master, Elder Wang, and the Valley Master's wife had been back then.
But now, not only were they scattered, but they had even drawn swords against each other, and one of them was lying on the bed, between life and death.
"Sister-in-law, don't cry. First, tell me what's going on," Old Mu said comfortingly, suppressing his inner pain.
About another quarter of an hour passed. Old Mu finally managed to comfort the Valley Master's wife and stopped her from crying, then he introduced the people in the room to each other.
He pointed to the Valley Master's wife and her group and said, "Xiaoyan, the one lying on the bed is Yuan Heng. This is the Valley Master's wife, Song Yan. That is A Xie's uncle, Yuan Hao, his aunt, Wang Tan, his cousin Yuan Yi, and his cousin Yuan Wan."
After speaking, Old Mu introduced Shen Xiaoyan and her group. "This is Miss Shen Xiaoyan, the daughter of the Hall Master of Changqiu Hall. Beside her is her husband, Zheng Wei. That is Shiratori Shifumi's disciple, Bai Ying. That is Lu Taobao, and Shen Xiaoyan's younger brother, Shen Xiaoming. As for the two by the bed, they are Yi Zhiye and Nà mù zhōng. I don't think I need to say more, you probably know them."
As he spoke, Song Yan and the others said in their hearts, if you hadn't said it, they really wouldn't have known. After all, what aspect of that fellow resembled Yi Zhiye?
Old Mu also remembered this problem and couldn't help but look at Shen Xiaoyan. "Xiaoyan, A Xie's appearance..." Can it be changed back?
Before Old Mu could finish speaking, Shen Xiaoyan shook her head. "No."
Old Mu looked puzzled. "Why is that?"
"Do you really think Elder Wang trusts us? If he really trusted us, he wouldn't have kept Yi Zhiye just now. Even if he released Yi Zhiye later, how could he be sure that he didn't have any suspicions in his heart? What if he comes later and catches us off guard..."