Zhang Nannan's attempt to end her life this time was stopped by Xu Yi.
"Why won't you let me die! Xu Yi, I hate you, I truly hate you! Let me die! Let me die!"
Zhang Nannan struggled frantically in Xu Yi's embrace, her expression deranged.
"Enough!"
Xu Yi's voice, imbued with the pressure of a Void Integration cultivator, instantly rendered Zhang Nannan immobile.
Xu Yi placed her hands on Zhang Nannan's shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. "You've already made a mistake, do you intend to make another?"
Various emotions flickered across Zhang Nannan's eyes. After a moment, tears poured down like rain.
She couldn't turn back now.
Having committed such a terrible deed, how could she have the face to continue living?
"Do you know why the Saintess Cult chose to target you? It's because they have no way to deal with the Qiming Academy, so they wanted to find the academy's weakness through you. You've underestimated the Qiming Academy."
Others might not know, but Xu Yi and Xiong Zhuangzhuang knew that the dean of the Qiming Academy was none other than the dean of Kunlun Academy.
In this world, who could push the Qiming Academy to such a desperate state? Xu Yi couldn't think of anyone for the moment.
Of course, she wasn't saying this to excuse Zhang Nannan.
Mistakes were mistakes.
It was just that she felt Zhang Nannan had better ways to atone for her sins than ending her life.
Death was merely the simplest option.
Hearing Xu Yi's words, Zhang Nannan sat in a corner, like a statue, motionless, perhaps lost in thought.
After obtaining the answer she desired, Xu Yi no longer disturbed her and began discussing with Xiong Zhuangzhuang and others about how to proceed.
"I think it would be better to wait for the person in purple to wake up and see if we can get anything from her," Xiong Zhuangzhuang suggested.
Zhang Nannan knew little, but as the Saintess's attendant, the person in purple definitely knew more than Zhang Nannan.
It would be better to use the person in purple as a breakthrough point and perhaps uncover more valuable clues.
"The difficulty of prying information out of the person in purple can be imagined," Xu Yi sighed, shaking her head.
As if by coincidence, before Xu Yi's words had even finished, the person in purple, who had been seriously injured and unconscious, suddenly had their eyes bulge outwards, their breath ceased, and they died just like that, giving Xu Yi and the others no chance to interrogate them.
Xu Yi: ...
Xiong Zhuangzhuang, Yin Li, and the others: ...
"The clue is gone. We'll have to find another way," Xu Yi said helplessly.
Fei Hua, who couldn't interject, found his attention wandering. Upon hearing Xu Yi's words, his gaze happened to fall upon the red-line falcon with its head buried in the ground. His eyes lit up, and pointing at the falcon, he exclaimed, "We can ask it!"
Swish, swish, swish—
Several gazes converged on the red-line falcon. Even though half of its body was still buried in the ground, it couldn't help but tremble from the scorching intensity of their stares.
"Xiong Zhuangzhuang, Junior Sister Yin, you are both better at interrogating demonic beasts than I am. I'll leave this matter to you."
Xiong Zhuangzhuang laughed heartily. "Leave it to me."
Yin Li's eyes flickered unnaturally. After a moment's thought, she used a secret transmission to speak to Xiong Zhuangzhuang, "Senior Brother Xiong, can you think of a way to temporarily distract Senior Sister Xu so that we can interrogate the red-line falcon alone?"
Xiong Zhuangzhuang paused, then realized what she meant. He concealed the unusual expression on his face and asked, "Why? Did you discover something?"
Yin Li glanced at Xu Yi subtly, ensuring she hadn't noticed, and asked anxiously, "There's something wrong with that red-line falcon. It's completely unaffected by the sect's drugs. I suspect it's related to the sect."
Yin Li's words made Xiong Zhuangzhuang instantly aware of the seriousness of the matter.
It was now almost certain that the Saintess Cult was problematic. If it turned out that the Saintess Cult was connected to the Beast Taming Sect, then the Beast Taming Sect would become the target of public criticism.
Therefore, this information should not be revealed until the issue was clarified.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang feigned a look of difficulty and suddenly turned to Xu Yi. "Xu Yi, interrogating the red-line falcon requires the use of our Beast Taming Sect's secret techniques, so..."
Xu Yi understood. "I know. I'll go check on Wang Yao's injuries now. You can take the red-line falcon away for interrogation."
Xu Yi didn't think much of it.
After all, although her relationship with Xiong Zhuangzhuang was close, the sect's secret techniques were forbidden knowledge of each sect and were not easily passed on. She naturally knew the rules and therefore didn't ask further, squatting down to re-treat Wang Yao's wounds.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang apologized to Xu Yi and quickly dragged the red-line falcon away with Yin Li and the other two.
Xu Yi glanced back at their departing figures. Whether it was her imagination or not, she felt Xiong Zhuangzhuang's back seemed somewhat flustered.
She shook her head and refocused her attention on Wang Yao's wound.
The injury had been neglected for too long and required fresh medication.
On the other side.
Fei Hua curiously watched the red-line falcon being dragged by Xiong Zhuangzhuang and asked, "Senior Brother Xiong, I didn't know interrogating a falcon required the use of Beast Taming Sect secret techniques. Which secret technique are you referring to?"
"Junior Brother Fei, silence."
Yin Li raised her phoenix-like eyes and said coldly.
If she hadn't been worried about Xu Yi noticing anything unusual, she would have used her spiritual power to seal her junior brother's mouth.
How had she not noticed Fei Hua's gossiping mouth before?
"Ah, I've said something wrong again."
Fei Hua pouted aggrievedly, lowering his head with stinging eyes.
This outdoor training expedition was not as enjoyable as he had imagined.
His senior brothers and sisters disliked him, and now they wouldn't even let him speak. What was the point of him coming out?
But he didn't dare to say these words aloud, only thinking them in his heart.
The three walked northward for several miles, stopping only when they felt something was amiss on both sides.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang took out a formation disk from his storage bag and placed it on the ground.
After the formation was activated, he still felt it wasn't enough, so he placed two more formation disks on the ground before feeling slightly more at ease.
Seeing Xiong Zhuangzhuang's seriousness, Zuo You and Fei Hua also realized that some unexpected situation had occurred. They quickly put away their trivial thoughts and waited earnestly for Xiong Zhuangzhuang to speak.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang, however, looked at Yin Li, signaling for her to speak.
Yin Li kicked the red-line falcon, which was feigning death, beside her. "Have you seen red smoke before, and the spirit fruits and grains I took out?"
The red-line falcon lifted its neck and let out a short chirp.
The sound was not loud, but it allowed one to clearly discern the confusion in its tone.
Confusion.
It was expressing confusion, as if it didn't understand what Yin Li was saying.
"You deny it? But if you haven't smelled it before, how could you be unaffected by the red smoke?" Yin Li sneered.
Fei Hua, who had faced the situation with Yin Li, clapped his hands, nearly jumping up from the ground. "That's right! How did I not realize this red-line falcon definitely has a problem! It's completely unaffected by the lure! It must have seen it before, and quite often, to have such an effect today!"
Zuo You finally realized what was happening, his expression turning grim.
No wonder Senior Brother Xiong had specifically brought them here and set up multiple formation disks to prevent information leakage.
This matter absolutely must not be spread!
Absolutely!