Chapter 71: Spy

Huo Yuanzhen, through a mix of coaxing and deception, finally got Lin Yi to follow him into the room.

"From now on, you must remain silent and listen to me," Huo Yuanzhen said.

He stopped Lin Yi from asking further questions and proceeded to tell her about the events that had unfolded on the back mountain. Of course, he only briefly mentioned them, avoiding any mention of the underground cavern. He merely said that the Elder Master had been defeated by him and had left the back mountain afterward.

Upon hearing that her master was not dead, Lin Yi finally stopped crying.

Although Huo Yuanzhen was unsure whether she fully believed him, he felt somewhat relieved. He had said everything he needed to, and now there was nothing more for him to do.

However, to his surprise, the young nun suddenly said, "You said my master is not dead, then I'll stay here and wait for her to return."

Huo Yuanzhen was taken aback, looking at her with confusion. "Aren't you going back to Emei Mountain?"

Lin Yi lowered her head, speaking in a barely audible voice, "Emei is too far from here, and I don't know which direction it is in. My master brought me here; I can't find my way back on my own."

Huo Yuanzhen couldn't help but slap his forehead. How could this little nun be so clueless that she couldn't even find her way home?

"If you don't return, Shaolin isn't suitable to take you in. Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know," Lin Yi replied softly.

Looking at the somewhat aggrieved little nun, who still had a trace of tears in her eyes, Huo Yuanzhen found himself in a dilemma.

It was definitely not feasible to keep her at Shaolin. Although the young nun was beautiful, Huo Yuanzhen, as the abbot, had to consider the overall interests of Shaolin. Moreover, beauty didn't really matter to him at the moment. Until his Pure Boy Skill reached its peak, beautiful women were just distractions.

After thinking it over, Huo Yuanzhen considered two possible places: one was the home of the shepherd girl, Lin Rou, at the foot of the mountain; the other was Ning Wanjun's inn, where she was staying. 

Ning Wanjun, as he knew, was obedient to him, and Lin Rou was also good to him, often coming to Shaolin to pray. If he spoke up, either of these two women should be able to take care of the young nun.

However, it seemed that Ning Wanjun's place would be more appropriate, as Lin Rou's home still had parents, making it less suitable for Lin Yi.

After some thought, Huo Yuanzhen said to Lin Yi, "Little master, your master won't return soon. I have a place you can go, where you can stay with a female benefactor. Is that acceptable?"

Lin Yi thought for a moment before replying in a soft voice, "I will follow the abbot's arrangement, as long as there is a place to rest and stay."

Relieved that Lin Yi agreed, Huo Yuanzhen thought of Ning Wanjun's place, as he knew where it was. After Ning Wanjun had moved into the inn, she had told him, hoping that he would come to her once he had a solution for her cold poison.

After a meal, Huo Yuanzhen hid his sword and led Lin Yi down the mountain.

It was already dusk, and with the pilgrims gone, it was easier for them to travel.

Once they left Shaolin, Huo Yuanzhen summoned a white horse with his thoughts and let Lin Yi ride. Meanwhile, he used his lightness skill to swiftly leap among the treetops. The white horse ran on the ground, and they quickly arrived at Lüye Town.

Ning Wanjun lived in the Chanlin Inn, in the most elegant and cleanest room, No. 1.

Huo Yuanzhen didn't enter the inn himself but asked the innkeeper to pass a message, saying that Master Yi from Shaolin had come to visit.

The innkeeper was more than willing to comply, making sure everything was perfect—wiping tables, preparing chairs, bringing tea. Amidst all the bustle, he even brought a plate of soy sauce beef. As soon as he realized Huo Yuanzhen was a monk, he slapped his own face in regret and hurriedly took the dish away, apologizing.

Poor Huo Yuanzhen muttered "Amitabha" under his breath and took the opportunity to swallow his saliva.

After informing Ning Wanjun, she was even faster than the innkeeper. She rushed down the stairs like a gust of wind.

Fragrance filled the air as Ning Wanjun, still not fully ready and with her veil slightly askew, hurried downstairs. Only when she reached the bottom did she realize something was amiss and quickly invited Huo Yuanzhen to her room.

Huo Yuanzhen waved his hand. "No need, Miss Ning. I came today to ask a favor."

"Master, you are too kind. Whatever the master needs, Wanjun will go through fire and water to fulfill it," Ning Wanjun said as she eyed Lin Yi, who stood quietly beside Huo Yuanzhen.

Lin Yi was different from Ning Wanjun. While Ning Wanjun was noble, elegant, and stunningly beautiful, almost like an immortal, Lin Yi was sweet, pure, and somewhat innocent-looking. With her identity as a nun, she had a unique charm.

Beautiful women noticing each other was only natural.

"This is Lin Yi, a little nun. She got separated from her master and is stranded here. She has no money, and the way back is far. She can't travel alone. She will wait for her master to find her. But Shaolin is all men, and it's inconvenient for her. I hope Miss Ning can kindly take her in..."

Before Huo Yuanzhen could finish, Ning Wanjun had already grabbed Lin Yi's hand. "Little nun, you're really beautiful."

Lin Yi shyly glanced at Ning Wanjun. "Although you are wearing a veil, I can still see that you are truly a fairy. I feel inferior in comparison."

Ning Wanjun smiled widely. Lin Yi was indeed likable, and since she spent most of her time in the inn with only Xiao Cui for company, having a beautiful new companion brought her much joy.

It was a shame that this new companion was a nun, but it didn't matter—more people always meant more fun.

Seeing that Ning Wanjun and Lin Yi immediately hit it off, Huo Yuanzhen felt relieved and said, "If Miss Ning has no objections, I will return to the mountain now."

Ning Wanjun hesitated before saying, "Abbot, about that matter..."

"We've made some progress."

"Thank you, Abbot. Wanjun will wait here for good news. I hope you won't make me wait too long."

Huo Yuanzhen nodded and promised, though he found Ning Wanjun's words a bit strange.

"Little master, from now on, you will stay with Miss Ning and wait for your master to return."

"Thank you, Abbot. But Lin Yi still needs to pray and pay respects to the Buddha every day."

"That's simple. Miss Ning also goes to Shaolin to pray every day. You can accompany her, and you'll have someone to look after you."

Lin Yi agreed and, with Ning Wanjun holding her hand, they went upstairs together, chatting and laughing like sisters.

Once they entered the room, Huo Yuanzhen smiled and left the inn.

The innkeeper sent him off with repeated bows, almost as if he wanted to worship him.

As Huo Yuanzhen stepped out of the inn, his smile faded, his expression turned cold. He took a few steps forward, ensuring no one was paying attention, then disappeared into a nearby alley. Using his lightness skill, he swiftly leapt onto the inn's roof.

It was now dusk, and a figure in black was crouched on the roof, carefully lifting a tile to peek inside, holding something in hand.

To his surprise, Huo Yuanzhen had appeared on the roof. The black-clad person jumped in alarm and quickly rose to their feet.

The position where the person had lifted the tile was clearly above Ning Wanjun's room.

Inside the room were Ning Wanjun, Lin Yi, and Ning Wanjun's maid, Xiao Cui—all young, beautiful women. What the black-clad person intended to do was obvious. Huo Yuanzhen found such actions despicable and was filled with intense disgust. A killing intent stirred within him.

Using his "One Reed Crossing the River" lightness skill, he rushed like a gale to the person in front of him. His monk robes fluttered as he swiftly grabbed the person by the wrist, flipping them over, and sent them flying off the roof with a palm strike.

The black-clad person, who was at the peak of the later stage of inner strength, had no chance of fighting back. He was sent crashing to the ground, his body making a large dent in the earth.

The black-clad figure was gravely injured, blood pouring from his mouth.

Huo Yuanzhen grabbed the person as if they were a chicken, lifting them by their feet. He then tore off the person's mask.

"A Taoist!" Huo Yuanzhen exclaimed in shock. This person was a Taoist priest, and he seemed somewhat familiar.

"Zhongyue Sect!" the Taoist gasped, glaring at Huo Yuanzhen. "Monk! Release me! Do you dare to oppose the Zhongyue Sect?"

Slap!

A resounding slap landed on the Taoist's face. "You dare to threaten me? The Zhongyue Sect is nothing but abandoned waste in my eyes!"

Huo Yuanzhen's slap was so powerful that the Taoist fainted immediately, blood streaming from his mouth, with teeth even falling out.

"Useless."

Huo Yuanzhen tossed the Taoist aside, then motioned for his white horse to come closer.

"Good job, you managed to spot someone on the roof," Huo Yuanzhen praised as he stroked the horse's head.

No one could have imagined that this white horse had the intelligence to serve as an excellent spy.