The Phoenix Tail Whip possessed its spirit. Now gripped in Mu Yunjin’s hand, she flicked it through the air, the whip body scattering golden light as it lashed fiercely toward Wen Yuan and Ming Yuan.

Mu Yunjin’s whip moved with such speed that the two men had no time to react before they each took a solid hit, blood seeping from the resulting wounds.

Wen Yuan and Ming Yuan frowned deeply, examining the tears in their clothes where the whip had struck. Their eyes filled with hatred as they glared at Mu Yunjin. “Isn’t that the Phoenix Tail Whip? Why is it in your hands?”

As Wen Yuan finished speaking, Ming Yuan suddenly burst into laughter, ignoring the pain from the whip strike. “Senior brother, we’ve struck gold today! Not only will we obtain the True Scripture of Mystic Spirit, but we’ll also acquire the legendary divine weapon, the Phoenix Tail Whip. It seems even the heavens are helping us.”

“Indeed. After we kill this woman, we’ll take the Phoenix Tail Whip as well!”

Listening to their self-assured conversation, Mu Yunjin glanced at the Phoenix Tail Whip in her hand. Though she knew the whip possessed spiritual qualities, she had no idea it was a divine weapon.

It seemed that during the past few days, she had been wasting its actual value while it was in her possession.

“You two, are we fighting or not? If not, I’m leaving,” Mu Yunjin taunted with a mocking smile, raising her eyes to look down on them both.

“Want to leave? In your dreams!” As Wen Yuan finished speaking, killing intent surged in his eyes as he clenched his fists. “To deal with you, three punches will be enough!”

…

…

Mu Yunjin slightly raised her eyelids, narrowing her eyes as her lips curled into a cold smile. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Try it and we’ll see.”

With those words, Mu Yunjin put away the Phoenix Tail Whip and likewise clenched her fists. Wen Yuan wasn’t using mystical arts, which suited her perfectly. She would beat him until he lacked even the strength to channel his actual energy.

Wen Yuan struck first, throwing a punch accompanied by a powerful gust of air. Mu Yunjin dodged sideways with agile movements, then spun around with a roundhouse kick, viciously striking Wen Yuan’s side and forcing him back several steps.

Ming Yuan stood to one side, continuously observing Mu Yunjin’s moves and techniques. “Senior brother, this woman is truly strange. I cannot tell which school her martial arts belong to.”

Just as he finished speaking, Wen Yuan found himself at a disadvantage in the fist fight and began using leg techniques like Mu Yunjin. This woman’s martial skills were truly mysterious.

Mu Yunjin’s sharp eyes observed Wen Yuan’s attacks. Seeing him change tactics, she laughed mockingly. When Wen Yuan raised his leg to kick, Mu Yunjin countered with a swift move, silver needles emerging from her fingertips to pierce his attacking calf.

Wen Yuan grunted in pain from the needles. Taking advantage of his moment of weakness, Mu Yunjin spun around and drove her elbow hard into his chest.

With a needle in his calf and a solid blow to his chest, Wen Yuan lost his balance and fell, sitting on the ground. The taste of blood rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

“Senior brother!” Ming Yuan rushed to help Wen Yuan, only to hear him command, “Quick, kill her first!”

Ming Yuan immediately nodded in understanding. Channeling his true energy, he lunged toward Mu Yunjin. Seeing him use his true energy, she once again drew out the Phoenix Tail Whip. Using her lightness skill, her body soared upward, coldness flashing across her brow as the Phoenix Tail Whip danced in her hand, its golden light illuminating the darkness of the chamber.

Then Mu Yunjin lashed out with the whip, coiling it around Ming Yuan’s waist and tightening it more and more. Ming Yuan’s face suddenly turned deathly pale, unable to use any of his internal energy. Seeing this, Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow, then with a flick of her hand, threw Ming Yuan’s body against a nearby wall.

Ming Yuan first crashed into the wall, then fell to the ground. After spitting up several mouthfuls of blood, he passed out.

“It seems your martial skills aren’t much after all! No wonder you needed to steal this scripture. Hahaha!” After speaking, Mu Yunjin wasted no more time and used her lightness skill to fly toward the exit.

Wen Yuan looked at the unconscious Ming Yuan beside him, thinking about what had just happened with disbelief.

Who exactly was this woman, possessing such mysterious martial skills?

……

After quickly escaping from the dark chamber, Mu Yunjin returned to the large tree where she had been earlier. Just as she caught her breath, she saw Master Huai Yuan, Chu Li, and Qin Muyue walking toward the chamber in the distance.

Mu Yunjin’s heart tightened. If Chu Li and the others went in now, they would certainly encounter the severely injured Wen Yuan and Ming Yuan. She silently lamented, fortunate that she had run away quickly enough.

“We shouldn’t linger here. Qiqi, let’s go quickly.” Mu Yunjin looked up at Qiqi, who was sitting in the tree.

Qiqi immediately nodded and used her lightness skill to leave with Mu Yunjin.

At the same time, Wen Yuan, who was carrying Ming Yuan on his back and exiting the dark chamber, happened to run into Chu Li, Master Huai Yuan, and the others as they were entering.

“Junior Brother Wen Yuan, what happened?” When Huai Yuan saw the blood stains on their clothes and the blood at the corner of their mouths, he frowned and asked.

Beside him, Chu Li swept his cold gaze over the two, his brows slightly furrowing.

Wen Yuan hadn’t expected to be so unlucky as to encounter Huai Yuan. Glancing at the unconscious Ming Yuan beside him, a plan formed in his mind. “Senior Brother, earlier, when my junior brother and I were practicing martial arts on the back mountain, we saw a suspicious woman sneaking into the temple. Finding her behavior suspicious, we followed behind her and saw her enter this dark chamber.”

“Unexpectedly, after entering the chamber, we were discovered by that woman. We intended to capture her and bring her to you for judgment, but she was extremely skilled and vicious. Even the two of us together were no match for her.”

Hearing this, Huai Yuan’s brow furrowed as he glanced at Ming Yuan beside them. He reached out to check his pulse. “Superficial wounds. Take him back to rest properly.”

“Yes, Senior Brother.” Seeing that Huai Yuan hadn’t doubted his words at all, Wen Yuan felt delighted. Just as he was about to drag Ming Yuan away, he heard Huai Yuan ask, “This woman, what did she look like?”

“Forgive my incompetence, Senior Brother. It was too dark in the chamber; we couldn’t see her face. The woman only just left.”

Wen Yuan had originally intended to mention the Phoenix Tail Whip as a distinguishing feature, but since he had also participated in the theft of the True Scripture of Mystic Spirit, he didn’t want to draw suspicion to himself, so he pretended to know nothing.

Chu Li narrowed his eyes, his thin lips pressed tightly together, his brow filled with icy intent as he coldly said, “Master Huai Yuan, the guards for this dark chamber need to be strengthened!”

Hearing his frigid tone, Huai Yuan knew that Chu Li was currently somewhat angry and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

After Wen Yuan and Ming Yuan left, the group walked a few steps further. After walking for a while, they saw broken stones scattered on the open path. Ding Xian held up a lantern to illuminate the area, revealing spots of blood on the ground.

“I never thought there would be a woman with such skills in this world. I’d like to meet her.” Qin Muyue looked at the scene, raising her chin and glancing at Chu Li beside her.

Huai Yuan frowned, seeming to think of something, and quickened his pace toward the inner chamber.

When they reached Consort Rong’s formation, Huai Yuan took the lantern from Ding Xian’s hand and looked around. When the light fell on a cracked brick, he exclaimed in shock.

“It’s terrible! The True Scripture of Mystic Spirit has been stolen!”

……

Not long after Mu Yunjin fled from Water Cloud Temple, the Fengyu Pavilion signal on her wrist began to disappear. Seeing the signal fade, she and Qiqi separated mid-journey.

Sneaking back into her room, Mu Yunjin saw that the tightly closed door remained just as she had left it.

After steadying herself, she walked to the table and drank several cups of tea, catching her breath before sitting down in a rattan chair. She took out the True Scripture of Mystic Spirit from her bosom and began to read through it.

Opening the first page, Mu Yunjin saw a page filled with characters, but the writing was extremely small. Mu Yunjin lowered her head and looked closely, barely able to make out what seemed to be incantations for energy cultivation.

Turning further, she found one human figure illustration after another, each move precisely depicted with detailed guidance. Seeing ancient martial arts texts for the first time, Mu Yunjin found it fascinating and continued turning page after page.

Halfway through, Mu Yunjin closed the scripture and closed her eyes slightly. Her mind was filled with all the moves she had just seen, each technique exquisite and without equal, truly the pinnacle of martial arts.

After resting for a moment, she turned directly to the last page. Surprisingly, there was a line written on the final page—

“Hello! My good friend, do you like the gift I’ve sent you?”

Mu Yunjin was somewhat shocked. Judging from the tone and handwriting, it must have been Master Kong Shi.

Had he already divined that this True Scripture of Mystic Spirit would fall into her hands?

Thinking of this, Mu Yunjin couldn’t help feeling amazed, mumbling to herself, “They say Master Kong Shi has already passed away, but I feel like he’s still alive somewhere!”

Otherwise, how could he predict the current situation of the living even after his death?

Mu Yunjin closed the True Scripture of Mystic Spirit and looked around the room. She had originally intended to place the scripture somewhere safe, but guessing that she would be interested in its techniques over the next few days, she simply stuffed it under her pillow.

……

Soon after, there was a knock at the door. “Miss, are you awake?”

“I am.” Hearing Zixiang’s voice, Mu Yunjin straightened her clothes and walked outside.

Opening the door, she saw Zixiang standing there. “His Highness has returned to the mansion and asked this servant to call Miss for dinner.”

Mu Yunjin nodded, taking one step out of the door before asking, “Is Qin Muyue here?”

“No, only His Highness.” Zixiang smiled slightly.

Mu Yunjin made a sound of acknowledgment and walked toward the dining hall.

Upon entering the dining hall, she saw Chu Li sitting in the main seat, his expression calm. Ding Xian stood beside him, while Mamma Shen occasionally helped Chu Li refill his tea.

As soon as Mu Yunjin walked into the dining hall, she felt an unusual gaze upon her. Following the line of sight, she saw Chu Li’s calm gaze resting on her.

Mu Yunjin bit her lip, inexplicably feeling somewhat guilty. She immediately forced a smile, sitting down as usual without saying much to Chu Li, and picked up her chopsticks.

Chu Li looked at this carefree woman, shaking his head helplessly as he picked up his teacup and took a light sip.

While drinking his tea, his peripheral vision caught sight of Mu Yunjin’s collar. His gaze suddenly darkened, and his expression turned cold.

“What were you doing in the mansion this afternoon?” After putting down his teacup, Chu Li calmly asked, looking at Mu Yunjin.

Without raising her head, Mu Yunjin continued eating the food in her bowl. “Sleeping in my room.”

“Hmm.” Chu Li nodded slightly, glancing again at Mu Yunjin’s collar before slowly withdrawing his gaze, his eyes filled with deep meaning.