Chapter 32: Gao Ling

Elder Gao Ling of the Mount Tai Sect had been feeling restless and uneasy these past few days.

The sect leader’s personal disciple had suffered a deviation while channeling her internal energy, her vital energy running amiss and severing her heart meridian—she died alone within her meditation chamber. Her family hadn’t even had a chance to see the body before she was hastily buried, and the entire sect was in an uproar.

This female disciple was beautiful, skilled in martial arts, gentle in temperament, and held in high esteem within the sect; Gao Ling herself had always gotten along well with her.

At first, Gao Ling thought it was this incident that had unsettled her mind.

But she had tried to adjust her mood through meditation and inner cultivation, and after several days, the discomfort remained. There was always a heavy oppression on her chest, as if a storm was about to break, leaving her breathless.

She considered going down to Tai’an City for a walk, hoping the fresh air might bring some relief.

Gao Ling was forty-five this year, renowned as a female martial artist in the region of Qilu. In her youth, she was fierce and uncompromising, slaying many villains in the martial world and earning a formidable reputation.

Yet she had never married, and as the years passed, her temper mellowed; she devoted herself to practicing martial arts and instructing disciples within the sect. As a result, not many people recognized her these days.

She disguised herself and descended the mountain alone, finding a small tavern in Tai’an City for a meal.

Halfway through, she overheard several martial artists at the next table, already tipsy and animatedly chatting about recent events in the jianghu.

“Did you see what happened a few days ago when the Embroidered Uniform Guard came looking for trouble with the Mount Tai Sect?”

“I did, I did! Honestly, I thought Fei Junxuan’s days were numbered, but who’d have guessed Zuo Lishan would personally come down the mountain to fight and still lose!”

“Who is that Embroidered Uniform Guard anyway? Everyone’s been asking these last few days, but there’s no news at all. Since when did the imperial court hide such a top master—someone even the sect leader couldn’t defeat? I have no idea how they trained him.”

“A single member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard shows up alone, and even the sect leader can’t win—Mount Tai Sect is in for a disaster!”

“I only came to watch the excitement of the Five Peaks Alliance, but with things as they are now, we’d better keep our distance. The court’s hounds strike hard and ruthlessly; I don’t want to get dragged in.”

“Too true. Staying alive is what matters.”

The group spoke freely, not caring who overheard.

When Li Miao came looking for Fei Junxuan, he had made a public spectacle of it—he wanted everyone to know. Fei Junxuan had been forced to buy groceries at the tavern, and all the martial artists present had witnessed it.

The next day, when Zuo Lishan fought Li Miao, the martial artists near the Mount Tai Sect gave Zuo Lishan some face and didn’t crowd around, only watching from a distance.

They hadn’t seen Zuo Lishan’s injuries and didn’t know how badly he had been beaten. But they had all seen his disheveled figure as he fled.

By now, this news was common knowledge in Tai’an City.

Gao Ling listened, growing more uneasy. No longer bothering to hide her identity, she strode over with her sword to the group.

“Tell me in detail what you were just talking about.”

“Who the hell are you?!”

Her urgency showed in her brusque tone, which was anything but polite. One of the martial artists looked up, annoyed.

As fate would have it, though Gao Ling hadn’t roamed the jianghu for years and few recognized her now, this one did.

He squinted, realizing who she was, and his expression froze before turning into an awkward smile. “Miss Gao... Lady Gao...”

Caught gossiping behind someone’s back only to be confronted by the very person—and someone not to be trifled with at that—he knew he was in the wrong. Knowing Gao Ling’s martial skills far surpassed their own, he stammered and recounted all that had happened in recent days.

The more Gao Ling heard, the more alarmed she became.

Fei Junxuan’s life or death uncertain?
The Embroidered Uniform Guard coming in person?
The sect leader defeated?

Why hadn’t anyone in the sect mentioned any of this?

Suddenly, she realized the source of her anxiety—Zuo Lishan hadn’t been seen for several days. His female disciple had died under strange circumstances, yet her family showed no reaction. A few of Zuo Lishan’s trusted followers were also missing, as were those responsible for procuring supplies in Tai’an City.

She had sensed something was amiss, but couldn’t put it into words. The agitation in her mind had set her internal energy roiling, leaving her unable to calm herself.

The urgent matter now was to return to the sect and check on Zuo Lishan’s condition. Several days without appearing—could he be gravely injured?

Without even bothering to find a horse, Gao Ling immediately channeled her lightness skill at full force and sped back to Mount Tai Sect.

Upon her return, she kept her actions discreet, heading straight for Zuo Lishan’s small courtyard and knocking heavily on the door.

“Sect Leader!”
“Gao Ling seeks an audience!”
“Sect Leader!”

There was no response from within.

This was no time for formality. Gritting her teeth, Gao Ling kicked open the gate and strode quickly toward the main room.

She pushed open the door; the room was empty.

She searched around inside. The Mount Tai Sect was built halfway up the mountain, where the wind was strong. A few dead leaves had blown in through the window, suggesting the room hadn’t been occupied for two or three days.

She rummaged through the place, finally discovering some women’s clothing. Bringing them closer, she recognized the garments—they belonged to the deceased female disciple. Gao Ling had seen her wear them before. How could they have ended up in Zuo Lishan’s bedchamber?

She remembered certain unsavory rumors she had heard in the past. Her expression darkened as she returned the clothing to its place and closed the cabinet door.

An illicit relationship between master and disciple—an affront to all propriety.

If news of such a scandal involving the Mount Tai Sect’s leader spread, the sect’s reputation in the martial world would be utterly ruined.

But this was not the time to dwell on such matters.

With the Embroidered Uniform Guard making such a public spectacle, Zuo Lishan vanishing after his defeat, and the sect teetering on the brink of disaster, the immediate crisis had to be dealt with before anything else.

Gao Ling turned and walked toward Zuo Lishan’s meditation chamber.

For the past decade or so, Zuo Lishan had cultivated his internal skills in the meditation chamber every morning. Everyone in the sect knew of this habit.

Arriving at the chamber door, Gao Ling held her breath and listened intently for any sign of movement inside.

She was afraid that if Zuo Lishan was healing his injuries with his internal energy, barging in might cause him to suffer a deviation.

After a while, hearing nothing—not even breathing—she presumed the room was empty.

Only then did she push open the door and enter.

At once, a strong stench of blood assailed her.

The meditation chamber was small, its thick walls built for soundproofing and lacking windows; the smell had accumulated, lingering in the air.

By the sunlight streaming through the open door, she examined the chamber carefully.

In one corner, a patch of dried blood had turned black with age—it had been there for some time.

Beside the bloodstain, a broken floor tile lay on the ground, shards scattered around what looked to have once been a jar.

Gao Ling bent down and picked up a shard, heavily stained with blood. Wiping it with her hand, she found amid the dried blood a strand of long hair, with fragments of flesh still clinging to it.

At that moment, she heard footsteps in the courtyard behind her.