Chapter 83: ELDER SHEN’S DOOM(4)

The council meeting did not end with Elder Shen’s denial. The elders immediately began arranging measures to determine whether other disciples had been affected by Gu insects, because waiting for symptoms to become severe could cost lives that might still be saved.

Several elders were sent to different parts of the sect with instructions to notify the core disciples, inner disciples, and outer disciples about the situation. Anyone who had been suffering from an unexplained illness, persistent weakness, strange dreams, sudden changes in their mental state, or any other unusual condition was to report it immediately and undergo an examination.

The announcement spread through the sect within a short time.

At first, the disciples were confused by the sudden urgency. The sect rarely issued such broad instructions without giving everyone sufficient time to prepare, and the seriousness in the elders’ voices made it obvious that something unusual had happened.

When the truth about the Gu insects was eventually revealed, the entire sect erupted into chaos.

Nobody had expected that forbidden Gu cultivation had been used within their sect, much less that an elder could have been responsible for it.

Disciples began discussing every strange illness they had encountered among their friends and fellow students. At the same time, those who had been unwell for several days were hurried toward the designated examination areas.

The number of suspected victims continued to increase.

Some disciples had experienced persistent weakness for weeks without finding a reason for it. Others had complained about terrible dreams that appeared every night, only to dismiss them as ordinary nightmares.

A few had become unusually withdrawn or exhausted despite maintaining their usual cultivation routines.

Then the elders discovered something far more disturbing.

Some disciples who had been reported sick had already died.

Several of those deaths had occurred months earlier, and because the victims had appeared to suffer from ordinary illnesses before their deaths, nobody had suspected the involvement of Gu insects.

Their deaths were suddenly being examined from another perspective, and the possibility that they had been victims of the same dark art sent another wave of fear through the sect.

The disciples who had once considered the matter distant now understood that it could have affected anyone.

Li Hanye and Hu Bai were among the core disciples called upon to assist with the investigation. Neither of them could remain at Fu Hanzheng’s residence when the sect had issued such an important order, especially when the core disciples were expected to help maintain order among the younger disciples.

Li Yan watched as Hu Bai prepared to leave, although he noticed that the other man’s attention remained fixed on him.

"You should stay here until this matter is settled. Your cultivation is still too low for you to involve yourself in the investigation, and your master has already asked Anyu to look after you."

Li Yan nodded, understanding that there was little point in arguing. He was still recovering from the effects of the Nightmare Gu, and although he felt considerably better after sleeping peacefully through the night, he did not want to become another burden for the people already dealing with the crisis.

"You should be careful as well."

Hu Bai’s expression softened slightly when he heard the concern in Li Yan’s voice. He reached out as though he wanted to touch his head, but he stopped himself before making contact. The hesitation did not escape Li Yan’s notice.

"I will be fine. Stay here and listen to Anyu until I return." He glanced toward one of the disciples waiting near the gate. "My attendant will remain here as well, in case you need anything."

Li Yan nodded again, and Hu Bai finally left with Li Hanye to meet the other core disciples.

The investigation kept the core disciples occupied for several hours.

Hu Bai moved between different areas of the sect, helping escort disciples who reported unusual symptoms toward the elders responsible for examination. He remained focused on his duties, but his thoughts repeatedly returned to Li Yan.

Knowing that his own face had haunted every nightmare Elder Shen’s Gu had forced on him sat poorly in his chest. He had promised to protect Li Yan, and instead the very shape of him had become the thing tormenting his sleep. No amount of explaining that he had never touched him, never meant him harm, would erase what Li Yan’s mind had already lived through.

Li Hanye noticed his distracted expression while they walked toward another group of disciples.

"You should stop thinking about him for a while. We have work to do."

Hu Bai glanced at him without answering. He had no intention of discussing Li Yan with Li Hanye, especially when the two of them had barely tolerated each other’s presence since meeting.

Their relationship had not improved simply because they were now working together.

Back at the residence, Anyu remained close by while the attendant Hu Bai, who had left behind, stood near the courtyard entrance. Li Yan had never seen the man’s face before, yet something in the way he spoke kept catching at him.

"Have you had your rice cakes?" The man stepped closer, his brow drawn with the kind of fretting that seemed far too personal for a stranger. "Are you still unwell? Do you feel off anywhere? Master will return soon, so tell me now if something is wrong."

Li Yan went still. He knew that voice. Not the sound of it, unfamiliar as it was in this stranger’s face, but the shape of the concern behind it reminded him of Hu Biyan.

The same doting, scolding warmth that had once fussed over whether he had eaten enough, whether he had slept enough, whether he was pushing himself too hard before an examination.

"Uncle Biyan." Li Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly, uncertain and searching. "Is that you?"

The man’s expression softened into something achingly familiar, despite the unfamiliar face it sat upon.

"You have done many interesting things, Yanyan. I am proud of you."

His response confirmed Li Yan’s suspicion; although his face had changed, he was still Uncle Biyan, who had taken care of him.

Li Yan gave him a cheeky smile; he had so many things he wanted to tell him. "Why did you not tell me the truth sooner..."