People who hide their faces are either breathtakingly beautiful or appallingly ugly. They were dying to know which category she fell into.

"There’s no need."

The cold voice that rang out allowed no room for refusal.

Only Su Molixi could speak in such a way.

Meng Qing’s hand froze, and she dared not move another inch.

"Young Master," Meng Qing began, her voice heart-wrenchingly pitiable.

Her own sister was right there in front of her. Taking off her cloak would reveal everything. Yet, with a single command, she was stopped. One could only imagine the helplessness in Meng Qing’s heart.

"Hey, are you being unreasonable?" Lin Hao said with an annoyed look.

’I just told Sister Meng Qing to take off her cloak so the sisters could reunite. What business is it of hers?’

Then, Lin Hao stared at Su Molixi. A look of sudden realization dawned on his face as he laughed. "Oh, I get it now! You must be so ugly you don’t dare show your face. You’re afraid you’ll feel inadequate next to Meng Qing."

The moment Lin Hao’s words fell, Sect Leader Mo’s face turned deathly pale. He didn’t even dare to breathe.

Lin Hao was likely the first person to ever dare speak to the Palace Master of the Misty Palace in such a manner.

"Insolent!"

The three Misty Palace disciples flew into a rage.

"Our Palace Master is veiled all year long. Even we have never seen her true face. How dare you slander her appearance!" the eldest disciple snapped.

"So you really must be ugly," Lin Hao said, staring at Su Molixi with a look of certainty and nodding gravely.

Sect Leader Mo trembled slightly, cold sweat pouring down his back.

The Misty Palace disciples shot him murderous glares.

"My features are indeed hideous, incomparable to your handmaiden and her Body of Innate Allure," Su Molixi replied, not angry in the least, her voice perfectly level.

"Master, what’s wrong with your voice?" one of the female disciples asked. She had thought Su Molixi’s voice sounded strange earlier, and now she was certain. This wasn’t her master’s usual voice.

"I’ve caught a slight cold and am feeling unwell," Su Molixi replied.

The three disciples looked puzzled.

’Their master’s cultivation is immeasurably profound. She should be immune to all illnesses. How could she catch a common cold?’

Meanwhile, Lin Hao was startled.

’She actually saw through Sister Meng Qing’s constitution. This woman is no simple character.’

’But she upset Sister Meng Qing. I can’t just let her off the hook.’

Lin Hao shot Meng Qing a look, refusing to back down.

"Why don’t you take off your veil and let me have a look? Beauty is only skin deep, after all. A rosy-cheeked beauty is still just a skeleton underneath. All things are but an illusion. Even if you’re a peerless beauty, you’ll still end up as a pile of dirt."

Su Molixi stirred slightly. For the first time, she lifted her head and gazed at Lin Hao.

However, she didn’t linger on the matter. Instead, she said, "Leave her with me. You’re being hunted by the Netherworld Hall. If you were to die, her nightmare would only just begin."

Lin Hao naturally understood her meaning.

A woman with a Body of Innate Allure was a prime cultivation cauldron. Lacking sufficient strength of her own, the consequences would be dire if she fell into the hands of a lecherous man without someone to protect her.

"Fine. Once the Danling Sect’s assembly is over, I’ll let her go with you."

Lin Hao glanced at Meng Qing, then his gaze shifted, sweeping over the youngest disciple. His eyes narrowed for a moment, and then he nodded.

Lin Hao had just noticed that Xiaoru’s constitution was also unusual.

’I’m afraid the Palace Master of the Misty Palace already knows that Meng Qing and Xiaoru are sisters.’

’Looks like I misunderstood her after all.’

"You needn’t worry about me. The Young Master saved my life. If he dies, I will follow him to the grave," Meng Qing declared. She knew the danger Lin Hao was in, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave him now.

Besides, after what had just happened, she had taken a dislike to the Palace Master of the Misty Palace.

At her words, everyone from the Misty Palace stared at Meng Qing in disbelief.

"Sister Meng Qing, we misunderstood her. She knows about your relationship. You should go with her. Without you, my chances of survival are better," Lin Hao said.

Meng Qing pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Oh, yay! That’s wonderful!" Seeing Meng Qing nod, Xiaoru suddenly became very excited.

For some reason, she felt a natural closeness to Meng Qing.

She skipped over and grabbed Meng Qing’s hand. "Big sister, can I see what you look like?"

Although Meng Qing knew Xiaoru was likely just calling her "big sister" out of politeness due to her age, she still couldn’t help but tremble.

Just as she reached for her cloak, Xiaoru suddenly went limp and collapsed into her arms.

"Xiaoru, what’s wrong?" Meng Qing cried out in alarm.

"It’s nothing, this is an old ailment of hers. Our youngest sister has a disease and isn’t expected to live past eighteen. Master has been trying to find a cure. We just heard her say you have something called a Body of Innate Allure. Maybe you can save her." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The two Misty Palace disciples, seemingly used to this, helped lift Xiaoru from Meng Qing’s embrace.

"Young Master, please save Xiaoru."

Just when she was on the verge of reuniting with her sister, she was hit with this devastating news. Meng Qing felt as if she’d been struck by lightning and turned to plead with Lin Hao.

"Our master is a Grandmaster of medicine. If even she is helpless, how could he..." The two Misty Palace disciples looked at Lin Hao and shook their heads.

Meng Qing’s legs gave out, and she slumped to the floor.

"Hey, don’t be so quick to look down on people. I seem to recall you saying yesterday that I couldn’t even get a seat in the VIP section," Lin Hao said with a displeased expression as he helped Meng Qing to her feet.

"You can save her?!" This time, even Su Molixi lost her composure. Her voice was no longer calm, but filled with hopeful surprise.

Xiaoru was an orphan Su Molixi had adopted, and she had poured a great deal of affection into the girl.

The entire reason she had come to the Danling Sect in person was that she’d heard a long-lost medicinal pill was being made public, and she’d hoped to find a solution through it.

How could she not be overjoyed now, hearing the confidence in Lin Hao’s tone?

Meng Qing was even more excited. She grabbed Lin Hao’s arm and urged, "Young Master, please, do something!"

"How old is she now?" Lin Hao asked.

He was, of course, asking about Xiaoru’s age.

"In two days, it will be Xiaoru’s birthday. She’ll be turning seventeen," Meng Qing said.

The two female disciples from the Misty Palace looked astonished. Then, their eyes lit up as they seemed to guess Meng Qing’s identity.

"You’re right. When Master found our youngest sister, she was wearing a longevity lock engraved with her birth details. Her seventeenth birthday is indeed in two days," one of the disciples confirmed with a nod.

"There’s plenty of time. Before she turns eighteen, I will visit the Misty Palace," Lin Hao said after a moment of thought, looking up.

"Thank you, Young Master," Meng Qing said hurriedly.

Having followed Lin Hao for several days, she already had absolute trust in him.

If Lin Hao said so, it meant he was completely confident.

"What is your feud with the Netherworld Hall?" Su Molixi asked suddenly, after staring at Lin Hao for a long time.

Sect Leader Mo, who had been silent all this time, suddenly looked up at Lin Hao.

’This is the perfect opportunity to ask the Misty Palace for protection!’

’Having the Palace Master of the Misty Palace as a bodyguard would be like gaining a powerful Protective Talisman.’

But who would have thought Lin Hao would just shrug, looking as nonchalant as ever. "I never waste time thinking about things like that. It’s pointless. Anyone who dares to cross me, I don’t care who they are, will pay the price."

Su Molixi nodded and said no more, lowering her head to eat.

Sect Leader Mo quickly encouraged the others to eat as well.

While they were eating, in another private room, Jin Bufan and Zhu Hongcai were also seated around a table.

As the two were talking, there was a knock on the door.

Zhu Hongcai opened the door to find not a member of the Danling Sect, but the middle-aged man who had represented the Zhengyang Sect and bid against Jin Bufan at the auction.

"What is it?" his voice was cold.

A mere member of a Southern Border Prefecture sect wasn’t worth currying favor with.

The middle-aged man wasn’t offended. He simply smiled. "I just came to remind Hall Master Jin that the Harmonization Pill is no trivial item. Since you’ve won the bid, you should claim your prize as soon as possible. I hear that Sect Leader Mo, the Palace Master of the Misty Palace, and that Lin Hao fellow are all dining at the same table right now."

Having said his piece, the middle-aged man turned and left without a moment’s hesitation.

Inside the room, Jin Bufan had of course heard everything clearly. After a brief moment of shock, he quickly stood up.

Then, he pulled the door open and rushed out.

Zhu Hongcai hurried after him.

As their figures disappeared, a middle-aged man stepped out from the shadows, a sinister smile on his face.

It was the same man who had just delivered the message.

"Brother Ruan, there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you," a panicked-looking Danling Sect disciple said, rushing over. He wore a Daoist robe embroidered with a Yellow Small Tripod.

"Brother Hao..." The middle-aged man greeted him with a cupped-fist smile.

The newcomer was Third Master Hao of the Danling Sect.

"How can you be so calm? We need to leave, now!" Third Master Hao said, looking around uneasily.

The middle-aged man just kept smiling. "What’s the panic? The second half of the show is about to start. I’m very curious to see what other pills the Danling Sect will bring out later."

"Ruan Jinhong, are you insane?! We already have the Danling Sect’s Harmonization Pills! The priority is to get out of here! If the sect finds out, none of us will be able to escape!" Third Master Hao’s expression changed drastically as he spat out the man’s full name.

"I’m not insane. If we go down the mountain now and the Danling Sect discovers the Harmonization Pills are missing, we might as well confess. What, did you see Lin Hao holding the Soul-Chasing Order and get cold feet?" Ruan Jinhong chuckled, a sharp glint in his eyes that seemed to pierce right through Third Master Hao’s heart.

Third Master Hao was indeed having regrets.

Ruan Jinhong, originally an elder of the Zhengyang Sect, had secretly contacted him the day before yesterday, treating him to a potent wine called Xiao Hongchen.

In his drunken state, Third Master Hao let slip the matter of the Harmonization Pills. Ruan Jinhong had then proposed a trade: the Harmonization Pills for Lin Hao’s head.

Stealing the sect’s pills was an act of treason—a capital offense. Naturally, Third Master Hao refused.

But yesterday, after his encounter with Lin Hao and seeing Shan Dan’s attitude towards the boy, he had made up his mind.

Early this morning, he had abused his position to steal dozens of the sect’s pills.

But being a cautious man, he hadn’t handed over all the pills.

By now, that half was likely already off the mountain and on its way to the Zhengyang Sect.

And just a moment ago, he had learned that Lin Hao had received a Soul-Chasing Order.

No one but the Netherworld Hall could take Lin Hao’s life now. How could he not have regrets?

Seeing his expression, Ruan Jinhong already knew the answer.

But he just smiled and said, "Brother Hao, rest assured. My Zhengyang Sect will naturally uphold its end of the bargain."

Third Master Hao was still valuable to the Zhengyang Sect, so Ruan Jinhong had no desire to alienate him just yet.

"What do you mean by that?" Third Master Hao asked, confused.

"Because the assassin from the Netherworld Hall was hired by one of our sect’s elders. The Zhengyang Sect is the client. If you want to kill Lin Hao with your own hands, it will be a simple matter."

"What?!" Third Master Hao was utterly shocked.

Then, his shock turned into delight.

The Zhengyang Sect was the Netherworld Hall’s client. This meant he would surely be able to kill Lin Hao himself. After all, no one had ever escaped a hunt by the Netherworld Hall.