Chapter 434: Rapid Rescue, Calming the Storm
Ji Luo gasped slightly, feeling the terrifying pressure that had enveloped her gradually dissipate, her mind clearing. She looked up and saw Lin Tianlu returning from afar.
“Master, what just happened in the back of the compound?”
“The mastermind behind the Ghost Ming Sect’s changes has appeared.”
Lin Tianlu shrugged, walked over to help her up, a gentle smile on his face: “She was trying to use the power of the Ten Flower Ghost Concubine Cauldrons to rebuild her body and revive herself.”
Ji Luo steadied herself and asked in surprise: “You’re already back, Master? Does that mean the mastermind has already…”
“Her body was restored, but her soul was already too corrupted and weak.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled: “She probably still thought she was the all-powerful being from the past and that she could change her fate after being revived. But I happen to have a special technique that directly targets the soul. It seems I hit her weakness and easily defeated her.”
Ji Luo couldn’t help but smile wryly: “That mastermind was truly unlucky to encounter you, Master.”
To have her centuries-long plan ruined just before its completion, it was quite ironic.
As for the Ghost Ming Sect Master who had been manipulated—
Ji Luo handed Ren Yinshan to Lin Tianlu and slowly walked to the edge of the pit, looking silently at the middle-aged woman inside.
“My daughter… my daughter…”
The Ghost Ming Sect Master’s eyes were empty and vacant, murmuring incessantly as if possessed, her body twitching unnaturally, clearly reduced to a vegetative state.
Although still alive, without a soul, she was no different from a puppet.
The coldness in Ji Luo’s eyes gradually faded, replaced by a melancholic sigh.
Leaving aside the Sect Master’s past crimes, having been manipulated and controlled by Corpse Qi for a hundred years, her end was also… tragic.
“The exact cause of this incident is still unclear.” Lin Tianlu, holding Ren Yinshan, walked over, his expression serious, and mused: “But I suspect that ancient female corpse used Corpse Qi to control her mind, implanting false memories, making her believe that the corpse was her daughter who died tragically at a young age, and had her meticulously preserved.”
Ji Luo glanced at the Sect Master, then looked away, towards the exit of the secret chamber.
After the earlier battle, the Aromatic Chambers had mostly collapsed. But thankfully, the prison cells were still intact, and the women captured from Xima Prefecture seemed to be unharmed.
“Master, let’s take these women with us.”
“Alright.”
Lin Tianlu nodded, he didn’t intend to stay here any longer.
It was more important to get these women out of this place.
…
Inside the Aromatic Chambers, chaos reigned.
Many of the captured women were huddled in corners, trembling with fear. The lingering aura of terror made them, mostly ordinary mortals, incredibly afraid.
Clang!
The sound of metal echoed as the iron doors were opened one by one.
“Everyone, quickly follow me, let’s leave this place!”
Ji Luo spread her arms and called out, and the captured women looked up in a daze.
Seeing their surprised expressions, she quickly smiled and clapped her hands: “Something has happened in the Ghost Ming Sect, they don’t have time to deal with you now, this is your chance to escape!”
“I-Is that true?”
A young girl, her clothes disheveled, struggled to her feet, her expression uncertain: “Can we really… leave?”
“Of course!”
Ji Luo pointed: “Look, the guards and maids are gone, no one will stop you. If you don’t leave now, you might not have another chance!”
Many of the women looked around, and indeed, the guards and maids who had been outside were gone.
Recalling the tremors and commotion from earlier, their faces lit up with joy as they quickly rushed out of their cells.
“Please don’t panic! Master Lin and I will take you away from this place!” Ji Luo said calmly and reassuringly: “Please line up and don’t wander off, acting rashly will only alert the other Ghost Ming Sect disciples. Master Lin is getting the carriages now, we’ll take you all away.”
“Master… Lin…” one of the young women suddenly asked in surprise: “Could it be… Lin Tianlu, that Master Lin?!”
Ji Luo smiled gently: “Indeed. He came here specifically to rescue you after hearing about your plight.”
“Wonderful… Master Lin… we’re truly saved!”
Several women who knew of Lin Tianlu’s name cried tears of joy.
And those who didn’t know his name were also relieved, someone powerful had come to save them.
But a mature woman hurriedly approached: “Kind sir, there are still some women trapped in other cells, they can’t escape!”
“I’ll go and help.”
Ji Luo followed her directions, waving her sleeves and breaking the chains.
As the stone doors opened one by one, a seductive scent filled the air, and the faint figures of women could be seen amidst the pink mist, their moans echoing.
They seemed to have forgotten everything about the outside world, completely oblivious to the ongoing battle, lost in a sea of pleasure, their screams and moans echoing continuously.
Several women who had followed Ji Luo to help blushed, their bodies tingling from the seductive sounds— But Ji Luo just paused briefly, then calmly waved her sleeve, dispelling the mist and summoning countless silk ribbons, wrapping them around the women and pulling them out of the cells.
With a surge of energy, she made them lose consciousness, to spare them from further suffering.
“Are there any other women trapped?”
“Y-Yes… in the… pleasure chambers…”
“Lead the way.” Ji Luo’s expression turned serious, sighing inwardly.
…
A while later, Lin Tianlu had returned to the Aromatic Chambers with more than ten carriages.
Thanks to the chaos within the Ghost Ming Sect, the stables were unguarded, and he had simply taken the carriages, using his spiritual energy to control the horses, which obediently followed.
“Master!”
Ji Luo, who had just emerged from the pavilion with the rescued women, her face lit up with joy: “All the women inside have been rescued!”
“Thank you, Miss Ji.” Lin Tianlu was about to say something, but he quickly covered his eyes with his sleeve.
The women emerging from the pavilion were barely clothed, even the thin white gauze couldn’t conceal their bodies in the moonlight.
Seeing the figure of a man outside, the women stopped abruptly.
“Please board the carriages, ladies, I will take you all to safety.”
Lin Tianlu bowed respectfully, his expression serious: “There’s no need to be afraid, ladies, I am a gentleman, and my eyes are closed, I won’t disrespect you.”
“…It’s… fine.”
Several young women approached, their faces slightly flushed, their eyes filled with gratitude.
Clutching their thin gauze garments, they whispered softly as they passed him: “Master Lin, you’ve saved us from a fate worse than death, we’re eternally grateful. There’s no need for you to be so… formal.”
Lin Tianlu smiled wryly: “Some of you must have suffered greatly, your minds and bodies… traumatized, I wouldn’t want to add to your distress. I appreciate your understanding.”
The other women, hearing this, also blushed slightly but didn’t say anything more, obediently boarding the carriages.
“Master, we can leave now.” Ji Luo patted his shoulder: “The curtains are drawn, covering everything, you can open your eyes now.”
“Alright.”
Lin Tianlu didn’t remove the cloth covering his eyes, boarded the carriage with Ji Luo, and with a wave of his hand, infused with spiritual energy, the other carriages followed.
……
Although they were still within the Ghost Ming Sect’s territory, it seemed that the earlier commotion caused by the Sect Master had created enough chaos. Only after Lin Tianlu and his group had rescued all the women from the Aromatic Chambers did the sect members finally arrive.
Along the way, they naturally saw the long procession of carriages. They were about to stop them when a figure appeared before them.
“—Everyone, stand down.”
Qiu Xinglu, his hair and beard flowing, his figure hovering in mid-air like a deity, shouted coldly, his voice powerful enough to push back the surrounding disciples.
The disciples were confused, not knowing what was happening.
Why was their own Ghost Lord defending these intruders?
“There’s been a change in the sect, listen up, disciples—!”
Just then, a deep voice echoed from the back mountain:
“The Sect Master is dead. Now, I, Shi Ran, am in charge of the Ghost Ming Sect. Put down your weapons and await further instructions. No one is allowed to leave the sect.
And all Ghost Lords, recall your disciples immediately, everyone must return to the sect by tomorrow.”
Hearing this announcement, the disciples’ faces changed drastically.
The Sect Master… was dead?!
“How could the Sect Master suddenly…”
“Could it be… these villains—”
“Silence!”
Qiu Xinglu suddenly shouted, his eyes flashing like lightning, silencing the surrounding disciples: “Now that there’s been a change in leadership, you must obey the acting Sect Master’s orders! Put down your weapons immediately!”
“Ghost Lord Qiu, but these villains trespassed on our sect and even took away all those Ghost Concubines—”
“The Sect Master is dead, and the matter of the Ten Flower Ghost Concubine Cauldrons has been put on hold, there’s no need for us to capture those women anymore.” Qiu Xinglu looked around and said in a loud voice: “And this Master Lin is our savior. If it weren’t for him, the one responsible for the Sect Master’s death would still be at large, how can you call him a villain?!”
The disciples exchanged glances, their faces filled with astonishment: “This…”
Qiu Xinglu waved his sleeve and said again: “We, the Ghost Ming Sect, are not ungrateful wretches! Step aside and let Master Lin and his group leave!”
“…”
The disciples’ expressions were complex, but they ultimately obeyed the Ghost Lord’s orders, creating a path.
Qiu Xinglu’s eyes narrowed coldly as he scanned his surroundings: “And you, other Ghost Lords, do you have any objections? If you want to die, feel free to stop them.”
“As you say, Ghost Lord Qiu, since Master Lin is our benefactor, having avenged the Sect Master’s death, we naturally won’t interfere.”
“Hmph!”
A few figures appeared in the surroundings, but they didn’t attack.
Qiu Xinglu then withdrew his gaze, landed on the ground, and cupped his hands respectfully: “Master Lin, please, leave.”
Lin Tianlu took the reins of the carriage and nodded slightly: “Thank you, old man. I hope your Ghost Ming Sect will… reflect on its actions these next few days. And don’t forget to compensate and apologize to those women.”
“We’ll keep your words in mind, Master Lin.” Qiu Xinglu bowed respectfully.
He watched as Lin Tianlu and his group passed through the crowd, the carriages gradually disappearing into the distance, and the Ghost Ming Sect compound fell silent.
…
Qiu Xinglu’s face darkened as he reappeared in the ruins of the secret chamber.
“Just one day, and that madwoman has met such an end, truly pathetic.”
A middle-aged man, dressed in a wide robe, was examining the figure in the pit, clicking his tongue: “Old man, I told you this would happen sooner or later. But you were a step too slow, someone else took the credit, and now it seems Shi Ran, that little girl, is going to become the new Sect Master.”
“I don’t care about the position of Sect Master.” Qiu Xinglu stroked his beard, his gaze cold as he scanned his surroundings: “But now that the former Sect Master is dead, we have to reorganize the sect, we can’t let another villain take control.
And with the current situation after our reemergence, we can’t afford any more recklessness, provoking powerful enemies we can’t defeat.”
“Hehe—”
A few mocking chuckles echoed softly from the surroundings.
Looking closely, almost ten Ghost Lords had gathered outside the ruins of the Aromatic Chambers.
“Qiu Xinglu, now that the Sect Master is dead, you’re acting quite high and mighty.”
A woman sneered: “Could it be that you colluded with that Lin Tianlu and secretly eliminated the Sect Master?”
“You can investigate the Sect Master’s death later, there’s no point in gossiping now.” Qiu Xinglu’s voice was cold and sharp: “If anyone dares to act recklessly here, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
This threat made the other Ghost Lords hesitate, silencing them for the time being.
After all, Qiu Xinglu was a senior member of the sect, with close connections to many other Ghost Lords, provoking him here would be unwise.
“Old Qiu is right.”
Just then, a graceful figure descended from the night sky.
Shi Ran, her expression cold and aloof, her gaze sweeping over them indifferently: “Now that the Sect Master is dead, we can’t afford any more internal conflict or unnecessary casualties in the Ghost Ming Sect. For the sake of stability, we need a new leader.”
“Heh! Shi Ran, after all this talk, you just want the position for yourself—”
“Do you have any objections?”
Shi Ran’s eyes narrowed coldly, her expression frosty: “Or do you also want to… share the Sect Master’s fate?”
These words made the ruins of the Aromatic Chambers fall silent.
The Ghost Lords’ eyes widened, staring at her in shock and uncertainty, their hearts pounding.
Did Shi Ran mean… that she was responsible for the Sect Master’s death…?
No.
If Shi Ran truly had the ability and intention, she would have acted long ago.
“Thanks to Master Lin’s help, I have now obtained supreme power.”
Shi Ran smiled coldly, her gaze sweeping over them mockingly: “Which one of you wants to… test it?”
“…”
The Ghost Lords’ faces changed repeatedly, and they remained silent.
No one wanted to risk their lives.
“It seems that you’re all quite sensible.” Shi Ran’s expression calmed down, and she said indifferently: “Have someone clean up this mess and retrieve the Sect Master’s body. We’ll have a meeting in the main hall.”
One of the Ghost Lords asked in a deep voice: “What do you want to discuss?”
Shi Ran flicked her sleeve, her face cold and serious: “The future… of our sect.”
…
More than ten carriages, empowered by spiritual energy, were speeding along at an incredible pace.
Even on the mountain paths, they moved smoothly and swiftly, like a long dragon winding through the mountains.
“This is truly…”
Ji Luo, sitting in the driver’s seat, her hair flying wildly in the wind, couldn’t help but smile wryly: “Although I know that your movement techniques are unparalleled, Master Lin, able to travel a thousand li a day,
I didn’t expect your driving skills to be so… extraordinary… At this speed, the ladies in the back must be quite uncomfortable.”
“I’ve stabilized the carriages, they shouldn’t feel much impact.”
Lin Tianlu spread his arms, spiritual energy emanating from his palms, enveloping and protecting the carriages.
Although troublesome, he couldn’t let those women be jolted around inside.
Ji Luo glanced back, the Ghost Ming Sect compound long gone.
She suddenly chuckled and said: “Master, why don’t you leave the aftermath here to me?”
“Leave it to you?”
Lin Tianlu asked in surprise: “What do you mean, Miss Ji?”
“Compared to you, Master, I know how to deal with these… pitiful women, how to comfort and care for them.”
Ji Luo looked away and smiled playfully: “It’s my… specialty, after all.”
“But this is a remote wilderness, how will you—”
“There’s a town not far ahead.”
Ji Luo pointed with her finger and chuckled: “I have some people from the Ji Red Workshop there, they can temporarily shelter these women.
Just drop us off at the town, Master, and you can return to Changling with Miss Ren.”
“Then what about you, Miss Ji?”
“After settling those women, I’ll naturally return to Changling as well.”
She paused slightly, as if in thought, then chuckled: “In Xima Prefecture, only the recently emerged Ghost Ming Sect dares to cause trouble. And now that their sect has been… dealt with by you, Master, there’s no need to worry about any further danger.”
Lin Tianlu pondered briefly and then nodded in agreement: “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Miss Ji.”
After all, it was more appropriate for Ji Luo, as a fellow woman, to handle this matter, more natural and comforting.
…
As night deepened, the snow thickened.
A figure silently landed in the quiet courtyard.
Sensing the movement, Mao Ruoyu quickly emerged from the corridor and, looking closely, hurriedly said: “Husband, I just heard Xueshan mention the Ghost Ming Sect—Eh?”
Her words were cut short as she covered her mouth in surprise: “Miss Ren?!”
Lin Tianlu carried Ren Yinshan into the main hall and said softly: “Ruoyu, go and prepare a room for Miss Ren to rest.”
Mao Ruoyu stepped forward and glanced at Ren Yinshan, her expression changing slightly: “I’ll go and prepare the bedroom.”
The beautiful woman quickly left, and Hua Shuya almost simultaneously entered the courtyard.
Her face serious, she walked towards him quickly:
“Master, what about that Ghost Ming Sect?”
“It’s been taken care of, they won’t be causing any more trouble for now.” Lin Tianlu asked in surprise: “How did you know about this, Shuya?”
“You suddenly left, Master, so I knew something must have happened. I just went to the yamen and inquired.” Hua Shuya frowned slightly, looking at the unconscious Ren Yinshan in his arms: “Master, let me take Miss Ren and clean her up, so she can rest comfortably.”
“Thank you.” Lin Tianlu carefully handed Ren Yinshan to her, watching as Hua Shuya carried her towards the bathhouse in the backyard.
His arms now empty, he breathed a sigh of relief, his body relaxing, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
Although it had been a rushed trip, it wasn’t too late, he had still saved many lives, preventing a disaster. As for the Ghost Ming Sect, he could deal with them tomorrow.
“I hope Miss Ji is alright—”
“A-Are you… Master Lin?”
A soft and hesitant voice suddenly echoed.
Lin Tianlu’s thoughts stirred, and he quickly looked towards the source of the voice, a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar young girl appearing before him.
“Indeed, it’s me.”
Lin Tianlu looked at her in surprise, a gentle smile appearing on his face: “You seem to have grown taller since last year, it seems you’re living comfortably here.”
Xueshan walked towards him hesitantly, fidgeting with the hem of her beautiful skirt, her lips pursed slightly, a complex and indescribable emotion on her young face.
Lin Tianlu chuckled: “It’s been a while, have you forgotten me already?”
“Master…”
“What’s wrong?”
Lin Tianlu quietly approached her, bending down slightly and smiling gently: “Is there something… you want to say—”
Suddenly, Xueshan threw her arms around him, her eyes teary.
“Uh?”
Lin Tianlu was startled as she hugged him tightly, and just as he was about to ask, he heard a soft sob and a muffled murmur: “It’s good that you’re safe, Master…”
Lin Tianlu was stunned, speechless.
After a moment of silence, he smiled gently and caringly, rubbing the young girl’s head: “Good girl, thank you for your concern.”
This little girl, she was still so sweet and innocent.
