Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Rong Wei stared blankly for some time. Then, he stepped forward, his voice hoarse as he said, "Miss Yun Die, please hand me the Star Reveal reagent."

Yun Die seemed to have guessed what he was going to. She couldn't help but say, "Mister Rong Wei, darkness exists in every corner of the world. You don't need to think about this too much."

She handed over the reagent and stepped away from the testing platform.

Rong Wei turned his hand and took out a common-looking grass. It had jagged edges and a dark appearance.

Using some strength, he slowly clenched his fingers together. The grass juices were squeezed out and dripped into the Star Reveal reagent.

The next moment, countless motes of light appeared. With a loud crack, the crystal tube crashed onto the ground and shattered. The luminous motes of light rapidly diffused outwards.

Rong Wei wavered. He grabbed onto the testing platform to prevent himself from falling to the ground.

"Teacher!"

Xiang Ziyue hurried over and took hold of his arm, supporting him up.

Rong Wei took a deep breath. He slowly pushed Xiang Ziyue away and turned around, bowing as he said, "Thank you for exposing the truth Miss Yun Die. Otherwise, I fear the entire Hidden Fog Sect would still be kept in the dark."

He turned to Qin Yu, "Mister, Miss Yun Die's strength is outstanding; it isn't at a level where I can compare. There is no need to compare treatment plans anymore; please choose Miss Yun Die's. And, I ask you to forgive me as I must leave first…there are people who must pay the price for this."

So there really was a traitorous spy who tried to secretly murder the dark star ice serpent. And, the most laughable thing was that he, someone who was previously criticized and condemned by the entire Hidden Fog Sect, now knew who the true spy was.

Sorrow, sadness, anger, resentment - all sorts of emotions wove together in his heart…Rong Wei bowed and walked away.

After that, Xiang Ziyue and Si Jia bowed and also left.

Watching the three people leave, Yun Die had a restless expression. "Teacher, did I do something wrong?"

Qin Yu shook his head. "This has nothing to do with you. It is others who were wrong." But in his heart, his impression of the Hidden Fog Sect fell again and again.

"Yun Die, present your treatment plan. The effect must be good; there is no need to try and save resources for the Hidden Fog Sect." Since this was the internal affairs of another sect, it wasn't his place to interfere. However, no matter how many losses there were during the treatment process, they couldn't say anything either.

"Yes, teacher, I understand."

When Yun Die presented her complete treatment plan, Qin Yu listened to her and knew that she really did understand him. Mulberry of the south sky, dark dragon pearl, nine revolution flame fruit tree…all of these could be called top treasures and now all of them were included in the treatment plan.

Although Qin Yu was the one who first proposed using this opportunity to bleed the Hidden Fog Sect dry, he couldn't help but wonder - did he open his mouth too wide this time?

But when he looked at Yun Die's calm expression, he quickly suppressed these emotions. As the teacher, he couldn't be looked down upon by his disciple.

In any case, the initiative was in his hands. Even if the Hidden Fog Sect knew that it was suffering a loss, it had to swallow it down no matter what happened.

However, when he looked at Yun Die's serene appearance as she acted as if she hadn't done anything, Qin Yu secretly decided not to provoke women in the future. In particular, this type of woman that appeared beautiful and gentle on the surface. The consequences were too dire!

"Mm, very good. Then we'll follow your treatment plan. When Rong Wei returns, hand it to him and tell him to have the Hidden Fog Sect begin preparations as soon as possible." Preparing in advance was necessary. With so many treasures involved, even if the Hidden Fog Sect had enormous assets and wealth, it would still take some time for them to gather everything.

Yun Die respectfully bowed, "Yes, teacher."

…

Not long after Rong Wei, Xiang Ziyue, and Si Jia left the cave, news that someone had purposefully sabotaged the advancement process of the dark star ice serpent spread out like a violent hurricane that spanned from the heavens to the earth. It blew through the entire Hidden Fog Sect, leaving countless cultivators in shameful disarray.

Not too long ago, many of these people had angrily participated in the great protest parade, loudly shouting that they wanted the spy Rong Wei punished. When they thought back to that time, it was like a hand ruthlessly slapped them in the race. The man they regarded as a spy had found evidence of who the true spy was. This was an unimaginably disgraceful incident.

The Hidden Fog Sect's high-level figures were shaken!

The dark star ice serpent could be called the life-root of the Hidden Fog Sect's future. The glory of the sect depended on it, and it was also needed to protect the sect's future orthodoxy. Yet, some people had dared to try and eliminate it. This was simply unforgivable! In particular, numerous guilty high-level figures were finally able to stand tall and speak. It turned out that it wasn't their proposal that was wrong, but it was all that damned spy's fault!

A massive investigation was launched. Everyone who came into contact with the dark star ice serpent, whether directly or indirectly, was included in the scope of the investigation.

Within an hour, one of Rong Wei's disciples committed suicide by swallowing poison.

In four hours, three people from the Internal Affairs Division perished.

12 hours later, all 17 cultivators who were responsible for purchasing and transporting materials died horrible deaths.

For a time, all clues and traces were cut off. The atmosphere in the Hidden Fog Sect became solemn.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the true spy was absolutely a great figure within the sect. Only then was this person able to eliminate all personnel involved and ensure their own safety.

The seemingly massive surface investigation gradually came to a halt as the clues leading to other paths were severed, one after another.

But, the in-depth investigation had just begun.

The Hidden Fog Sect Master ordered, "We must dig out this malignant tumor at all costs!" This thought was approved by every high-level figure in the sect, perhaps including even the spy himself.

Several days passed. The atmosphere in the Hidden Fog Sect was still tense and terse; they hadn't yet been able to recover from that immense disturbance.

But on this day, an imposing and high-spirited troop came to a stop outside the sect entrance's great array formation. A golden pennant fluttered high above a giant carriage. The pennant was embroidered with the image of a tiger walking down a mountain, the character representing 'King' clearly visible on its forehead. A dreadful aura exuded from it, as if the beast could leave the flag at any moment, turning into a genuine tiger that could devour others. It was an awe-inspiring sight.

At this time, the carriage opened from inside and a young man with a round and pink face stepped out. He wore a tight-sleeved kind of robe that was popular nowadays. Unfortunately, he had a fat and circular body so he failed to display the handsome and casual demeanor that he deserved.

However, this young man still had a sufficiently imposing aura. His eyes swept around with clear disdain. The message this sent was simple - this father is standing above all of you, and you are all trash!

"Sixth Uncle, didn't you tell uncle that I will be staying at the Hidden Fog Sect for some time? How come we are still waiting here!?" The young man had an impatient expression.

The one called Sixth Uncle was a middle-aged man with a deep stoop and a thin body. He smiled and said, "Young master, I've already passed on the message. I'm sure that some people will soon arrive to greet us."

Before his voice fell, the Hidden Fog Sect's great array formation opened and a group of people walked out. The one leading them was unexpectedly Si Jia. At this time, her expression was even more indifferent. When she saw the fat young man, her eyes were icy cold.

The young man's eyes brightened and he excitedly said, "Cousin, I didn't think you would be the one greeting me! We haven't seen each other for such a long time!"

Sweeping his eyes across her body, his smile became even brighter.

Si Jia coldly said, "Dou Zhan, take back your filthy eyes. If you dare to look at me like that one more time, I'll dig them out myself!"

"Haha, cousin you are still as rude as always. Very well, I'll listen to you this time. Where is uncle? How come he isn't here to greet me?" Dou Zhan laughed without a care.

Si Jia turned and walked away. "Father is occupied so he cannot come. If you don't want to be here, then you can leave right now!"

Dou Zhan laughed out loud, "How is that good? Cousin, wait for me, let's talk some more!"

After entering the Hidden Fog Sect and helping the Dou Family situate themselves in their dwelling, Si Jia turned and left without saying a single extra word. At this time, she only hated that she didn't have enough time for herself. If it weren't for her father's orders, she wouldn't have even wanted to take a single step away from the laboratory. In any case, just being in the proximity of someone like Dou Zhan made breathing difficult as she nearly choked on anger!

"What kind of status does young master have? Even if she is his cousin, her attitude is too excessive." A favored maid indignantly complained.

Sixth Uncle glanced at her. Then, he lowered his head and fell to the side.

Dou Zhan's smile vanished and his round face gave off a dark and dreary look. He glared at the maid.

"Young…young master…what is it, did I say something wrong?" The maid felt as if she had been targeted by a snake in the shadows.

Dou Zhan's hand flashed. With a crack, the maid's neck bent at a severe angle. The light in her eyes rapidly faded away.

What was destroyed was not just her throat. The fierce power that swept through her had already torn her soul to shreds.

He tossed her to the side. Dou Zhan muttered, "Why can't people in this world recognize their own status? Why must they keep overreaching past their limits? Sixth Uncle, this maid has followed by my side and eaten many good things. Don't waste them. Feed her to my tiger beast."

After he spoke, he shook his head and left.

"Yes, young master." Sixth Uncle picked up the still-warm corpse of the maid. He glanced at her eyes that remained open and turned around to leave.