Chapter 25: A Sudden Disturbance After the Banquet

"Yao'er," Jun Mohan's gentle voice interrupted Yun Yao's thoughts. "Regarding tonight's banquet..."

Yun Yao regained her composure and smiled brilliantly. "Rest assured, everything is properly arranged. Tonight, I shall let those elders see what I am capable of!" Her eyes sparkled with confidence; the exhaustion from the preceding days had left no trace on her face, lending her an even more vibrant and spirited glow.

In the days that followed, Yun Yao immersed herself in the joy of the banquet's success and the deepening of her relationship with Jun Mohan, happily practicing the immortal techniques bestowed upon her by the elders each day.

A gentle breeze wafted by, carrying the scent of flowers, and the warm sunlight bathed her skin.

Yun Yao sat cross-legged on the practice dais. As she inhaled and exhaled, spiritual energy flowed into her body like a babbling brook, nourishing her meridians. She could feel her cultivation base steadily rising, and her mood grew increasingly cheerful. A satisfied smile played on her lips, and the envious gazes of her fellow disciples could not dampen her spirits in the slightest. An atmosphere of peace pervaded the immortal sect, as if everything had returned to its proper course.

However, this tranquility was soon shattered.

One day, Yun Yao suddenly proposed a re-examination of all ingredient records from after the banquet. Her behavior surprised everyone; they could not understand why she remained fixated on a banquet that had already concluded.

"Junior Sister Yun, hasn't the banquet already ended perfectly? Why must you check the records?" the senior brother in charge of the storehouse asked, his voice filled with confusion.

"Indeed, Junior Sister Yun, have you been working too hard lately? Why not take a few days of rest?" another senior sister asked with concern, her eyes brimming with worry.

Yun Yao, however, remained resolute, her gaze calm and steady. "I merely wish to ensure there were no oversights. After all, this banquet was of great significance; it cannot afford the slightest error." Although her tone was mild, it carried an unquestionable firmness, demonstrating her sense of responsibility toward the sect’s affairs and disrupting the seemingly peaceful atmosphere within.

She walked straight toward the storehouse, her steps steady and purposeful. Pushing open the heavy doors, a faint, musty smell greeted her. Sunlight streamed through the window lattices, forming shafts of light that illuminated the mountains of ingredient crates. Yun Yao took a deep breath and swept her gaze across every corner, an inexplicable sense of unease suddenly welling up within her.

She walked to the shelf where the ingredient records were kept and reached for the ledger. The moment her fingertips touched the volume, she heard a faint "click." Yun Yao pulled her hand back abruptly, her eyes fixed on the base of the bookshelf. There, something seemed to be hidden...

"Strange..." Yun Yao muttered to herself.

Yun Yao's gaze locked onto the base of the bookshelf, where a minute gap appeared, looking entirely out of place against the otherwise seamless structure. She crouched down and touched it lightly with her fingertips; a cold sensation greeted her. A faint, musty odor mixed with an imperceptible, exotic fragrance wafted into her nostrils, triggering alarm bells in her mind. This scent was similar to the one that had filled the air on the night of the banquet, yet it was richer and far more... sinister.

She carefully pried away a piece of wood at the base of the bookshelf, revealing a concealed compartment. Resting quietly inside was a palm-sized storage pouch. It was dark gray, embroidered with dark golden patterns that shimmered with a ghostly light in the dim surroundings, resembling a dormant viper emitting a dangerous aura.

"What is this?" The surrounding disciples gathered around curiously, their eyes fixed on the storage pouch in Yun Yao's hand. They did not understand why she had suddenly decided to inspect the storehouse, nor how she had discovered this hidden item.

Yun Yao ignored their questions, her brows tightly knitted, her heart filled with doubt and unease. The ingredient records had been tampered with, and now this mysterious pouch had been found; all of this indicated that what happened at the banquet was no simple accident. A chill traveled from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head, making her shiver. The air in the room seemed to thicken, a tense atmosphere suffocating everyone present.

She took a deep breath, struggling to remain calm. As her fingertips grazed the surface of the pouch, the rough texture sent a jolt of alarm through her. The restrictions placed upon this pouch were extraordinary.

"Junior Sister Yun, what have you found?" the senior brother in charge of the storehouse asked, unable to contain his anxiety.

Yun Yao slowly raised her head; a light of excitement flashed in her eyes, yet it was shadowed by gravity. "I think we may have found something interesting," she said, the corners of her mouth lifting into a meaningful smile. "However..." She paused, her gaze dropping to the pouch as her tone deepened. "Opening it will likely not be so easy." Her fingertips tapped lightly on the pouch, and a powerful ripple of immortal energy instantly radiated outward.

As she tapped the pouch, intricate golden runes slithered like snakes across its surface, flashing with blinding light. She attempted to infuse it with her immortal energy, but it was like a stone cast into the sea—there was no reaction at all. Time ticked away, and the air in the storehouse felt as though it had solidified, stifling and oppressive.

Beads of sweat rolled down Yun Yao's forehead, dampening her temples. The sound of her fellow disciples' breathing was clearly audible, and their worried gazes pierced her nerves like needles.

Suddenly, a dark shadow emerged from the corner like a phantom, lunging with lethal intent toward the storage pouch in Yun Yao's hand! Yun Yao was startled, instinctively shielding the pouch behind her while retreating rapidly, narrowly avoiding the shadow's strike.

The shadow, having missed its target, emitted a low hiss and launched another attack. Eerie black mist billowed from its body, carrying a nauseating, putrid stench that spread rapidly. Yun Yao held her breath and swung her long sword; the blade flashed like a silver snake as she engaged the shadow in combat.

The shadow's moves were bizarre and unpredictable, its strikes grazing her sleeve several times and leaving her drenched in a cold sweat. Yet, she did not panic. Relying on the immortal techniques she had practiced and her agile footwork, she gradually stabilized her position. The surrounding disciples watched in tension, not daring to intervene for fear of disrupting her combat.

"Junior Sister Yun, look out!" A cry shattered the tense silence.

The shadow suddenly transformed into a mass of black mist, appearing instantly behind Yun Yao, a sharp dagger thrusting toward her heart! In the nick of time, Yun Yao focused her mind and activated a "displacement" technique, instantly swapping positions with a disciple behind her.

The dagger struck empty air, and the shadow let out an angry roar. Seizing the opportunity, Yun Yao rapidly condensed her immortal energy, her long sword erupting with a dazzling light. With a sharp cry, she unleashed her sect’s ultimate technique, the "Thunderbolt Sword Art," and sharp sword qi, like bolts of lightning, slashed toward the shadow.

Caught off guard, the shadow was struck by the sword qi, let out a scream, stumbled backward, and finally vanished into the darkness.

The storehouse returned to silence, save for the sound of Yun Yao's rapid breathing and the gasps of her stunned companions. The storage pouch in her hand shimmered with a strange, eerie light in the dimness.

"It seems," Yun Yao whispered, clutching the pouch tightly before turning to leave the storehouse, "that I shall have a busy night ahead."