The maid bravely stepped forward to take all the blame, and Lin Yan couldn't help but scoff.
Even if only the instigator was to be punished, it wasn't this person's turn. So what if she was the one who acted? Wasn't it Mu Qing Wan who gave the order?
"Does this young lady think too highly of herself? You alone cannot atone for four lives!" Zhang Yang drew his sword.
The men behind him also drew their swords.
"It seems that even if my attendant apologizes for the mountain folk, you still won't let me go!
Since that's the case, there's nothing more to say. Since you refuse a toast and insist on a fine, don't blame me for being ruthless. You few cannot stop me!"
With that, she drew the soft whip from her waist and pointed it at Lin Yan and the others.
"Don't be like this, let's talk it out. Miss Mu, Third Junior Brother..."
"Senior Brother, are you going to stand with them and be our enemy?" Lin Yan asked.
"I... I am not." Luo Yu Xuan quickly shook his head.
At this moment, Mu Qing Wan also realized that Luo Yu Xuan was an excellent hostage. After she exchanged a look with her attendant, the person next to Luo Yu Xuan immediately made a move and subdued him before he could even react.
"Senior Brother, be careful!" A disciple behind Lin Yan saw that something was wrong and wanted to warn him, but it was too late.
"Let go of our Senior Brother quickly!"
"Let go of Senior Brother!"
They all looked at Mu Qing Wan with angry eyes, wishing they could kill her.
"Although this is somewhat dishonorable, you all shouldn't just stand by and watch your Senior Brother die, right?" Mu Qing Wan shed her gentle and pitiful facade.
"Miss Mu, you!" Luo Yu Xuan couldn't accept such a change. It made him feel like a fool.
He had wholeheartedly protected Miss Mu, but this Miss Mu was now holding him and his fellow disciples hostage to negotiate.
"Let go of our Senior Brother quickly, young lady, please don't make further mistakes!" Zhang Yang said indignantly.
"Let him go? After I let him go, will you let me go? It's better to use your sect's Senior Brother to find a way out for me!" Mu Qing Wan laughed mockingly.
This Luo Yu Xuan was quite useful, after all, he was the sect's Senior Brother. With him in hand, they wouldn't dare to act rashly.
Zhang Yang and the others were hesitant, not daring to approach, for fear that they would harm Luo Yu Xuan.
Mu Qing Wan saw their hesitation, a smirk played on her lips, and she made a gesture, "Go!"
They immediately retreated with their light footwork, while the attendant holding Luo Yu Xuan slowly backed away, giving Mu Qing Wan and the others enough time to escape.
At this moment, Lin Yan took out a paper packet from her sleeve and, with the wind, tossed it. The powder in the packet flew towards the faces of Luo Yu Xuan and the person holding him.
Although the man quickly held his breath, he was still affected and directly fainted with Luo Yu Xuan.
"Chase them! Capture them and avenge Uncle Feng!" Zhang Yang said to the people behind him when he saw them fall.
Upon hearing the order, they immediately ran in the direction they had left, without even looking at Luo Yu Xuan lying on the ground.
After everyone had left, Lin Yan walked to Luo Yu Xuan, who was lying on the ground. She crouched down and took out a small bottle from her purse, waving it under his nose.
"Cough, cough cough." After a bout of coughing, Luo Yu Xuan woke up. "Yan'er, I..."
He spoke with difficulty, unsure of what was happening.
"Senior Brother, it's better to get up first! Lying on the ground like this doesn't look good!" Lin Yan stood up and patted away imaginary dust from her clothes.
"Junior Sister, I truly didn't know they killed people," Luo Yu Xuan said with difficulty.
"Senior Brother, you don't need to explain to me. The relatives of the deceased are still waiting in the valley to exact their revenge and give their loved ones a proper burial. Have you thought about how you will explain this to them?"
Lin Yan spoke indifferently, then took out a signal flare from her person and released it, waiting aside, ignoring Luo Yu Xuan.
Luo Yu Xuan didn't understand why things had turned out this way. He had only helped a few people, but now he seemed to have become a sinner.
The Junior Sister in front of him also seemed incredibly strange. The Junior Sister in his memory was so innocent and lively, kind and pure. But the one now made him feel as if his own Junior Sister had been replaced.
He couldn't understand why she could treat him so coldly. They had grown up together! She had always been the one who clung to him the most and listened to him the most.
"Yan'er, what will happen to them? I mean, if they are caught," Luo Yu Xuan asked.
"Senior Brother is still concerned about them? Have you thought about what will happen to those killed? Brother Xu is Uncle Xu's only son. Their father and son both died in the mountains. What about Aunt Xu and Sister-in-law Xu?
Oh, you don't know Sister-in-law Xu. She married into the family after you left the sect. She just gave birth, but the child's father is dead?" Lin Yan narrated the Xu family's situation in a very calm tone.
"I... the sect will make arrangements for them, won't they? They will be well taken care of," Luo Yu Xuan defended himself.
"But no matter how good the care, it can't compare to one's own husband, one's own father. Uncle Wang and Uncle Feng were the pillars of their families. Their eldest children are only in their teens. What will happen to them?"
Lin Yan's questions were spoken calmly, without any shouting or weeping.
Perhaps this was the difference between her and this group of martial artists, these so-called people of the martial world. Coming from an era of peace, she simply couldn't accept such things.
"I..." Luo Yu Xuan had never thought about these things. He didn't know what to say. He had always valued righteousness and believed in helping others. But he had never considered these consequences.
"Senior Brother, you don't know who they are, but you want to bring them into the sect. Have you considered that they might be a threat to the sect, that they might destroy the entire sect?
You haven't thought about any of this, have you? You just think they are a group of weak women who need your help, satisfying your vanity. But have you ever wondered why they are being chased?"
Lin Yan looked at Luo Yu Xuan's increasingly pale face, showing no sign of softening.
In the original work, wasn't it like this? He carelessly leaked the news of his own fortuitous encounter. He himself remained safe, but the entire Li Shan sect was implicated and destroyed because of him.
"Senior Brother, let me do a good deed and tell you who they are!" Lin Yan chuckled, her smile full of malice.
"Who are they?" Luo Yu Xuan asked with difficulty.
"Miss Mu's identity is not simple! She is the only saintess of the Demonic Cult, second only to the Cult Master in status! Do you think she is being chased for no reason?"