238: Chapter 238 Xiao Nianyin's cultivation was sealed? She was kept by his side to await orders.

Qingyan was so scared her little Face turned even paler, and she subconsciously shrank behind Xu Ruyu.

Ning Caihe’s expression was solemn, and his hand had already quietly moved to his waist, only to find it empty; only then did he remember that his sword had long since been taken away.

Leng Ningshuang’s icy eyes suddenly contracted to the size of pinpricks, and her whole body instantly tensed up like a leopard encountering a natural enemy. Her cold gaze locked onto Xiao Nianyin, filled with wariness, hostility, and a deep sense of doubt.

The atmosphere inside the cave instantly dropped to the freezing point.

“Don’t be nervous.” Xu Ruyu’s voice broke the stalemate. He turned slightly, glanced at the shadow-like Xiao Nianyin, and introduced her in a flat tone, “Former Sect Master Xiao Nianyin has had her cultivation personally sealed by the Hehuan Patriarch due to her transgressions.

Now... she is temporarily staying by my side to be at my beck and call.”

Xu Ruyu did not mention that Xiao Nianyin was his Bed-warming maid; after all, she was the former Sect Master, and he wanted to leave her some Face rather than driving her to a dead end.

Former Sect Master?

Cultivation sealed by the Ancestral Master?

At his beck and call?

Every word was like a thunderclap, striking the four people’s already overwhelmed senses!

The Hehuan Patriarch?! Which Hehuan Patriarch? The Founding Ancestor?! Did she manifest her spirit? And she even sealed Xiao Nianyin’s cultivation? This...

The information was too explosive. Zhao Yan felt his head buzzing, having completely lost the ability to think. He could only gape, looking at Xu Ruyu, then at Xiao Nianyin, and then at Lady Qingli, who was smiling gracefully beside them. His worldview had shattered into pieces.

Qingyan was even more completely dazed; her little head simply couldn't process such complex and bizarre information, so she could only stare blankly.

Ning Caihe took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, but the shock in his eyes could not be hidden.

He realized that during the few days they were suffering at Soul-Falling Cliff, an earth-shattering, unimaginable upheaval must have occurred outside!

Leng Ningshuang was the quickest to rein in her emotions.

After the initial shock, she quickly grasped the key points—the Hehuan Patriarch had manifested!

Xiao Nianyin was sealed!

Xu Ruyu was designated as the Sect Master!

Connecting these pieces of information, though still incredible, formed a relatively logical chain.

Only, what merit did Xu Ruyu have to be so favored by the Founding Ancestor?

Also, Xiao Nianyin... did she really just submit like this?

With her cultivation sealed and being at someone's beck and call... for a person as proud as her, it must be more painful than death, right?

For a moment, the way Leng Ningshuang looked at Xu Ruyu became incredibly complex.

This Junior Brother, whose safety she had once worried about—even to the point of contradicting the Sect Master for him—had, in just a few days of not seeing him, reached such a height and gained such incredible fortune and... power (the ability to make Xiao Nianyin so submissive was a kind of power in itself).

Was he still the same Xu Ruyu she knew?

Xu Ruyu did not explain the twists and turns too much; it was a long story and couldn't be summed up in a few words.

Seeing the four of them still shaken and weak, he said warmly, “This place is not suitable for a long stay. The yin chill erodes the soul and is not conducive to your recovery.

We can discuss the specific details slowly after we leave here.

Now, I will take you out to heal first.”

As he spoke, he gestured to Lady Qingli.

Lady Qingli understood. With a flip of her jade-like hand, four pale-gold Medicinal Pills shimmering with a soft warmth appeared in her palm: “These are ‘Peiyuan Guben Pills.’ They have miraculous effects on your current injuries and depletion. Take them first to stabilize your Foundation.”

Zhao Yan took the pill and tossed it into his mouth without even looking, muttering, “Whatever, it’s from Brother Xu... oh no, Sect Leader Xu. It won't kill me anyway.”

Once the pill entered his stomach, a warm current instantly dissolved, dispelling much of the yin chill. It lifted his spirits, and he couldn't help but glance at Xiao Nianyin again. His gaze was still strange, but with a bit less fear and a bit more curiosity and... relief? Damn, this crazy woman finally has her day!

Qingyan and Ning Caihe also took the pills as instructed, and their complexions immediately looked much better.

Leng Ningshuang took the pill, her cold fingertips lightly touching Xu Ruyu’s fingers. Her body trembled almost imperceptibly, and she looked deeply into Xu Ruyu’s eyes before swallowing the pill.

“Let’s go.”

Xu Ruyu turned and led the way out.

Lady Qingli followed closely behind.

Xiao Nianyin still kept her head down and followed silently. From beginning to end, she did not spare a single glance at Leng Ningshuang and the others, as if they were just thin air.

Seeing Xiao Nianyin’s back, which was submissive to an almost eerie degree, Zhao Yan couldn't help but lean in toward Xu Ruyu. He lowered his voice and asked in an incredibly incredulous tone, as if he had seen a ghost:

“Sect... Leader Xu? Brother? What the hell is going on? Tell me quickly, my heart is itching like a cat's scratching it!

Xiao Nianyin... she really...?”

Xu Ruyu smiled and patted his shoulder. “Senior Brother Zhao, don't be in a hurry. We’ll talk once we’re out.

In short, I am in charge of the Hehuan Sect now. You are safe. In the future... I may have to trouble you, Senior Brothers and Senior Sister, to lend me a hand.”

Hearing “lend me a hand,” Zhao Yan’s eyes lit up, and he thumped his chest. “No problem!

As long as you need me, Brother, my life is yours! But...” He sneakily glanced at Xiao Nianyin behind them, “Is it... really okay to keep her?”

Xu Ruyu did not answer, but his gaze deepened slightly.

In this eerie and silent atmosphere, the group left the gloomy and oppressive Soul-Falling Cliff and walked toward the unknown but clearly different world outside.

Behind them was the cage that had once trapped them.

Ahead was a blurred but possibility-filled future following the new Sect Master.

And the former Sect Master Xiao Nianyin, whom they once had to look up to and fear, was now like a silent footnote, reminding them of the world-flipping changes that had occurred over these past few days.

Everyone’s heart was filled with countless questions...”}],