"Later, when Yu Hai saw the matter exposed, he stopped pretending altogether. He injured many from the Medicine Sect, and then took advantage of the chaos to escape. In my anger, I sent many Medicine Sect disciples out to capture him, but before we could bring him back, several disciples in charge of guarding the Book Pavilion were killed in broad daylight! And inside the Book Pavilion, everything was turned upside down and in disarray!"
An Yiqing’s eyes sharpened, a chill emanating from her body. The Book Pavilion of the Medicine Sect was where ancient texts and scrolls were kept. And the Medicine Sect’s Secret Technique that recorded the Qing Frost formula was stored there.
"Master, the person who killed the Book Pavilion disciples, could it be the same person who stole the Qing Frost formula? Could it be Yu Hai?"
Ye Chenghong nodded gravely, his voice cold as he said, "Indeed, the one who stole the Qing Frost formula was Yu Hai! When I rushed there, Yu Hai was still inside the Book Pavilion. Since the formula of Qing Frost was inscribed on a stone pedestal, it couldn’t be stolen, so he had to quickly jot it down. My sudden arrival meant he didn’t get the complete formula of Qing Frost, which is why Ming Yuan was poisoned with the Mutated Green Frost. In the entire world, those who can concoct such poison must be intricately linked to Yu Hai!"
Iron Palm slammed down fiercely onto the table, Ye Chenghong’s face filled with rage, and even the four Great Elders and Nie Shan looked furious. For them, the events of several decades ago were a disaster for the people of Xuandu City, a nightmare that everyone could never forget.
"Master, what happened to Yu Hai afterward?" An Yiqing asked anxiously.
"At the time I rushed to the Book Pavilion, I happened to catch him there, stealing the Qing Frost formula. As soon as we saw each other, we immediately started fighting, and the scene became chaotic. Later, other people from the Medicine Sect arrived, and seeing that we had the upper hand in numbers, Yu Hai quickly took a less-skilled disciple as a hostage. We had no choice but to let him go. Thinking back, I caught him twice but let him escape both times. It was my lack of skill!" Ye Chenghong sighed, annoyed at his two failures.
"Junior brother, what are you talking about? Yu Hai is sinister and crafty, harboring ill intentions. How could you possibly outsmart him? This isn’t your fault, but a testament to how despicable Yu Hai is," the Great Elder consoled him.
Ye Chenghong let out a deep sigh and nodded heavily.
Actually, he understood all this. Yu Hai was cunning, cold-blooded, and ruthless, capable of anything. Even if Cheng Hong’s own abilities were much higher than Yu Hai’s, he might still be powerless against his schemes. Yet, thinking about everything that happened in Xuandu City after that incident, Cheng Hong was secretly furious with his own incompetence.
Ye Chenghong then detailed the subsequent events to An Yiqing.
After Yu Hai escaped from the Medicine Sect’s Book Pavilion, he vanished without a trace. Ye Chenghong dispatched many from the Medicine Sect to search for him, but not a hair of Yu Hai’s was found. It was as if he had evaporated from the earth; despite the extensive search by countless Medicine Sect members throughout Xuandu City and the surrounding cities, there was still no sign of him.
During this chaotic time, Xiao Yu’s mental state got worse and worse. She stopped causing trouble and became quiet, like a fragile doll, unresponsive to everything in the world around her.
Amid such turmoil both within and without, more than a year swiftly passed.
However, in that year, a major event that shook the world occurred.