Chapter 281
A few days later.
The incident with Lin Xiaoliu had cut the hot-spring trip short. Lin Hui and Liu Xiao returned after a single day, kept a discreet watch on her, and only relaxed once they were certain she was unharmed.
As for Song Yunhui—Lin Hui agreed entirely with his eldest brother: the boy drew trouble the way iron drew lightning, and the wisest course was to stay well clear. So, at their father's firm insistence, Lin Xiaoliu was transferred to the martial academy where Lin Hui held a nominal post, placing as much distance between her and Song Yunhui as possible.
Life settled back into its ordinary rhythm. The surprise, then, was that while Lin Xiaoliu came to no harm, trouble surfaced within the Clear Wind Dao itself.
"Something happened to Xia Si?"
Out on the Jade Sea, Lin Hui slowly lowered his Ruyi sword, surprise crossing his face.
Each day, he came to this vast, uninhabited stretch of water to work on his swordsmanship and deepen his comprehension of the Sacred Form of Destruction. Everyone knew his routine; he was almost never interrupted. Today, however, Li Yuanyuan broke with that custom and reached out through the Wind Chime.
"Yes," Li Yuanyuan said quickly. "Senior Sister Xia was present last night, but during a gathering, she made remarks that bordered on open defiance. Senior Brother Su Yaping took her to task over it; the disagreement turned into a fight, Senior Brother Su came away with minor injuries, and Senior Sister Xia left in a fury and hasn't returned. For someone of her caliber to go quiet for a period of seclusion wouldn't normally concern us—but an urgent matter arose today, and when we tried to reach her, we found her residence ransacked. There was blood at the scene, and she isn't answering the Wind Chime."
"..." Lin Hui extended his senses and checked Xia Si's mark. As sect master and the one who had granted the Bestowal Seal, he could determine whether the marks he had planted still existed—but nothing more; pinpointing a direction or location was beyond him.