Chapter 190 Not Found Yet

So wouldn't that have made me an absolute idiot?

Just as I was thinking of turning back, a white-bearded old man at the fifth grade of the Spirit Lotus realm walked right toward me. I caught a glimpse of the token hanging at his waist: Law Enforcement Elder.

The old man walked with quick strides and an extraordinary aura. If he weren't an official here in the Seven-Color Sect, I would have respected him as a senior. But his cultivation level was simply higher than mine, and forcing my way back now was practically impossible. So, I quickly bowed and cupped my hands.

"Greetings, Elder!"

The old man stopped right in front of me and asked in a very stern tone, "What are you doing here?"

"This disciple is a newcomer and has never been to this area. I accidentally wandered into the Law Enforcement Hall today. Please forgive me for the offense."

With that, I raised my disciple token once again for the elder to see. The elder narrowed his eyes for a few seconds, patted my shoulder, and said, "You must be that new kid. Your talent is quite good; cultivate diligently."

After saying that, the elder walked right past me and pressed the button for the downward elevator. I let out a deep sigh of relief, preparing to head out.

A lingering fear gripped my heart. Thank goodness I hadn't just barged in earlier; otherwise, my cover would have been blown instantly, and my little life would have been forfeit. Impulsivity is truly dangerous...

Having visited this place today, I now knew the exact location of the prison and had also learned the guards' cultivation levels. So the harvest wasn't small. The only thing left was to venture into the Seven-Color Hall and find out what was going on, but given the current spotlight, I'd better not take any risks.

Retracing my steps, I walked straight out of the Law Enforcement Hall. That team of people outside had left long ago; they were probably still searching everywhere within the sect grounds.

It was approaching noon now, so I casually found a bench by the edge of the plaza and lit a cigarette.

The gentle breeze was pleasant, shaking many leaves down from the trees. However, the people of the Seven-Color Sect seemed never to sweep the leaves, leaving most of the plaza covered in a thick layer of foliage.

At that moment, I saw a few people walking toward me. Judging by their appearance, they were disciples, not figures of elder rank.

Seeing them, I quickly uncrossed my legs, stood up on my own initiative, and greeted them. "Hello, Senior Brothers."

The three of them waved dismissively and sat down on the bench right next to me. The moment he sat down, one of them asked, "Hey, got a smoke?"

I nodded repeatedly, reached into my storage ring, pulled out a pack of fine cigarettes, handed it to the three of them, and even offered a lighter.

Those three each took a cigarette and chatted as they smoked.

"Where on earth has Cao Xin gone, dammit? We've searched every nook and cranny of the Seven-Color Sect, and we haven't found a single trace."

"How would I know? Do you think she might actually have been killed and her body burned to ashes?"

"I reckon so. Even so, since nothing was found, I figure Cao Xin is most likely dead."

Hearing their conversation gave my heart a jolt, but fortunately, only these three thought that way; the elders were still out looking for people.

These disciples seemed to carry some weight. I later heard they were senior disciples of the inner sect, and their strength had all reached the first grade of the Spirit Lotus realm.

After smoking a few more cigarettes, the three of them walked off into the distance. Before leaving, they asked for my name. After I gave them my alias in the Seven-Color Sect, the three of them nodded.

It seemed that for now, I was in no danger whatsoever, and even had a bit of a small reputation because quite a few elders had heard of me.

Yet, I didn't want this. Such a situation undoubtedly complicated my operations; I would much rather have been a transparent nobody.

Over the past few days, I had called Nangong Xi and Second Uncle. Everything was fine at home, and I had promised them I would return soon.

However, this operation seemed to have grown rather complicated. If I hadn't killed Cao Xin, things wouldn't have reached this state.

Still, what's done is done—what could I do about it? At least everyone was oblivious for now, and some areas were even left unguarded.

Thinking of this, I prepared to go take a look inside the Seven-Color Hall.

Yet I figured that at any given time, there would bound to be a disciple guarding the place, so walking right in still wasn't very realistic.

The Seven-Color Hall was quite close to me, just a few minutes' walk. Sure enough, there was still someone standing at the entrance, but he was merely at the first grade of the Spirit Flower realm.

It seemed that many of the stronger disciples had been conscripted to search for Cao Xin, leaving only trash like this to guard the Seven-Color Hall.

I stood at a distance, pondering whether I should forcefully break in, especially since there was no one else around.

Just as I was hesitating, someone tapped me on the back.

I whipped my head around to find that it was none other than Chen Chen. He naturally sidled up beside me and said, "Why'd you come out without telling me?"

"Weren't you sleeping..."

After that, I shared all the useful information I had gathered with Chen Chen. He rubbed his chin and began scheming a countermeasure.

"It's noon right now. People will start coming toward the cafeteria soon, and we'll definitely be exposed then, so we can't do it now."

"But we can't let such a good opportunity slip by either. Let's do it tonight! I trust those bunch of blockheaded elders won't figure it out that fast."

I agreed that this was a good plan, provided nothing went wrong. Besides, it couldn't be seven or eight in the evening; we had to wait until the dead of night.

With that settled, Chen Chen and I headed toward the cafeteria since he hadn't eaten yet.

It was getting close to mealtime, and the crowd in the cafeteria was gradually growing. By now, the news of Cao Xin's disappearance had spread throughout the entire Seven-Color Sect.

Naturally, where there is mystery, rumors and gossip follow close behind.

"Do you think Cao Xin might have eloped with that young fellow?"

"No way, no way. The guys watching the gates explicitly said no one has left the sect during this period."

"Could she be cultivating somewhere in seclusion?"

"Have you ever seen Senior Sister Cao cultivate?"

They discussed it back and forth. Right now, it seemed only Chen Chen and me knew the actual truth, and I had to fight hard to hold back my laughter.

The mental gymnastics of these fools were truly bizarre; the disciples of the Seven-Color Sect didn't seem particularly bright.

Chen Chen piled his tray with plenty of food and found a table to dig in. It was obvious he was genuinely hungry.

Though I had finished eating not long ago, watching him eat with such gusto made me hungry all over again. And just like that, the two of us behaved as if we hadn't eaten in days, sitting in the corner and stuffing our faces.

Once we were full and satisfied, Chen Chen and I walked straight out of the cafeteria.

It was peak mealtime now, and I spotted a group of people approaching from a distance—it was the contingent led by Elder Cao.

Elder Cao's face was still streaked with old tears, and everyone around him wore expressions of deep sorrow. What on earth was going on? Could they have found the ashes I buried in the woods?

Even if they found them, so what? Absolutely no reason pointed to me as the one who killed Cao Xin, so I was naturally safe.

As their group filed past me, Elder Cao said with a slight sob in his voice, "Continue the search this afternoon. I want to see people if they're alive, and corpses if they're dead."

Oh~ So this bunch of big fools still hadn't found anything! After two full days, they hadn't gained a single shred of progress.

I couldn't help but wonder how this Elder Cao ever attained his position with that kind of intellect...

Oh well, better for them if they never found anything; it meant I would remain safe forever.