Chapter 12 That Lecher

Elder Crane turned to Booth. "Please wait a moment, Booth." Booth nodded and took a seat on a bamboo chair nearby. Elder Crane asked, "It's been a while since I've seen you. How's the sect leader doing? Still in seclusion?" "Yeah." Booth slightly bowed in his seat. "Master is currently comprehending the way of heaven and is still in seclusion to practice." A glint sparkled in Elder Crane's eyes as she casually remarked, "I've heard that Elton and Gavin have been causing quite a stir lately. You're not getting mixed up in that, are you?" Booth's body stiffened a bit; he hadn't expected her to bring this up directly. He shook his head and smiled. "My senior brothers are handling the sect's affairs while Master is in seclusion. There may be some disagreements, but everything they do is for the sake of the sect." Elder Crane clearly wasn't satisfied with Booth's vague answer. Her fiery personality shone through as she said bluntly, "Booth, you're a rare talent. It's best if you don't get involved in the matters of Elton and Gavin." Elder Crane paused for a moment before continuing, "When I was young, I experienced power struggles, so I knew how complicated the relationships were around here. Throughout the history of the Void Sect, how many sect leaders got to their positions without stepping over mountains of corpses and rivers of blood? You and Flora joined the sect at the latest; you're both good kids. It's best to stay neutral. If things get too heated, just take a few years to travel and wait until Elton and Gavin settle their scores before you come back, got it? I'm the only one in the entire Void Sect who would tell you this; the others won't say a word." Booth slowly nodded, got up, and bowed. "Thank you for your guidance, Elder Crane. I'll keep that in mind." But honestly, he wished he could hide away. It was just that it was too late now; he was already tangled up in this brutal power struggle. Elder Crane gestured for Booth to sit down and then asked, "What did you come to see Zara about?" Booth replied, "After Master went into seclusion, I helped Elder Wolf with affairs in the Spirit Beast Hall. Recently, a few hundred spiritual herbs and Immortal Mushrooms went missing from Garden No. 9, and I'm looking into it." "Oh?" Elder Crane frowned. "How does this involve Zara?" Booth put on a wry smile. "Elder Crane, please don't misunderstand; this has nothing to do with Junior Sister Zara. It's just… Junior Brother Felix, who was suspected of theft, got himself into some trouble…" "Felix? The disciple of Dragon? Has the head of those people in the Spirit Beast Hall gone crazy? How could they let Felix guard the herb garden? I must be hearing things." Elder Crane interrupted Booth, disbelief etched on her features. Putting Felix in charge of the herb garden was like making a big rat the grain storekeeper. The chief elder of the Spirit Beast Hall, Wolf, wasn't a fool. How could he pull such a boneheaded move? Suddenly, Elder Crane seemed to realize something. Her brow furrowed slightly. "Booth, why would Felix's trouble make you ask Zara about it? Those two shouldn't even know each other." Just as Booth was about to explain, two figures walked in: Coral in green and Zara in white. Both were stunning beauties, but they gave off entirely different vibes. As Elder Crane's eldest disciple and the head sister of Watercloud Pavilion, Coral often had to take on the responsibility of teaching the younger disciples. Eldest disciples like her were usually chosen for their gentle nature and solid character. Coral had a refreshing warmth about her, like a friendly neighbor's older sister, always wearing a kind smile that made people feel close to her. In contrast, Zara exuded an icy demeanor, her beauty unrivaled yet never breaking into a smile, much like the shaded side of a snow-capped mountain that never sees sunlight. A cold aura radiated from her eyes, extending to every pore in her body, making it seem like even her hair was cold to the touch. As they entered, both girls greeted Elder Crane with a slight bow. Coral said, "Master, Zara is here." Elder Crane nodded slightly and glanced at Booth. "Booth, since Zara is here, you can ask whatever questions you have. My disciples would never do anything against the sect's rules." Zara's cold gaze landed on Booth, with a trace of confusion flickering in her eyes. In her more than ten years with the sect, this was probably the first time anyone had come specifically to see her—and it was a male disciple, no less. She didn't say anything, just stood silently, holding her white immortal sword at her side. Booth coughed lightly, stood up, and said, "Junior Sister Zara, I came today about something involving Junior Brother Felix. I wanted to confirm a few things with you…" Zara seemed to catch on. "Felix? That bastard—is he dead?" she asked indifferently. Booth's eyes narrowed slightly, but he quickly shook his head. "No, no. Felix turned himself in earlier today. He's currently being held in the Discipline Hall." "I've already punished him. The rest will follow the sect's rules. I trust Elder Tiger will handle it fairly and deliver justice to that lecher." "Lecher?" The three people in the bamboo hut exchanged puzzled looks. Elder Crane slowly asked, "Zara, do you know Felix? Did he… do something to you?" Zara's expression shifted slightly, and for the first time, her icy gaze wavered. She slowly shook her head. "I ran into him a few days ago. He said something inappropriate, and I already dealt with him at the time." But Zara wasn't telling the full truth. After all, as a young woman, how could she publicly admit that Felix had spied on her while she was bathing, seeing everything? How could she face anyone after that? Elder Crane kept her eyes on Zara. She had raised the girl herself and knew her better than anyone. At that moment, the slight shift in Zara's gaze told her that the girl wasn't being entirely honest—at least not about everything. Booth asked, "When exactly did you run into Felix, Junior Sister Zara? Did he say anything to you?" Zara's eyes flickered again, like a still pond disturbed by a small stone, sending gentle ripples across the surface. "Are you investigating what happened to Felix?" she asked flatly. Elder Crane and Coral exchanged more puzzled glances. Booth, however, stayed calm. Since Zara had met Felix, it was likely Felix had told her that he crawled out of a mass grave. It didn't surprise Booth that Zara was aware of this. "Not exactly," Booth said, shaking his head slowly. "I've been helping Elder Wolf handle matters at the Spirit Beast Hall. My primary task this time is to investigate the missing herbs from Garden No. 9, which Felix was in charge of. Other matters are under the Discipline Hall's jurisdiction—I have no authority to interfere." "When Felix turned himself in today, he claimed to have lost his memory. We couldn't get much out of him. However, he did say that he encountered you near Cloud Peak a few days ago and that you were the one who reminded him of his identity and other details. Is that true?" Elder Crane's expression grew serious, sensing that something unusual was at play. "Zara," Elder Crane asked firmly, "what's really going on?" Zara hesitated for a moment before speaking. "About six or seven days ago, I did run into Felix in the back mountain. At the time, he was being chased by a giant tiger, so I stepped in and saved him. It was only later that I found out he had lost his memory. He didn't remember anything from his past—not even his own name. All he remembered was that he had crawled out of the dirt from the mass grave behind Moon Peak. Since we're from the same sect, I told him a little about his identity and gave him some basic information about Void Sect." "What?"Elder Crane's face turned serious, and Coral's expression looked equally strange. "No matter what," Coral said, "Felix is still a registered inner disciple of Void Sect. Who would dare harm Elder Dragon's direct disciple like that? Killing him and dumping his body in a mass grave—this is outrageous!" "Hmph," Elder Crane said calmly. "Felix has made plenty of enemies over the years. When Dragon was around, no one dared touch him. But now that Dragon has been missing for over three years, it's no surprise that someone would go after him." Zara muttered under her breath, "He had it coming." Booth felt most of the weight lift off his chest—so Felix really had lost his memory after all. He nodded and said, "Thank you, Junior Sister Zara. That answers my questions." Then he turned to Elder Crane and added, "Elder Crane, if someone plotted against Felix, there's likely more to this than meets the eye. Void Sect has a reputation to uphold. If word gets out about something like this..." Before he could finish, Elder Crane interrupted. "I understand what you're saying, Booth. However, all the disciples at my Watercloud Pavilion are women. We aren't interested in the inner workings of the sect, nor do we intend to get involved. You all can handle this investigation yourselves. My disciples won't gossip. Since you've finished your questions, you should head back now." Booth gave a slight nod, cupped his hands in farewell, and took his leave.