Chapter 119: An Unexpected Reason

"Let us stop guessing and let him speak for himself!" Ji Yao glanced at the wealthy young man, who was staring blankly with wide eyes, as if unaware of the passage of time. She gestured toward him, signaling Ling Ru and Jue Chen.

"Fellow Daoist, why don't you share your thoughts? Since this matter involves that woman, and as this person has yet to wake, and you have encountered her before, there must be some minor details that can help us draw a conclusion."

Jue Chen, sitting at a distance, watched Ji Yao’s furrowed brow and contemplative expression. Clearly, she was deeply concerned about this affair. After a moment of reflection, he began.

"Some time ago, I was commissioned to track a Qi Refining cultivator. During my pursuit, I learned that this cultivator was last seen voluntarily following a woman into a forest for training. When I caught up with them, they were in a cave, engaged in intimacy. However, there were several other Qi Refining male cultivators in the cave, all in a deep slumber, hidden by a concealed formation."

At this point, Ling Ru found the situation unusual and asked, "Did those two not discover the formation? Or was it set by them? That would be too..."

Ji Yao finished her sentence, "If that were the case, it would be highly suspicious. Acting so recklessly without fear of the people inside waking up—the nature of the problem becomes clear."

Jue Chen nodded. "At first, I only scanned the area with my divine sense and did not enter to investigate. I only sensed a formation blocking my perception and did not realize there were others inside, so I simply called out for them to come out. To my surprise, when they emerged, they made no mention of the formation, as if they were completely unaware of its existence. They claimed the man had inhaled the pollen of a toxic flower and needed to find a cave to detoxify, leaving them no time to search the surroundings."

After listening to their explanation, Jue Chen felt something was amiss in the cave and decided it was best not to get involved, so he escorted them out of the forest. However, as soon as they left, a Core Formation cultivator, claiming to be the woman’s senior brother, arrived and whisked her away. Recalling the direction they headed—back toward the forest—and the formation he had seen earlier, Jue Chen grew suspicious.

After ensuring the safety of the original Qi Refining cultivator he was tracking, he cautiously returned to the cave and discovered the unconscious men. When he returned, only the woman was there; her senior brother was gone. Furthermore, the woman would periodically disable the formation to check on something inside, which was how Jue Chen saw the trapped cultivators.

Only then did Jue Chen realize he had been deceived. However, seeing that the woman did not harm the unconscious men, but rather seemed to be guarding them, he chose not to act rashly. It wasn't until her senior brother returned and discovered Jue Chen’s presence that he used a strange technique to capture him and handed him over to the woman to deal with.

*So what?* Ji Yao felt the monk was missing the point. If he had been captured, the events that followed were the key; the previous details were trivial.

Jue Chen looked at the two women before continuing. "The woman did not harm me; instead, she took me out of the forest. Seeing that she seemed somewhat kind-hearted, I intended to gather more information, but I accidentally learned that her senior brother intended to use me as a 'cauldron' for her. Fearing the worst, I seized an opportunity to break free and fought her. It was then I discovered that despite her Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivation, she appeared to be merely a Qi Refining cultivator."

"And then you fled? Without bothering about the unconscious people in the cave?" Ji Yao asked, following common logic. It was not intended as a jab; she knew the cultivation world was such that one could hardly protect oneself, let alone others.

"After I escaped, I returned to the cave once more," Jue Chen said, glancing at Ji Yao before shaking his head. "But there was nothing left. No clues, nothing. I was helpless."

"I left that place, and the next time I saw the woman—who called herself Xuan Yi—was when she was with this wealthy young man of the third Qi Refining layer. Because of the strange occurrences before, I warned this young man not to associate with her. As for what happened afterward, you have likely guessed it yourselves..."

"Wait!" Ji Yao interrupted, asking in surprise, "What did you just say her name was?"

Jue Chen, confused, rubbed his bald head. "I heard her senior brother call her 'Xuan Yi,' and later she told me her name was 'Xuan Yi.' Why? Have you heard this name before, Fellow Daoist Ji?"

Ji Yao knew the name well. Ever since she first heard it, it had left a deep impression, but she could not reveal that to anyone right now.

"The name sounds familiar, though I cannot recall where I might have heard it," Ji Yao replied vaguely.

"People resemble one another, and names often overlap. That is quite normal," Ling Ru said, thinking she understood, then pointed to the man on the bed. "Does Fellow Daoist Jue Chen mean that this woman, Xuan Yi, um, perhaps drained him? Is that why he has become like this?"

Jue Chen felt that the two women before him, who could calmly analyze such a situation to his face, were not like ordinary female cultivators. "Well, I have had that suspicion."

"No!" Ji Yao suddenly interjected. "You said this young man was at the third layer of Qi Refining from the start, and he is still at the third layer now. If he had been drained, how could his cultivation not have diminished at all?"

"Perhaps it is because he also possesses a Pure Yang physique!"

"A Pure Yang physique?"

"Also?"

Ling Ru and Ji Yao both zeroed in on different parts of Jue Chen’s sentence. Jue Chen was stunned by their simultaneous questions. He looked from Ling Ru to Ji Yao, then seemed to make up his mind.

"When her senior brother threw me to her to be used as a cauldron, it was because of my Pure Yang physique."

"Ah?" Ling Ru was shocked.

"Oh!" Ji Yao realized, her suspicions confirmed.

Jue Chen sighed at their reactions and explained in detail. The so-called Pure Yang physique, similar to the Pure Yin physique, not only allowed for smoother cultivation but was also an excellent quality for dual cultivation, making it highly coveted by those in the cultivation world who sought shortcuts.

Because his unique constitution was discovered early on, Jue Chen had been taken into the Nine Buddhas Temple and ordained as a monk to protect him from being exploited. Reminded by Xuan Yi's words, he had assumed she was targeting the young man's Pure Yang constitution. He had tried to warn him, but the man had been headstrong and ignored him.

Now that the man appeared before him in this state, and after finding no signs of physical injury or poison, Jue Chen could not help but speculate. Given how quickly these events had unfolded, it was easy to connect the dots.