Lin Mu and Elder Hua Langya's conversation lasted a long time. A day passed by and they didn't even realize it.
~CHIME~
The sound of light bells could be heard all of a sudden and pulled the attention of Lin Mu, who had been speaking.
"Huh?" Lin Mu's ears perked up.
~CREAK~
The door of the room opened and an old woman entered. She was wearing the robes of an elder and seemed to be in her fifties.
"Elder Yi? What's the matter?" Hua Langya questioned.
"Elder Liqiang has finally woken up." She answered.
Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up. Elder Liqiang had been carried over to the alchemy peak to be taken care of. He was being personally being taken care of by the elders there to ensure that there was no problem with him.
"GOOD! We shall all head over." Hua Langya stated.
"Yes, let's go! I have some questions to ask him too." Lin Mu spoke.
"We shall go back elder, I don't think it would be appropriate for us to disturb Elder Liqiang." The disciples who had been sitting at the back spoke.
"Very well. Your part here is done, anyway. You can return." Hua Langya dismissed them.
The only reason they had been asked to stay back was that the elder wanted to assess their experiences along with the second perspective of events that would come from the disciples.
After all, no matter how insightful Lin Mu, Jing Luo and Elder Weimin were, there were bound to be things that they may have missed, but others might not have. Thus, these disciples were here for that reason.
But in the time that Lin Mu had spoken, almost all the events were discussed and there was no use for them. Plus, it would not be appropriate for them to be in the presence of the injured elder either.
The now smaller group left for the alchemy peak and arrived there in a few minutes. Usually, guests would not be brought this easily to the alchemy peak, as it was a rather sensitive area, but considering Lin Mu's identity, there was no issue now.
Plus, Elder Hua Langya had talked and listened to Lin Mu enough that he was convinced of him and fully approved of his leadership. The most he was impressed with was Lin Mu's strength that was beyond that of a normal cultivator of the same level.
The old woman came to a stop in front of a building that was built from white and grey stones. There was a board that was hung on top of it which read: Healing Hall.
"Unlock!" Elder Yi chanted.
~shua~
A few formations appeared in the air for a moment before disappearing.
"We can proceed now," she said and they could finally enter.
'Guess they have higher security here due to the injured people.' Lin Mu thought.
It was made this way since they could not protect themselves easily on the off chance that someone infiltrated the sect. This way the enemies would not be able to target the patients.
It was a smart choice according to Lin Mu and he approved of the caution, especially since there was someone like Gu Yao who could control people. In that way, they wouldn't even have to infiltrate the sect and simply needed to control someone from the sect itself.
Lin Mu and elder Hua Langya were quickly brought to the room where Elder Liqiang was recovering.
~Creak~
The door of the hall opened, and Lin Mu could see a faint smoke in the room. It was rising from the four censors that were placed in the four corners of the room. The smoke that they let off was lightly aromatic and had a calming effect on the mind.
"Spirit Rose Frankincense?" Lin Mu recognized what was being burned.
He recalled that it was a special type of Frankincense that was made from the sprint Rosewood that grew only in the Great Southern Forest. It had the effect of calming the mind and promoting spirit Qi harmony in the body.
It was in fact similar to the formation array that was in the supreme elder's room, but was far more effective. Though it was also limited by the amount of Spirit Rose Frankincense that was used and could not be activated indefinitely like the formation array.
Elder Liqiang was currently resting on a bed and had his back against a triangular pillows that supported it. It was reclined at a 45% angle and allowed him to look at everyone with far more comfort.
"Greetings, Elder Liqiang!" Lin Mu said out loud with a smile.
Elder Liqiang similarly smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Allow me to offer you, my gratitude Brother Lin Mu," Elder Liqiang said, changing the designation he used.
He also bowed at the same time and raised his hands in a salute above his head.
"No need for that, Elder Liqiang. I simply fulfilled my duty as an ally." Lin Mu stated.
"No, you went above and beyond what was needed of you. Even if you never came, it would have been reasonable. After all, you were treading in uncharted territory and had no compulsion to enter a dangerous situation.
Yet even then you chose to come to help me out and save me. For this, I will be eternally grateful." Elder Liqiang said with pure gratitude in his eyes.
Lin Mu could only nod and accept the words as he knew that saying anything else would be insulting the trust that the man had showed in him.
"While the thanks are good, we still need to know the entire story behind your capture. So… tell us what happened." Elder Hua Langya interrupted.
"Ah yes! How did you end up in the Ruins Elder Liqiang?" Lin Mu questioned.
~Sigh~
Hearing this, Elder could only sigh.
"It was a series of unfortunate events." Elder Liqiang replied.
"I can imagine," Lin Mu nodded his head in agreement.
All that they had come across could only be explained by luck at this point.
