(MC POV)
I snapped my fingers in front of Elder Gui's face, causing him to wake up again.
He gasped before hurriedly moving back from me, "Ma... Master Lin... So it wasn't a dream... Umm... How did you get in here?"
"I walked in," I said simply. "You didn't think a barrier like that was able to keep me out, did you?"
"No! No! Of course not! Just... I thought you might have needed to break the barrier first..."
I shrugged, "I got stronger. Anyway, I think it's in your best interest to start explaining what is going on here? Why did you guys lock yourselves in?"
He looked around him, probably only just realising the barrier that I had erected around us.
"Don't bother trying to run or even scream for help," I warned him. "This is basically a better version of your barrier around the Sect, no one can see or hear us so you better start talking."
Surprisingly, he actually looked relieved rather than afraid like what I expected, "As expected of Master Lin. This is good, this is good. You need to understand, Master Lin, we're not doing any of this of our own accord."
My eyebrow raised slightly at his words, "You telling me you're being coerced to lock yourselves behind this barrier?"
"That is correct, Master Lin. I believe you have already dealt with Elder Feng, correct? Then you know that the Dark Sect came back into power during your absence. One of them is staying here in this Sect right now."
I cracked my knuckles, "Well perfect, just bring me to him and then problem solved. So simple."
He scratched his head, "That's the thing, Master Lin... We er... We don't know who it is..."
I gave him an incredulous look, "How the hell do you not even know who it is? This guy is controlling your Sect right? You're telling me you don't even know who is doing that?"
"I know this sounds ridiculous, but yes, Master Lin. This person has a skill that allows them to transform themselves into anyone they have met before. They can even replicate their Cultivation level and even gain some of their memories, allowing them to perfectly replicate the person they are copying. We never saw their real face and they use this skill to walk among us, even close friends and family would be hard to tell them apart."
"Surely if you have two of the same people walking around, that would raise some questions?"
"We thought about it too, but from previous victims' accounts, it seems like they lose consciousness and only wake up after that person is done copying them. They wouldn't even know they were being used until they realised several days have passed."
I narrowed my eyes at him, "So how do I know that you're not him?"
He pursed his lips, "Aside from the fact that I'm telling Master Lin all this?"
I shrugged, "You could just be telling me this to make me trust you, then slip out while I'm distracted looking at everyone else."
The Elder sighed, "I'm afraid Master Lin will have to take my word for it... I do not have anything that can serve as proof on me. Since he can replicate memories and our cultivation levels, it's pretty much impossible for us to know who he is masquerading as right now."
"And you never suspected me because?"
"Because we know he has never seen you, Master Lin. With this barrier up, he wouldn't be able to leave either. At first we all wondered why he ordered the formation of such a barrier to lock us in, but now I suppose I know why."
Hmm... I guess that the Dark Sect guy probably received news of my return and thus locked everyone in to prevent such news from leaking to the rest of the Sect. If the others knew I had returned, they might have chosen to fight against him and complicate his plans, whatever those might be.
Since he chose to stay here instead of leave, there must be something here that he was after but was not able to retrieve.
I pinched my chin, "This guy... Who has he copied so far?"
The Elder shook his head, "We thought there might be a pattern to it but it seems like it's completely random. He transformed into a few of our Masters and Elders, even Master Xiao on one occasion. But he also took the place of a few of the Student, Outer Core, Inner Core and Elite Practitioners too. So we're not sure why he's doing this."
"Interesting... Do you think he did this just to get all of you thinking he could be among you now but instead, slipped away long ago?"
He shook his head, "Unlikely, just two days ago one of our Elite Practitioners announced that he was a victim after he realised a few days had passed by him. So it's very likely he's still here since the barrier was already up."
How curious... To leave the person unconscious for several days while he goes around in their skin...
Hmm? Skin?
Maybe he doesn't copy them, he infests them and controls their body from the inside? Sort of like what Xun Guan is doing except the more invasive kind.
That means we most probably aren't even dealing with a human here.
'Ara? Master is so smart~ If you want me to tell you where this parasite is right now, I can, you know?'
Thanks but no thank you, Iris.
I turned back to the Elder, "Have you been copied before?"
He shook his head, "I'm usually stuck in the Array Courtyard to maintain this barrier I was told to put up. I only come out in rare instances like these when I detect an intruder."
"So you guys still go about your daily lives even with this person in your midst eh?"
The Elder sighed, "What can we do but that, Master Lin? We can't even trust our own family members. When Master Lin first came to me in my grandson's skin, I thought you were that person pretending to be my grandson... I knew it was not because Wugui never calls me 'grandfather', he always calls me 'old man'. Speaking of which, how is Wugui doing?"
I grimaced, "Umm... Sorry to tell you this but... Your grandson's dead. When I snuck in here, I found him dead underneath a tree. It seems like he fell off of it while sleeping and broke his neck. That's why I decided to sneak in here with his appearance."
Yeah, there was no way for me to give him that piece of news gently.
I noticed he wasn't saying anything and was staring at me for a good few seconds.
Waving my hand in front of his face, I realised this guy actually fainted while standing.
Great.
"Ehehehe~ Making an old man faint twice in a row, Master is pretty sadistic~" Xun Guan giggled.
I flicked my sleeve and she gave a yelp of pain.
And here I thought I could only do this when I exuded my Elemental Pressure. How is this happening even without me doing that?
'Ufufufu~ It just shows that Master is getting better!'
That does not make me feel any better....
