"What happened to Abbess Miaohui?"
Due to Abbess Miaohui's past actions, Yan Shouyi still couldn't address her as 'senior' and could only use her name.
Wen Yuxian's expression was grim. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she signaled that Abbess Miaohui's time had come.
Abbess Miaohui was already advanced in age and had undergone a simulated death. The pent-up resentment in her heart made it remarkable that she had lived this long.
When everyone saw her transform into an Asura, they had already understood that even if Yan Shouyi saved her, she wouldn't live much longer.
The desperate rescue effort was partly to eliminate the threat of the Asura and partly to ascertain the location of the Lotus Array Core, allowing them to leave Mount Emei sooner.
Of course, Wen Yuxian and Abbess Miaohui also harbored a sliver of personal sentiment. Regardless of Abbess Miaohui's misguided deeds, they were master and disciple, and there was still some affection between them.
At this moment, Abbess Miaohui lay motionless on the ground, like a withered leaf, with only the subtle rise and fall of her chest proving she had a breath left.
Tian Juer could perhaps infuse her with life force to prolong her existence, but it would be like pouring water into a bottomless pit, with little meaningful effect.
"Master..." The faces of the two elders, their combined age exceeding a hundred, were etched with complex sorrow.
"This old nun has committed too many wrongdoings... I am not worthy of your pity..."
Abbess Miaohui had a degree of self-awareness, or perhaps, having understood everything, she had become more enlightened.
In her life, she had missed the one who loved her and hurt the one she loved. From the day she descended the mountain to wander, she had been making mistakes.
She should have died filled with resentment, yet at the end of her life, she learned the truth of everything.
Thus, all her resentment transformed into guilt and sorrow. For her, there was nothing left to yearn for in this world.
The only thing she could do was to exert her last bit of strength and make a small atonement.
"The Buddha says, 'Cast down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha instantly'... but the mistakes this old nun has made, how can they be so easily forgiven..."
"Even if you forgive me... the disciples of the Emei sect who met a tragic end will not forgive me."
"After this old nun dies, I will surely descend into hell... I only beg to do something for you all before I die..."
Abbess Miaohui beckoned with difficulty, calling Yan Shouyi over.
Yan Shouyi approached Abbess Miaohui. Seeing that she was beyond saving, he could only sigh.
Just as Abbess Miaohui was about to say something, a dark shadow suddenly attacked!
"Not good!"
Yan Shouyi's expression changed drastically. He quickly moved to shield Abbess Miaohui. With no time to grab a weapon, he could only block with his bare hands.
*Thwack!*
The attacker, wielding a short knife, directly pierced Yan Shouyi's arms. The tip of the blade was only a hair's breadth away from Yan Shouyi's brow!
"Who are you!?"
Wen Yuxian and Master Guanyun were also enraged. To think that even now, someone was hiding on Mount Emei?!
The attacker wore black, his form as elusive as a phantom. He let out a cold snort and then made a small movement.
The short knife that pierced Yan Shouyi's palm suddenly seemed to splinter, and a sharp paulownia wood splinter shot out!
Yan Shouyi quickly dodged, but he was still a step too late. The paulownia wood pierced his left eye!
Blood streamed down from the corner of his eye, and the pain caused him a brief moment of disorientation.
Then, Yan Shouyi's right eye burst with light, and he threw a punch into the attacker's chest!
*Bang!*
The force of the blow was so immense that it blew open the attacker's chest!
Suffering such a terrifying, fatal wound, the assailant had no hope of survival and fell stiffly to the ground.
"Shouyi!"
Everyone rushed forward, kicked the attacker's corpse aside, and checked on Yan Shouyi's injuries.
Yan Shouyi clutched his left eye, his body trembling slightly. "I'm fine."
"How can you be fine!" Wen Yuxian was furious.
The Heavenly Fiend Corpse Puppet was uniquely afraid of paulownia wood. The attacker had used paulownia wood to pierce Yan Shouyi's eye, potentially causing him to permanently lose his left eye!
After all, eyes were different from other parts of the body; they couldn't recover normally.
"Don't worry about me, first check the identity of this person, and... Abbess Miaohui!" Yan Shouyi gritted his teeth.
Abbess Miaohui had little time left, and they had to hurry and let her finish her last words.
Yan Shouyi, covering his eye, leaned close to Abbess Miaohui's lips. He heard her say weakly:
"This old nun once said... that the Twelve Yuan Chen was founded by me, and the reason I joined Li Genmiao was because..."
"...because Li Genmiao harbored malice towards inheritors of folk sects... He wished to kill all inheritors of folk sects in the world... but later, I discovered something was amiss..."
"Li Genmiao is not what he appears to be... Although he remains a madman, everything he does is for the good of you inheritors of folk sects..."
Hearing this, Yan Shouyi was stunned.
Li Genmiao did so many heinous things for the inheritors of folk sects?
How was this possible?
The number of folk sect inheritors who died at Li Genmiao's hands was countless, and he even tried to sow discord between sects. From any perspective, Li Genmiao couldn't possibly be a good person!
"The secret to all of this is hidden in the lower volume of the Luban Shu belonging to your Luban inheritor..." Abbess Miaohui said with her last strength. "If you can obtain the lower volume of the Luban Shu, you will understand everything."
Yan Shouyi firmly committed Abbess Miaohui's words to memory.
The lower volume of the Luban Shu was actually in Yan Chou's possession, but Yan Shouyi had never intended to look at it, and Yan Chou also seemed to have no such intention.
However, given the gravity of the situation, even though Yan Chou was Yan Shouyi's father, Yan Shouyi intended to make this request.
"Your... your... your eye..."
Abbess Miaohui struggled to open her eyes and examine Yan Shouyi's eye injury. Seeing that it was severely damaged, she couldn't help but sigh.
"Your eye is likely beyond recovery... but after this old nun dies, I should be able to transform into a black sarira... This black sarira can become your eye... temporarily suppressing the erosion of your inner demons..."
"My words are finished. You... take care of yourself..."
Having used her last ounce of strength, Abbess Miaohui closed her eyes permanently.
Yan Shouyi looked at Abbess Miaohui for a long time in silence.
Was she a bad person? Yes, she had committed too many heinous deeds.
But what caused her to become a bad person?
A misunderstanding, perhaps a misunderstanding that could never be resolved.
Fortunately, in the final moments of Abbess Miaohui's life, the misunderstanding was cleared, giving her a chance for repentance.
"Grandmother, Little Aunt."
Yan Shouyi slowly stood up, covering his eye, and said, "Senior Miaohui has passed away."
The deceased are to be respected. Yan Shouyi no longer dwelled on Abbess Miaohui's wrongdoings. The final honorific address was a gesture of respect for Abbess Miaohui.
Wen Yuxian and the others, who were busy examining the attacker's identity, paused in their movements.
Following that, a long sigh echoed through Mount Emei.
Amitabha!