Chapter 17: Found

Chapter 17: Found

"Who!! Who is it!!" An exceedingly brutal roar echoed throughout the cavern; it was the voice of Master Danyang, and this was the first time he had ever flown into such a towering rage.

He had not been angry when someone tried to escape before, nor had he been angry when Li Huowang inadvertently offended him with his words, but now he was furious.

The atmosphere within the entire Qingfeng Temple grew oppressively heavy, to the point that even the oil lamps hanging on the walls seemed much dimmer than usual.

At Master Danyang's command, everyone gradually gathered in the main hall for the morning lesson.

The air was thick with the stench of blood, and the scattered corpses on the ground proved that Master Danyang had vented his unquenchable wrath upon some innocent souls.

Killing might have eased his mind a little, but it was not enough, not nearly enough.

"Thud~" A mangled mass of flesh and blood, still attached to a severed head, was violently hurled down before everyone.

It was the head of the vase-girl that Li Huowang had shattered earlier; death had drained the rouge from her cheeks, and her lifeless eyes betrayed a profound, lingering terror.

"Who did this? Who dared to sneak into my chambers while I was refining the elixir!!"

Master Danyang's voice was now low and oppressive, like a lion on the verge of an eruption. "Step forward honestly now, and this Daoist Master will grant you a quick death. But if I have to catch you myself later, heh! I will make you kneel and beg me to kill you!"

The entire cavern fell into a deathly silence; whether they were medicinal catalysts, disciples, or acolytes, not a single person dared to move.

"Fine! None of you will speak? Then I shall ask you one by one! Changming, Changren, what were you two doing while I was refining the elixir?"

The two disciples carrying long swords immediately bowed to Master Danyang. "Reporting to Master, as per your orders, we were guarding the gates of Qingfeng Temple, not slacking off for even a moment!!"

Expressionless, Master Danyang walked up to them, scrutinizing their expressions in detail. Only after staring at them until cold sweat nearly dripped from their brows did he slowly turn his gaze aside. "Xuanyuan! And you?"

Standing beside Xuanyuan, Li Huowang's heart tightened; he knew he would be next, and quickly cheered himself on inwardly—hold on! As long as he doesn't see through the facade, victory is surely mine!

"Xuanyang! It's your turn. Where did you go after delivering the medicinal catalysts today?"

The instant he heard this, Li Huowang blurted out, "This disciple was in the ingredient room, preparing the materials Master will need for the next batch."

"Is that so?" Master Danyang stepped closer, his nauseating stench and suffocating aura of authority pushing Li Huowang's body to the absolute limit of tension; he finally understood why the other senior brothers had been sweating so profusely.

Minute by minute, second by second, time dragged on, and under the immense pressure, beads of sweat multiplied on Li Huowang's forehead.

Suddenly, the weight lifted from him, but just as he thought he had escaped disaster, Master Danyang's voice rang out again. "Did any of you actually see Xuanyang in the ingredient room?"

Li Huowang cast his gaze over and saw that Master Danyang had already approached Bai Lingmiao and the others from the ingredient room; he was addressing the medicinal catalysts.

"Think carefully before you speak. Whoever helps me find the culprit will not only be sent home by this Daoist Master but also given travel expenses."

At these words, the dozen or so disabled remnants in the ingredient room instantly widened their eyes; they wanted to go home, dreaming of nothing else but leaving this hellish place.

"Master... Senior Brother Li was indeed with us at the time..." Sensing the wavering hearts of the crowd, Bai Lingmiao was the first to speak up.

Master Danyang gave her face a deep, piercing look. "Oh? And the rest of you?"

Goudan's breathing grew somewhat rapid, his expression torn with struggle, until finally he gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and stepped forward. "Um, Immortal Grandpa, I'll talk! That Xuanyang fellow didn't come to the ingredient room even once today! It must have been him!"

At this declaration, Xuanyin, whose face was pale with fright in the crowd, let the corners of his mouth curl up slightly, nearly laughing aloud, for his life was saved.

Master Danyang glanced back at Li Huowang, then slowly walked up to Goudan and swung his right hand, slapping him squarely across the face with a sharp crack. "Bullshit! Xuanyang delivered this morning's catalysts himself! If he didn't go to the ingredient room, where did he get them? Are you courting death?"

Goudan seemed terrified out of his wits, immediately dropping to his knees with snot and tears streaming down his face, kowtowing incessantly. "Immortal Grandpa, I was wrong, my mind was clouded by greed for a moment, that's why I lied."

Master Danyang looked expressionlessly at Goudan, who was so scared on the ground he was about to wet himself, then suddenly turned to glare at Xuanyin. "What were you smiling at just now? Are you overjoyed that Xuanyang was falsely accused?"

These words instantly made Xuanyin shudder, the overwhelming pressure emanating from Master Danyang crushing him until he could barely breathe.

As Master Danyang slowly walked toward him, Xuanyin's expression grew increasingly panicked, so visibly off-kilter that even those nearby who knew nothing of the truth could tell something was terribly wrong.

The moment Master Danyang reached him, he completely broke down, collapsing onto the ground as yellow urine slowly seeped out from beneath the hem of his Daoist robe. "Master! I didn't want to do it! Senior Brother Zhengkun forced me to!!"

At this revelation, Zhengkun's face twisted into a ferocious sneer; he pushed off the hard ground with both feet, sprinting toward the cave entrance like a leopard, leaving a blur of afterimages in his wake.

"So it was you!" Master Danyang snorted coldly, sweeping his right sleeve; accompanied by a crisp jingling, a verdigris-coated copper coin tumbled to the ground, spinning like a top.

Just as Zhengkun was about to escape the cave, Master Danyang's cloth-shod right foot suddenly lifted and stamped down, kicking dust high into the air.

With a sharp crack, the copper coin instantly shattered into pieces and flew outward, but it was not just the coin that was torn apart—so was Zhengkun in the distance.

His limbs were ripped away as if he had been drawn and quartered by five horses.

Limbless and bleeding profusely, Zhengkun somehow remained alive, still wriggling toward the entrance like a fleshy maggot.

"My boy, you've been with me the longest, why did it have to be you! I should have known earlier; you were the only one who could have unraveled the wards in my chamber." The hideous Master Danyang stepped on Zhengkun's head, halting his writhing.

"Master... I was wrong, Master, I'm a cripple now, please just spare me this once!"

"Master, back when those monks from Zhengde Temple were hunting us down, it was my two younger brothers who gave their lives so we could escape! Master!"

Master Danyang's foot shifted slightly downward, pressing Zhengkun's purple, congested face directly into the dirt, silencing him completely.

"My boy, do you know what? This Daoist Master knows exactly what's in your heart; you and your two brothers are all ungrateful, treacherous wolves!!" Master Danyang spoke word by deliberate word, his foot applying ever-increasing pressure.

"Bang!" Accompanied by a muffled explosion, a drop of thick, viscous blood splattered onto Li Huowang's face.

(End of Chapter)