Chapter 178: It Has to Be Nian Nian’s Mother
When Sang Zhe and Shi Qingyan finally got ready and rushed to the scene,
they found the entrance to a study in the side hall of the Fierce Tiger Sect surrounded by burly disciples.
Including the Sect Leader, Ke Qinhux, and an old man beside him, everyone looked serious in front of the study.
“What… what happened?”
Sang Zhe squeezed to the front and saw a muscle-bound man in the study, his lips oozing black blood, his eyes rolled back, leaning back in his chair.
Books were scattered all around him, yet his body had no visible external injuries, and his clothes were intact without signs of a struggle.
“Dead with eyes wide open, how tragic,” Sang Zhe couldn’t help but exclaim.
“What happened?” Shi Qingyan casually asked a nearby disciple of the Fierce Tiger Sect.
“Not sure,” the disciple shook his head, “This senior was found already dead in the study. No one knows how he died.”
While he spoke, the Sect Leader and the old man turned their heads to look at Sang Zhe.
Sang Zhe: “…Hey, don’t tell me this is going to implicate me?”
“My partner and I were in the guest room the whole time, about to take our clothes off to get it on, how could we possibly go kill someone? You guys had disciples guarding outside!”
“That’s not the point,” the old man said stiffly, “This child died from practicing forbidden arts and going mad, making us look foolish.”
“You two, dispose of this rebellious disciple’s corpse and throw it out. From now on, consider that there was never such a person in the Fierce Tiger Sect.”
Hearing this, Sang Zhe’s brow furrowed slightly, and he turned to exchange a glance with Shi Qingyan.
“It’s getting late, you two,” Sect Leader Ke Qinhux also glanced at them warily, “The sect’s internal matters don’t need your concern.”
So Sang Zhe silently bowed and returned to the guest room with Shi Qingyan.
But as soon as they entered, Sang Zhe immediately slammed the door shut and set up soundproofing.
“Something’s off.”
“Died from going mad? Do they really take us for fools?” Sang Zhe scoffed.
Shi Qingyan slowly lowered her gaze: “That’s clearly a poisoning death. The cup on the ground was all purple, there’s no way to cover that up.”
“The point isn’t whether they can cover it up or not, but why they want to hide it from us.”
Sang Zhe’s eyes narrowed: “The Fierce Tiger Sect is hiding something.”
Sang Zhe had a vague feeling.
As the only major sect on Cloud Cow Mountain, the Fierce Tiger Sect couldn’t possibly be completely unaware of such a heinous case.
For example, the things taken by that fatal demoness.
Sang Zhe didn’t believe the Fierce Tiger Sect didn’t know what it was.
With tonight’s inexplicable concealment of the disciples’ death, it was evident that the Fierce Tiger Sect wasn’t at peace either.
“I feel like this isn’t a coincidence,” Shi Qingyan whispered, “This disciple’s death may be related to the Yu Family incident.”
“But as guests, we shouldn’t appear to investigate.”
“How about…” she cautiously suggested, “I secretly investigate the cause of this disciple’s death?”
Unexpectedly, Sang Zhe decisively shook his head.
“Too dangerous. I can’t let you take such a big risk.”
Shi Qingyan was momentarily stunned, then suddenly lowered her head, as if inadvertently speaking:
“Actually… it’s fine. When I was a shadow guard, I did much more dangerous tasks.”
“Don’t worry about me, and don’t pity me; I’ve long since gotten used to it—”
“Back when you were at the Water Moon Sect,” Sang Zhe interrupted her.
“…But I’m not the Yu Xia from back then.”
Sang Zhe looked at her seriously.
Shi Qingyan was silent for a moment, and her beautiful eyes shifted to the side.
Her cherry lips seemed to slightly curl up imperceptibly.
Fool.
She mouthed to herself.
“So what now? Just wait it out?”
Sang Zhe didn’t speak.
But in his mind, he had already asked: “Nian Nian, tell me the whole story regarding this disciple’s death.”
“Think it through, but that’ll cost you a thousand points—”
“Deal.” Sang Zhe’s voice was remarkably resolute.
Nian Nian seemed to fall silent for a moment and then casually said:
“The deceased, Yu Dade, was a disciple of the Fierce Tiger Sect and a direct disciple of Xuan E Lao Yao.”
Xuan E Lao Yao?
Sang Zhe suddenly recalled the bald, muscular old man who had been next to Sect Leader Ke Qinhux.
“Though Yu Dade did practice forbidden arts, he did not die from going mad. Instead, he was poisoned and killed by his master, Xuan E Lao Yao.”
“The purpose was to silence him and conceal matters related to the forbidden arts.”
“What are forbidden arts?” Sang Zhe frowned.
“Over a decade ago, there was a demon cultivation sect called the Ruthless Blood Hall, that was almost entirely hunted by the righteous path for its cruel practices and countless deaths, leaving its disciples notorious for being cold-blooded murderers. They were nearly exterminated.”
“A small number of remaining demon cultivators fled to the vicinity of Cloud Tiger Mountain, each fleeing in their own direction.”
“The Ruthless Blood Hall’s technique, known as the ‘Ruthless Blood Absolute Thought Technique,’ relies on killing all of one’s blood relatives to exchange their blood for a substantial increase in one’s cultivation.”
“So, the disciples of the Ruthless Blood Hall basically killed their entire families.”
“Xuan E Lao Yao was once a disciple of the Ruthless Blood Hall. Using the talents gained from forbidden arts, he rose through the ranks in the Fierce Tiger Sect and eventually became an Elder.”
“And Yu Dade was lured into killing all his relatives under his master’s guidance to become one of the top disciples of the new generation in the Fierce Tiger Sect.”
After hearing this, Sang Zhe couldn’t help but frown.
What kind of twisted technique is this?
If you don’t kill your relatives, you can’t cultivate.
What kind of nonsense is “Ruthless Blood Absolute Thought Technique”?
Even Uchiha Sasuke would give you a thumbs up.
But then Sang Zhe quickly realized something and hastily asked:
“So, the massacre of the Yu Family was also because of this ‘Ruthless Blood Absolute Thought Technique’? Did that traitorous Yu Zijian practice this forbidden technique and go back to kill his whole family?”
“Yes,” Nian Nian paused briefly, then added, “But not exactly.”
Sang Zhe: “?”
“Don’t be cryptic! I paid for this information!”
“The information about the Yu Family massacre is not included in this service,” Nian Nian’s haughty voice came again, “If you want to know, it will cost you another two thousand points.”
Sang Zhe nearly spewed blood in frustration.
Oh no.
This little girl seems to be getting addicted to fleecing customers.
Seeing Sang Zhe’s face twist in agony from only half the information and his pained look regarding the points, Nian Nian suddenly averted her eyes and casually murmured:
“Hmph. Seems like the host is quite troubled after leaving this system.”
“Looks like this system is quite useful, huh?”
“Of course.” Sang Zhe sighed, “Nian Nian Mama, you’re my true mother. If I lose you, what good is a broken mask system?”
The Nian Nian beside him, transformed, blinked her long eyelashes rapidly.
“Now… you know I’m useful, right?”
“Ah? You are definitely useful.”
“More useful than those women around you?”
Sang Zhe: “?”
“What do you mean by that comparison?”
“…Nothing.”
Nian Nian suddenly turned away, hugging her arms, her voice rarely carrying a hint of embarrassment: “Well, this system will generously give you one more clue.”
“Remember the Fierce Tiger Sect’s treasure, the Zhaohun Bell?”
Sang Zhe certainly remembered.
He had found it curious how that name sounded so much like something from demon cultivators.
“You’re right. The Zhaohun Bell is indeed something from demon cultivators.”
Nian Nian stated, “It was once a treasure of the Ruthless Blood Hall, which was then given to the leader of the Fierce Tiger Sect by Xuan E Lao Yao in exchange for a place to stay.”
“And the effect of the Zhaohun Bell isn’t just to temporarily allow the dead’s soul to return to their body.”
“…It’s permanent.”
Sang Zhe’s pupils slightly widened.
“The Zhaohun Bell can bring people back to life. However, those who are revived can no longer be considered humans.”
“They are merely corpses possessed by souls.”
“This system can only say this much.” Nian Nian adjusted her glasses and huffed, “As for the rest, it’s up to the host to uncover the truth.”
At that moment, Sang Zhe fell into deep thought.
Zhaohun Bell.
Resurrection.
Permanent.
Sometime later, Shi Qingyan’s concerned voice gently brought Sang Zhe back to reality.
“Sang Zhe? What’s wrong?”
“You’ve been dazed since earlier. Are you thinking of something?” Shi Qingyan asked, puzzled.
Sang Zhe nodded earnestly.
“I suddenly thought of an important clue.”
Shi Qingyan: “…Again about the Yu Family having no toilet?”
“Exactly.”
Unexpectedly, this time, Sang Zhe chuckled.
“It’s because the Yu Family has no toilet.”
Shi Qingyan, seeing his cheerful demeanor, looked somewhat confused: “So what does that imply? Perhaps they have a toilet in their village, or maybe… it’s in the wilderness…”
Seeing Shi Qingyan’s cheeks redden, Sang Zhe shook his head: “That’s possible, but it doesn’t make sense.”
“The Yu Family is a prosperous one; they should have built at least a latrine.”
“The lack of a toilet is something that cultivators could easily overlook. For cultivators, their bodies no longer need metabolism to expel waste, as the spiritual energy flowing through their meridians will naturally eliminate impurities.”
“But mortals can’t do that.”
“Mortal beings still need to metabolize to maintain normal survival.”
“But if there were mortals who didn’t need to metabolize to expel waste, what would that imply?”
Shi Qingyan creased her brows slightly, but then heard Sang Zhe say:
“Tonight has already proven that the Fierce Tiger Sect isn’t fully trusting us, as they’re being vague even about the cause of this disciple’s death.”
“I believe the so-called treasure, the Zhaohun Bell, has also been hidden from us.”
“If from the very beginning, all thirteen members of the Yu Family were never truly alive—”
“…But rather corpses revived by the Zhaohun Bell?”
Shi Qingyan stared at Sang Zhe in surprise for a moment, her expression doubtful.
“Hmph. How about that?”
Sang Zhe grinned proudly: “Are you impressed by my brilliant deduction?”
“No.”
Shi Qingyan replied, “I just think it’s surprising you didn’t reveal your talent for storytelling earlier.”
“The script you wrote could probably blow up at Fusa Pavilion soon, right?”
Sang Zhe: “…I’m not joking!”
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