The gist was, he went down when others did not, and came up when others went down.
The entire process was right before their eyes, yet so cleverly shrouded in mystery. The heart-stopping instant when both sides crossed paths was not something outsiders could know.
Yu Qing, who had slipped up right under everyone’s noses, still had lingering fear. He looked around, saw no one else, and dared not stay any longer. He quickly flashed away and fled.
Qin Fujun, who had fallen to the bottom of the cliff, drew her sword and looked around in the darkness. She did not see Diling. She flashed to a spot illuminated by moonlight and looked around again. Still no sign of Diling. She looked up at the cliff face slanted by moonlight and cast a spell, shouting, “Diling!”
The voice echoed within the mountain cliff, but there was no response at all.
Listening intently for a while, she gradually sensed something was wrong. Given Diling’s hearing ability, it was impossible for it not to hear her shout.
The pursuing personnel who landed one after another found themselves blocked at the bottom of the cliff. They did not know why everyone was crowded here. Most people still did not know what was going on, especially those who had jumped down after.
“Search! Send some people to search the opposite cliff, and divide into two groups to search left and right of the gorge.”
Qin Fujun suddenly turned her head and ordered.
Everyone accepted the order and moved. As manpower was being divided, someone let out a surprised sound. “There is a smell of blood.”
A companion beside them also touched something fleshy with their foot. “What… what is this?”
People nearby also muttered, feeling they had stepped on something sticky underfoot. Combined with the smell of blood, someone with experience sensed they might have stepped on blood.
Thus, someone pulled out a fire stick and blew it alight to check. At one glance, they saw a messy pool of blood that had been trampled. Then very naturally, they saw half a mutilated torso. Soon, commotion broke out here. Fluorescent stones were pulled out one by one. Fire sticks were lit one by one.
The people nearby who were accepting deployment all turned to look in this direction.
Qin Fujun naturally saw it too. She frowned slightly. Previously, to prevent the murderer from seeing the movement trajectory of the capture personnel, they were not allowed to create light unless necessary. The patch of light over there made her faintly uneasy.
Sure enough, someone quickly ran over to report. “Executive Qin, something has happened.”
Qin Fujun walked over quickly. The crowd parted, allowing her to reach that bloody, mutilated torso.
Only half a torso remained. Only the hind legs of half a torso lay quietly in a pool of blood. One look and you knew whose half torso it was. Her temples throbbed non-stop. Her breathing became rapid.
Soon, someone nearby shouted again. “There is something here too.”
Qin Fujun only turned her head and looked blankly. Her feet felt as heavy as a thousand jun, unable to move.
So before long, someone carried over the other half of the body. The front torso without a head was pieced together with the one on the ground.
They were still missing a head. Everyone illuminated and searched. They found the head that had flown out at a farther place. Finally, the corpse was pieced together complete.
The scene fell into dead silence.
Qin Fujun’s chest rose and fell noticeably. She did not utter a sound, unable to speak. This was the guardian spirit beast of “Meteor Hall”. She did not even know how she would explain this to her master when she returned.
After a spell of helplessness, a surge of anger welled up in her heart. She gritted her teeth. “Search, keep searching!”
Many people looked at each other. Her attendant disciple had no choice but to remind her. “Executive, even Diling was… The other party is definitely no ordinary person. With us, I am afraid it will be even harder to find them. To catch them, I am afraid we will need to alert the sect. We must mobilise the power of the various mountain peaks. The sooner we notify the sect, the better. If we are late and the murderer escapes Kunling Mountain, it will be troublesome to catch them again.”
Qin Fujun was briefly silent. She thought this made sense. But this was not something she could decide. Skipping the law-enforcing elder who was stationed at “Meteor Hall”, that is, skipping her own master to alert the sect, was highly improper. She immediately nodded. “I will immediately go back to inform the law-enforcing elder. You all continue searching. Right…”
She suddenly thought of something and looked left and right. “That disciple who collided with me? He jumped down with Diling. He might have seen what happened.”
The people at the scene looked at each other. No one knew who she was talking about.
Her attendant disciple said. “Executive, time is of the essence. You quickly go inform the elder. I will find that disciple.”
Qin Fujun nodded, took two people, and quickly flew out of the cliff and left…
Yu Qing, who had hurriedly run to the foot of a mountain, suddenly reached out and plucked a leaf, then put it to his mouth, blowing out a “beep beep” sound.
Before long, a “beep beep” response also came from the mountain, with a slight rhythm.
After confirming the identity of the person hiding on the mountain, Yu Qing immediately bent down and grabbed a handful of thin mud from the small stream at his feet. He squeezed out some water, then quickly scurried up the mountain. Before long, he and Mu Aotie met.
Mu Aotie was still holding that Kunling Mountain disciple with his eyes covered. Seeing Yu Qing’s appearance, he was stunned for a moment and asked. “How did you get mud all over your face?”
Yu Qing checked the surroundings as he spoke. “Not important. Let’s go. We should be able to go back now.”
“What about this person?” Mu Aotie pushed the person in his hand to indicate.
Yu Qing. “In the martial world, when it reaches the point of life and death, one can only be cautious.”
Mu Aotie understood. He immediately reached out and gripped that Kunling Mountain disciple’s neck, showing no mercy. With a crisp snap, he twisted it and let the person fall to the ground on the spot.
But Yu Qing squatted down, ripped off the blindfold on the person’s eyes, and smeared the wet mud he had brought onto the other person’s face. He also smeared some on the other person’s hand.
Just as Mu Aotie was wondering what on earth this fellow was doing, Yu Qing had already stood up, cast a spell to shake off the mud on his own face, and called out. “Go!”
The two immediately scurried away one after the other.
On the way, Mu Aotie asked. “With that spirit beast ‘Fudi’ around, is it okay to leave like this?”
Yu Qing had only one sentence. “It is fine. It has already been dealt with.”
No more words. He did not mention a single word about the heart-stopping process. One, it was already in the past, there was no need to bring it up and make people worry. Two, now was not the time to talk about these things. Three, Old Nine was not suited for chatting.
Hearing it was resolved, although Mu Aotie was surprised at how the other party had managed it, he did not say anything more. He remained alert to the surroundings and continued fleeing…
Outside Meteor Hall, Wan Liqiu stood with hands behind his back at the mountain edge, his expression solemn. His cold gaze stared at the vast mountain forest under the moonlight, and that lake reflecting stars and moon.
Beside him hovered an old man in wide robes and large sleeves, occasionally sighing and shaking his head.
Soon, a figure flew up from below the mountain. It was none other than Qin Fujun.
Seeing her master waiting outside, she was just wondering nervously how to step forward to report when her gaze suddenly fell on the ritual platform. She saw a long-tailed, green-feathered great bird lying there motionless. Only the occasional breeze toyed with its tail feathers.
She remembered what Diling had said before its death. She froze on the spot, her eyes slowly turning to the empty hammock under the eaves.
Wan Liqiu, standing with hands behind his back facing the lake and mountain forest, did not need to look to know who had come. He spoke. “Yelinger has gone. What about the murderer?”
Qin Fujun immediately walked over quickly, speaking with difficulty. “The murderer is no ordinary person. They have not been caught yet. I have come specially to report to Master. I fear we must request the sect to mobilise forces to encircle and capture them. If we are late, I fear they will escape Kunling Mountain.”
Wan Liqiu did not turn his head, speaking coldly. “What kind of murderer could render even Diling helpless?”
Qin Fujun’s lips moved for a while, but in the end she still braced herself and said. “Diling has already been killed. The remains will be delivered shortly.”
At these words, Wan Liqiu suddenly turned his head, his face full of shock.
That old man hovering nearby also looked at Qin Fujun with a face full of alarm and suspicion. Then he slowly turned his head to look at the remains on the ritual platform. The question in his heart was clearly written on his face. Both guardian spirit beasts of Meteor Hall had been killed overnight?
Wan Liqiu’s Adam’s apple moved for a good while before he said with a face full of killing intent. “What kind of person is the murderer?”
Qin Fujun bit her lip and said. “Currently, no one has seen the murderer’s appearance. We still do not know who the murderer is.”
Wan Liqiun was instantly furious. “You mobilised so many people to encircle and capture them, yet you do not even know what the murderer looks like. What are you good for?”
Qin Fujun hung her head in shame.
The old man beside them interjected. “Looking at Yelinger’s injuries, the one who struck is no ordinary person. With Diling’s hearing ability, it could still fall victim. The visitor probably cannot be measured by ordinary reasoning. This is probably not Executive Qin’s fault either. What Executive Qin said is right. We must now quickly order the people from other mountain peaks to participate in the encirclement and capture. If we are late, the person will escape.”
Wan Liqiu took a deep breath, then suddenly leaped and flew away…
At the entrance of a small building on the peak of the Dingyin district, Nan Zhu sat on the doorstep, looking at the distant mountain forest. His heart remained suspended and unsettled. He also looked back from time to time at Bai Lixin’s tightly shut door.
He had previously pestered Bai Lixin to chat for a while, but ended up chatting Bai Lixin back into the room to decline visitors.
But he did not give up. Instead, he waited at the door, guarding against Bai Lixin coming out and going upstairs. The two upstairs were not there. No one must know.
Just as he was sitting at the door lost in thought, a dark shadow suddenly flashed over and landed directly on his shoulder.
Coming to his senses, he looked at his shoulder and saw it was “Datou”. He immediately stood up and looked around eagerly, thinking Yu Qing and Mu Aotie had returned. But he saw no figures. He immediately went upstairs to the two people’s room. Opening the door, still no figures. He could not help but feel suspicious. If Old Fifteen had returned, how could “Datou” return separately from him?
The thought arose, and he immediately faintly sensed something was wrong. He became deeply worried, wanting to go look. But it was not realistic. He currently had no idea where Old Nine and Old Fifteen were. He also had no confidence in breaking through Kunling Mountain’s layers of visible and hidden sentries.
He could only wait anxiously. He himself did not know when he had walked out to the open ground outside, pacing back and forth.
With the two martial brothers not returning for so long, the anxiety in his heart surpassed the feeling of each day lasting a year.
Dong… dong… dong…
Walking back and forth, not knowing how much time had passed, a bell sound suddenly came faintly from the distance.
Ringing bells at night, this was the first time since arriving a few days ago. Even the Kunling Mountain disciples below this mountain seemed to be in some commotion. As Nan Zhu listened, his gaze suddenly moved. He saw many points of light appearing in the mountain forest outside, concentrating towards a certain direction. It seemed many people were holding fluorescent stones, illuminating their way as they hurried to some place.
This commotion also alerted Bai Lixin. She came out to see what was happening. She could not understand what it meant, so she walked to Nan Zhu’s side and asked. “What is going on?”
Nan Zhu’s brow was furrowed in confusion. He shook his head. “I do not know.”
The commotion similarly alerted others. Bai Lixin saw Chan Shaoting and the others also running out to watch. She subconsciously looked back at the floor above where she lived, then froze, instantly sensing something was wrong. With such unusual commotion, the two upstairs actually had no reaction?
While Bai Lixin was in suspicion, she turned and walked towards the room.
Nan Zhu noticed her reaction. He secretly thought this was bad, and immediately followed. After stepping into the room, he flashed to block the stairway, saying with a laugh. “Those two fellows are at a critical moment in their cultivation. It is not appropriate to disturb them now. If there is anything, tell me the same.”
Bai Lixin directly bumped into him, forcibly pushing him aside, and flashed upstairs.