Chapter 110: Chapter 91: Killing Intent

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Ye Mansion, Pine Wave Pavilion.

CRACK—!

The Zitan Wood Writing Desk was shattered by a single palm strike, sending splinters flying everywhere.

“What did you say?! Rong’Er… is missing?!”

The Ye Family Patriarch, Ye Zhenshan, bristled with fury, his eyes bloodshot.

His daughter! She was the brightest jewel of the Ye Family’s younger generation, the one who held all their hopes for future influence and status within the Wutai Sect!

“Who did this?! Tell me exactly what happened!”

Ye Zhenshan’s voice was hoarse, laced with a monstrous rage.

Below him, the Grand Steward of the Ye Mansion—an old man usually known for his composure—now had a grim expression. He bowed and reported, “Patriarch, please calm your anger. The news came from Captain Yin Chenfeng of the Government Office. He’s gravely wounded and was just rescued from the Beize Waters by his men. According to his account…”

“That night, they were ambushed by the Seven Tigers of Yin Sha! Their leader was the infamous Tu Gang!”

“The Seven Tigers of Yin Sha? Tu Gang?”

Murderous intent flared in Ye Zhenshan’s eyes, but it was quickly followed by a flicker of doubt. “Rong’Er has an Early-stage Embracing Pill Force cultivation. Even if she was outmatched, escaping shouldn’t have been an issue. How could she have…?”

Ye Kai took a deep breath and said gravely, “Captain Yin confirmed it himself. That Tu Gang has cultivated the Infinite Demon Skill, and his cultivation has already reached the Mid-stage of Embracing Pill Force.”

“The Infinite Demon Skill?!”

As Ye Zhenshan seethed with rage, a chill shot straight up his spine.

The Infinite Demon Sect!

A behemoth of the Demon Path that had vanished for years, yet its name alone was still enough to strike fear into people’s hearts!

The most feared and terrifying aspect of its signature Demon Skill, the *Infinite Demonic Scripture*, was its ability to forcibly plunder and devour the True Qi that others had painstakingly cultivated for years, making it one’s own!

This cultivation technique benefited oneself at the expense of others. It was incomparably vicious and allowed for terrifyingly rapid progress. A century ago, it had tempted countless weak-willed disciples from Noble Families and promising young heroes of the Righteous Path to fall to the Demon Path. Willingly becoming its minions, they unleashed a tidal wave of bloodshed.

Later, after three exceptionally brutal purges—at the cost of countless masters perishing and entire sects withering away—their main force was finally, just barely, annihilated. The remaining survivors fled underground, becoming nothing more than rats in a sewer.

To think that these heretical demons would dare to bare their fangs again in the territory of Yunlin Prefecture!

“When Tu Gang unleashed his Demon Skill, he was wreathed in black qi, and his power was terrifying. In a single clash, Ma Hongyuan had his heart torn out and was killed, his True Qi devoured…”

Ye Kai recounted Yin Chenfeng’s terrified description, “The Young Mistress resisted with all her might, but her arm was severed, and she was gravely wounded. In the end, to cover the escape of Captain Yin and the others, she detonated a Thunder Fire Bomb to fight Tu Gang to the death. All Captain Yin heard was a massive explosion. When he looked back, the Young Mistress was nowhere to be seen. He presumes that she…”

Ye Kai could not bring himself to say what followed.

Ye Zhenshan’s chest heaved violently, his eyes filling with grief.

The Infinite Demon Sect!

’That would explain why Ye Rong’Er met with such a disaster. Those people have no morals, and their Cultivation Technique is bizarre and vicious. For Rong’Er to fall into their hands while so gravely wounded… her fate is easy to imagine!’

The thought of his daughter having her True Qi drained dry, of being tortured to death, was like a knife twisting in Ye Zhenshan’s heart. He slammed his fist into a nearby stone pillar, leaving a deep crater in the stone.

“What about the Government Office? And the Wutai Sect? What are they saying?”

Ye Zhenshan forcefully suppressed the pain in his heart.

“The Government Office has confirmed that it was the work of the Seven Tigers of Yin Sha. The Wutai Sect… also sent people to investigate the scene and confirmed the traces of the Infinite Demon Skill left by Tu Gang.”

Ye Kai paused, then added cautiously, “Furthermore, the Wutai Sect has reported that the Cyan Wood Institute disciple who was also present, Chen Qing… he came back alive too. But he only has Transmutation Force Cultivation, he hasn’t reached Embracing Pill Force.”

“Chen Qing? The Cyan Wood Institute?”

Ye Zhenshan shot his head up, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. “A Named Disciple from the Cyan Wood Institute, with a mere Transmutation Force Cultivation! How could he possibly have survived?! Yet Rong’Er… What was he doing at the time?! Has the Wutai Sect questioned him?!”

“The Law Enforcement Hall has summoned Chen Qing for questioning,” Ye Zhong answered cautiously. “From what I’ve heard, his account largely matches Captain Yin’s. He claims it was the Young Mistress who refused to heed his warnings and insisted on venturing into danger, which led to…”

Ye Zhong said no more.

“…which led to Rong’Er meeting such a terrible fate?!”

Suspicion flickered in Ye Zhenshan’s eyes. “The dead can’t testify! So whatever he says, goes?! A Transmutation Force Disciple, escaping with his life from a Mid-stage Embracing Pill Force Demon who wields the Infinite Demon Skill? Is that logical?! And the Law Enforcement Hall just believed him?!”

“There must be something more to this! That Chen Qing… what on earth is he hiding?! Did he collude with that demon?! I’m going to the Law Enforcement Hall myself! I will personally interrogate that Chen Qing!”

The inexpressible frustration and suspicion felt like they were about to burst from Ye Zhenshan’s chest.

’Why was it not his genius daughter, into whom the Ye Family had poured their heart and soul, who survived, but this insignificant, average-Root-Bone disciple who appeared out of nowhere?’

’There’s definitely something wrong here!’

Seeing this, Ye Zhong tried to console him in a low voice, “Patriarch, please calm your anger. The Law Enforcement Hall is still investigating. There’s no concrete evidence to suggest Chen Qing was involved in any foul play. It’s just that, the Young Mistress… she…”

’Besides, no matter what, Chen Qing is a disciple of the Wutai Sect. It’s not the Ye Family’s place to interrogate him.’

’The very idea was preposterous.’

Ye Zhenshan let out a long sigh and slumped down, dejected.

…

The Law Enforcement Hall.

The room was silent.

Chen Qing sat cross-legged on a cushion with his eyes slightly closed. He appeared to be regulating his breathing, but in reality, his Heart and Spirit were as taut as a bowstring, sensing the slightest disturbance outside the door.

Several hours earlier, he had reported the harrowing night at the Beize Fishery in painstaking detail to the Law Enforcement Hall’s Elder and Steward in charge of the investigation, giving them the “lucky escape” version of events.

Of course, the contents of his report had been carefully tailored:

The key facts remained, but the details he shouldn’t mention were quietly omitted.

For example, he left out that he had clearly warned Ye Rong’Er of the risks, and he omitted the brutal scene of everyone ganging up on the Bone Crocodile.

He did not, however, hide the fact that the seventh of the Seven Tigers of Yin Sha had died by his hand.

The seventh tiger was only at the Transmutation Force realm. As an Inner Courtyard Disciple of the Wutai Sect, it was perfectly reasonable for him to kill a Demon Path scoundrel of the same level; in fact, it was a meritorious deed.

Besides, the scene had been chaotic, and he couldn’t be sure there were no witnesses.

Regarding Ye Rong’Er’s fate, he only reported what he had last seen: she was sent flying by the explosion’s shockwave, her direction and whether she was alive or dead unknown.

Now, he was awaiting the results of the review.

The Law Enforcement Hall needed to verify the details of his statement, cross-reference it with the testimony of the other survivor, Yin Chenfeng, and combine all that with the various clues from the on-site investigation.

After all, the death of an Embracing Pill Force disciple and the involvement of the long-vanished Infinite Demon Sect were no small matters.

Time ticked by. Outside, the sky had turned from pitch-black to the pale white of dawn, and was now gradually being tinged with the faint light of the morning sun.

The candle in the room burned out.

Chen Qing mused to himself, ’My statement is perfectly interlocking. There are absolutely no flaws.’

Finally, the sound of steady footsteps came from outside the door.

Chen Qing’s eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them for an instant before vanishing.

He rose quickly and, without a change in expression, straightened his slightly wrinkled, dark gray Martial Attire. His face adopted a perfectly calibrated expression of exhaustion mixed with the relief of having survived a disaster.

The door was pushed open. The person who entered was not the Law Enforcement Elder he had first met, but a stern-faced, middle-aged Steward dressed in the black attire of the Law Enforcement Hall.

His gaze swept over Chen Qing, scrutinizing him, but with no obvious hostility or suspicion.

“Chen Qing?” the Steward’s voice was flat, without emotion.

“I am here,” Chen Qing replied, bowing.

“We have cross-referenced Captain Yin’s testimony, the evidence from the scene, and your statement. They are largely consistent.”

The Steward was concise. “Steward Ye was indeed attacked by Tu Gang, a remnant of the Infinite Demon Sect. She is gravely wounded and missing; her chances of survival are slim. Your slaying of the third and seventh of the Seven Tigers of Yin Sha is also a meritorious act of demon vanquishing.”

“Furthermore, it was no small feat to survive an encounter with a Mid-stage Embracing Pill Force Demon.”

Chen Qing breathed an inward sigh of relief, but his face remained respectful with a trace of lingering fear. “I am humbled. I was only able to escape with my life thanks to the Sect’s protection and a stroke of luck.”

The Steward nodded slightly, seemingly uninterested in probing further into this claim of “luck.”

He reached into his robes, took out a palm-sized Jade Bottle, and tossed it to Chen Qing.

“This matter is now on record. The Sect will handle negotiations with the Ye Family. You’ve had a scare. These are a few Qi Nourishing Pills. Take them to recuperate and stabilize your Cultivation.”

The Steward’s tone was that of a perfunctory, routine dismissal. “The matter is concluded. Go and get some rest.”

Chen Qing accepted the Elixir Bottle with both hands.

The bottle contained five or six brown, longan-sized elixirs. They were the basic Qi Nourishing Pills that the Cyan Wood Institute handed out on the first of every month.

“Thank you, Steward. Thank you for the Sect’s grace.”

Chen Qing bowed again, his tone sincere.

The Steward said no more. He turned and left, his footsteps quickly fading down the corridor.

…

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