"Who?! Who was it?!" An utterly savage roar echoed through the cavern. It was Master Danyang's voice, and this was the first time he had ever lost his temper so completely.
He hadn't been angry when people tried to escape before. He hadn't even been angry when Li Huowang unintentionally offended him with his writing. But now, he was furious.
The atmosphere in the Qingfeng Daoist Temple grew suffocatingly oppressive. 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 where they usually had their morning lessons.
The air was thick with the smell of blood. The scattered corpses on the floor proved that Master Danyang had already vented his uncontainable rage on some innocent people.
Killing helped to ease his mood, but it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.
SPLAT.
A mangled, bloody mass, still attached to a head, was slammed down in front of everyone.
It was the head from the vase-person Li Huowang had broken earlier. Death had dulled her blush, and her vacant eyes held only a deep, profound fear.
"Who did this? Who snuck into my room while I was performing alchemy?!"
Master Danyang's voice was low and suppressed, like a lion on the verge of exploding. "Step forward now, and I'll grant you a swift death. But if I have to find you myself... Hmph! I'll have you on your knees, begging me to kill you!"
The entire cave was dead silent. Whether it was the Medicinal Guides, the disciples, or the apprentices, no one dared to move.
"Fine! No one wants to talk? Then I'll ask you one by one! Changming, Changren, what were you two doing while I was performing alchemy?"
The two disciples with longswords immediately bowed to Master Danyang. "Master, as you commanded, the two of us were guarding the main gate of the Qingfeng Daoist Temple. We did not neglect our duty for even a moment!"
With a blank face, Master Danyang walked up to them and scrutinized their expressions. He stared until cold sweat began to drip down their faces before slowly looking to the side. "Xuan Yuan! And you?"
Standing next to Xuan Yuan, Li Huowang's heart clenched. He knew his turn was next. He frantically cheered himself on in his mind. Hold on! As long as he doesn't see any flaws, I'm guaranteed to win!
"Xuan Yang! Your turn. Where did you go after delivering the Medicinal Guide this morning?"
The moment he heard the question, Li Huowang blurted out, "I was in the material storage, preparing the next batch of Alchemy Ingredients for you, Master."
"Is that so?" Master Danyang walked over. His sickening stench and suffocating presence pressed down on Li Huowang, making his body tense to the absolute limit. He finally understood why his senior brothers had been sweating so profusely.
Time passed, one agonizing second at a time. The beads of sweat on Li Huowang's forehead grew more and more numerous under the immense pressure.
Suddenly, his body felt lighter. Just as he thought he had escaped this ordeal, Master Danyang's voice rang out again. "Did all of you really see Xuan Yang in the material storage?"
Li Huowang's gaze shifted. He saw that Master Danyang had walked over to Bai Lingmiao and the other Medicinal Guides. He was asking them.
"Think carefully before you speak. Whoever helps me find the culprit, I will not only send them home myself, but I will also give them Travel Funds."
At these words, the eyes of the dozen or so remaining disabled people from the material storage went wide. They dreamed of leaving this hellish place. It was all they dreamed of.
Sensing that the others were wavering, Bai Lingmiao was the first to speak up. "Master... Senior Brother Li was indeed with us at the time..."
Master Danyang stared deeply at her face. "Oh? And the others?"
Goudan's breathing grew ragged, his expression a mask of conflict. Finally, he gnashed his teeth, stamped his foot, and stood up. "Uh, Immortal Grandpa, I'll talk! That guy Xuan Yang didn't come to the material storage at all today! It must have been him!"
The moment these words were said, the color drained from Xuan Yin's face in terror. And yet, the corners of his mouth turned up into a slight smile, and he almost laughed out loud. His life was saved.
Master Danyang glanced back at Li Huowang before walking slowly toward Goudan. With a sudden swing of his right arm, he slapped him hard across the face. "Nonsense! Xuan Yang personally delivered the Medicinal Guide this morning! If he didn't go to the material storage, then where did he get the guide? Are you looking for death?"
Goudan looked utterly terrified. He immediately dropped to his knees, snot and tears streaming down his face as he kowtowed repeatedly. "Immortal Grandpa, I was wrong! I was momentarily blinded by greed, that's why I lied!"
Master Danyang stared expressionlessly at Goudan, who was so terrified he looked like he was about to wet himself. The next moment, he suddenly spun to face Xuan Yin. "What were you smiling about just now? Were you happy that Xuan Yang was being framed?"
At these words, Xuan Yin's body shuddered. The immense pressure emanating from Master Danyang was nearly suffocating him.
As Master Danyang walked slowly toward him, Xuan Yin's expression grew more and more panicked—so much so that even those who didn't know the truth could tell something was obviously wrong with him.
Just as Master Danyang came to a stop in front of him, he finally broke down completely. He collapsed to the ground, and yellow urine began to seep out from beneath his Daoist Robe. "Master! I didn't want to do it! It was Senior Brother Zhengkun! He forced me to!"
Hearing this, Zhengkun's expression turned savage. Stomping his feet hard against the solid ground, he shot toward the cave's exit like a cheetah, leaving afterimages in his wake.
"So it was you!" Master Danyang snorted. With a flick of his Daoist Robe's sleeve, a crisp jingle sounded out. A verdigris-tinged Copper Coin tumbled to the ground, spinning like a top.
Just as Zhengkun was about to escape the cave entrance, Master Danyang's right foot, clad in a cloth shoe, suddenly rose and then stomped down violently, kicking up a cloud of dust.
CRACK!
With a sharp noise, the Copper Coin instantly shattered into pieces. But it wasn't just the coin that broke apart—so did the distant Zhengkun.
His four limbs were torn from his body as if he'd been drawn and quartered.
Even without his limbs and bleeding profusely, Zhengkun did not die. He continued to squirm toward the entrance like a fleshy maggot.
"Child, you have been with me the longest. Why did it have to be you? I should have thought of it sooner. You were also capable of breaking the wards in my room." The sinister-looking Master Danyang planted his foot on Zhengkun's head, stopping his squirming.
"Master... I... I was wrong! Master, I'm a ruined man now, just spare me this once, please!"
"Master, back when those Monks from Zhengde Temple were hunting us, my two younger brothers sacrificed their lives to secure our escape! Master!"
Master Danyang's foot slid down slightly, pressing Zhengkun's face—now turning purple from the strain—hard into the ground, completely silencing him.
"Child, do you know? This Daoist Master has always known exactly what you're thinking. You, just like your two brothers, are nothing but an ungrateful, backstabbing wolf that can't be tamed!" Master Danyang said, enunciating each word, as his foot ground down with increasing force.
POP!
With a sound like something bursting, a drop of thick, viscous blood splattered onto Li Huowang's face.