"The truth is exactly as I said," Zhao Qingxuan replied calmly.
The old man snorted. "I've refined pills for so many years, yet I've never even heard of a furnace like this! You must be lying to me!" said Danyangzi, his tone full of disbelief.
"Just because you've never seen it, never heard of it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist," Zhao Qingxuan said evenly. "There's always a higher sky beyond the sky, a greater mountain beyond the mountain, and a stronger man beyond the man. Everyone is just a frog at the bottom of a well—you, of all people, should understand that truth."
Danyangzi stared at Zhao Qingxuan intently. In his memory, this man had always been quiet and withdrawn—someone who kept to himself, had no friends, and left almost no presence at all. That was why when he vanished for over two years, no one had noticed.
He had always thought Zhao Qingxuan was timid and self-effacing. Yet now, this same man dared to speak to him like an equal—without fear, without hesitation, without even a trace of reverence.
After a long silence, Danyangzi finally asked, "Then how do we get out of here?"
"To leave," Zhao Qingxuan said, "we must wait until red lanterns hang on every courtyard gate within the mansion. When all of them are lit, the main gate will open—and then, we can leave."
"For every pair of red lanterns hung, it means one person has died. Because these lanterns…" He touched the small red lanterns dangling from his own ears. "…are taken from the ears of the dead."
Danyangzi wanted to ask more questions, but Zhao Qingxuan suddenly pressed a finger to his lips, signaling him to be silent.
Moments later, faint and chaotic footsteps echoed from outside.
Zhao Qingxuan tossed him a pill, then pointed toward a corner. Moving silently, he crept over, swallowed a pill himself, and lay flat on the ground.
Danyangzi followed his example, heading for another corner—but he didn't take the pill. Just as he lay down, the doors creaked open.
…
A red glow shrouded the entire mansion, while outside, the first rays of the morning sun stretched across the horizon.
The disciples of Tianhua Sect had arrived.
Two figures led the group.
One was a middle-aged man with a square face and sharp, deep eyes. The corners of his eyes slanted slightly upward—Tianquezi, the Sect Master of Tianhua Sect.
Beside him stood Madam Dan, wife of the late Third Elder, Danyangzi.
Behind them followed a line of Tianhua Sect disciples, all with solemn faces.
Their gazes fell upon the two figures lying before them—Danyangzi and Zhao Qingxuan.
Madam Dan's expression had been heavy with sorrow all along, but when she arrived and saw the scene before her, her eyes widened in disbelief.
Her husband was lying… in another man's arms.
She let out a long sigh. "I… him… To be honest, I'd already suspected something. He'd grown less and less interested in me lately. But to think—he'd rather lie in another man's embrace! And even worse… that man's a corpse!"
"Perhaps I never truly knew him at all. I didn't even realize he had such interests! And look at him—he's even the one on top!"
The disciples behind her, upon hearing her words, exchanged startled looks—some lowering their heads, others glancing awkwardly at each other.
None of them had thought in that direction before. But after Madam Dan's outburst, their minds inevitably went there.
At first, the position of the bodies hadn't seemed strange… but now, under her words, it looked very suspicious indeed.
Hall Master Zhou quickly stepped forward, trying to divert the conversation. "Yesterday, the Third Elder told us all to leave—"
Before he could finish, Madam Dan interrupted sharply, "He told you to leave? Then that means yesterday he was already—"
She marched forward, pulling their bodies apart. Only after confirming that certain things weren't exposed did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Sect Master Tianquezi sighed heavily. "There have been… rumors about the Third Elder. I always wondered who would dare gossip about him within Tianhua Sect. Now, it seems I understand."
Madam Dan glared at him. "What do you mean by that?"
"The Third Elder is dead," Tianquezi said grimly. "From their posture, it looks like Zhao Qingxuan grabbed him from behind and forced his head against the gate until he died."
Madam Dan frowned deeply. "Nonsense! My husband was a Yuanying-realm cultivator. You're telling me one hit was enough to kill him? And Zhao Qingxuan—he was only at the early Zhuji stage! How could he possibly overpower the Third Elder?"
"This place is… strange," Tianquezi admitted. "I don't know how it happened. But everyone here died in the same way. The difference is—those others struck the gate without any awareness of themselves. The Third Elder, however, seemed conscious to the end. Perhaps it's because his cultivation was stronger."
The crowd fell silent.
After a while, Hall Master Zhou said cautiously, "It's nearly eight o'clock. Should we… should we assign someone to call the Third Elder's name every hour, just in case?"
"No need to find someone else—I'll do it myself," Madam Dan said firmly. "I wouldn't feel at ease leaving it to others."
"But Madam, it might be dangerous. If something goes wrong—" Zhou began nervously.
He worried that it was truly a life-return ritual—that calling the name might invite the dead back.
Madam Dan straightened her back. "Even so, I must do it. As his wife, this is my duty."
…
Inside the courtyard.
More than twenty people entered one after another.
Danyangzi hurriedly swallowed the pill Zhao Qingxuan had given him earlier.
They began to search every corner of the courtyard.
Danyangzi's heart pounded wildly. Two of them were walking straight toward his hiding spot—just two more steps and they would have seen him. But before they reached him, they suddenly turned away and headed in another direction.
Only after everyone had left the courtyard did Danyangzi dare to breathe again. He glanced toward Zhao Qingxuan's corner but saw no movement, so he stayed down.
After a long while, two people leapt down from the courtyard wall, landed silently, then left through the gate, closing it behind them.
Cold sweat drenched Danyangzi's back—he hadn't even noticed there were people hiding on the wall.
Zhao Qingxuan finally stood, walked over to a stone chair, and sat down.
"What was that pill you gave me?" Danyangzi asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he sat opposite him.
"It's a pill that suppresses one's sense of existence," Zhao Qingxuan replied calmly. "As long as you stay still, you usually won't be noticed."
"You refined it yourself?" Danyangzi's eyes widened. "Your Dandao skills are remarkable! I knew you before, yet I never realized you had such talent in alchemy!"
"How long does the pill's effect last?" he asked curiously.
"I'm not sure," Zhao Qingxuan said. "I haven't had time to test it yet. But… possibly for a lifetime."
"A lifetime!?" Danyangzi was stunned. After a moment, he composed himself and asked, "So what now? Where do we go, what do we do?"
"This courtyard has already been searched," Zhao Qingxuan said, stretching his arms lazily. "They won't come back for a while. We can stay here for now."
Danyangzi studied the man across from him. "I need your word," he said solemnly. "Inside this place, you can't harm me, can't trick me—and you must bring me out with you."
Zhao Qingxuan nodded.
"You don't want my promise? That I won't target you once we get out?" Danyangzi asked.
"Not necessary," Zhao Qingxuan said simply.
"Then those people just now—what were they?" Danyangzi asked again. "Why do they move in groups?"
"The ones who come in here fall into two categories," Zhao Qingxuan explained. "The first are those who choose to approach this place, hoping to be selected and drawn into the mansion. They know about the Alchemical Furnace, and they come seeking fortune or opportunity."
"Those ones usually enter in groups. Even if they get separated once inside, they have ways of finding each other quickly and reuniting. But there are always a few overconfident ones who act alone."
"The second type," he continued, "are those who come in unwillingly—people who are chosen and dragged here without knowing why. Those are usually alone."
"And which one are you?" Danyangzi asked quietly.