There was too little useful information for Liu Yunbai to make an accurate assessment. She needed to learn more. “Headman, could you take us to see the bodies? Examining them should give us some idea of what sort of creature is responsible.”
The headman hesitated, fear and lingering dread showing faintly on his face. “Immortal masters, you may not know this, but our mortuary is up in the mountains. It wouldn’t be safe to go now. Could we wait until tomorrow?”
“We…”
Liu Yunbai was about to explain that they were cultivators and had nothing to fear from such things, but Qin Yu interrupted. “The headman is right. I’m tired anyway. Let’s rest for the night. The bodies aren’t going anywhere.”
When the headman wasn’t looking, Qin Yu secretly signaled to Liu Yunbai.
Understanding him, she played along, adopting an exasperated expression. “Honestly, you’re still this pampered even when we’re out on a mission? When we return, I’m telling the sect master to put you through training so hard you’ll wish you were dead.”
“Please don’t!”
While they spoke, the headman’s wife finished bringing the food to the table and called them over.
“Dinner is ready, immortal masters.”
During the meal, Qin Yu probed for more information through indirect questions. His approach was so deft and varied that the headman never realized he was being drawn out.
After eating, Qin Yu excused himself, claiming he was too tired and would return to his room first.
The moment the door closed, the weariness vanished from his face. He took out a paper talisman, folded it into a crane, and sent it flying to Liu Yunbai’s room.
A little later, her voice came through the paper crane. “Qin Yu, what’s wrong with the headman?”
“He’s hiding a great deal. I suspect we won’t learn much of any use if we investigate openly.”
Liu Yunbai fell silent for a long time. Just when Qin Yu thought she would say nothing more, she suddenly asked an unrelated question. “Qin Yu, can I trust you?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I’ve met you before, in Yushang Capital.”
“!!!”
How had he forgotten that Liu Yunbai was Liu Wanrou’s older sister?
“System, I don’t have to stay in character, do I?”
【No!】
Only then did Qin Yu relax.
He walked to the window and asked Liu Yunbai through the messenger crane, “Qin Yu won’t betray a friend. Are you willing to believe that?”
No further reply came through the crane. After a while, the messenger crane disappeared as well.
How should he put it?
That response was within his expectations.
Brushing the talisman ash from his hand, Qin Yu jumped out of the window. He couldn’t rush things with Liu Yunbai. For now, he would investigate what secrets this village was hiding.
Pale moonlight blanketed the village. The silence was oppressive, even deeper than it had been during the day. As he walked, he could hear his own breathing.
Creak—
A door suddenly opened. Qin Yu leaped onto a rooftop and looked toward the sound.
Zhang Ze emerged carrying an armful of things and hurried down the steps. He arranged offerings, lit incense, and burned paper while praying. “Ancestor Bai above, the offerings are ready. Please accept them.”
After Zhang Ze, the other households also opened their doors and came out to worship.
Qin Yu was puzzling over the village’s custom of making offerings at midnight when the system suddenly spoke.
【Host, the yin energy in the western mountains has suddenly surged. The mortuary is there!】
“Got it. I’m on my way.”
With the system’s help, Qin Yu easily found the hidden mortuary.
Hidden was the right word. It stood in a small valley surrounded by mountains, with only one way in or out. Without the system, he would never have found it.
Standing at the entrance, Qin Yu stared at the overwhelming mass of yin energy before him. He fumbled inside his robes. “Oh, I forgot my talismans. I’ll go back and get them.”
【Aren’t all your talismans in the spatial ring on your right hand?】
“Oh. I forgot.”
He reached for his waist instead, feeling around as he edged backward. “I left my Four Beasts Token at the headman’s house. I need to go find it.”
【Heh heh… Host, don’t tell me you’re scared?】
“I’m not! I’m not scared! You’re the one who’s scared!” Qin Yu protested at the top of his voice.
In truth, he really was frightened.
Accepting that something existed was one thing; confronting it in person was another. One look at this mortuary was enough to tell him it meant trouble!
Detecting his intentions, the system sneered inwardly. Trying to leave after coming all this way?
Let’s see how well you resist temptation.
【I forgot to mention earlier: the rewards for exploring unknown storylines are extremely generous. The points alone amount to 3,000.】
Qin Yu’s retreat gradually slowed. “What else is there besides points?”
【A large mystery gift package.】
“I’ll risk it.”
He didn’t want to be tempted either. But who would ever complain about having too many divine artifacts or peerless secret manuals?
Mustering his courage, he strode forward and pushed open the doors. An icy wind immediately swept over him. He instinctively shielded his eyes, lowering his hand only after it passed.
One glance inside revealed bodies packed everywhere. The sight was so vivid that goosebumps rose all over him. “This many?!”
【You’re a cultivator with a divine artifact to protect you. Surely you have more courage than that?!】
“Don’t try that reverse psychology on me!”
After another round of mentally bracing himself, he finally dared approach the bodies.
He discovered both men and women among the dead, rather than only women as the headman had claimed. None had any wounds, and there wasn’t even any postmortem lividity. They looked as though they were asleep.
Was this what the headman meant by bodies that did not decay?
He took out a small knife to examine them further, but sensed something rushing at him from behind. He hurriedly drew out the Four Beasts Token. Before its sword could manifest, however, black threads from an unknown source bound his limbs tight. The harder he struggled, the tighter they constricted, nearly snapping him at the waist.
“Oh, what have I found? A little bug that won’t stop wriggling.”
Qin Yu glared furiously into the distant shadows. He knew his attacker was there!
“Who are you?”
“Take a guess. Get it right, and you’ll have candy!”
He rolled his eyes inwardly. Could this man stop acting like some creepy stranger trying to lure a toddler? Did he think Qin Yu was three?
【Stay calm, Host. His strength far exceeds yours.】
Qin Yu said, “…Then do you have any way to help me?”
【I recommend using sweet words to lull the enemy into lowering his guard, then finding an opportunity to escape.】
That sneaky bastard!
“I’m guessing you’re here to investigate the Qu’an Village case too. Why don’t we work together? You can have all the payment afterward. How does that sound?”
“All of it? Including you?”
Countless lines of exasperation might as well have appeared across Qin Yu’s forehead. He clenched his teeth to hold back a curse, secretly inching his fingers toward the Four Beasts Token while talking nonstop to distract the man. “I really don’t want anything. Brother, won’t you at least consider work—”
Before he could finish saying “working together,” black threads once again lashed tightly around the hand secretly drawing his sword. This time, they hoisted his entire body into the air, leaving him swaying there in a sight both ridiculous and eerie.
Qin Yu’s vision blurred. A moment later, someone behind him had seized his chin.
“Trying to distract me while you make your move?”
“I wouldn’t dare! I wouldn’t dare!”
With his sneak attack foiled, Qin Yu hurriedly changed tactics. “I’m just uncomfortable being tied up like this. I only wanted to shift position!”
“…So that’s it. Then I’ll try another way!”
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