Li Yundong pondered for a while, then raised his head and said to Cao Yi and the others from the Fox Zen School, “Take the other disciples to your room first. Everyone stay together and don’t get separated.”
Cao Yi nodded and left with Zhuang Yating, Liu Yuehong, and a few other foxes from the Fox Zen School. As soon as they left, the sounds of people crying and chattering suddenly dissipated. For a moment, the backyard became almost unsettlingly quiet.
Su Chan saw that the coffin was wide open. With two dessicated corpses lying on the ground, the surroundings were silent and frightening. She couldn’t help shuddering with fear and moving closer to Li Yundong to grasp at one corner of his clothes. “Yundong, why did you ask shibo to leave?”
Li Yundong glanced at her and stroked her hair but didn’t answer the question. Instead, he turned to Zhou Qin and asked. “What do you think of them?”
With a glance at Li Yundong, Zhou Qin could tell that he was both asking and testing her, so she said, “I have an idea, but I don’t know if it makes sense.”
Li Yundong said, “There’s only Su Chan and me here, no outsiders. There’s nothing to worry about. Tell me.”
Zhou Qin looked at Su Chan and seemed to be very cautious. She said, “Su Chan, if there’s anything wrong with what I say, please don’t be angry.”
Su Chan blinked her eyes in confusion. “Why would I be? As the saying goes, two heads are better than one. Just tell us.”
Zhou Qin nodded and said, “Master, I think there’s something fishy going on here.”
Li Yundong asked, “What is it?”
Zhou Qin said, “Why did something happen to Fox Zen School when Great Master Wuhua came? Why did someone die just when he was about to reveal Ao Wushuang’s whereabouts? If this is a coincidence, then this world is too bizarre.”
Li Yundong pondered for a moment before saying, “I also feel that there is something off about all of this. Just as Great Master Wuhua told me that something was so close, yet so far away, Zhangsun Hong died along with Mei Niang.”
Zhou Qin nodded and said, “Yes, and Master, have you noticed anything strange about the location of their bodies?”
Li Yundong couldn’t help glancing at Zhou Qin appreciatively and saying, “You’re right. In my opinion, this murderer must have killed Zhangsun Hong first. Then, Mei Niang probably strolled in, saw the mess, and screamed miserably. Then, in order to get rid of the witness, the culprit would have turned on Mei Niang.”
At this time, Su Chan interrupted, “This murderer is so cruel. He not only killed people, he turned them into dried meat, not even letting their souls escape his wrath!”
Li Yundong smiled gently at Su Chan and said, “That’s exactly what I was going to say. If the murderer wanted to get rid of the witnesses, he could have just killed Mei Niang. Why did he have to suck her dry? Why was he so cruel that he did not even let her soul off?”
Su Chan couldn’t help glancing at the two dried corpses on the ground, then quickly looking away. She said with fear and disgust on her face, “Maybe this murderer is a pervert!”
Li Yundong shook his head. “It’s not really important to consider whether or not he’s a pervert, but I think that it’s more than a coincidence that both of them have been sucked dry.”
Zhou Qin suddenly said, “Although I don’t understand cultivation, is it possible that the murderer was afraid of his name and appearance being made known to us if he didn’t absorb their souls? If he was worried about that, then…”
Li Yundong raised his eyebrows. “Your idea is very good and very possible. However, it is not easy to suck a person dry and absorb their soul in such a short time. Based on the current evidence, Zheng Yuan is very suspicious, but there is another reason why I sent the other people from the Fox Zen Sect away.”
Su Chan and Zhou Qin asked in unison, “Why?”
“I suspect that there is a traitor hidden within the Fox Zen School!” Li Yundong replied in a deep voice.
Hearing Li Yundong’s words, Zhou Qin raised her eyebrows. At first, she was a little surprised, but soon she reacted with a thoughtful look. Su Chan gasped in surprise. “Ah? Could it be?”
Su Chan knew the cause and effect of the siege in Fox Zen School. In her opinion, the main reason for Fox Zen School having suffered such a heavy blow was that Mo Ashi and others were lurking in Fox Zen School as moles cooperating with other sects.
Hearing that there were moles in Fox Zen School, Su Chan was very frightened. The little girl grabbed Li Yundong’s sleeve tightly and leaned into him. She said in a horrified voice, “Yundong, why did you say that?”
Li Yundong pointed at where Zhangsun Hong was and said, “Although Zhangsun Hong is not good at settling scores, I’ve heard from Cao Yi that he is very good at invisibility, Illusion Spells and all kinds of Seduction Spells. Although they would be no match for others, escaping is not a problem. The previous scream came from Mei Niang, not Zhangsun Hong. This means that the murderer’s cultivation is either too high, or the person she knows took advantage of her surprise to make a sudden attack!”
“Ah!” Su Chan suddenly clenched her fists. Her eyes dilated as she looked at Li Yundong. “Who could it be?”
Li Yundong thought for a moment and said, “We don’t know for certain yet, but we can deduce a few points from the current situation. First, the person who killed Zhangsun Hong may be very familiar with her, or his cultivation could be much higher than hers. Secondly, it’s not clear whether this person killed her for profit or revenge. But if he came for revenge, he wouldn’t have needed to suck Mei Niang dry. He could have challenged us directly.”
At this time, Su Chan interrupted, “Would he have dared? Wouldn’t he have known that our Leader, Zhenren Li, is good at settling scores and basically invincible?”
Li Yundong chuckled and glared at Su Chan, feigning anger. “Nonsense. There are so many cultivators in the world. How could I be invincible?”
Li Yundong rubbed the little girl’s hair and continued to say, “I prefer the former idea that this killing was done for profit, not for revenge. Only the one who stole the powerful magical weapon would be afraid of being recognized by their opponent. But this deduction is also unreliable…”
Before he could finish his words, Zhou Qin nodded and continued, “Yes, if he wanted to grab the treasure, why did he even grab the corpse of the former Leader, Liu Ye? Actually, could it be that the former Leader had ascended, so his corpse was not left behind?”
Li Yundong laughed and shook his head, saying, “No, Liu Ye died of serious injuries. In this case, it was impossible for him to go up.”
Su Chan suddenly said in fear, “Then could it be that our Leader was resurrected from the dead?”
Li Yundong was stunned for a moment, but then he said in denial, “I don’t think so. Why would Liu Ye have killed his disciple? And I saw the injury he suffered last time. He was so seriously injured that he couldn’t have survived.”
As he spoke, Su Chan and Zhou Qin could not help frowning and asking at the same time, “Then who on earth was it?”
Li Yundong thought for a moment before replying, “Su Chan, I have something to say if you don’t mind. Since I took over leadership of the Fox Zen School, I found that there has been an inexplicable atmosphere all around, especially with today’s incident, which has revealed Evil Qi! I think there must be someone secretly watching us with evil intentions!”
Su Chan looked worried. “Yundong, I’m the one burdening you with this. Otherwise, you would have quit being the Leader of the Fox Zen School. Don’t let our master’s affairs trouble you.”
Li Yundong laughed. “Don’t be silly. How could I retreat after encountering a few difficulties? Whether this person is an enemy or a spy, I believe that he will show his true identity sooner or later. If he is a hidden traitor, he will show his tail someday!”
What he said was so true. The little fox could not help mumbling a few words and subconsciously touching her back, as if she was afraid that she would expose her tail right then and there.
Li Yundong watched her movements, laughed and said, “I’m not talking about you. What are you worried about?”
Su Chan puffed out her cheeks and said, “I’m worried that you will suspect me!”
“Even if all the people in the world died, I still wouldn’t suspect you. Don’t be silly!” Li Yundong said with a laugh.
Upon hearing this, the little girl immediately beamed with joy. She took Li Yundong’s arm and was about to start being coquettish. Li Yundong coughed and said, “How dare you! Is this the time and place for playing?”
Only then did the little girl remember that she was still one the scene of a murder. She stuck out her tongue and peeked at Zhou Qin carefully. She saw that Zhou Qin was motionless, and there was no sullenness to be seen on her face. It seemed that she was not affected by her and Li Yundong’s frolicking.
Su Chan was relieved. She knew that Zhou Qin was very talented and that she would be Li Yundong’s powerful helper in the future. Although Su Chan was Li Yundong’s doting girlfriend, Zhou Qin would be Li Yundong’s chief disciple, and she didn’t want any awkwardness to crop up between them.
Li Yundong was ignorant to the little girl’s train of thought. “For now, we can’t stay in Tianlong Mountain any longer. This place is too large, easy for the murderer to take advantage of. Besides, I can’t keep watch here all day long,” he said.
Zhou Qin asked, “Where do you want everyone to go then? The secret chamber of the Fox Zen School?”
Li Yundong shook his head as he replied, “No, if there is a traitor amongst us, it would be equivalent to telling him about the existence of the Heavenly Jindan Technique. I want them to temporarily live in my house in New Hongsheng District.”
Zhou Qin couldn’t help opening her mouth wide and looking surprised. “You want so many female disciples to live at your place? Can, can you bear it?”
These words were full of meaning. Li Yundong couldn’t help glaring at her. “Do you think I’m like Mandkesvara? I’ll have them live there, and I’ll take Su Chan to find another place for us to live!”
Zhou Qin blushed slightly and said with an awkward smile, “I was just wondering if you thought they would be noisy?”
Li Yundong didn’t believe this weak excuse. He just rolled his eyes at her and said, “Come to the secret room of the Fox Zen School with me. Su Chan, go into the room to get a pen and some paper. Zhou Qin, you can go too. Each of you should make a copy of the Heavenly Jindan Technique and I’ll find a way to seal the secret room. Later, we’ll go back to Tiannan City together.”
Su Chan and Zhou Qin turned around and headed to the inner room to look for pens and paper. Li Yundong frowned at the murder scene and paced back and forth. After a while, Su Chan and Zhou Qin returned. Li Yundong held Zhou Qin’s wrist in his hand and nodded to Su Chan. “Let’s go.”
The three of them rose into the air. When they reached the entrance of the secret room halfway up the mountain, Li Yundong suddenly found that some of the branches and leaves of the entrance had been pulled apart, revealing the hole.
This was a serious matter. Li Yundong shot a meaningful glance at Su Chan, getting her to fly away with Zhou Qin. He then took a deep breath, pushed away the branches at the entrance, and walked in.
Li Yundong held his breath and concentrated. He walked lightly and slowly along the way, almost like a cat, making no sound.
When he was just about to enter the secret room, he clearly heard a subtle, almost inaudible sound coming from inside.
Li Yundong was shocked. He knew that this person was likely to be the murderer, and that the whereabouts of Ao Wushuang likely had something to do with him!
Without any hesitation, he rushed in.
