The four major sects of Jingxiang—Qingyu Sect, Zhanglong Sect, Dongyang Sect, and the Lu clan of Mount Tianmu—suddenly ordered all rogue cultivators to leave. Almost in lockstep, they returned to their own mountain strongholds, leaving the rogue cultivators scattered and helpless. No one knew what had been discussed, or how it was decided. No one dared to ask. It was as if, overnight, the world had become clean and orderly again.
At the foot of the mountain, Liu Xiaolou and Tan Bajhang stood staring at a row of over a dozen wooden stakes. One by one, they examined the bodies of the rogue cultivators hanging from them. Their corpses swayed in the wind like paper, and the sight shook them deeply. After a long while, they let out a heavy breath. Thankfully, none of the dead were from Wulong Mountain. Even so, they couldn't help but feel a wave of sorrow.
If it could happen to these people, it could happen to them.
A rogue cultivator is still a cultivator. Why is there so little dignity in being one?
Wanderer Dai had also returned. He looked at the stakes and let out a long sigh. Shaking his head, he said to Liu Xiaolou and Tan Bajhang, "So this is how Qingyu Sect handles things... A so-called righteous sect, huh..."
Liu Xiaolou felt a pang of sympathy. "Senior Dai, should we take them down? These people... they didn't deserve this."
Wanderer Dai paused, then nodded. "You're right."
It wasn't just about whether they were wronged. Leaving them hanging like that would cast a heavy shadow over their fellow cultivators from Wulong Mountain. They couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
The three of them got to work. They dug shallow graves beneath the stakes and buried the bodies on the spot.
Afterward, they sawed down the stakes, leaving just enough to serve as makeshift grave markers. But none of the dead had anything on them that could be used to identify who they were, so there were no names to carve on the graves.
Tan Bajhang was fuming. "Wanderer Dai was right. What kind of 'righteous sect' behaves like this? Qingyu Sect stripped the place bare. They didn't even leave behind a scrap of silver! We worked all day for nothing!"
One by one, the cultivators from Wulong Mountain emerged from hiding and returned. Together, they carefully inspected the Sky Pit Drum, but found nothing at all. It was as if the demon vine had appeared out of thin air and vanished just as mysteriously after being burned. No leaves, no stems, not even a trace left behind.
Liu Xiaolou made his way back to Qianzhu Ridge, only to find his little cottage in total disarray. Still, he wasn't angry. Ever since he came up the mountain at the age of eight, this sort of thing happened every year or two. He was used to it.
The only thing that truly worried him was his teacher's grave, Master Sanxuan. It was the first place he checked. Thankfully, Qingyu Sect hadn't gone so far as to desecrate graves. The burial site was still intact and undisturbed.
He was just about to start cleaning up the courtyard when he suddenly smacked his forehead. He'd left Big White behind! And all his belongings too! In a hurry, he turned back down the mountain, heading straight for Wuchao Town to retrieve his goose.
Since Zhanglong Sect had locked the place down, Wuchao Town had grown noticeably quiet. It would probably take a month or two before it returned to normal. As he passed through First Alley, he noticed that Madam Zhang and Sister Qing were nowhere to be seen. His curiosity got the better of him, so he finally stepped into the alley he'd always seen from a distance but never entered.
On either side of the alley were several courtyards, all now tightly shut with heavy iron locks. He knocked on a few doors, but no one answered. It wasn't clear where everyone had gone.
Just as he was mulling it over, someone came staggering down the alley. At first, Liu Xiaolou assumed it was just another customer out looking for pleasure, but as the figure came into view, his heart dropped. He knew this man. Knew him all too well. It was someone he'd rather avoid at all costs: Hou Sheng, the inspector from Qingyu Sect.
Hou Sheng stepped into the mouth of the alley, blocking the exit. He gave Liu Xiaolou a slow once-over, a half-smile playing on his face.
Liu Xiaolou tensed up immediately. He froze for a moment, then forced a grin onto his face. "Hahaha, it's been a while. So it's Inspector Hou! My apologies for not recognizing you right away. Are you here looking for Madam Zhang and the others too? I'm afraid it's not the best timing. I just checked; everything's locked up tight. Not sure where they've all gone…"
"They've gone to Dongting," Hou Sheng answered casually. "Our Qingyu Sect is setting up a new market in Yueyang by Dongting Lake. To draw in a crowd, we moved them all there."
Liu Xiaolou's heart sank. So that's it. Hou Sheng was here waiting for him.
"Ah… is that so…" Liu Xiaolou put on a disappointed look. "I was hoping to see Sister Qing, too. Oh well, looks like I'll have to head to Dongting then. Inspector Hou, I'll be off now. Yueyang, right? That's by the lake? No problem, I'll ask around once I get there…"
He started to move toward the alley entrance, but Hou Sheng didn't budge. He kept blocking the way.
"Inspector Hou? Is there… something else?"
Hou Sheng looked amused, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Liu Xiaolou, ever since I came to Wulong Mountain, I've been looking for you. Took quite a bit of effort to track you down."
Liu Xiaolou blinked. "Inspector Hou, come now, what are you saying? I've always been at your disposal. If you have any orders, I'm ready to obey without question!"
Hou Sheng narrowed his eyes. "Then why weren't you at Wulong Mountain?"
Liu Xiaolou sighed helplessly. "Steward Hou, you know as well as I do. Your sect launched a full-scale occupation of Wulong Mountain, claiming to be wiping out bandits. I've always stayed on the right path and never took part in the attack on the Zhou Estate, but I couldn't avoid getting caught up in it with the rest of the mountain's rogue cultivators... I was afraid that no matter how I explained myself, no one would believe me. That's why I had no choice but to lay low elsewhere. I hope you can understand."
Hou Sheng didn't say yes or no. He just replied, "Clever little brat. Sounds like you've got your story straight. Let me ask you this: when did you leave Xingde Mountain?"
Liu Xiaolou's heart skipped a beat. What's he getting at...?
Hou Sheng's voice turned cold. "Think carefully. Don't play dumb. You know exactly why I'm asking."
Liu Xiaolou blinked and tilted his head back, pretending to recall. "Inspector Hou, you're aware I asked Lord Xingde for help refining a formation disk. That kind of process requires the owner to be present, especially near the end. It took about three months to complete the set, so... that should've been around Second Month of this year. Yes... Second Month."
Hou Sheng pressed him. "Second Month? What day in Second Month?"
Liu Xiaolou said, "It should've been late Second Month. I don't remember the exact day."
"And after that? Where did you go?"
"I went to the market at Tianmen Mountain. Southeast of the market, there's a place called Yangliu Bay. I entered closed-door cultivation there. I'd had some insights during the formation refining at Xingde Mountain, and I couldn't wait to settle into meditation... That was when I opened up an acupoint."
"Oh? Closed-door cultivation? Convenient excuse… Go on, when did you finish?"
"Around early Third Month. I really can't remember the exact date. Why? What exactly is Inspector Hou trying to get at? If you've got questions, just ask them plainly. I've got nothing to hide and will answer you honestly."
"Where did you go after coming out of seclusion?"
"Inspector Hou, with all due respect, you keep grilling me without saying what this is about. How am I supposed to answer that?"
"You answer what I ask. That's all you need to do."
"Have I done something wrong?" Liu Xiaolou's expression darkened. "As far as I know, I've never offended you, Inspector Hou. Why are you being so aggressive?"
Hou Sheng scoffed. "Offend me? You? If you really had offended me, do you think you'd still be breathing? I'm an inner Inspector of the Qingyu Sect. Killing someone like you would take no effort at all. I'm questioning you today because I want the truth. That's all. Just give me straight answers and don't get any funny ideas. Or you'll find yourself in real trouble."
Hou Sheng's cultivation was at the tenth layer of Qi Refinement, far above Liu Xiaolou's. As an inspector of a major sect, who knew how many powerful magical artifacts he carried? If it came to a fight, Liu Xiaolou wouldn't last a second. So even though Hou Sheng's words were harsh and condescending, Liu Xiaolou had no choice but to swallow his pride for now.
"You're being too harsh, Inspector Hou. I wouldn't dare have any funny ideas. Thinking back carefully... it must've been around the fifth of the third month."
"No," Hou Sheng said coldly, staring him down. "You went to the Tianmen Market on the second of the third month."