As expected, the disciples distributing food discovered the three corpses in the stone house area. After reporting it, it immediately caused an uproar.
Law enforcement disciples from the stone house area entered in formation. The morning lecture was canceled, and all spirit slaves were placed under strict supervision. The three stewards arrived together, setting the stage for a major drama.
Steward Liu, who had been riding high recently, stood at the front with his hands behind his back, his face ashen as he looked at the three corpses, which seemed to have been pierced by countless swords.
Narrowing his eyes, he keenly sensed a chilling aura from them.
"Ice Sword Art..."
He couldn't help but turn to look at Steward Duan, who stood nearby with a nonchalant expression, and asked coldly, "Fatty Duan, was this your doing?"
Steward Duan was taken aback, frowning in response. "What does this have to do with me?"
Steward Liu immediately started cursing. "Damn fatty, do you think I'm blind? Only you know the Ice Sword Art. If you didn't do this, who else could have left this icy aura on the wounds?"
Their argument was watched by Steward Li, who remained silent and quietly took a few steps back, appearing unwilling to get involved.
Fatty Duan snorted coldly, pushed Steward Liu aside, and carefully examined the corpses. His expression instantly changed, a cold sweat inadvertently dripping from his forehead. His eyes shifted, and he said, "I'm not the only one in the stone house area who knows the Ice Sword Art."
"You mean that spirit slave? Hah—" Although there was prior enmity between them, and Wang Yu was Steward Duan's man who had learned the Ice Sword Art, Steward Liu didn't believe this explanation.
The last time he saw him, Wang Yu's Ice Sword Art wasn't even minor achievement; the ice swords he formed were thick and large, and the wound surfaces weren't very smooth.
Looking at these three corpses today, it seemed the Ice Sword Art had to be perfected to create such small, blade-piercing wounds. And this kind of devastating power could only be achieved by Fatty Duan.
A mere spirit slave at the second layer of Qi Refining, who also had to painstakingly refine Spirit Sand, couldn't possibly have such spell proficiency.
"If you won't admit it, then come with me to arrest that kid for interrogation."
Hearing this, Steward Duan was momentarily speechless. He had only been thinking about clearing his own suspicion earlier and forgot the task assigned by True Disciple Su. To win over the hearts of his subordinates, Wang Yu was the best example.
Now, trouble had found him again, making it truly difficult to choose.
Moreover, in his eyes, Wang Yu was the one who did this; there was no other possibility.
Hardening his heart, he couldn't take the blame for this. "Then let's bring him in for a confrontation. Who's afraid?"
"He's your man, of course you're not afraid of a confrontation." Steward Liu sneered repeatedly, ordered people to bring the corpses, and led the way to Wang Yu's Stone House No. 83. They arrived at the door shortly after.
His sharp eyes immediately noticed the damaged iron door, and his heart sank. "Could it be... Fatty Duan has already prepared a countermeasure? Is he deliberately trying to undermine my authority?"
Not only Steward Liu thought this, but the third steward, Steward Li, who had been observing from the sidelines, felt the same.
"Wang Yu, get out here!" Fatty Duan didn't care about any of this. After shouting, Wang Yu timidly shuffled out. Before the three stewards could speak, his knees went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
"I killed them. I await punishment from the stewards."
Steward Liu's heart tightened. Sure enough! Although he had no fondness for Wang Yu, that beast Fatty Duan was so despicable as to use a method that hurt himself to damage his authority.
In that case, he couldn't let him succeed. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Wang Yu, is it? Do you know the punishment for killing spirit slaves and damaging Coldblood Peak's property?"
Wang Yu deliberately glanced at Steward Duan and shook his head without speaking.
So he doesn't know.
Steward Liu felt even more confident and explained coldly and sternly, "The Reverse Blood Sect has nine severe punishments: Dismemberment, Bronze Bull, Oil Pot, Insect Devourment, Five Senses, Sky Lantern, Soul Extraction, Scorching, and Sun Summit."
"If you confess, you will suffer at least three punishments: being fried in the oil pot, then, after being healed, enduring the agony of being steamed in the bronze bull, and finally having your soul extracted and refined to become a ghost slave of the Seventh Peak, enslaved forever, unable to reincarnate!"
This was Wang Yu's first time hearing about the punishment rules. He didn't need to act; his shock and disbelief were natural as he stared blankly at Steward Duan.
As if waiting for his explanation.
Fatty Duan wasn't very sharp, but he wasn't stupid either. He immediately realized Wang Yu's intention and couldn't help but say, "Why are you looking at me? Don't you dare falsely implicate me. Don't you know trouble comes from the mouth—"
"Steward Duan, such great authority!" Steward Liu interrupted him, his aura at the great perfection of Qi Refining fully revealed. "Daring to lie and threaten a spirit slave to take the blame for you in front of us stewards? This is lawlessness!"
"No—" Fatty Duan felt like crying but had no tears, filled with immense grievance.
His shifting eyes suddenly caught sight of the damaged iron bars of Stone House No. 83, as if he had found a flaw, and he said in a shrill voice, "These bars! The damage must have been caused by Wang Yu sneaking in and out at night. He definitely killed those three!"
Steward Liu's gaze turned even colder. "Are you saying the law enforcement disciples on night duty were negligent and couldn't even keep watch over a mere spirit slave? Do you believe that?"
The law enforcement disciples standing nearby didn't want to take the blame. "We are at least at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Our spiritual sense can extend outside our bodies. I guarantee that the spirit slave Wang Yu was inside his stone house all last night."
See? This was the trend. No one wanted to take the fall; they only needed to cooperate with Steward Liu.
Just then, the food distribution disciple who had discovered the corpses stepped forward proactively. "This was my mistake. This morning during food distribution, this spirit slave was still sleeping in bed. Seeing that he wasn't working hard to refine Spirit Sand, I kicked the bars. The damage was done by me."
Steward Duan: "....Huh?"
How many spirit stones did they pay you to cooperate so well?
In his eyes, this was a frame-up, a targeted move by Wang Yu in league with Steward Liu, a betrayal!
Right now, he couldn't do anything to Wang Yu. If True Disciple Su said just one word, he could forget about ever being promoted to outer disciple and becoming a formal member of the Reverse Blood Sect.
"Hah~ Birds of a feather. Wang Yu, don't forget what you received from True Disciple Su. What did this Liu fellow give you to make you willing to help him scheme against me!"
Steward Liu's eyes widened. "You still dare to falsely accuse and slander? Someone, arrest this fatty!"
Just as he was about to order Steward Duan to be taken to the Coldblood Peak Enforcement Hall, an enforcement disciple hurried over, handed a cloth bag to Steward Liu, and whispered in his ear.
Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, he stood there stunned, his hand holding the bag trembling uncontrollably.
Inside was none other than Spirit Sand.
The monthly Spirit Sand submitted by the stone house area slaves was based on one tael per person. Everyone knew perfectly well who the extra was for.
Now that the matter had blown up and so many enforcement hall disciples had come, it was too late to cover anyone's mouth.
(End of Chapter)