Chapter 158: Shifting The Conflict
“Under the Mourning Hall, there is something.”
Chen Shun’an moved with extreme speed, patrolling the Back Hall once, and finally discovered that under the stone slab where Nie Zheng’s corpse was placed, there seemed to be another world—a mechanical creation leading straight underground.
Intent as tide, sensing by capturing qi.
A faint trace of bloody Yin Sha Energy came through, as if thousands of ghosts were wailing and countless yin spirits were shrieking.
His glabella faintly ached, and the Innate Qi in his Niwan Acupoint, as if stimulated by something, instinctively circulated, rushing through the Soul Chamber, making Chen Shun’an’s entire forehead tense up.
He sensed a faint sense of crisis.
Chen Shun’an’s expression immediately became grave.
Relying solely on himself, to eradicate this Demonic Den here and slay Zhao Guanghui, he estimated he had only eight or nine parts assurance—too risky.
“Find helpers! This isn’t just my business, why should I charge forward and be an unnamed hero? Everyone should pitch in!”
“Moreover, perhaps someone is willing to be this hero.”
At this thought, Chen Shun’an’s gaze shifted, as if he had thought of something, and in the next instant, his figure vanished from the spot.
……
“That is……the Mourning Hall?”
On the hillside below, Li Yaozu crouched low hiding in the grass, and saw Chen Shun’an’s figure enter a fairly spacious building.
After waiting a moment, Chen Shun’an did not reappear.
Li Yaozu finally couldn’t hold back, his body shook and stretched, moving close to the ground, and soon silently flipped into the Mourning Hall.
The Mourning Hall’s smell was not pleasant, with a faint rotten corpse odor.
In the Main Hall were placed more than ten nameless corpses, covered with straw mats over their faces, chilling and eerie.
But Li Yaozu’s expression was as usual, showing no abnormality, and he soon reached the Back Hall rooftop, lying prone, peering into the room through the gaps between roof tiles.
The body recovery man who lit lamps and incense, after arranging the coffin properly, did not linger, closed the windows and locked the door, and returned to the front hall.
“What is in that coffin? Why are these body recovery men so cautious?”
The Mourning Hall was not large, but Li Yaozu had not found Chen Shun’an’s figure.
After the body recovery men left, Li Yaozu appeared in the Back Hall.
After a search, he also vaguely discovered that under the stone slab, it seemed hollow, as tapping produced an echoing sound.
“Could there be a cave or secret passage? Did Chen Shun’an go there?”
Li Yaozu’s heart stirred, and he carefully moved the coffin lid aside, then like a hawk drilling into the forest, lay into the coffin.
“What is this?”
Li Yaozu then saw inside the coffin a sticky mass that couldn’t be identified as anything.
There was no strange smell, so he even leaned in to sniff carefully and rubbed it with his hand.
Crack!
Suddenly, the wooden board beneath him went empty!
Without warning, the coffin bottom board flipped inward. Li Yaozu’s whole body plunged downward, an icy sensation of weightlessness immediately hitting him.
“Oh no!”
As a martial artist after all, his shock lasted only an instant.
Li Yaozu exerted force from his waist and abdomen, his four limbs spreading like a hawk, forcefully bracing against the narrow, damp corridor walls.
His fingertips dug into the slippery moss, his boot soles pressing against protruding stone blocks, finally stopping his fall.
He hung in midair, the Breath-Holding Pill continuing to take effect.
His heartbeat slowed, nearly stopping, not even a drop of cold sweat flowed.
“Eh? Didn’t they say they recovered Nie Zheng’s corpse? What is this thing?”
“Soft and shapeless, not like a corpse or meat—could there be a mistake?”
“Hmph! These body recovery men, are they deceiving us? They’ve truly eaten bear heart and leopard gall!”
Vague voices of people came from below his feet.
Li Yaozu mustered courage and descended more than ten zhang, looking downward.
Just one glance, and he couldn’t help but feel his scalp go numb, his soul nearly scattering.
Below was actually a massive underground cave.
Bones piled into mountains, jagged skeletons interlacing like a forest, truly a corpse mountain blood sea, indeed foul-smelling, with many figures of sinister temperament shuttling between blood pools, occasionally fishing out corpses from them.
“What heretical path! So that Chen Shun’an is actually behind such dealings?”
Li Yaozu, seeing this, was both shocked and angry.
“Must leave immediately!”
He forcibly suppressed his fear and began climbing upward silently with hands and feet.
But just as he turned his head—
Almost nose-to-nose.
A small face with blurred features, only a humanoid outline, was quietly floating before him.
The little figure was no more than an inch long, its body withered, emitting a faint gray light all over, its pupil-less eye sockets staring straight at him.
And not just one.
In the shadows around the corridor, countless such humanoid little figures had silently appeared at some point, densely packed.
They moved without sound, surrounding him completely, their blurred faces all turning uniformly toward him.
In the blood pool Underground Palace, Zhao Guanghui suddenly looked up toward Li Yaozu’s direction and sneered coldly.
“A little rat has drilled in.”
……
“Unlucky kid, who did you have to follow, but you followed Chen Mou—looks like you’ve played yourself this time?”
Outside the Mourning Hall, atop a towering ancient tree, Chen Shun’an took a deep look at Li Yaozu who had gone and not returned, with no further movement coming, then drifted away.
Returning to the Public Office, he pushed open the door and entered, quickly packing his luggage.
Chen Shun’an had stayed briefly at the Three Forked Road for several days, so he didn’t have much with him—just seven or eight yellowish pearls, one Green Xuan Bead, a few bottles of pills, and some clothing.
Moments later, Chen Shun’an shouldered his package and strode toward Wuqing County.
He had originally planned to set off back to the county tomorrow, but with this incident tonight, speed was of the essence, he didn’t want to delay, and prepared to return to the county overnight to report the matter to Zhao Guangxi.
Refining Corpses into Spirits was a practice of heretical paths, which anyone could righteously slay.
This was a major event that disgraced the Water Station’s reputation and harmed Wuqing County!
Chen Shun’an naturally wanted to upgrade the conflict, shifting it to the Water Station, Wuqing Stick Bureau, and Government Offices!
Moreover, Li Yaozu had boldly intruded into the cave, likely meeting a bad end.
The Wuguan Camp could also be conveniently pulled in.
After all, the Wuguan Camp guarded the Capital City, with soldiers all brave and skilled in battle, especially that Commander Liu, who held military power, trained soldiers, with immeasurable strength—even Lu Jing was wary of him.
With these people as shields, why would Chen Shun’an need to personally venture into danger?
“It’s just a pity, Zhao Guanghui is utterly heartless—even broad-minded Chen Mou can’t really tolerate it, and there probably won’t be many opportunities to collect loans later…”
Chen Shun’an had planned to collect small loans for three months until overdue, fully escalating the conflict with the creditor, then eliminate Zhao Guanghui.
In the end, things didn’t go as planned—Zhao Guanghui was truly seeking death.
Returning to Wuqing County at cock crow three times.
Chen Shun’an arrived at Zhao Mansion, where outside the door it was silent and empty, only two lanterns swaying in the night wind.
The night watchman at the gate, wrapped in clothes dozing on the kang in the gatehouse, hearing the noise, hurriedly grabbed his broadsword and picked up a lantern.
“……Is that Shopkeeper Chen?”
The orange-yellow lamplight fell on Chen Shun’an’s face, and the gatekeeper recognized the person.
Seeing Chen Shun’an’s grave and stern face, the gatekeeper didn’t dare dally, quickly pushed open the side door, and hurried off to report.
Moments later.
In the Study Room.
Zhao Guangxi had put on clothes and draped a fur overcoat, lounging lazily on the couch.
There was also a newly risen bed-warmer maidservant, fresh and spirited, brewing tea for the two.
“Something happened, Old Chen? Calling me awake in such a hurry?”
New official taking office, slapping his own elder brother’s face.
Zhao Guangxi had been excited all night, until dawn was breaking, then held two warming-bed maidservants and dozed lightly.
Now inevitably showing some fatigue, after having the maidservant serve him a pipe of tobacco, he gestured for the maidservant to withdraw.
Looking at the broken leaves floating in the tea bowl, how did Chen Shun’an feel that Landlord Zhao’s life seemed a bit pinched?
Even Master Li, with his family fallen to this point, as soon as there was a sign of resurgence, was already using Sparrow Tongue Tea to rinse his mouth and Sweet Spring to brew tea.
How come the Landlord was like him, just smoking Gao Sui Tobacco?
Zhao Guangxi glanced at Chen Shun’an’s face full of unspoken criticism, and sat calmly without speaking.
Good tea, he naturally had.
But it was all for entertaining outsiders.
Old Chen was one of his own, no need for extravagance.
Save where one should, spend where one should.
Chen Shun’an said gravely: “Landlord, Zhao Guanghui stole corpses, refining corpses into spirits, colluding with the Sancha Body Recovery Team. Under the Tu Tan Zi Yi Zhuang, there’s probably a Demonic Den hidden!”
“What?!”
Zhao Guangxi abruptly stood up, his tobacco pouch dropping to the ground.
He gaped, full of disbelief.
Now, he was no longer sleepy, no longer smoking, no need for the maidservant to warm him, pacing several circles in the Study Room, his expression flickering.
“Old Chen, are you sure? Is there evidence for this?”
Zhao Guangxi couldn’t help but press.
Although he extremely trusted Chen Shun’an, this was a major matter, pulling one hair moved the whole body—Zhao Guangxi didn’t dare be negligent.
However, he didn’t ask much about how Chen Shun’an knew or how he retreated unscathed from that ‘Dingjia Warrior’.
To reach their current status, who didn’t have some fateful opportunity or hidden trump card?
He Zhao Guangxi also had opportunities, so how could he care about Chen Shun’an’s minor secrets?
“Seen with my own eyes, as for evidence…”
Chen Shun’an said gravely: “I don’t have any. But a soldier from Wuguan Camp, Li Yaozu, has probably also fallen victim.”
Chen Shun’an skimmed the beginning and end, simply recounting the matter.
Chen Shun’an indeed had no evidence.
That Dingjia Warrior had no physical form, came and went without trace, and upon death turned to wisps of green smoke.
Chen Shun’an even suspected that once Zhao Guanghui detected a Dingjia Warrior falling into others’ hands, he could directly eliminate the corresponding one and immediately cut ties.
But this was fist is power, personal might surpassing heaven’s Sacred Dynasty…
I suspect you, I saw it—that’s enough!
Surpassing all evidence!
“Li Yaozu?”
Under Chen Shun’an’s account, Zhao Guangxi also quickly understood the key to this person’s identity.
Though just a young soldier, he not only graduated from Liangjiang Military Academy, but was also mentored by Lu Jing.
Now, he was highly regarded by Commander Liu of Wuguan Camp.
Chen Shun’an wanted to find shields, and Zhao Guangxi similarly wanted to minimize his own losses as much as possible.
Wuguan Camp was an excellent helper!
After all, means like refining corpses into spirits, if no accident, probably involved some immortal fate!
Any treasure related to the Immortal Path had all sorts of profound and mysterious abilities, enough to make Zhao Guangxi pay utmost attention.
“Does anyone else know about this?”
“No, just you and me.”
“Good!”
Zhao Guangxi said gravely: “You don’t handle this anymore, and don’t leak it—pretend nothing happened…”
Moments later, Chen Shun’an took a new transfer order, Crouching Tiger Well water map, and shopkeeper red seal, and left Zhao Mansion.
Zhao Guanghui was done for.
Looking at the fish-belly white on the horizon, Chen Shun’an sighed inwardly.
The only unknown factor was the immortal fate in his hands—what exactly it was, and what wonderful uses it had.
This was what Zhao Guangxi and Chen Shun’an feared most.
But no matter what, Zhao Guanghui could no longer stir up waves.
After all, if his immortal fate truly allowed great slaughter in all directions, invincible wherever it went, then there would be no need to hide it so covertly, fleeing to a remote place outside the county to secretly refine corpses.
“I need to hurry and seize the time for loans, or there’ll be no chance later. Now that I’ve become shopkeeper, my commercial value has risen, my ‘credit’ at Guanghui Money House should be higher, and I can squeeze out some more silver.”
Chen Shun’an thought silently, involuntarily quickening his steps.
