Returning to the courtyard, Lu Li offered Chen Zhong a few comforting words before retiring to his room.
The spirit fruit on Qin Shouren's body was gone, likely having fallen into someone else's hands. The only person who knew Qin Shouren possessed the spirit fruit was Lu Li himself, so targeted killing to seize treasures should be impossible.
Then there was only one possibility: when Qin Shouren went up the mountain, he happened to run into an adversary. After a conflict, the other party discovered the spirit fruit and killed him to silence witnesses.
And there was only one person who had crossed paths with Qin Shouren...
The answer was almost self-evident.
Lu Li did not share his suspicions with Chen Zhong, because the culprit was undoubtedly targeting Chen Zhong, who had previously mentioned beating up Sun Zi'an on the mountain.
By all accounts, Sun Zi'an had already taken a beating from Chen Zhong, so the likelihood of him acting alone to intercept Chen Zhong was low. In other words, the other party had brought help...
When it came down to it, his own spirit fruit had brought disaster upon his companion.
He touched the three Explosion Talismans inside his tunic, his fists clenching tightly.
Explosion Talismans required True Qi to be released externally for activation. At their first layer of Qi Refining, neither of them had opened a single meridian; while they could circulate True Qi to lighten their steps, projecting it outward was entirely beyond them.
If he wanted revenge now, his only path was to break through to the second layer of Qi Refining as fast as possible and then rely on the talismans.
Furthermore, the Explosion Talismans carried by Qin Shouren had also been stripped away. This was an ominous development for Lu Li, forcing him to exercise the utmost caution.
Suppressing the urge to seek immediate vengeance, he stepped directly into the Time Hall.
Midnight.
In the courtyard at the very back of the miscellaneous disciples' living quarters, a youth in cyan robes gently pulled the door shut and stepped outside. He looked ruddy, stood tall, and carried an extraordinary bearing.
A look of profound satisfaction rested on his face as he muttered to himself, "I never expected those few fruits to possess such potency. Truly marvelous beyond words."
Smoothing his robes, he walked over to the neighboring small courtyard.
Lights burned in both the room directly facing the gate and the room on the left. Sun Zi'an's gaze darkened as he strode straight toward the front room and rapped on the wood. "Xiao Cheng, open up."
Footsteps shuffled from within, and a boy in his sleeping robes opened the door. Upon recognizing the cyan-robed figure, he blinked in surprise. "Senior Brother Sun, why are you..."
At this moment, Sun Zi'an stood ramrod straight, completely devoid of his usual deferential cringing.
A faint smile touched Sun Zi'an's lips. "Those fruit from last time were quite good. I specifically saved one for you. Let's go inside and talk."
Joy lit up Xiao Cheng's face as he hurriedly invited Sun Zi'an inside.
The instant Xiao Cheng turned away, a fierce glint flashed in Sun Zi'an's eyes. He flicked his hand into his tunic, sending a rolled yellow slip hurtling toward Xiao Cheng's back.
Boom!
A muffled blast shook the entire dwelling.
Xiao Cheng was hurled more than ten feet forward, crashing heavily onto the bed. His back was a mangled mess of torn flesh, through which fractured spine bones and pulverized organs were faintly visible.
"You-" Xiao Cheng twisted his neck with agonizing effort, but his breath failed before he could finish.
"Hmph!" Sun Zi'an snorted coldly, rolled the corpse over, and rummaged through its tunic until he retrieved an identical yellow slip. Then his figure blurred as he slipped behind the door.
Bare less than twenty breaths later, the door to the small side room burst open, and a burly disciple charged into Xiao Cheng's quarters.
Upon crossing the threshold and laying eyes on the corpse upon the bed, his expression twisted in alarm, and he spun around to bolt.
The moment he turned, a talisman whistled through the air.
Boom!
Another explosion roared, sending the burly man flying backward through the air.
A jagged, horrifying hole gaped across his chest.
"Sun Zi-"
The big man's pupils dilated, his head lolled to the side, and he perished instantly.
"Blame your own bad luck. Only the dead let me sleep easy." Sun Zi'an flashed a look of bitter reluctance before searching the two bodies once more. Only after recovering another identical talisman from the heavy-set man did he let out a breath. "Such talismans... what a waste to spend two of them."
A moment later, slinging one body over each shoulder, he vanished seamlessly into the darkness.
By the following evening, someone discovered the dried blood within the room and, panic-stricken, reported the matter directly to Steward Wen Hong. Hearing that lives might have been lost, Wen Hong turned pale with fright and hurried over to inspect the scene.
In a place like the Qingyang Sect, although miscellaneous disciples possessed only five-element spiritual roots, they formed the foundation of the sect. Losing even one was no small matter, let alone two at once. If the Punishment Hall caught wind of this, losing his post would be the least of his concerns-he might even have his cultivation crippled and be cast out of the mountain gate.
After a thorough inspection, Wen Hong's expression had turned grim.
He summoned Sun Zi'an, ordered him to investigate the matter in secret, and strictly commanded the original reporter to keep silent under threat of death.
Sun Zi'an had left the bloodstains precisely to draw Wen Hong's attention and keep the incident out of the Punishment Hall's hands. Wen Hong's decree suited his intentions perfectly, and he trusted that as long as no further storms shook the valley, the affair would blow over.
The next day, he walked up to Lu Li's courtyard and knocked on the door.
Lu Li roused himself from cultivation, cracked the door open, and narrowed his eyes. Forcibly steadying himself, he asked, "Senior Brother, what brings you here?"
Feigning ignorance, Sun Zi'an chuckled. "What happened to that fellow Qin Shouren? I haven't seen hide nor hair of him in days. Is he skipping his chores entirely?"
At a single glance, Lu Li could tell the other man had consumed the spirit fruit. Fighting down a surging wave of murderous intent, he replied coldly, "I only met him on the road; we aren't close. If Senior Brother has no other business, I must return to my cultivation."
"Not close?" Sun Zi'an arched an eyebrow with a hint of surprise. "Hah, fine. Probably fled because the work was too grueling."
With a 'benevolent' expression, he offered some guidance. "Junior Brother, the path of cultivation relies on perseverance. You must understand that when Senior Brother assigns you heavy labor, it's truly for your own benefit. Look at me.
With that, he rolled back his sleeve to display a bulging, muscle-bound arm. "I came up through the exact same hardships, which is why I achieved what I have today. Do you understand Senior Brother's good intentions?"
"This junior understands," Lu Li lowered his gaze, refusing to look at him.
"Haha, good that you understand." Seeing no sign that Lu Li intended to meddle in Qin Shouren's disappearance, Sun Zi'an nodded in gratification and sauntered off.
Not until Sun Zi'an was out of sight did Lu Li's restraint snap. He drove his fist hard into the door panel, splintering the wood and punching a gaping hole clean through.
Just as he turned to re-enter his room, his gaze caught on Chen Zhong's tightly shut door across the yard. Frowning, he strode over.
The latch was unbolted. With a gentle push, Lu Li swung the door open.
Stepping inside, he found Chen Zhong sprawled motionless across the bed, his broad face drained of color, his lips cracked and parched as though he had gone days without a drop of water.