A silent village, a faint scent of blood

Tian Yao reached out and patted Di Qiuer on the shoulder.

"Don't worry."

"The Young Master once told me that the Young Madam's cooking is inedible, so even if these skewers aren't burnt, they're probably still inedible."

Tian Yao spoke, he handed a skewer of sizzling, oily roasted meat to Di Qiuer.

Di Qiuer took the roasted meat, took a small bite, and gradually closed her eyes, revealing an expression of enjoyment.

It was obvious that the barbecue tasted good, and she liked it.

A big question mark appeared above Bai Wanwan's head. She first looked at Tian Yao, and finally turned her gaze to Qian Renxue, revealing an unhappy little expression.

What's the meaning?

What do you mean her food is inedible?

False accusation!

Pure fabrication!

She cooked twice herself, and each time she received extremely high praise.

How could something you made be inedible!

Seeing Bai Wanwan's unhappy expression, Qian Renxue handed the roasted meat to Bai Wanwan.

"Mine just baked, Wanwan, try it and see if it's good."

Qian Renxue's voice was very gentle, soothing Bai Wanwan's emotions in a tone that coaxed a child, but her gaze secretly glanced at Tian Yao, a hint of helplessness appearing in her eyes.

"Why is this child so honest?"

"Why do you have to say it out loud when you already know it in your heart?"

Bai Wanwan took the roasted meat from Qian Renxue and ate it silently without saying a word.

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

Qian Renxue asked with some anticipation.

Upon hearing this, Bai Wanwan looked up at Qian Renxue, then silently handed the roasted meat to her, indicating that she should try it herself.

Bai Wanwan remained silent not because she was angry, but simply because she didn't know how to describe the taste of the barbecue.

If Qian Renxue hadn't handed her this skewer of grilled meat, she would definitely have suspected that someone was trying to poison her out of jealousy—the youngest Princely Title in the Heaven Dou Empire, the ruler of Sunset Forest, one of the kings of Star Dou Great Forest, the current Water Dragon King, and the ceiling of the younger generation in the entire Spirit Master World.

As for handing the grilled meat over to Qian Renxue to taste, it wasn't to ask her to grill another skewer. The reason was simple: she was afraid that Qian Renxue wouldn't be able to replicate the flavor of the first time she grilled it a second time.

Taking the grilled meat from Bai Wanwan, Qian Renxue noticed the teeth marks on it, flipped the meat over, took a small bite, and immediately frowned.

How could it taste so bad?

"It's probably because the ingredients weren't fresh, the seasonings were bad, and there was a slight problem with the campfire, which is why the food tasted so bad."

Qian Renxue frowned as she looked at the campfire, and instantly understood the problem.

As for her own problems, she never thought about them.

As the Young Master of the Spirit Hall, with Innate Level 20 Soul Power and exceptional talent, making barbecue is no easy task for her, so it definitely wasn't her fault.

Qian Renxue casually tossed the roasted meat far away and put her arm around Bai Wanwan's shoulder.

"It must be a problem with the meat, seasonings, and the campfire."

"We'll eat when we get back to the mansion; we won't have the roast meat for now."

Qian Renxue's voice was very gentle.

"Hmm~"

Bai Wanwan gave a soft "hmm" and continued watching the sunset with Qian Renxue.

"Hmm~"

"Delicious~"

Is there a problem with the meat?

"How come I didn't taste it?"

Di Qiuer lowered her head and ate the roasted meat, while her gaze was fixed on Tian Yao, who was also roasting and eating.

After distributing several skewers of grilled meat to Di Qiuer, Tian Yao glanced discreetly at Qian Renxue and Bai Wanwan in front of him.

"Young Master's cooking skills are probably a little better than Young Madam's."

"But they're basically evenly matched."

Tian Yao thought silently, but this time she didn't say anything.

Time passed slowly.

As the sun disappeared on the horizon, night fell completely.

Qian Renxue and Bai Wanwan got up from the ground and, with Di Qiuer and Tian Yao who had eaten and drunk their fill, headed towards Heaven Dou City.

Walking along the uneven path, the group chatted and laughed.

But as they passed through a small Village, Bai Wanwan's nose twitched as she smelled a faint scent of blood.

"Sister, I think I smell a very faint scent of blood. Can you smell it?"

Bai Wanwan stopped in her tracks and looked at Qian Renxue, Di Qiuer, Tian Yao, and the others.

Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue also stopped and sniffed the air.

"There does seem to be a bloody smell."

Qian Renxue's gaze swept around her surroundings.

"It seems to be coming from that direction."

Di Qiuer pointed in the direction of the Village.

"Young Master, Young Madam, shall we go over and take a look?"

Tian Yao asked softly.

"Let's go take a look."

Qian Renxue and Bai Wanwan exchanged a glance and made a decision instantly, taking the lead in heading towards the Village.

Di Qiuer and Tian Yao followed closely behind.

As they drew closer to the Village, the stench of blood in the air grew stronger.

Qian Renxue and Bai Wanwan released their Spiritual Power almost simultaneously, probing their surroundings.

Soon, the group arrived at the entrance to the Village.

Looking at the desolate Village and the thick stench of blood in the air, everyone frowned in unison.

"Sister, something's very wrong with this Village."

Bai Wanwan frowned slightly as her Spiritual Power spread throughout the Village, investigating Village situation.

However, her investigation revealed no signs of life.

In other words, there wasn't a single living person in this Village.

Although the Village is not large, it still has dozens of households. It's impossible for there to be no living souls in it, so something is definitely wrong with the situation in this Village.

"Let's go in and take a look."

Qian Renxue stepped into the Village first, followed closely by Bai Wanwan, Di Qiuer, Tian Yao, and others.

Upon entering the Village, the first thing that catches the eye is the dried, dark red bloodstains on the ground, and the corpses lying on the ground.

Walking along the Village path, surveying the Village, both Qian Renxue and Bai Wanwan couldn't help but furrow their brows.

"Frenzied!"

"They actually slaughtered the entire Village."

Tian Yao frowned, and couldn't help but speak.

Although they had also wiped out the Strength Clan, that was a matter for the Spirit Master World, essentially a clash and struggle between two forces.

The massacre of this Village, however, was simply a killing.

After all, the Village were mostly ordinary people who couldn't become Soul Master, and to slaughter an entire Village of ordinary people was truly inhuman.

Hearing Tian Yao's words, Bai Wanwan remained silent, but occasionally checked the corpse on the ground, examining the fatal wounds on it.

Qian Renxue, on the other hand, was observing the traces left behind and any potentially useful clues.