Hao Shuai had just seen Fu Yuechi off and was about to close the door when the ground suddenly churned. A huge forehead poked up from beneath the earth, and its owner rubbed his head in confusion. "Strange. The corpse demon's aura clearly spread all the way here. How did it suddenly disappear?"
"That's because I chopped it into a thousand pieces," Hao Shuai replied, recognizing the dirt-covered head as Zhi Qiu Yiye's.
"Who's there?" Startled by Hao Shuai's voice, Zhi Qiu Yiye's expression changed. He sprang out of the ground, formed a hand seal, and looked toward Hao Shuai. Only after seeing Hao Shuai's amused face did he sheepishly say, "Oh, it's Brother Hao. What are you doing here?"
"This is my room. Where else would I be?" Hao Shuai teased, then deliberately asked, "Brother Zhi Qiu, weren't you chasing the corpse demon? How come you haven't returned, but the demon got back before you did?"
Zhi Qiu Yiye sighed. "Alas, I didn't expect that corpse demon to be so good at burrowing underground. It was every bit as skilled as I was. I was about to catch up with it, but then I somehow ended up fighting a martial arts expert along the way. By the time that was over, I'd lost the trail."
As he spoke, Zhi Qiu Yiye sized Hao Shuai up, then continued, "I didn't know you were so capable, Brother Hao. You actually managed to destroy the corpse demon. It's just a shame I lost my target for training."
"Your training target? What, Brother Zhi Qiu, are you short on demons and monsters?" Hao Shuai asked curiously.
"Yeah. I came down from the mountain this time to slay demons and monsters and complete my sect's training," Zhi Qiu Yiye answered honestly.
At that, Hao