But halfway through his sleep,
he suddenly heard a pounding at the door.
No—
more accurately, someone was hammering on it.
"Quit sleeping! Get out here, now!"
Wen Jiu jolted awake.
His heart tightened.
But when the room next door was "broken into" as well, Wen Jiu finally relaxed.
Before long,
the many corpse buriers had been gathered together.
More than a dozen Night Patrol Division disciples questioned them one by one. Wen Jiu was among them, though the questions were simple enough.
Had they heard anything during the night?
Had they seen any strangers?
As for suspicion,
no one suspected them.
A bunch of corpse buriers who had only just started cultivating would have struggled to kill Fang Zheng and the other two, let alone a Night Patrol Division disciple at Qi Refining Layer One. And according to the examination of the scene, the killer had to be either a Yin Soul that had become a ghost cultivator or a ghost cultivator.
None of the corpse buriers fit the bill.
So after a few brief questions, everyone was allowed to leave. But after all that commotion, most people were wide awake.
They gathered together, speculating about what had happened.
Wen Jiu, meanwhile, went straight back to his room and fell asleep.
He slept through the night.
It wasn't until early morning, when his older sister, Wen Ya, arrived with food, that Wen Jiu got up.
As he ate, his thoughts wandered.
Just as he'd expected, since Three Rivers Ghost Concealment was a ghost art, no one suspected him.
The only person who might suspect him
was probably Li Ye!
Wen Ya looked worried. "When I got here, I heard someone had died here—and that one of the Night Patrol Division disciples was killed!"
"Don't worry, sis. After this, the Night Patrol Division will definitely step up its patrols. Nothing else will happen."
Wen Jiu tried to reassure her.
He couldn't help looking at his older sister, Wen Ya, a couple of times.
Sigh.
At some point,
he'd actually started thinking of her as his real sister.
Part of the reason he'd killed for the first time had been because of her.
Maybe it was because they were together day in and day out, or maybe because she'd always been so wholeheartedly good to him.
Far from home, among strangers, having an older sister like her by his side wasn't so bad.
When they arrived at the corpse-burying grounds,
everyone began to talk. When they saw that Fang Zheng and the other two hadn't shown up, they all realized the three of them had been killed.
Wang Nian had arrived unusually early, looking delighted—more delighted than Wen Jiu, who'd secretly dealt with the three of them.
"Wen, you sure are one lucky kid. When I went to buy meat today, I happened to find a Monster Butcher selling unranked Flower Dragon. That stuff's a real tonic. It can build strength and toughen your body, and it nourishes the spirit too!"
"I bought you thirty catties. Come get it from me once we're done here... I'm worried I'll get so caught up cultivating that I'll forget."
Wen Jiu bowed in thanks. "Thanks, Brother Wang."
With Fang Zheng and the other two dead,
Wen Jiu couldn't be bothered to keep acting one way in public and another in private.
Wang Nian grinned again. "Now that those three are dead, no one's in your way anymore... Who can compete with you now?"
Wen Jiu smiled and nodded.
He didn't reply.
Because Wang Nian's words reminded him of something.
No one could compete with him.
That was a good thing.
And it wasn't.
Would Li Ye let him have his way?
Probably not.
Before long,
the people who'd originally clustered around Fang Zheng began drifting over to Wen Jiu.
They sure knew how to trim their sails to the wind.
Quite a few came over right away to call him big brother, but Wen Jiu ignored them. He grabbed the handcart and headed for Dead Corpse Land. Some tried to help, but one angry shout from Wang Nian sent them scurrying away in fear.
Once inside Dead Corpse Land,
Wen Jiu didn't rush to move any corpses. Instead, he found the Black Zombie buried in the corpse grounds and set off with it to search for Yin Souls.
While mulling things over last night, he'd had an idea.
The Black Zombie had obtained a ghost art by devouring a Yin Soul Ghost Cultivator. If it kept devouring other Yin Souls, could it gain another ghost art?
Arts weren't compatible.
Ghost arts.
Corpse arts.
The two were fundamentally incompatible by their very nature.
Fusion, or even compatibility, was all but impossible. That was why no one had come looking for him.
If the Black Zombie could gain some more ghost arts and cultivate them, then as long as he didn't reveal the ghost arts on it,
no one would suspect a thing.
He could have the Black Zombie kill, then walk away without a scratch.
No one would suspect him.
Surviving in a sect was different from being a Rogue Cultivator. Rogue Cultivators were like duckweed without roots; if they killed someone and got into trouble, they could always run.
But when you lived in a sect, running wasn't an option. Once you ran, you might as well be a Rogue Cultivator.
That was why the Black Zombie's ghost arts mattered so much.
Full of anticipation, Wen Jiu began searching Dead Corpse Land for Yin Souls. He searched for an hour or two without finding anything. But when he reached a small valley, he suddenly heard ghostly howls, and a cold wind stirred around him.
An ordinary person would probably have been scared out of their wits.
But Wen Jiu was delighted.
He charged in with the Black Zombie!
He was afraid the Yin Soul would escape if he was even a moment too slow.
Sure enough,
the moment Wen Jiu charged in, the ghostly howls stopped, and the cold wind dissipated.
A Yin Soul suddenly darted out of the woods and fled into the valley. The Black Zombie leaped after it, trailing a thick aura of corpse energy. In moments, it caught up with the genuine Yin Soul.
But today's Yin Soul was weaker than that old cultivator from last time.
It was only comparable to Qi Refining Layer One.
After the Black Zombie swallowed it whole, it seemed to find it tasteless, and began frantically searching every corner of the valley.
However,
it found nothing else.
As evening drew near, Wen Jiu reburied the Black Zombie and reluctantly left Dead Corpse Land.
But as soon as he emerged,
he saw people from the Night Patrol Division gathered outside Dead Corpse Land, questioning people one by one again.
Wen Jiu spotted Li Ye at a glance.
Li Ye saw him too. His cold eyes fixed on Wen Jiu at once, and he ordered a nearby Night Patrol Division disciple, "Bring him over!"
"Senior, what is it?"
Wen Jiu walked over, looking bewildered.
If Li Ye had evidence, a blade would be waiting for him,
not a cold stare.
So Wen Jiu had nothing to fear.
When Wen Jiu came forward, Li Ye addressed the two other Night Patrol Division stewards beside him. "Gentlemen, this is Wen Jiu, who cultivates the Unorthodox Path. He also had a poor relationship with Fang Zheng and the other two!"
His meaning
was obvious.
He was trying to point the finger at Wen Jiu.
Wen Jiu feigned panic. "Senior, I may not have gotten along with Fang Zheng and the others, but you could give me ten times the nerve and I still wouldn't dare kill anyone... Besides, even though I've reached Qi Refining Layer One, I haven't cultivated any spells."
"But why did the killer target Fang Zheng and the other two, then flee after killing them? How do you explain that? And now that the three of them are dead, you, an Unorthodox Path cultivator, will surely be chosen as an apprentice. You'll be the one who benefits most! If it wasn't you, then who was it?" Li Ye glared at him again, unleashing a surging murderous intent that pressed down on Wen Jiu, as if trying to shatter his defenses.
Wen Jiu laughed coldly to himself.
Trying that trick?
Trying to make me slip up?
Not a chance.
"Senior, though I cultivate the Unorthodox Path, my parents taught us all their lives before they sacrificed themselves for the side peak... 'Fellow disciples are brothers; brothers are like hands and feet...'" Wen Jiu stammered, casting frightened glances at the other two Night Patrol Division stewards.
Just as Li Ye, seething with anger, was about to speak again, Wang Nian angrily cut in. "Fellow Daoist Li, I advise you not to go too far. Whoever killed Fang Zheng and the other two, and the Night Patrol Division disciple, was either a Yin Soul Ghost Cultivator or a ghost cultivator. Wen Jiu cultivates the Corpse Raising Method of Yinzhou, and raises zombies... And if Wen Jiu can reach Qi Refining Layer One in a month, there's no reason he can't reach Qi Refining Second Layer in a year. He may walk the Unorthodox Path, but with talent like his, he could still become an apprentice. Why would he kill three useless fools who only knew how to rig the system?"
At that,
Li Ye's fury flared. His eyes immediately turned on Wang Nian. But just as Li Ye was about to lash out, the two Night Patrol Division stewards beside him spoke up.
"Fellow Daoist Li, we know you're eager to find the killer, but if you use the investigation to settle a personal grudge, don't blame me for reporting the truth to the steward."
"Fellow disciples are brothers; brothers are like hands and feet. That's well said. Fellow Daoist Li, that's enough."
When the two finished speaking,
they were about to leave with their people.
As for asking more questions, they couldn't be bothered.
They felt staying any longer would be a waste of time.
With no choice, Li Ye swallowed his anger. But before leaving, he gave Wen Jiu a look full of murderous intent.
Clearly, he had no intention of letting Wen Jiu go.
Wen Jiu stared back into those murderous eyes.
He made up his mind.
Li Ye,
you have to die!
Before you continue