The area of the entire Furnace Ruins was even larger than expected.
Fu Qian followed behind the group, casually surveying his surroundings.
He didn't expect to find some loophole to escape through, but he understood why Li Weixuan had arranged things this way.
First, no matter how slim the chances were in such a desperate situation, they couldn't simply give up hope. They still had to try.
Second, having everyone make a circuit and confirm their predicament for themselves would save a lot of explanation.
The newly joined Huang Zhaoyan was clearly at odds with Yuan Xin and the others. Though Li Weixuan's warning kept him from starting any direct conflict, the two sides traded barbs all along the way, neither willing to back down.
Unexpectedly, Ji Liushuang had taken on the role of mediator between them.
Yuan Xin was a given, but Huang Zhaoyan also seemed to be holding back for her sake, as if saying he wouldn't stoop to arguing with Yuan Xin because she'd asked.
It was hard to imagine, seeing this harmonious scene, that Huang Zhaoyan would secretly hire someone to kill Ji Liushuang.
From the conversations between the three and those around them, Fu Qian gathered that they all came from powerful aristocratic families.
Unlike Wen Li's family, which was newly rich, their backgrounds couldn't even be compared to that of Young Master Ye. They were bona fide families of Transcendents with histories stretching back over a hundred years.
They even had quite a bit of history with one another, though whether it was a happy connection or a bitter feud was hard to say.
Ji Liushuang and the others were all among the best of their generation, selected to enter the Academy and become classmates.
What a complicated web of relationships!
Fu Qian had no interest in the grudges between the three. The only thing that mattered to him was completing his mission and getting out of here.
How these three wanted to form alliances and scheme against one another was their business. But if they got in his way, he wouldn't mind taking them all out.
At first, the group searched the barrier with great focus for any weak points, afraid they might miss a chance to escape.
Before long, though, their enthusiasm faded. Despair began to spread, and all that remained was the mechanical tapping and prodding.
After walking for some time, the group was finally exhausted in both body and mind, and decided to stop for a rest.
Fu Qian had no objection. Once everyone had sat down, he said he wasn't tired and would go on ahead.
"Dean Li told us to stay together."
Yuan Xin fixed Fu Qian with a stern look.
"I know. You can keep up if you want."
"Everyone needs to rest."
"So you can't keep up?"
"...Why should we follow you?"
"Maybe—"
Fu Qian blinked.
"Because I'm a sixth-rank?"
"You can take your time and trail behind me. I don't mind being held back."
"You..."
Yuan Xin trembled with anger, but it was the truth, and he had no way to refute it.
See? That was the beauty of a world where might made right: the bigger fist always won.
Fu Qian turned around, satisfied, and set off alone under the complicated gazes of the others.
If he remembered correctly, the place where he'd buried the assassin should be not far ahead.
There was something he needed to check.
But not long after Fu Qian set out, he noticed someone behind him.
Huang Zhaoyan hadn't stopped to rest either. He was following carefully behind Fu Qian.
Had the guy noticed something was off? Or was he going to meet up with the assassin?
Either was possible. If they really were all trapped here, they'd eventually run into each other. It would be awkward if the truth came out then.
Whatever the reason, this was perfect!
Fu Qian didn't mind having a tail at all. He continued on his way and soon reached the place where he'd dealt with the body.
Without hesitation, he lifted the stone stele he'd placed over the corpse.
Hiss!
Though he'd expected it, the sight before him still struck him as astonishing.
The assassin, who had died only a short while ago, had already become a dried-out corpse.
His whole body was shriveled like firewood, without a drop of blood in sight.
Even stranger, the sparse hair he'd had on his head was now completely gone. Not a single strand remained, and no one knew where it had gone.
That wasn't all. From head to toe, the dried-up body looked like a melting wax figure, twisted into a bizarre pose, with parts of it stretched unnaturally long.
The skin around both shoulders, for example, had been pulled nearly transparent, as if his arms were about to tear free from his body.
So this really was a furnace!
Fu Qian marveled inwardly. This place was downright sinister.
His earlier guess had been right. All living things that entered this place and died were decomposed according to some special rule, then gathered into monsters in the form of hair, hands, and other body parts.
If he came across something like a cube of blood tofu later, Fu Qian wouldn't be surprised at all.
After examining the corpse thoroughly, Fu Qian walked away.
This time, he didn't cover it with the stone stele again. He simply tossed it aside, not caring if someone found it.
Fu Qian knew Huang Zhaoyan was watching from behind a nearby building. He was curious to see how the man would react to the corpse.
As it turned out, Huang Zhaoyan crept over to the corpse as soon as Fu Qian left and stood there in a daze for several minutes.
This guy really was suspicious. Fu Qian nodded to himself from nearby.
He'd made it as obvious as possible just now, heading straight for the stele and uncovering the corpse. Even an idiot could guess that he'd had something to do with the man's death.
And he'd left the corpse right in front of Huang Zhaoyan.
If Huang Zhaoyan had a guilty conscience, he'd be sure Fu Qian knew something and had deliberately shown him the body.
When they saw Li Weixuan later, it would be normal if Huang Zhaoyan announced that Fu Qian had uncovered the corpse himself.
But if he kept quiet about that part, then there was a ninety-nine percent chance he was the one who'd sent the assassin.
Of course, if he was stupid enough to think the truth was out and try to kill Fu Qian to cover it up, Fu Qian wouldn't mind taking him out.
After all, in theory, Huang Zhaoyan's arrangements had led to an assassin Transcendent targeting Fu Qian, even trying to kill him.
Those who kill will be killed.
Fu Qian was starting to look forward to seeing that happen.
Unfortunately, after waiting a while, Fu Qian saw that Huang Zhaoyan was still standing there in a daze. Deeply disappointed, he left.
He hadn't gone far when he ran into Li Weixuan and the others, all of them looking grim.
The group's morale was practically gone. It went without saying that they hadn't found anything.
"Where are the others?"
Li Weixuan frowned as he looked at Fu Qian, who was alone.
"They needed to rest, so I came ahead to scout."
Fu Qian looked perfectly composed.
Li Weixuan was clearly in a bad mood and had no energy to pursue Fu Qian's minor breach of orders.
"Did you find anywhere we can get in or out?"
"No."
The hopeful looks on everyone's faces dimmed again.
Li Weixuan clearly hadn't expected much either. He nodded for Fu Qian to rejoin the group, then told everyone to rest where they were.
They waited for a while, until a large group of people appeared in the distance.
The long-haired man at the front moved with an elegant, effortless grace. Before he even arrived, he shouted, "Dean Li, we've found something!"
Before you continue