Cause of Death

Li Xuan's hand was still on the doorframe.

Shi Yong's face was as pale as a corpse, the hand gripping his wrist trembled, his knuckles ice-cold.

"When?" Li Xuan asked.

"Just now." Shi Yong released his hand, took half a step back, and leaned against the doorframe to steady himself. "Zhou Wen stayed by the bedside last night. This morning, when the medical hall people found him slumped by Zhou Wu's bed, his body had already stiffened."

"How did he die?"

"Don't know." Shi Yong's Adam's apple bobbed. "No wounds on his body, no expression on his face, just slumped there like he was asleep. But he was already stone cold."

Li Xuan turned to glance at Xu He on the bed.

Xu He was also looking at him, his eyes filled with even greater terror than before.

"Stay put," Li Xuan said to Xu He, then looked at Shi Yong. "Lead the way."

The medical hall was on the west side of the inner gate, a three-courtyard complex with blue bricks and black tiles. Two white paper lanterns hung at the entrance.

Li Xuan followed Shi Yong through two gates and into the back courtyard.

There weren't many people in the back courtyard. Seven or eight medical hall disciples stood under the corridor, their faces grim. In the center of the courtyard, on the stone slab ground, lay a stretcher covered with a white cloth.

Zhou Wen lay there.

Elder Heiyan stood beside the stretcher, his back to Li Xuan, talking to an old man in a grey robe.

Li Xuan hadn't seen the old man before, but judging by his attire, he was from the medical hall. His beard and hair were snow-white, his face thin and sharp, his eyes keen.

Li Xuan walked over, squatted down, and lifted the white cloth.

Zhou Wen's face was revealed.

He truly looked as if he were asleep.

His eyes were closed, his lips slightly parted, his complexion normal, even more peaceful than when he was alive.

Li Xuan reached out and pressed his neck. His skin was cold, his pulse undetectable. Rigor mortis hadn't set in yet; he must have died no more than an hour ago.

He lifted the white cloth and looked down.

Zhou Wen was wearing the same black clothes from last night. There were no tears, no bloodstains, and no signs of struggle. His hands hung naturally at his sides, fingers relaxed, nails clean.

Li Xuan examined his palms.

His palms were clean, empty.

Li Xuan covered him with the white cloth again, stood up, and looked at Elder Heiyan. "Elder, may I ask the medical hall senior a few questions?"

Elder Heiyan nodded and gestured towards the grey-robed old man. "This is the chief of the medical hall, Elder Qin Henian. Ask whatever you wish directly."

Li Xuan cupped his hands towards Qin Henian. "Elder Qin, did Zhou Wen show any abnormalities before he died?"

Qin Henian stroked his beard, his voice hoarse as he spoke. "At the Chou hour last night, he was in the ward with Zhou Wu's brother. Zhou Wu was severely injured and unconscious, so he stayed by his bedside. When the medical hall disciples checked the rooms at the Yin hour, he was still awake and spoke a few words to them. When they checked again at the Mao hour, he was already gone."

"What did he say?"

"He said the poison on Zhou Wu's leg was under control and asked if they needed to change the dressing." Qin Henian paused. "No abnormalities."

"What was his posture when he died?"

"Slumped by the bedside." Qin Henian pointed at the stretcher. "This was his posture; we didn't move him."

Li Xuan looked at Zhou Wen's corpse, his mind racing.

Slumped by the bedside.

Just like he was asleep.

No struggle, no pain, no external wounds.

He had seen this kind of death before.

On the night Iron Wall City fell, a wounded soldier died just like this. That soldier had been grazed by a curse from a Barbarian Shaman. He was fine at the time, but suddenly stopped breathing in the middle of the night.

"Elder Qin," Li Xuan asked, "was there anything abnormal inside him?"

Qin Henian's eyes flickered. "What do you mean?"

"For example... something that didn't belong to him." Li Xuan said. "Like some kind of aura, or some kind of energy."

Qin Henian was silent for two breaths before replying, "Yes."

Shi Yong gasped beside him.

"When I examined him, I found a trace of extremely faint, chilling energy remaining at the center of his brow." Qin Henian said. "That energy was very weak; if I hadn't been specifically looking, I would have barely detected it. And..."

He looked at Elder Heiyan, as if seeking permission.

Elder Heiyan nodded. "Speak."

"And that energy shares the same origin as the energy within the claw marks on Zhou Wu's leg that were brought in yesterday." Qin Henian said. "It also shares the same origin as the thing inside Xu He, which was brought in this morning."

Li Xuan's heart sank.

Three people.

Zhou Wu, Xu He, Zhou Wen.

It was all caused by the thing in the cave.

But Zhou Wen had no wounds, no marks of being touched by the black shadow. How did he get infected?

Unless—

"Zhou Wen was with Zhou Wu all night," Li Xuan said. "If the claw marks on Zhou Wu's leg are contagious, then Zhou Wen might have been infected."

Qin Henian nodded. "There's a possibility. But I've been a doctor for forty years, and I've never seen a 'poison' that spreads through mere contact. It doesn't resemble poison, more like..."

He chose his words carefully.

"More like a '念'," Qin Henian said. "Like an extension of some will."

Li Xuan's mind flashed with the words that eye had spoken:

"That person also carries my things. Fresher than what you have."

Zhou Wen carried "its" things.

Fresh things.

Fresher than the Wolf Soul imprint within Li Xuan.

When was he marked?

It was so chaotic during the retreat, and Zhou Wen stayed in the middle of the group, never getting close to the black shadow. The only possible contact was when—

Only when Zhou Wu was carried away, and Zhou Wen supported him.

The claw mark on Zhou Wu's leg was the source.

Zhou Wen supported him, touching the claw mark, or perhaps touching Zhou Wu's aura.

Then, Zhou Wen died.

But Zhou Wu was still alive, and Xu He was also still alive.

Why?

Was it because Zhou Wen had no wounds or open sores, and the aura seeped directly through his skin? Or was it because Zhou Wen stayed awake all night, having the longest contact, accumulating the most?

Li Xuan looked at Qin Henian. "What's the condition of Zhou Wu and Xu He?"

"The poison on Zhou Wu's leg has spread to his knee. The medical hall used three Clear Spirit Pills to suppress it," Qin Henian said. "But the poison is spreading, slowly, but it is spreading. At this rate, it will reach his heart meridian in seven days at most."

Seven days.

Seven days again.

"What about Xu He?"

"The thing inside him is near his Dantian. It's more dangerous than Zhou Wu's," Qin Henian said. "Once it invades the Dantian, his cultivation will be ruined. And that thing moves. It becomes active every three hours. When it's active, his vital energy and blood will reverse, and he'll vomit blood and fall unconscious."

"Can it be suppressed?"

"Yes," Qin Henian said. "We can use the 'Meridian Locking Needles' to seal the meridians around his Dantian, which will temporarily immobilize the thing. But the Meridian Locking Needles can only hold for seven days. After seven days, they must be removed, or the meridians will necrotize."

Seven days.

Li Xuan took a deep breath.

That eye had asked for seven days to consider.

Zhou Wu and Xu He couldn't last seven days either.

This was no coincidence.

"Old Qin," Li Xuan asked, "how long can the Meridian Locking Needles be used? Counting from now."

"If the needles are applied at noon today, it will be exactly seven days until noon next Tuesday," Qin Henian said.

Li Xuan said nothing more.

He squatted down and looked at Zhou Wen's face one last time.

His face was young, at most twenty years old.

A person who was alive last night was gone this morning.

After leaving the medical hall, Shi Yong had been following Li Xuan.

They reached a deserted fork in the road, and Shi Yong suddenly grabbed Li Xuan's sleeve.

"What that eye said... is it true?" he whispered, lowering his voice. "Among the seven of us, has someone already been bought by it?"

Li Xuan looked at him.

Shi Yong's eyes held fear, suspicion, and a hint of inexplicable anticipation.

"I don't know," Li Xuan said. "But what it said doesn't sound like a lie."

"Then who could it be?" Shi Yong released his hand and leaned against a nearby tree trunk. "Xu He? He's so badly injured, it can't be fake. Zhou Wu? His leg is almost crippled. Zhou Wen is already dead. Su Ying? That little girl is more timid than a mouse; she almost wet herself with fear when we entered the cave. Ying? He was taken away by the Shadow Division, and his fate is unknown. It's just you and me—"

He paused and stared at Li Xuan.

"You suspect me?" Shi Yong asked.

Li Xuan shook his head. "I don't."

"Why?"

"Because if it were you, you wouldn't have any reason to tell me Zhou Wen is dead, nor to keep following me," Li Xuan said. "You should have gone into hiding, or found a way to silence me."

Shi Yong froze for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "Your brain… it really is something."

He stood up straight and said seriously, "So what do we do now? We have seven days to find that person, otherwise–"

"Otherwise it will find someone else," Li Xuan finished his sentence. "That person will go into the cave for it, retrieve the artifact, break the seal, and release that thing."

Shi Yong's face turned even paler. "Release it? If that thing really gets out, the Crimson Firmament Sect–"

"Can suppress it," Li Xuan said. "But it will definitely cost many lives."

The two fell silent.

The wind blew, rustling the leaves.

"About Ying being taken away," Shi Yong suddenly asked, "do you think it's related to this?"

Li Xuan thought for a moment. "The Shadow Department doesn't deal with ordinary disciples. The fact that Ying could be taken by them means there was already something suspicious about him. But whether he's suspicious and whether he's been bribed by that thing are two different matters."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Li Xuan said, "Ying might have already been in contact with that thing, or he might have just been targeted by the Shadow Department, unrelated to the mine. We don't know anything right now."

Shi Yong punched a tree, and bark splintered.

"Then we'll investigate!" he said. "Go to Elder Heiyan, find out about Ying. Go to the Shadow Department, ask them why they took Ying. Go to–"

"Go to who?" Li Xuan interrupted him. "The Enforcement Hall just finished questioning yesterday; Elder Heiyan said everything he could. As for the Shadow Department, you can't even get through their door."

Shi Yong was stunned.

Li Xuan looked at him and suddenly asked, "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," Shi Yong replied without hesitation.

"Then listen to me," Li Xuan said. "Go back, do what you need to do. Recover from your injuries, cultivate, and wait for news. Within seven days, that person will reveal themselves."

"How do you know?"

"Because it can't wait," Li Xuan said. "Zhou Wen is dead, and Xu He and Zhou Wu can only hold out for seven days at most. If no one agrees to it within seven days, it will find someone else. Whoever it finds then will be that person."

Shi Yong thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, I'll listen to you."

He turned to leave, then stopped and looked back. "What about you? What are you going to do?"

By the time he returned to Courtyard C, Seventh, it was nearly noon.

Li Xuan closed the door, sat cross-legged on the bed, and closed his eyes to look inward.

Inside his body, the Blood Fiend Gang Qi flowed slowly, coexisting peacefully with the vital energy and blood of the Mountain Suppressing Art. The Wolf Soul imprint deep in his right shoulder lay dormant, not stirring.

But he knew it was still there.

He opened his eyes and took out the Earth Vein Fiend Stone from his embrace.

The stone was already more than half its luster gone, with only a few faint golden patterns remaining. One or two more refinements and this stone would be useless.

He held the stone in his palm, closed his eyes, and began to circulate his cultivation method.

The Blood Fiend Gang Qi poured into the stone, drawing out a wisp of earth vein fiend energy, which sank into his lower body along his meridians. The Mountain Suppressing Art operated simultaneously, slowly grinding the fiend energy and integrating it into his vital energy and blood.

The process was slow, but steady.

Like moving mountains and filling seas, moving one stone at a time.

An hour later, he opened his eyes.

The Earth Vein Fiend Stone had completely lost its luster, turning into an ordinary black stone.

And within his body, the Mountain Suppressing Art had advanced a small step.

[Mountain Suppressing Art: Perfection → Perfection (Vital Energy and Blood Condensation +8%)]

[Stamina: 55.8 → 57.2]

[Strength: 12.5 → 13.1]

[Potential Points: 2.3]

If he had to go into the cave within these seven days, these potential points might be his lifeline.

The light outside the window gradually dimmed.

Li Xuan got up and pushed open the door.

A person was standing in the courtyard.

Su Ying.

Her complexion was even worse than it had been in the morning, her eyes red-rimmed, as if she had been crying.

Seeing Li Xuan come out, she opened her mouth but couldn't make a sound.

"What's wrong?" Li Xuan asked.

"Zhou Wu..." Su Ying's voice trembled, "Zhou Wu just woke up."

Li Xuan's heart stirred: "It's good that he's awake."

"But as soon as he woke up, he called Zhou Wen's name," Su Ying said. "He called a few times, then suddenly stopped moving, his eyes rolling back. The people at the medical hall said the poison gas acted up again and it took them half the day to suppress it with needles."

She paused, tears falling.

"Old Qin said, if they can't suppress it again, they'll have to..."

"Have to what?"

"Have to amputate," Su Ying covered her face. "Cut off the entire leg from the thigh to save his life."

Li Xuan fell silent.

Amputation.

For a martial artist, amputation meant the end of their martial path.

Zhou Wu was only twenty, at the eighth level of Body Tempering, capable of fighting an Inner Qi Realm expert in combined techniques.

If he were amputated, all of that would be gone.

"Did he agree?" Li Xuan asked.

Su Ying shook her head: "He didn't agree. As soon as he woke up, he said he wouldn't let them amputate, he'd rather die. His younger brother just died, and if he's crippled too, his Zhou family will be without descendants."

Li Xuan said nothing.

Su Ying looked up at him, her eyes filled with pleading: "Senior Brother Li, do you have a way?"

"No."

Su Ying froze.

"I'm not part of the medical hall," Li Xuan said, "nor am I an elder. I can't save him."

Su Ying lowered her head, her shoulders shaking, and turned to leave.

As she reached the courtyard gate, she suddenly stopped and turned back to ask, "Xu He asked me to ask you something."

Li Xuan looked at her.

"He said, 'Has that eye come looking for you yet?'"

Li Xuan's pupils contracted.

Su Ying waited for his answer.

Li Xuan shook his head: "No."

Su Ying nodded and left.

The courtyard gate closed.

Li Xuan stood in place, looking at the door, unmoving for a long time.

Why would Xu He ask that question?

Had he been sought out by that eye, and was now testing Li Xuan?

Or had he experienced nothing, and just guessed something?

Or perhaps—

Xu He was the person that eye mentioned?

He had already been sought out, so he knew that eye would seek people.

But he didn't die, wasn't crippled, only vomited blood and fainted.

Why?

Was it because his situation was different from Zhou Wu and Zhou Wen? Or because—

Li Xuan suddenly remembered something.

Xu He cultivated both medicine and poison.

Those who cultivated both medicine and poison had more complex meridians than ordinary people, and stronger resistance to various poisons and curses.

If the "thought" of that eye was something akin to a curse, then Xu He might have lasted longer than others.

Lasted until the seventh day.

Lasted until there was a chance to enter the cave to retrieve the magical artifact.

So that eye said someone had already agreed to help it.

That person might be Xu He.

And Xu He's current injuries were just an act.

An act for the Enforcement Hall, for Li Xuan, for everyone.

Li Xuan clenched his fists.

He recalled Xu He's abnormally pale face after being questioned.

Was that paleness from genuine injury, or was he faking it?

He remembered the look in Xu He's eyes when he asked him, "Has that eye approached you yet?"

Those eyes held a mix of probing, anticipation, and fear.

If Xu He was truly that person, then why was he probing Li Xuan?

Was he trying to confirm if Li Xuan had been approached?

Or was he trying to recruit Li Xuan?

Or perhaps—

He simply wanted to confirm if Li Xuan knew anything?

Li Xuan couldn't figure it out.

But he knew one thing.

Xu He would make a move within seven days.

If he was truly that person, he would find a way into the cave within seven days.

If he was faking it, he would surely reveal himself.

Li Xuan returned to his room and retrieved the Blood Wolf Saber from under his bed.

The saber was still there, its edge still stained with Barbarian blood.

He laid the saber across his knees and began to sharpen it.

The sound of the sharpening stone echoed in the darkness, a slow, steady rhythm, stroke by stroke.