Zhou Qingchen's Overture

"Spirit Sha possession?"

Ning Yuanshan stroked his slender beard, gazing at the corpse of He Ziren, his brows furrowed in deep thought.

Pang Jian's expression remained unchanged.

He had noticed earlier that the many strange entities Han Duping called "Spirit Sha," once they flew out of those corpses and entered the bodies of the Zhou and Ning family servants, caused them to slaughter one another.

He believed this to be a perfectly suitable excuse.

"It's just that the one surnamed He was unlucky."

Ning Yao, who had arrived upon hearing the news, spoke as soon as her graceful figure left the pile of rubble: "Uncle Yuanshan, this matter cannot be blamed on Pang Jian."

Ning Yuanshan sighed, lamenting, "The young master of the He Family has died within our ranks; how am I to explain this?"

"He is not the only one who died, He Ziren. Because his cultivation realm was high, the Spirit Sha controlled by the Demoness naturally seized the opportunity to enter Pang Jian's body, doing its utmost to harm him. I even suspect that other Spirit Sha invaded his body to erode his mind amidst the chaos, so that the Spirit Sha possessing Pang Jian could succeed." Ning Yao took the initiative to clear Pang Jian of suspicion.

"That is indeed a possibility," Ning Yuanshan agreed.

Pang Jian's face remained as usual, though a strange ripple stirred in his heart.

He had expected the death of the He Family's young master to stir up a storm, and for the Ning family to blame him regardless, but he had not expected Ning Yao to take the initiative to exonerate him.

Moreover, looking at Ning Yao's demeanor, she even appeared somewhat relieved, as if he had helped her resolve some sort of trouble.

"Pang Jian..."

Ning Yao knitted her brows, her bright, spirited eyes fixed upon Pang Jian's face.

She had sensed something peculiar.

Even if he had been possessed by "Spirit Sha," it was Pang Jian who had killed He Ziren with his own hands, yet Pang Jian appeared far too composed. There was not a shred of panic, which felt somewhat unreasonable.

"What is it?" Pang Jian asked, surprised.

"In the past, have you... killed anyone?" Ning Yao asked suddenly.

"Yes."

Pang Jian replied in a low voice, hesitating for a moment before adding, "I have hunted in the Cenji Mountains for many years. Some older hunters, seeing that my father was away and that I was young, tried to harm me in order to seize my prey."

Ning Yuanshan's eyes showed surprise. "Hunters with more experience and seniority than you were actually killed by your hand?"

"I was lucky," Pang Jian said.

Ning Yao was stunned, and she couldn't help but examine him carefully. Her beautiful eyes held a hint of wonder, and she nodded immediately. "There will be many times I need your help later on. As for the death of He Ziren... you need not take it to heart."

Pang Jian tactfully walked away.

Suddenly, he saw Zhou Qingchen looking toward his position from afar, standing by the corpse of the most robust One-Horned Rhino in the distant rubble.

Zhou Qingchen's gaze held a trace of intrigue that left Pang Jian feeling bewildered.

Next, Zhou Qingchen shouted orders, instructing the survivors of the Zhou family to unload all the artifacts and packs carried by the corpses and move them to the open ground in front of the rubble.

The people inside immediately began to busy themselves.

The two from the Ning family and the surviving Zhang Heng made use of the warhorses they had tethered outside instead of bringing them into the stone pile, sharing them with the Zhou family survivors.

After He Ziren died, Zhou Qingchen had unceremoniously claimed the black warhorse he had been riding.

Soon, the warhorses crossed the rocks, carrying the corpses and the packs and artifacts from the One-Horned Rhino, gradually passing through the pile of rubble.

Neither Zhou Qingchen nor Ning Yao showed much sorrow over the deaths of their family servants.

Perhaps they were long accustomed to such partings of life and death, or perhaps the lives of those servants were simply too lowly to be worth their grief.

A moment later, only the One-Horned Rhino and the corpses of the servants remained in the rubble.

The Zhou and Ning families had already crossed the rubble, lighting a fire on the other side to roast meat, preparing to eat their fill before venturing deeper.

Ning Yuanshan also beckoned Pang Jian over; after a moment's hesitation, Pang Jian headed toward them from the other end of the stone pile.

On the way, he sensed that a not-insignificant amount of "Profound Yin Power" still lingered within the corpse-strewn rubble, and a different idea took root in his mind.

"I'm going to search around to see if anything was left behind."

Standing in a conspicuous spot within the rubble, Pang Jian shouted toward Ning Yuanshan in the distance.

Those who had stepped out of the rubble heard Pang Jian and assumed he was simply unwilling to give up, hoping to scavenge some valuable items from the blood-soaked ground that had already been picked over.

No one cared, allowing Pang Jian to linger in the rubble while they gathered around the fire to roast meat and discuss the journey ahead.

"Miss Ning, what is that lad's name?"

Zhou Qingchen turned the wooden skewer of meat, smiling at Ning Yao across from him amidst the crackling firelight. "You should thank him for killing He Ziren for you. I've heard that this brat is dissolute and lawless, and his reputation over at the He Family is quite poor."

"Heh, although this fellow has a bit of talent for cultivation, I don't think he is worthy of you, Miss Ning."

Zhou Qingchen spoke to himself.

"His name is Pang Jian. However, the true mastermind behind the killing of He Ziren was the Demoness who controls the Spirit Sha," Ning Yao said.

"That's true."

Zhou Qingchen's smile was strange. He did not dwell on the topic, continuing, "The Demoness does not yet have a physical body of flesh and blood; she must be a soul-entity sealed away by the old fogeys at the Yin Spirit Temple."

Rubbing his sharp-angled jaw and gazing at the sizzling, oily meat, he frowned. "The Demoness has only just emerged and is currently very weak, which is why she retreated in such a hurry after we broke free from the Demonic Sound."

"Hmm, the next time we meet, she will certainly be much stronger than she is now." Ning Yuanshan interjected, his voice heavy with worry. "Sigh, I wonder what the Demoness's background is. To think she would lay out an array among these stone piles and even have people from the Yin Spirit Temple pose as practitioners of the Blood Moon. What could she be planning?"

"If I had known those corpses in the stone piles came from the Yin Spirit Temple, I never would have entered so early." Han Duping sighed with emotion, adding, "Manipulating strange entities like spirit sha is the Yin Spirit Temple's specialty. In that forbidden zone, as long as there are people from the Yin Spirit Temple—whether they are living or dead—I will be doubly cautious."

The fact that so many people died inside, causing Zhou Qingchen to suffer heavy losses, left him feeling somewhat guilty.

"Do not blame yourself. No one expected the corpses from the Yin Spirit Temple to be wrapped in the clothing of the Blood Moon." Zhou Qingchen offered a few words of comfort before continuing, "In my opinion, they were wearing the Blood Moon's attire before they even died. If I am not mistaken, they must have killed members of the Blood Moon and stolen their clothes."

"Hmm, they must have been planning to deal with others." Ning Yuanshan agreed.

The group stood outside the stone piles, their conversation quite loud.

"An array set up by the Yin Spirit Temple?"

Inside the stone piles, Pang Jian, who had tucked himself behind a tall rock to remain hidden from Zhou Qingchen and the others, touched the Bronze Tablet that had grown hot against his chest, his expression one of confusion.

He had originally thought that if this stone pile containing the Yin-Locking Array was man-made, it might have been the work of his father.

Hearing what those people said outside, he was no longer so certain.

He pulled back his collar to look at the Bronze Tablet, which had remained hot long after the initial surge.

The tablet, shaped like a bronze door, showed no other abnormalities aside from its intense heat.

Yet, he knew clearly that the reason he remained unaffected by the Soul-Absorbing Shriek and was able to keep his mind clear was precisely because the bronze tablet on his chest had suddenly heated up when the shriek rang out.

It was this Bronze Tablet that had saved him.

"This object seems quite extraordinary."

He vaguely felt that the only heirloom his father had left him likely contained some sort of divine mystery.

Furthermore, whenever the Bronze Tablet grew hot, as long as he calmed his mind to contemplate the "Pot-Heaven Qi Cultivation Art," his perception seemed to become much sharper.

For instance, at this very moment.

As he calmed his heart and tried to circulate the "Pot-Heaven Qi Cultivation Art," he sensed that the faint "Profound Yin Power" remaining within the stone piles seemed to be dissipating from a single direction.

After a moment of contemplation, he relied on his heightened perception to begin searching for the source of the "Profound Yin Power."

He would stop to meditate from time to time, only moving again once he had identified the target direction once more.

After doing this several times, he moved to a corner of the stone piles far from the others and saw a grayish-white rock covered in cracks.

The faint "Profound Yin Power" was leaking out, bit by bit, from the fissures in this rock.

The grayish-white rock was not very large, and after a moment of hesitation, he reached out to touch the edge of the cracks.

A thick, rich stream of "Profound Yin Power" immediately flowed out from the fissures, leaving his entire body chilled.

The pure and potent "Profound Yin Power" permeated his flesh in an instant, causing his muscles to stiffen.

Startled, he hurriedly circulated the "Pot-Heaven Qi Cultivation Art," and the black-green "Spirit Pot" he visualized in his mind instantly drew in the "Profound Yin Power" that had seeped into his flesh.

Within his spirit sea, this extraordinary "Profound Yin Power" immediately began to dissolve the "cotton-like" dross and impurities.

"Fighting poison with poison?"

Pang Jian was secretly astonished.

He had not expected this inconspicuous, cracked rock to contain such a significant amount of "Profound Yin Power," which was actually beneficial for cleansing the impurities in his spirit sea.

Outside, the loud discussion among Zhou Qingchen and the others continued.

Pang Jian, meanwhile, remained huddled inside, his hand pressed against the cracks in the grayish-white rock, greedily absorbing the "Profound Yin Power" within.

He did not know how much time had passed, but the clamor outside gradually died down, and much of the dross and impurities in Pang Jian's spirit sea had been cleared away by the "Profound Yin Power" from the rock.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of slow, approaching footsteps.

Without hesitation, Pang Jian lifted the small, cracked rock, placed it into the bamboo basket on his back, and covered it with bamboo slats, pretending to be searching the area.

Soon, the tall, ruggedly built young master of the Zhou family appeared alone.

In Zhou Qingchen's hand was a wooden skewer filled with roasted meat; he smiled and handed it to Pang Jian, saying, "Eat something. I will have to trouble you to lead the way later."

Pang Jian was somewhat flattered, not expecting the person of the highest status to personally bring him food.

He did not act overly reserved, instead taking the skewer naturally and, being hungry, began to tear into it.

The meat was roasted until it was charred and oily, but the texture was dry and stringy, requiring a great deal of effort to chew.

Compared to the meat he hunted from wild beasts in the forest, the skewer provided by Zhou Qingchen was quite mediocre in taste.

"Do you dislike my meat?"

Seeing him frown, Zhou Qingchen couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "We are all practitioners, not cooks. It is good enough that we can produce anything at all."

Pang Jian shook his head and said nothing.

"I heard from Miss Ning that your name is Pang Jian, and that you are a local hunter." Zhou Qingchen thought for a moment before suddenly saying, "If you can leave the Cenji Mountains alive, would you be interested in coming with me to the Zhou Family?"

Pang Jian looked at him in surprise, not expecting this young master of the Zhou family to have the intention of recruiting him.

"Think about it first; there is no need to give me an answer in a hurry." Zhou Qingchen laughed heartily and said, "You can also use this time to learn about my character, Zhou Qingchen, and the status of my Zhou Family in this world."

"My talent for cultivation is average." Pang Jian frowned.

"Talent is merely a stepping stone, not everything." Zhou Qingchen waved his hand and said, "The ruthlessness you displayed when you killed He Ziren is something I truly admire."

After saying this, he let out a light, hearty laugh.

Pang Jian's expression shifted drastically.

As he laughed, Zhou Qingchen patted his shoulder in a friendly manner and said, "Although I was amidst the pile of rocks, I noticed He Ziren looking for trouble with you and even hoisting you high into the air. When the Demonic Sound shrieked, that Demoness, who was hiding within the White Paper Fan, launched a mental attack on me first."

"Her sudden strike left me unable to move for an instant, but my senses and consciousness remained intact."

"I noticed that not a single Sha spirit took the opportunity to leave the rock pile at that time, so you were not possessed either."

"As for how you managed to shake off the Demonic Sound's shriek, I truly cannot fathom. But regardless, the fact that you were able to seize that fleeting opportunity and dare to kill He Ziren so decisively makes me admire you."

"Because you are very young and still have the chance to make up for your lack of talent, I, Zhou Qingchen, am willing to accept you."

Having left these words and a string of roasted meat behind, the young master of the Zhou Family who had taken the initiative to show goodwill departed with effortless grace.

Pang Jian tore into the meat in his mouth, watching Zhou Qingchen's tall back as he did not utter another word.

Not until Zhou Qingchen had completely vanished did he let out a sigh of relief, feeling fortunate that this young master of the Zhou Family had not noticed the strange stone in the bamboo basket on his back, nor had he made an issue of He Ziren's death.

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