Black Mountain circled the courtyard and caught an old servant.
The old man had been dozing in the kitchen. When Black Mountain hauled him up by the back of his collar, he was too terrified to cry out.
"Where's your master?" Black Mountain asked.
The old servant seemed too frightened to speak. He just trembled.
Black Mountain had no patience to wait. He raised a hand and conjured a spider the size of a fist.
It was jet-black, with a swollen abdomen, fine hairs covering all eight legs, and a dense cluster of eyes across its head.
He gripped the old servant's jaw and, before his horrified eyes, pushed the spider toward his mouth.
"Tell me where your master went." Black Mountain's voice held a venomous edge.
"If you don't, this spider will crawl down your throat. It'll eat your tongue first, then your throat, then your stomach and intestines."
"It won't kill you right away. It'll gnaw at you slowly and let you watch your belly cave in bit by bit."
The old servant went rigid with fear. Tears and snot smeared his face, and he made muffled noises in his throat as he nodded frantically.
Black Mountain released him. The spider stopped at the servant's lips without crawling in.
"The patriarch... the patriarch's been cultivating in seclusion in his cultivation chamber. He hasn't appeared for days." The old servant gasped for breath, his voice shaking.
"Three days ago, the other branch family members started leaving one after another. Some drove carriages, others disguised themselves as merchant caravans. They went in different directions."
"Madam and the young clan leader were still coming by during the day, but I don't know where they went at night. I'm just a gatekeeper. I really don't know anything else!"
"Hmph. Still trying to