Something Beneath Us

Outer district of the Imperial Capital.

Sizzle!

Inside a residence in the alley, the sound of meat hitting hot oil crackled. Scalding oil continuously stir-fried the tender fat, and the aroma of meat filled the entire alley.

Suddenly, a faint sound seemed to come from the rooftop.

Two figures had appeared on someone else's rooftop at some unknown time.

One wore a long black gauze dress that concealed part of her lovely curves, yet still stirred the heart and soul.

She was an exceedingly beautiful woman. Unfortunately, a black veil covered her face, hiding her true appearance. Only a pair of autumn-water eyes were exposed.

Those eyes seemed to see through everything, deep beyond measure. Then, she gently raised her gaze and looked toward the sky.

The cloudless blue sky had somehow turned gloomy.

The air was oppressive, and the horizon was gray.

Clouds rolled in from afar, pressing lower and lower as though they were about to crush the entire Imperial Capital.

The two were naturally Liu Qingni and Ning Qingqing.

Ning Qingqing pursed her lips, looked around from side to side, rubbed her chin, and said softly, "Looking at the weather, it should be about to rain."

As if to verify her words, muffled thunder rang out from the heavy clouds, rumbling without end.

Liu Qingni looked at Ning Qingqing, helplessness flashing through her eyes. Then her gaze sharpened, and she said solemnly, "Huang Di and Tian Ge haven't reported to the Six Doors for three days. I'm afraid they really ran into serious trouble, just as Young Master said."

When Liu Qingni had gone to the Secret Bureau earlier, she had already uncovered the information on the two Six Doors agents who had escorted the fake Sixth Prince, Su Huai.

But after rushing without pause to the Six Doors to inquire, she learned that ever since the two had escorted the prince back to the capital, neither had shown his face again.

Unease immediately rose in Liu Qingni's heart. After asking for their residences, she hurried straight to the outer district.

"I just asked around. Huang Di's residence is over there." Ning Qingqing pointed toward a small courtyard ahead.

Liu Qingni nodded, tapped her jade foot against the ground, and flew toward the courtyard.

At the same time, the information concerning Huang Di flashed through her mind.

Huang Di was a Houtian martial artist who had opened thirty-two extraordinary meridians. He usually did not like to talk, never meddled in others' affairs, never contradicted his superiors, and honestly kept to himself.

He had not yet taken a wife and wanted to rise further within the Six Doors.

That was why he had accepted the miserable assignment of escorting the prince to the bitterly cold Barbarian Prefecture.

As for Tian Ge, he was also a Houtian martial artist, but he was hopelessly addicted to gambling. It was said that he had lost all his money before taking this assignment.

If not for the great contributions his late father had made to the Six Doors in his early years, he would have long since been stripped of his post.

Landing atop the wall of the small courtyard, Liu Qingni immediately frowned.

The courtyard was empty. Clearly, no one had returned for a long time. A willow tree stood in the center, with an old well beneath it, making the place seem bleak and desolate.

Liu Qingni jumped into the courtyard. Ning Qingqing suddenly poked her little head in through the entrance.

She scratched her head and asked in confusion, "The door isn't locked."

Liu Qingni nodded, pushed open the door, and entered the house to search carefully. A moment later, she ran her finger across the table, leaving a clear streak through the dust.

"Did you find anything?" Ning Qingqing pushed the door open and entered.

"Judging from these dust marks, it's been roughly two or three days. In other words, Huang Di never returned home after coming back from Barbarian Prefecture."

Liu Qingni looked at the dust on her finger and spoke softly.

"He's gone? Did something really happen? What should we do next?" Ning Qingqing rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. The place gave her the creeps.

"Go to Tian Ge's house."

"Alright!"

The sky over the entire Imperial Capital was covered in dark clouds, as though draped beneath an enormous sheet of black ink. Fewer and fewer pedestrians remained on the streets.

A dense shower suddenly began to fall, pattering loudly. The already sparse commoners immediately scattered like birds and beasts, rushing beneath shop eaves to shelter from the rain.

In an instant, it seemed as though the Heavenly River had burst its banks. The rain poured down in a torrential deluge.

The wild wind howled, rain slanted through the air, and the banners outside the shops on both sides of the street swayed violently.

The gate of a deep, secluded residence stood open.

A traveling man, soaked from head to toe, spotted the courtyard gate. After hesitating briefly, he hurried beneath the eaves to escape the rain.

"Strange. Isn't this Tian Ge's house? Why hasn't he even shut the door?"

The man muttered to himself. He seemed to know Tian Ge. As he pondered this, he glanced into the courtyard.

It was very dark!

Pitch-black clouds blocked out the daylight, making it seem like deep night for a time. His vision was obstructed, and he could see nothing clearly.

"What's that smell?!"

The man suddenly caught an extremely strange and foul odor, like the peculiar stench of a rat carcass that had been rotting for several days.

"Damn it, did Tian Ge take a shit in his courtyard?" The man covered his nose, his face filled with disgust.

A bolt of lightning suddenly tore across the sky like a sharp sword, instantly bleaching the long street before him white. Immediately afterward, a thunderclap exploded with a boom, as though it would shatter heaven and earth.

The lightning flashed, and a sinister wind howled.

But the man who had been standing beneath the eaves was gone.

Without a sound!

A faint, long breath could vaguely be heard resonating from within the house. The wide-open door was like the blood-filled maw of some enormous beast, lurking in the darkness.

Amid the chaotic rainstorm, Liu Qingni suddenly stopped and stood in the rain. Her inner force steamed around her body, keeping the rain away!

"What is it?"

Ning Qingqing stopped right behind her and looked up. Tian Ge's residence was already right before them.

"...The smell of blood?"

Liu Qingni's brows furrowed as vigilance rose in her heart. "Something's wrong. Be careful. Let's take a look."

Liu Qingni drew her black sword. Her figure drifted through the rain, and in the blink of an eye, she had arrived atop Tian Ge's roof, with Ning Qingqing close behind.

She raised her eyes and looked into the courtyard, then immediately sucked in a cold breath.

"This... this is!"

"..."

A lifelike human head, with some flesh still attached to its neck. It was as though, while the person had still been alive, someone had forcibly torn his head straight from his neck.

His eyes were wide open. Before dying, he seemed to have seen something incomparably terrifying. His expression remained frozen in that moment, vivid and lifelike.

A pungent smell of blood rushed toward them!

Liu Qingni frowned and continued looking, her pupils immediately shrinking.

It was not just that one head. A pile of human body parts had been heaped together like garbage, forming a small mound, while dark-red blood flowed across the ground.

Liu Qingni's heart began to sink. A bone-chilling dread enveloped her.

She secretly glanced at Song Qingqing. At that moment, this Innate Warrior was also tense, crouched on the roof tiles, scarcely daring to breathe.

"There's something beneath us." Ning Qingqing transmitted gravely. "Don't move recklessly. It's terrifying. I'm no match for it."