The four little ones hurried into Elder Ape's cave abode. Mo Zhui, an old hand who had spent ten thousand years roaming Mount Xiandu, matching wits and courage with humans and beasts alike, keenly caught the bloody reek of brains and blood.
They headed deeper into the cave and, sure enough, found a human skin wrapped around a skeleton on the ground.
"His skull was opened from the top, and all his essence qi and blood were sucked out in a single mouthful, killing him. Otherwise, his skin wouldn't be like this, still so lifelike."
They were all Plant Spirits who thrived on absorbing humus. Rather than feeling afraid, they gathered around the skin and analyzed the cause of death.
"Who killed him?" Moxiang, the Immortal's Couch, was still very innocent and asked the question guilelessly.
"Do you even have to ask? It must have been that old ape we just saw!" Mo Ying, the Purple River Grass, was the youngest, but rather sharp.
"How do you know?"
"Look at that old ape's eyes, then look at the fangs beneath his lips. Didn't you hear him secretly swallowing as he looked at us?" Mo Ying rolled his eyes extravagantly.
The Ganoderma Immortal also said worriedly, "I felt something was wrong with Elder Ape too. He looked as though he'd fallen into demonic possession."
"But Daddy told us to come to him if we were in danger," Moxiang said. "Surely Daddy wouldn't deliberately harm us, sending us here to walk straight into the net and get eaten?"
"Daddy only told us to come to him if we were in danger. He never said he was necessarily a good person! Bad people can help us escape danger too!" Mo Ying rolled his eyes at him again.
The other three finally turned their