With a thud, the corpse hit the floor. Han Xiu had died a gruesome death in the Jade-Carving Pavilion, alarming the guests present.
Everyone gathered in astonishment, only to discover that Pang Shuo was missing, as was Zhu Shan of the Zhu Household.
"What happened? Who killed him? And where did Fellow Daoist Pang go?"
"Please spare me, Senior. I truly know nothing..."
"Fellow Daoist, we found the bodies of two Shell Maidens inside, along with ashes that seem to be Fellow Daoist Pang's!"
"What? Hurry, let's take a look!"
Amid the ensuing chaos, more details came to light.
Only then did the guests realize with a start that at least two murders had taken place inside the Jade-Carving Pavilion while they had been raising their cups and exchanging toasts.
They knew nothing of Zhu Kuang and Huo Jiu's presence, but it was not difficult to infer certain things from the traces at the scene.
Han Xiu's death was lumped in with the others, bringing matters back onto the proper track through a strange twist of fate.
A rogue cultivator stepped forward and volunteered, "Fellow Daoists, let me give it a try."
"What do you intend to do?"
The rogue cultivator said, "This corpse looks fresh. Some traces of consciousness might remain."
"Very well. Let Fellow Daoist Dong try."
"He traveled through Changzhou. He knows the Corpse Immortal Sect's methods very well."
Everyone voiced their agreement.
The rogue cultivator truly lived up to his experience traveling through Changzhou. After rolling his eyes back, stamping his feet, and trembling all over as though struck by lightning, he released his Dharma power. It swept over the ashes believed to belong to Pang Shuo and Han Xiu's corpse, immediately eliciting a reaction.
Han Xiu actually sat up on his own, staring blankly ahead