Purple Bamboo Peak had the fewest disciples in the Dao Sect's Outer Sect.
A quiet, secluded setting.
The faint fragrance of spirit herbs always lingered in the air.
Most disciples passing through Purple Bamboo Peak looked at ease, unlike the disciples of the other peaks, whose faces were clouded with worry and a sense of urgency.
It was like another world entirely.
Lü Yanyan was the first to arrive at Purple Bamboo Peak with a clue. Seeing the neatly dressed, distinguished-looking disciples around her, she lowered her head slightly and hurried up the jade steps without speaking to anyone. Soon, just before reaching the summit, she spotted Elder Song's residence.
A rather plain stone house.
A medicinal garden stood beside it.
A wooden fence.
Spirit herbs and vines wound around it.
Nearby, tools for tending the spirit herbs lay scattered about, along with a slightly worn reclining chair.
An old man sat in the reclining chair.
His back was turned to Lü Yanyan.
Lü Yanyan held her breath and focused, lightening her footsteps as she approached from behind. She bowed respectfully. "Elder Song, I am Lü Yanyan, a disciple of Emerald Cloud Peak. I saw the task you posted and have come to offer a clue."
"Mm." Elder Song did not turn around. "Speak."
"Yes."
Lü Yanyan nodded.
Then she said, word for word:
"The Mass Burial Grounds, late at night."
"..."
Silence settled over them. Elder Song did not respond.
After the assessment that day, two Outer Sect disciples, Xu Yunnian and Wang He, had been assigned to clear away the bodies on Jadewood Peak's summit. It was a simple task. Yet when Elder Song woke the following morning, he discovered that Xu Yunnian's soul lamp had gone out.
Xu Yunnian was the seventh prince of the Hu Kingdom's royal family.
When he entered the Dao Sect, the Hu Kingdom's royal family had prepared lavish gifts, hoping Elder Song would look after him. As Elder Song also hailed from the Hu Kingdom, he had agreed.
Now that Xu Yunnian's soul lamp had gone out, determining his cause of death and finding his remains would at least give the royal family an answer.
Elder Song's first thought had been Wang He, who had carried out the task alongside Xu Yunnian. He had been about to go to Emerald Cloud Peak to find him when he suddenly learned that Wang He had gone mad.
Because Wang He owed a debt and had lost the ability to repay it, Elder Zheng of Jade Yao Peak had already refined him into spirit essence.
Of the two disciples assigned to the task, one was dead and the other had gone mad.
That was certainly no coincidence.
Yet Elder Song had searched the Mass Burial Grounds thoroughly without finding anything suspicious, nor had he found Xu Yunnian's body.
At first, this clue seemed useless.
Elder Song was about to wave her away when he suddenly paused. "The Mass Burial Grounds, late at night?"
He keenly noticed that the key to this clue lay in the words "late at night."
Could the Mass Burial Grounds be different late at night?
This time, Elder Song turned around and looked at the Emerald Cloud Peak disciple. "How did you obtain this clue?"
"It is my conjecture."
Lü Yanyan was candid.
She had already anticipated that Elder Song might ask this, so she had specifically asked Chen Yu about it.
"After making inquiries, I learned that before Xu Yunnian's incident, he and Wang He were carrying out the Registered Disciple assessment task on Jadewood Peak's summit. Once the assessment ended, they would have had to dispose of the bodies. By then, it was late at night, so the incident could only have occurred at Jadewood Peak or the Mass Burial Grounds."
"Elders often cultivate and contemplate the Dao on Jadewood Peak, so there could not have been a problem there. That leaves only the Mass Burial Grounds."
"But I visited the Mass Burial Grounds today and found nothing wrong. Then I suddenly remembered once passing by there at night and feeling that the yin qi seemed several times denser than during the day. So I ventured to guess that something might be amiss at the Mass Burial Grounds late at night."
Elder Song listened quietly and said nothing for a long while.
He looked up at the sky.
It was growing dark.
Lü Yanyan's clue sounded somewhat reasonable. Besides, she was merely an Outer Sect disciple; she had neither reason nor the nerve to deceive him.
And so,
Elder Song nodded slightly. "Your token."
At those words, Lü Yanyan's heart leaped with joy. Knowing the ten points were as good as hers, she quickly handed over the token hanging at her waist.
Elder Song moved his fingertip slightly, sending a strand of spiritual power into the token.
Lü Yanyan's points immediately increased by ten.
"If this clue is false, I will personally go to Emerald Cloud Peak and refine you into spirit essence." Elder Song glanced at her, his tone flat.
"Yes."
Faced with a warning from a Foundation Establishment Realm elder, Lü Yanyan shuddered.
"Go." Elder Song waved his hand.
"Yes."
As though granted a pardon, Lü Yanyan hurriedly bowed and withdrew.
Only after leaving Purple Bamboo Peak did Lü Yanyan finally let out a breath of relief. Looking at the token at her waist, she once again beamed with delight.
The points are mine! That handsome junior brother really didn't lie to me!
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted another Emerald Cloud Peak disciple hurrying past her, also heading toward Elder Song's stone house.
Lü Yanyan did not give it much thought, however.
She was considering something else:
Should I try my luck at the Mass Burial Grounds?
If this clue leads me to Xu Yunnian's body, I could get a piece of spirit essence outright.
After a moment's thought,
Lü Yanyan shook her head.
Forget it. Any place that left Xu Yunnian dead and Wang He mad must be terribly dangerous. Ten points is already plenty. I should be content.
With that thought, Lü Yanyan prepared to return to Emerald Cloud Peak.
Meanwhile, after obtaining the clue, Elder Song was about to set out for the Mass Burial Grounds.
But just then-
"I am Zhang San, a disciple of Emerald Cloud Peak. I have come to offer a clue!"
"Hmm?"
Elder Song looked over in puzzlement.
"Speak."
"Yes!" Zhang San's gaze was firm. "The clue I have brought is... the Mass Burial Grounds, late at night!"
"..."
Elder Song frowned.
"And how did you learn of this clue?"
And?
Zhang San was bewildered.
But he did not dwell on it.
"Elder, I once passed the Mass Burial Grounds at night and noticed that the yin qi there was unusually dense. Since Brother Xu and Wang He were also carrying out their task late at night, I deduced..."
"..."
Elder Song fell silent for a moment.
He nodded.
"All right, I
understand."
Zhang San looked at Elder Song with a broad smile.
Elder Song frowned.
"Is there anything else?"
That single question left Zhang San at a complete loss. He badly wanted to ask outright, but the man before him was an Outer Sect elder, and he feared inviting trouble. Scratching his head, he said, "No. Then... I shall take my leave?"
With that, he left with a face full of confusion, looking back every few steps.
Elder Song was still wondering why two people in succession had brought him the same clue when another Emerald Cloud Peak disciple came to visit.
"I am Zhao Hu, a disciple of Emerald Cloud Peak. I have come to offer a clue!"
"?"
Elder Song looked at him.
"Were you going to say the Mass Burial Grounds, late at night?"
"?!" Zhao Hu was stunned. "How did you know, Elder?"
Elder Song merely waved his hand. "Leave."
"Well..." Zhao Hu gritted his teeth. "Yes. I shall take my leave!"
After Zhao Hu left,
someone else arrived right on his heels.
"I am He Guang, a disciple of Emerald Cloud Peak. I have come to offer a clue!"
"..."
Elder Song looked at him.
By now, he was rather annoyed.
"I don't need any more clues. Get lost!"