"The time has come!"
Seeing that Di Huaiyi had finished casting his spell, Qing Chen knew it was time to employ his own methods.
While the others continued searching the village for traces, Qing Chen followed the guidance of the [Ten-Thousand-Li Voice Transmission Talisman] that Xu Jiuling had deciphered, making his way step by step toward the center of Liangshan Stronghold;
-that was where the stronghold chief's home had once stood.
The other two, as they searched for traces, also unwittingly drew closer to the center.
Half an hour later, Di Huaiyi surveyed the clearing, then looked at Qing Chen, who stood motionless, and asked, "Junior Brother Qing, is something wrong here?"
Having successfully drawn Di Huaiyi's attention, Qing Chen offered the pretext he had prepared long ago:
"Something feels wrong here. It's far too clean. Not even a single set of remains was left behind. This doesn't look like an ordinary massacre. It looks more like someone deliberately arranged it."
Hearing this, Chu Feikong pondered for a moment before adding, "As far as I know, the chief of Liangshan Stronghold belongs to the mortal bloodline of a distant collateral branch of the Yue Household.
"Though he has accomplished little on the path of immortality, he holds considerable influence among mortals. On the day of the massacre, he happened to have taken some relatives to Mysterious Mountain City, reportedly to attend a wedding banquet within his clan."
He paused briefly, then added, "Oh, the branch this chief belongs to shares its lineage with Fellow Daoist Yue Zhimu, the Yue Household's skilled talisman maker."
A glimmer of understanding flashed through Di Huaiyi's eyes. "In that case, the chief and his family may indeed know something of the inside story.
"Unfortunately, this place has been swept clean. I fear there's little