Chapter 12: Skeletons in the Vats Part 2

“I don’t know who they were,” the girl said, picking at her fingernails. She seemed torn on whether to continue, but finally gritted her teeth. “But Sister mentioned that she followed them all the way to Cloud City. However, those two seemed to know martial arts, and they noticed her quickly.”

“Nine years ago, Cloud City… those two were there for the Hero Recruitment Meet.” Sang Chencao’s eyes flashed with realization. “Could one of them truly be Hu Cheng? Hu Cheng had a master named Hu Biao. I heard Hu Biao was struck by a rare poison during the year of the meet. Hu Cheng absorbed some of that toxin into his own body while tending to him. That’s why people found him so terrifying—that he could still manage to Pluck the Blossom while riddled with poison.”

“That’s right!” someone called out. “And after the Hero Recruitment Meet ended, Hu Biao learned that Hu Cheng had been expelled by the Hantian Alliance despite winning the objective. In a fit of rage, the blood rushed to his head, and the poison flared up, killing him on the spot.”

“But if Innkeeper Lin truly harbors such hatred, why only target Hu Cheng? Why not the sand bandits who did the killing?” Feng Yun’ai asked tonelessly.

“How do you know she doesn’t hate them too?” Sang Chencao looked up, casting a glance toward the rooms above. “If you ask me, the reason she took root here was clearly to wait like a predator for its prey. It’s just that Hu Cheng wasn’t like common men; he was difficult to kill.”

The word “kill” left her mouth as if it were a mundane topic, spoken with a chilling lightness.

The others felt a shiver run down their spines, and Feng Yun’ai found the woman beside her increasingly sinister.

“If you want to catch a rabbit by waiting at a tree, the tree has to be enticing. What is the Yao Yao Inn famous for? Why do so many people from both inside and outside the martial world flock here?” Sang Chencao surveyed the room.

Someone answered, “Wine. The wine brewed by Innkeeper Lin is unparalleled.”

“A pity. Someone afflicted by a rare poison should abstain from alcohol; it would be impossible for Hu Cheng to come for wine.” Sang Chencao sneered. “But the same can’t be said for sand bandits. Those desert rats value wine more than their own lives.”

“A few years back, a group with the unmistakable stench of bandits did come through,” a worker said tremulously. “But later, they suddenly vanished without a trace. We didn’t know if they had simply left in the middle of the night.”

“Where is the wine cellar?” Sang Chencao stood up. “Besides Innkeeper Lin, has anyone else ever gone inside to look?”

The workers shook their heads in unison. They looked at each other, their faces filled with apprehension.

After a long silence, someone raised a hand and pointed toward the location of the cellar.

Sang Chencao immediately turned to the woman in white, her expression unreadable. “Shall we go take a look together?”

As Feng Yun’ai rose, a thin blade appeared between her fingers. The edge was pointed directly at the man who had previously tried to kill Lin Yaoyao.

The man shuddered. The webbing of his thumb was still numb from her earlier strike. He steeled himself and said, “If it wasn’t her, I wouldn’t have killed her!”

“But if Hu Cheng truly caused the death of every member of the Lin family except for those two,” Sang Chencao asked leisurely, “how much respect would you have left for him then?”

“I…”

Sang Chencao snorted and walked toward the direction the worker had pointed. She lifted a wooden trapdoor in the backyard and easily descended into the cellar.

The cellar was extremely deep and dark. The air inside was so stagnant it felt suffocating.

Feng Yun’ai stood at the top with a cold expression. After letting the area ventilate for a moment, she slowly stepped inside. She saw walls lined with massive wine vats.

Suddenly, her gaze froze. She saw Sang Chencao strike out with a palm, her Palm Wind sweeping directly toward several of the vats.

The vats were enormous. If the wine inside spilled out, everyone in the cellar would be drenched with nowhere to hide.

Feng Yun’ai was about to recoil when she realized the sound was wrong.

There was wine in the vats, but only a shallow layer at the bottom.

Several large vats shattered with a loud bang, and out tumbled several skeletons. The bones clattered onto the floor amidst the shards of pottery.

Behind them, the little girl let out a piercing scream. Some of the onlookers doubled over, vomiting the wine they had drunk earlier onto the floor.

Feng Yun’ai was stunned, but she still stepped forward to inspect the remains.

As expected, there were long nails lying beside the skeletons. It seemed that even before Hu Cheng’s arrival, the forbidden arts of the Sun Chasing Cult had already been resurfacing here.

Someone whispered, “Could it be that Innkeeper Lin came to the sand river… solely for revenge?”

“Her intention was revenge, but the person who gave her the poison and taught her those forbidden arts might not have seen it that way,” Sang Chencao said mockingly. “That was Spirit-Awakening Powder. Once prepared, its potency only lasts for ten days. After that, it’s no different from ordinary flour. Such a poison is hard to come by; if it wasn’t used to kill a master of the martial world, it would be a waste.”

“She has been in contact with the Sun Chasing Cult this whole time?” Feng Yun’ai asked in shock.

Sang Chencao let out a sharp laugh. “Inevitably. That person has known Lin Yaoyao for a long time. They were certain she would follow through—they weren’t afraid of her betraying them at all.”

Feng Yun’ai looked away as a realization struck her heart. Her brow furrowed. “Lin Yaoyao!”