Chapter 26: Murder Case (Part 2)

◎I can hurt her as much as I want. Who the hell are you to lay a finger on her?!◎

As soon as the urgent message finished, the cluster of red flame dispersed. The writhing spiritual power coalesced in the air, spelling out four words: “Demon Viscera Hall.”

The name sounded rather flippant, suspiciously deliberate in its attempt to be cute. But anyone who had actually visited the place understood how disturbingly fitting the name was.

Because this was a facility dedicated to dissecting Demonic Creatures, operating under the jurisdiction of the Yang Medical Office.

Every day, the Yang family members researched demonic creatures here—dissecting, slicing, observing, and making reports. They provided enormous support for the Divine Zenith Sect’s encyclopedia compilation project on demonic creatures.

The characters formed of spiritual power soon faded away. Yun Jinxue withdrew her hand, her brow furrowing slightly.

A murder case?

The Grand Apprentice-Making Ceremony was almost upon them. At this point in the original book, the sect had been quite peaceful. Nothing had happened at all.

Better to go take a look first.

Yun Jinxue stood. She was about to tell the two of them to continue their cultivation, but both young women rose at the same time, clearly intending to follow.

Yun Jinxue asked, “You want to come with me?”

Yan Guixing replied, “Senior Sister hasn’t been feeling well lately. I’m afraid something might happen to you.”

Jiang Yanyu lowered her eyes, tidying the ties at her cuffs. Her words came out flippant: “Yes, yes. Last night I also felt Senior Sister’s condition was off. We should definitely go with you.”

Yan Guixing seemed to hear some specific phrase. Her jaw clenched tight as she cast a cold glance at her.

Jiang Yanyu looked utterly unruffled. The tighter her wrist bindings, the more they accentuated her tall, graceful figure.

After the Grand Apprentice-Making Ceremony ended, the two of them would be separated for a time anyway. Yun Jinxue helplessly pressed her forehead. This squabbling would finally stop by then!

The three arrived at the Yang Medical Office. A young attendant waiting by the main gate spotted them and hurried forward to welcome them, respectfully leading the group to a pitch-black building tucked away in the deep, dense forest outside the medical office.

The fir trees stood tall, casting shifting, dense shadows.

The entirely jet-black building sat there in silence, like a black Buddha bent over and hidden beneath the trees—ancient, austere, and still.

The young attendant said, “This is Demon Viscera Hall.”

Yun Jinxue raised her eyes to the plaque above. Its edges were haloed by sunlight, hung so high that it was even somewhat difficult to read clearly.

From the corner of her eye, a flash of indigo blue passed by. Yun Jinxue lowered her gaze to see a tall young man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes walking out from within the building. He bowed to her. “Greetings, Eldest Senior Sister.”

Yun Jinxue nodded. “Xingfeng.”

Tuo Xingfeng stepped aside, his palm extended toward the building’s interior. “The bodies are this way. Let me lead you to take a look.”

The inside of Demon Viscera Hall was just like the outside—painted entirely in black lacquer. Everyone coming and going wore white robes and white shoes, solemn and detached, walking with hurried steps. The windows were narrow and small, sunlight sliced into tiny squares and cast upon the walls.

Truly a cold, desolate, and serious place. Aptly described as a demon morgue.

Following that flash of indigo blue deeper inside, the corridor grew increasingly narrow, the lamplight dim. But upon turning into one room, it abruptly brightened.

Up ahead, several white-robed elders were gathered around a long table, murmuring among themselves in hushed tones.

Tuo Xingfeng moved to the side. “Esteemed teachers, Eldest Senior Sister is here.”

The white-robed elders turned their heads. Every face was cloaked in dark clouds, their expressions extremely grave. Seeing that it was the sect’s successor, they prepared to bow.

How could Yun Jinxue bear having these grandfather-figures bow to her? She quickly said, “Please, don’t stand on ceremony. May I see the disciples’ bodies?”

One of the white-robed elders said, “It may be somewhat…”

He trailed off, but Yun Jinxue understood his meaning. “It’s fine.”

Even from a distance, the smell of blood was detectable, giving rise to a visceral, sticky sensation in the heart.

The white cloth draped over the bodies was somewhat translucent. The flesh-red color beneath was already visible.

Yun Jinxue reassured herself: She had seen her fair share of major spectacles. At critical moments, she must not show fear. She walked over with composed grace.

However, when the white cloth was lifted, she discovered her mental preparations had been insufficient.

The two corpses laid out side-by-side on the long table resembled two white candles smeared with red sauce—or like skeletons in a butcher shop, stripped clean, with only a few scraps of meat still clinging. Eyeballs and tongues had been removed. The few remaining shreds of flesh on the faces still clutched at the bone. In the eye sockets, two small pools of uncoagulated blood still sloshed.

Her stomach churned violently. Yun Jinxue forcefully held back the heave in her throat. She pinched her fingers, her gaze trembling.

God… No wonder their expressions were so terrible…

Such wounds—no, such gruesome mutilation—it looked as if the flesh had been sliced off their entire bodies one knife-cut at a time. What monster was responsible for this? Utterly depraved!

Noticing the woman’s trembling hand, Jiang Yanyu felt a flicker of curiosity. She rose slightly on her tiptoes, trying to peer past her shoulder to look inside.

But after seeing those two white candles, she lost interest and stepped back again.

Yan Guixing averted her gaze, as if unable to bear the sight of such tragedy.

Yun Jinxue turned her head back and said in a low voice, “Where were these bodies discovered?”

Tuo Xingfeng replied, “In the Inner Sect Disciples’ dormitory. The disciple who found the bodies is also here. I’ll take you to him.”

The white cloth was draped back over the corpses. Yun Jinxue followed him to another room.

As soon as the door opened, a series of hysterical sobs met their ears. A young man wearing an Inner Sect Disciple’s uniform was huddled in the corner. His face was ashen, his hair disheveled. From time to time, he slammed his head against the wall with loud thuds.

Tuo Xingfeng hurried over and crouched beside him, using spiritual power to soothe him. He explained to his senior sister, “The two disciples who died shared a room with him. He found them when he woke up this morning. He was terrified. His condition is quite bad right now.”

Just hearing him describe it made Yun Jinxue’s hair stand on end.

Imagine: people in the same dormitory—alive and well the night before—and upon waking, they’ve become those horribly mutilated, skin-stripped forms.

Who could handle that?!

The sheer horror of it alone was enough to drive anyone mad.

Yun Jinxue took a deep breath, adjusting her state. “How many people know about this so far?”

Tuo Xingfeng tore off a strip of bandage and helped the disciple bind the wound on his head. He shook his head.

“Not many. When he screamed, I happened to be nearby. I went over immediately upon hearing the sound. There was no one else in the vicinity at the time.”

Yun Jinxue nodded. “Good. Aside from me, who else did you notify?”

“I secretly contacted the people at the Medical Office. After bringing the bodies and the disciple here, I also contacted…”

Upon hearing the word “bodies,” the disciple, who had just barely calmed down, began wailing hysterically again, half-mad. He nearly crawled on his knees, trying to flee.

Yun Jinxue stepped forward. Her fingertips pressed against his forehead, injecting spiritual power. His entire body shuddered, and he fainted.

She caught him and handed him over to Tuo Xingfeng. “Continue.”

Tuo Xingfeng said, “The Elders are all away. I’ve currently notified you, Eldest Senior Sister, Teacher Xiao Yuanming, and Senior Yun Kaiye.”

The Divine Zenith Sect’s reputation was such that it had enjoyed peace for far too long, to the point where everyone felt quite secure about the sect’s safety. Thus, at this moment, aside from Yan He being in a coma, all the other Elders had gone out on business and were not inside the sect.

Xiao Yuanming was the teacher responsible for the Inner Sect Disciples’ swordsmanship cultivation. He possessed formidable strength, was upright and honest, and was deeply trusted and relied upon by the disciples.

As for Yun Kaiye, he was the son of Vice Sect Leader Yun Shujun. Relying on his high status, he frequently plundered others’ cultivation resources, and no one dared say a word. Like his father, he was a good-for-nothing wastrel.

Yun Jinxue said, “Understood. Keep this disciple calm. Thank you for your hard work.”

Returning to the previous room, the white-robed elders were in the midst of analyzing the condition of the corpses for a young man.

That young man stood with his back to the door, arms crossed. A massive sword with shifting orange light was strapped to his back; a red tassel and white jade ring hung from the pommel. He wore a form-fitting outfit of lake-green with water-ripple patterns.

He was extremely tall, with broad shoulders and bulging muscles. Even through his clothing, the contours were clearly visible. He had a head of coarse, short black hair—none other than the swordsmanship teacher, Xiao Yuanming.

Hearing movement behind him, he turned his head. Wheat-skinned, with a very upright face: “Jinxue is here.”

Yun Jinxue resisted the urge to glance at the long table. She stepped forward. “Uncle Xiao, good day. I was just here earlier, visiting the disciple who found the bodies in the next room. He was in shock.”

Xiao Yuanming shifted aside, like a door swinging open. His voice was deep and steady: “Mm. Have you seen the condition of the bodies?”

The image of the two pale corpses flashed through her mind. Yun Jinxue said, “I have.”

Xiao Yuanming reached out and pulled the white cloth back over them, his brow furrowing low. “I just confirmed their identities with them. I knew these two disciples. While their attitude towards study wasn’t proper, their skill level wasn’t low either. To accomplish this degree of mutilation at night without alerting anyone… whoever came has ill intentions.”

Yun Jinxue asked, “Could it have been the work of a Demonic Creature?”

Before coming here, she had assumed a demonic creature had attacked someone, which was why the bodies were brought to Demon Viscera Hall. But now, it seemed more likely that the condition of the bodies was unusual, and they were brought here because this place had better facilities for examination.

Xiao Yuanming said, “Demonic Creatures could inflict such wounds, but no demonic creature has ever done so in this manner. Unless it’s for consumption, they basically don’t do anything to corpses.”

But if not a demonic creature, what kind of person would be so utterly deranged?!

The term “deranged” suddenly made Yun Jinxue think of a specific person.

She spoke hesitantly, “Could it be…”

Xiao Yuanming looked at her steadily. “It’s most likely the work of Mad Red Hall.”

It was true that the original book described the various grotesque and macabre acts of the previous Mad Red Hall Master, Pan Bohun, in great and thorough detail. But never having witnessed it firsthand, she couldn’t quite imagine what the legendary “slicing human flesh to go with wine” actually looked like.

And now, with that concept in mind, looking at these two corpses, she roughly understood why they looked the way they did.

Yun Jinxue’s heart trembled. Fear was one aspect. On the other hand, why would someone from Mad Red Hall be causing chaos within the sect at this point in time?

Under normal circumstances, Mad Red Hall’s storyline shouldn’t have appeared until after she began betraying the Little Villain.

Why had they appeared so early?

Xiao Yuanming asked, “Is Xingfeng in the next room?”

Yun Jinxue replied, “Yes.”

Xiao Yuanming said, “Later, have him make a trip to relay instructions to the other teachers. Tell them to inform the students that after class, they must be escorted back to their dormitories by their teachers immediately. For the time being, no one is allowed to go out.”

To bypass the guards, infiltrate the inner areas, and commit such a crime—the murderer might still be roaming inside the sect. It was far too dangerous.

Yun Jinxue said, “Understood.”

“What is that smell…” A grating, shrill male voice came from behind.

Yun Jinxue turned her eyes back. A man in a bright yellow robe, with sharply slanted eyes, walked in. His face was deathly pale, thin to the point of concern. He was rubbing his nose, his expression full of displeasure. Two Inner Sect Disciples trailed behind him.

This was Yun Kaiye. As the most stereotypical cannon fodder character in the original book, he diligently fulfilled his cannon fodder duties. Because he saw the Little Villain being accepted as the Sect Leader’s disciple, he found her particularly displeasing. Not only did he pick fights with her every few days, he often brought people to surround and ambush her, calling it “swordsmanship exchange” under a nice-sounding name. In reality, it was using numbers to bully a single person, beating her up. He was a leading force behind the sect’s bullying culture. Of course, his fate was even more miserable than Eldest Senior Sister’s. If one could say the Little Villain still harbored a trace of gentleness towards her Senior Sister, for this cannon fodder, it was pure, unadulterated torture.

A jade ring was fitted on Yun Kaiye’s finger. He held a square handkerchief over his nose. His entrance had originally been slow, but upon seeing the woman standing there like cold moonlight, he sped up and walked in. “Ah, my dear cousin is here too~” That excessively pallid face practically bloomed with a smile, giving one a visceral sense of discomfort.

Yun Jinxue took a small step back. “You’re here.” This man had not a shred of self-awareness as a cultivator. He spent his days indulging in wine, entertainment, and sensual pleasures, with a particular fondness for beautiful women. He even coveted his own cousin, Yun Jinxue, making numerous overt and covert advances, his words utterly lacking propriety. The Eldest Senior Sister in the original book paid him little mind, and naturally, Yun Jinxue needn’t give him any good face either.

Yun Kaiye turned a blind eye to her coldness. Still beaming, he pressed closer, his hand naturally settling on her shoulder. “We siblings haven’t seen each other for quite some time either. Why don’t we…” His wrist was seized. Yun Kaiye looked over in surprise. A young woman in red, who appeared not robust but rather on the slender side, was using a strength completely incongruous with her stature to slowly pry his arm away. The maiden’s brows and eyes held a smiling expression; she looked rather elegant and fair. “What are you doing?”

Yun Kaiye had been about to explode, but seeing that she, too, was of uncommon beauty, he asked, “Who are you?” Jiang Yanyu released her grip, somewhat disdainfully shaking her fingers. “Who I am is none of your business.” Yun Kaiye said, “You came to talk to me of your own accord—could it be you’re interested in me?”

That press of his hand earlier had landed squarely on the painful spot on Yun Jinxue’s shoulder. Although it had been withdrawn quickly, it was still somewhat uncomfortable. Yun Jinxue was rubbing her shoulder at that moment. Hearing this, she was shocked. How utterly shameless could this man be?! Jiang Yanyu had clearly been disgusted as well. After a long pause, she finally said, “Why did I talk to you first? Because you’re stirring up trouble for no reason. My Senior Sister isn’t feeling well. Stop harassing her.”

These words were spoken quite impolitely. Yun Kaiye’s expression changed drastically. Seeing he was about to make trouble, Yun Jinxue stepped in front of the young woman. “Cousin, do you still remember why you came here?” Of course he remembered, but he had absolutely no interest in it. However, since someone had brought it up, he still had to put on a show and look. Yun Kaiye voiced his assent, sauntering over to the long table. He pinched the white cloth between two fingers. He barely lifted a corner before letting it drop. “So, uh…” Yun Kaiye rubbed his nose. “What does Little Xue think? Who committed this crime? Just disciples squabbling among themselves?”

Truly the most typical cannon fodder character. Carrying not an ounce of brainpower. No matter how much disciples squabbled, it couldn’t possibly have resulted in something like this. Yun Jinxue couldn’t be bothered to answer him.

The white-robed elders originally gathered around the long table all hurriedly cited busy schedules and took their leave.

Xiao Yuanming clearly couldn’t stand this man either. He said, “Where is the Vice Sect Leader at this moment?” Yun Kaiye replied, “My dad? How should I know where he is?” Yun Jinxue thought to herself: Such a major incident occurring within the sect, yet the person in charge is unreachable.

With a Vice Sect Leader like this, they’d be better off without one! But then she realized that her own father, the Sect Leader Yun Ding, was even more unpredictable.

To the point that when something happened, everyone had already tacitly skipped over seeking him out.

Xiao Yuanming clearly could not accept his answer. This man had always been direct. He said, “Two disciples within the sect have been brutally killed, and the murderer has yet to be caught. Is his venerable self not going to come out and take charge?” Yun Kaiye, however, could not tolerate the slightest grievance. He immediately rolled his eyes and jabbed a finger towards Xiao Yuanming’s chest. “What’s that supposed to mean? You’re so used to bossing students around, now you want to boss the Vice Sect Leader too, is that it?! Do you think you’re bigger than heaven itself?!”

Xiao Yuanming didn’t lower his head. Only his eyes slid down, looking at him coldly. “That is not my meaning. It’s just that the situation is urgent. We need someone who can steady the sect to be present.” Yun Kaiye shouted, “What’s so difficult about that?! Zhang Long, Li Hu, you two go find those Elders right now and hurry up! Get as many as you can to come!” The atmosphere here was truly sinister and terrifying. The two lackeys responded with a “Yes!” and swiftly ran off. To speak of Elders and seniors with such a commanding, dismissive tone was something Xiao Yuanming, who valued propriety above all, absolutely could not tolerate.

At this point, having nothing left to discuss with him, Xiao Yuanming turned his head towards Yun Jinxue. “Jinxue, come with me. Let’s check the possible locations where the murderer might be hiding.” Yun Jinxue said, “Alright.”

“Eh?” Yun Kaiye wanted to follow. But that glance at the mutilated corpse earlier had somewhat frightened him after all. He looked around, shuddered a few times, and decided he should go back and hide out for a while first.

Following behind the woman, just as she was about to walk out the door, Jiang Yanyu looked back at him, a cold smirk on her face.