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Spirit Stone frowned, hesitating to speak.
At that moment, Chuxiong rushed in with a large tray, exclaiming, "Alright, alright, Senior Brother, try this! I made it myself, and I guarantee you won't want to stop eating!"
He squeezed into the crowd, and everyone smiled at the sight.
On the tray lay a huge roasted Fire Mouse. Without its head and tail, it measured nearly three feet long and looked like a roasted pig at first glance. It was glazed with either honey or syrup, shining brightly and smelling deliciously golden.
Chuming laughed and reached out, saying, "I was just thinking my stomach was empty; cut me a big piece from the hind leg!"
"Sure thing!" Chuxiong pulled out a small knife and swiftly sliced off a thick hind leg that was over a foot long.
Chuming grabbed it and began to eat heartily, mumbling praises between bites, "Not bad! Your skills are truly impressive. This is the most delicious thing I've had in months."
A chorus of swallowing sounds echoed around them. Having not seen meat for a long time, everyone was stirred by Chuming's enjoyment, even Spirit Stone felt his throat moving.
Li Hong said irritably, "Master, hurry up and eat; just eat!"
No need for urging; Chuxiong had already cut another hefty hind leg and handed it to Spirit Stone, cheerfully saying, "Master, this is for you! You've worked hard; eat more!"
As Spirit Stone bit into the fragrant roasted mouse leg and looked at the concerned young faces around him, he felt his eyes welling up with tears. He continued eating while wiping his tears away, saying, "As one grows older, one becomes sentimental. I must be getting old; I've been shedding useless tears lately."
A wave of sighs filled the air.
However, Chuxiong laughed loudly and said, "Master, you must think it's too delicious! No worries; next time I'll prepare a big one just for you so you won't cry! As long as Elder Yue Mangzi doesn't catch me and put me in confinement!"
Everyone burst into laughter, including Chuming, who joined in the merriment.
With Chuxiong's interruption lightening the mood considerably, the disciples finished sharing the Fire Mouse, then brewed a pot of fragrant tea for Spirit Stone and Chuming. Chu Liang quickly brought over hot water and towels.
Spirit Stone felt a deep sense of comfort and sighed, "With good kids like you in the Nine Li Sect, I believe we can overcome this crisis. You are all doing great, making me proud. From now on, you must unite; only by standing together can our Nine Li Sect safely navigate this difficult time." He sighed heavily, his eyes reddening again, and quickly lowered his head to drink tea to hide it.
Li Hong felt a heavy warmth in his heart. In the years he had been in the Nine Li Sect, he had never seen his master like this. What was going on today? It was unlike him to shed tears in front of his disciples so openly.
Chuming was sent back to his residence to enter seclusion. Spirit Stone personally closed the door for him and instructed that no one should disturb him before leading the other disciples toward the Three-Story Pavilion.
He had something to say.
Spirit Stone's expression became very serious: "Listen carefully, the martial law issued by Sect Leader Uncle must not be ignored. Do not even think about sneaking out of the Mountain Gate!” He turned to Li Hong and Chuxuan: “Especially you two!”
Li Hong was fine; although he wanted to join the Patrol Team, he had never thought about sneaking out of the Mountain Gate. But what about Chuxuan? He looked at Chuxuan thoughtfully.
Chuxuan became extremely uncomfortable, slowly lowering his head. He said in a low voice, "Master, don’t worry. I won’t cause you any more trouble."
Spirit Stone declared loudly, "You said it yourself! Remember! Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, but if there’s a third time, I will personally send you to Reflection Cliff. You are not allowed to come out until you reach the Golden Core Stage!"
Chuxuan's face turned pale as he quietly replied, "Yes."
Suddenly, Li Hong remembered that he had heard Chuxuan mention wanting to go down the mountain to help the Song Dynasty Ruler. The current emperor must be his blood relative, right? However, last time he heard him directly mention Prince Kang, who is now known as the Official Family, indicating that he might not be from the direct line. Chuxuan seemed to be a thoughtful person. This made Li Hong feel a bit more favorable towards him.
He was not someone who held grudges; when it came to national righteousness versus personal grievances, there was no doubt about which path he would choose.
After giving careful instructions for a long time, Spirit Stone finally let the disciples leave but kept Li Hong behind.
He summoned his Flying Sword: "Come with me; I want to show you something."
Li Hong's eyes suddenly lit up at the mention of "something"!
The Artifact Hall was eerily quiet, the vast stone building enveloped in silence. Li Hong felt a pang of guilt; Yue Changzi was still his nominal master, and with the place being so deserted, he should come by more often to check on him.
After calling out a few times, Yue Changzi hurriedly emerged from inside. He was wrapped in a strange, dirty burlap cloth, as if it had been haphazardly cut and draped over him, covered in foul-smelling black spots. Li Hong was taken aback; what had he been busy with lately? This appearance certainly didn’t look like someone who was refining tools.
“Wait a moment,” Yue Changzi said hurriedly. He carefully washed his hands at the water pool before ushering Spirit Stone inside. He then winked at Li Hong and smiled, “I knew Little Monkey would come along!”
The two exchanged a few quiet words, and Yue Changzi turned back to Li Hong, nodding and saying, “Little Monkey is clever; it’s good to let him have a look too. Let’s go, but you both better be prepared.”
He walked to the corner of the hall and tore off two large pieces from a burlap sack, handing them to Spirit Stone and Li Hong. “Wrap these around yourselves; otherwise, it’ll be quite unpleasant.”
Li Hong was increasingly puzzled but complied and wrapped the cloth around himself. Yue Changzi opened the Restrictions and led the two deeper inside.
They twisted and turned through the passage for quite some time until they reached the depths of the Artifact Hall. This was an unfamiliar corridor for Li Hong, with no rooms on either side and a door at the end. Strange sounds emanated from behind it.
It sounded like several wild beasts were roaring, their voices hoarse and deep, accompanied by the rattling of chains and the tearing sounds of something being clawed at. It seemed as though some strange living creature was locked inside.
Yue Changzi solemnly instructed, “Make sure to keep your distance.”
After saying this, he stepped up to the door and cast several spirit spells. The door opened. Li Hong glanced inside and immediately felt his stomach churn; he was about to vomit.
Inside resembled a slaughterhouse, black blood smeared all over the ground and walls. On a large stone table lay a person whose limbs were firmly shackled to it, but their abdomen had been cut open, their entrails spilling out messily. Underneath the table were several large wooden basins filled with dark purple blood, with piles of internal organs floating up and down.
Li Hong covered his nose and exclaimed, “Master Yue Changzi, what are you doing? Are you dissecting a living person?!”
“Little Monkey, look closely!” Yue Changzi said in a deep voice.
Overwhelmed by the stench of blood, Li Hong fought through his discomfort to take a closer look at the person on the stone table. He jumped back in shock.
The person had no internal organs yet was still alive! Their chest was still rising and falling slightly, limbs writhing as they emitted strange hoarse roars from their throat. It seemed they noticed the door had opened; this “person” suddenly turned their head towards Li Hong, revealing an extremely terrifying face.
The skin was a dark purple, covered in deep gashes, with the flesh around the wounds turning a ghastly white. The lips were swollen and bruised. Most terrifying were its eyes, which had no pupils, only the whites remaining. Dirty long hair was matted with congealed blood and bits of flesh. It looked like a demon just released from hell.
Li Hong gasped.
In the large room, there was more than just this one "person." On the left wall, three more were locked away. Their hair obscured their faces, making it impossible to see their features. Their limbs, including their heads, were tightly bound with dark iron chains that dug deep into their flesh, exposing pale bones. Yet these three "people" seemed oblivious to their plight, struggling desperately, their long nails scratching against the wall, producing a horrifying screech that sent chills down one's spine.
Spirit Stone furrowed his brow and asked, "What have you discovered?"
"I can only tell you that these four 'people' have long been dead but are still alive, living like walking corpses," Yue Changzi said thoughtfully.
Li Hong's brow twitched. He pondered for a moment and said, "I want to go in and take a look."
"Put this on. These things are highly toxic; you need to be careful," Yue Changzi said as he handed Li Hong a pair of ice silkworm gloves taken from the wall.
The thin ice silkworm gloves felt weightless in his hands; wearing them felt like having nothing on at all. Li Hong adjusted the gloves and walked over to the stone table.
The "person" immediately sensed someone approaching and struggled fiercely. Its pupil-less white eyes seemed to focus on him as it drew nearer, letting out strange guttural sounds from its throat.
Up close, it was even more disgusting. The "person" had its abdomen opened wide, with its belly turned inside out; the bloody cavity was empty, all its organs removed. Yet strangely, its veins were still functioning, an indescribable energy circulating within it.
However, its Dantian was empty. This was precisely why Yue Changzi had opened it up.
Li Hong frowned tightly; what exactly was this thing?
After a moment of thought, he turned and said, "I want to try using the powers from the Six Spirit Salty Ritual; perhaps I can summon its soul for questioning."
Spirit Stone's mouth dropped open in surprise but quickly realized what Li Hong intended and nodded in agreement. "Go ahead; we'll watch from here."
"Heaven and Earth, All Things Have Spirits; Chaos grants me form. As heaven turns and earth rotates, let my spirit wander through the purest realms. Evil spirits and demons shall be subdued! Swiftly!"
A gentle breeze seemed to sweep by, and behind them, Ling Stone and Yue Changzi saw nothing but could clearly feel a strange energy suddenly spreading outward from Li Hong. An indescribable feeling arose in their hearts as Li Hong's figure became extremely eerie, emanating a dark and immense power. The entire room suddenly darkened, the oil lamps on the walls flickered, and Li Hong's shadow stretched long, appearing exceptionally tall yet profoundly dark.
Li Hong faced them sideways, his hands swiftly forming mystical gestures, so fast that it was almost impossible to see. When he finally stopped, the eerie sensation gradually faded away after a while.
Yue Changzi and Spirit Stone were both startled at the same time. What powerful supernatural abilities! What an ominous power!
They exchanged glances, a shared concern passing through their minds; it was too similar to the Demonic Cultivation Technique!
Li Hong shook his head. "I can assure you that these four things have no souls. In other words, they are standard Walking Corpses!"
Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred. Three Walking Corpses on the wall let out terrifying howls and struggled violently, causing a thunderous crash as the entire wall collapsed. Amidst the swirling dust, three foul-smelling shadows lunged toward Li Hong, their sharp, dirty nails reaching for the top of his head in an instant.
Such speed!
"Be careful!" Spirit Stone and Yue Changzi both changed their expressions dramatically.
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