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Human Sacrifice
By the time I returned to my residence, the moon had risen above the treetops, and the surroundings were gradually darkening. Three young men stood in the courtyard of the Siheyuan, seemingly waiting for me. Upon seeing my return, their expressions were far from pleased.
"Why did you come back so late?" the leader of the group asked.
"Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?" I replied, looking at him with a mocking expression.
"Oh, getting a bit cocky, are we? Do you think you're tough?" he asked with a scowl.
I said, "Indeed, I'm much stronger than the three of you. You seem unconvinced; do you want to test that?"
Without another word, he threw a punch at me. I caught his fist with my left hand and suddenly twisted it. A loud crack echoed as his bone broke, accompanied by his scream of agony.
The leader, Dao Qi, shook violently and broke free from my grip. The other two young men stepped back in alarm, forming an incantation with their hands and chanting spells. I quickly darted behind one of them and seized his neck. The other young man's Daoist Arts struck; an invisible force hit my captive's chest, causing a loud thud as his internal organs were severely damaged. He immediately spat blood and collapsed to the ground.
My Dao Qi surged like a sudden storm as I slapped the attacker, sending him flying into the corridor of the courtyard, where he lost consciousness.
The leader, whose wrist I had broken, warned me, "You will regret this!" He then attempted to leap away like an Outer Sect disciple. My Silver Thread shot out from my hand, piercing through his feet and binding his leg bones. With a sharp tug, he was sent crashing back to land before me.
I stepped on his mouth, crushing his jaw, then calmly walked toward the door and looked around. Seeing no one else present, I closed the door.
A moment later, I dragged all three into one of the rooms. Sitting at the tea table in the center, I sipped tea while asking, "So, what was so important that you waited for me?"
The leader's jaw was shattered and he could not speak. One of the other young men said, "It's Senior Song from the Dragon-Tiger List; he's ranked in the top ten and wants to see you."
"Senior Song? Song Qianqiu?" I asked in confusion.
The young man said, "It's not Song Qianqiu; it's Song Yuan, known as Qianqiu. He is the tenth expert on the Dragon-Tiger List."
"Oh," I took a sip of tea and asked, "What does he want with me?"
The young man replied, "I don't know. Every new disciple entering the Inner Sect must pay a visit to one of the experts on the Dragon-Tiger List and choose whether to pledge allegiance or not. After all, they are the future elders of the sect."
"Is that so?" I sighed. "Since coming to Azure Cloud Sect, everyone in your sect has been so stingy. If I don't ask, they won't tell me anything, leaving me completely in the dark about what I'm supposed to do. It's like I'm out of place here."
I threw a knife at the young man, my expression emotionless. "Kill those two, or you'll die."
The young man was startled and quickly said, "Brother Yang, please have mercy! Killing fellow disciples in the Inner Sect is a death sentence!"
"I know, that's why I'm asking you to do it. Afterward, we can secretly bury them; no one will know. I don't have much time for you to think—just ten seconds." I said with an indifferent demeanor.
As he listened to my countdown, his hands trembled. The other two young men shook their heads, urging him not to act. As the countdown neared its end, he gritted his teeth, his gaze turning fierce as he lunged at his companion with the knife. I grabbed his wrist and said, "Are you a dog? When I tell you to kill, you just do it! Killing in the Inner Sect means paying with your life!"
The young man froze, staring blankly at me. I laughed heartily and ruffled his hair. "Go on, bring me your stash of money and any Elixirs or Treasures you have. Don't worry; I won't take them."
"Hurry!" Seeing him still kneeling in shock, I kicked him out the door. He scrambled back to his room to search for things. I turned to the other two young men and said, "You too! Don't pretend to be dead. If you don't have anything valuable, you might as well cripple each other’s cultivation."
Though both were injured, they crawled around their rooms searching for items. Before long, they piled a large assortment of things on the tea table beside me—some hand-copied Cultivation Methods from the Scripture Repository, low-level artifacts from the Dao Artifact Workshop, and a few scattered pills.
I took several Qi Gathering Pills and set fire to the rest right in front of them. They winced at the sight but dared not protest. I gestured for them to lie down and then stepped over their heads as I left the courtyard.
"When I come back, I don’t want to see any of you here. This courtyard will be mine from now on. And let me warn you—don’t seek help from Iron Baldy; otherwise, the consequences will be severe."
Laughing heartily, I made my way toward the peak where Song Yuan resided. As the tenth-ranked expert on the Dragon-Tiger List and the only Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator on it, it was rumored that many Divine Transformation Realm practitioners had been defeated by him. Like Yang Yan, he was someone capable of defeating peers across realms.
The Foundation Establishment Realm is the shaping of the Qi Sea, while the Divine Transformation Realm is the shaping of the Soul. Upon reaching the Divine Transformation Realm, a cultivator can separate their Soul from their body, which is known as Refining Qi into Essence and Essence Transformation, essentially existing as a consciousness apart from the physical form.
This inevitably reminded me of a year ago at Futu Ridge when my soul was led out of the house by the Big Black Cat to rescue Zhou Manman at Guo the Blind's home.
The peak where Song Yuan resided was not very high, as it was surrounded by tall Birch Trees, hence it was called Birch Mountain. The area in front of his Cave was adorned with flowers, and the ground was spotless. The main door was slightly ajar, and several people were standing inside, looking apprehensive.
Upon seeing my arrival, their faces immediately showed dissatisfaction. One of the boys, around seventeen or eighteen years old, asked, "Are you Yang Hao?"
I nodded and replied, "Yes, I am Yang Hao."
Another boy said, "You should address us as Senior Brothers. Do you know how long we've been waiting here for you?"
I responded, "I don’t quite understand what you mean. I just returned to my residence when someone told me that Song Yuan called for me. I rushed over without having dinner yet. I’ve only just officially entered the Inner Sect; no one has informed me about anything. Isn’t it unreasonable to blame me like this?"
"Hmph, you’re just making excuses. Do you expect others to tell you everything?" the boy retorted.
I chuckled lightly and said, "If no one had told me to come here to see Song Yuan and I had come on my own accord, why wouldn’t we go to Sword Princess or Song Qianqiu instead?"
"Just entered the Inner Sect and already arguing with your Senior Brothers? You must be tired of living!" The boy glared at me fiercely, his Dao Qi surging as if he intended to strike.
"You dare to fight in my Cave? Are you seeking death?" A cold voice interrupted as a richly dressed young man stepped out from the Cave.
The Cave was uniquely decorated, more luxurious than any wealthy household in the secular world; it was hard to imagine such a place existed in the mountains.
The young man was Song Yuan himself. He exuded an air of nobility and aloofness as he sat on a chair above in the Cave, looking down with an arrogant gaze. Everyone quickly said, "Senior Song, forgive us; we dared not act recklessly."
"That’s good to hear. If you break something of mine, I will take your life!" Song Yuan snorted and then turned his gaze toward me at the entrance. "Are you late?"
I said, "I don't know when I was supposed to come, and no one informed me, so how could I be late?"
"You know now," Song Yuan replied coldly.
I continued, "But I still don't know if it's at eight or nine in the evening, and what I'm supposed to do here at Senior Song's place. If it's just to sleep, then I'm afraid I can't comply."
"Oh?" A hint of interest appeared on Song Yuan's face. "Why not?"
"Because I don't like men," I replied.
"Bold!" a young man scolded from the side.
Yet Song Yuan burst into laughter. He pointed at me and said, "Interesting! You're quite an interesting person. Don't worry; I, Song Yuan, also don't like men. As for your visit, it was just a casual notice without a specific time. As for coming to my Cave, it's simply to clean up the dust and arrange the potted plants at the entrance. When I'm feeling bored during my cultivation, I often come out for a stroll to enjoy the flowers and birds, which lifts my spirits."
"I see," I responded.
A young man added, "New disciples are required to hand over the Foundation Pill issued by the sect to those they pledge allegiance to. Aren't you going to take out your Foundation Pill?"
I didn't look at the young man but turned my gaze toward Song Yuan, who was reclining above. "Is there such a rule?"
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