Cultivators or Tyrants?
Someone died every day. Some died deaths nobody batted an eye at. Others caused commotions. Xiaohu’s death violently stirred the world of cultivation. He was Daoist Qing Song’s disciple and died at the academy Green Pine Sect ran. As such, Daoist Qing Song was humiliated. To add insult to injury, his celebration date became his disciple’s funeral date.
Incandescent, Daoist Qing Song demanded of the grey-rank disciples, “Find out who did it! If you can’t find the culprit, there’s no reason to feed you!”
Instead of feeling excited and honoured, the grey-rank disciples trembled on their knees. Had Daoist Qing Song not suppressed his energy, they’d be crushed under its pressure.
The grey-rank disciples had no clue why Xiaohu rocked up at the academy on Daoist Qing Song’s celebration day, why he died naked on his bed and why his heart was missing. One of them just saw him lying in his own blood when they opened the door to his room for cleaning the day after.
XIaohu had five deep claw wounds on his necks. The scratches ripped his arteries open, and the trail of blood it spilt had dried. There was a hole where his heart was supposed to be sealed.
When Daoist Qing Song arrived at noon, his aura froze the academy, overpowering the sun’s warmth.
After inspecting Xiaohu’s corpse, Bai Lang solemnly reported, “Shifu, it seems a fiend beast attacked Junior Brother judging from the claw wounds and heart extraction action. However, according to my investigations, there are no fiend beasts in the city. They lack intelligence, so they cannot have been at the academy, let alone have sneaked pass so many people and went straight to Xiaohu’s room.”
“If it wasn’t a fiend beast, it was a cultivator. Why was Xiaohu at the academy yesterday?”
Only General Manager Liu knew what Xiaohu was doing there. Alas, General Manager Liu was found suspended from a rope he looped around a beam in his room. It was said he took his own life for fear of a punishment worse than death.
“Junior Brother is known for his partying. Judging from his corpse, he must have slept with someone last night,” Bai Lang quietly answered.
“Where is the person he slept with?”
Bai Lang shook his head. Nobody knew where the individual was. The grey-rank disciples were the only ones who knew; however, they were too scared to utter a word. If they wanted to question them, they’d have to do it without Daoist Qing Song’s presence. In truth, Mu Yu led the three girls out of the city and told them they couldn’t go home or back to the academy because he knew they’d die if they went either way.
“Shifu, there should be nobody who would dare to accost us at your current level. If there is, there would only be Jiuhua Sect. I just found out Reverend Jiuhua also stopped at the academy last night and left in the morning. Do you think h-”
“Reverend Jiuhua!”
Though exasperated, Daoist Qing Song still had a functioning head on his shoulders. It would be ridiculous to accuse Reverend Jiuhua without any evidence. Plus, they couldn’t rule out the possibility of a sect taking their rage out on Xiaohu after yesterday’s events.
“Whoever it was, I need evidence! Once I have evidence, I’ll personally make him pay for killing my disciple!” belted Daoist Qing Song, voice echoing throughout the academy.
Not a soul dared to raise their head.
***
Mu Yu stopped at the foot of Jiuhua Sect’s mountain because of a problem. Unlike Green Pine Sect, the bottom of the towering mountain was stone. The top was virescent vegetation. He couldn’t go any closer to due to the energy barrier a Primordial Infant Realm cultivator erected. He spent half a day circling around the foot of the mountain to find an alternative way up but had to raise a white flag in the end.
By the time Mu Yu returned to the academy, Green Pine Sect’s disciples had put it under tight surveillance. Entry via flying had been forbidden, and everyone had to register to enter.
“Do we really need to jump through all these hoops?”
Mu Yu was going to return to Dustfallen Sect after spending the night at the academy. Sadly, he had to survive a rough interrogation. They gave him grief upon learning he was a disciple of Dustfallen Sect.
“Dustfallen Sect? Patriarch can get rid of the garbage now. What’s a sect with less than ten members even called a sect for? Jiuhua Sect can have that garbage. I’d be embarrassed if they were part of Green Pine Sect,” mocked a Green Pine Sect disciple.
“That’s rich, coming from the sect Dustfallen Sect defeated in the tournament. If you don’t want them, our Jiuhua Sect wouldn’t.”
Mu Yu turned around to see disciples of Jiuahua Sect. Their leader was one of Jiuhua Sect’s main fighters, Tu Panshan.
“You have some gall showing up here!” brayed Sun Yin, a Green Pine Sect disciple.
Tu Panshan smirked. “Why can’t we be here? Sure, you built the academy. Thing is, we invest just as much as you to maintain it. We can come whenever we please. What are you going to do about it?”
“Enough with the drivel. Everyone must register properly. Write down your hometown, sect affiliation, name, gender and magic weapon,” demanded Sun Yin, slamming the sheet on the table.
“Has your time as tyrants gotten to your head? You think you’re unstoppable now? Who are you to stop us?”
“Pfft, who gives a toss about Jiuhua Sect? Your sect is implicated in Xiaohu’s death, so you best behave yourselves.”
“You’re accusing us of killing Xiaohu?”
Mu Yu shrugged them off and attempted to walk through the door.
“Stop.” Sun Yin extended his arm to stop Mu Yu. “Bottom-rung sects the likes of Dustfallen Sect are not permitted entry.”
“Since when was that rule in effect?” Mu Yu questioned.
Sun Yin: “I set the rule just now. The academy isn’t a garbage dump.”
“Said the one who lost to garbage. What does that make you?”
Sun Yin’s attitude was a good indication of what every sect’s fate would be once they joined Green Pine Sect in the future.
Sun Yin drew his sword from his sleeve and aimed it at Mu Yu. “You only won because Xiaohu was overconfident. You think you can disregard us after the fluke? Your shifu has to kowtow to Patriarch. Now it’s your turn to learn some manners.”
Mu Yu found the sorry excuses hilarious. Even though he was never a fan of trouble, trouble often knocked on his door, and he was never afraid of it. “A Primordial Infant Realm cultivator must have extraordinary pupils. I guess I’ll accept the lesson and learn a few pointers.”
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