Underground Cemetery
Mu Yu had no idea who he saw. Judging from his clothing, he was a disciple of Wind Snatching Sect. His neck was dyed red. His chest was too much of a mess to make heads and tails. His heart was missing. He ticked every box Xiaohu and Tu Panshan’s corpses did!
Mu Yu covered his nose when he saw several rodents come out from the corpse’s chest. One of them ran to Mu Yu’s feet. He had to force himself to calm down; cultivators weren’t invulnerable to rodents all of a sudden. He touched his head that was still hurting after he hit the ceiling.
The victim had to have been dead for, at least, a month. His corpse had started to decay. The rodents had devoured his organs already.
“Those who died on the surface had a proper burial, while you’re here all alone. I’m sorry for you.”
Mu Yu turned at the next light and saw another corpse. It belonged to Junior Brother Lin, who had a go at a grey-rank disciple last night. He died the same death as his predecessor. Mu Yu was sure the next corpse he’d find would be Fang Chang’s.
Mu Yu found over a dozen more corpses over the next two hours. All of them died the same deaths. He had no clue which courtyard he was under at that point. He still hadn’t found any clues to identify the culprit. It soon occurred to him he wasn’t going to find anything but corpses at the going rate.
Nobody was aware there was a hell underneath them.
The passages were new, so there wasn’t much mud from the surface. Actually, there were signs dirt had been moved outside. The fact the culprit created passageways between the drainage channel to hide the corpses suggested they didn’t want to clog the channel.
Based off the conjecture the culprit had to be close by when the grey-rank disciples were abused or was told, Mu Yu hypothesised the culprit was in the grey-rank disciples’ courtyard. In other words, one of them could’ve been the culprit. The issue was, would they be capable of committing the deed, and was there a need to be hiding their tracks? If he was that capable, he might as well have joined a sect.
Mu Yu had no idea how to go back to where he came from at that point. There were, at least, a hundred drainage channels at the academy. His only option was to search one by one, really. Fortunately, he brought several strands of grass with him. He went a few steps left and found an exit. He sent a strand of grass out to scope out the outside situation.
There were several cultivators disputing whether which of the two alliances at join in the foreign courtyard. Mu Yu verified the courtyard belonged to Tranquil Nether Sect, meaning he was three courtyards away from Green Pine Sect’s.
Green Pine Sect had the grey-rank disciples’ courtyard situated near theirs so that it was convenient to call for an attendant. Mu Yu navigated his way to Green Pine Sect’s drainage channel using his memory. To his shock, there were eight Green Pine Sect corpses in their passageway. Green Pine Sect weren’t even aware of their deaths. Such was the fate of not being a Xiaohu.
One thing that stuck out was why the perpetrator didn’t abandon Xiaohu and Tu Panshan’s corpses underground. In Xiaohu’s case, Mu Yu intervened, so there was an explanation. In Tu Panshan’s case, nothing stopped the culprit from hiding his corpse.
Green Pine Sect’s disciples were the worst offenders of grey-rank-disciples’ abuse as they felt a need to impose their superiority. Even so, Mu Yu didn’t agree with killing them if it was just over a few insults.
As he turned out of Green Pine Sect’s courtyard, Mu Yu sensed a strong breath around the corner. That was a close call. It wasn’t a rodent for sure; perhaps it was a fiend. He thought it resembled mumbling. His heart palpitations intensified. He dimmed his sword’s glow and cautiously crept over to the corner, voice stifled. The panting came closer and closer. It resembled someone with a case of asthma. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone was diagnosed with asthma if they resided down there. He held his breath and contemplated his next move.
Mu Yu stepped out from behind the corner, sword drawn and ready to spill blood, but there was nobody in sight. When he stepped into the passageway, the breathing was gone. The claw marks were still visible, and it was still moist inside. Eventually, he spotted blood that hadn’t condensed.
Mu Yu crouched down to inspect the black blood and found it warm to the touch It was impossible to identify the sect from the torn and soiled clothing.
Mu Yu could only hear his breathing. It sounded heavier than before. Something was odd, still. His breathing cadence was somehow divided in two.
Wait, I’m hearing two different breaths!
Mu Yu felt a cold breeze on the nape of his neck. The one panting was right behind him!
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