Chapter 229

Chapter 229

“We also won't let any monstrous beast have the opportunity to leave. You have no need to worry about that.”

Taking a deep breath, Gan Hongchang mustered all the patience he had ever possessed and played out the role of the respectful younger sword cultivator with Bu Jiuzhao, "By constantly protecting us this way, we never grow. Our skills don’t improve. So, unless we ask for your help next time, can you refrain from acting?"

The man pondered for a moment, then slowly smirked, “Junior Brother speaks sensibly.”

“From now on, Elder Brother will often meditate and cultivate in my room. If there's an issue, summon me. I promise…” His smile deepened, voice dropping to a seductive murmur, “...to ensure your safety.”

Seeing Bu Jiuzhao's smile, Gan Hongchang hesitated, sensing an inexplicably eerie charm in that grin when paired with those solemn, vertical pupils. Nevertheless, he didn’t dwell on it, even thinking it advantageous— they could summon Bu Jiuzhao for unbeatable beasts, and he wouldn’t interfere with the weaker ones. His meditating in the bedroom meant no more premature killing incidents.

However, only Xie Yinxue and Liu Buhua felt: Wasn't Gan Hongchang actually Bu Jiuzhao's undercover agent among the participants?

Others may be oblivious, but to the two of them, it was apparent. The true reason Bu Jiuzhao killed He Qiao wasn’t his noble justification but a single motive—silencing him.

If He Qiao lived and spoke too much, Bu Jiuzhao’s real identity might be exposed, hence the swift execution.

Considering there were more beasts in the inn than He Qiao, to keep his ancient monstrous beast identity hidden, Bu Jiuzhao would have to eliminate the remaining ones.

Initially, Bu Jiuzhao continuously accompanied the participants. Killing in plain view occasionally might be acceptable, but frequent incidents would raise suspicion. Now, thanks to Gan Hongchang, Bu Jiuzhao could act more discreetly without needing any excuse.

No wonder Bu Jiuzhao laughed upon hearing this.

Were Xie Yinxue in his place, he believed he’d laugh even more heartily than Bu Jiuzhao.

Gan Hongchang truly believed himself smart, casting a disdainful glance at He Qiao’s corpse, remarking, "Well, he did provide some useful clues. We now know there are seven monstrous beasts in the inn—”

“Ugh…”

His words were halted momentarily by a retching sound.

He frowned, paused, and continued, "One of them is an ancient monstrous beast. He Qiao referred to it as 'The Revered One'—"

“Ugh, ugh…” The sound of retching grew louder.

"I—"

"Hrk! Ugh—!"

Just as Gan Hongchang began to speak, an overpowering retching sound interrupted him. Furious, he shouted, "Dammit, who's making that nauseating noise?"

"I—I'm sorry..."

A young man in pale moon-colored attire crawled out from under the dining table where he was previously seated, stammering an apology to Gan Hongchang. "I just... ugh!"

He was one of the three guests dining with He Dao earlier. Frightened at the sight of the approaching swordsmen, he had taken refuge under the table. Now, it seemed that the sight of He Dao's corpse was causing his nausea, rendering him nearly speechless.

Yu Jiayi could empathize; after all, she had reacted similarly upon seeing Qing Ping's decapitated body at noon.

Bai Hua Zi could relate even more. Her eyes sparkled the moment she saw the young man's face, utterly enchanted by his beauty. "Young man, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Even Liu Bu Hua gazed at the young man's face with awe, exclaiming in admiration. The youth's features were exquisite: delicate brows, ruby lips, and sparkling teeth. He looked more like a maiden than a man. A bandage over his right eye suggested an injury, adding a touch of vulnerability that evoked sympathy from onlookers.

Cai Le Le noticed the translucent quality of his ears and asked in surprise, "Are you a merman?"

"Yes," the handsome merman nodded, "My name is Bo Lang. Ugh..."

Gan Hongchang wasn’t the type to be swayed by good looks, so Bo Lang's beauty left him indifferent. He was, however, irked by the young man's retching sounds. "Stop it; it's sickening. Where's that mushroom servant? Why hasn’t He Dao's body been removed yet?"

"No need for the servant. We haven’t finished our meal."

The other two guests dining with He Dao raised their hands in a gesture to stop any intervention. They approached He Dao's corpse, began tearing at his clothes, and licked their lips. "He was a powerful creature; he must have had abundant energy within him."

Liu Fei paled at the sight, clutching Cai Le Le's arm, "They're not going to..."

As she feared, the two monstrous guests ripped open He Dao's sleeves and sank their teeth deep into the bicep, where the flesh was thickest.

He Dao had been dead for just a short while; his body was still warm, the flesh soft. With one pull, one of the monsters easily tore off the skin. Yellow fat and reddish muscle gushed out from the wound. The creature then took a big bite, causing Liu Fei to retch.

"Damn it," Tan Fan Yi closed his eyes, feeling nauseous.

Xin Tianhao fainted again. Liu Bu Hua deftly caught him and applied pressure to revive him.

The two creatures feasting on He Dao commented amongst themselves, "Ugh, too oily! Disgusting!"

"Strange, why is his energy so low?"

Nearby patrons, intrigued by their conversation, gathered around, crowding close to He's corpse: "Really? Let me have a taste too."

"Give it a try."

"Huh? Indeed, there's barely any magical energy left in him."

"Ugh, this tastes awful! I'm not eating any more!"

"If you don't want it, leave. I love it, especially the fatty parts."

“……”

As the crowd closed in, they obscured He's body from view. Bolang had already fled, his hand covering his mouth in terror. The participants could only hear muffled chewing and slurping sounds, coupled with a lingering scent of blood, but the macabre image was still fresh in their minds.

"Feeling nauseated? Feel like throwing up?"

Qinhe's voice rang out from behind them.

Turning around, they found Qinhe, who seemed to have silently appeared, sitting quietly on the second floor's railing, observing them: "Such is the world of mystical beasts, a survival of the fittest. Most creatures mourn only briefly for their kindred's demise, while some don't possess even that shred of compassion."

Yu Jiayi swallowed the acidic taste rising in her throat, replying, "... I can see that."

"What truly intrigues me is when these beasts develop 'human' emotions. How intense can these feelings be?" Qinhe raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over them but settling on no one in particular, "Be cautious. Don't be deceived."

Baihe felt her intuition tugging again - there seemed to be an ulterior motive in Qinhe's words.

Once the elusive Qinhe left, she gravely addressed the other participants: "I believe Master Qin was warning me because he noticed Bolang's intentions towards me. He reminded me to always be vigilant, to not fall for any tricks. Yet, Bolang is so captivating, and we still need to seek out other beasts. If I don't face this, who will? Thus, I've decided to meet up with Bolang tomorrow... oh, not for fun, but to gather more information."

The group: "..."

With He's death, any leads on the other beasts and the "master" he mentioned were cut off. However, everyone did trust Baihe's skills when it came to gathering information.

Therefore, Yu Jiayi half-heartedly reminded her, "Passion can be blinding; just be careful, alright?"

"I know, I know," Baihe, though enamored with someone new, hadn't forgotten old ties. "I'll consult with Huizhu, Bai'e, Man, and Xiao Man again, see if we can uncover more details."

This inquiry did yield some results. Bai'e revealed to Baihe: "I overheard some guests discussing how He's magical energy was strangely diminished after his death. It's odd because a creature's energy should remain consistent even in death. I remember when He first arrived at the inn; he was a powerful beast brimming with magical energy."

This was news they'd heard during the feasting on He's body.

Xuan Ting remarked, "No wonder that swine beast seemed so weak; he had lost his magical energy."

But where had He Yan's demonic energy gone so suddenly?

Chu Yiyang recalled He Yan once mentioning that he came to the Mystic Inn because of a call from the "Honored One". So, Chu Yiyang wondered, could it be that He Yan's power was taken by this "Honored One"?

Moreover, those demons that consumed He Yan's body likely wanted to absorb his power as well...

With this in mind, Chu Yiyang regretted not noting which demons had consumed He Yan's remains. He asked Bai E, "Miss Bai E, do you recall which guests dined with He Yan these past few days?"

Bai E, tilting her fox-like head, replied sweetly, "I do, but there are many. I'll prepare a list tonight and hand it to the Taoist masters tomorrow."

Chu Yiyang cleared his throat, "Can you also make a list of those who consumed He Yan?"

Bai E waved her fox paw, "I can't do that. It was too horrifying; I didn't dare to watch."

"Does anyone else remember? Even a few faces will help," Chu Yiyang inquired, turning to the others with little hope, "This matter is crucial. I suspect He Yan's energy was drained by an ancient beast. While the demons absorbed his power by consuming his body, the ancient beast would need close contact. So, the guests who recently dined with He Yan are prime suspects. We should also look into those who consumed his body."

Xin Tianhao, who had just awakened, weakly said, "I can't recall a single face."

Xuan Ting couldn't help but rebuke him, "What the hell do you remember, did you even open your eyes?"

Xin Tianhao helplessly responded, "I can't help it; I faint at the sight of blood..."

Bai Hua Zi clicked her tongue, "Xuan, you were there, how many do you remember?"

Xuan Ting, raising his fists in anger, pointed at Bai Hua Zi, "What are you implying, Bai Hua Zi?"

Bai Hua Zi raised her hands in innocence, "Just asking. What do you think I meant?"

"Hey, let's talk it out, no need to argue," Tan Fanyi intervened, fearing they'd start a brawl, "I saw several faces clearly."

Chu Yiyang assigned him a task, "Then you'll be in charge of investigating the demons who consumed He Yan's body tomorrow."

"Just me alone?" Tan Fanyi hesitated, changing his tone, "Actually, I don't remember that many faces..."

Chu Yiyang responded, "No, take Xin Tianhao and Wu Yu with you. The three of you can investigate together."

"I..."

Tan Fanyi held back, clearly reluctant.

Those who consumed He Yan had tasted blood. What if they wanted to taste again during the investigation and turned on him? Xin Tianhao faints at the sight of blood, so being top-ranked in cultivation meant nothing. Relying on Wu Yu, who ranked even lower, was even less reassuring.

Upon seeing the situation, Xie Yin Xue said, "I'll handle it. I remember their faces."

Chu Yi Yang turned to him, asking, "How many do you remember?"

Xie Yin Xue chuckled, "All of them."

Tan Fan Yi was incredulous, "You remember them all?"

Xie Yin Xue nodded, "Yes."

"Impressive, Brother Xie. I'll leave this to you then."

Chu Yi Yang's respect for Xie Yin Xue deepened. He instinctively lifted his hand to pat him on the shoulder—a common gesture of camaraderie among men. It's a subtle sign of affection, one that most wouldn't refuse.

However, Xie Yin Xue sidestepped to avoid the gesture and added, "I prefer not to be touched."

Realizing his overstep, Chu Yi Yang withdrew his hand, slightly embarrassed, yet not offended. Clearly, he held Xie Yin Xue in high esteem.

But that very night, the same Xie Yin Xue who had said, "I prefer not to be touched," willingly entered Bu Jiu Zhao's room.

He didn't even glance at his own room, heading straight to Bu's. Without even knocking, he confidently pushed open the door and reproachfully asked the swordsman inside, "Elder Brother Bu, didn't Qin, the innkeeper, tell us to lock our doors and windows at night? Why is yours slightly ajar?"

The man, meditating on his bed, opened his profound eyes and fixed them on the young man. After a moment, he responded with a counter-question, his voice a calm whisper, "What brings you to me so late, younger brother?"

"Well..."

Xie Yin Xue leaned against the door, sealing it shut with a click. His voice was colder than ever, yet he reached for the jade pendant at his waist, saying, "...I have intentions on you."

—Intentions of deception, both physical and emotional.

As his words trailed off, the jade fell to the ground, swiftly followed by his robes, until he stood clad only in a plain white undergarment. Only then did he approach the fully-dressed man in the room.

The man's gaze darkened, observing every inch of Xie Yin Xue's exposed skin with an intensity akin to a painter capturing the essence of his subject.

Xie Yin Xue then took off the ribbon that held his hair, standing tall before Bu Jiu Zhao for a moment, before leaning forward, a smirk on his lips, "Have you seen enough, elder brother?"

"Younger brother, the night is chilly. You should cover up; you might catch a cold."

The man's voice was softer, carrying a hint of tenderness amidst the concern—a stark contrast to his earlier detachment.

Did Xie Yin Xue not detect the discrepancy between the man's words and his true feelings?

He mused that even Bujizhao had picked up his own bad habits. He chuckled and said, "A cultivator catching a cold? Are you trying to pull one over on me, senior brother?"

====emmmm, you know what I mean====

Author's note:

Bujizhao: A skilled hunter often appears in the guise of prey.