CH 17

“Who!! Who did this!!?!” 

A very violent roar echoed throughout the cave. It was Dan Yang Tzu’s voice, and it was the first time he had sounded so angry.

When someone had escaped earlier, Dan Yang Tzu hadn’t been angry, and even when Li Huowang unintentionally offended him, he hadn’t been angry either. But now he was furious.

The atmosphere in Qingfeng Temple became extremely oppressive, and even the oil lamps hanging on the walls were dimmer than usual.

Under Dan Yang Tzu’s orders, everyone gradually gathered in the main hall.

The air was filled with the smell of blood, and the scattered bodies on the ground proved that Dan Yang Tzu had vented his anger on some innocent people. Killing people made him feel a little better, but it wasn’t enough, far from enough.

“Thump~” A mass of flesh and blood with a head attached to it suddenly fell in front of everyone.

It was the vase girl whom Li Huowang had killed earlier. Her death had made her blush look dull, and her lifeless eyes expressed deep fear.

“Who did this? Who sneaked into my room while I was refining elixirs?!” Dan Yang Tzu’s voice now sounded low and suppressed, like a lion about to erupt. “You better come out now!If I catch you later…hmmph! I will make you kneel and beg me to kill you!”

The cave fell silent, and no one, whether it was the medicinal herbs, disciples, or Taoist children, dared to move.

“Fine! None of you will speak, huh?I will ask one by one! Chang Ming, Chang Ren, what were you two doing while I was refining elixirs earlier?” Dan Yang Tzu questioned.

The two sword-wielding disciples immediately bowed to Dan Yang Tzu,”Reporting to Master, as per your instructions, we guarded the entrance gate of Qingfeng Temple without any negligence whatsoever!”

Dan Yang Tzu walked expressionlessly towards them and carefully examined their demeanor. He stared at them until both began to sweat, then slowly turned his gaze to the side. “Xuan Yuan! What about you?”

Li Huowang, standing next to Xuan Yuan, felt a pang of anxiety. He knew he was next in line, so he encouraged himself mentally, urging himself to hold on! As long as he didn’t reveal any flaws that Dan Yang Tzu could catch on to, victory would be his!

“Xuan Yang! It’s your turn. What did you do after delivering the medicinal herbs today?” Dan Yang Tzu asked.

The moment he heard this question, Li Huowang immediately blurted out, “I was in the material room preparing the herbs needed for Master’s next batch of elixirs.”

“Is that so?” Dan Yang Tzu walked over, his nauseating smell and imposing pressure making Li Huowang’s body tense up to the extreme. He finally understood why the other senior brothers had been sweating so much earlier.

Time passed by, and under the pressure, Li Huowang’s forehead became increasingly sweaty.

Suddenly, Li Huowang felt a sense of relief, but just as he thought he had escaped, Dan Yang Tzu’s voice sounded once again. “Did you really see Xuan Yang in the material room at that time?”

Li Huowang looked over and saw that Dan Yang Tzu had already appeared in front of Bai Lingmiao and others, and his words were directed at those medicinal herbs.

“Think carefully before you speak. Whoever can help me find out who did it, not only will I send them home, but I’ll also give them money for going home!”

As soon as this was said, the remaining dozen or so disabled people in the material room opened their eyes wide. They all wanted to go home; they dreamed of leaving this hellish place.

“Master…Senior Brother Li was indeed with us at that time,” Bai Lingmiao spoke up as she noticed the fluctuation in people’s hearts.

Dan Yang Tzu gazed deeply into her face, “Oh? Really?”

At this moment, Doggie’s breathing became somewhat rapid, and his expression showed a struggle. Finally, he gritted his teeth and stepped forward. 

“Master, I know! Xuan Yang didn’t come to the material room at all today! The person you’re looking for must be him!”

As soon as these words were spoken, Xuan Yin’s corners of his mouth almost twitched into a smile. He thought he was safe now.

Dan Yang Tzu turned his head and looked at Li Huowang before slowly walking up to Doggie. He raised his right hand and slapped him hard on the face. 

“Bullshit! Xuan Yang delivered the medicinal materials himself this morning! If he didn’t go to the material room, where did he get the herbs? Are you trying to die?”

Doggie was frightened and quickly knelt down on the ground, tears streaming down his face, repeatedly kowtowing to Dan Yang Tzu. “Master, spare me! I was wrong! I just wanted to go home, so I lied…”

Dan Yang Tzu looked expressionless at Doggie on the ground. In the next moment, he suddenly turned to Xuan Yin. 

“What are you laughing about? Are you happy that Xuan Yang has been framed?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Xuan Yin was so frightened that his body trembled. The strong pressure emanating from Dan Yang Tzu made him almost unable to breathe.

As Dan Yang Tzu slowly walked towards him, Xuan Yin’s expression became more and more panicked. Even those who didn’t know the truth beside him could tell that something was off about him.

As Dan Yang Tzu approached him, Xuan Yin couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed on the ground. Yellow urine slowly seeped out from under his Taoist robe. “Master! This wasn’t what I wanted to do! It was Senior Brother Zheng Kun who forced me to do this!”

As soon as these words were spoken, Zheng Kun’s expression became fierce. He pushed off the ground with his feet like a cheetah, leaving behind an afterimage as he charged towards the cave entrance.

“It’s actually you!!” Dan Yang Tzu snorted coldly, waving his Taoist robe with his right hand. With the crisp sound of bells ringing, a copper coin rolled and fell to the ground, spinning like a top.

Just as Zheng Kun was about to escape through the cave entrance, Dan Yang Tzu lifted his right foot and stepped down hard, kicking up a cloud of dust.

With a sharp “crack” sound, the entire copper coin shattered into pieces instantly, flying in all directions. Along with it, Zheng Kun who was far away also shattered into pieces.

His limbs were torn apart as if he had been quartered, but the bloodied Zheng Kun was still alive. He wriggled towards the door like a maggot.

“My son,you have followed me for the longest time, why did it have to be you! I should have thought of this earlier. The pitfalls in my room can only be unlocked by you,” Dan Yang Tzu said with a ferocious expression. He stepped on Zheng Kun’s head, stopping him from moving any further.

“Master! I was wrong! Master, I’m useless now, please spare me this time!”

“Master, when those monks from the Zhengde Temple were chasing us, it was my two brothers who sacrificed themselves to save us! Master!”

Dan Yang Tzu’s foot moved slightly downward, pressing Zheng Kun’s face directly onto the ground and leaving him completely speechless.

（Note:正zheng德de寺si,正德means virtue）

“My son, do you know what? I know exactly what’s going on in your mind. You and your two brothers are all ungrateful wretches!” Dan Yang Tzu said slowly, while increasing the pressure on Zheng Kun’s face with his foot.

“Bang!” With a loud bang, a drop of thick blood splattered onto Li Huowang’s face.