Chapter 97 Harvest Time (1)

The murder weapon was casually thrown behind the door. It was a short axe, which was only taken out of the storeroom occasionally when tables and chairs needed repairing. Dong Xian picked up the axe and saw that the blood was still glaring red.

"Who did it?"

The shock was gradually overwhelmed by the angry atmosphere, and Dong Xian shouted loudly: "Who did it?!"

No one responded, and of course no one would jump out.

"What happened?" The crowd parted, and Luo Xuanyi, along with the villagers who had stayed behind to clean up the mess, rushed in with a puzzled look on their faces, which then turned to surprise. Dong Zhu's mind was startled when he saw Luo Xuanyi, and he couldn't help but purse his lips tightly. He put his hand to his chest and touched the flower petals before he calmed down a little.

"Village Chief?! Why... at this time?"

Dong Xian's suspicions were evident. The villagers held the old village chief in high esteem, and even if there were disagreements, he couldn't immediately pin his suspicions on anyone. Among this group, Luo Xuanyi was the most likely suspect in the murder.

But before he could say anything, Luo Xuanyi cut him off decisively: "Is the murder weapon still there? If it is, there's a way to find the real culprit."

Dong Qi eagerly squeezed in front of them, his forehead veins bulging with anger. "Fellow Daoist Yi, if you can really find the real culprit, please arrest him quickly! I must cut his blood and offer it to the heavens to comfort the spirit of the village chief!"

The crowd's unanimous response instantly silenced all doubts. Luo Xuanyi took the hatchet, examined it, and nodded, "I've learned a simple Qi-reading technique that can reveal who has recently been tainted by blood and ghosts. I'm just short on spiritual power right now. If I use all the energy I've accumulated tomorrow on Qi-reading, I can identify the true culprit."

This meant that no one could leave the village tomorrow. Faced with the village chief's corpse, even the most self-righteous wouldn't dare to dissent at this moment. Furthermore, these words solidified the image of a murderer in everyone's minds.

A man, driven by a motive, brutally murdered the village chief. Perhaps he already harbored a grudge against him, otherwise why would he kill him so cruelly? Just how terrifying was that man?

"No matter what, we'll know the truth tomorrow." Dong Xian calmed down and realized that his earlier assumption that Luo Xuanyi was the culprit was somewhat inexplicable. She was a cultivator from a prestigious and upright family, possessing countless magical instruments and techniques. How could she have used such a murderous weapon and method to kill the old village chief? He apologized to Luo Xuanyi, who shook her head with a heavy face, "Let's bury the old village chief first. Alas, to be honest, I came here just for him. According to Wanglong magic, he is the last of the royal family with pure blood, and he has natural luck. With him, our revival project will have a better chance of success. I didn't expect that."

After hearing these heartfelt words, everyone's doubts vanished. Guning Village didn't have funerals, as there wasn't enough land. Instead, they cut off a section of hair and scattered it on the ground. Then, they carved a name on a piece of wood and stuck it in the soil. Sadness didn't dispel the anger; instead, it intensified, becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Gradually, rumors began to spread.

"Someone killed the village chief in order to leave."

"Someone killed the village chief in order to take advantage of everyone's grief and prevent them from leaving."

"He tortured and killed the village chief because he was a pathetic lunatic who had wanted to kill people for a long time."

"The village chief volunteered to be killed. Otherwise, why didn't he call for help? The village is so small, everyone could hear him."

A chaotic, dark mood began to brew, and everyone was wary of any disturbance around them, like countless unexploded landmines.

Dong Zhu ignored these thoughts. As everyone hid in their rooms, fearful of the unknown murderer, she glanced at Luo Xuanyi and Dong Qi and Dong Xian, who were sitting in a side hall discussing qigong. She quietly opened the door and headed towards the altar. Compared to the bustle of this afternoon, the village was completely deserted, with only the thumping of her footsteps.

The liquid droplets on the edge of the altar had solidified into ice crystals, and the glowing ice crystals illuminated the figure standing in the shadow of the altar. No, it should be said that the faint light passed through the figure.

Dong Zhu held the flower tightly in his hand, not noticing that he had slightly hurt the delicate petals due to excessive force.

The manifested figure expanded, its translucent color deepening until it looked indistinguishable from a real person, its skin texture clearly restored. Luo Xuanyi was pleased with the performance: "It seems I can actively make myself visible or invisible now."

What? Dong Zhu wanted to ask, aren't you talking to your brother and the others?

Her lips trembled slightly, but no sound came out. Strange. She touched her throat and found the wound.

The blood came out a moment later, and the scorching temperature ignited her fingertips.

"It's just that my vocal cords are cut, I won't die." Luo Xuanyi held an illusory flag-shaped weapon in his hand. After becoming a ghost cultivator, those magic weapons were no longer perfectly suited to his own way of cultivation. Luo Xuanyi used all the magic weapons on his body, and was still thinking about how to find a more suitable weapon.

But this is not what she is going to experiment with now.

Dong Zhu looked at the no longer smiling Luo Xuanyi before her. The face without her disguise snapped her out of her thoughts. She wanted to escape, to escape! She tried to turn around, but Luo Xuanyi grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, causing her to fall at her feet.

The yellow flower pinned on her chest was pulled by the wind and fell in the opposite direction, landing in the dust just like her.

"I've thought about it for a long time. I think we need to make people feel malicious, but it's too vague. What constitutes maliciousness? Does it count as fear? Does it count as disgust? Would it be more effective if we have a foundation of trust before tearing off the mask?"

I don't know what you're talking about. Dong Zhu didn't want to surrender. She began to struggle, trying to force the hand that held her to release her. But the ghost cultivator's physical form, no matter how perfect, was only an illusion. Her desperate struggle left no trace on those pale hands.

"Just now, I was just afraid and wanted to escape, but no evil thoughts overflowed, so negative emotions shouldn't be counted as malicious intent. When you started biting me, malice did erupt. But at what point does it become will-o'-the-wisp? Should I just expose my lie and watch you slowly bleed to death, or should I inflict more pain on you?"

"These are all mysteries. After the village chief, you are my second experimental subject."

Why would you do this? We are all human beings!

Miraculously understanding her look, Luo Xuanyi leaned over and nodded seriously.

"We are all human, so anyone stronger than me can defeat me and use me as a test subject, a sacrifice, a medicine boy, or as material. After all, I am relatively weak. This is everything I have learned since I survived. So conversely, I can do the same to others, as long as I am relatively strong."

"I'm not arrogant enough to think that other people are not human, but I seriously consider you as my own kind."

“We are all made of the stuff of heaven and earth.”

Luo Xuanyi raised the hand holding the mist high, aimed it at Dong Zhu's leg, and smashed it down hard.

"So I'm going to start."

In the dimly lit room, the three of them were growing tired of chatting. Dong Qi picked up the cold frost fruit on the plate and shook it. "Are you in the mood to eat?"

Dong Xian's voice was tired. "It's time to eat. I'll go get my third sister to join us."

Luo Xuanyi remained at the table, watching Dong Qi deftly pull out a bone knife and begin dismantling the cold frost fruit. Because the flesh was dense and the skin tightly attached, peeling it required first beating the entire fruit with the bone knife. Repeated beatings of the beautiful cold blue fruit, the juices seeping through the skin and the broken skin, turned the entire fruit purple-red.

At this time, use a bone knife to gently carve out a flower on the top to expose the connection between the skin and the flesh. Quickly cut four times vertically around the body with the bone knife, then insert the blade horizontally into the gap and pry it open. The purple-red rotten skin will be perfectly peeled off, leaving the intact flesh with clearly visible dense veins.

The bone knife expertly cut the fruit in a cross shape, releasing a bowl of bluish-purple juice. Dong Qi, remembering something, pointed at the juice and smiled, "Third sister also said this was like the blood of a warrior."

The first plate of sliced fruit was pushed in front of Luo Xuanyi. She picked up a slice, watched the water dripping from the cut flesh, and smiled, "Indeed."

First update! I'm starting to reap the rewards, and I've also explained the logic behind Luo Xuanyi's actions. To understand Sister Yi, we must consider her upbringing. She's not just a lotus flower that sprouts from the mud, but a withered lotus that tries to cry out for help but ultimately rots in the mud. I wanted to create a story about a young woman who, in her quest for immortality, gradually becomes a villain.