Following Ji Mofan's finger, Li Jinchu saw that among the gray-white gravel, there were very conspicuous specks of red.
Obviously, the blood hadn't been out of the body for very long; although it had dried, its color was still quite vibrant.
The bloodstains spread haphazardly, extending into the nearby stream before disappearing without a trace.
The water erased all traces of smell.
Li Jinchu walked to the stream. There were traces of wild animals in the muddy area next to it, which should be a drinking point for animals in the vicinity.
“What if they were eaten by wild animals so quickly?” he looked at Ji Mofan. “Doesn’t that sound too far-fetched?”
Ji Mofan never expected that this person would so openly discuss with him how to collude on the same story.
Although he didn't really want to go down the mountain to find Li Geyue, otherwise he wouldn't have made so many excuses just now, saying that Li Jinchu should go find other members of the Li family who were closer to Li Geyue.
But not only was the true purpose so casually revealed, but the script was also written so smoothly that it was almost like...
It was as if it had been performed countless times before.
Ji Mofan's eyes darkened slightly.
The "Li" in Li Geyue's name and the "Li" in this young master Li's name are worlds apart in terms of significance.
Having grown up in the main family since childhood, and now, even after joining the Xiaoling Cult, he still maintains the family's prestige, making him the undisputed first in line to succeed.
If he hadn't chosen to be the chief disciple of the Xiaoling Sect, he could have easily taken over the position of family head once he returned to the Li family.
This situation cannot be simply summarized by the word "good luck".
Among the younger generation of the family, none possessed superior talent in cultivation, nor were any more skilled in managing their own affairs.
The latter can be attributed to his personal ability, as for the former...
Ji Mo Fan now deeply suspects that those people may not have never existed from the beginning, but were "hidden" before they even truly began to emerge.
It has been hidden in every sense of the word.
...But what does this have to do with him?
In nature, the strong prey on the weak, and the weaker individuals within a species will be eliminated. No one can condemn this phenomenon with the word "immoral."
Li Jinchu was at least not a vicious and bloodthirsty person, which can be seen from his swordsmanship.
His behavior was so conventional that it bordered on nitpicking, a far cry from the carefree and unrestrained manner he outwardly displayed.
The only thing they had in common was their obsessive cleanliness, which they carried with them wherever they went.
Ji Mofan banished all irrelevant thoughts from his mind and reached into his Qiankun bag to pull out a plucked chicken.
“Let’s eat first,” he said. “After we eat, we can go back, and the timeline won’t feel so abrupt.”
Li Jinchu paused, his folding fan still in his hand.
"When did you stop fasting?" he slowly asked.
"I was led by Fang Xian." Ji Mofan skillfully swept a pile of suitable firewood from the nearby woods, piled it up, lit it, and put the almost-processed chicken on it to roast.
“You and Fang Xian are indeed very familiar with each other.” Li Jinchu walked around the fire for a while but couldn’t find a convenient place to sit down. In the end, he just squatted down there.
"We're just acquaintances," Ji Mo Fanxin said, explaining that they simply didn't consider each other human beings.
The spirit stones he used to buy these materials were obtained from the resources he acquired during the month he spent training with Ge Gen; all the items were raised in Changfeng Valley.
Fang Xian didn't hesitate to take his money at all.
He even shamelessly threw out the line, "Friendship is more valuable."
"He openly fought you in the Dark Aura Secret Realm, but secretly protected you when you broke through to a minor realm." At the time, everyone else was misled into thinking it was Lin Ju'an, but only Li Jinchu saw things clearly from the beginning.
"Are you really planning to betray your sect?"
Ji Mo Fan lowered his head and sprinkled seasonings on the barbecue, pretending that the wind was too loud to hear.
Li Jinchu didn't force him to answer, but casually cast a spell for him to prevent the campfire from being blown away by the wind.
His attention was quickly diverted, "It smells so good?"
"Are you still willing to abstain from grains?" Ji Mofan glanced at him.
"...You are more terrifying than the inner demon." Li Jinchu remained silent for a while before making this assessment.
It's truly terrifying. Just moments ago, Ji Mo Fan, who stood on the Execution Platform, seemed like an ethereal immortal, but now he's suddenly fallen back into the mundane world.
“No, it’s Fang Xian who’s more terrifying.” Li Jinchu shook her head again.
Look how badly they've corrupted the once upright and virtuous chief disciple of the Yun Cang Sword Sect.
He could imagine Fang Xian squatting by the campfire and barbecuing.
But if it were Jimo Fan...
Li Jinchu blinked.
It still feels like a hallucination.
Ji Mofan dragged Li Jinchu to the bottom of the cliff for more than an hour before returning, carrying only a tattered red robe stained with blood.
This was taken by Ji Mofan from Li Geyue's room when Li Geyue was imprisoned at Yiku Cliff, just in case something like today happened, so that he could easily get away with it.
When it was given to Shen Yun, he remained silent for a long time, and in the end, he said nothing, only telling Ji Mofan to handle it himself.
Li Geyue definitely survived.
Ji Mofan was so certain because in his previous life, a potential opportunity for demonic cultivation was discovered in the wasteland behind Yuncang Mountain.
During the great war between immortals and demons a thousand years ago, the Execution Platform was the main battlefield of the Yuncang Sword Sect, and countless demonic cultivators died at the bottom of this cliff.
Even though the area was cleaned up at the time, the blood of the demonic cultivators had already soaked into the land. Even after digging three feet into the ground and burning for several days and nights, the residual demonic energy still could not be dispelled.
Fortunately, the Execution Platform is very close to this place, which can suppress the remaining demonic energy to some extent.
Over the years, although the once barren land has gradually become vibrant, the demonic energy hidden within it still stirs restlessly.
In a past life, there was an unlucky demon beast that happened to pass by this place. It accidentally triggered an opportunity for demonic cultivation, and its meridians were invaded by demonic energy. It was completely transformed into a demon beast that charged around indiscriminately, causing considerable damage to the nearby villages and towns.
At that time, Shen Yun took Ji Mo Fan with him to handle it.
However, it was really just "bringing" them along. After killing the monsters, the detailed tasks such as investigating the cause and appeasing the people were all dumped on Jimo Fan.
That's why he was able to foresee what would happen in what place and when in this lifetime.
If Li Geyue had even the slightest desire to survive, she would inevitably be tempted by the opportunities offered by demonic cultivation.
The demonic path is a cultivation method that emphasizes "indulgence".
The desire for wealth, beauty, and power—every manual of the demonic path aims to amplify the cultivator's emotions, driving them to relentlessly pursue their desires and forcibly break through their own limits in a more violent manner.
Therefore, the more powerful a demonic cultivator is, the more unstable their emotions tend to be.
It can be said that these are two completely opposite paths to the Immortal Arts.
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