In the quiet courtyard, Shen Yi drew water from the well, wrung out a cloth, and walked over to the burly man who was hanging his head low.
Seeing the man's panicked and confused expression, along with the comical ink stains on his face, Shen Yi couldn't help but chuckle.
"Honestly, it really does look like you," Shen Yi said with a slight smile, his clear eyes glinting with mischief.
After teasing the man, he reached out and removed the pig snout and ears from Butcher Zhang's face, handing him the cloth.
His voice was calm and reassuring, "Here, wipe your face first."
"I..."
Butcher Zhang, now free of the pig demon disguise, clutched the cloth tightly, his rough face trembling uncontrollably.
He then began scrubbing his face furiously with the cloth, as if trying to peel off a layer of skin.
Seeing this, Shen Yi turned and walked into the house.
"From now on, tell me everything clearly, from start to finish," he said, his gaze calm and steady.
"Don't hold back, and don't worry about me. Just tell me the truth, and I'll handle the rest."
At these words, Butcher Zhang, who had been trying to hold himself together, finally collapsed to the ground.
His large, mountain-like frame trembled like a child's as he buried his face in his hands and wailed, "I didn't break any rules! I didn't break any rules! I never touched her! They set me up! They forced her to kill herself by smashing her head against the door!"
Though his words were disjointed and his emotions were in turmoil, Shen Yi listened quietly, taking off his outer robe.
"Does the Vajra Sect have rules against such things?"
"Not before, and not now. Only the direct disciples have such rules. I was a direct disciple... but I didn't break any rules! The child isn't mine!" Butcher Zhang looked up with hatred in his eyes, his gaze filled with despair.
Shen Yi draped a new black-and-white robe over himself, suddenly remembering that Butcher Zhang had once mentioned that he was considered a genius when he first joined the sect and was taken in as a direct disciple.
However, he later offended someone and was denied access to the Jade Liquid Realm martial arts, being suppressed for years until he managed to develop half of the Golden Sun Eight Treasures Body Technique on his own.
"Yuan Gang and his brother both joined the Vajra Sect together. His brother died in the outskirts of Qingzhou City, and he suspected me because I was nearby at the time. But there was no evidence. I was always on good terms with Yuan Zhi. We had no grudges or conflicts of interest... but he kept poisoning his master's mind, secretly targeting me."
Butcher Zhang seemed lost in memories, staggering to his feet.
"So they framed you?" Shen Yi adjusted his black-and-white robe and then took out a wolf-patterned cloak.
"No, I killed Yuan Zhi," Butcher Zhang said numbly, his large hands clenching into fists.
"I didn't care for Buddhist scriptures back then. I was just drunk and bored, and I heard that Yuan Zhi had taken a group of followers to cultivate their minds. I went out to mock him."
"I saw... he had over a dozen people caged like pigs, all of them in a filthy, mindless state. He was extracting the essence from the men and the impure blood from the women to bathe himself... He was practicing an evil body-refining technique behind the Vajra Sect's back!"
"When I stumbled upon this, he chased after me... I was terrified. I never thought someone I had spent so much time with could have such a cold, vicious expression. I was filled with anger, and in a fit of rage, I killed him. I almost died there too."
"Most of the people he had caged had already lost their minds due to the drugs. Only one woman, who was pregnant and couldn't have her blood taken, was kept locked up for Yuan Zhi's pleasure. She was still conscious, so I quietly took her out and hid her in a remote village some distance from Qingzhou City."
As he finished speaking, two large tears rolled down Butcher Zhang's weathered face, and he seemed to lose all vitality.
Because he wanted to find a teacher for the child to learn to read and write, he accidentally exposed the matter.
"Yuan Gang had just made a breakthrough in his martial arts and had come out of seclusion. They knew I had returned and secretly followed me. When they saw me inquiring about tuition fees, they traced it back to the village and planned to kill me under the pretense of breaking the sect's rules."
"She refused to betray me, and she refused to tarnish my reputation, so she killed herself by smashing her head against the door..."
"When I arrived, she was already dead."
"The child is still in their hands."
His voice, filled with despair, lingered faintly in the air.
"Are you done cleaning up? Let's go."
Shen Yi stepped out of the house and headed toward the courtyard gate.
Compared to Butcher Zhang, who had been ostracized and sent to Baiyun County, Shen Yi knew more.
The sudden rise of the Vajra Sect after its decline, the abrupt construction of Buddha statues and pagodas in what was supposed to be a martial arts sect—these were seen by others as attempts to curry favor with the newly appointed prefect.
But now, it seemed there was more to it.
Butcher Zhang stared blankly.
The young man's tall figure was adorned with a golden wolf-patterned crown, the black-and-white yin-yang fish emblem on his robe catching the eye.
A jade belt cinched his waist, and a black scabbard with golden patterns hung at his side.
The wolf-patterned cloak billowed in the wind.
Shen Yi adjusted his collar, a cold expression on his handsome face.
"Where are we going?"
"To help those who truly deserve to die finish what they started."
The young man's hand rested casually on the hilt of his sword as he walked steadily, his figure gradually blending into the endless night.
...
At the Vajra Sect.
Facing thousands of cold-faced Demon-Suppression Division officers who had surrounded the area, the disciples of the Vajra Sect instinctively dropped their weapons.
"We have no ties with demons!"
"Please investigate, sir!"
Among the crowd, Hong Lei frowned slightly as he observed the various martial artists dressed in different styles.
This didn't seem like a situation where they were looking for trouble.
However, the fake monks inside the pagoda had yet to show themselves.
What were they so guilty about?
"Please investigate, sir!"
Many of the disciples looked terrified, and some of the more timid ones had already collapsed to the ground, tears and snot streaming down their faces.
Among them, the strongest were only at the initial stage of cultivation, while most were ordinary martial artists at the Mortal Body stage.
They had joined the Vajra Sect to learn martial arts, hoping to one day be noticed by the monks, shave their heads, and receive the high-level body-refining techniques.
They had never seen such a grand scene before.
Just then, a figure was suddenly kicked into view.
With a loud thud, the figure crashed into the red, nail-studded gate, a wide white cloth stained with blood.
His bones were shattered, and he lay weakly on the ground.
When the disciples saw his face, they immediately stopped crying and held their breath.
It was...
Master Yuan Gang?!
Before they could react, a figure slowly emerged from the ranks of the officers.
The night wind was chilly, and the cloak fluttered.
The golden wolf emblem on the cloak caught the eyes of the officers, drawing everyone's attention.
They tightened their grip on the Demon-Suppression Chains, committing the young man's face to memory and standing even straighter.
Some things spread quickly, like the stories told by a few Golden Eagle officers after a few drinks—stories of how this young man had slain a dragon with a flip of his hand and killed the Furious Sword Elder with a single strike.
Coupled with his rapid promotion in Qingzhou City, these drunken tales gained a lot of credibility.
Butcher Zhang cautiously walked among these important figures, not daring to lift his head.
After a while, he noticed that these people seemed just as nervous as he was.
"If one day, I could be like him..."
Li Xinhan stared intently at the slightly thin figure, feeling a sudden sense of admiration.
He then turned to his sister, hoping for some encouragement, only to find her staring blankly ahead, her red lips slightly parted, her breathing slightly rapid.
"..."
Shen Yi calmly walked to the gate, grabbed Yuan Gang's clothes, and dragged him step by step up the long staircase.
A trail of dark red blood followed his steps, staining the stone steps.
After about twenty steps, he threw Yuan Gang aside and sat down on the steps, resting his arm casually on his knee, his sleeves fluttering in the wind.
Shen Yi sat with his back to the tightly closed pagoda, raising a slender finger.
His fair face showed no hint of threat, and his voice was as calm as his expression.
"One incense stick's time."
"If I don't see the person I want, the Vajra Sect will cease to exist in Qingzhou."
(End of Chapter)