Chapter 13: One Stone Three Birds

As expected, the disciples distributing food found three bodies in the stone house area, and their report quickly caused an uproar.

Enforcement disciples from the stone house area entered in formation. Morning lessons were canceled, all spirit slaves were placed under strict guard, and the three stewards arrived together, setting the stage for a major drama.

Steward Liu, who had been riding high recently, stood at the very front with his hands behind his back, his face ashen as he looked at the three spirit slaves' bodies, which appeared to have been pierced by a thousand swords.

His eyes narrowed as he keenly sensed a chilling aura emanating from them.

“Ice Sword Art...”

He couldn't help but turn to Steward Duan, who looked completely unconcerned, and asked in a cold tone, “Fatty Duan, did you do this?”

Steward Duan was startled and responded with a frown.

“What does this have to do with me?”

Steward Liu immediately burst into a torrent of curses.

“You dead fatty, do you think I’m blind? Only you know the Ice Sword Art. If this chilling aura from the wounds isn’t your doing, then whose is it?”

The quarrel between the two caught Steward Yang’s attention. He remained silent, quietly stepping back a few paces, appearing unwilling to get involved in the dispute.

Fatty Duan snorted and pushed Steward Liu aside. After carefully examining the bodies, his expression instantly changed. Cold sweat inadvertently dripped from his forehead, and he rolled his eyes as he said,

“I’m not the only one in the stone house area who knows the Ice Sword Art.”

“Are you talking about that spirit slave? Ha—”

Although there was a pre-existing feud between the two sides, and Wang Yu was also Steward Duan’s subordinate who had learned the Ice Sword Art, Steward Liu did not believe this explanation.

When he last saw it, Wang Yu’s Ice Sword Art was not yet perfected; the ice swords he conjured were thick and large, and the wounds they caused had rough cross-sections.

However, looking at these three bodies, the Ice Sword Art must have been cultivated to perfection to create such small, sharp, piercing wounds. This level of devastating lethality could only be achieved by Fatty Duan.

A mere spirit slave, only at the second level of Qi condensation, who still had to painstakingly refine spirit sand, couldn’t possibly possess such profound mastery of the art.

“You’re not admitting it, are you? Then come with me to seize that boy for interrogation.”

Hearing this,

Steward Duan was momentarily speechless. He had just been thinking about clearing his own name and had forgotten the task assigned by True Disciple Su: to win over his subordinates, and Wang Yu was the perfect example for this.

Now, once again embroiled in trouble, it was truly difficult to make a decision.

Moreover, in his eyes, Wang Yu was the one who did this; there was no other possibility.

Hardening his heart, he knew he couldn’t take the blame for this.

“Then let’s grab him for a confrontation, who’s afraid of whom!”

“He’s your man, of course you’re not afraid of a confrontation.”

Steward Liu sneered repeatedly. He ordered the bodies to be brought and led the way to stone house number eighty-three, where Wang Yu resided, arriving at the door in no time.

His gaze was sharp, and he immediately noticed the iron door, which showed signs of damage. His heart skipped a beat.

“Could it be… Fatty Duan has already prepared countermeasures? Is he genuinely trying to undermine my prestige?”

At this moment, not only Steward Liu thought so, but the third steward, Steward Yang, who had been observing, also felt the same way.

“Wang Yu, get out!”

Fatty Duan didn't care about the implications. After a loud shout, Wang Yu hesitantly shuffled out, and before the three could speak, his knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground.

“I killed them. Please punish me, esteemed stewards.”

Steward Liu’s heart tightened. Indeed!

Although he had no particular fondness for Wang Yu, this despicable beast, Duan, was so vile as to resort to a self-damaging tactic just to hurt his prestige.

In this situation, he absolutely couldn't let Duan succeed. He pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Wang Yu, is that right? Do you know the punishment for killing spirit slaves and damaging Cold Blood Peak’s property?”

Wang Yu deliberately glanced at Steward Duan and shook his head without speaking.

Doesn’t he know?

Steward Liu’s confidence grew, and he explained sternly.

“The Reverse Spirit Blood Sect has nine major tortures: Lingchi, Copper Bull, Oil Pot, Insect Devourment, Five Senses, Sky Lantern, Soul Extraction, Roasting, and Yang Summit.

“If you confess, you will suffer at least three tortures: you will be deep-fried in an oil pot, then, after a miraculous revival, you will endure the suffering of being steamed in a copper bull. Finally, your soul will be extracted and refined to become a ghost slave of the Seventh Peak, forever serving as a slave and servant, never to be reborn!”

Wang Yu truly heard about these punishments for the first time, so he didn’t need to feign; he naturally displayed an expression of shock and disbelief, staring blankly at Steward Duan.

As if waiting for his explanation.

Fatty Duan was not very cunning, but he wasn’t stupid either. He immediately realized Wang Yu’s intention and couldn’t help but speak up.

“Why are you looking at me? Don’t make wild accusations; you should know that trouble comes from the mouth…”

“Steward Duan, what great authority you wield!”

Steward Liu interrupted him, his aura of Qi condensation Great Perfection fully revealed.

“Before us stewards, you dare to speak carelessly and threaten a spirit slave to confess for you? This is absolutely lawless!”

“No—”

Fatty Duan was on the verge of tears, feeling incredibly wronged.

His wandering eyes suddenly caught sight of the damaged iron bars of stone house number eighty-three. As if finding a loophole, he said in a sharp voice,

“These damaged bars must be from Wang Yu secretly entering and exiting at night. Those three people were definitely killed by him!”

Steward Liu’s eyes grew colder.

“Are you suggesting that the night watch enforcement disciples neglected their duties and couldn’t even keep an eye on a mere spirit slave? Do you believe that?”

The enforcement disciples lined up nearby were unwilling to take the blame.

“We all have at least mid-stage Qi condensation cultivation, and our spiritual sense can be released outside the body. I can guarantee that the spirit slave Wang Yu was in the stone house all last night.”

See? This was the prevailing sentiment; no one was willing to take the fall, they just needed to cooperate with Steward Liu.

Just then, the food-distributing disciple who found the bodies stepped forward and said,

“This matter is my fault. When I distributed food this morning, this spirit slave was sleeping soundly in bed. Seeing that he wasn’t diligently refining spirit sand, I kicked a corner of these bars. That damage was my doing.”

Steward Duan: “...Huh?”

How many spirit stones did he give him for such cooperation?

In his eyes, this was a frame-up, a targeted move by Wang Yu in collusion with Steward Liu—a betrayal!

Currently, he couldn’t do anything to Wang Yu, but if True Disciple Su so much as uttered a word, he could forget about ever being promoted to the outer sect and becoming a formal disciple of the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect in this lifetime.

“Heh~

“Birds of a feather.

“Wang Yu, don’t forget what you received from True Disciple Su. What did that Liu fellow give you that made you willing to help him scheme against me?!”

Steward Liu’s eyes widened.

“Still daring to make false accusations and slander? Men, take this fatty down!”

Just as he was about to order Steward Duan to be escorted to the Cold Blood Peak Enforcement Hall, an enforcement disciple hurried over, handed a cloth bag to Steward Liu, and whispered something.

Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, he was completely stunned, and the hand holding the cloth bag couldn’t help but tremble.

Inside was nothing but spirit sand.

The spirit sand that spirit slaves in the stone house area submitted monthly was one liang per person. Everyone knew perfectly well who the excess was for.

Now that the matter had escalated and so many Enforcement Hall disciples had arrived, it was too late to silence anyone.