Chapter 13: Killing Three Birds with One Stone

As expected, the disciple distributing food discovered the three corpses in the stone house district. Once reported, it immediately caused an uproar.

The enforcement disciples of the stone house district marched in, morning classes were canceled, all spirit slaves were placed under strict guard, and the three great stewards arrived together. A grand drama was about to unfold.

Steward Liu, who had been riding high lately, stood at the very front with his hands behind his back. His face was livid as he stared at the three spirit slaves, whose bodies looked as if they had been pierced by ten thousand swords.

He narrowed his eyes, keenly sensing a chilling aura emanating from them.

"Ice Sword Art..."

He couldn't help but turn his head toward Steward Duan, who stood to the side with an indifferent expression, and said in a cold tone, "Fatty Duan, did you do this?"

Steward Duan was taken aback and frowned in response.

"What does this have to do with me?"

Steward Liu immediately cursed loudly.

"You fat pig, do you think I'm blind? Only you know the Ice Sword Art. If this icy aura on the wounds isn't from you, then who else could it be?"

The argument between the two fell into the eyes of Steward Liu (the third one). He maintained a silent posture, quietly retreating a few steps, looking as if he had no desire to participate in the dispute.

Fatty Duan snorted coldly and pushed the man surnamed Liu aside. After carefully examining the corpses, his expression changed instantly. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, and his eyes darted around as he said, "It’s not just me who knows the Ice Sword Art in the stone house district."

"Are you talking about that spirit slave? Hah—"

Although there was bad blood between the two sides, and Wang Yu was indeed one of Steward Duan’s men who had learned the Ice Sword Art, Steward Liu did not believe this explanation.

The last time he saw him, Wang Yu’s Ice Sword Art had not yet reached minor completion; the ice swords he condensed were thick and crude, and the cross-sections of the wounds they caused were not very smooth.

Looking at these three corpses today, one would have to have mastered the Ice Sword Art to perfection to form such small, clean wounds caused by a sharp blade. Such destructive power could only be achieved by Fatty Duan.

A lowly spirit slave, only at the second level of Qi Refining, who still had to spend all his effort condensing spirit sand, could not possibly have such mastery of the technique.

"Not admitting it, are you? Then come with me to drag that brat here for interrogation."

Hearing this, Steward Duan was speechless for a moment. Just now, he had been so focused on clearing his own name that he had forgotten the task entrusted to him by Senior Disciple Su. If he wanted to keep his subordinates loyal, Wang Yu was the best example.

Now that he was in trouble again, it was truly a difficult choice.

Moreover, in his eyes, Wang Yu was the only one who could have done this; there was no other possibility.

Hardening his heart, he decided he could not take the fall for this.

"Then let's bring him here for a confrontation! Who's afraid of whom?"

"He is your man, of course you aren't afraid of a confrontation."

Steward Liu sneered repeatedly. He ordered his men to take the corpses and headed toward Stone House No. 83, where Wang Yu lived. Before long, they arrived at the door.

His eyes were sharp, and at first glance, he saw the signs of damage on the iron gate, which made his heart skip a beat.

"Could it be... has Fatty Duan already prepared a countermeasure? Is he genuinely trying to suppress my prestige?"

It wasn't just Steward Liu who thought this; the third steward, surnamed Liu, who had been watching from the sidelines, felt the same way.

"Wang Yu, get out here."

Steward Duan didn't care about all that. After he shouted, Wang Yu shuffled out timidly. Before the three of them could speak, his knees went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

"I killed them. I leave it to the honorable stewards to punish me."

Steward Liu’s heart tightened. As expected!

Although he had no fondness for Wang Yu, this beast surnamed Duan was truly despicable, willing to use a "self-destructive" tactic just to damage his reputation.

In that case, he couldn't let him succeed. He pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Wang Yu, is it? Do you know the punishment for killing spirit slaves and damaging the property of Cold Blood Peak?"

Wang Yu deliberately looked at Steward Duan, shook his head, and remained silent.

He didn't know.

Steward Liu felt even more confident and explained coldly.

"The Anti-Spirit Blood Sect has nine great tortures: Lingchi (death by a thousand cuts), the Bronze Bull, the Oil Cauldron, Insect Devouring, Five Senses, Sky Lantern, Soul Extraction, Roasting, and Yang-Peak.

"If you confess, you will receive at least three of these punishments. You will suffer the pain of being fried in the oil cauldron, and after being restored by miraculous healing, you will endure the agony of being steamed in the Bronze Bull. Finally, your soul will be extracted and refined, turning you into a ghost slave of the Seventh Peak, a slave and servant for eternity, never to be reincarnated!"

It was indeed the first time Wang Yu had heard of these regulations. He didn't need to pretend; he naturally acted out a look of shock and disbelief, staring blankly at Steward Duan.

It was as if he were waiting for his explanation.

Fatty Duan wasn't very clever, 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? Stop spouting nonsense, don't you know that disaster comes from the mouth..."

"Steward Duan, what a display of authority!"

Steward Liu interrupted him, his aura of a Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivator fully revealed.

"In front of us stewards, you dare to spout lies and threaten a spirit slave into confessing for you? This is lawless!"

"It's not—"

Steward Duan was on the verge of tears, feeling incredibly aggrieved.

His wandering eyes suddenly caught sight of the damaged iron fence of Stone House No. 83. As if he had discovered a loophole, he said in a shrill voice, "This fence! It must be the marks left by Wang Yu sneaking in and out at night! He definitely killed those three!"

Steward Liu’s eyes grew colder.

"Are you saying that the enforcement disciples on night watch were derelict in their duties, unable to even keep track of a lowly spirit slave? Do you all believe that?"

The surrounding enforcement disciples were not willing to take the blame.

"We are all at least at the middle stage of Qi Refining, and our divine sense can extend outside our bodies. I can guarantee that the spirit slave Wang Yu was in his stone house all last night."

Look at that—this was the trend of the situation. No one wanted to take the blame, and they only needed to cooperate with Steward Liu.

Just then, the disciple who had discovered the corpses stepped forward and said, "This was my fault. When I was distributing food this morning, the spirit slave was sleeping soundly on his bed. Seeing that he wasn't working hard to condense spirit sand, I kicked the corner of this fence. The damage was caused by me."

Steward Duan: ".........Ah?"

How much spirit sand did they give you to make you cooperate like this?

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

Right now, he couldn't do anything to Wang Yu. If Senior Disciple Su were to say a single word, he would never have a chance to be promoted to the outer sect or become a formal disciple of the Anti-Spirit Blood Sect for the rest of his life.

"Heh~

"Birds of a feather.

"Wang Yu, don't forget what you received from Senior Disciple Su. What did that man surnamed Liu give you to make you willing to help him plot against me!"

Steward Liu’s eyes widened.

"You still dare to slander and frame others? Men, take this fatty down."

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

Suddenly, it was like a bolt from the blue, leaving him completely stunned. The hand holding the cloth bag couldn't help but tremble.

Inside was nothing else but spirit sand.

The amount of spirit sand that spirit slaves in the stone house district were required to hand over each month was one tael per person. Everyone knew exactly who the extra amount was for.

Now that the matter had blown up and so many disciples from the Enforcement Hall had arrived, it was too late to keep it quiet.

(End of chapter)