Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Chapter 121: Corpse Bones

The Tianshan Senior Brother was silent for a moment, then suggested: “Why not try the red sand again?”

Bai Zhengliu: “Hm? Good idea!”

He took the red sand from his bosom, infused it with spiritual energy, and recited the incantation… During this, Mei Yinghan looked around carefully, observing the interior of the house.

This was a town three days’ travel west of Jingzhou City, and the red sand ultimately led them to a two-courtyard residence in the town.

In Jingzhou, a residence like this wouldn’t be particularly noticeable. But in a remote small town, it counted as a wealthy household.

However, Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan heard no human sound along the way. It was as if the entire courtyard had been swallowed by silence and darkness. Just beyond one wall, the neighboring house’s child might be crying at night, yet past that wall, not even the sound of an insect could be heard.

This gave Mei Yinghan a very bad premonition.

He examined the room’s furnishings—actually, there wasn’t much to see. There were no tables, chairs, or cabinets in this room; all that met the eye was a bare bed deep in the room and an altar holding various objects.

Three feet in front of the altar was the place where “Song Lang” had been. Now that “Song Lang” was dead, his soul dispersed, revealing the floor tiles beneath.

Bai Zhengliu’s voice came from the side: “…The red sand isn’t moving. Has it really lost the trail of its master?”

Mei Yinghan responded with a nod, squatting halfway down, his fingers tracing the floor tiles that were noticeably darker and deeper in color than the rest.

After examining for a moment, he suddenly drew his long sword, inserting the blade into the gap between two tiles.

Bai Zhengliu’s attention was drawn to this action. He squatted beside Mei Yinghan, watching as the sword pried the tiles—just a slight lift, yet it seemed to break some barrier, releasing a pungent stench of blood from beneath the floor.

Bai Zhengliu nearly staggered back from the smell. He frowned, covering his nose, his eyes fixed on the floor. At that moment, a faint, delicate fragrance came from the side.

Bai Zhengliu blinked and turned his head.

He saw Mei Yinghan take a cloth from his sleeve, smear something onto it, and hand it to him, saying: “Wrap it over your face; it will be better.”

Bai Zhengliu blinked again. He was both amazed and amused. After performing the action of wrapping the cloth over his nose, he finally spoke in a booming voice: “Our Senior Brother Mei, how is it that you can always pull something out of nowhere?”

Mei Yinghan: “Isn’t it just the New Year gifts from our Master?” He glanced at Bai Zhengliu unexpectedly. “You didn’t bring any?”

Bai Zhengliu’s gaze wavered.

Mei Yinghan smiled and simply handed him the small box from his side. “Then take this one.”

Bai Zhengliu opened his mouth to speak but hesitated.Mei Yinghan: “Zhengliu, are you going to be polite with me again?”

How to describe the two words “Zhengliu” spoken by Senior Brother Mei?

The tone was still gentle, yet it carried a kind of charm that—especially for the swordsman—was hard to resist.

Bai Zhengliu: “I’m not being polite.” He sighed, thought for a moment, then decided to take out his own cloth, applied a little fragrant powder, and handed it to Mei Yinghan.

Mei Yinghan smiled at him.

Bai Zhengliu pursed his lips and smiled along.

After laughing, they returned their attention to the floor tiles in front of them.

After a brief moment of relief, the expressions of the swordsman and the bladesman grew serious again. Using their respective weapons, they quickly pried up every tile in the dark-colored patch of ground. Then, looking at the deeply discolored, foul-smelling soil, Bai Zhengliu suddenly stood and went outside.

Mei Yinghan watched his back but did not move.

After a while, Bai Zhengliu returned, having found a spade and similar tools from this household. One for each of them, he and Mei Yinghan began digging into the dark soil.

Though they had the previous experience of “touching this soil with their weapons,” the moment the spade struck, the sense that something was wrong became unmistakably clear.

Something was coiled within this soil, making it moist and soft…

After two digs, a small bright color appeared before Bai Zhengliu.

He paused, looking closely, and saw a small insect with a brilliant orange body.

Bai Zhengliu’s face darkened further; Mei Yinghan’s expression didn’t improve either. Both recognized it as a type of insect that typically appears around corpses. But “Song Lang” had already died without leaving so much as a speck of dust—how could these carrion-eating creatures thrive here?

There was only one possibility. Bai Zhengliu struck the spade again, and this time, as he lifted it, he saw a fragment of pale human bone.

Bai Zhengliu: “……”

He exhaled deeply.

Beside him, the swordsman’s voice said: “Perhaps it was the family who originally lived here.”

Bai Zhengliu’s mood was heavy as he said in a low voice: “The worst part is, it’s probably not just that.”

Mei Yinghan comforted him: “Whether it is or isn’t, we’ll dig it all up and see, won’t we?”Bai Zhengliu forced a smile: “That’s not entirely wrong.” He paused, then looked at the ground in front of him, lost in thought for a moment.

Mei Yinghan studied him carefully and said: “You’re still thinking about that ‘Song Lang’? —I, however, feel that he’s truly been killed by you, with nothing left to worry about.”

Bai Zhengliu looked at him in confusion.

Mei Yinghan explained: “Even if he’s someone like an old ghost of Tianshan, he was first injured by the spirit stone, and now you unexpectedly split his body. Already weakened, he had no chance to escape… Actually, just observing that he was intent on leading us southeast already reveals his intentions. He knew he couldn’t match your or my martial skills, which is why he resorted to this trick.”

Bai Zhengliu smiled bitterly: “But the daughter of the Cheng family trusts him completely, doesn’t she?”

Mei Yinghan sighed: “That’s the Cheng family’s matter now.”

Bai Zhengliu: “Hmm? Then in the interest of your good intentions, Senior Brother Mei, when we return to the Cheng household, you should try to advise the girl a bit.”

Mei Yinghan looked surprised: “Me? Good intentions?”

Bai Zhengliu tilted his head: “What’s wrong with that?”

Mei Yinghan thought for a moment: “Not wrong, it’s just… Zhengliu, I am a disciple of Tianshan. Normally, I am only responsible to Tianshan. Now that you are my lover, outside of Tianshan, I am responsible only to you.”

Bai Zhengliu smiled: “I like hearing that. Say it again.”

Mei Yinghan fixed his gaze on him: “Zhengliu, my heart for you—”

Bai Zhengliu kept a serious expression, though a thin blush crept up his ears.

Mei Yinghan continued: “Normally, if we see injustice, we intervene. But the Cheng family, with ‘Song Lang’ gone, poses no more threat. Hmm, we should still check the Leshan troupe and perhaps travel southeast once, to tie up loose ends.”

Bai Zhengliu agreed: “Indeed, that should be done.”

Mei Yinghan said lightly: “After that, other matters have nothing to do with me… I am not the elder of the Cheng household; whatever they do is not my responsibility.”

Bai Zhengliu looked at him silently.

Mei Yinghan blinked: “Zhengliu?”

Bai Zhengliu smiled: “I suddenly feel, Yinghan, that your cold demeanor is actually rather attractive.”

Mei Yinghan: “……”

Bai Zhengliu clapped his hands: “Alright. You’re right. That thing has already been cut down. Any remaining traces would only be discovered if we check the Leshan troupe or head southeast. For now, we should deal with what’s in front of us.”

He lifted his chin toward the pit in the ground, showing a trace of reluctance on his face, and softly said: “We must first ensure the dead are truly laid to rest.”And not like now—although buried in the soil, it was clearly tied to “Song Lang” and some evil formation. They had no peace in life and remained under control and torment even in death.

Neither the blade-wielding nor the sword-wielding disciples were afraid of hardship, fatigue, dirt, or stench. For the whole night, they dealt with everything in this house.

One corpse after another was exhumed. Bai Zhengliu initially placed them in the courtyard, but eventually there wasn’t enough space, so they had to clear some areas in the side chambers as well.

Looking closely at the exhumed bones, it was obvious there were both old and young, male and female. Other details were hard to distinguish, but one bone, shorter than an arm, could only belong to a newborn infant.

Seeing this, Bai Zhengliu’s fingers trembled slightly.

He wasn’t inexperienced with cruelty—he had even seen, in the blood demon patriarch’s lair, blood pools larger than this room, filled with far more lives than here. Yet—

A hand gripped his arm.

Mei Yinghan said: “It’s been a long night. Zhengliu, let’s rest for now.”

Bai Zhengliu closed his eyes: “Alright.”

The two of them sat among the bones to rest, though their minds could not settle.

After a short while, Bai Zhengliu spoke again: “When we report this to the authorities, there will inevitably be questioning. Yinghan, what should we say?”

Mei Yinghan said: “This place isn’t far from Tianshan; the Tianshan token will help somewhat. Also, our travel guide is evidence, and then there’s the Cheng family…”

Bai Zhengliu sighed: “That ghost thing must have stayed here for a long time to kill so many people. But with so many corpses, wouldn’t the local officials find it strange? They should examine it carefully.”

Mei Yinghan listened, an odd expression crossing his face.

Bai Zhengliu looked at him and asked: “Yinghan?”

Mei Yinghan suddenly realized: “I just thought—didn’t the Cheng lady always say that ‘Song Lang’ went to Jingzhou City to propose to her?”

Bai Zhengliu froze, then slowly understood.

“He’s going to be the Cheng family’s son-in-law, so naturally he wouldn’t care about what’s happening here! He—

“He still recognizes us. Who… who is he really?!”

Author’s note:

Second update~