The old nun carefully led Zhao Changhe to the gravesite, pointed out the specific location, then scooped up the hem of her robe and fled.
In fact, up until now, the old nun still didn’t know why she had brought this inexplicably odd man to inspect the corpse. Was it because of Young Master Tang’s influence?
Even Young Master Tang had no intention of coming, and he had never introduced who this man with the self-moving saber was.
It always felt like ever since this man arrived, everything naturally fell into place under his lead as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Leaving the old nun’s confusion aside, Zhao Changhe had already squatted over the grave and carefully inserted his hand into the soil above, releasing a trace of his Evil Qi to sense anything out of the ordinary.
Zhao Changhe gritted his teeth and began shoveling dirt with the Dragon Sparrow.
Dragon Sparrow: "..."
Sisi’s small face twitched, unsure if she was more frightened by the rotten corpse inside or distressed over the treasured saber.
At this moment, through her eyes, Zhao Changhe started to seem a bit terrifying. Sisi was beginning to regret her past entanglements with this man. She really shouldn’t have bothered with such a freak...
Thinking back to how she had once kissed his lips, Sisi wished she could claw her own mouth off.
Little did she know, Zhao Changhe was also taking this on reluctantly. This business of digging up graves was truly different from killing people. No matter how many corpses one saw, it was not the same... However, the strange Blood Evil incident in Gusu might be extremely crucial to his own Blood Evil Cultivation, so he had to hold his nose and delve into the matter.
—He was very suspicious that if this was truly the result of a Blood Evil Power assault, the corpse should not have given off any stench... This needed verification.
"Shit!" The Dragon Sparrow scraped against the rush matting.
Zhao Changhe sheathed the sword and carefully moved the dirt aside, frowning at the stinking corpse.
The corpse was so decayed that it was impossible to discern the face, let alone the specific nature of the original wounds. As disgusting as it was, once he accepted this fact, it didn’t seem to be such a big deal... Now the problem was that Zhao Changhe had never learned forensic science. None of the traces on the corpse held any reference for him. He was here only to sense Evil Qi.
Yet, there was no sign of Evil Qi at all.
Within the realm of Cultivation at the Mystical Gate, Zhao Changhe dared to say no one understood the Blood Evil Power better than he did, not even the Sect Hierarch of the Blood God Sect. Because no one in the entire Blood God Sect took the Blood Evil Skill as their primary Cultivation Technique, when faced with Blood Evil assaults, they used Blood Stabilization Pills to directly eliminate the problem and later shifted to cultivating the Blood God Skill, making their contact with Evil Qi increasingly scarce.
Their endurance, resistance, and understanding of the Blood Evil Power was indeed not on the same level as Zhao Changhe’s.
Why did Zhao Changhe feel that the corpse might not have stunk? From his experience with Evil Qi, such a fierce and violent force, even turning against the host, should not have completely dissipated with the death of the person. There must be remnants of Evil Qi dispersing around the body, causing the soil to become arid and barren, the creatures in the nearby soil to die; creatures like maggots would likely be unable to survive.
Even after more than ten days, as the Evil Qi gradually dissipated and normal decomposition began, the corpse looked as if it actually had been decomposing for half a month. From the state of both the corpse and especially the surrounding area, there were absolutely no signs that Evil Qi had ever been present, not even a shred.
Was it because the Evil Qi had all entered into Lu Shaohong’s body? In that case, was it Evil Qi or an Evil Spirit?
Or was it because... it was not a case of Evil Qi transmission at all, and the first victim never had Evil Qi?
"Ugh!" A retching sound came from nearby; Zhao Changhe snapped back to reality and saw Sisi next to him, vomiting pathetically: "My lord, spare me, it’s too disgusting..." Thɪs chapter is updated by N0velFire.ɴet
"It’s not..." Zhao Changhe asked oddly, "Did you eat too much and then come over here to look for trouble?"
Sisi almost froze mid-vomit, oh no... Do I tell you I was also looking for the treasure of Evil Qi?
She pretended to continue retching, gasping for air, and after a long time found an excuse: "I was curious and took a glance, and also it smells so bad..."
"Alright then." Zhao Changhe shoveled the dirt back to refill the grave and stood up, stretching lazily: "Let’s go, we’ve found nothing."
Sisi followed him step by step, complaining: "I told you there’s nothing good to see with a rotting, smelly corpse, and yet we had to come!"
"Mhm." Zhao Changhe looked around at the scenery, listening to the distant, barely audible growls, and chuckled lightly, "That’s why they let us look."
"You’ve been with the Tang family for a long time, you should know the distribution of power in Gusu, right? What level of family is the Lu Family considered?"
Sisi hung her head in frustration, what long time? Just a few days ago, I was still kissing you. Fortunately, she had arrived in Gusu two days earlier than Zhao Changhe and had a general understanding: "The Lu Family is a major clan second only to the Tang family. Lu Shaohong is just one of the sons; there are many masters in the family, and even the Family Head is a Ninth Layer heaven expert."
"I don’t remember anyone with the surname Lu on the Heaven, Earth, and Human List."
"...The Tang family also has only one master, and he’s not at home." Seriously worried that Zhao Changhe might start asking about other families, which she really didn’t know about, she quickly added: "I’m just a lowly maid, my lord. If you want to know the details, you should ask Young Master Tang. Maybe there are hidden masters in each family. What would a little maid understand?"
"Whether the great houses have hidden experts, nobody knows, but if I’m not wrong, there may soon be more and more infected lunatics emerging throughout the city..."
Sisi was momentarily taken aback, ready to ask further questions when she heard someone running through the streets exclaiming, "Did you hear? The third young master of the Gu Family is mad!"
The street burst into commotion, with many people inquiring, "No way! Could Young Master Gu have been infected when visiting Young Master Lu?"
"I don’t know—why wouldn’t the nuns get infected then? Alas, even if it was the person Young Master Lu killed before who had it, there must be a source, right?"
"Infected from somewhere else? Where did Third Young Master Gu go before this?"
"What else do these young masters do every day besides singing and flirting? Don’t tell me this is actually some venereal disease?"
As the two slowly made their way through the street amid all the fervent buzz, Sisi looked at Zhao Changhe with awe, as if looking at a deity, "My Lord, how did you know?"
"Oh, isn’t that very normal? Once one person gets infected, there’ll certainly be a second, and if the source is not found, it will continue to spread, right? Why is your mind like Tang Buqi’s?"
She didn’t believe for a second that Zhao Changhe’s conclusion was drawn from that alone. He must have noticed something.
Sisi, frustrated to the point of itching teeth, thought: Everyone’s looking, so why didn’t I notice? Weren’t you fooled about my identity, truly thinking I’m just a maid? Then what’s wrong with sharing some insider information with your own maid?
Is it because I’m a freshly recruited maid and not trusted enough?
She simmered down her emotions and put on a flattering smile, cooing, "My Lord..."
Zhao Changhe looked at her with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, "Hmm?"
"Where are we heading now? Are you tired, my Lord, do you want Sisi to massage your shoulders? Sisi gives very comfortable massages..."
"Hmm, no need for a shoulder massage for now," Zhao Changhe drawled, "Just dug out a grave, don’t you think it’s a bit ominous? I need to take a bath, would you like to serve?"
Sisi stood there dumbfounded.
Then, as if remembering something, she sneakily glanced at the Dragon Sparrow on Zhao Changhe’s back and lowered her head shyly, "It is Sisi’s duty."
Zhao Changhe nearly laughed out loud, holding back a strange smile as he quickened his pace.
"Lord, wait for me!" Sisi hurriedly caught up, playing her part with increasing zeal.
Suddenly, Zhao Changhe came to a halt. Sisi brushed past him, puzzledly skidded to a stop, looked back, and saw Zhao Changhe drawing the Dragon Sparrow from its sheath, chopping down overhead towards someone behind her.
A dark figure traced a graceful arc to dodge the blade, landing on the roof of a nearby house, still shaken, "Brother Zhao, I mean no harm, and it wasn’t even you I was after, your vigilance is... perhaps a bit excessive."
Zhao Changhe sheathed his blade, speaking coolly, "Walking in the Worldly Society without caution, and the grass on my grave would grow three feet tall... Brother Ji, why the abrupt approach to my maid? What is your intention?"
Ji Chengkong appraised Sisi up and down, as if deep in thought, "Her silhouette seemed familiar, so I came over for a closer look... If she’s Brother Zhao’s maid, then I must be mistaken. Sorry about that."
Sisi’s heart was in her throat, but Zhao Changhe seemed unconcerned, waving his hand, "If it’s a misunderstanding, then let it be. Brother Ji, what brings you to Gusu?"
Ji Chengkong replied gruffly, "I went to Yangzhou and then came here to Gusu, originally to find someone. It’s just my itchy fingers and love for thievery that landed me in the hands of you and Wan Dongliu."
Zhao Changhe asked, "I wonder what your sect’s rules are? Is stealing solely based on preference, or do you also take on tasks, for instance, if I were to hire you to steal something?"
Ji Chengkong laughed heartily, "First, I have to like the look of my employer, and second, I need to find the theft interesting. If any random Joe asked me to steal boring money, I’d have to rob him first, making it a bit more fun."
Zhao Changhe found this quite engaging, "What about me?"
"You..." Ji Chengkong took a look at him and chuckled, "Just for those words we shared the other day, you qualify. It all depends on what you want me to steal."
Zhao Changhe looked around and whispered, "Stealing information from the Lu Family, like whether they have any heavily guarded forbidden areas, and if so, whether entry requires a token or a password, or if one could rely on their face... Do any of these interests you, Brother Ji?"
Sisi was all ears, but Zhao Changhe nonchalantly pushed her aside as she eavesdropped.
Ji Chengkong pondered for a moment, "I’m interested in the act of unveiling secrets, but the Lu Family seems rather dull... What interesting things could a family not even considered top-tier in its region have?"
"Um, what if I said there might be a young master inside the Lu Family secretly romancing his stepmother?"
Ji Chengkong clapped his hands hard, "I’m in!"
Zhao Changhe pleasantly slipped him a silver note, "This is a deposit. Whether or not you find anything, it’s yours for the taking. If you do come across something intriguing, find me at the Tang family, and there will be a more generous reward."