Chapter 17: Caught

"Who?! Who did this?!"

Dan Yangzi's furious roar echoed through the cavernous halls of Qingfeng Temple. It was the first time Li Huowang had heard the man lose control like this.

When disciples had tried to escape in the past, Dan Yangzi didn't get angry. When Li had accidentally offended him with writing, he let it slide. But now, he was enraged.

The oppressive atmosphere in the temple was suffocating. Even the oil lamps mounted on the walls seemed dimmer than usual.

Under Dan Yangzi's orders, everyone in the temple gathered in the main hall for morning class.

The metallic stench of blood filled the air, and the disordered corpses on the floor made it clear—Dan Yangzi had vented his fury on innocent lives.

Killing soothed his wrath slightly, but it wasn't enough. Not even close.

Thud! Something fleshy and bloodied hit the ground in front of the crowd.

It was the severed head of the vase spirit—its features grotesque and smeared with gore. Its once bright blush was now dark and faded, its lifeless eyes frozen in terror.

"Who did this?" Dan Yangzi growled, his voice low and menacing. "Who dared sneak into my quarters while I was refining pills?"

His tone was icy and measured, like a predator preparing to pounce.

"If you come forward now," he continued, "I'll give you a clean death. But if I have to find you myself, you'll be begging me to kill you before I'm done."

A heavy silence fell over the room. No one—neither disciples, workers, nor attendants—dared move a muscle.

"Fine," Dan Yangzi snarled, his eyes scanning the crowd. "If no one speaks up, I'll ask each of you one by one. Let's start. Changming, Changren! What were you doing while I was refining pills?"

The two sword-bearing disciples immediately stepped forward and bowed. "Master, we were guarding the temple gates as you instructed. We did not leave our posts for even a moment!"

Dan Yangzi walked up to them, his sharp, predatory gaze piercing through their composed expressions. Sweat trickled down their faces as he scrutinized them, but eventually, he moved on.

"Xuanyuan! What about you?"

Standing beside Xuanyuan, Li Huowang's heart pounded in his chest. He knew his turn was coming.

"Xuanyang!" Dan Yangzi barked. "After you delivered the medicine extractors this morning, where were you?"

Without hesitation, Li replied, "Master, I was in the storeroom, preparing the ingredients for your next batch of pills."

"Is that so?" Dan Yangzi approached him, the stench of his unwashed robes and the suffocating weight of his presence making Li's body tense. He finally understood why his senior brothers had been drenched in sweat.

As the seconds dragged on, beads of perspiration began to form on Li's brow.

Just as he thought the interrogation had passed, Dan Yangzi's voice rang out again. "Did any of you see Xuanyang in the storeroom?"

Li's gaze darted toward the group of medicine extractors. Dan Yangzi was now addressing the crippled workers of the storeroom.

"Think carefully before you answer," he warned. "Whoever helps me find the culprit will not only be allowed to go home but will also receive travel money."

The offer made the workers' eyes widen. They dreamed of returning home, of escaping this hellish place.

"Master... Senior Brother Li was with us," Bai Lingmiao said quickly, sensing the unease among her fellow workers.

Dan Yangzi studied her face carefully. "Oh? And the rest of you?"

Dogwa, one of the workers, hesitated. His breathing grew rapid, and his expression betrayed his internal struggle. Finally, he stepped forward, trembling.

"Master," he stammered, "Xuanyang didn't come to the storeroom today! It must have been him!"

The crowd fell silent. Xuanyin, who had been watching nervously, nearly let out a sigh of relief. His lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

Dan Yangzi turned to look at Li, then slowly approached Dogwa. With a swift motion, he backhanded the worker across the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Rubbish!" Dan Yangzi snarled. "The medicine extractors this morning were delivered by Xuanyang himself! Where else could he have gotten them?"

Dogwa, now a sobbing mess, knelt on the ground, snot and tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry, Master! I was blinded by greed and lied! Please forgive me!"

Dan Yangzi stared down at him coldly before turning toward Xuanyin.

"You," he said sharply, "why were you smiling just now? Are you happy that Xuanyang was falsely accused?"

Xuanyin flinched, his body trembling under Dan Yangzi's oppressive aura. As the master drew closer, Xuanyin's fear became so palpable that even those around him could sense something was wrong.

When Dan Yangzi finally stood before him, Xuanyin collapsed to the ground, unable to withstand the pressure.

"It wasn't my idea!" he cried. "It was Senior Brother Zhengkun! He made me do it!"

The crowd turned to Zhengkun, whose face twisted into a snarl. Without a word, he sprang toward the exit, his feet propelling him forward like a fleeing beast.

"Traitor!" Dan Yangzi roared. With a flick of his sleeve, a rusted copper coin tumbled through the air, spinning like a top as it struck the ground.

Zhengkun was nearly at the exit when Dan Yangzi stomped down on the coin.

CRACK!

The coin shattered into fragments, and so did Zhengkun. His limbs were ripped apart as though by invisible forces, his body dismembered in an instant.

Despite his grievous injuries, Zhengkun clung to life, his mangled torso writhing on the ground as he dragged himself toward the door like a dying worm.

"Wawa," Dan Yangzi said, his voice laced with mockery. "You've been with me the longest. Why did it have to be you?"

He placed a foot on Zhengkun's head, pinning him to the ground.

"I... I was wrong, Master!" Zhengkun choked out, his face turning purple under the pressure. "Please, spare me! My brothers gave their lives to save us from the monks of Zhengde Temple!"

Dan Yangzi's foot pressed down harder, cutting off Zhengkun's words.

"Wawa," Dan Yangzi said coldly, "did you think I didn't know? You and your brothers are all ungrateful traitors."

With a final stomp, Zhengkun's head exploded like a ripe fruit, splattering blood across the hall.