Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 177 The Tragic Fate of an Old Friend: Old Daoist Lü and Yin Xiaojian
After Fang Shu killed Ling Bailang, only half a cup of tea's time later, a figure rushed to the scene.

The visitor was none other than the owner of the private residence.

The old woman was still clutching the corpse of the founder of the mountain temple in her hands, clearly indicating that she had rushed over before suppressing the other party's soul.

Upon seeing the chaotic scene inside the Shaowei Pavilion, the owner of the pavilion was initially surprised and doubtful. However, when she saw that Fang Shu was intact, the old woman relaxed and her behavior became less hurried.

However, she didn't shout or rush forward to fawn over Fang Shu. Instead, she simply walked into the public eye, threw the corpse of the sect leader to the ground, and then scanned the body several times.

When Fang Shu saw his master rushing over in such a hurry, he knew that the master was worried about his safety, so he immediately stepped forward to greet him and was about to say something.

But the owner of the guesthouse stopped him with a gesture, simply nodding at him and saying calmly:
"It's good that everyone is alright."

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu stood quietly to the side, intending to protect his master and help him suppress the soul of the sect leader.

Just then, the other owners of the museum all rushed over, their expressions varied, but all their faces revealed smiles:

"Congratulations, Master Du! Your disciple is truly remarkable!"

"As expected, heroes emerge from among the young! The magical powers of the two of you are far beyond our reach."

"I truly don't know how you, Master Du, managed to train such a talented student!"

Whether praising or sighing, these museum owners all showered the sole museum owner with compliments, extolling him and boasting about their own achievements, like everyone carrying a glamorous sedan chair.

The once calm and collected Pavilion Master was now being flattered by the other Pavilion Masters. Despite her cold and stern nature and advanced age, she couldn't help but smile and nod to the people around her.

The owner of the inn said reservedly, "What kind of guidance could I possibly give? It's just that Fang Shu is a promising child who has turned out well."

After exchanging pleasantries and having properly prepared the soul of the founder of the sect, the old woman invited everyone to gather at the Dugu Pavilion to receive a proper welcome.

Faced with such an invitation, all the masters present immediately accepted, and led by Fang Shu and his apprentice, they escorted the two back to the Dugu Pavilion.

These figures, many of whom were of the highest rank, followed behind the master and apprentice, parading through the town in a rather ostentatious manner. The townspeople, seeing this, were filled with shock and fear, quickly stepping aside and barely raising their heads.

Upon returning to the Dugu Pavilion, the pavilion master entertained the other pavilion masters while quickly cleaning up the mess.

She dispatched all the remaining personnel in the hall and summoned back all the immortals who had left the Dugu Hall to await her orders.

As for why so many people were needed, the headmaster ordered them to go and question people separately, and also summoned all the disciples, both inside and outside, from the Kaishan Hall and Shaowei Hall, especially the relatives of the two heads of the hall.

She addressed her disciples directly in front of the prominent figures in the market, saying, "Anyone who cannot be summoned shall be brought here as a suspect. If they resist, they may be killed on the spot. If they cannot be killed, come and request reinforcements immediately."

Faced with her order, the group of Qi Refining Immortals merely raised their eyelids and chose to acquiesce.

Fang Shu sat down among them, pondering to himself, and couldn't help but look up at the owner of the Duguan Pavilion.

He was met with the gentle yet chilling gaze of the innkeeper. She simply gave Fang Shu a "don't worry about it" look before continuing to negotiate with the other innkeepers.

So, at the innkeeper's command, the town of Guling, where the turmoil had been gradually subsiding, was suddenly thrown into turmoil again.

The immortals from Kaishan Hall and Shaowei Hall initially resisted, but when they heard that the two hall masters were dead, and especially when the matter involved the interception and killing of immortal sect disciples and collusion with other sects, they all turned pale and immediately surrendered.

However, during this process of "inviting people," there were quite a few deaths and injuries, especially among the relatives of the two masters. Several young clansmen with considerable strength fell into pools of blood due to some misunderstandings.

The disciples of the Dugu Sect also suffered heavy losses and casualties.

Despite the casualties, the master of the academy didn't even blink. Instead, he ordered his disciples to intensify their search for the suspect.

Even if she's hiding in another dojo, don't let her go. At worst, just break in first, and once you've captured her, she can personally come to apologize afterwards.

As for why this old woman, who usually kept a low profile in the town, was suddenly so assertive today, all the Qi Refining Immortals knew perfectly well.

It is quite obvious that he is taking the initiative to resolve the potential troubles for his own disciples, intending to eradicate the feud between the two schools in a swift and decisive manner to prevent anyone from seeking revenge later.

Therefore, even some dojo masters who didn't get along with the leader of the two dojos remained silent today. They didn't want to invite misunderstandings or even death because of two destroyed dojos.

After a moment's thought, Fang Shu naturally understood his master's intention.

He did not hesitate or feign reluctance to decline, but readily accepted the host's kindness and kept this sentiment in his heart.

It went on until midnight.

The disciples of the Dugu Pavilion continued to come and go, and the pavilion was brightly lit, bustling with people and noise.

Just then, someone came forward to report to Fang Shu:
"Senior brother, it seems there's someone you know at the Burning Tail Pavilion. Would you like to go and take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu slowly swept his gaze over the various masters in the council hall, a thought stirring in his mind.

He had no intention of lingering here, so he immediately seized the opportunity, straightened his clothes, bowed to the innkeeper and the others, and spoke in a steady voice:

"Esteemed seniors, I have something to attend to and must take my leave now."

A reply came from inside the hall: "It's alright. Young friend Fang, please go ahead."

So Fang Shu followed the disciples of the Dugu Pavilion to a residence in the town.

He had assumed that the acquaintance his disciples mentioned at the Shaowei Restaurant was Yin Xiaojian. However, upon entering the residence, he discovered that it was not him.

The house had no windows on any side, and the atmosphere inside was gloomy, resembling a sealed tomb.

One of the chains was nailed to the wall, and the other end of the chain was tied to a naked person. The person was thin, but had incredibly strong internal organs, making them almost inhuman.

"Master Lü?" Fang Shu asked in surprise.

Old Master Lü was squatting in the corner, trembling.

Upon hearing Fang Shu's call, the man's eyes immediately lit up, and he jumped to his feet. However, he quickly bent down again, trembling as he faced Fang Shu, and prostrated himself in deep salute.

"This humble servant greets Immortal Master Fang." A disciple from the Dugu Pavilion approached Fang Shu and whispered in his ear, pointing to the entrance to a chamber within the room:
“Senior brother, there are people down there, and their aura is not weak. Some brothers went down with their bodies tied up, and when they were dragged up, they were missing an arm. We don’t know if it’s a human or a ghost inside.”

"Everyone, go out first." Fang Shu nodded, gave the old Taoist Lu a hand to help him up, cut the chains, and then let the disciples of the Dugu Pavilion take him out as well.

Looking at the entrance to the underground chamber, Fang Shu did not move. He simply released his divine sense, and the situation below appeared clearly in his mind, as if it were immediately obvious.

Fang Shu's eyes immediately lit up with surprise.

Sure enough, there was a coffin on the ground, and on the coffin lid, a living creature that looked like a human, a cat, and a corpse was squatting, with many white bones piled up around it.

But none of this surprised Fang Shu. What truly surprised him was that there was a male corpse lying in the coffin. The man's life force had long since died, but it was none other than another acquaintance of Fang Shu's—Yin Xiaojian.

Yin Xiaojian's appearance was not much different from what Fang Shu remembered; he was at most twenty years old when he died.

As for the living creature squatting on the coffin lid, it was filled with fear because it was being watched by his divine sense.

Fang Shu recognized her immediately; she was the middle-aged beauty he had met when he failed to become an apprentice at the Shaowei Pavilion years ago.

Fang Shu found it amusing that three familiar faces appeared in this small house.

Moreover, the "beautiful woman" below, although her cultivation level was only at the third tribulation, had a very fierce aura, indicating that she must have cultivated some powerful evil technique.

"Divine sense? A Qi Refining Immortal!?"

The woman below gasped in surprise. Her expression shifted, and she immediately withdrew the evil aura emanating from her body. Within moments, the corpse hair on her face disappeared, her body returned to human form, and a plump physique was revealed.

The woman had no idea why such a Qi Refining Immortal would come knocking on her door while she was peacefully cultivating in her house... Could it be that the old man was really dead, the Burning Tail Hall had been shut down, and the people outside hadn't lied to her?
"Immortal, spare my life!"

So the woman immediately cried out. Trembling with fear, she quickly crawled out of the underground chamber before Fang Shu could make a move.

After leaving the underground chamber, the woman looked at Fang Shu with a mixture of fear and confusion. She vaguely felt that Fang Shu looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.

Fang Shu remembered the other person's name and figured out their identity.

He greeted her with a half-smile, "Junior Fang Shu greets Aunt Yin."

Upon hearing Fang Shu's name, the woman surnamed Yin suddenly remembered.

This young man is none other than Yu Lao Er's nephew. He was the one who failed to become a disciple of Shaowei Temple many years ago, but managed to leave Guling Town and successfully ascend the mountain. It is said that he stayed on the mountain and became a disciple of the Immortal Sect!
In an instant, all the information about Fang Shu surged through the woman's mind, leaving her utterly astonished.

In particular, she suddenly remembered that her nephew and his male lover were both related to this boy.

A mixture of fear and obsequiousness appeared on the woman's face.

But the next moment, Fang Shu didn't say another word.

A crisp snap!
A bloody hole appeared right in the center of the woman's forehead. She didn't even have time to think about fighting back before she collapsed to the ground.

Fang Shu casually killed the woman and turned to walk away, as if he had just crushed an ant.

After leaving the room, he had the disciples of the Dugu Pavilion outside come in and clean up the corpse and the bones in the underground chamber, burning whatever could be burned.

The corpse aura here is so dense that it has become a corpse field, but it is not worth mentioning to Fang Shu now. On the contrary, if it continues to remain in Guling Town, it will easily cause trouble and must be destroyed in time.

Outside, when Fang Shu found the old Taoist priest again, the old man was holding a bowl of wine, eating and weeping at the same time: "This life is just too damn inhuman to live..."

Upon seeing Fang Shu approach, the old Taoist priest burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably as if he had seen his parents. Fortunately, he remembered Fang Shu's current identity and dared not hug Fang Shu directly while crying, so he did not wipe his snot and tears on Fang Shu's body.

Seeing this scene, Fang Shu felt that this guy was both pitiful and funny.

He had already examined the old Taoist with his divine sense. Apart from one place where the size was not quite right, there were no serious injuries on the other part of the body. They were all just burns, cuts, bites and other superficial wounds. In addition, his yang energy was too deficient, but there was no danger to his life.

On the contrary, Yin Xiaojian, who was lying on the ground, was intact on the outside, but his internal organs had long been hollowed out and replaced with gold, jade and agate.

Even after this child died, his physical body was not spared and turned into a fleshy coffin used to store filth and nourish the dead.

After a thorough interrogation, Fang Shu learned from Lu Laodao about the experiences the two men had had over the years.

It turned out that not long after Fang Shu went up the mountain, Lu Laodao was defeated by the woman surnamed Yin, and it was Yin Xiaojian who introduced him.

This fellow burst into tears:

"I regret it so much! I regret it so much!"

Back then, Mr. Lü was swindled by that Tian Tianquan, which damaged his vitality, reducing it by seven-tenths. He couldn't even get any work and was almost in the same situation as that guy.

When Yin Xiaojian learned of Lü's situation, he said he wanted to find a kind and honest companion for his aunt. He didn't have any age requirements, just that she be honest and reliable, and he even had a way to help the old man continue his lineage… Lü, desperate and grasping at straws, believed him.”

Then, after some hesitation, Master Lü slowly recounted the scene that everyone had witnessed upon entering the gate.

It turns out that after this guy entered the Yin family, his innate talent was indeed restored, but it was restored to the body of a donkey, which was too uncomfortable. Moreover, he was locked inside the Yin family's gate from then on, and was treated like a cat or dog every day, and was not treated as a human being at all.

It wasn't until today, by sheer coincidence, that the disciples of the Dugu Sect, following the list, came to arrest the person and stumbled upon this scene.

Otherwise, according to what Master Lü said, even if he were played to death, he probably wouldn't be discovered.

As for Yin Xiaojian in the underground chamber, according to Master Lü, after Yin Xiaojian entered the Dao and refined his essence, becoming an immortal, he was suddenly bewitched by the woman surnamed Yin, and then dragged into the underground chamber, never to emerge again.

These words reminded Fang Shu, and he suddenly realized the truth.

Clearly, Yin Xiaojian finally became qualified to be a medicine person after entering the Dao and refining her essence. Then, she was used by her aunt as material for planting medicine, just like Xiao Lili back then.

Upon learning of this, Fang Shu's thoughts churned, and he sighed deeply.

Of the five people who came here on the same ship back then, only he is still alive.

　The child has been discharged from the hospital and is doing well. Double updates will resume tomorrow!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)