At the start of the game, you have one equipment slot; the effects of unequipping the equipment rema

After Xiao Tusi died, Mu Yang finally took a good look at the secret room full of treasures.

The secret room was filled with shelves of all sizes, on which various bottles, jars, jade boxes, and wooden cases were neatly stacked.

Elixirs and precious medicines, martial arts manuals, weapons and armor, materials from demonic creatures, energy storage crystals, and so on...

It is a dazzling array of goods, with everything imaginable.

In terms of the total quantity of items, it is indeed not as good as the armory of the Qinghe County Demon Slaying Division, but the quality is much higher.

After all, it is a sect with a rich history, and moreover, it is the Medicine King Valley with considerable wealth.

Soon, Mu Yang skillfully moved the treasure trove of Medicine King Valley into his sleeve pocket for safekeeping.

..................

About half an hour later.

Mu Yang reunited with Lu Zongsong.

At this moment, besides familiar faces like Lu Zongsong, Gu Lingyun, and Zhao Xian, a new face appeared in Mu Yang's eyes.

"Brother Muyang, this is my second brother, Gu Tingquan, who is also a Domain Seeker in our Demon Slayer Division!"

Before Gu Tingquan could speak, Gu Lingyun eagerly introduced him to Mu Yang.

"Nice to meet you!"

Gu Tingquan smiled helplessly and greeted Mu Yang.

After a brief introduction, the group didn't chat much, but immediately began to investigate the place in Medicine King Valley where people were being secretly traded.

Soon, Lu Zongsong discovered an underground space in a corner of a side hall.

Perhaps because it was deep underground and had good soundproofing, when Mu Yang and the others came down, the Medicine King Valley disciples who were responsible for guarding the place looked at them with blank expressions.

"Who are you? Why are you...?"

Before the leading disciple, who was at the fifth level of cultivation, could finish speaking, Gu Tingquan casually waved his hand, and thick, bright silver true energy, like a tangible finger, pressed on their acupoints.

Everyone froze in place.

Mu Yang and Lu Zongsong, who were just about to make their move, regretfully stopped.

Seeing this, Gu Tingquan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and acted first; otherwise, there might not have been a single survivor.

Gu Tingquan didn't really care whether people were dead or not, but if he needed to ask for information, he couldn't just look for dead people, could he?

He doesn't know any witchcraft or spirit communication techniques.

That kind of evil magic from beyond the Great Wall is said to be even more sinister than forbidden techniques and secret arts like the Demon Blood Magic. Even if he could learn it, he would avoid it like the plague.

"Let's see how things go first."

Gu Tingquan spoke.

The group continued walking inside.

This is a space similar to the Ghost Lamp Temple's Yin-Nourishing Prison, except that it lacks the eerie yin energy; otherwise, there's not much difference.

They were all rows of metal cells, with dim torches lit on the walls outside.

However, the air, which was not cold, was filled with a strong smell of medicine, mixed with the stench of blood and decay, making one want to vomit.

Further inside, you can see that many people are imprisoned in metal cells.

Men and women of all ages.

When Mu Yang and the others approached, they did not react at all, but simply huddled in the corners, their eyes vacant, like walking corpses.

On the floor of the cell, there were various medicine residues and bloodstained cloths scattered around.

In some cells, people were tied to wooden frames, their bodies covered with silver needles, their skin a strange bluish-purple, and their chests rising and falling slightly.

In other cells, the people were no longer recognizable as human, with large patches of festering skin revealing dark red flesh beneath, and fist-sized abscesses filled with yellowish-green pus.

Those people seemed to have no strength left to move, with only extremely faint breathing sounds remaining, proving that they were still alive.

"Human drug trials..."

With just a glance, Gu Tingquan understood.

He does not object to using human trials for drugs, since this step is indispensable for the successful production of any pill.

but......

Gu Tingquan glanced around, looking at the pitiful people hovering on the brink of life and death.

This goes beyond the scope of ordinary drug trials.

"What a bunch of beasts!!!"

Zhao Xian cursed under his breath, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

As a domain seeker of the Demon Slayer Bureau, Zhao Xian thought he was used to the darkness and misery of the world, but the scene before him still made him angry.

If even the two of them felt this way, how much more so Gu Lingyun, who was seeing such a 'hellish' scene for the first time.

Having grown up in luxury and seen all the beauty of the world, she had never witnessed such a scene before.

She covered her mouth with one hand and pressed her chest with the other, her throat bobbing as she tried to suppress the nausea, tears even glistening in the corners of her eyes.

Xiao Cui, standing to the side, wasn't much better off.

She grew up in the Gu family mansion and always accompanied Gu Lingyun. Although she was called a maid, she was actually more noble than many young ladies from small towns.

After all, she was a sixth-level expert who had opened up five major body acupoints.

If placed in the Demon Slayer Division, they would be capable of vying for the positions of Demon Slayer or Domain Seeker.

But ability is one thing, mindset is another.

The current scene is truly challenging the physiological limits of ordinary people.

Even Mu Yang frowned deeply, his heart filled with murderous intent.

Of course, if you're not a normal person, then it's fine.

For example, Lu Zongsong still had that cold expression, but his hand was holding the Mandarin Duck Axe, and his eyes coldly swept over the necks of the stiff Medicine King Valley disciples.

"Sigh, let's try our best to save them."

Gu Tingquan sighed.

Based on his perception, he was afraid that 95% of the people in this prison were beyond saving.

After all, these are consumables for drug testing, and most of them are semi-finished products or pills that are inherently very harmful.

If there is a martial artist with profound cultivation, there might still be hope.

But many of these people are low-level martial artists, or even just ordinary people.

After leaving the underground prison, everyone's mood was noticeably lower.

"Second Brother, where did all these people come from?" Gu Lingyun frowned and looked at Gu Tingquan.

"Who knows? They could be villagers kidnapped by bandits, refugees fleeing famine, or prisoners sold by the government," Gu Tingquan said.

"Prisoners trafficked by the government?"

Gu Lingyun was taken aback: "What right does the government have to decide the fate of prisoners on its own?"

Gu Tingquan didn't say anything more, but simply raised his hand and gently rubbed Gu Lingyun's head.

There's no reason why. The Great Jing Dynasty is in turmoil, and Liangzhou is remote and poor. Local finances are tight. As long as Medicine King Valley can afford the price, there are plenty of people willing to sell.

Those with a conscience only sell to death row inmates to be executed in the autumn; those who have lost their conscience sell to petty thieves as well; and those whose conscience has been fed to dogs, who call a deer a horse and arrest innocent people to imprison them, are not uncommon.

In the past, with the Demon Slayer Division keeping an eye on things, such incidents were not entirely unheard of, but at least they weren't too rampant.

After all, everyone is afraid of dying.

However, due to the Six Doors, this part of the authority is unclear, and the Six Doors' frequent provocations have allowed those scoundrels to take advantage of the situation.

Ultimately, it all comes down to power...

Gu Tingquan sighed.

If the Six Doors didn't have the Emperor's protection, how could they have thrived and even dared to snatch food from the Demon Slayer Bureau?

"It really is about watching the boxing."

Mu Yang suddenly echoed.

Gu Tingquan glanced at Mu Yang in surprise.

This young man looks so reckless, yet he knows the importance of 'power'?

Mu Yang: Power is no match for fists!