Ye Shu thoroughly searched the entire City Lord’s mansion and found no survivors. After casting his spell, he temporarily refrained from using any further magic and hid in a corner.
Among the corpses, besides the Yan family members of all ages and their servants, there were also some black-clad individuals who seemed to be Yan Bei’s elite guards. The scattered armored bodies belonged to the City Guard, who were killed while patrolling the mansion.
The City Guard’s base was not within the City Lord’s mansion, so only a portion of them were affected. However, when the guard shift changed, the horrifying state of the mansion was discovered.
Despite the shock, the leader of the City Guard maintained his composure, ordered the remaining guards to transport the bodies, and began investigating the perpetrator and gathering evidence to report as quickly as possible. Although he was under the City Lord’s command, he was also a member of the imperial court.
From the conversations of the guards transporting the bodies, Ye Shu learned a few things.
The massacre in the City Lord’s mansion seemed to be related to Yan Xi.
Traces of an unknown drug, believed to have strong mind-altering effects, were found in Yan Bei’s room, specifically in his wine glass. It made sense; without such a substance, Yan Bei would not have been killed so easily.
If a top-tier martial artist from the mortal realm faced a cultivator below the third level of Qi Refining, the cultivator’s reaction would inevitably be slower. The spells that a low-level cultivator could cast were limited, and while powerful, they might not hit the target during a battle with a top-tier martial artist. If the martial artist was experienced, they could continuously provoke the cultivator into casting spells until the cultivator exhausted their spiritual power, leaving them defenseless.
Judging by the battle traces, Yan Bei’s resistance was sluggish, undoubtedly due to the drug. The only ones who could have drugged him without arousing his suspicion were his closest relatives. Yan Changlan was also severely injured, so it couldn’t have been him. Yan Xi, however, was dressed suspiciously, indicating that it was his plan. But even though Yan Xi betrayed his family, he couldn’t escape being killed.
Ye Shu’s gaze fell on several blood-stained spots.
After realizing his brother’s betrayal, Yan Bei probably witnessed his only son being captured and crippled. He then used his last strength to desperately resist the cultivator, with his elite guards holding off Yan Xi and his accomplices, allowing Yan Changlan to escape.
However, since Yan Xi was already dead, yet those venomous insects continued to search for Yan Changlan last night, it was clear that the real pursuers of Yan Changlan were the cultivator and the one controlling the insects.
This confirmed Ye Shu’s earlier suspicion: City Lord Yan has something that these men are coveting.
Having roughly deduced the situation, Ye Shu didn’t stay any longer.
He cast an invisibility spell on himself and quickly left the City Lord’s mansion.
From a distance, Ye Shu saw that some people from the three major families had come to investigate, but this didn’t concern him. He only glanced briefly before moving on.
Along the way, Ye Shu carefully searched again and confirmed that there were no more venomous insects or signs of the cultivator in the city. It seemed they had indeed left, leaving behind the chaos at the City Lord’s mansion and a pile of corpses. In due time, once the news reached the imperial court, they would send someone to take over Mingshan City. As for the Yan family, only the orphan Yan Changlan remained.
Ye Shu hurried towards the mountains outside the city.
Just as he reached the foot of the mountain and was about to fly up, he suddenly smelled something, causing him to pause slightly.
Since he had moved quickly, his invisibility spell was still active. He swiftly moved towards the source of his interest. Shortly, he arrived in an adjacent mountain and heard the sound of insects crawling through the grass.
There were centipedes over two feet long, spiders the size of fists, and scorpions as large as palms, all being urged by a faint, peculiar sound as they continued searching around.
Following the direction of the sound, Ye Shu saw a short man, about six feet tall, dressed in black and wearing a black hat, impatiently waiting for something.
“Damn it, he’s not here! Did he really escape?” The short man was visibly displeased. “How much trouble could that crippled brat cause? Did he flee to the ends of the earth? If that useless Li couldn’t find him, maybe I’ll get lucky. If I find him, I might get rewarded and become an immortal. Then Li wouldn’t dare boss me around…”
Hearing this, Ye Shu understood the situation.
The person named Li was a second-level Qi Refining cultivator that Ye Shu knew. He had been searching the City Lord’s mansion for something useful to cultivators. The short man, adept at controlling venomous insects, was likely called in to assist. After destroying the City Lord’s mansion and failing to find the item, they presumed it was with the escaped Yan Changlan. Given Yan Changlan’s severe injuries, he would most likely be hiding either in the city’s hidden spots or in the surrounding mountain ranges.
Earlier, the cultivator named Li must have used some method to search the mountains but didn’t find Yan Changlan due to the Five Elements Concealing Formation. Confident in his method, he assumed Yan Changlan had fled further and went in pursuit. The short man, left behind by Li, believed Yan Changlan was still in the mountains and, driven by greed, used venomous insects to search thoroughly, intending to take whatever Yan Changlan had.
When Ye Shu previously undressed Yan Changlan to treat his injuries, he didn’t search for any items, so he wasn’t sure if such an item existed. However, having saved Yan Changlan, the short man and the Li cultivator were potential threats. Since he encountered one now, it was best to eliminate him.
With his mind made up, Ye Shu began to think.
He had noticed that the short man’s method of controlling the insects was due to an innate ability, producing a unique sound from his throat, a rare technique that had some cleverness but was inferior to true insect-controlling methods. Ye Shu didn’t know how many venomous insects the short man had, but given his low cultivation level, even with protective spells, he would struggle against a swarm of insects. If he wanted to kill the man, the best approach would be to cut his throat in one strike. Even if the man was on guard, as long as he couldn’t make a sound, it would be fine.
Then came the matter of execution…
With his current limited means, many sophisticated techniques were still beyond his reach. However, apart from controlling insects, the short man’s aura was weak, no different from an ordinary person, so there was no need for advanced methods. Just in case, Ye Shu decided to set up a trapping formation. This way, even if something went wrong, he would have room to maneuver.
Ye Shu summoned two strands of spiritual power. One reinforced his invisibility spell, while the other was used for a wind-riding technique that allowed him to move silently. Both were well-suited for the task at hand.
As for the trapping formation… it only needed to last a short while. He casually picked up a few stones and quietly placed them around the short man. Once the formation was set, he decisively struck!
A sharp wind swept past!
The short man was focused on controlling his venomous insects and never expected anyone to bypass their senses and launch a sneak attack. As the sharp wind passed, he felt a few strands of his hair flutter for some unknown reason. Then, he felt a cold sensation and sharp pain at his throat!
Fortunately for him, he had long known that his power lay in his throat, so he had early on affixed a piece of skin-like leather there. Although the sharp wind was fierce, it only cut halfway through his throat after slicing the leather, sparing his life.
Ye Shu, still invisible and standing to the side, allowed a cold smile to flash across his face.
Indeed, the short man had taken precautions due to the unique nature of his throat. Wary of drawing attention to his weakness, he typically disguised it with a bamboo whistle and avoided using metal to guard his neck, relying instead on a piece of extremely tough leather. However, while this leather could fend off ordinary blades, it was far inferior to Ye Shu’s magic-enhanced blade.
—Indeed, when Ye Shu set up the formation using jade fragments, he also saved some of these fragments as emergency weapons for attack and defense. And now, isn’t this the perfect moment to use them?
The short man, both shocked and furious, immediately tried to command his venomous insects to kill the attacker. However, when he attempted to speak, he found his voice could only produce broken, raspy sounds, making it impossible to control the insects.
Unable to give vocal commands, the short man searched frantically for his assailant but found nothing. Clutching his throat in frustration, he angrily slapped the pouch at his waist, releasing dozens of venomous insects.
Yet, the events that followed did not go as the short man expected.
The insects, instead of spreading out, collided chaotically in one spot as if they couldn’t find their way—confused by the formation.
In a state of panic, the short man was struck again by Ye Shu.
This time, Ye Shu directly infused his strike with magic, slicing from behind and, with a single twist, beheaded the short man.
In his final moments, the short man was filled with terror, unable to even see his assailant.
After his death, the venomous insects ceased attacking the formation and instead crawled back onto the short man’s body, ravenously devouring him. At the same time, the sound of scuttling filled the air as more insects returned, similarly climbing onto the corpse.
Using such a rudimentary method to control venomous insects, they naturally turned on their master after his death.
Ye Shu looked on indifferently, unsurprised.
He knew that the short man, being a mere mortal, could genuinely control only a few dozen insects. However, each insect was akin to a king among insects, capable of attracting and commanding other venomous insects from the surrounding area.
Now, with the insect kings preoccupied with their master’s body, the other venomous insects in the mountains would return to their habitats, uninterested in the feast left behind.