[Hetu] [Heavenly Demon] [Episode 5] Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Murder to Silence

In the desolate mountains, inside a small wooden cabin, the dim light of an oil lamp created a warm atmosphere. The cabin

was small but remarkably clean, containing only a large bed and a table. The only

strange thing was a row of oddly shaped jars arranged on a shelf in the corner. Although they didn't emit any strange

smells , just looking at them made one feel uneasy.

The night in the deep mountains was a bit damp. After Long Chi sat down, he looked at Yang Cun and asked softly, "My lord,

would you like something to eat?"

"No, I'm not hungry," Yang Cun immediately shook his head vigorously. What a joke!

Could he just eat this strange man's food? A little diarrhea would be fine, but what if he developed a taste for human flesh char siu buns? That would be terrible.

"Hmm, alright then." Long Chi turned around, moved a pile of dry firewood, and started a campfire in the cabin

. As soon as the fire started burning, the dampness in the air began to dry.

"How did Xiao Ying die?" Yang Cun pondered for a moment, still unable to contain his curiosity.

"He succumbed to his injuries!" Long Chi sat down facing Yang Cun, saying with a mocking expression, "The newly appointed Imperial Preceptor,

having received the true teachings, naturally knows many strange and unusual arts. Although he has already self-destructed his sixth dantian, with his level of cultivation and understanding,

as long as he cultivates his body and mind and consumes more heavenly and earthly treasures, I believe he will definitely be able to regain his sixth dantian realm within a year.

However, not long after returning to the palace, news came that Xiao Ying had succumbed to his injuries. Isn't that laughable?"

"What's laughable about it?" Yang Cun's eyes narrowed, as if he had vaguely grasped something in his mind.

"If the forest ranger were still alive, you could ask him," Long Chi sneered. "Xiao Ying's cultivation is incredibly

profound; his Six-Dan Realm, achieved over decades, is enough to make him the envy of the world. Even if the forest ranger were to unleash the rampaging

Vajra Seal, he could only severely injure him, not kill him. Moreover, the forest ranger at that time couldn't unleash

the original power of the Vajra Seal at all. Under such circumstances, how could he possibly kill Xiao Ying?"

"What do you mean by that?" Yang Cun didn't want to play mind games with him, so he simply asked directly.

"Taking advantage of the situation, Xiao Ying is now without the protection of the Six Pills, no different from an ordinary person," Long Chi said with a sneer. "But he

is, after all, the Imperial Preceptor, and has been recuperating in the palace for a long time. How could an ordinary person possibly enter the palace to kill him? Besides, there were no other rumors or controversies after his

death .

There are probably very few people in the world who could do that, and even in the capital, there are very few who have such ability."

"Prince Ding, Prince Rong, the old emperor, or the Crown Prince..." Yang Cun's mind raced, and he immediately excluded Yang Shu, who also

held a high position and great power. Although Yang Shu was also second only to the emperor, he did not have

the power to deal with matters inside the palace. Moreover, he had no connection with Xiao Ying, and there was no need for him to commit the great crime of killing the Imperial Preceptor.

"I don't know for now." Long Chi shook his head, paused, and said with a serious expression, "Xiao

Ying's death seems more like a cover-up. All I know right now is that everyone in the capital is searching for the Five Elements Spirit, and

Zhang Baocheng has two spiritual artifacts. The Vajra Seal is already with you, but what kind of spiritual object the other is and where it's hidden,

only Xiao Ying and Lin Guan know. So, with Xiao Ying dead, Lin Guan is the only clue."

"I don't understand." Yang Cun's mind raced, but he stood up and shook his head. "We've talked for so long, you've said

a lot, yet it seems you haven't said anything at all. I can't sense any sincerity from you. It seems there's no

need for us to continue."

"My lord, why the rush?" Long Chi smiled darkly, deliberately tempting him. "I know that when negotiating with officials

like , you need some leverage. I do have some, but I don't know if you're

interested, my lord."

"Tell me about it." Upon hearing this, Yang Cun stopped in his tracks.

"The whereabouts of Prince Rong's heir, Zhao Qinhua." Long Chi's voice was deep, yet somehow it carried

an irresistible allure.

"No interest." Yang Cun's mind raced for a moment, but he immediately shook his head, saying with a hint of sarcasm, "

He was kidnapped right in front of me, and I didn't even consider saving him. Why would I care about him now? Besides,

I don't know what you want to do. Why would I agree to your request? That would be foolish."

"I knew you'd say that." As Long Chi spoke, he slung several jars and pots over his shoulder and headed towards the door,

gesturing for Yang Cun to follow him—let's go. Yang Cun hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist his intense curiosity and followed closely

behind.

Long Chi wore a black cloak that concealed his entire body except for his face, just like when he

first met him in Tianjin—eerie and unsettling. He moved lightly through the dark forest, his footsteps

making no sound even on the thick layer of fallen leaves, creating an eerie atmosphere that made every pore on one's body involuntarily

contract.

After about half an hour, the two traversed the woods and came to a flat slope.

A straight and smooth official road paved with bluestone stretched out before them, and a long river flowed quietly, obstructing their path. Long Chi

skillfully found a bamboo raft hidden in the grass, and Yang Cun followed closely behind.

The raft drifted slowly on the river, moving downstream with surprising speed and stability. Long Chi's

expression was somewhat grim as he thoughtfully gazed at the moonlight. Yang Cun, even more puzzled, couldn't help but ask, "

Where are we going?"

"Don't worry, my lord, you'll see what you want to know soon," Long Chi said softly in

a low voice.

The small bamboo raft drifted downstream, and after an unknown amount of time, they finally saw a small

village . The village was sparsely populated, with few houses. They were now in a relatively remote suburb, where

scattered common. However, Yang Cun's sharp eyes spotted a large courtyard at the very back of the village

. The smoke rising from it wasn't the white smoke from burning firewood; it was tinged with grayish-black, clearly unusual.

"Many of the houses in this village are used as lookouts; we need to go around them," Long Chi said as

the bamboo raft reached the shore, and Yang Cun followed closely.

The village was indeed small, but Long Chi carefully circled around, avoiding the village's boundaries,

before finally arriving at the large courtyard emitting black smoke. Upon closer inspection, the

courtyard with simple mud-brick walls, yet they were at least two people high. Moreover, both the wall and the

seemingly ordinary house were newly built, deliberately plastered with mud to make them appear old.

"Where is this?" Yang Cun leaned against the wall, vaguely hearing knocking and banging sounds. His nose

twitched; he smelled a pungent, mixed odor, completely unlike

the distinctive smell of dry branches from burning firewood in ordinary homes.

"This is the arsenal." Long Chi, shrouded in a black cloak, stood

silently . "The village ahead is mostly inhabited by the artisans and guards. Strangers are easily

spotted and driven away. A village of less than a hundred households has dozens of guard dogs; they're so cautious it's hard not to suspect them."

"This place is quite remote," Yang Cun thought. Anyone would be suspicious seeing this, but the fact that

you managed to find such a desolate place makes you even more suspicious than them.

"This is how you have to cover your tracks." As Long Chi spoke, his black cloak trembled slightly.

Even in the darkness, dozens of small snakes could be clearly seen emerging from the cloak,

slowly disappearing into the grass, and slithering into the cracks in the wall.

"Where did these snakes come from? Where did you hide them?" Yang Cun's eyes widened immediately. This guy's cloak was truly like

a treasure chest, seemingly able to hide anything—it was so cool. If he were to ask him for some money now

, he wondered if this guy would have any.

"My lord, keep this with you, so they won't attack you." Long Chi smiled, without

saying a word , and casually took out a strange wooden plaque. The plaque was blank, but it emitted a rotten

stench that almost made one vomit.

"So much trouble?" Yang Cun didn't dare to complain and immediately took it and placed it on his waist. No kidding, even the best

martial artist is afraid of a kitchen knife, let alone a group of venomous snakes. Even grown men can be scared by cockroaches. This

wasn't because he was cowardly, but purely for safety. After all, those soft, cold snakes—at least

ninety-nine out of a hundred people, regardless of age or gender, would be afraid of them.

"All things have a spirit. Although I've tamed these snakes, sometimes when their ferocity strikes,

it's hard for control them." As Long Chi spoke, he walked to the gate, took out a small iron bar, and slowly

opened the tightly locked gate.

"You're also a pickpocket?" Yang Cun looked at the iron bar he had discarded and the unlocked padlock,

somewhat surprised. Although this guy looked so gloomy, he at least had the air of a mysterious person,

not someone who would use such underhanded methods. Just looking at his skillful technique, he was definitely a habitual criminal!

"When I'm traveling the world, I can't just break down doors every time, that would be too conspicuous." As Long Chi spoke,

he stepped into the courtyard, speaking with an air of nonchalance.

The courtyard was large, but very strange. No grass grew on the ground, and in the corners, there were piles of charcoal and ore.

Several men who seemed to be guards were now pale, vomiting poisonous blood and convulsing on the ground, dying in the same way as the men in black who had been following Yang Cun

. Long Chi glanced at them, then slowly took off his cloak and tossed it to the ground. Instantly,

dozens more venomous snakes scattered like water.

"What are you doing?" Yang Cun's eyes widened. Good heavens, how did he manage to carry so many snakes?

There were over a hundred of them, weighing at least a hundred or two hundred pounds. He had walked so gracefully just now;

did this guy have to perform magic tricks when he was broke?

"To silence them." Long Chi chuckled, his eyes dark as he looked at the large

houses .

Even before getting close, he felt an intense heat, and the metallic smell in the air grew increasingly unpleasant.

Upon hearing vision blurred. He said irritably, "What do you mean? I'm an official of the court,

and you're talking about silencing them in front of me? You're really disrespecting me."

"You won't mind." Long Chi seemed certain that Yang Cun wouldn't get involved. As he chuckled, the new swarm of

venomous snakes slithered inside.

A series of piercing screams erupted from several large rooms, quickly fading into a

deathly silence. Only then did Long Chi push open the slightly closed door and enter the forging room, Yang Cun immediately following.

Inside, the charcoal in the furnace was glowing red-hot, and half-finished swords lay carelessly discarded on the fire.

Dozens of craftsmen lay convulsing on the ground, their bodies coiled with black venomous snakes, their tongues

flicking. Some craftsmen had put up a final resistance before dying; some snakes lay cut in two on the ground, while others had been

burned to ashes on the furnace, emitting a pungent odor.

Long Chi's face immediately showed heartache. He silently bent down and slowly picked up the still-wriggling severed corpses,

carefully placing them into a small jar. He said angrily, "How could so many die!"

"There are plenty of snakes, why are you heartbroken?" As Yang Cun spoke, he saw the snakes crawling around the room,

flicking their tongues and staring at his cold eyes. A chill ran down his spine. Could these creatures have become spirits? Could

they understand his words?

"What do you know? These snakes have been raised from eggs using Gu magic. They are very precious."

After collecting all the snake corpses, Long Chi looked at the several craftsmen lying on the ground convulsing. He was so angry that he couldn't help but kick them a few times.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, but why did you bring me here?" Yang Cun's stomach was

churning . Seeing a craftsman's upper body still slumped over the furnace after his death, sizzling with grease,

dripping onto the ground, the air thick with the smell of burnt fat and hair, was

akin to being raped by a 200-kilogram old woman while still a virgin—utterly disgusting.

"Oh, and I have to show you this!" After venting his anger, Long Chi used his cloak to

retract all the snakes and began leading Yang Cun around the mansion.

The mansion appeared dilapidated, but it was a hidden gem. In two spacious forging workshops, nearly a hundred

craftsmen were working through the night, with ample ore and coal. The warehouse at the back contained not only nearly a thousand forged swords, spears, and axes, but also leather for sewing armor, and iron plates

forged but not yet made into armor . 　　The remaining survivors in the courtyard had also been dealt with by Long Chi. After this walk, Yang Cun was covered in cold sweat . This was no ordinary rural factory. It's practically comparable to the Ministry of War's arsenal! Leaving aside the sheer of artisans, just the mountains of ore and coal alone would be more than an ordinary wealthy merchant could acquire without an order from the Ministry of Revenue.

There are so many. And leather is a prohibited item; large-scale trade is forbidden in the private sector. Just the sheer number of weapons alone

would be enough to warrant confiscation of property.

"Whose...is this?" Yang Cun, shocked, could only ask this question. Judging

from the quantity of iron ore and coal, there was no other way than through illegal mining

, a capital offense requiring immense power and financial investment. Even

so , the miner would need considerable authority; otherwise, no one would dare engage in such a risky business.

"On the surface, this is a smelting factory belonging to a trading company, claiming to forge agricultural tools," Long Chi

sneered coldly. "However, when it was first built, it was secretly financed by Lin Anguo's confidants."

"It belongs to Prince Ding?" Yang Cun was immediately taken aback. Prince Ding, Zhao Yuanqing, was a prince with military power.

Wasn't he afraid of violating the prohibitions by privately forging so many weapons and armor? Even if he were a prince,

hoarding so many forbidden items and forging so many weapons would be tantamount to treason, and no one would dare

plead for him .

"That's right, he does have them, and not just this one." Long Chi smiled sinisterly, looking at the

blackened . Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he said in a low voice, "This one is only a little over a year old.

The one I found in Tianjin last time looked several years older, much older than this one."

"I really don't want to know these things." Yang Cun smiled bitterly. This guy really thought he was a gossip.

If the Prince of Ding forged so many weapons, he could be charged with treason if reported to the court. Even if he

sold weapons to foreign tribes, it would still be a serious crime. Even if he was the Prince of Wu, the emperor's son, even if he escaped

the death penalty , being stripped of his official rank and title would be the minimum punishment.

"You don't want to know, but you are curious." After Long Chi finished speaking, he fell silent.

After patrolling the courtyard and carefully examining every room to ensure there were no survivors, Long Chi

looked at the dejected Yang Cun and laughed, saying, "It's really strange, isn't it? The dignified Duke of the Yang family of Jiangnan, the Duke of Zhenguo, actually

committed murder with me, a wanted criminal of the court. This feeling is quite interesting." "

Why don't you just say I was tricked by you?" Yang Cun's face showed a hint of displeasure. Now even a ghost could

realize that he had fallen into a trap. Even if Prince Ding's private forging of weapons was a heinous crime, it should be left to the court and the old emperor to decide.

But now, killing all these people, even if it wasn't indiscriminate killing, was still a serious crime.

Given his status, once this matter got out, even if he stood by and didn't participate, he

could easily be accused of being the mastermind. Even if these people deserved to die, it should be decided by the Ministry of Justice, not by this

indiscriminate slaughter. If this matter were exposed, he might lose his title of Third Duke, and even if it wasn't exposed,

if word got out, he would offend Prince Ding and inexplicably become his enemy.

"I did indeed trick you," Long Chi said with a sly smile, his allure barely concealed. "Your Excellency must have already considered

the pros and cons, but rest assured, this matter will remain my sole responsibility until my death. As long as Your Excellency agrees to

a few small favors, even if it means severe torture, I will keep my mouth shut and never utter a word."

"Are you threatening me?" Yang Cun was immediately annoyed, his face darkening considerably.

"I wouldn't dare!" Long Chi's expression turned serious, and he shook his head firmly. "Your Excellency, it should be said

that I need your help. What I did tonight was merely to express my sincerity. What I want will not cause

you any trouble, while what you gain is the help of the former Gu King of the Miao tribe, far

exceeding ."

"What exactly do you want?" Yang Cun was now unable to contain his anger. This whole thing

had happened , and this guy hadn't even revealed his purpose, which was truly infuriating.

"I've said it before, I only want to see the forest ranger once." Long Chi said solemnly, "I, Long Chi,

swear to heaven, I am indeed searching for the spirits of the Five Elements, but not the Vajra Seal, nor the

earth slave that covets the Town King. What I'm looking for is the benevolent treasure among the Five Elements, the main one being wood."

"Wood of the Five Elements?" Yang Cun hesitated for a moment. It was rumored that the spirits of the Five Elements were all fierce and powerful, yet there was a benevolent treasure among them.

Could this wood spirit be some kind of wondrous spiritual object?

"That's right, not just me, many people hope to obtain it." Long Chi nodded seriously.

"Alright, we've wasted too much time. It'll be dawn soon if we don't leave now." Seeing Yang Cun about to ask a question, Long Chi

immediately waved his hand and said, "The early risers will come to relieve us soon. If we don't leave now, we'll cause more bloodshed. Let's

go back first. Whatever the Duke wants to know, Long Chi will tell you in detail."

"Let's go." Yang Cun looked at the faint light of dawn and knew it wasn't the time to talk.

Despite his many questions, he nodded and went outside. Before

leaving, Long Chi held a handful of cotton seeds that smelled strange and put them into the mouths of the corpses. Yang Cun

saw this and remembered the disgusting drug-treated corpses in Tianjin. He understood what Long Chi was up to.

"I need to leave Zhao Qinyun with some trouble." After dealing with everything, Long Chi smiled sinisterly. In less than three

days, the corpses here would become drug-treated corpses. The commotion would be huge, and this arsenal

would be unusable.

"You're really going all out!" Yang Cun scoffed sarcastically from the bamboo raft. He'd vaguely heard Yang Shu

mention that refining a medicinal corpse was a very time-consuming process; the cultivation of the Gu creature and the various closely guarded techniques all

required a great deal of time and effort. What seemed like an ordinary cotton seed actually represented a vast amount of

effort from the Gu practitioner, its value far exceeding that of gold and silver.

Long Chi smiled but didn't reply. However, perhaps recalling the chaos caused when the medicinal corpse took shape,

his eyes involuntarily gleamed with excitement.

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