Immortalis

Meat Well 10

Chapter Two: With the assistance of the Fangqiong Sword, Yang Wujian infiltrated the back mountain with great ease.

Zhou Huai had been worried he might run into Zhuang Tianyou again and initially didn’t want him to agree to the Fangqiong Sword’s request. But Yang Wujian understood clearly that if Zhou Huai’s injuries were to fully heal, he had to accept Shen Mian’s terms—this was the condition for the Fangqiong Sword’s help.

And Yang Wujian had his own reasons for agreeing.

He had a premonition that the events surrounding Zhuang Tianyou ran deep. Perhaps, if he could uncover the true cause of Zhuang Tianyou’s "qi deviation," he might finally understand the hidden force that had been pulling their strings all along.

"Master did indeed begin secluded cultivation right after the Famous Sword Conference. During that time, my senior brother once asked me to brew some calming and heat-clearing medicinal soups for Master. At first, I thought Master had been afflicted with fire poison while forging swords—such heat ailments are quite common in the mountains—so I didn’t think much of it."

Not long ago, the Fangqiong Sword had recounted in detail what happened before Zhuang Tianyou entered seclusion.

At the beginning of the year, the Famous Sword Conference was held as usual at Immeasurable Manor. Because Zhuang Tianyou was obsessed with swords and sometimes became so enthusiastic that he would purchase them at high prices, many skilled craftsmen and ore prospectors would bring swords and ores for his appraisal. This year was no exception.

At that time, those responsible for hosting the guests were the Green Rain Sword, Dong Zhu, and the Longyin Sword, Zhao Songjiang.

The Fangqiong Sword said, "The Seven Swords each have their own duties. In the past, it was always Senior Brother Dong and Senior Brother Zhao who accompanied Master during the Famous Sword Conference. Everyone was used to it. But no one expected that right after this year’s conference, Master would enter seclusion. At the time, our senior brother told us that Master had obtained a rare and precious piece of iron at the conference and was preparing to forge a new sword, so he likely wouldn’t be receiving guests for a long time."

A rare and precious piece of iron?

Yang Wujian raised an eyebrow, thinking that, unsurprisingly, this so-called rare iron was probably the Meteor Star that Sun Eryuan had mentioned.

But now, the Strange Worm they held was also called Meteor Star. Could this Meteor Star and that Meteor Star be the same thing?

Yang Wujian asked, "Who was the person who presented that piece of iron to the Manor Lord?"

The Fangqiong Sword shook her head. "At that time, I was busy refining medicine and had no idea about this matter. Later, when I occasionally spoke with Senior Brother Dong, he said the person seemed unremarkable, and the ore they brought wasn’t presented in an exquisite wooden box like others’ offerings. Everyone present saw that the box the person brought was a pitted lead box."

"A lead box?"

Yang Wujian had never heard of anyone using a lead box to present a gift. "So peculiar—how could something like that catch your Manor Lord’s eye?"

The Fangqiong Sword sighed. "Senior Brother Dong said that when the person presented the box, they claimed the contents were a piece of Meteorite Iron, so precious that they wished only the Manor Lord to see it. At the time, Senior Brother Dong suspected the box might contain poison or some hidden mechanism, but given Master’s skill, ordinary traps couldn’t harm him. So, Master went alone to examine the box. After that, for the rest of the conference, he only wanted that lead box."

A lead box…

At this point, Yang Wujian’s heart suddenly stirred.

Come to think of it, Shen Qingshi had mentioned that deep within the Meat Well was something like a mirror made of lead ore. When illuminated by fire, it resembled countless writhing eyes.

And the pockmarked Taoist at the Aconite Kiln had said the same thing earlier.The Meat Well was deep and windless, the firelight flickering like pulsing flesh—this was due to the vast quantities of silver and lead below.

If that Meteorite Iron had been transported in a lead box, could it truly be something from the Meat Well? Was sealing it in a lead container the only way to ensure safety?

By the time he regained his senses, Yang Wujian had already alighted as lightly as an owl upon a tree branch.

Just like last night, an ominous stillness permeated the back hills.

According to Fangqiong Sword, Zhuang Tianyou had originally secluded himself only on the southern peak of the back hills. It wasn't until Dong Zhu's incident that the entire back hills were completely sealed off.

Logically speaking, Dong Zhu and Dong Lu should still be in the back hills, but last night when he and Zhou Huai ventured through, the darkness was so thick you couldn't see your own hand... Could two living men have simply vanished into thin air?

Yang Wujian, whose vision remained unimpaired in the dark, returned to the back hills and meticulously inspected every sword cave, yet found no trace of anyone.

Earlier, Fangqiong Sword had also mentioned that over the past few months, Longyin Sword had been purging the ranks, with many disciples disappearing overnight.

Dong Zhu and his son were gone, these disciples were gone. Had Longyin Sword not confined them to the back hills, and had they not possessed those Strange Worms to break free, it might have been him and Zhou Huai who vanished instead.

It was only then that Yang Wujian began to vaguely sense the connections. A night breeze swept by, raising the hairs on the back of his neck.

Last night, he had claimed that Zhuang Tianyou had succumbed to qi deviation and was killing anyone in sight—but that was merely an exaggeration to force Immeasurable Manor into a difficult position.

Yet, in these short few months, how many people in Immeasurable Manor had evaporated without a trace?

If they were dead, where were their bodies?

Suddenly, Yang Wujian recalled the alchemy room from many years ago, piled high with corpses. A profoundly ominous premonition surged within him. Quickening his pace, he intended to finish scouting the northern peak and head straight to the training grounds on the southern peak. But just as he reached a secluded corner, the vial Zhou Huai had given him for protection began to stir once more.

Earlier, he had distributed the Meteor Stars among the group, keeping a slightly larger portion for himself and Zhou Huai.

He had used some of the Meteor Stars yesterday in the back hills, leaving two small vials that Zhou Huai insisted he carry to avoid a repeat of last night’s situation.

Yang Wujian knew well: when the worms stirred, it meant Zhuang Tianyou was nearby.

With his Night Eyes, Yang Wujian saw a narrow sword cave on the cliff face ahead, barely large enough for one person. Its entrance was barricaded with thorny brush, but unlike the others, this cave ran deep, seemingly extending underground.

Beneath the Myriad Sword Cave lay the ore veins.

Yang Wujian couldn’t help but recall what they had repeatedly heard during their investigation into the Immeasurable Manor case: the caverns beneath the northern peak were labyrinthine. Though not a Meat Well, they were old mines left by the Emperor Beixiang, rumored to have collapsed at their deepest points, with hidden passages possibly leading beyond the manor.

Could Zhuang Tianyou be down there now?

After a moment’s hesitation, Yang Wujian decided to investigate. After all, the Four Seas Alliance hadn’t left yet, and if necessary, he could always resort to his old tricks for self-preservation.

With this in mind, Yang Wujian silently vaulted over the thorny barrier. This time, he wrapped the vial in cloth to muffle any noise that might alert his target. The sword cave descended into a narrow path, and the deeper he went, the hotter the air became. Faintly, he detected a scent that chilled his spine—one that was unsettlingly familiar.

In the distance, a fire glowed.Yang Wujian crouched low, moving as slowly and silently as a cat as he crept toward the deepest part of the cavern.

No one would have imagined that the extremely narrow crevice above would lead to such a spacious underground cave.

The cave was large enough to hold dozens of people, but now, placed squarely in the center was an alchemy furnace shaped like a massive cauldron.

Yang Wujian immediately drew a sharp breath.

How could he forget such a scene?

Layer upon layer of young girls' corpses, and the roaring furnace flames.

Nightmarish memories from the past instantly flooded his mind. Fearing he might make a sound from sheer terror, Yang Wujian clamped a hand over his mouth. At that very moment, a murmuring voice echoed from the depths of the cave.

"Just a little more... almost there..."

He had heard this voice last night too—half-mad, half-delirious.

It was Zhuang Tianyou.

Clamping his mouth and nose shut, Yang Wujian watched as the Sword Sect leader dragged a completely stripped corpse out from the depths of the cave as if it were a log.

Was that... one of the missing disciples?

Yang Wujian had keen eyesight, and even from a distance, he could clearly see that the corpse appeared to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, its eyes wide open in death as if unable to believe it had met such an end.

As a survivor of the tragedy fifteen years ago, Yang Wujian instantly understood what Zhuang Tianyou intended to do.

Sure enough, the next moment, Zhuang Tianyou opened the furnace door and tossed the corpse inside.

As a crackling sound erupted from the flames, Yang Wujian immediately turned away, unable to watch any longer.

So, Zhuang Tianyou wasn't insane—he was searching for the Cicada Molt.

His sudden interest in finding the Longevity Palace after fifteen years wasn't for some noble cause, but to master the Longevity Heart Sutra.

It was clear now: Dong Zhu and his son, who had vanished from the back mountain, along with the disciples who had left without a word, had likely all become Flesh Conduits in the furnace.

But... why?

Cold sweat drenched Yang Wujian's back. Zhuang Tianyou now seemed completely irrational, like a wild beast. How, then, could he have so clearly directed them to investigate those cases?

Unless... Zhuang Tianyou had been manipulated?

Driven by twisted desire for the Longevity Heart Sutra, he would believe anything related to the Cicada Molt or the sutra. That must be why he had chosen those old cases.

Yang Wujian had always found it strange why Zhuang Tianyou had insisted on investigating the Boundless Sword Manor from the start. He had initially thought the Sword Sect leader was proud and wanted to set an example for the martial world. But now it seemed Zhuang Tianyou had been searching for the Cicada Molt all along. Just like Guanri fifteen years ago, he had been gathering various Flesh Conduits to experiment with in the furnace.

The thought sent chills down Yang Wujian's spine.

Green Rain Sword was Zhuang Tianyou's prized disciple. Back then, under the Sword Sect leader's very nose, he had shielded his own son. Could Zhuang Tianyou have been completely unaware?

Or perhaps Zhuang Tianyou had known the truth behind the Sword Child case all along and only investigated it because he needed a highly skilled Flesh Conduit. By framing his own top disciple and having him imprisoned, using him for alchemy would no longer be difficult.

And that was why, after Dong Zhu's imprisonment, the back mountain had been completely sealed off... because by then, Zhuang Tianyou had already begun refining elixirs using living people.Having grasped this point, Yang Wujian instantly turned deathly pale.

No matter how he looked at it, Zhuang Tianyou had killed his own right-hand man based merely on personal suspicion, gambling with the reputation and future of Immeasurable Manor. Even if he had been manipulated by others, this was truly insane.

The more Yang Wujian thought about it, the more terrified he became. Not daring to stay any longer, he once again crouched down and swiftly made his way back to the surface.

Fortunately, Zhuang Tianyou didn’t seem to have noticed him.

Hearing no footsteps behind him, Yang Wujian breathed a quiet sigh of relief and prepared to immediately retreat from the back mountain. However, before he could leap onto a tree branch, a cold gleam suddenly slashed down toward his head. Though Yang Wujian reacted swiftly and dodged to the side, the sharp sword energy still tore a gash in his clothes.

Again?

For two nights in a row, he had nearly been killed by a sword strike. A surge of fury rose in Yang Wujian as he drew the Vajra Ring, which had been retrieved by the Fangqiong Sword, and faced his attacker. Under the moonlight, he saw the man holding a heavy sword as wide as a palm—it was Longyin Sword Zhao Songjiang.

"Senior Zhao, are you trying to silence me?"

Among the Immeasurable Seven Swords, Longyin Sword’s martial arts were not the most outstanding, but he was famously skilled in defense. If Longyin Sword was determined to stop him, Yang Wujian might not be able to escape the back mountain all night.

Zhao Songjiang looked extremely haggard, but his eyes remained sharp as cold stars. He said coldly, "You shouldn’t have come back to this place."

Wasn’t it your junior brother who sent me here?

Yang Wujian thought to himself. Clearly, they were currently stabilizing Zhuang Tianyou solely by continuously providing him with new Flesh Conduits. However, this was hardly a long-term solution. Zhao Songjiang was not as tactful as Dong Zhu in handling matters; to protect the secret of the back mountain, he only knew to resort to crude methods like silencing witnesses. Failing once, he tried again—truly unrepentant.

He laughed and said, "Senior, why go to such lengths? You can’t wrap fire in paper. Your manor lord is a living person, and his martial arts are so formidable. Even if you keep giving him new Flesh Conduits, you can’t confine him to the back mountain forever. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to speak the truth early? That way, Boundless Sword Manor might not end up with its reputation in ruins."

"You saw it?"

Zhao Songjiang did not appear tall or imposing, but he lifted the heavy sword weighing over ten jin as effortlessly as if it were a tree branch. Seeing this, Yang Wujian thought, This is bad. His injuries hadn’t fully healed, and he hadn’t brought many Blood Replenishing Pills with him. Even if Zhao Songjiang just wore him down, he could exhaust him completely.

I need to find a way to escape.

Yang Wujian tightened his grip on the Steel Ring, preparing to force a breakthrough. But just then, a flame shot up into the sky from the front mountain. At the sight, Zhao Songjiang’s expression changed abruptly. Without another word, he abandoned Yang Wujian and sprinted toward the front mountain without looking back.

Could it be…?

Though Yang Wujian didn’t recognize the mountain’s signals, he could roughly guess their meaning from Zhao Songjiang’s reaction.

The mountain-guarding disciples at the front mountain had sent a distress signal.

Someone was attacking the mountain in the dead of night.