Immortalis

Corpse Demon Seven

Yang Wujian understood perfectly well that Shen Qingshi’s repeated attempts to descend into the Meat Well were driven by a single desire: to uncover what Guanri had done to her body that allowed her to resist the illusions within.

However, even for Shen Qingshi, venturing into the Meat Well was not without risks.

Just past noon, the three of them arrived at the Meat Well in the outskirts under the blazing sun, only to find it resembled the one in Baiqian Town. Scattered around it were patches of white Howling Whistle Flowers, making the well appear like a massive, pitch-black eye embedded in the earth, plunging vertically downward into unfathomable depths.

“Even if there were no illusions down there, jumping in would still mean certain death, wouldn’t it?”

Yang Wujian tossed a stone into the well, gauging its depth by the echo. Frowning, he said, “This is even more dangerous than the Hero’s Tomb. There’s no foothold, no way to gauge your physical limits. I can’t let you go down.”

“You know you can’t stop me.”

Shen Qingshi refused outright, already fastening a rope around herself as she spoke.

Seeing this, Yang Wujian grabbed her arm and said through gritted teeth, “Shen Qingshi, are you deaf? Going down is a gamble. The White-faced Guest won’t be waiting for you at the bottom.”

“But I need to know what’s down there.”

Shen Qingshi stood her ground, even seizing his wrist in return. “I know you want to find out too.”

“Shen Qingshi, you—”

Just as Yang Wujian was about to lose his temper, Zhou Huai, who had been silent until then, finally caught on. “Wait, Miss Shen… no, Miss Shen, going to such lengths to investigate the White-faced Guest—surely it’s not just for fame, is it?”

At his words, Shen Qingshi and Yang Wujian, still locked in their struggle, turned to face him.

“Didn’t I say yesterday that I have my own reasons too?”

As she spoke, Shen Qingshi slipped off one sleeve, revealing a brand on her slender back. “I’m a Flesh Conduit who escaped from Longevity Palace—the only one. Hiding my identity was a necessity. Zhou Huai, do you understand now why I must go down?”

“Miss Shen, you…”

Staring at the brand, Zhou Huai’s eyes widened in shock. Belatedly, he recalled Song Lan’s excessive attentiveness toward Shen Qingshi, and a chill crept up his spine. “Song Lan—the White-faced Guest—he recognized you back then? And he deliberately got close to you?”

“He’s always one step ahead of us, and we don’t even know what his goal is.”

Shen Qingshi gazed into the dark opening and murmured, “Haven’t you felt it too? No matter what we investigated before, he was pulling the strings. He even stayed by our side, waiting for us to expose the truth at White Rainbow Tower before revealing himself in front of everyone and plunging the martial world into chaos.”

Now that she mentioned it, it was true.

Song Lan had first appeared at Immeasurable Manor, providing them with clues about the Stone Cicada and informing them of the Colorless Powder’s existence… as if he already knew the truth behind the Sword Child case.

How could the White-faced Guest orchestrate every move with such precision?

And every case they investigated seemed to unfold exactly as he had anticipated?Yang Wujian's mind was in turmoil when he heard Shen Qingshi continue, "But the situation on Handkerchief Street is different. This is the first time we've completely broken free from their control and countered their move. We now know that Zui Xiang possesses inner strength that doesn't belong to her, meaning the White-faced Fox is likely the White-faced Guest. And everyone says the White-faced Fox emerged from the Meat Well. The next step is clear—if I want to understand their connection, I must descend into the well."

From beginning to end, Shen Qingshi's voice remained utterly calm, as if discussing someone else's affairs.

Had he not witnessed the brand on her body himself, Zhou Huai would never have imagined the bloody vendetta between her and the White-faced Guest.

"So, can I go down now?"

Shen Qingshi turned to look at them, holding the other end of the rope—her intention was unmistakable.

She said, "If you don't want me to fall... hold the rope tight."

One incense stick later, with Yang Wujian and Zhou Huai pulling the rope, Shen Qingshi gradually descended into the Meat Well.

This was her third time entering the Meat Well. Shen Qingshi was even growing accustomed to the rising sense of suffocation. She carefully adjusted her breathing, focusing her attention on the stone walls within sight to prevent the discomfort from worsening.

Initially, Shen Qingshi had assumed the Meat Well was a straight vertical shaft. However, after descending dozens of meters, she unexpectedly discovered a relatively flat rock surface beneath her feet—a platform seemingly designed for resting.

After all, these mine shafts were dug by human hands.

Shen Qingshi traced the man-made chisel marks thoughtfully. People from the Northern Xiang era must have descended here too. But if they couldn't venture deeper, were the caverns below naturally formed?

The so-called Underground Heaven must refer to the hollow spaces hidden beneath the earth.

But how did those surface dwellers know such places existed underground?

"Miss Shen, are you alright!"

Zhou Huai's shout echoed from outside the cave. Already struggling for breath, Shen Qingshi didn't dare take risks and simply tugged the rope twice to signal she was fine.

This was already the third time.

As Shen Qingshi carefully assessed her physical discomfort, she suddenly realized this sensation mirrored what she'd experienced since childhood after eating hot food or taking hot baths—first palpitations, then breathlessness, as if something inside her had suddenly awakened, fighting for her flesh and organs.

Was it something deep within the Meat Well calling to her?

Shen Qingshi recalled what she'd seen during her last descent into the Meat Well's depths—under torchlight, the stone walls seemed to come alive, the Meat Well transforming into a massive living creature.

What exactly was it?

The suffocation was already darkening her vision. Not daring to descend further recklessly, Shen Qingshi lay prone on the stone platform, stretching her arm to shine the torch downward.

Deep within the Meat Well, the previously rough stone walls had somehow become mirror-smooth like polished bronze. Under the torchlight, faint spots of light gradually emerged on the bronze surface, as if something within was slowly awakening...

A violent wave of suffocation surged through her. Shen Qingshi jerked her hand back.

Gasping for air, she suddenly understood.Beneath the Meat Well lay a massive ore deposit, filled with a molten, lead-like mineral. Once illuminated by fire, it would refract countless specks of light, making the entire stone wall appear as if covered in millions of eyes.

She had previously asked Cao Zhao about it, and he said that according to palace records, the Underground Heaven originated from a celestial disaster during the final years of Crimson Gold. Legend has it that in that year, Meteor Stars fell from the sky, and heavenly fires raged everywhere. The people of the Northern Desert consulted the gods and spirits within the Underground Heaven, not only learning of Crimson Gold's impending downfall but also comprehending a technique that rendered Northern Desert death warriors immortal and indestructible, thus enabling them to overthrow Crimson Gold and establish Northern Xiang.

In other words, the Underground Heaven—the gods and spirits worshipped by the Northern Desert people—was hidden within these ores.

And it was this very thing that made her feel suffocated and caused ordinary people to fall into an inescapable Inner Demon.

What exactly had Guanri done to her?

Was it because of her so-called Pure Yin Body that she could descend into this Meat Well, unlike ordinary people?

Just as Shen Qingshi was inwardly alarmed, she instinctively took a step back but unexpectedly bumped into something in the darkness.

"You knew all along that she was Miss Shen?"

The Meat Well had temporarily fallen silent. Zhou Huai looked at Yang Wujian, whose face was full of worry and whose eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the cave entrance. Many things from before now seemed to make sense.

He felt a pang of bitterness in his heart, but helplessly aware that his experience in the martial world was indeed inferior to theirs, he could only mutter under his breath, "It seems I need to interact more with young ladies in the future..."

"Shen Qingshi's situation is unique. It's normal that you couldn't tell. I only discovered it by accident."

Yang Wujian could easily detect the young master's discomfort and said with amusement, "She may have changed from male to female, but she hasn't become a different person. Besides, you know her temperament and her martial skills. In the end, what difference does it make whether she's Young Master Shen or Miss Shen?"

"But..."

"Young master, when wandering the martial world, the most important thing is to recognize a person's actions. Their origin, reputation, martial arts, appearance, even gender—none of these matter to you. What truly matters is the choices this person has made for you. Once you understand that, you won't let yourself regret."

Yang Wujian said calmly, "Take your father, for example. He may not have been a good person, and to me, he was even an enemy. But until the very end, he wanted to protect you. That is the part that matters to you. Life is short, and you never know when you might close your eyes and not wake up again. There's no need to torment yourself over other trivial matters."

Zhou Huai was taken aback, faintly sensing deeper implications in Yang Wujian's words. But before he could fully grasp the meaning, the rope tied around their waists suddenly tightened. Clearly, someone on the other end was pulling fiercely, signaling them to haul her up.

"Miss Shen is in danger!"

By now, Zhou Huai understood the extreme peril within the well. Without another word, he and Yang Wujian pulled hard on the other end of the rope. Fortunately, though Shen Qingshi was tall and slender, she was exceptionally light for a woman. The two quickly pulled her up.

"Shen..."

Just as Yang Wujian stepped forward to check on her, he was startled to find that Shen Qingshi had not come up alone—she was carrying something on her back.Under the bright daylight, Zhou Huai broke out in a cold sweat from the fright. Fortunately, he now knew that his Evil Sickness was not some ghostly possession at all, and as long as he quickly steadied his mind, he would not lose his senses.

"What is that thing?"

Yang Wujian stepped forward to look and found that what Shen Qingshi had carried up was a dehydrated, desiccated man, just like those who had previously died in the Hero's Tomb. As long as the corpse was placed in the Meat Well, it would eventually turn into a pale, shriveled mummy. If left undisturbed, it would not decay for decades.

Shen Qingshi's sense of suffocation had not yet fully faded. Even after reaching the surface, she still felt dizzy and had to lean on Zhou Huai to barely stand. Weakly, she said, "There's a platform down below, not yet deep into the mine. It might have been a resting place for those who once excavated this mine. There was a corpse on it. I couldn't hold on much longer down there, so I had to bring it up."

As long as she stayed away from the Meat Well, the pulling sensation inside her would quickly subside, as if something had returned to slumber.

However, Shen Qingshi had no mind to dwell on these details now. After all, while she was down in the well, she had already seen a jade pendant on the corpse. Although she recognized the style of the pendant, she could hardly believe she would see it in such a place.

Now that the corpse had been brought up, Yang Wujian searched it thoroughly but only found that jade pendant.

"This jade is no ordinary folk piece."

Zhou Huai, having seen a thing or two in his life, immediately recognized that this soft jade was as white as congealed fat. It was not adorned with gold or silver, indicating its exceptional quality—so fine that even gold and silver would pale in comparison.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yang Wujian noticed Shen Qingshi staring unblinkingly at the jade and realized she might recognize it. He asked, "This person..."

"This jade is from the palace. I once heard that the youngest son of Hu Lian, the current Minister of Works, Hu Rui, has been missing for years. Hu Rui practiced martial arts from a young age, and his most distinctive feature is that he lost a little toe on his left foot from a fall off a horse in his childhood. Also, he has worn a mutton-fat white jade pendant bestowed by the palace since he was a child."

Shen Qingshi took a deep breath, reached out, and removed the dried corpse's boot. There, on the shriveled left foot, clearly missing one toe.

She never would have thought that Hu Lian's son, whom Cao Zhao had been investigating not long ago, had ultimately died in the Meat Well outside Yongyi County.