In the middle of his sleep, a sudden knocking sound erupted from outside the door. No— to be precise, it was more like someone was pounding on it.

"Wake up! Get out here, now!"

Wen Jiu jolted awake, his heart tightening. But when he heard the same pounding on the doors of the neighboring rooms, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Before long, all the corpse buriers were gathered together. A dozen or so Night Patrol Division disciples questioned them one by one. Wen Jiu was among those questioned, but the questions were simple—

"Did you hear anything unusual last night?"

"Did you see any strangers?"

As for suspicions, none of them were under any. A group of corpse buriers who had just begun their cultivation wouldn't have been able to kill Fang Zheng and the other two, let alone take down a Qi Refining Stage disciple from the Night Patrol Division. Besides, based on the scene, the killer was either a vengeful spirit that had turned into a ghost cultivator or a ghost cultivator outright.

None of the corpse buriers fit that profile.

So, after a brief round of questioning, they were dismissed. However, after all that commotion, most people had lost any hope of going back to sleep. They gathered together, speculating about what exactly had happened.

Wen Jiu, on the other hand, went straight back to his room and fell asleep until morning.

It wasn't until his sister, Wen Ya, brought him breakfast that he finally got up.

As he ate, his mind wandered—

Just as he'd predicted, since the San Chuan Ghost Veil was a ghost technique, no one had even considered him a suspect.

The only one who might suspect him... was probably Li Ye.

Wen Ya looked at him with concern. "When I got here, I heard someone died in your area. And not just anyone— a Night Patrol Division disciple!"

"Don't worry, sis. Now that this happened, the Night Patrol Division will definitely tighten their patrols. Nothing else will happen." Wen Jiu reassured her.

He couldn't help but take another look at his sister.

Hah.

At some point, he'd truly come to see her as his real sister.

His first time killing someone was partly because of her. Maybe it was because they spent so much time together, or maybe because she had always treated him so well, giving him her whole heart without holding back.

Alone in a foreign place, having such a sister by his side… it wasn't bad at all.

—

When they arrived at the burial site, everyone was still discussing the night's events. And when they noticed Fang Zheng and the other two were missing, they were all certain— the three had been killed.

For once, Wang Nian showed up early. He looked happier about the situation than Wen Jiu himself, who was the one who had secretly dealt with them.

"Wen kid, you sure are lucky," Wang Nian said, grinning. "I went to buy meat today and just happened to come across a demon butcher selling non-ranked flower drake meat. That stuff is a major tonic—it strengthens the body and nourishes the mind!

"I got you thirty pounds of it. Come find me when you're done here… I might forget if I get too caught up in training."

Wen Jiu cupped his hands in gratitude. "Thank you, Brother Wang."

With Fang Zheng and the other two dead, Wen Jiu no longer had to keep up his act.

Wang Nian laughed again. "Now that those three are gone, no one's left to stand in your way… Who else could compete with you now?"

Wen Jiu smiled and nodded but didn't reply.

Because Wang Nian's words reminded him—

No one left to compete with him.

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That was both a good thing and a bad thing.

Would Li Ye let him have his way? Probably not.

Sure enough, the people who used to cluster around Fang Zheng now started gravitating toward Wen Jiu, following the flow of power.

Some of them even stepped up, eager to call him "Big Brother," but Wen Jiu ignored them. He simply grabbed his cart and made his way toward the corpse disposal site. Some tried to help him, but Wang Nian barked at them, sending them scattering in fear.

After entering the disposal site, Wen Jiu didn't start moving bodies right away. Instead, he sought out the black ghoul buried in the area and led it to hunt for wandering spirits.

Last night, when he had been lying awake, a thought had crossed his mind—

His ghost technique had come from the black ghoul devouring an evil spirit that had become a ghost cultivator.

So what if it devoured more?

Could he obtain more ghost techniques that way?

Would the techniques be compatible?

Ghost arts.

Corpse arts.

The two are fundamentally incompatible in terms of rules.

Fusion or compatibility is practically impossible to some extent, which is precisely why no one had come looking for him.

If he could obtain more ghost arts and let the black ghoul cultivate, as long as he didn't expose the ghost arts on the black ghoul, no one would ever suspect anything.

Using the black ghoul to kill, he could retreat without leaving a trace.

No one would ever link it back to him.

Mixing in with a sect was different from being a rogue cultivator. A rogue cultivator was like a rootless weed—if they killed someone and got into trouble, they could always just run.

But in a sect? Running wasn't an option. Once you ran, you might as well be a rogue cultivator.

That was why the black ghoul's ghost arts were crucial.

With anticipation, Wen Jiu began searching for wandering spirits in the Land of Broken Corpses. He searched for one to two hours but found nothing. Just as he reached a small valley, he suddenly heard ghostly wails and wolf howls, and a cold wind swept around him.

If it had been an ordinary person, they would have been scared out of their wits.

But Wen Jiu was overjoyed.

He charged in with the black ghoul without hesitation, fearing that if he was even a step too slow, the wandering spirits would escape.

Sure enough—

The moment Wen Jiu rushed in, the wails stopped, and the eerie wind dissipated.

A ghostly figure suddenly emerged from the forest and fled toward the depths of the valley. The black ghoul immediately leaped forward, trailing a thick corpse aura as it chased after the spirit. Within moments, it caught up to the wandering spirit.

However, today's wandering spirit was nowhere near as powerful as the old cultivator from last time.

At most, it was equivalent to a first-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.

After the black ghoul devoured it in one bite, it found it tasteless and immediately started searching the valley frantically.

Yet—

There was nothing else.

As dusk approached, Wen Jiu reburied the black ghoul and reluctantly left the Land of Broken Corpses.

But the moment he stepped out—

He saw a group of Night Patrol Division members gathered outside, interrogating people one by one.

With a single glance, Wen Jiu spotted Li Ye.

Li Ye also saw him immediately, his cold eyes locking onto Wen Jiu as he ordered a nearby Night Patrol disciple, "Bring him over."

"Senior, what's going on?"

Wen Jiu walked forward, feigning confusion.

If Li Ye had solid evidence, he wouldn't be met with just cold glares—he would already be facing a blade.

So Wen Jiu remained unfazed.

As he stepped closer, Li Ye turned to the two Night Patrol officers beside him and said, "Everyone, this is Wen Jiu, the one who practices unorthodox cultivation and has a known grudge against Fang Zheng and his group."

The implication was obvious.

He was trying to pin the blame on Wen Jiu.

Feigning panic, Wen Jiu exclaimed, "Senior, it's true that I don't get along with Fang Zheng and the others, but even if you gave me ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare to kill them! Besides, although I've reached the first stage of Qi Refinement, I have yet to learn any spells."

"Then why did the murderer target only Fang Zheng's group, kill them, and flee? How do you explain that? And with them dead, you, as an unorthodox cultivator, are the most likely candidate to be chosen as an apprentice, making you the biggest beneficiary! If it wasn't you, then who else could it be?!" Li Ye's icy gaze bore down on Wen Jiu, exuding a murderous aura in an attempt to break his composure.

Wen Jiu sneered inwardly.

Trying to shake me?

Hoping I'll slip up?

Not a chance.

"Senior, I may practice unorthodox methods, but before my parents sacrificed themselves for the Side Peak, they always taught me… fellow disciples are brothers, and brothers are family…" Wen Jiu said with a trembling voice, casting a fearful look at the other two Night Patrol officers.

Just as Li Ye, enraged, was about to press further, Wang Nian suddenly interrupted, his tone sharp, "Li Daoyou, I suggest you not go too far. The one who killed Fang Zheng's group and our fellow Night Patrol disciple was either a ghostly cultivator or a wandering spirit. Wen Jiu practices the Yin Province Corpse Nurturing Art—what he cultivates are ghouls. Besides, if Wen Jiu could reach Qi Refinement stage one in a month, then in a year, he could very well reach stage two. Even if it's an unorthodox path, with that kind of talent, he would naturally be considered for apprenticeship. There's no need for him to kill those three useless schemers who only knew how to play dirty tricks."

The moment he said that—

Li Ye's face twisted in fury, and his gaze snapped toward Wang Nian. But before he could lash out, the two Night Patrol officers beside him spoke up.

"Li Daoyou, we understand your urgency in finding the killer, but if you're using this as an excuse for personal revenge, don't blame us for reporting it truthfully to the supervisor."

"That saying wasn't wrong—fellow disciples are brothers, and brothers are family. Li Daoyou, enough is enough."

With that, the two officers prepared to leave with their subordinates.

As for further questioning, they had lost interest.

They simply felt that staying here any longer was a waste of time.

Left with no choice, Li Ye could only swallow his anger. But before he left, he shot Wen Jiu a murderous glare.

It was clear—

He wasn't going to let Wen Jiu off.

Wen Jiu met his gaze head-on.

A silent decision formed in his heart.

Li Ye.

You have to die.