Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

Shen Yu froze upon seeing this.

A few days ago, he came here and clearly saw an unidentified skeleton buried under the mound. Now the mound is small, and even the soil has been turned over again, so the skeleton has disappeared without a trace.

Who could have quietly moved the body away from Kunning Palace under the watchful eyes of dozens of guards and maids?

Shen Yu continued to dig into the soil. The newly piled soil was fresh and had none of the previous rotten smell. But the deeper he went, the darker and drier the soil became, and the smell of decaying corpses buried inside gradually became apparent.

Shen Yu looked around. The surrounding vegetation was lush, and the shadows overlapped in the woods. At the entrance to the backyard, a thin layer of pebbles covered the ground. Shen Yu remembered that there was a dark red pebble on it that had been loosened, and it was still there, unchanged.

Shen Yu frowned slowly... Or perhaps the body wasn't taken away, but hidden in another place?

Dragging a corpse away from Kunning Palace in front of everyone was far too risky. Furthermore, the strong stench of decomposition would make it easier for others to spot the body during the journey.

The body might still be in the backyard.

It's just been moved to a different place.

Shen Yu seemed lost in thought. Unbeknownst to him, he had already turned over the soil below, creating a rather deep hole. When his arm encountered resistance, he looked down and saw a small patch of blue rag peeking out from the black soil.

The rag was covered in dirt, with black and red stains that obscured even the most obvious blue pattern.

Shen Yu forcefully pulled out the tattered cloth and stared intently at the blue fabric. The rag appeared to have been torn from someone's sleeve; the pattern on the cuff was still there, with circles of auspicious cloud totems sewn together with fine thread.

"I, a disciple of Yuanshan, am widely protected by the heavens. As you journey here, I will ask the wind to carry you. Remember... never forget your roots."

Shen Yu felt a sharp pain in his head for a moment. He didn't know where the sound came from, and he frowned, suppressing all his resentment.

I am a disciple of Yuanshan...

Shen Yu stuffed the rag into his pocket, restored the mound to its original state, stood up, and slowly scanned the area around the mound.

The soil on the mound had all been turned over and replaced with fresh soil; the body was no longer there. However, there were traces left around the mound. Shen Yu took a few steps inside and saw a small pile of brownish soil lying in the bushes nearby.

These soil particles would appear in a hidden spot every four or five meters or so. Shen Yu followed these subtle traces and gradually walked deeper into the woods.

The giant python and scorpion scurried into the bushes when they smelled Shen Yu's scent. Shen Yu looked around and found an old, abandoned well at the very end of the forest.

To the north of the abandoned well, there is a pile of black soil, and the closer you get to that spot, the stronger the stench becomes.

Shen Yu arrived at the well and looked down, seeing the murky black water inside. The well had been abandoned for an unknown period; the stone bricks around the wellhead were cracked, and some edges were even broken, with large gaps missing.

Shen Yu saw his reflection on the surface of the black water. He continued to look down and suddenly heard the sound of wind behind him.

The person who had been quietly approaching from behind suddenly reached out and shoved Shen Yu in the back. Shen Yu had already sensed it, so he quickly dodged to the side and caught the dagger that the person was thrusting at him.

"...Qingyu?"

A thin veil covered her jade-like face. When she saw that Shen Yu recognized her, a cold glint flashed in her eyes, and she stabbed Shen Yu again.

Shen Yu's skill was still superior to Qing Yu's, so he didn't retreat any further. He used the trees behind him for cover and turned to the side. After Qing Yu missed with her knife, she tried to continue, but Shen Yu grabbed the back of her neck, bent his arm, and pressed her against a tree branch with one hand.

"Qingyu, did you kill that person?" Shen Yu asked.

The white veil covering Qingyu's face had long since fallen off, and her cheeks were stinging from the rough surface of the tree branches. Upon hearing this, she sneered, "Cuihua, you're not someone His Majesty sent, are you? You don't know our rules, and now you don't even know about burying corpses? Who exactly are you!"

Shen Yu frowned: "Bury the body?"

“Yes… burying corpses.” Qingyu’s lips curled into a deeper sarcasm. As if she had guessed something, she said, “Weren’t we the ones who buried those dead people from Chengyuan Mountain? Cuihua, you’re actually from Chengyuan Mountain too, right? That’s why Her Majesty the Empress was willing to be close to you and let you stay by her side in my place!”

“I’m really not from that mountain you’re talking about.” Shen Yu pressed down on the back of her neck, not letting go. He inexplicably detected resentment in Qingyu’s tone and raised an eyebrow, “You want me dead, not because of my identity, right?”

Qingyu's face was pale, and she remained silent, her body stiff.

"Why? Did I take your place and stay in the inner palace in your place?" Shen Yu pondered for a long time, paused, and continued, "Or is it because of... Her Majesty the Empress?"

"This has nothing to do with you!" Qingyu struggled to resist, her eyes flickering, her voice trembling, "I only pity him..."

Shen Yu's eyes darkened slightly. He pressed his hand firmly against the tree trunk without any mercy.

"That's a bit vulgar, don't let me hear it." Shen Yu dislocated her jaw. He felt inexplicably gloomy and knocked Qingyu unconscious before throwing her to the ground.

Wen Yu was imprisoned in Kunning Palace. Whenever the Yue Emperor needed him, he had to "voluntarily" cut his wrists to donate blood in order to survive. Qingyu witnessed all of this. She volunteered to become the Yue Emperor's spy and even handed Li Yongquan a knife... She must have played a significant role in all of this.

She pities him?

Why should she pity him?

His suffering stemmed from everyone around him.

No one... has the right to pity him.

Shen Yu frowned and wiped his hands. He picked up the dagger that had fallen to the ground and walked back toward the abandoned well.

The corpses of disciples on Chengyuan Mountain... Shen Yu instinctively felt that the name Chengyuan Mountain sounded familiar. He approached the well and unconsciously gripped the tattered cloth in his sleeve.

"Shh-"

Another loud whistling sound suddenly rang out. Shen Yu reacted quickly, gripping the medicine bottle he was using to expel the poison and throwing it behind him.

The blade pierced through the medicine bottle, scattering fine white powder into the air. A foul odor swept up the air, making people dizzy.

Shen Yu had already held his breath. Taking advantage of the moment when the person behind him paused slightly, he suddenly turned around and plunged the dagger into the man's chest through the layer of white powder. The dagger was positioned perfectly, with the entire tip disappearing into his heart.

The bodyguard wearing a pure black mask stopped abruptly. Even though he was injured, he did not let go and held onto Shen Yu's wrists tightly with both hands.

Shen Yu was forced to take two steps back. He stepped on the pebbles at the wellhead and kicked the guard aside.

The secret guards trained by the Yue Emperor have reached the level of death squads, obeying orders to carry out strangulation and never giving up until death.