Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 56 Mass Grave
Liu Huang ignored him and followed closely beside Zhou Zhao, carrying his broadsword.

Seeing this, Ye Bai frowned unhappily and repeated heavily, "The hall master only invited Miss Zhou."

Liu Huang didn't move at all, standing there like a wooden stake used to hang a straw hat.

Ye Bai was furious and glared at Liu Huang, but he couldn't find Liu Huang's eyes at all... It was like staring at a blind man!

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming tense, Zhou Zhao's eyes flickered and he said, "Uncle Bai, why don't you let my brother come along? His martial arts are no less than mine. If I hadn't shown the initiative today, Master might have chosen him at first glance."

Zhou Zhao stared intently at Ye Bai, and sure enough, he saw Ye Bai hesitate for a moment, look Liu Huang up and down, and then nod reluctantly.

Ye Bai was moved by her words. Was it because of her "good martial arts skills", or because her disciple's life was not long enough and she needed to prepare another one?
Regardless of which one it is, something big is bound to happen tonight.

The eyeliner-tattooed man secretly spying on Qin Tianying in the secret room, the "distinguished guest" beside the long table among thousands of coffins, and her, the most suitable person.

What exactly does Ye Xuan want to do?
Ye Bai walked exceptionally fast, his feet pounding on the bluestone pavement, making a thumping sound like drumming.

He carried a lantern and, without saying a word, led Zhou Zhao and Liu Huang straight into Ye Xuan's courtyard. Cheng Yuyuan had brought Zhou Zhao here during the day, and the small bronze cauldron that Ye Xuan used to practice his arm strength was still placed by the window, looking no different from before.

"Blindfold yourselves. I'm going to take you to see the sect leader."

Ye Bai stopped and turned around abruptly, throwing a black strip of cloth at Zhou Zhao and Liu Huang.

Zhou Zhao raised an eyebrow slightly and obediently covered her eyes.

She reached out her left hand and grabbed Liu Huang's wrist, then extended her right hand toward the direction where Ye Bai had been standing, saying, "Uncle Bai, lead me around."

Ye Bai stood in the opposite direction to confirm that Zhou Zhao was not faking it before walking back and placing Zhou Zhao's right hand on his arm.

The road seemed very long, with many twists and turns.

Zhou Zhao's ears twitched slightly. This was the fourth time she had heard the rhythmic, slight creaking sound. The window that Ye Xuan had left open during the day while he was lifting the cauldron would move slightly when the night wind blew. The window frame was obviously quite old and would emit a unique melody.

She smelled a faint fishy odor for the fifth time. Although it was masked by incense, Zhou Zhao was certain that someone had died in the house she was passing by not long ago.

Ye Bai led them in circles, and after five laps, a new path finally appeared.

This wasn't the bluestone slab outside anymore. Ye Bai's footsteps became crisper, indicating that there should be a secret room or cellar beneath her feet. Inside, there should be a jar with water lilies and swimming fish. She could smell the faint fragrance of flowers and the fish peeking out to breathe in the summer air.

They didn't encounter anyone along the way, only the sound of three people breathing.

Zhou Zhao was thinking when he suddenly felt that Ye Bai's shoulders had shortened a bit. They were going down the stairs...

She recalled the mechanism she had discovered in the Hall of Heroes, but she still hadn't heard a sound. It seemed that the mechanism was made by the same person.

Thinking this, she took a step forward, as if she hadn't realized that the ground in front of her wasn't flat. Suddenly, she lost her footing, slipped, and crashed forward. "Uncle Bai!"

Zhou Zhao looked panicked; she knew Ye Bai was observing her.

As expected, Ye Bai steadily reached out and supported her. "Stop and don't move, I'll help you."

Zhou Zhao nodded, still shaken, and reached out to grab at the air. Ye Bai suddenly grabbed her, lifted her up, and lightly leaped to the ground. Zhou Zhao sensed the direction of the wind and smelled the torches, confirming her guess once again.

Ye Xuan's residence also has an underground secret room similar to the Hall of Heroes, but it is unknown whether the two are connected.

Ye Bai led them through a winding passage before finally stopping them.

This time he didn't say anything, but suddenly grabbed the two of them by the arms, leaped up, and landed steadily on the ground.

Zhou Zhao subtly shifted his foot and bumped into a heavy piece of wood.

"You can remove the cloth strips now."

Zhou Zhao reached out and removed the strip of cloth, rubbing her eyes uncomfortably until they were red before opening them. Her pupils dilated, and a look of horror appeared on her face. As for Liu Huang, Zhou Zhao wasn't worried at all about anyone noticing anything amiss, because no one could see his expression. Zhou Zhao looked around, her heart filled with utter shock.

Although I had long suspected it, the world seen through the small hole was completely different from the shock I felt when I was deep inside thousands of coffins.

This place is practically a mass grave.

In the center of the coffin was a long table, and there were already quite a few people around it.

"Master," Zhou Zhao saw Ye Xuan sitting in the main seat. He looked righteous and was giving her a kind smile.

"This is my newly accepted disciple today, Zhou Zhao. And this other one..."

Ye Xuan's gaze fell on Liu Huang, his expression somewhat surprised. He looked at Ye Bai questioningly.

Ye Bai quickly stepped forward and whispered a few words in his ear.

Ye Xuan listened to his words and gave Liu Huang a deep look. "This is my disciple's elder brother. He is here to replace Li Shi."

Who is Li Shi? The image of the tattooed man flashed through Zhou Zhao's mind. Qianmian had said that the best martial artist by Ye Xuan's side was the tattooed man, who was Qin Tianying's informant.

If Ye Xuan's big plan tonight requires someone skilled in martial arts, was it originally intended to be the tattooed man, but since the tattooed man is currently being disposed of by Qianmian and Ye Bai couldn't find him, was it because she accidentally reminded him and found Liu Huang to replace him?

“Good disciple, this is Zhan Guang, the leader of the White Tiger Hall. As his name suggests, few people can dodge his strike.”

The leader of the White Tiger Hall was a man of about thirty years old. His skin was sallow, clearly indicating liver qi stagnation and illness. Strangely, however, he did not appear sickly; on the contrary, his blood and energy were surging, and every strand of his hair was full of vigor.

Behind him stood a little girl in red with a defiant expression.

"This is Feng Yao, the leader of the Azure Dragon Hall, and the one opposite him is Li He, the leader of the Vermilion Bird Hall."

The four halls correspond to the four city gates of Tianying City.

Zhou Zhao had been planning to take action against these other hall masters after becoming the head of the Xuanwu Hall, but he hadn't expected to encounter them so soon.

Feng Yao was an old woman with a full head of white hair. She didn't hold a cane, but like Ah Huang, she wielded a large golden-ringed saber. Behind Feng Yao stood two people, one of whom was a young man who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, with clear and bright eyes.

When Zhou Zhao looked at him, he revealed his cute little tiger teeth.

Beside him was a woman in her early twenties, with a rosy complexion and skin as smooth as jade; she was truly a beautiful woman.

Li He, with his pointed face and monkey-like features, looked extremely irritable. "Hall Master Ye, why waste so much time talking to her? We should get down to business, or we'll miss the appointed time."

Behind Li He stood a man in gray, dressed as a Confucian scholar, holding a scroll in his hand, looking somewhat out of place in this place.

Zhou Zhao ignored Li He's dissatisfaction, wearing a polite smile, and finally turned his gaze to the person behind Ye Xuan.

It was an unexpected acquaintance, Xu Qifang, the girl who had lived with her in Granny Zhang's courtyard and had gone to fight the fire together.

A hint of displeasure flashed in Ye Xuan's eyes, but he did not refuse Li He's request. His expression softened, and he said, "Qifang, tell them what you're going to do."

Zhou Zhao became increasingly wary.

Xu Qifang was completely unknown in Tiandou Village, an insignificant figure. At the time, she only thought that this girl was friendly with everyone she met, even treating the dogs on the roadside as her sisters, and that she was a simple-minded person.

Unexpectedly, she was Ye Xuan's confidante.

Cheng Yuyuan was clearly unaware of this as well.

So, when Xu Qifang ran over to get close to her, was it at that moment that Ye Xuan, the head of Xuanwu Hall, chose her?