Mortal Cultivation: Starting from Hiding in the Cultivation Techniques Pavilion

Undeterred, he reached out and touched Jiang Yang's neck and wrist, searching for any possible pulse.

There was nothing there.

Jiang Yang's eyes were half-open, devoid of any light.

There was a dried bloodstain at the corner of his mouth, extending from the corner of his lips all the way to his ear.

There was a hole in the shirt at the chest, with jagged edges, as if it had been pierced by a blunt object.

Beneath the hole, there was a fist-sized bruise on the skin, which had an unnatural bluish-black color.

That's the heart!

One fatal blow!

It definitely wasn't done by a black bear!

Although Jiang Yang was injured, he was still a cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining, and his physical fitness far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Let alone two ordinary black bears, even a first-tier demonic beast wouldn't be able to kill him without giving him any chance to fight back.

Su Xiaoyuan forced herself to calm down and began to carefully observe her surroundings.

The weeds on the ground showed signs of being trampled, with messy footprints of varying sizes, indicating that more than one person had been here.

Strangely, there were no obvious signs of a struggle at the scene.

This is clearly not the primary crime scene.

Jiang Yang was killed elsewhere and then dragged to this forest.

Su Xiaoyuan then carefully examined Jiang Yang's body.

Apart from the fatal fist mark on his chest, Jiang Yang had no other obvious external injuries. Although his clothes were somewhat disheveled, they were not torn or worn.

This shows that the battle ended very quickly, so quickly that Jiang Yang didn't even have a chance to fight back.

There are only two possibilities.

Either it was someone Jiang Yang knew who did it when he wasn't paying attention.

Either the other party's cultivation level is far higher than his, or he simply doesn't have time to react.

Almost instantly, a name flashed through Su Xiaoyuan's mind.

Zhao Rongcheng!

Zhao Rongcheng's departure yesterday was dishonorable; he must be holding a grudge!

They approached Jiang Yang for two reasons: first, he was an easy target; second, the place where Jiang Yang worked was the furthest from his residence, and it involved crossing a small mountain, making it the perfect place to strike!

They're making an example of someone to warn others! Sending a warning to everyone!

Su Xiaoyuan squatted beside Jiang Yang's body in silence for a long time.

He recalled that this morning in the cafeteria, Jiang Yang had eaten four vegetable buns in one go, and his complexion had improved considerably.

I remember last night Jiang Yang lying in bed saying that I was not reconciled.

He also recalled events from even further back in time, when Jiang Yang had joined the sect after him and was a very cheerful and optimistic young man when he first became a menial disciple...

Jiang Yang was usually his closest friend, and he kept encouraging him, saying that even if his spiritual root was damaged, he shouldn't be discouraged. He believed that as long as his Dao heart was firm, he would definitely be able to overcome the difficulties.

But now, Jiang Yang will never see that day come.

Su Xiaoyuan was also thinking of sharing the optimized basic Qi cultivation technique with him so that he could break through as soon as possible...

Su Xiaoyuan clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms.

In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person. Eleven years after transmigrating, he has always maintained a sense of detachment unique to transmigrators. He treats this world as a leveling-up game and the people around him as NPCs.

Treat every daily activity as a story mission.

But now, looking at Jiang Yang's cold corpse, he truly felt for the first time that this was not a game!

This is a real, cruel world where people die!

In this world, the lives of the weak are worthless in the eyes of some people.

Jiang Yang did nothing wrong; he was simply trying to protect what he deserved.

Then he died!

It was crushed to death like an ant.

Today, he received a long-lost warmth from his senior brother Zhang Yao, which made him think for a moment that the world was a beautiful place.

But now Jiang Yang's corpse was lying right in front of him, pulling him back to the cold reality!

This is still a world of cultivation where people are devoured without spitting out the bones!

Su Xiaoyuan was overwhelmed with grief and anger.

He suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, bent down and picked up Jiang Yang's body.

The body was stiff and very heavy.

Should we report this to the Enforcement Division?

The thought only flashed through his mind for a moment before he suppressed it.

it's useless.

The Enforcement Hall wouldn't make a big fuss over a low-ranking outer sect servant.

Jiang Yang was just a menial disciple at the second level of Qi Refining. In a place like the Nine Profound Sect, many low-level disciples died every year due to various accidents, which was commonplace for the Enforcement Hall.

Moreover, without any real evidence, what grounds does he have to accuse Zhao Rongcheng?

Based on those few messy footprints? Based on that bruise the size of a fist? Based on Zhao Rongcheng having a motive?

He wanted to first ensure that Jiang Yang was properly buried.

As for Zhao Rongcheng... he must pay for his crimes in blood!

He carried Jiang Yang's body back to the small courtyard where they lived.

The disciples who heard the commotion all came out, and when they saw the corpse he was holding, everyone's expression changed.

"Jiang Yang?!"

"What happened? Senior Brother Su, what's wrong with Jiang Yang?"

The exclamations attracted even more people.

The servants living in the courtyard all ran out of their houses and surrounded him.

A noisy discussion immediately erupted in the courtyard.

"Who did this?!"

"She was fine this morning, how could she...?"

"It must be that bastard Zhao Rongcheng!"

"That's right! That beast!"

The crowd was filled with righteous indignation. Some clenched their fists and turned to rush out, saying they wanted to go and fight Zhao Rongcheng to the death.

Su Xiaoyuan reached out and stopped the crowd.

"Don't go!"

His expression was calm: "What could you possibly do there? Could you even beat him? Would you just be throwing your lives away?"

Everyone fell silent.

They were certainly aware of the gap between themselves and Zhao Rongcheng.

Even setting aside the fact that Zhao Rongcheng is at the fifth level of Qi Refining, his followers alone couldn't defeat him.

Someone began to sob softly. As the saying goes, "When the rabbit dies, the fox grieves." Who knows if Jiang Yang today won't be someone else's tomorrow?

Su Xiaoyuan said in a deep voice, "Everyone, listen to my advice. Try not to go out alone these next few days, and be more careful when you do things. Zhao Rongcheng killed Jiang Yang to intimidate us, to frighten us, and to make us afraid to resist him anymore. If we rush out and fight him now, we will be playing right into his hands."

"Are we just going to let it go like this?" someone asked.

"Of course not!" Su Xiaoyuan said through gritted teeth, "The path of cultivation is all about who can endure longer and who has better luck! Zhao Rongcheng's cultivation won't always be stronger than ours! We must avenge Jiang Yang, but not now! What we need to do is protect ourselves for now and not give him any more opportunities."

The group exchanged glances, and finally nodded silently.

Someone arranged for a thin coffin, while another went to the back of the mountain to choose a sunny slope.

There was no grand ceremony, no mourning from teachers or elders; only a dozen or so servants silently dug the grave, buried the child, and filled it with soil.

Everything proceeded silently.

The next morning, Su Xiaoyuan arrived at the Cave Heaven Observatory of the Nine Mysteries Sect.

The mountain range under the jurisdiction of the Nine Mysteries Sect stretches for hundreds of miles, and there are many ready-made cultivation caves available for disciples to rent.

These cave dwellings are mostly converted from naturally formed karst caves or abandoned mine tunnels. They are equipped with simple spirit-gathering arrays and sealing arrays, providing a relatively quiet environment for secluded cultivation.

Of course, if someone doesn't mind the trouble, they can open up a new cave dwelling themselves, but that would require a lot of time and energy, and what Su Xiaoyuan lacks most right now is time.

The disciple in charge of the Cave Heaven Administration glanced at the register, then asked without looking up, "Which type do you want? A superior-grade cave dwelling with a spiritual spring costs one mid-grade spirit stone per day. A mid-grade cave dwelling has a small spirit-gathering array, costs five low-grade spirit stones per day. A low-grade cave dwelling has nothing at all, just a cave, costs one low-grade spirit stone every two days."

Su Xiaoyuan chose the cheapest one.

He paid a rental fee of five low-grade spirit stones, planning to continue in a few days depending on the situation.