Chapter 88: Replication
The road up the mountain was heavily guarded to the point that a guard post was stationed at every ten steps. Many Valiant Saber Guards could be seen standing near the gate of the Heavenly Sword Villa. After seeing Commander Jue and Fang Chen, they hurriedly bowed.
“Divine General Fang, there hasn't been a massacre like this in the Southern Immortal Prefecture for many years. As this incident is extremely heinous, I’ve ordered this place to be sealed off,” Jue Panshi said, his voice hushed.
Fang Chen nodded in approval. “Well done.” Then, he looked over at Abbess Qing He, whose face had turned pallid at some point, with beads of sweat trickling down her forehead.
“Is there...a big commotion inside?” Fang Chen asked softly.
When Jue Panshi heard that, he thought Fang Chen was talking to him, leaving him quite confused. What commotion could there be inside when there were only heaps of shriveled corpses...?
Abbess Qing He nodded in response. “Yes.”
“Let's take a look,” Fang Chen said and led the way into the Heavenly Sword Villa.
Unlike Fang Chen, Huangfu Jie had been here many times before, so the tragic scene was not unfamiliar to him. However, no matter how many times he had seen it, he couldn’t help but still have fear overtake him, and his face quickly paled at the sight.
What greeted them when they entered was heaps of dry corpses lying around. The corpses had been lying in the same positions and spots they had been in after being killed. They had not been shifted since.
The expressions on their faces were grim and contorted, and their bodies were distorted. Even Yuan Zhuang and his men, who were not easily unsettled by such sights of bloodshed, found themselves aghast at the scene; their faces turned pallid, their pupils constricted, and their hands tremored.
They were however considered steel-hearted compared to Yuan Yu and the rest of the constables, who immediately whipped their heads away from the sight. Some even turned away, hands on their knees, and started retching.
Dry corpses were littered everywhere, countless. There was one of the dead bodies that especially attracted the attention of everyone; it was a woman. She had two figures held in her arms. The smaller one was swaddled to her bosom. The other one, a bit older, was about seven or eight. All of them had turned into shriveled, dry corpses. Next to the woman was the body of a man. His person was covered in a multitude of torturous wounds.
“It’s her... She’s the wife of the young master of the Heavenly Sword Villa. The one beside her should be Qian Xuejun, her husband. These two children in her arms must be theirs,” Huangfu Jie said softly. “Brother Xuejun’s cultivation was at the early Qi Manipulation Stage. He would have definitely taken his wife and children and escaped if it weren’t for the fact that the enemy was too powerful.”
Even an early Qi Manipulation Stage was not spared from the mayhem. Yuan Zhuang and company couldn't help but shudder. What kind of person could commit such atrocities?
It was then that they recalled that just recently a similar occurrence was spotted in the capital city. The corpses that were found in the well inside the Hall of Compassion were in the same hideous state... could they be related?
With that thought in mind, everyone turned to look at Fang Chen. They knew that the case which everyone thought was solved by You Longchang was in fact solved by Fang Chen. Otherwise, Qin Dong, the Deputy Minister of Rites, would still be at large!
Meanwhile, Abbess Qing He was turning paler by the second. The souls around her were wailing in agony, as if they were still being tortured.
“Don't be afraid, baby. Mother and Father are here with you. Sleep, and when you wake up, it’ll be better,” the once beautiful woman softly comforted the shriveled child in her arms. She repeated those same words over and over.
When Abbess Qing He saw that, she revealed a hint of sympathy, then began chanting Buddhist scriptures softly. As the sound of her chanting echoed, streaks of faint golden light fell on the souls, bathing them in peace and tranquility and stripping away their agonized, grim expressions.
“Did Divine General Fang specifically bring her here to help them on their way to the afterlife?” Jue Panshi muttered to himself.
“Abbess Qing He, ask them about the appearance of the culprit,” Fang Chen said softly.
Abbess Qing He paused her chanting and walked up to the woman’s body. She then crouched down beside her.
Seeing that, everyone exchanged glances.
Even Fairy Yu was puzzled by what was happening.
Jue Panshi couldn’t help but stare at Abbess Qing, then at Fang Chen. He suddenly felt that Divine General Fang was indeed very unpredictable.
It was then that Fang Chen looked at Jue Panshi and asked, “Do you have a replication expert among your men?”
Pan Jueshi was dazed momentarily, but before he had the chance to answer, Yuan Zhuang beat him to the punch. “Official Chen is an expert in that regard, Divine General Fang, ”
“Prepare the ink and paper,” Fang Chen said calmly.
After a while, Official Chen crouched beside Abbess Qing He and began sketching based on the description she provided, occasionally nodding his head. Before long, a portrait came to life.
Fang Chen took the portrait and handed it to Chen Da. “Take a look and see if you recall anything."
Chen Da received the portrait and scrutinized it for a moment before replying hesitantly, “I’m not so sure. I was too far away then, but the person in this portrait does resemble the culprit somewhat.”
It was only then that Pan Jueshi realized that Chen Da was an eyewitness.
He had searched for days but could not find any clues, but Fang Chen, who had just arrived at Southern Immortal Prefecture, managed to find an eyewitness so quickly!
With a light nod, Fang Chen took the portrait back without showing it to the others.
Abbess Qing He then resumed her chanting, helping the wandering souls to ascend.
Fang Chen stared at the woman and her two children for a moment, then his words suddenly cut into the silence. “We’ve fought for so many years to defend ourselves from the threat of external forces. Those who went to war were in their prime of their youth. They were the pillars of their families. They went to war so that their wives, children, and elderly mothers back at home could live a life filled with peace. All of them had died for a cause,” he mused. “When I led the army, there were one hundred and seven soldiers from the Heavenly Sword Villa, and all of them died at Three World Mountain. But now, their loved ones had been brutally killed. Tell me; were their sacrifices worth it?”
Hearing his words, everyone found themselves tongue-tied. Many of them clenched their fists, hard. There was a glint of resentment that flashed in their eyes.
“Divine General Fang, may I see the portrait? I will do my best to find the culprit and bring justice to Heavenly Sword Sect Villa!” Pan Jueshi said in determination.
Abbess Qing was the one to answer him. “Neither you nor your Valiant Saber Guards are a match for this person. Among us, only my lord can handle him," she said, standing up.
Everyone was surprised. Only Fang Chen could handle him? Was the culprit a Qi Core martial artist?
Pan Jueshi was flabbergasted. If the culprit was a Qi Core martial artist, they were truly unable to intervene. Still...A Qi Core martial artist was not unkillable, right? As long as they attacked him together, they surely had a chance of killing him.
“Has everyone departed?” Fang Chen asked Abbess Qing He.
She nodded slightly.
It was then that a sudden stream of spiritual energy flowed into her, and it wasn’t long before her third immortal vein was condensed.
Third stage of the Qi Refining Realm!
Only cultivators could sense spiritual energy, so the others did not notice her breakthrough.
Abbess Qing He didn’t get overly excited about her breakthrough, and her face didn’t falter much. She only muttered, “Now, I finally understand why my master said that the higher our cultivation becomes, the more indifferent our state of mind will be.”
Fang Chen pondered for a moment over her words, then turned to Pan Jueshi and ordered, “You may bury the corpses here now.”
Pan Jueshi was slightly started. “But Divine General Fang, the culprit has not been captured yet.”
“Even if we capture him, there won't be a judge or trial. I will personally send him off, so we don't need to keep these corpses as evidence," Fang Chen said calmly.
“I understand,” with a solemn expression, Pan Jueshi immediately commanded his subordinates to start collecting the corpses.
“Prepare a few guest rooms. I will stay here for the night,” Fang Chen instructed.
Everyone’s hearts dropped. He would be staying here for the night?
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