"Junior Brother Lou, what are you afraid of?" Yan Zechen entered Lou Yi's simple cave and spoke more and more unscrupulously, "Do you know who the real murderer who killed my Junior Brother Wang is?"

"Is it Bi Yaoyao, or You Qingyi?" Yan Zechen's voice was low and full of temptation, "As long as you say it out, my master will not only guarantee your safety, but also let you choose any top-grade magical artifacts and breaking realm elixirs you want.

Although the people behind them are not ordinary, the Corpse-Driving Sect values the sect's laws; fellow disciples must not kill each other without consequence, no one can cover the sky with one hand."

Yan Zechen did not actually suspect Lou Yi as the true murderer.

After all, his cultivation at the Qi Cultivation Third Level was too deceptively low.

On the contrary, he turned his suspicion towards Bi Yaoyao and You Qingyi.

"Senior Brother Yan, don't make wild guesses; I truly don't know." Lou Yi flatly denied.

"Then why are you unwilling to go to my master's abode to clear your name, Junior Brother Lou?"

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink; I'm just that stubborn ox." Lou Yi started spouting nonsense, uttering what seemed to be philosophical words.

"Is it Bi Yaoyao?" Yan Zechen stared fixedly at Lou Yi, "Otherwise, why would Elder Bi want you to report to him before going to my master's abode?

Isn't it to cover for his daughter?"

Yan Zechen gazed unblinkingly at Lou Yi, trying to detect any changes in his expression.

Unfortunately, Lou Yi's muscle control had reached the transformation realm.

Even a late-stage Qi cultivator, or a Foundation Establishment great cultivator facing him, wouldn't be able to see any change.

"Senior Brother Yan, you'd better go back early.

Cultivation is the biggest matter; don't waste your time on such useless tasks." Lou Yi began advising Yan Zechen in reverse, making him somewhat at a loss.

"This guy..." Yan Zechen was angry in his heart, yet couldn't do anything about Lou Yi, repeatedly suppressing his spiritual power after it surged several times.

No one dared to make a move within the sect.

The Corpse-Driving Sect's grounds were full of arrays and deeply embedded traces passed down for thousands to tens of thousands of years; just about any elder could easily trace the origin back.

After Yan Zechen left.

Lou Yi went to notify Bi Yaoyao, advising her not to leave the area for the time being.

Although she had Elder Bi as a backing, he feared Elder Wang might disregard the cost, finding it unnecessary to take risks.

The following days went by peacefully.

Lou Yi thought he'd have a few tranquil days.

Unexpectedly, upon returning from Zone Wujiu's fields one day, he saw a short and plump figure in a black robe, standing quietly by his cave's entrance.

Elder Wang had personally come looking for him!

"I have no hope of forming a core in this life, placing all hopes on my grandson Wang Wenbai.

His heart is determined, his talent top-grade, and it was almost certain he would surpass me in the future... but he's dead." Elder Wang suddenly turned around, with blood-red eyes, unleashing an overwhelming aura towards Lou Yi,

"Lou Yi, I hope you act wisely. Some people can only protect you for a time, but they can't protect you for..."

Elder Wang's words abruptly stopped, unable to continue.

Opposite him, Lou Yi was holding an image-recording stone that looked like a black crystal, filming him.

"Elder, what do you want to say?" Lou Yi asked puzzled.

Elder Wang could sense Elder Bi's aura on that image-recording stone.

With a cold snort, a banana-leaf-shaped magical artifact appeared beneath his feet, disappearing with a 'whoosh'.

'That old man, truly shameless.' Lou Yi cursed in his heart, realizing that he had utterly offended Elder Wang this time.

Even without the affair regarding Wang Wenbai, the other party would likely not let him go in the future.

Yet, after returning to his abode, Elder Wang suddenly remembered something.

'Something's not right. Under my pressure, how could he pull out an image-recording stone? Even a typical true inheritance disciple might not be able to do that.' Elder Wang's expression darkened, realizing he might have underestimated this outer disciple.

A sinister light shone in his eyes, as he suddenly patted a pouch on his waist, releasing a black shadow with a 'caw caw caw'.

By now, it was deep night. The bright moon hung above, with stars scattered across the sky like tiny, shining jewels embedded in the vast night sky.

Disciple Peak was shrouded in gray miasma. Every sect member had returned to their caves to rest, with arrays at the entrance blocking the miasma.

Yet at the most open spot atop the mountain sat a gray-robed youth cross-legged.

His skin had turned a coppery silver, and the moonlight on his body seemed to flow like water, as if being continuously absorbed.

Suddenly, the youth stopped, making the bodily phenomena disappear.

He turned his head toward a large tree dozens of yards away.

On its branch, somehow, sat a crow, about a foot long, with feathers as black as pitch and eyes a bloody red, gleaming with a cruel and cunning light.

'What is that?'

Lou Yi extended his right hand, his fingers poised to unleash Body-Breaking True Strength and shoot it dead.

Yet suddenly, a sense of impending disaster overwhelmed him, his scalp tingling, and his heart skipped a beat.

'Scree!'

In his mind, a hawk screeched urgently, warning Lou Yi not to act rashly.

'Elder Wang's spirit pet?' Lou Yi squinted his eyes, lowering his right hand without attacking.

The power of his True Strength rivaled the top-tier Qi cultivation magic, even stronger, surpassing common logic.

If he unleashed it, it would almost certainly lead to exposure.

Seeing the crow staring fixedly at him.

Lou Yi shifted positions, moving to a spot with slightly less 'light' than before, intending to continue cultivating the Celestial Star Body-Tempering Technique.

Yet the crow flew over again to monitor, leaving Lou Yi wary of cultivating freely.

After all, he didn't know if Elder Wang on the other side of the crow could discern that he was cultivating a body refinement method.

Thinking about this, to be safe, Lou Yi returned to his cave.

Every cave at Disciple Peak had an array outside.

This time the crow dared not rush in, otherwise Lou Yi could fully justifiably kill it.

Yet after resting for a night, when he emerged the next day, his expression sank.

As it turned out, the crow was perched on a large tree not far from Lou Yi's cave.

Originally dozing off, it became instantly alert upon Lou Yi's entrance, its sinister blood-red eyes sticking to Lou Yi.

Lou Yi descended the mountain, and the crow flew down too.

Lou Yi went to Zone Wujiu's fields, and the crow flew along with him.

Lou Yi attended other elders' lectures, and the crow quietly watched from a distance.

The entire time, Lou Yi was completely under Elder Wang's surveillance, unable to act freely.

Days passed, unable to cultivate the Celestial Star Body-Tempering Technique or capture insects to gain energy, as his apparent cultivation couldn't handle the spiritual insects in the fields.

Lou Yi was increasingly anxious.

If this continues, he can't accumulate energy, and his strength would stall!

If his strength stagnates, once the year is up, he'll have to leave the sect on missions, putting him at a complete disadvantage against Elder Wang!

'That old fellow, so despicable!' Lou Yi cursed Elder Wang's shamelessness in his heart.

Yet he had no solutions.

After all, how could he prove the crow belonged to Elder Wang, and that it purposely followed him?

And if so, why shouldn't it follow you? Do you have any secrets you'd rather keep hidden?

'Endure.' Lou Yi sighed.

With insufficient power, he could only endure.

Thankfully, he was getting closer to breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage. Once he apprentices under someone, a turnaround might occur.

"Brother Lou, what have you been busy with lately?" A tall, lean, and handsome man came to Lou Yi's cave entrance, none other than the long-unseen Rong Xuejian.

"Busy avoiding trouble," Lou Yi transmitted his voice.

"Is it about that... matter?" Rong Xuejian evidently heard of it, aware of Lou Yi's current predicament, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"There is," Lou Yi's eyes lit up, thinking of a solution.

Moments later, 'Rong Xuejian' walked out of Lou Yi's cave entrance.

He casually looked in a certain direction, then swaggered towards Wendao Peak.

Meanwhile, the crow he glanced at seemed oblivious, its blood-red eyes fixated on Lou Yi's cave entrance.

'There's a way!'

Completely out of the crow's view, 'Rong Xuejian' wore an ambiguous smile on his lips.

...

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