Transmigration: The Peerless Immortal Husband - Chapter 86

“Stinky girl, obediently surrender!”

“No—”

As the mist dispersed, the campsite was left in chaos, with several bodies on the ground, mangled beyond recognition.

In the later hours of the night, figures shrouded in darkness were seen wandering around the area. Occasionally, sounds could be heard: “Did they really run away? So quickly? It seems we need to check who has left the academy in the past few days.”

It wasn’t until dawn that Chi Changye and Gu Yao revealed themselves in the branches of a large tree. Gu Yao’s expression was complicated as he looked down at the corpses below. Even though those people had spoken rudely to him and Chi Changye the day before, they had lost their lives in the blink of an eye, and this outcome was hard for him to accept.

“Does Xiao Yao blame me for not saving them?” Chi Changye asked quietly, though his eyes showed no emotion. This kind of scene hardly stirred any feelings in him. It was far less significant than Gu Yao’s thoughts.

Gu Yao shook his head and said, “I don’t blame you. You also said there were Foundation Establishment cultivators among them last night. It seems they were targeting Shi Yanyan and her group, and it’s very likely they were after the Shi City Merchant Association. Otherwise, the target wouldn’t have been so clear, and they wouldn’t have sent Foundation Establishment cultivators. If you had stepped in to save them, it would have only put you at risk. We should report this.”

They had stayed here for half the night, and Gu Yao had clearly noticed that several groups had come and gone, likely trying to catch the two of them as the last “loose ends.” Perhaps they hadn’t expected two Qi Refining cultivators like them to escape without a trace. Little did they know, they had been hiding in plain sight. The cultivator capable of controlling the Ghost Mist Worms was very suspicious.

This world was indeed far more dangerous and cruel than the interstellar world. Only one’s own strength was the foundation for survival in this world!

“Alright, let’s report it.” Chi Changye agreed.

A firework shot into the sky, bursting open. Gu Yao and Chi Changye left enough clues to alert others and quickly departed from the area. They couldn’t afford to expose their identities, as it was possible that these people had insiders within the academy.

The emergency signal drew the attention of many people within the academy. Not long after the figures of Gu Yao and Chi Changye disappeared, several beams of rainbow light shot through the air from afar. Upon seeing the devastation left behind, they were shocked. What exactly happened last night, and who sent the emergency signal?

“Look, there are words on the ground.”

Several figures quickly landed, with the leader being Teacher Fang, whom Gu Yao and Chi Changye were familiar with. First, he used a recording stone to capture the scene, then looked at the words written on the ground.

The words were left by Gu Yao. He had erased all traces that could reveal their identities, only noting the identity of the abducted person, the Ghost Mist Worms controlled by cultivators that appeared last night, and that the attackers included Foundation Establishment cultivators.

“How should we handle this? I never expected these thieves to come to our academy’s trial grounds and target our students. Despicable!”

“This seems to be true. The person who left the message and signal was likely one of our academy’s students. They handled the situation properly and didn’t act impulsively.”

“I suggest we split into two teams. One should follow the clues and investigate, while the other should inform the Shi Family Master of the Shi City Merchant Association. This might have been aimed at the Shi City Merchant Association.”

“Agreed. Let’s split up and take action.”

The academy reacted swiftly. After identifying the victims, an announcement was made within the academy, warning of a group of miscreants causing trouble in the Quiqu Mountain Range. Until there was a resolution, students were advised to minimize going outside. Students who were in the mountain range for training were to return to the academy as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the academy also posted a task on the Mission Hall.

However, the mission was set at a higher level, targeting Foundation Establishment cultivators. This involved sending the academy’s Foundation Establishment cultivators to join the operation to capture the criminals.

This announcement caused quite a stir within the academy. Once people found out that the victims were from Shi Yanyan’s group, there was much speculation. Many wondered if Shi Yanyan had offended someone or if the criminals had other motives. However, with such a clear target, most people weren’t overly concerned about their own safety. The real fear came from encountering a ruthless killer who wouldn’t hesitate to murder, as there had been similar incidents outside the academy before, which had truly terrified everyone and made them afraid to step outside.

Tian Feirong and the chubby boy received the news immediately. Both of them thought something was wrong. At that time, Chi Changye and Gu Yao were near the scene of the incident. They had heard someone had escaped from the criminals’ hands, reported to the academy in time, and left important clues. Could it be them?

If it were them, there would be no need to worry. As long as their identities weren’t exposed, it meant they were safe, and they could quietly return with the others.

That afternoon, Gu Yao and Chi Changye encountered a group of students rushing back to the academy after receiving the news. The two pretended to be hearing about the matter for the first time. After listening to the warning from the group, they decided to follow the others back to the academy.

Seeing Chi Changye and Gu Yao quietly emerging from the inner courtyard, Tian Feirong and the chubby boy breathed a sigh of relief. “You two finally came out! Something big happened in the academy!”

Hearing Tian Feirong’s exaggerated tone and seeing him wiping away sweat, Gu Yao couldn’t help but smile knowingly. He played along as Tian Feirong and the chubby boy explained the situation in the academy. Finally, Tian Feirong said, “… Now all the students in the Quiqu Mountain Range are rushing back, and those who originally planned to leave have changed their plans, especially the female students. It’s said that the cultivators controlling the Ghost Mist Worms actually tamed them. Just thinking about being surrounded by those Ghost Mist Worms without realizing it sends chills down my spine.”

“There are some students who enjoy raising strange and unusual insects. I heard they plan to form a team and go deep into the mountains after this matter is resolved to hunt the Ghost Mist Worms. If you ask me, they should just stay put. Those worms are not so easy to tame. It’s a really weird hobby,” Tian Feirong said, clearly indifferent to the matter.

The chubby boy had plenty of gossip: “Shi Yanyan is usually quite arrogant. I didn’t expect her to be captured like that. I wonder what her fate will be.” He glanced meaningfully at Chi Changye. The incident where Shi Yanyan tried to forcefully buy Chi Changye had been circulating for quite a while, and he secretly chuckled. “Now some people are saying that Shi Yanyan’s arrogance offended someone, and this incident has nothing to do with our academy. There are all kinds of theories.”

Gu Yao glanced at Chi Changye and said, “Then let’s wait for the commotion to die down before we go out and have a look.”

Chi Changye nodded.

Although Gu Yao’s outing had been interrupted prematurely, he still gained something from it. In addition to improving his adaptability and skill in combat using spells, he had collected quite a few plant specimens, picking a bunch of plants he was familiar and unfamiliar with. He filled an entire storage bag, so despite the noise and chaos outside and everyone waiting for the outcome, Gu Yao remained calm in his alchemy room, studying various plants and trying to find valuable and special crops with unique effects.

Tian Feirong and the chubby boy kept an eye on the news from outside. During this time, some people had come to ask if Gu Yao and Chi Changye had left the academy. The two of them, of course, denied it, but they secretly remained cautious, wondering what the purpose was behind people inquiring about their whereabouts.

However, there were no reliable results regarding the criminals or the whereabouts of Shi Yanyan. It was only heard that the Shi family, after learning that their beloved daughter had been captured, became furious and issued a large reward, hoping someone could rescue her. Many were interested, including people from their own academy. But up until now, no new clues about the criminals had surfaced, except for the ones Gu Yao had left behind, such as the Ghost Mist Worms and the Foundation Establishment cultivators.

“The people outside are really useless. It’s been days, and they still haven’t found Shi Yanyan. They don’t even know if she’s alive or dead,” Tian Feirong muttered when the four of them gathered together.

“She should be alive. The criminals wouldn’t have killed her since they didn’t achieve their goal. But up until now, these people haven’t appeared outside our academy, and the general consensus outside is that the Shi City Merchant Association must have offended someone. There’s even a rumor that the Shi family has obtained a rare treasure, and somehow the news got leaked. It could have been an inside job, so the enemies are using Shi Yanyan to threaten the Shi family master,” the chubby boy said.

“Really? What rare treasure could make the criminals plot like this?” Tian Feirong asked curiously.

Gu Yao and Chi Changye exchanged glances. The situation seemed to be getting more and more mysterious. Unfortunately, since the mist was so thick at the time, they didn’t even see the criminals’ faces, so they couldn’t provide more useful clues.

Suddenly, a ball of spiritual light appeared in front of them with a “pop.” Gu Yao reached out and tapped it. The voice of Senior Brother Jiang Yan came from within: “Junior Brother Gu, Brother Chi, there’s been an incident. The Shi family has been wiped out. Only the Shi family master managed to escape with the protection of loyal guards. All other members of the Shi family are dead. It’s suspected that there was collusion between the Shi City Merchant Association’s internal forces and outsiders. Sister Shi is still missing.”

After the message was transmitted, the light ball dissipated into light particles. The four of them were left stunned, staring wide-eyed. If the person sending the message hadn’t been Senior Brother Jiang Yan, Tian Feirong and the chubby boy might have thought it was a joke.

Tian Feirong’s throat felt dry, and his voice was hoarse: “The Shi family was wiped out in one night? The Shi City Merchant Association has been destroyed? This confirms the rumors about the Shi family’s treasure.”

Otherwise, what would have prompted such a large-scale operation to wipe out an entire family? The Shi family had many members, including cultivators who were allied with them. The forces behind this attack were truly terrifying, and no one knew their true identities.

“Don’t panic. We’ll do what others do. Stay calm and don’t rush.” Chi Changye’s voice had a cold, metallic tone that struck Tian Feirong and the chubby boy, helping them to calm down. They exchanged looks and nodded.

“Wait, I’ll go with Gu Yao to the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce to see if there’s any other information.” Chi Changye added.

“Alright. Be careful,” Tian Feirong replied, concerned. He feared that these two might be discovered by the forces behind this, and he worried they wouldn’t be spared.

Gu Yao and Chi Changye had managed to keep their departure from the academy secret from most people, but they couldn’t hide it from Jiang Yan. Since entering or leaving the academy required an identity token, they had asked Jiang Yan to get them two more. In a place where spirit stones could make the impossible possible, obtaining two identity tokens wasn’t difficult. Every year, many students died outside for various reasons, and some identity tokens were never canceled in the academy. They had used this loophole.