HBWnovel Chapter 365 - 358 News
Chapter 365 - 358 News
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Two days later.
Thirty miles southwest of Eagle Grief Cliff.
Groups of grey-clothed Patrolling Inspectors diligently searched through the thick forest.
After quite some time, Yu Liu, who had just been appointed as the Deputy Prefect of the Inspection Courtyard, briskly approached a particular large tree.
His body flashed with Spiritual Light as he nimbly leaped to the very top of the tree, which was as tall as a six- or seven-story building.
At the top of the canopy, a man in his forties quietly stood.
He was balancing on the tip of a tree leaf, remaining motionless no matter how the canopy swayed as if he were a rock in the sea.
Yu Liu steadied himself on a tree branch the thickness of a finger and respectfully clasped his hands in salute.
"Hu Elder, the scene has been severely disturbed, we can’t find anything."
"I fear that Zhao, the Deputy Prefect, and those three teams of inspectors have met with more misfortune than fortune."
Hu Changqing gently twirled his beard and muttered to himself, "Retaliation?"
His intention in having Zhao Shaoyuan investigate smuggling was to crack down on independent operators, to facilitate his future consolidation and management. Yet as soon as they started, the man disappeared.
"Did someone else from the other Courtyard interfere with the trade at Eagle Grief Cliff?"
"Someone is daring to steal business right under my nose?" A cold light flashed in Hu Changqing’s eyes.
This was someone throwing sand in the gears of his domain!
"It’s time to clean up Eagle Grief Cliff."
While pondering plans to exclude and cleanse, a stout figure suddenly shot up the tree trunk.
The figure, with an honest and naive-looking face, bowed respectfully and then said in a deep voice, "Elder, Deputy Prefect, we’ve found something!"
He then turned his hands over, holding up a sparrow-sized bird high above his head.
The bird’s feathers were grey and lackluster, its body shriveled, and its hind legs gnawed away by some small creature, revealing a stark white skeleton.
Strangely, the muscles attached to the skeleton were neither bloody nor rotting, but instead showed a fresh and bright brownish-red hue, resembling cured meat!
Hu Changqing’s expression changed at the sight.
He made a beckoning motion, and the bird was drawn into the air in front of him.
"All of its blood and essence have been drained. The Witch Gu Curse Killing Secret Technique of the East Ridge Barbarians?!"
He couldn’t help but think of the more than ten bizarre deaths on Eagle Grief Cliff.
"Could it be that Zhao Shaoyuan’s disappearance wasn’t due to the marketplace deals, but because he stumbled upon something he shouldn’t have seen and was silenced?!"
A frown immediately marred Hu Changqing’s brow.
"Is someone scheming over Eagle Grief Cliff? Just like what happened with Mist Smoke Mountain."
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt in his heart.
The protective great formation of Eagle Grief Cliff was not yet fully established!
"Yu Liu, leave a team to continue the search, everyone else must return to Eagle Grief Cliff immediately to investigate those Witch Gu Curse Killing cases first!"
The death of Zhao Shaoyuan was no longer important.
Hu Changqing placed greater importance on the security of Eagle Grief Cliff.
As the head of the Oversight Courtyard, as long as he could ensure the safety of Eagle Grief Cliff, why worry about not earning White Jade Money?
Yu Liu immediately responded loudly and jumped down from the tree to summon people to leave.
Before leaving, he patted the arm of the naive-looking man with satisfaction, "Yu Lin, well done!"
"Shi Xian seems to be at... the Inspection Courtyard!"
A problem arose?!
He immediately concentrated to listen closely.
The more he listened, the more peculiar his expression became.
The six siblings of Wu Mountain are inspectors of the Inspection Courtyard?
Yu Lin has become the Prefect of ten?
The new Deputy Courtyard Master entrusted the main force of the Wu Mountain siblings to investigate the disappearance of Zhao Shaoyuan?
This... letting the murderer investigate the murderer?!
Chen Mu: "..."
"That Deputy Courtyard Master really has an eye for talent, huh."
"Ha!"
...
Half a month later.
The weather grew colder, and even snowflakes started drifting atop the summit of Eagle Grief Cliff.
By the mountainside waterfall, inside Chen Mu’s wooden building, it was as warm as spring.
The flames in the stove roared loudly, heating the underfloor heating pipes beneath the floor.
"Although indifferent to heat and cold, in the depths of winter, it’s still more comfortable to keep warm," Chen Mu nodded, satisfied.
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He had previously installed underfloor heating on Cold Moon Mountain. Now with Point Ground into Steel, with a handful of soil, he could easily make a stove and heating pipes.
Cheerfully walking to the window, his Qi Forbidden Hundred Miles worked like windshield wipers.
From top to bottom, it pushed and squeezed away the white moisture that had condensed on the crystal window, revealing the outside scenery.
Chen Mu, holding a cup of hot Replenishing Origin Soup flavored like hulatang, watched the distant and vast countryside below the mountain, and his spirits soared.
In the past ten days, the situation at Eagle Grief Cliff had changed.
Elder Hu Changqing conducted a thorough investigation and indeed discovered some undercover Barbarians from East Ridge.
However, due to the excellent foresight of the Deputy Courtyard Master of the Inspection Courtyard, the investigation into Zhao Shaoyuan’s disappearance remained fruitless.
Even because of Elder Hu’s emphasis on the strange deaths at Eagle Grief Cliff, Yu Lin and the others were reassigned to assist two days ago.
The disappearance of Zhao Shaoyuan and the others was no longer being followed.
"It’s good that no one is paying attention," Chen Mu relaxed completely.
"I should thank those undercover Barbarians."
Because of shared sensation, he had also received some information on the Barbarian Witch Gu curse killings.
Most of the deceased had withered bodies, their vitality and essence drained, the effect strikingly similar to Wu Ruo’s Soul Capturing and Return to Origin Secret Method.
It was for this reason that the Inspection Courtyard shifted their focus.
"I wonder what the Inspection Courtyard has found today."
Chen Mu, like the past few days, activated the United Heart Curse and shared sensation, at the same time transferring the Sixth Rank Truthful Listening Technique Talisman to Shi Xian.
"I guess this is like a cross-dimensional version of a Truthful Listening radio, huh? Heh..."
Chen Mu, pleased with himself, took a sip of Replenishing Origin Soup and happily settled into the rocking chair beside the stove.
"If Shi Xian runs around a bit more, increasing the listening range, this can work almost like a downgraded version of ears that hear with the wind."