Chapter 112: The Ruthless Bifang Shows Mercy

"How have I been rash?"

Bai Mu stood on the bluestone path outside the village, retorting in bewilderment. Yet, his heart sank suddenly as he recalled that ever since he had laid eyes on that desiccated corpse, his mind had been fixated solely on solving the case, to the point where he hadn't even listened to a shred of Bi Fang’s advice.

At this moment, Bi Fang spoke up again, sounding as condescending as an old man.

"Bai Mu, I certainly won't stop you if you wish to save people. Although Bi Fang has been known since ancient times as a beast of omen, and fire disasters inevitably follow wherever I go, I am not a creature that kills by nature."

"I am merely reminding you that your old flame and my master are waiting for treatment in the Cold Abyss Valley. If you delay the collection of the Fire Lotus because of the affairs of this village, you will have no one to blame but yourself when it is too late!"

"This..."

Hearing Bi Fang mention Fan Sheng and Ling Yan, Bai Mu felt an involuntary jolt of alarm. Only then did he remember that he was carrying the lives of two people on his shoulders!

However, being somewhat prideful by nature, Bai Mu quickly dismissed this trace of worry and responded with a relaxed expression: "Bi Fang, please rest assured. I trust that with my strength and that of the Azure Dragon Sword, I will surely uncover the truth behind that desiccated corpse quickly, and I will by no means delay the treatment of Senior Fan Sheng."

"Besides, if I cannot save the people right in front of me, what hope do I have for the future?"

"Since I have encountered an injustice, I must draw my blade to help. Only in this way can I avoid bringing shame to the reputation of the ancient deity, Bai Ze."

"Suit yourself, then!"

Bi Fang scanned the overly pedantic youth with impatience and said haughtily, "This village is filled with humans; it is inconvenient for me to appear in my form as a fierce bird. You must complete the investigation alone. I shall go rest in the mountains for a while. You must return the moment you are finished, or do not blame me for burning the village to the ground to force you out!"

"Understood!"

Bai Mu gave Bi Fang a grateful look, then turned and pushed through the thick fog surrounding the village, sprinting alone into the streets.

"Sigh..."

Watching the youth’s silhouette grow smaller until it vanished from sight, Bi Fang could only sigh helplessly before flapping his wings and flying toward a nearby hilltop.

After entering the village from the direction of the Kan trigram, Bai Mu sped forward for nearly a hundred meters. Along the way, he saw many houses that looked quite similar. Judging by their exterior, they did not appear dilapidated, implying they should be inhabited.

Yet, to his surprise, he had walked nearly a hundred meters without seeing a single living soul. The entire village seemed like a ghost town—completely deserted.

However, Bai Mu was not so dull. With his keen perception, he had long since sensed that someone in the shadows of the village was watching him.

Ever since he began practicing the "Supreme Virtue Like Water" technique, his spiritual sense had more than doubled in strength compared to his time at Dongwang Mountain. The greatest feature of this technique was tranquility. Once a person's heart becomes still, all things in the world settle along with it. At that point, he could sense everything—even the fall of a needle or a withered leaf—the very instant it happened.

Thus, his spiritual sense could accurately detect that there were dozens of people within the village, all of them alive. But for some reason, these people refused to show themselves to him.

While he was lost in thought, his footsteps brought him to the very center of the village—the focal point of the Eight Trigrams Maze Formation. He looked around in confusion for quite a while, but still, no one emerged to meet him; he could not even hear the sound of a chicken or a dog.

"Kind villagers, please reveal yourselves! I am not a bad person!" Bai Mu raised his voice and shouted at the center of the village.

Yet, to his disappointment, apart from his own faint echo, the people hiding in the dark did not appear.

"Still not showing yourselves?"

Bai Mu muttered to himself, puzzled. If soft tactics wouldn't work, why not try being forceful?

With that thought, the corner of Bai Mu’s mouth curled upward. He feigned a stern demeanor and shouted, "Since you do not intend to show yourselves, I have no choice but to use fire to force you out!"

Having said that, he picked up some loose pebbles from the ground, intending to start a fire and burn the village.

"No, no, no!"

Just as Bai Mu picked up the stones, an old man suddenly rushed out from a large, old residence on the side of the village center. Before even getting close, he pleaded with trembling steps: "Young man, please spare our village! The Fuxi Fang is truly not in our hands!"

"Fuxi Fang?"

Upon hearing this name, Bai Mu suddenly recalled Fan Sheng explaining the ten great sacred artifacts of the Savage Realm to him back in the Cold Abyss Valley. Was the Fuxi Fang not the third-ranked sacred artifact among the ten divine treasures?

Shocked, he hastily turned his gaze toward the frail, unsteady old man on the open ground and asked in a low, deep voice, "Old sir, what is this about the Fuxi Fang you mentioned?"

Ah!

The old man was taken aback, and his heart began to race. Could it be that this handsome youth before him had not come out of greed for the Fuxi Fang? If not, why would he threaten to burn the village? Moreover, the most puzzling question was how he had broken through the Eight Trigrams Maze Formation to reach the center of the village.

A flurry of questions surfaced in the old man's mind, yet he managed to restore a calm expression to his face. It seemed that age truly brought a level of temperament and experience that ordinary youths could not match. There is a saying that as people age, they become as cunning as foxes and as sharp as spirits—that was likely the case here.

After steadying his nerves, the old man stroked his white beard. A faint, forced smile appeared on his furrowed face as he asked softly, "Young man, why have you suddenly appeared in our village?"

"Oh..."

Bai Mu pondered for a moment. Several questions crossed his mind, but, naturally cautious, he responded calmly, "Old sir, I was merely passing through your tribe. Earlier, in the woods outside, I saw a desiccated corpse, and I saw two men run into this settlement, so I rashly followed them in."

"Regarding the desiccated corpse, could you please explain it to me?"

"I can."

After hearing Bai Mu’s words, the old man concluded that this handsome young man, who carried a long sword, was not coveting the tribe's supreme treasure. He immediately chuckled and replied with composure: "The matter of the desiccated corpse is a long story. Our tribe has encountered some strange occurrences lately. Seeing that you are young, handsome, and well-spoken, I advise you not to meddle in these affairs. Leave this place of trouble quickly, lest you lose your life!"

"Why would I lose my life?"

"Could it be that you are the ones responsible for all this?"

As he spoke, Bai Mu vigilantly channeled the energy of the "Supreme Virtue Like Water" into his palms, prepared at any moment to defend against a sudden attack from the old man.