I Can Devour Spirits

Actually, this hilltop belonged to Shang Xiangyu.

Shang Xiangyu had requested leave from the sect, saying he would travel for six months, but he never said he wouldn’t come back.

This time, Yang Yi came to investigate primarily Pan Yong’s case, and he didn’t really need to dig so deep into Shang Xiangyu’s place.

But Yang Yi wanted to use Pan Yong’s case as an excuse to thoroughly investigate this place.

The previous two mysterious furnace explosions by Shang Xiangyu, and in the past two to three years, two registered disciples had disappeared from this hilltop. He always felt uneasy about this place.

He had a vague feeling that behind these frequent deaths of registered disciples and Shang Xiangyu’s travels, there might be more hidden stories.

Before, Shang Xiangyu’s presence made it hard for him to act openly.

Now that Shang Xiangyu was gone, and he had a ready excuse, he naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to clear his doubts.

After searching through the dense forest, in the eerie night, Yang Yi and his men returned to the cliffside.

Deep inside the cave, Duan Rong sat cross-legged, meditating. He heard the chaotic footsteps outside the cave but focused solely on refining the medicinal power coursing through his meridians, ignoring the noise outside.

He was very sure that he handled everything cleanly, leaving no traces that could lead back to him.

When Yang Yi passed by Duan Rong’s cave entrance, he didn’t stop and quickly walked by, heading straight to Pan Yong’s cave entrance along the cliffside.

At the entrance of Pan Yong’s cave, a man stood guard with a knife in hand, holding a flaming torch with his other hand.

Yang Yi took the torch and went inside.

Pan Yong’s cave had already been inspected by his people.

Duan Rong had cleaned up Pan Yong’s cave before. Not only did he wash away the bloodstains, but he also tidied up Pan Yong’s bed.

The hammock stained with blood had been taken down by Duan Rong, washed in the mountain spring, dried, and then hung back inside the cave.

There was a cold gleam in Yang Yi’s eyes as he scanned the cave, pausing briefly on the copper mirror on the stone table and the hammock beside it.

Then, Yang Yi suddenly drew the long knife from his waist, flipping it over, and tapped around the walls with the back and tip of the knife, searching for hidden compartments in the cave.

After a thorough recheck, Yang Yi found nothing amiss and swiftly left.

Yang Yi didn’t just check Pan Yong’s cave; he also inspected the caves where Chen Hu, Yin Cong, and Tang Zhu once lived, even the long-abandoned unused caves.

After a series of inspections, Yang Yi finally arrived at Shang Xiangyu’s stone chamber.

Outside Shang Xiangyu’s stone chamber, two men stood guard with knives.

Yang Yi glanced at the two, then held the torch and walked into the cave.

Shang Xiangyu’s chamber had also been examined once by his people.

The cabinet in the corner was open, the broken copper lock discarded on the ground.

The cabinet was filled with various bottles and jars. His men dared not touch them, unable to tell which were poisons and which were medicines.

Yang Yi circled the chamber with the torch, using the same method to draw the long knife and lightly tap the walls and floor.

After tapping all the walls, he gradually moved to the side of the stone bed.

Suddenly, Yang Yi struck the side of the stone bed with the knife.

The sound was distinctly hollow, causing Yang Yi’s eyes to twitch. He struck the spot again with the knife’s back; the sound remained hollow and muffled.

Yang Yi became intrigued, using the knife’s back to circle the side of the stone bed, quite sure the inside was hollow.

Suddenly, Yang Yi turned his head, looking coldly at the few people behind him, and barked, ”Who was in charge of inspecting Shang Xiangyu’s stone chamber?”

While Yang Yi continuously tapped the stone bed, a fair-faced young man in the crowd turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat.

Now seeing Yang Yi’s question, he stepped out of the crowd, cupped his fist, and said, ”Chief Yang, it was me.”

Yang Yi looked at the young man, the veins on his forehead subtly throbbing, then suddenly slapped the young man’s face, cursing, ”I’ve been teaching you for nothing! Such an important place, and you inspect it like this. What the hell did you check?”

The young man was slapped to the ground, his face already bloodied and mangled by Yang Yi’s slap.

The young man immediately stood up, cupped his fist, and said, ”Chief Yang, I know I was wrong... it was a moment of oversight.”

”Enough!” Yang Yi said impatiently, ”Get out of here.”

”You don’t need to stay in the Judgement and Rectification Department anymore. This place isn’t for you!”

”Ah...” The young man stood there, stunned, a look of struggle in his eyes, but seeing Yang Yi’s livid face, he still covered his mangled face and backed out of the chamber.

As he turned, two large tears rolled down from his eyes.

Usually, those who enter the Judgement and Rectification Department have some background in the sect.

The young man didn’t expect Yang Yi to kick him out just like that.

But he dared not defy Yang Yi, having to swallow his grievance.

Because Yang Yi’s uncle is Sixuan, the Chairman of the Judgement Sect.

This person, within the sect, even the Sect Leader has to give some leeway.

Seeing the young man had left, Yang Yi coldly looked at the remaining people and said, ”What are you standing around for? Hurry up and find the mechanism for the hidden compartment in that stone bed.”

The rest immediately crowded around the stone bed, groping around.

Some even climbed onto the bed to search, but after a while, no one could find where the mechanism was.