Seven Cubs, Seven Fathers, Zero Days Off

Chapter 236: Chapter 235: That Beast Is Actually Related to Hu Tu

The blood was purplish-black, a clear sign the poison had penetrated deep into his organs.

Yet he was still forcing a smile, trying to comfort her.

Shen Yue felt an indescribable emotion swell in her chest.

”Don’t talk!”

Bai Chaosi saw the exact emotion he had been hoping for in Shen Yue’s eyes.

Though his body ached, he was happy at that moment.

At least he could sense that Shen Yue was still worried about him.

But the poison was too fierce and fast. He fainted before he could get a proper look at the concern in her eyes.

”Bai Chaosi!”

Shen Yue cried out in alarm, but she couldn’t catch his collapsing body.

Standing nearby, Huang Ziyue very reluctantly caught Bai Chaosi as he fell.

His movements weren’t gentle. In fact, he was rather rough as he propped him up against a tree.

To be honest, Huang Ziyue was quite displeased. If he had his way, he would have preferred it if Bai Chaosi just dropped dead.

It would save him a lot of trouble.

Shen Yue wasted no time, immediately taking out the Vitality Water from her Spiritual Spring.

”Make him drink this.”

Huang Ziyue clamped a large hand over his jaw and forced his mouth open, using what seemed to be a bit too much strength.

Only Bai Chaosi himself knew if it hurt.

Meanwhile, after the Purple Rabbit and the three Pallas’s cats escaped, the men from the Mystic Mechanism Building and the Dragon Guard split up to give chase. It wasn’t long before they noticed something was wrong.

The men from the Mystic Mechanism Building were just about to notify Shen Yue and Huang Ziyue.

But then, disaster struck unexpectedly!

Once Shen Yue was sure Bai Chaosi was out of danger, she handed him over to a few other subordinates and ordered them to take him back to Li City.

The two of them quickly followed in the direction the Mystic Mechanism Building and Dragon Guard had gone.

Their robes fluttered in the dense forest, stirring up a frantic gust of wind.

Dry twigs snapped underfoot, and fine strands of fur clung to the blades of grass.

Shen Yue’s pace was incredibly fast. Power coursed through her body, blasting away any obstacles in her path.

She was seething with anger, both because of the poison afflicting Bai Chaosi and because of the Purple Rabbit that the Pallas’s cats had helped escape.

’That beast is actually connected to Hu Tu!’

This was something she had never expected.

’Could the Purple Rabbit be some kind of ultimate weapon that Hu Tu has been raising in the mountains?’

The two of them followed the lingering traces. After about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the vegetation ahead suddenly thinned out, and the footprints on the ground became jumbled.

Clearly, the members of the Mystic Mechanism Building and the Dragon Guard had parted ways here, each group heading deeper into the forest.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Yue chose the path with fainter footprints, the one that carried the barest hint of blood.

They advanced at high speed. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the air became. Even the birdsong vanished, leaving only the rustle of wind through the leaves, which sounded eerily like a child’s whimper.

Then, the tracks of the Purple Rabbit and the Pallas’s cats appeared on the ground.

’It seems I chose the right direction!’

The pair continued their pursuit deeper into the forest. The tracks on the ground became more distinct, and there were even bloodstains that hadn’t completely dried!

But there was no sign of anyone from the Mystic Mechanism Building or the Dragon Guard.

They both sensed something was wrong at the same time and stopped short, exchanging a look from their perch in the trees.

With a single glance, Huang Ziyue understood what Shen Yue was thinking.

But he frowned, clearly disagreeing. He didn’t want Shen Yue to take such a risk.

But Shen Yue had already made up her mind.

She leaped down and pursued the direction where the tracks vanished, all by herself.

Huang Ziyue’s figure flickered and vanished from the spot, seemingly heading in another direction.

The fog in the forest was still thick. Damp, cold mist clung to the tips of Shen Yue’s hair, condensing into tiny droplets.

She moved through the forest with extreme speed, until the tracks beneath her feet suddenly came to an end.

She stopped dead, surveying her surroundings. A thick layer of fallen leaves and vines covered the ground, making a CRACKLING sound when she stepped on them...

In the silent forest, the sound was utterly terrifying.

The fog here seemed even thicker, limiting her visibility to a five-meter radius. Shen Yue scanned her surroundings warily, her footsteps light...

Just then, a blurry shadow flashed out from the fog to her side...

Shen Yue’s gaze hardened. She stared intently in that direction and hurried after it, completely oblivious to the vine-covered trap hidden beneath the fallen leaves at her feet.

The ground beneath her suddenly gave way. A sense of weightlessness, wrapped in a sudden chill, washed over her.

Shen Yue cried out as her body plummeted downward. Her back slammed hard against the stone slab at the bottom of the pit, the pain so intense her vision went black.

When she managed to push herself into a sitting position, she looked up to see that the mouth of the pit was once again covered by vines, with only a faint glimmer of daylight filtering through.

And there, in an open area at the bottom of the pit, stood a simple yet strangely eerie stone door.

Shen Yue cautiously approached, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

The inside looked like an underground slaughterhouse.

An entire wall was covered with various instruments of torture, some of which still seemed to bear dried bloodstains.

Shen Yue continued deeper inside. She walked up a set of steps to find an Incinerator standing in the very center of the stone chamber.

Something appeared to be burning inside it, casting a warm glow.

But as Shen Yue looked past the Incinerator toward the stone platform directly ahead, her breath caught in her throat.

On the stone platform in the center of the room, nine children’s bodies lay neatly arranged.

She hurried closer for a better look...

The children were dressed in simple, similar-looking clothes. Their small bodies lay there quietly, their faces as pale as paper, but their lips held a strange, faint reddish hue.

Their eyes were closed, long lashes resting on their cheeks as if they were merely sleeping. But their completely still chests were a clear sign that life had long since departed.

Shen Yue’s trembling gaze swept across them. When it fell upon the two bodies on the very end, her breath hitched.

It was Le’er. It was Qi’er.

’Hu Tu moved so quickly!’

’Just last night, Le’er and Qi’er were in the secret room of the City Lord Mansion. Now they’ve been moved here!’

Looking at the other seven children, who were all around the same age as Le’er and Qi’er, Shen Yue finally confirmed that the attendant had been telling the truth...

’There really are nine of them.’

All of them Hu Tu’s own flesh and blood!

They should have been buried and laid to rest long ago, but here they were, perfectly preserved and laid out in a neat row!

Some of them must have been dead for seven or eight years, yet they still couldn’t find peace. They looked as if they had just died, their bodies perfectly preserved!

This meant they were all under the effects of the Lock Breath Technique, which was why they were maintained in the state they were in when they died.

On the way to the forest this morning, Huang Ziyue had explained the effects of the Lock Breath Technique to her in detail. She had been utterly shocked.

This vile Magic actually allowed the spiritual power within a person’s body to persist and even grow after death.

It could also preserve the deceased’s form. Because their bodies were constantly nourished by spiritual power, they wouldn’t decay.

And the spiritual power hidden within the corpses would continue to grow endlessly, just as if they were still alive.

They were like vessels for storing spiritual power.

At this thought, Shen Yue’s blood ran cold. A chill shot up from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head, and her stomach churned violently.

She stared at the stone platform. It was covered in dense, twisting, and obscure runes that seemed to possess a mysterious power, trapping the children’s souls.

The stone walls on either side were also covered in bizarre and terrifying carvings, all of which exuded a sinister, evil aura that stood in stark contrast to the children’s innocent faces.

A chill gripped Shen Yue’s heart. All she wanted to know now was, ’Did all nine of these children truly die at the hands of Hu Tu?’ ℯℯ𝑙.

’If so... even the most vicious tiger won’t eat its own cubs. What in the world is Hu Tu’s heart made of?’

’And what exactly is he planning to do?’

Just then, an extremely faint floral fragrance suddenly wafted through the stone chamber, spreading through the air.

The scent was intensely sweet, almost sickeningly so, yet it carried a faint, barely perceptible chill...

Shen Yue was instantly on alert. She tried to cover her nose and mouth, but the fragrance seemed to have a mind of its own. It slipped through her veil and, with every breath she took, scrambled eagerly up her nostrils.