As Li Miao spoke, silence fell upon the crowd.
Lao Qifeng walked over, examined the wound on the corpse, then stood up and nodded to everyone.
"The wound isn't deep, but it hasn't scabbed over yet. From the looks of it, the injury was sustained after we entered."
The Head of the Qingcheng Sect's expression relaxed, but the faces of the others turned grim, their gazes sweeping over one another.
An inescapable predicament, omnipresent danger, limited food, a sudden death... and a group of people with very little trust in each other.
What was supposed to be a grand martial arts event—entering a secret realm to contend for a secret manual—had turned into a martial arts version of Werewolf.
Taking advantage of the momentary panic among the crowd, Li Miao stepped aside.
Yin Minjun walked over and quietly asked, "Sir, that wound?"
Li Miao chuckled softly, "I did it. Did you see?"
"Yes..."
Yin Minjun replied softly.
When they entered the passage leading to the main hall, she and Li Miao had been at the very back. No one but her had seen Li Miao make his move.
The moment the stone door opened, as everyone's attention was drawn by the scream, she saw Li Miao raise his hand and flick out a sharp, thin stream of true qi.
However, she didn't know where that true qi went, and only now, seeing the wound on the back of the corpse, did she realize.
She just didn't understand why Li Miao would do such a thing.
Li Miao didn't keep her in suspense, using true qi to control his voice as he whispered to Yin Minjun, "Later, be careful of those people from the Qingcheng Sect; they all have Gu inside them. This Miao King's Tomb wasn't discovered by accident."
"As for the shaman who manipulated that Qingcheng disciple into stepping on the platform, I can't tell who it is yet, so be extra careful."
Li Miao's actions seemed to be at his whim, but he would never act without purpose. He had serious business in Miao territory, and no matter how casual he seemed, he wouldn't neglect important matters to join in on random excitement.
There was, of course, a reason why he insisted on exploring this Miao King's Tomb.
It was simple: the timing of this Miao King's Tomb's appearance was too coincidental.
Tai'an City had just resolved a crisis involving Witchcraft, and it was obvious that the imperial court would conduct another sweep of Miao territory. Bu Lei of the Northern Garrison Division appearing in Huguan was likely for this very reason.
Whether it was Li Miao, Zhu Zai, the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards), the imperial court, or even the Emperor, after knowing what Witchcraft could accomplish, they would never allow its legacy to continue.
At this critical juncture, a Miao King's Tomb suddenly appeared, "accidentally discovered," with news "accidentally leaked." It even used the Jia Yi Divine Skill, a lost supreme art for decades, as bait, spreading the news throughout the martial world and attracting all the major sects of the Southern Martial World.
Could it be a coincidence?
And Li Miao had deliberately stayed in that tent last night, seemingly just eating a meal and introducing himself.
But in reality, while he was resting with his eyes closed, he used his ear skills to listen to everyone's breathing, heartbeats, and true qi circulation. As expected, he discovered that several people from the Qingcheng Sect had obstructed true qi flow in their heart meridians and slower heartbeats than normal people.
It was somewhat similar to the five hundred Gu Soldiers he killed outside Tai'an City.
At this point, the situation was largely clear.
The Miao King's Tomb was a trap, and the Qingcheng Sect were internal collaborators, all meant to lure these major sects in.
Who the mastermind was and what their purpose was still needed further probing. But as long as Li Miao was present, this matter was merely a question of when Li Miao wished to end it, and no one could cause any trouble.
As for why Li Miao left a wound on someone who was already afflicted with Gu, and deliberately pointed it out to lead the situation into chaos, and why he concealed his martial arts—
It can only be said that not only did the mastermind behind this Miao King's Tomb take an interest in these martial artists, but Li Miao did as well.
He wanted to use these people to accomplish his own goals. Right now, he was laying the "groundwork."
Even Yongjie wasn't entirely without a purpose for Li Miao. However, he was merely a casual chess piece for now.
Li Miao's calculations will be set aside for now; let's talk about the present.
After a round of arguments, everyone collectively pointed their fingers at a lone swordsman.
This person's name was Yuan Yuang, a first-rate swordsman with no sect or faction.
At this moment, he held his sword hilt, coldly scanning the crowd, ready to strike at any moment.
"A Qingcheng disciple had a problem, and you don't question the Head of the Liu Sect, but you come for me? What logic is that?"
"There are many swordsmen here. Do you see me as someone without a sect or support, and thus want to make an example of me first?"
He said coldly.
No one spoke, but their steps shifted slightly, tightening the encirclement.
That's right, they saw him as easy to bully. Otherwise, what? Report to the authorities?
He was the only lone swordsman; accusing a sect member would be equivalent to accusing five or more first-rate experts at once. If not him, then who?
The current situation was simple: whether it was him or not, it was difficult to ascertain the truth right now. If they didn't kill someone, morale would scatter, suspicion would persist, and cooperation would be impossible. Killing him would at least stabilize morale, with everyone tacitly agreeing the killer was dead, and maintaining the current situation by unspoken agreement.
Everyone present was an experienced martial artist and a clever person.
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Clever people were very good at being generous with others' resources.
Yuan Yuang looked at the chilling gazes of the crowd before him and smiled helplessly.
"Damn it, I shouldn't have gotten involved in this mess. Man dies for wealth, birds die for food; it's true after all."
He also understood their intentions, no longer hesitated, and immediately drew his sword, ready to fight for his life.
Just then, he heard someone speak loudly.
"Everyone, don't rush. I seem to have found a mechanism."
Everyone turned to look. It was Li Miao, squatting beneath the platform, seemingly examining something.
Bang!
He punched the ground, sending stone fragments flying as the ground collapsed, revealing a dark, cavernous hole.
Lao Qifeng immediately darted forward, lowering his head to examine the hole.
"Torches." He called out, and a Beggar Clan disciple handed him a bundle of torches.
Lao Qifeng threw the torches into the hole, held his breath, and silently calculated.
A moment later, he looked up: "About eighty zhang deep. By using the rock walls for leverage, everyone here can descend with light-body skill."
"The torches went out, so there should be water below. With water, we won't have any problems for the next ten or so days."
He turned to the people surrounding Yuan Yuang and waved his hand.
"Let's put aside the matter of Witchcraft harming people for now. Since there's already an exit, let's not waste our energy here."
"As long as we can get out, we can resolve the matter outside."
The crowd dispersed, and Yuan Yuang let out a long breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead, and also moved closer.
"Give me a torch," Lao Qifeng said.
"I'll go first. If it's safe below, I'll draw a 'one' character with the torch three times, then extinguish it, and you all can come down."
With that, he directly jumped into the hole.
A moment later, seeing the torch waving below, the others no longer hesitated and, one after another, used their light-body skill to jump into the hole.