Gao Ling remained silent.
She turned and quietly closed the door of the quiet room, then stood pressed against a dark corner, holding her breath, and peered outside through the door crack.
There was too much blood inside the quiet room; if it was Zuo Lishan’s blood, he should have already died.
If Zuo Lishan was already dead, no one could have kept the news so tightly sealed that even she, an Elder, wouldn't know.
That jar, those shredded pieces of meat, those long hairs… they only made the situation even more bizarre.
Gao Ling was afraid someone would see the door of Zuo Lishan’s small courtyard open and discover the abnormality, so after entering, she restored the kicked-open door to its original state. She also didn't leave many traces when she searched the small courtyard.
Unless someone was deliberately observing, the person outside the door probably wouldn't notice for a while.
Although they were currently within the Mount Tai Sect, the situation at this moment was strange, and the intentions of the person outside the door were unclear, making it impossible to determine if they were friend or foe. It was better to hide her figure first and see who that person was and what their plans were.
The door of the quiet room was not directly facing the center of the small courtyard, so Gao Ling could only try her best to listen to the sounds outside.
The person's footsteps stopped in the middle of the small courtyard.
After a long while, Gao Ling heard a long sigh.
Gao Ling was not a lecturer who understood human nature; she couldn't comprehend the emotions contained within that sigh, but she could discern the strangeness of that long sigh.
Firstly, this sigh was too long. The better one's internal cultivation, the longer their breath, but even Zuo Lishan's breath wouldn't be this drawn out.
Secondly, this sigh was mixed with some fragmented sounds. It was like miscellaneous noises produced by the resonance of some flesh and mucus within the chest. It might be somewhat reasonable if it were from a gravely ill person, yet it was completely out of place with the long, steady nature of the sigh.
Thirdly, this sigh sounded somewhat familiar, yet also somewhat strange.
It sounded like Zuo Lishan, yet there was something different.
Rustle, rustle, the sound of clothes rubbing; the person took something out from their Pregnant.
It seemed to be liquid in a container, and the person moved around the courtyard, carefully sprinkling this liquid onto the buildings.
Gao Ling smelled a pungent odor—it was lamp oil.
Destroying evidence.
Gao Ling did not move, nor did she make a sound.
She was waiting for that person to walk to the door of the quiet room.
When Gao Ling was young, she had truly struggled and fought in the martial world; she knew very well that she couldn't act impulsively at this moment.
If she lost her composure and rushed out, she would waste the opportunity for a preemptive sneak attack.
Gao Ling's martial arts were also of first-rate standard, but she knew very well that there were countless extraordinary masters in this world, and those who brazenly relied on their martial arts to confront others head-on were often the quickest to die.
Only by clearly seeing the person's face could she estimate the opponent's strength and decide on her next move.
After a while, the footsteps finally reached outside the door.
Gao Ling finally saw the person's face.
However, her heart involuntarily skipped a beat.
That person was indeed Zuo Lishan… but he was no longer the Zuo Lishan she remembered.
His facial features were largely still recognizable as Zuo Lishan's, but there were several dark, gaping holes on his face, almost revealing his gums.
The edges of the holes were jagged with shredded flesh, yet no blood flowed out, as if they were old wounds he was born with.
His eyeballs were full of bloodshot veins, and two yellowish-red streams of pus flowed from the corners of his eyes. His originally thick long hair had fallen out considerably, almost revealing his pale scalp.
His right wrist was wrapped in some blood-stained rags, and beneath the rags, his palm skin appeared dark, while his fingers had no nails, exposing soft flesh.
He looked almost like a demon from a storybook.
In her shock, Gao Ling's breathing faltered, and she made a slight sound.
Zuo Lishan seemed oblivious, walking to the door of the quiet room and lowering his head to pour the lamp oil.
At this moment, only a one-inch thick door separated the two of them.
Suddenly!
A section of a sword blade pierced through the door, stabbing towards Gao Ling!
Gao Ling barely reacted, shifting her body, dodging the vital point, but was still pierced through the shoulder by the sword blade!
She drew her sword from its sheath and thrust it through the door, only to find it struck empty air.
Gao Ling kicked open the door and walked out of the quiet room.
Zuo Lishan was in the courtyard, looking at her with a smile.
“I wondered who it was… Is it Elder Gao?”
“Why did you suddenly decide to visit my small courtyard?” Zuo Lishan said with a smile, his facial holes stretching, revealing his pink gums.
Gao Ling raised her hand to press an acupoint on her shoulder to stop the bleeding. Hearing Zuo Lishan's words, her heart tightened.
This was definitely not the Zuo Lishan she knew!
Zuo Lishan had a serious disposition, never smiling, so how could he speak in such a teasing tone?
“Who… are you?”
Gao Ling asked.
“Oh dear, Elder Gao, are you confused? Has your internal cultivation gone awry recently? How could you not even recognize your own Sect Leader?”
Zuo Lishan's face was full of self-reproach: “It's my fault, it's my fault! I've been too neglectful of Elder Gao! I didn't even know that Elder Gao had also suffered a cultivation deviation!”
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“My Mount Tai Sect has lost another venerable Elder! What a pity!”
Gao Ling frowned: “Another?”
Zuo Lishan smiled and said: “Indeed! Yesterday, my female disciple's father, Elder Liu, was overcome with grief and accidentally died too!”
“Truly, Heaven does not grant longevity! What a pity… what a joy!”
“Elder Liu devoted himself to my Mount Tai Sect for decades, yet he couldn't witness me cultivating into a martial arts legend, couldn't witness me integrating the Five Mountains Sword Sect, couldn't witness me becoming the co-leader of the Central Plains Martial World!”
“It's truly a pity! Ha ha ha… Hahahaha!”
Zuo Lishan burst into maniacal laughter, rocking back and forth, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Gao Ling watched Zuo Lishan's insane behavior, her heart gradually sinking, and the hairs on her body stood on end.
What exactly… was this situation?!
“You… killed your disciple?” Gao Ling asked.
Zuo Lishan suddenly stopped laughing and said with hatred: “She deserved to die, she courted death. As husband and wife, I had no choice but to personally send her off.”
“Saying martial arts were crippled if they were crippled, saying she would take care of me, saying we'd live in reclusion.”
“Does she deserve to?!”
“I, Zuo Lishan, a top master under forty! Mount Tai Sect Leader! Five Mountains Sword Sect Alliance Leader!”
“Suppressing! Mountain! Sword!”
“Would I fall to the point where she would pity me?!”
Zuo Lishan raised his hand and pointed to the quiet room: “However, fortunately she was a fool, otherwise with my injuries at the time, I might not have been able to subdue her!”
“To be able to become my sustenance, it can be considered her honor!”
Zuo Lishan raised his hand and stroked his face: “I just knew, I am the one destined by heaven.”
“I obtained this good thing, but I hesitated to use it. Then a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) came and helped me make up my mind.”
“When I was severely injured, someone eagerly offered themselves as a sacrifice.”
“Just as I was still lacking some blood and flesh nurtured by true qi… Elder Gao, you delivered yourself to my doorstep, and even hid your presence.”
“Don't you think this is destined by heaven?”
Gao Ling involuntarily retreated a few steps, making up her mind.
Zuo Lishan seemed to have gone mad, having lost his reason, and was slaughtering inside the door.
The sword strike that pierced her through the door had not lost its standard; she was not his opponent.
“I must escape!”