章 36: Chapter 34: Dead Men Don't Talk
"Outrageous!"
Su Jie was disturbed by the thought that these children were mostly used to cultivate some special Demon Technique.
This was the impression Demon Cultivators gave: brutal, bloodthirsty, indiscriminate killers.
Even though Su Jie himself was a Demon Cultivator, it didn't mean he could understand or accept such acts.
As Su Jie frowned in contemplation, Chen Yun ignored the admonitions and insisted on checking the site of the battle, worrying about Su Jie's safety.
But just as she arrived, both Chen Yun and Gu Weonian were shocked by the sight of the Alien Ghost's corpse hanging from a tree.
"Brother Su, did you kill this Alien Ghost?"
Gu Weonian was initially scared, then realized the Alien Ghost was already dead.
Then, Gu Weonian swallowed hard, looking incredulously at Su Jie.
The Alien Ghost had become a corpse, which meant, had Su Jie fought and killed an Alien Ghost alone?
At this thought, Gu Weian's heart pounded wildly.
This was an Alien Ghost!
He had never heard of any Outer Disciple who could confidently take on an Alien Ghost alone, let alone those who dared to face one.
Chen Yun was equally shocked by Su Jie's formidable combat abilities.
If he could single-handedly defeat an Alien Ghost, it meant that among the Outer Disciples, probably no one could match him in strength.
"The Alien Ghost was not in good condition, and by a stroke of luck, I found an opportunity,"
Su Jie glanced at the two, not minding whether they believed him or not, and said, "When we return to the Sect, say that the Alien Ghost was fought over by Meng Dongge and others, don't involve me."
Gu Weonian and Chen Yun knew Su Jie was concealing his skills, and nodded, "Understood."
As Su Jie was speaking with Gu Weonian and Chen Yun, suddenly a commanding voice erupted.
"Hey, you three, get my goods packed right away. Don't let the ice melt, or you can't afford the losses."
Jia Xin had returned with two martial masters as his guard, evidently still concerned about his goods, or perhaps thinking that Su Jie had lured the Alien Ghost away, and he could sneak back to take his goods.
Su Jie looked over, only to see Jia Xin staring intently at the Alien Ghost's corpse hanging from the tree, his eyes filled with greed.
"Also, this Alien Ghost attacked our caravan earlier. We inflicted severe wounds that nearly killed it, which gave you the chance to finish it off. So, it's my prey. Hand it over to me to deal with, which will compensate for part of my losses."
An Alien Ghost was worth several hundred Blood Marrow Crystals, and Jia Xin could not suppress the fiery greed in his heart, shamelessly wanting to claim the Alien Ghost's corpse.
With this, he could not only break even but also make a small profit.
If it was an Inner Disciple, Jia Xin wouldn't dare to meddle, but his confidence was high since they were just Outer Disciples.
Hearing Jia Xin's ludicrous remark, Su Jie was amused to laughter, though his smile was rather cold.
"You still want my Alien Ghost?"
Su Jie's gaze was teasing, daring Jia Xin to make such a greedy request, as if he was incapable of drawing a sword anymore.
"What 'your Alien Ghost'? It's my property now. My uncle is the Manor Master of Liuyun Manor, and people don't even get the chance to curry favor with me, so don't fail to appreciate what is good for you,"
Jia Xin said brazenly, his words carrying a threat.
Relying on the support of Liuyun Manor, he didn't take Su Jie seriously at all.
"Then I should thank you!"
Lifting his right hand slowly, Su Jie was in a very bad mood and if he was upset, someone had to pay the price.
A swarm of Yin Fire Blood Bees flew out and under Jia Xin's stunned gaze, a trail of fire targeted the carriages, turning the ice blocks and child corpses into ashes, eradicating these crimes.
"Brother Su, don't be rash."
Gu Weonian's eyelids twitched, sensing that things might turn bad.
While he wasn't particularly affected by the sight of the child corpses, having spent many years at Ghost Ridge Palace, he had seen plenty of brutal scenes.
Gu Weonian was merely worried that Su Jie's actions would bring trouble.
After all, Jia Xin's background was significant, and compared to an Outer Disciple, the high echelons of Ghost Ridge Palace would definitely value Liuyun Manor more, which consistently contributed a steady stream of people.
"Rash?
No, no, no, don't you think, Brother Gu, that these goods are too eyecatching, and burning them away for peace of mind is much better?"
Su Jie's gaze was sharp as a knife, making Gu Weonian feel inexplicably chilled, and he dared not say another word.
At that moment, Jia Xin finally reacted, watching his cargo being consumed by the flames.
The child corpses he had collected with great effort turned into charred remains in the fire, and this scene made his heart bleed and his rage uncontrollable.
"You're insane, you're insane! Have you lost your mind, daring to burn my goods? Do you know how much they were worth? It's more money than you, an Outer Disciple, could ever earn in your lifetime. I will go to the Command Hall and sue you to ensure you spend your life compensating for my losses."
Seeing his precious goods being destroyed, Jia Xin wished he could devour Su Jie alive.
"I'm afraid you won't have that chance anymore."
Su Jie's gaze was cold, as if he was looking at a dead man.
"What did you say..."
Before Jia Xin could grasp the meaning of Su Jie's words, he suddenly saw a streak of gold and silver slash through the air.
Snap!
The heads of two guards standing next to Jia Xin rolled off their necks, blood spraying all over Jia Xin.
These guards, being martial masters, knew some basic techniques, could shatter bluestone slabs with their fists, and could leap onto roofs several meters high, making them experts to common folks. But in front of a demon cultivator like Su Jie, they were merely slightly stronger mortals.
"How dare you, how dare you do this, aren't you afraid I'll go to the Command Hall... My uncle is the Manor Master of Liuyun Manor."
The sudden murder, which left the previously furious Jia Xin as if doused with cold water, made his whole body tremble, and he involuntarily stepped back.
"If you had a pass token I would have given you some face, but now, what do you think this is?"
Su Jie sneered, tossing a black token with his left hand.
This was a pass specifically issued by the Command Hall for Black Market merchants.
It was because Ghost Ridge Palace knew the nature of its Sect disciples.
Without some measures, these merchants would probably be robbed clean before they even reached the Black Market.
Once this token was activated, as long as it was near the mountains of Ghost Ridge Palace, it could send the surrounding imagery back to the Command Hall through divine sense.
If the disciples attacked and plundered the merchant caravans, in order to maintain credibility, the Command Hall, upon catching the offending disciples, would severely punish them.
Now that the token had fallen to the ground and was picked up by Su Jie, Jia Xin's biggest threat was gone.
"I know Elder Situ from your Ghost Ridge Palace, my uncle is the Manor Master of Liuyun Manor, if you dare to touch me..."
Fear surfaced on Jia Xin's face.
The demon cultivator in front of him was utterly lawless, and he had no means to check him.
"I dared to kill an Alien Ghost, do you think I wouldn't dare to kill a merchant? Dead men don't talk."
Su Jie pointed at the corpse of the Alien Ghost beside him, his eyes full of unrestraint.
Jia Xin turned a livid shade of blue and fiercely addressed the other two, "Did you hear what he said, you two? Are you really going to conspire with him? Capture him now, and I'll report this to the Command Hall later. Wealth and Blood Marrow Crystals will be at your fingertips."
Desperate, Jia Xin tried to get Gu Weonian and Chen Yun to side with him.
"Brother Su, if the Command Hall finds out about this, we..."
Gu Weonian hesitated; the older one gets, the more timid one becomes, and if this matter were discovered, it would pose a great trouble.
"Exactly, that's why we must stick together."
Su Jie picked up a long knife from the ground and without saying another word, plunged it into Jia Xin's ribs.
As Jia Xin screamed in agony, Su Jie, smiling cheerily, handed the long knife to Gu Weonian and said, "Brother Gu, it's your turn."
Gu Weonian shuddered, understanding the clear intent behind Su Jie's cheerful demeanor.
By committing this deed together, none would dare betray the others.
Chen Yun remained silent, standing behind Gu Weonian as a Ming Sheng Bat peeked out of his robe, its gaze menacingly fixed on Gu Weonian.
Gu Weonian then realized he was in a no-win situation. Su Jie, capable of killing an Alien Ghost, was not someone he could contend with.
Now the only route was to follow Su Jie through thick and thin, otherwise, he had no doubt that Su Jie would ensure that he, a witness, wouldn't see tomorrow's sun.
"Blame yourself for being blind."
With a grimace, Gu Weonian took a few deep breaths, took the long knife, and stabbed it into Jia Xin's belly, brutally stirring it around.
Without needing Su Jie's instruction, Chen Yun took the knife and swiftly chopped off all of Jia Xin's limbs, turning him into a human stick.
"Ah, the thing about people! Always aiming too high, not everyone fears your background."
Su Jie squatted in front of Jia Xin, patted his chubby face, then decisively chopped off his head, forever ending his life.
Having searched the corpse, Jia Xin turned out to be quite wealthy.
Su Jie found over two hundred Blood Marrow Crystals, truly a fat sheep, easy to slaughter, which explained why Ghost Ridge Palace had set rules; otherwise, these merchants wouldn't suffice to satiate the disciples' slaughter.
After cleaning up the traces, the three continued their journey along the rugged mountainous path.
The journey back proceeded without further incidents, and by afternoon, they saw the Mountain Gate of Ghost Ridge Palace.
The atmosphere at the Sect was even more austere than when Su Jie had left, and there were noticeably fewer people.
Clearly, the recent Alien Ghost menace had put a great strain on the disciples, with many being reassigned for guard duty.
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