Chapter 116 – The Cannibalism Case (Sixth Update)

Zhan Changfeng took a sip of water and said, “I recall that in the earlier cases, the bodies were found inside the victims’ own homes. The doors and windows were shut tight, and all traces had been cleaned away. If it were the Wolf King, would it bother doing something so unnecessary?”

“Why wouldn’t it?” the two retorted. Perhaps the Wolf King had already become a demon—it wouldn’t be strange for it to have a temperament of its own.

The coincidental victims. The gnawed flesh and blood. The wolf fur at the scenes. The eerie Wolf King. It seemed impossible, yet this was the only theory that could rationalize everything.

Seeing how certain they were, Zhan Changfeng had nothing more to say. She picked up her sword and left. “I won’t be participating. One last reminder for you—the one who killed the gray wolf was Xiao Shaobai.”

“What do you mean? Is Xiao Shaobai the one who’ll be targeted for revenge?”

Leng Yi’an furrowed his brow. “What do you make of her?”

Leng Yuzi caught the meaning behind her brother’s words. She carefully replayed what Zhan Changfeng had said, and suddenly felt something was off—as if… as if she knew who the culprit was.

“Is that even possible?”

Leng Yi’an shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“…But at the very least, one thing won’t work now.” The planned trap operation this time involved a great many participants—besides the few of them directly involved, there were also Prenatal realm experts from their family and some members of the Militia.

Zheng Bai and several others were firmly convinced that something was wrong with Zhan Changfeng. They insisted she be present, and even proposed using her as bait.

The siblings had also thought it would be better for Zhan Changfeng to be there, which was why they had come to give her advance notice.

“This person probably won’t cooperate.”

“The Militia won’t care whether she’s willing or not.”

Hearing her brother say this, Leng Yuzi couldn’t help but sigh. How had killing one wolf stirred up so much trouble?

“If you ask me—” She leaned back against a tree trunk. Suddenly the trunk shuddered, and with a thunderous crash, the towering tree—so wide that three people couldn’t wrap their arms around it—toppled over, crushing a swath of grass and shrubs.

The two stared at the exposed, perfectly smooth cut and exchanged glances.

Leng Yuzi murmured, “I’d guess the Militia is going to get wrecked—if she fights with everything she has.”

Green White Mountain Ancestral Hall

The ancestral hall of Green White Mountain was dimly lit by flickering candles, their glow casting shadows over the spirit tablets and portraits of past heroes. In the center stood a great bronze cauldron.

An elder in green robes solemnly held incense and bowed. The two men behind him followed suit.

Both were middle-aged. One wore a dark indigo scholar’s robe and carried himself with refined elegance. The other was dressed in plain white hemp cloth, his expression cold and detached.

These three were Fan Zhili, the Village Chief of Green White Mountain; Teacher Yangming, the Head of House at the Community School; and Wu Yuan, the shrine keeper. Standing behind them with heads bowed were Lin Wu, the chief martial instructor, and Wuhe, the head of the Militia.

After placing the incense, Fan Zhili swept his sleeve. “Gentlemen, please be seated.”

They all sat down amid the room full of spirit tablets and portraits. Wuhe felt uneasy—unless something threatened the very survival of the village, matters were never discussed in the ancestral hall.

Wuhe observed the expressions of those present and thought to himself that probably only he and Lin Wu were in the dark about what was to be discussed.

No one raised any questions. They simply waited for Fan Zhili to open the proceedings.

Fan Zhili’s gaze swept across each face, and he spoke in a deep voice. “This meeting concerns the cannibalism incidents that have occurred in our village over the past month. The severity of these events exceeds all imagination. Others may remain ignorant of the truth, but I believe that all of you—the pillars of Green White Mountain—absolutely cannot afford to remain in the dark.”

Lin Wu and Wuhe exchanged a glance. Wuhe had been the one investigating the case, but he had made no progress whatsoever. He truly had nothing to report. Yet hearing Fan Zhili’s words, could it be that evidence had been found that he himself had missed?

Lin Wu served as the military commander and only had a vague understanding of the matter. Seeing that no one else was speaking, he clasped his fists and said, “Please elaborate.”

A heavy silence fell. Fan Zhili stroked his beard absently. Teacher Yangming sat with eyes closed, resting. Neither seemed inclined to speak.

Robes rustled as Wu Yuan rose to his feet. He turned and walked toward the inner chamber of the hall, his figure swallowed by shadow.

After a while, he returned carrying a length of white bone—a femur, by the look of it.

“As you all know, I examined the remains of all seven victims.” Wu Yuan placed the bone on the table. “But there is one thing I did not make public.”

“The first several corpses had been stripped clean of flesh, leaving only faint bite marks on the bones. Though I couldn’t determine what kind of beast was responsible, I had my doubts—the bite marks were too clean, too even. But they were so shallow and indistinct that I couldn’t be certain.”

“Until the most recent case.” Wu Yuan glanced at Lin Wu. “The victim was killed in the rear garden of the Assembly Hall. Fortunately, Instructor Lin arrived in time, and a portion of the body was preserved.”

The deceased had been one of Lin Wu’s students. He had happened to go visit him that day. Lin Wu let out a heavy sigh—he had arrived too late.

Wu Yuan continued. “After examining the preserved remains, I can say with certainty: what devoured their flesh was not a beast. It was a human.”

His cold, detached voice combined with the chill of the ancestral hall sent a shiver through everyone present. The expressions on Wuhe’s and Lin Wu’s faces shifted through several stages of shock and horror.

“What did you just say?!” Wuhe lunged forward toward Wu Yuan, scraping his table loudly across the floor. Heedless of his loss of composure, he shouted, “Say that again! You’re telling me this is a person eating people?!”

Wu Yuan said nothing. Fan Zhili pressed his hand downward. “Quiet.”

He seemed to have aged several years, his voice low and hoarse like this sunless hall itself.

“This was too shocking, too horrifying to reveal. That is why, on my orders, Wu Yuan fabricated the finding of wolf fur—to temporarily pin the blame on the wolf pack’s revenge.”

The men couldn’t help the nausea rising in their stomachs. Cannibalism!

Eaten raw. An entire body consumed clean—intestines, brains, hair, not a scrap left!

Even during the wars, nothing this deranged had ever occurred!

“Is this even human?!” Lin Wu slammed his palm on the table.

“Is this really a human?” Fan Zhili sighed. He would rather believe it was the work of some spirit or monster.

“There is another matter.” Teacher Yangming, silent until now, opened his eyes. “Medicine Mountain, which our families have guarded for generations, is gone. According to our ancestral rules, the object kept in the ancestral hall should now be handed over.”

Wuhe spoke up. “But to whom? And where? The ancestors only left the instruction to ‘hand it over’—they gave no other guidance.”

“I will decide this matter myself. The rest of you need not concern yourselves,” Wu Yuan said icily.

Wu Yuan was the shrine keeper and likely knew things the others did not. Hearing him speak so definitively, the others tactfully let the matter drop.

“I overstepped,” Teacher Yangming offered an apology, then continued. “Since the incident at Medicine Mountain, Green White Mountain has seen an influx of outside cultivators. The Martial Exam and the academic examinations are also coming up at the same time. Security must be tightened during this period. I’m afraid we’ll need to trouble Wuhe and Lin Wu.”

The two answered in unison. “It is our duty.”

Finally, Fan Zhili looked around at everyone. “Green White Mountain has weathered storms together, sharing both glory and hardship. But even the sturdiest fortress cannot withstand a fire in its own backyard. Those with crooked hearts and extreme actions should be removed. Do not let the innocent be left cold.”

Wuhe’s heart lurched, guessing that he was perhaps referring to Zheng Bai. “Elder Fan, you mean… but we can’t be sure the innocent are truly innocent.”

Fan Zhili fixed him with a sharp look, then suddenly smiled. “That’s true as well. We’ll leave it here for today. Dismissed.”

Wuhe and Lin Wu rose and took their leave.

The doors of the ancestral hall swung wide open, letting in a blaze of fierce light—then just as quickly returned to darkness.

The three sat in silence within the hall. After a moment, the old man sighed. “Indecisive, biased, easily swayed—unfit for great responsibility.”

Teacher Yangming cracked open one eye. “Let it be. Medicine Mountain is gone now. There’s no need to choose a mountain guardian anymore. Just let him be.”

“We’ll hold one final Mountain God Festival, and consider our duty at Green White Mountain fulfilled.”