Chapter 111: Dried Corpses Appear in the Bagua Village

"Hiss..."

Bai Mu took a deep, lingering breath, his feet shuffling backward more than three feet in a hurry.

"Could it be that those two men from earlier killed him?" Gazing at Bi Fang's calm face, Bai Mu muttered, half-understanding.

"No."

Bi Fang shook its head, retorting with disdain, "Although those two fellows who fled were quick on their feet, they only moved so swiftly by relying on their familiarity with the mountain forest; they were not cultivators."

"As for the man who died here, he must have been poisoned by gu-venom and tortured to death!"

"Gu-venom?"

"What makes you say that?"

Bai Mu still looked at the corpse on the ground in disbelief, though his heart stirred with memories of what his master, Bai Ze, had once told him. He recalled that back on East-Facing Mountain, Bai Ze had mentioned more than once that in the barbaric lands of the Southern Wilderness lived a group of people skilled in the manipulation of gu-venom.

They were brutal in their ways, stopping at nothing to harm others, and their strikes were often so instantaneous that their victims would perish before even realizing a change had occurred. Even more terrifying was the variety of their toxins. Some could control a person's temperament, others their speech and actions, and some could even turn a person into a slave. In short, the endless array of gu-venoms they concocted made them impossible to guard against.

Looking at the corpse, now stripped of all spirit and vitality, Bai Mu shook his head with difficulty and muttered to himself, "Could this truly be the work of gu-venom?"

Having said this, he glanced suspiciously at Bi Fang, who stood quietly beside him, hoping to see if it had any profound insights.

Seeing Bai Mu's gaze shift toward it, Bi Fang quickly swayed its small head and responded through telepathy: "This is highly likely to be a type of gu-venom. Judging by the freezing aura radiating from the body after death, it should be an extremely Yin-cold variety. However, having only seen one corpse, I cannot yet fully determine the source."

"That makes it easy!"

Upon hearing Bi Fang's deduction, it was clear the creature had some understanding of the venom. Bai Mu was immediately elated: "Let's hurry and chase those two men! We might just find some clues on them!"

Without further ado, he leapt into the air, landing on Bi Fang’s back like a drifting duckweed, urging it to give chase.

Bi Fang was no ordinary bird; it was a creature born from the primary Yin and Yang energies at the dawn of the world. While the one Bai Mu stood upon was not the ancestral Bi Fang, its bloodline was exceptionally pure. Having cultivated for over a millennium, it had long since grasped human nature and the ability to discern the subtle from the obvious.

The moment Bai Mu landed on its back, Bi Fang flapped its wings in silent understanding, soaring rapidly above the lush forest. After a brief scan with its divine sense, it dived like a streak of light in the direction the two men had fled.

After flying two miles to the southwest, aided by its powerful perception, two black specks could be faintly seen moving rapidly across the ground below.

Bai Mu’s heart stirred. He leaned low on Bi Fang’s back and instructed, "Approach those two black specks slowly. It is best not to startle them; I want to thoroughly investigate the root and origin of this entire affair."

"Are you certain you want to meddle in these worldly affairs?" Bi Fang asked back, its tone laced with uncertainty as it slowed its flight.

"What do you mean?"

Bai Mu frowned at the remark, retorting sharply, "Shouldn't a person of the world concern themselves with the world's affairs? Besides, that man was killed in such a vicious manner—shouldn't we get to the bottom of it?"

However, after saying this, he caught a glimpse of Bi Fang’s fiery red body in his peripheral vision and immediately remembered that the creature beneath him was one of the four great fierce beasts of the wilderness. Talking about benevolence and morality with it seemed a bit absurd. He gave a bitter laugh and remained silent, clinging to its back.

After the man and bird pursued them at a steady pace for a while, a small village suddenly appeared below.

The village was nestled in a valley, consisting of about a hundred households. All were built with black walls and white tiles, giving the place a very distinct character. What was most surprising, however, was the layout.

Bai Mu, hovering directly above, could clearly oversee every corner of the village. This seemingly modest settlement was laid out according to the positions of the Primordial Eight Trigrams. The four directions—Heaven, Earth, Water, and Fire—each contained an entrance. The paths within the village crisscrossed and overlapped, forming a complex Eight Trigrams maze formation.

"Huh..." Bai Mu stared at the village below, full of confusion. "Why is the village down there set up like an Eight Trigrams maze?"

"You noticed that?" Bi Fang asked back in disbelief.

It then cautioned, "Bai Mu, this village seems rather unusual. Do you see that hazy mist surrounding the outer perimeter?"

"Mist?"

Bai Mu strained his eyes to inspect the surroundings of the village. Sure enough, a layer of grey, ethereal mist coiled around it, casting an excessive gloom over the small village that should have been set against green mountains and clear waters.

What was even more unexpected was that this grey mist seemed to be constantly churning; it didn't look like natural mountain mist, nor did it resemble the water vapor from a lake. It was, in short, baffling.

As he pondered, the two black specks moved rapidly from the direction of the 'Kan' position and entered the village, vanishing from the sight of the man and bird.

"Bi Fang, take me to the Kan entrance immediately. I want to enter the village and get to the bottom of this."

Before he could finish, Bi Fang had already landed steadily at one of the entrances to the village below. Bai Mu leapt nimbly from its back and stepped toward the street located at the Kan trigram.

"Wait."

Bi Fang spoke up to stop him. "Bai Mu, have you truly thought through this desire to meddle in other people's business?"

"This is not just 'other people's business'!"

Bai Mu turned around, slightly annoyed, and stared at the indifferent bird. "Since we have encountered such a bizarre occurrence, we must investigate until the truth is revealed, otherwise I shall not have peace of mind!"

"Besides!"

Bai Mu’s tone shifted, deepening. "I know you are a creature of ill omen, renowned for your ferocity since ancient times. It is only natural that you don't wish to help me save people, and I do not blame you. If you don't want to get involved, just wait for me on the mountain outside the village."

"Once I have finished investigating the matters inside, I will come out and meet you!"

"Hmph."

Bi Fang swayed its small head, its bean-sized eyes rolling in their sockets. It sneered, "You brat, you've only been alive for a dozen years or so—what right do you have to order me about? How can someone as impulsive and impatient as you ever accomplish anything?"