"Impossible… since when did Lin Jiu's cultivation reach this level?!"
The old man staggered back in shock, yet the golden light clung to him like a shadow—impossible to shake off.
"Pfft!"
It pierced straight into his forehead. Blood burst from his mouth as the straw effigy on the altar trembled violently, then exploded into ashes with a dull thud.
"Twenty years of planning…"
"All gone…"
His face turned ashen as he collapsed to the ground, as if he had aged decades in an instant.
"Master!"
His two disciples rushed forward in panic.
At that moment, a figure appeared beside the altar.
Silent.
Unnoticed.
"It seems…"
"You need help."
Uchiha Mo stood under the moonlight, his expression calm—almost indifferent.
The two disciples froze in terror, their legs giving way as they stumbled backward.
"Y-you… who are you?" the old man asked, his voice trembling.
The young man before him—
Was unfathomable.
Mo did not answer.
He simply looked at him.
In an instant, the old man's pupils lost focus. His expression emptied, his body stiffening like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
The disciples broke.
They turned and ran, crashing into branches, ignoring the pain.
The elder disciple ran the fastest, driven by a single thought—
Escape.
Then his vision blurred.
The black-clad youth appeared before him.
"You—"
Before he could scream, a cold sensation pierced his chest.
He looked down.
A strange projectile—
Embedded in his heart.
His consciousness faded.
The last thing he saw—
Was his junior collapsing the same way.
…
Back at the mortuary—
Jiu Shu had just dismantled the altar when he saw Uchiha Mo return, dragging two corpses.
"Brother Mo… what is this?"
Mo tossed them onto the ground.
"The evil cultivator escaped. I only caught these two disciples."
"They resisted. I had no choice."
Jiu Shu looked at the bodies.
Still warm.
He sighed softly.
Kneeling, he closed their wide, fearful eyes.
"Amitabha…"
"They followed evil paths…"
"But they were still lives."
Wencai muttered, "They harmed people… they deserved it…"
"Silence!"
Jiu Shu snapped.
"Human life is not so cheap."
Uchiha Xiuren stood at the doorway, watching quietly.
Unmoved.
"Dust returns to dust. Earth returns to earth," Mo said calmly. "They chose their path."
Jiu Shu said nothing.
Whether he agreed—
Was unclear.
After a moment, he stood.
"Wencai, bring two straw mats. We'll bury them tomorrow."
"Yes, Master!"
Out of sight, Xiuren's gaze met Mo's.
A silent exchange.
The true "teacher"—
Had already been secured.
Xiuren smiled faintly.
"Jiu Shu's compassion is admirable…"
"But we should consider the more immediate issue."
"The escaped cultivator."
Jiu Shu shook his head.
"He suffered heavy backlash. He won't return soon."
"He lost twenty years of work. His cultivation is damaged."
"He'll need months to recover."
…
The next day.
Noon.
Behind the mortuary, a funeral pyre had been built.
Ren Weiyong's corpse lay atop it.
Jiu Shu stood before it, peachwood sword in hand, his expression solemn.
Ren Fa stood beside him, hands trembling.
Wencai and Qiu Sheng held torches.
"Master Ren," Jiu Shu said, "the corpse transformation has progressed too far."
"If we don't cremate it—there will be consequences."
"…I leave it to you."
Ren Fa nodded, his voice heavy.
"Light it."
Flames ignited.
Wood cracked.
Fire spread.
Thick smoke rose, carrying the stench of burning flesh.
Ren Fa collapsed to his knees.
"Father…"
"This unfilial son…"
Outside, villagers gathered, whispering among themselves.
"They really burned him…"
"I heard it almost broke out last night…"
"If Jiu Shu wasn't here…"
Fear lingered in every voice.
No one dared step inside.
The events of the previous night had shaken the entire town.
The flames burned higher.
Strange cracking sounds echoed within.
Jiu Shu stood firm, compass in hand, watching carefully—
Ensuring nothing went wrong.
When it was over—
Silence returned to the mortuary.
But something had changed.
Jiu Shu's attitude toward the Uchiha brothers shifted.
Caution.
Distance.
The killing he witnessed—
Had left its mark.
Mo didn't care.
It was expected.
…
The next morning—
Uchiha Xiuren left first, under the pretense of tracking the evil cultivator.
His destination—
Unknown.
As for Uchiha Mo—
Through Ren Tingting, he arranged a private meeting with Ren Fa.
In the study.
The door remained closed for a long time.
No one knew what was said.
Only that when Ren Fa escorted him out—
His expression was complicated.
A mixture of awe—
And relief.
Soon after—
Uchiha Mo also left.
Disappearing from Renjia Town.
…
In the days that followed, changes emerged.
Grave sites once plagued by ghostly flames fell silent.
Rumors of spirits harming villagers vanished.
At the same time, Jiu Shu began packing.
"Master… are we really going to Maoshan?" Wencai asked.
"Of course," Jiu Shu replied seriously. "I don't know how long this will take. I can't leave you here alone."
Qiu Sheng suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right, Master. Brother Mo left you a letter."
"Said to give it to you today."
Jiu Shu paused.
He took the envelope.
Thin paper.
Few words.
As he read, his expression changed.
From confusion—
To gravity—
To something far more complex.
"Master… what does it say?"
Wencai asked.
Jiu Shu said nothing.
He held the letter to the flame.
Watched it burn.
"To ashes."
"Pack up."
"We leave this afternoon."
Neither disciple dared ask further.
By mid-afternoon, the mortuary was locked.
The three set off—
Toward Maoshan.
Before leaving, Jiu Shu turned back.
Looking at the town one last time.
The calm faces of the Uchiha brothers—
And the contents of that letter—
Intertwined in his thoughts.
This journey—
Would not be short.
Not only did he need to investigate the origins of the evil cultivator—
But also—
Records of something else.
"…Outsiders."