An Jing naturally harbored doubts about the mysterious voice as well. Though it had helped him, who could say whether it had ulterior motives of its own?
Yet matters had reached such a pass that he had no luxury to indulge in suspicion. At this crossroads, An Jing had to either trust the voice or submit to the demon sect.
It was an easy choice.
"Mm... it seems you are indeed quite clear on this."
Hearing An Jing state his thoughts so candidly, the mysterious voice paused before continuing, "Since you know you have already been discovered, why can you remain so calm? This is not something Innate Wisdom alone can explain."
"He wants me to go."
Even with his Innate Wisdom so easily seen through by the mysterious voice, An Jing remained composed. He said indifferently, "He has already given enough hints. When he taught the orthodox method that time, he did not conceal his identity as the Tianyi Demon Sect at all.
"In fact, aside from not calling themselves a demon sect, they never hid it from start to finish.
"This is also a test—if discerning that the Sovereign Heaven method leads straight to the martial meridians counts as passing, and discerning the Thick Earth method counts as excellence, then discerning the Son of Heaven method means being the true 'genius' that Suspended Fate Manor—or rather, the Demon Sect—actually seeks.
"Do you think those beast bones brought out while I waited at the gate were a coincidence?
"Do you think that herbalist walking toward East Mountain Farmstead with the medicinal broth just as I exited the gate was a coincidence as well?
"There are no such coincidences.
"This is the final test. A test of 'allegiance.' A truth awaits me there.
"Manor Lord Yao wants me to go, and I indeed want to go."
"You are not surprised in the least," the mysterious voice murmured.
An Jing did not know whether to laugh or sigh, replying with a tinge of bitterness, "Because I suspected it long ago.
"Who would spend real silver and gold to buy refugees in the Northern Frontier and even treat their illnesses?
"Only those who truly need 'lives.'
"Checking their innate constitution, inquiring about their birth date and time... all because what they needed from the start was living bodies. If the birth chart was suitable, they were naturally willing to pay the price to nurse them back to health and bring them here.
"As for the cult indoctrination and methods used in Suspended Fate Manor to instill obedience, I already recognized them from my Innate Wisdom, which made me exceptionally vigilant—not to mention that strange beast meat and medicinal broth."
"That is demon meat," the mysterious voice said, listening calmly to An Jing's account and interjecting only occasionally. "Demons relish feeding on sapient beings, and any living creature that consumes their flesh will inherit their savage nature.
"Using demon meat stimulates the ferocity of one's bloodline and elevates physical potential. Paired with 'Unfeeling Water,' it suppresses demonic malice and tempers the endurance of the soul, complementing one another.
"The only side effect—subtly altering a person's disposition—is hardly a concern to them.
"Since you discerned so much, why did you not suspect they were a demon sect earlier?"
"So that's how it is."
An Jing gave a slight nod. He had already crossed the path connecting the main manor and East Mountain Farmstead. "No wonder. I always thought most of the riders and instructors had something wrong with their temperaments—they were far too cold and callous."
Rain poured down in torrents. An Jing instinctively wiped the water from his face, vaulted over the wall, and slipped into a shed within the farmstead. "As for why I didn't realize it sooner..."
He fell silent for a moment before speaking bitterly, "Perhaps because, on the surface, they treated us children fairly well.
"At least, they treated those of us still alive well.
"If I were just an ordinary person, I certainly would have been thoroughly brainwashed by now. They really did treat me very well.
"Yet I still understand why a demon sect is called a demon sect."
Letting out a breath, An Jing spoke with a rare exhaustion and a sigh bordering on dread. "I simply did not want to know the truth of certain things.
"Yet I must know."
There were many sheds in East Mountain Farmstead shielding against the rain. Placed beneath them were numerous large, dark brown water vats that almost covered the entire courtyard floor.
"Why are so many vats placed here?"
Calming his mind, An Jing looked around and found there were at least fifty vats, each covered with a flat slab of stone. He could not help feeling puzzled. "Collecting rainwater? But why cover them with stone lids and keep them under sheds?
"Could there be medicine inside that requires fermentation?"
Yet as An Jing drew closer, he caught a faint, strange odor—sweet, coppery, and medicinal.
The scent was intimately familiar to An Jing, strikingly similar to the peculiar medicinal smell he had once caught wafting from the Medicine Pavilion.
An Jing furrowed his brows and inspected one of the vats.
Moving nearer, he noticed a slip of paper pasted upon it.
Written upon it was a person's name, along with their birth date and time.
[Gu Jinghai, Ancient Earth Rock Destiny, Impure, Aptitude: Lower-Middle]
A familiar name.
An Jing remembered the person behind it.
It was a somewhat quiet boy, young in years, who liked to keep to himself. An Jing had once talked with him about their hometowns; the boy missed the riverbanks teeming with fish, and missed chasing dragonflies with his elder brother in the summer.
The Frost Calamity had destroyed everything, claiming his brother and parents, leaving him to be sold by his uncle and brought here alone.
The vat was large enough to hold an entire person.
The moment that thought surfaced, An Jing suddenly understood something.
His hands began to tremble.
"Impossible..."
An Jing knew muttering like this was foolish. He knew full well.
He could circulate the Sovereign Heaven Qi-Nourishing Method at any moment to enter that detached, bird's-eye state of utter calm; he could easily do so.
He could face the truth with cold indifference and a tranquil mind.
Yet he did not want to. He understood clearly.
If he shrank back at this moment, he would inevitably lose something vital to a human being, something vital to himself.
And so, despite facing Manor Lord Yao's repeated probings without his breath hitching once, An Jing's hands shook as he began to search.
He searched the vats one by one.
[Zhan Feng, Giant Spirit Destiny, Impure, Aptitude: Middle-Lower]
[Ye Xiuyuan, Discoursing Scholar Destiny, Impure, Aptitude: Middle-Lower]
[Zhang Ying, Geng Wolf Destiny, Impure, Aptitude: Middle-Middle]
He found their names after all.
"Ha... I finally found you."
Taking a step forward, An Jing let out a short, faint laugh. "So, this is where you were..."
He reached out, touching the vat before him, and murmured under his breath, "Right here."
His voice grew softer and softer until he fell silent.
An Jing remained quiet for a long time. A bolt of lightning tore through the dark, rainy night, illuminating his pale face.
An Jing closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, his gaze was dark and profound. He exerted strength in his hands and shifted the lid off the vat.
The solid stone slab was heavy, difficult for an ordinary adult to move, but it posed little trouble to An Jing, who was already approaching Inner Breath and had consumed substantial amounts of demon meat.
Inside the vat lay a mass of pale pink, viscous slurry, with faint traces of medicinal herbs visible within. It emitted a startlingly sweet, coppery medicinal stench—the very same grotesque scent An Jing had smelled before, enough to shake one's soul.
Yet what truly struck terror into the heart was the white bone emerging from the center of that medicinal paste.
A skull. A small one.
Those children who had left and were never seen again, those who had been "eliminated"—their fate was now painfully clear.
"Blood Pill Great Medicine."
The mysterious voice spoke with chilling detachment: "Using those who bear destiny but have not yet awakened as medicine to nourish the flesh, blood, and soul, prolonging life and strengthening the body...
"Demonic scum. They deserve to die!"
Chapter 21