"The coroner from the Taoist Court inspected the bodies in the mine shaft and concluded that these Mining Cultivators were killed by Monster Beasts, and then eaten by them..." "People from the Lu Family said they would compensate with Spirit Stones." "Once the family members of the Mining Cultivators received the Spirit Stones, they stopped causing trouble." "That’s how things were left for the time being within the Taoist Court..." Situ Fang said helplessly. Mo Hua’s gaze turned slightly somber, "It’s not that simple, right..." Without mentioning anything else, those Mining Cultivators were definitely not eaten by Monster Beasts. Having dealt with Monster Beasts frequently at Big Black Mountain, Mo Hua was certain of this. Seeing there was no one else around, Situ Fang spoke in a lower voice: "Right, that coroner told a lie." Mo Hua was somewhat puzzled, "How do you know he lied?" Situ Fang replied, "I gave him Spirit Stones, and he confessed to me himself." Mo Hua nodded. Indeed, Spirit Stones could make people honest. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮 After he had given two Spirit Stones to the housing agency workers who dealt with cave dwelling sales, they also spilled all the truth. Situ Fang continued: "The coroner told me that these Mining Cultivators were first killed by someone, and then eaten by something unidentifiable..." "The time of death was somewhat old, and the Filthy Qi inside the shaft was heavy, so the putrid and turbid scents blended together, making it difficult to distinguish what exactly ate the bodies..." Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart; he was also somewhat moved. To deduce the cause of death for those Mining Cultivators in such a state, that coroner certainly had some real skill. In Tao Cultivation, every profession, even those deemed unassuming or ’lowly,’ had its special intricacies that should not be underestimated. "Then why didn’t this coroner speak the truth?" Mo Hua asked again, "Did someone prevent him from doing so?" "Yes," Situ Fang nodded, "Court Leader Zhao from the Taoist Court discretely briefed him." "Court Leader Zhao?" Situ Fang spoke softly, "He’s more senior than I am, serving as a Supervisor in the Taoist Court of South Yue City for sixty or seventy years, deeply trusted by the Court Leader." The Court Leader, huh... Mo Hua somewhat understood. That meant the Court Leader of South Yue City had instructed to downplay the incident, finding a ’suitable’ reason to make a big issue small, a small issue gone. If a Cultivator kills, it’s murder. If Monster Beasts kill, it’s an accident. Since it’s an accident, it’s considered an inevitable risk. The Taoist Court wouldn’t need to waste effort investigating, and the Lu Family wouldn’t bear much responsibility, just needing to provide some Spirit Stone compensation. The family members of the Mining Cultivators would be compensated with Spirit Stones and would no longer continue to make a fuss. And so the matter was settled... At first glance, it indeed seemed ’appropriate.’ Mo Hua glanced at Situ Fang’s expression, seeing her take it to heart, and quietly asked: "Sister Situ, are you planning to keep investigating?" Situ Fang hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "You’re right, this matter isn’t so simple. We have to find out who killed these Mining Cultivators and what ate their bodies." Situ Fang sighed, "If we don’t figure it out, I’m afraid more Mining Cultivators will die such tragic deaths..." Mo Hua then said, "Your Court Leader won’t agree to your continued investigation, right?" Situ Fang carelessly replied: "I’m on a rotating duty. With the backing of my Clan, I just need to be polite to him outwardly, and I don’t need to be overly concerned with him." Mo Hua nodded and praised, "Sister Situ, you have a kind heart!" Then he thumped his chest and said, "I’ll help you investigate!" Situ Fang looked at Mo Hua skeptically, "Investigate what?" "The cause of death for the Mining Cultivators." Situ Fang, not understanding, said, "It’s my duty to investigate, but why would you get involved in this mess?" After thinking for a moment, Mo Hua replied: "I want to find Instructor Yan; since he went missing in the mine as well, it might be related to the cause of death for the Mining Cultivators." "Furthermore, I want to uncover the truth and not allow these Mining Cultivators to have died in vain." Of course, there was also a key point: the Ultimate Formation. Mo Hua had sensed the malevolent presence of an Ultimate Formation emanating from the bodies of the dead Mining Cultivators. He wanted to know what this Ultimate Formation was and why it carried an evil aura. And who exactly was using this Formation to harm people... However, he did not reveal the matter about the Ultimate Formation to Situ Fang. After pondering for a while, Situ Fang nodded, "Alright." Then she added a word of caution: "But you must be careful, this matter is probably more complex than it seems. If something goes wrong, you must run immediately." "Their power is great, but only within South Yue City." "Once you leave South Yue City, you’ll be back in Tongxian City, your own territory, and you won’t have to fear anything." Mo Hua’s gaze flickered, indicating that Situ Fang had also sensed something. Mo Hua nodded and said, "All right!" ... Although determined to investigate, the clues were limited. Mo Hua wanted to first examine the bodies of the Mining Cultivators. He wanted to use his Divine Sense to feel the deathly Filthy Qi on the bodies and find out what it was and how it differed from the usual natural essences. He also wanted to perform further calculations, to see if he could obtain more clues about the Ultimate Formation. After the mine shaft was cleared, the bodies of the Mining Cultivators were sealed within the Taoist Court. Mo Hua followed Situ Fang to the Taoist Court, only to be informed that the bodies had already been cremated by the families. Mo Hua’s gaze became slightly focused. Situ Fang also frowned deeply, "Who permitted this?" "Who else?" The coroner curled his lips and, seeing no one around, pointed upwards with his hand. Upwards—that would be the Court Leader of South Yue City. Mo Hua quietly made calculations in his heart. To hastily dispose of the corpses like this... The problem with this Court Leader seemed quite severe. It also indicated that indeed, these corpses harbored some unspeakable secrets. Situ Fang’s eyes flickered, evidently sharing the same thought. They hadn’t considered confronting the Court Leader either, because such an action would be meaningless. "Let’s go ask the families of the Mining Cultivators," suggested Mo Hua. Situ Fang nodded in agreement. These Mining Cultivators lived in residential houses near the mines. Their houses were incredibly cramped, filthy, and in complete disarray, suffused with foul air. The Mining Cultivators living inside all had disheveled appearances and dirty faces. At this noontime, many were eating plain congee mixed with hard, black pickles. The congee was mixed with flour, and it contained but few grains of rice. Children, equally grimy, ran back and forth through the narrow alleyways. Situ Fang showed a look of pity. Even Mo Hua, accustomed to seeing Loose Cultivators in poverty, sighed lightly. Even among Loose Cultivators, these Mining Cultivators were almost the poorest of the lot. Mo Hua had always thought that the Loose Cultivators of Tongxian City had it tough. But the further one traveled and the more one saw, the more one encountered the depths of poverty. It appeared Elder Yu was right, "The Loose Cultivators of Tongxian City suffer greatly, but beyond Tongxian City, those who suffer more than Tongxian’s Cultivators are even more numerous..." Mo Hua’s gaze became inscrutable as he silently pondered something. Situ Fang led Mo Hua to the front of a dilapidated house. The door of the house was closed. Situ Fang inquired with the neighbors and found out that after the Taoist Court had cremated the bodies and returned them, the household went to bury the deceased Mining Cultivator. The burial place was a large wasteland to the south. It was a mass grave. When Mo Hua and Situ Fang arrived at the mass grave, they saw the desolate ground scattered with many messy tomb mounds. Some had steles with the names of the deceased inscribed. Some had only a wooden plaque, weathered and decayed by the wind and sun. Most graves had no markers, leaving it unknown who was buried there or who had buried them. In the mass grave, there was a new tomb being buried. As Mo Hua and Situ Fang approached, they saw three or four households gathered together, dressed in white, burning paper money, and weeping softly. There was just one coffin. Situ Fang inquired and learned that the bodies of these five men had been mangled beyond recognition, making it impossible to distinguish their limbs. The Taoist Court had mixed them together and cremated them as one. The families of the Mining Cultivators could only inter the five men together in one coffin. Situ Fang said indignantly, "How could this be done?" A woman, haggard and of middle age, clutching a thin child, spoke helplessly: "Even if separated, we couldn’t afford coffins. This single coffin was pooled together by four of our households." "Isn’t it five households?" "One family—the wife has already remarried with her son and no one is there to bury him." Situ Fang was at a loss for words. The woman sighed and said: "We don’t blame her. A widow with an orphan, if she didn’t remarry, she couldn’t survive." Situ Fang furrowed his brow, "Didn’t the Lu Family compensate with Spirit Stones?" "We got a hundred, but by the time it reached us, only twenty were left. These twenty Spirit Stones won’t last long." Situ Fang’s expression turned cold, "Who skimmed off the top?" The woman hemmed and hawed, unable to speak, her face filled with sorrowful sighs. Situ Fang asked again, but the woman only shook her head, remaining silent. Everyone fell somewhat silent. The desolate gravesite once again grew deathly quiet, with only the weak sounds of weeping intermittently rising and falling. After the graves were established, everyone offered incense. The incense smoke curled upwards, the graves lonely. The Mining Cultivators’ family members had faces filled with sorrow. Life as a Mining Cultivator was tough, and it was uncertain how long they could survive. Who knows when an accident in the mine shaft might occur, adding another grave to this mass burial ground? And ultimately, these graves would remain nameless and unidentified amid the desolate hills. Unasked-about, unvisited for offerings. Just a collection of unknown mounds of earth and rocks. Mo Hua glanced around, feeling an inexplicable sense of desolation and melancholy. After a moment, Mo Hua was taken aback. He took another look at the families of the Cultivators and slowly furrowed his brows. He remembered that when these families of the Mining Cultivators had made a fuss, demanding an explanation from the Taoist Court and arguing with Situ Fang, there were several strong men by their side. But now, looking at these few households, there were only women and children, or the elderly. There were a few young Cultivators, but they were also frail and thin. Where had those strong men gone? Mo Hua’s gaze turned slight cold.