Chapter 9 – Mansion

The ground floor of the mansion held no further surprises. Just as the gardens outside, it didn’t appear to be in disrepair. If Sher had been invited here and led by a butler to meet the host, instead of following her Senior Sister after fighting a battle, she would not find anything unusual about the building. Except for the unlit corridors, illuminated only by a flame conjured by Senior Sister Li, and a silence broken only by their footsteps..

After walking past several empty rooms, the two women reached a hall with grand sculpted stairs leading to the first floor, with two more corridors branching towards the left and right wings of the mansion. Hidden in the shadow of the grand stairs, another passage led downstairs to the basement.

Without exchanging words, the pair headed for the basement.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the wooden walls and carpeted floors were replaced by bare stone. Senior Sister sent her flame ahead down the corridor. They walked past several storage rooms and approached steel gates at the end of the passage. The gates were thrown wide open, leaving deep grooves in the dust.

As they stepped through, Senior Sister’s Divine Sense further diminished. From up ahead they heard fluttering sounds. Sher readied herself as several enormous ravens flew into the light cast by the flame.

Li Meilien performed a quick incantation gesture as the ravens approached. The conjured flame suddenly burst outward, enveloping and incinerating the flock.

Only the leading raven made it through, its body severely burned. From its scorched flesh, drops of dark purple liquid dripped onto the stone ground as it tried to stay airborne.

Sher sent her sword and pierced the bird’s body, ending its suffering.

“It seems the corruption is more stable in animals. Both the ravens and the hounds before were altered but retained their training and were stronger than mundane beasts. If I were to make an inference, I would say the culprit is more experienced with experiments on animals than humans.” Sher twisted her mouth. “I have a feeling this colleague Elder Feng set out to see… never mind. No use speculating.”

“I have my own suspicions, too.” Li Meilien stared ahead into the darkness beyond her flame’s reach. “What I don’t understand is why Elder Feng decided to act only now. He expected to find this person here. But you are right, we need more pieces to come to a conclusion.”

As before, Senior Sister led, while Junior Sister followed.

Instead of rooms filled with food or wine, they were passing barred cells. Some were empty, save for stains left by decomposed flesh that blemished the stone floors. Others had occupants—half dead animals, their body parts bulging, deformed beyond all functionality. Some whined in pain, others were eerily silent.

Senior Sister sent her flame to the cells. It ignited ending their misery.

But as they reached the end of the gruesome corridor, two cells contained people. Their state the same as the corrupted guests in the inn. Consumed by corruption, further than the animals or the two guards they had fought. Unstable, left to be devoured. No lucidity in their eyes, their expressions frozen in shock, dread, and oblivion.

Senior Sister Li hesitated. “Maybe we can find a cure farther ahead.” She didn’t sound convinced.

Sher shrugged. She didn’t believe so, but she saw no point arguing.

“After you.” Sher gestured towards the door at the end of the basement.

Li Meilien took a deep breath and pushed the door open, revealing a large round room with a surgical table in the middle.

Meilien gasped as she saw the body tied to the table.

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Elder Feng was unconscious; he had several incisions on his stomach and head. Some were stitched, from others dark purple liquid slowly leaked.

Li hurried to his side, while Sher surveyed the room.

There were no signs of struggle, either the Elder had been captured elsewhere or had been lured here and neutralized without a chance to resist.

There were other tables with various surgical tools, containers holding some liquid, though Sher wasn’t eager to open them and be exposed to whatever was inside.

The only item out of place was a small clock-like device, shattered and thrown into a basin filled with the dark purple solution.

‘But of course, it couldn’t just be left on a table, waiting for me.’

Sher picked up tongs from among the tools and fished it up, inspected it.

It didn’t seem to serve any mundane function. She sent a trickle of her Divine Sense towards it; however, it dissipated as it met traces of the purple liquid inside the device.

Sherenna exerted slightly more powerful Divine Sense, easily overcoming the alien Qi permeating the liquid. The tool, now deprived of its function, used to work as a tracking device. ‘Interesting.’ Sher thought examining it. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like its function could be restored. Or rather, the device could be repaired, but the formerly imprinted target was lost for good.

“We need to get out of here. Now.” Li Meilien urged. The unconscious Elder was supported by her—half carried, half leaning on her. “Nothing here looks like medicine to me, and I don’t want to encounter the perpetrator.”

Li made her way out and hurried towards the stairs up.

Sher followed. Her expression darkened as she stopped beside the cells with the corrupted people. Silently, she sent her sword inside. They didn’t deserve this.

But the world of cultivation was ever cruel.

Wordlessly, they escaped the basement.

However, a final obstacle barred their way in the mansion’s main hall. Li Meilien stopped dead at the exit, Elder Feng in her arms. Soon, Sher joined her and saw what had caused Senior Sister Li to stop.

It had a large head reminiscent of a raven with a dangerous beak. Wings with a span of over ten feet emerged from its muscular feline body covered with hard, rough hair.

The black monster pierced them with its gaze. It opened its beak and unleashed a piercing screech. Sher could see dark purple veins bulge out of the black flesh inside its mouth.

“Take Elder Feng and escape!” Li Meilien shoved Elder Feng towards Sher, and assumed a fighting stance

Sher let Elder Feng’s body fall to the ground as she readied herself to face the monster together with Senior Sister.

“I won’t make it out of here if the creature targets me. Not exposed and weighted down by the Elder.” Sher stepped over the unconscious Elder. “Our best bet is to dispose of it quickly.”

Li opened her mouth to answer, but the monster didn’t wait for them to argue. In a flurry of movement, it was upon Li Meilien slashing with its claws and pecking with its beak.

Sher’s sword flickered to impose itself in front of its right claw. The sword was flung away but bought enough time for Meilien to defend against the other attacks and adjust for her severed palm as she intercepted the rest of the attack.

Li Meilien went on the offensive, weaving concussive blasts of Qi into her fist strikes while her flying sword harried the beast from the side.

The monster hardly defended, continuing its own flurry of blows. It took damage, but forced Senior Sister Li to forgo attacking in favor of defense.

Sher continued to intercept the attacks that came dangerously close to Li, masterfully controlling the flying sword. The monster, however, was too overpowering. The best her efforts could provide was to slow it down.

Li Meilien took an opportunity to perform a quick incantation gesture, a flame that appeared behind the beast ignited into an inferno, scorching the monster’s body and causing it to cry out in pain.

Sherenna projected a narrow, direct line of her Divine Sense and slashed the monster’s soul. She didn’t annihilate it but caused enough damage to stun it briefly and befuddle it.

Li Meilien, unaware, took the serendipitously effective explosion in stride. Instantly foregoing her focus on defense, Meilien focused on her most devastating attacks.

As her assault continued, Li Meilien weaved a net of fulminating Qi around the monster, then, when the still befuddled monster, showed a moment of hesitation, she leapt back and shoved Sher back into the passage leading below.

Then a reverberating explosion thundered through the whole building, and parts of it began to collapse.

Sher emerged to see Li Meilien pick up Elder Feng. The mansion began to tremble, and loosened stones fell from the ceiling around the hall. The cultivators ran past the dying creature, back the way they entered.

Sher hesitated for a moment and sent her sword to stab the monster, however, it uselessly deflected off its body.

Li Meilien, carrying the Elder, sagged a little. Sher could see she didn’t escape unscathed from the furious battle. But for now, getting out of the collapsing mansion and back to the inn took precedence.

Sher had a foreboding feeling as they left the mansion. The perpetrator didn’t show up, but the second most powerful cultivator in their group was successfully lured away from the inn. Would the culprit really simply leave after subduing the Nascent Soul Elder?