For only a few seconds, Huang Yufeng focused her intent around Can Mouye. At the time he was still unconscious. But all of a sudden, he just stopped to breathe and all of his muscles relaxed. Obviously, both Cao Yun and Huang Liyue knew what this meant. The matriarch had invaded his soul and extracted all of his memories. Technically, this technique known as Soul Memory Search could be performed without harming the person. But this was so complex and the soul so delicate that there was still a high risk of damaging or even killing the person. As such, it was rarely used. In fact, according to the laws of the Hongchen Kingdom, it could only be performed on demonic cultivators or the most heinous of criminals. A mere suspicion was hardly enough. That was why Chief Elder Bian's proposal had been so crazy back then.
Seeing Can Mouye die before them, Cao Yun and Huang Liyue were both worried that the Soul Memory Search had failed. Hopefully, the matriarch had retrieved enough information for it to be worthwhile. Capturing a demonic cultivator alive and without seals on him was so rare, losing him now would be a disaster.
"Matriarch, how much did you see?"
"Everything."
"But... then..."
"Yes, I killed him afterward. First of all, for all the crimes he had committed, he deserved death. Well, death may even have been too nice for him, but I admit I took a bit of pity on him. And even if his cultivation was gone, he was still a threat. This Old Demon you talked about had told him way too much. Keeping him alive would have been a huge mistake. But do not worry. I am certain that I got absolutely everything from his soul. Even with my soul still injured, this really wasn't difficult. Although I'm not as skilled as Spirit Master Xiao, I dare say that I am very close when it comes to Soul Memory Search. Unlike her, I performed it several times on the battlefield. And it turns out that extracting the soul of a demon is way more difficult than the soul of a human, especially if you don't care whether the person survives or not."
Of course, none of the three had really been worried about Can Mouye's death. After all, he had partaken in creating the stampede that had killed so many people. And he had probably tortured and killed many more himself. The only thing they had been worried was whether Matriarch Huang Yufeng had been able to extract all important information. There could always be memories buried deep within. Even if you were convinced that you had gotten everything, sometimes you could be wrong.
On the other hand, Matriarch Huang Yufeng truly was skilled when it came to this kind of technique. And that was why Huang Liyue had kept Can Mouye with her, alive. She wasn't that confident in her own ability but didn't doubt her matriarch's. If she was certain that she had gotten everything, then she had.
Suddenly, it hit Cao Yun that Matriarch Huang Yufeng now knew almost everything about him. With what Old Demon had told to Can Mouye, she even knew about Cleansed Asura and the Drop of Wrath. Well, she probably didn't know precisely what the Drop of Wrath was. But Old Demon had told his disciple that Cao Yun had received the legacy of Cleansed Asura. And she should also know that he was able to manipulate both Evil Qi and Death Energy. The good news was that she also had to know that none of it made him related to the demonic cultivators in any way.
The rest of the conversation happened in Cao Yun's head. Even with the barrier around them, Matriarch Huang Yufeng became even more cautious.
"Cao Yun, no matter what, you must never reveal your ability to manipulate Death Energy or even Evil Qi. If you do, not only all the demonic cultivators would abandon whatever they're doing to abduct you and extract everything from your very soul, but the Imperial City may also condemn you. And even my Huang family might not be up to the task of protecting you. This last century, the Imperial City has become more and more enshrouded in darkness. It has been more than seventy years since I last saw the Emperor.
"Although he should only be around 1,500 years old, some rumors had started to spread that he was in a terrible condition. Some even gossiped that he had died without naming a successor. I do not believe such baseless rumors. Emperor Weide is the only 9th-grade Spirit Warrior of his generation. In the older generation, only Sect Leader Xuan can measure to him. Well, he's probably a bit stronger, but he's also getting too old...
"That being said, there is something strange going on in the Imperial City. Officially, the Emperor is just too busy dealing with the increasing threat of the demons. And now that there are demonic cultivators spreading chaos within our borders, the situation is a huge mess.
"Moreover, there was something else I wanted to tell you. You have to keep your fake identity, no matter what! As I said, the Imperial City is becoming increasingly unfathomable. And there is another matter in which they acted with utmost suspicion."
Matriarch Huang paused for a while to let it sink in. Then she dropped a question that was unexpected.
"Before going on, Cao Yun, answer this question of mine. Why do you think demonic cultivators killed your family?"
Hearing the matriarch's question, Cao Yun was shocked. It was obvious that demonic cultivators were the ones who had attacked. But then, he thought more about it. What was the absolute proof he had? After reading the reports received by City Lord Dun Mofan, he had accepted this truth. In fact, the only concrete element he had was rather tenuous.
"The leader of the group was wielding a strange weapon. It seemed to always be slick with blood, even without any trace of it on the blade. But... I mean, I heard that everyone was suspecting a demonic sect, so..."
"Well, the Imperial City has suspected a demonic sect. Before my family could even begin the investigation, they had appeared. Governor Leng is quick to act, but even by his standards, that's a little fast in my opinion. Moreover, all of this has happened while I was in seclusion. It seems to me as though the attackers were using my absence to attack your family. If I had been there, only another 8th-grade Spirit Warrior could have acted. And even then, he would have probably not been able to evade my detection.
"And the Imperial City would have never wrestled this case from my hands. But as much as Huang Yi is competent, he doesn't have the same leverages I do. Against a direct order from the Imperial City, there was nothing he could do.
"Your only real proof is a weapon. But even if the weapon was demonic in nature, there is no way to know whether its wielder was or not. I'm not saying that those who attacked were not demonic cultivators, but even if they were, we can't be sure that they acted on their own. As much as it pains me to admit it, I do believe that the Imperial City knows more than they are letting on. In this case, nothing makes sense. After all, the Wolf Head Sect was found guilty in less than a week. And before the end of the month, their headquarters had been found, raided and destroyed.
"I won't attempt to take any guesses, but it seems to me like they merely used them as a scapegoat, either to hide something else, or because they didn't want to seem incompetent. Maybe they just needed someone to take the fall so that people would keep their trust in the Emperor. Those times are trying after all. But until we can know for sure what is going on behind the scene, I do believe that it is better for Cao Yun to remain dead."
That was a lot to take in for Cao Yun. But this was also very good. Although Matriarch Huang Yufeng had way more questions than answers, it still shined some lights on possible leads. Whether demonic cultivators were involved or not, trying to investigate the Wolf Head Sect and why it had been accused still remained a good idea. Then, the only next logical step would be the Imperial City. And as it turned out, as an alchemist, he might have a very good way to get inside the Imperial City, and more.
It highlighted how naive he had been though. Why had he just accepted this report as true? Even in the Hongchen Kingdom where the fate of humanity as a whole was of utmost importance, there were still internal struggles. It was perfectly possible for someone else to have commissioned the demonic cultivators, or even just a bunch of criminals with some demonic cultivators or not in their rank. Everything was possible. And the Imperial City had either been trying to suppress the truth, whatever it was, or just trying to calm down the citizens and keep its face.
Paradoxically, having his only certitude on the massacre broken apart before his very eyes turned out to be a good thing. More possibilities also meant more leads. In addition, he seemed to have gained a support with Matriarch Huang Yufeng. Deep down, she was probably helping him for other reasons than just a past friendship between their families. But still, having a bit of support was nice. While he was thinking about this, Cao Yun suddenly realized something else.
If the report had been wrong, other things could also be wrong. Maybe...
"No!" Seeing Cao Yun's eyes lit up, Matriarch Huang Yufeng knew what he was thinking about. "Although identifying all the victims have been difficult, especially the ones in the woods who had been partially eaten, I am confident that everyone from your family has been decimated. I do not mean to be cruel, but you should abandon the hope that they have survived somehow."
Although only Cao Yun had spoken out loud, Huang Liyue had also received the thoughts of her matriarch. Otherwise the situation would have been very awkward for her. All this reminded her of Huang Cixi. She too had been very intrigued by what had happened to the Cao family. Now that she knew Chen Guo was Cao Yun, it made more sense. And the fact that even Hall Master Fang was interested in it as well. If the Imperial City was somehow involved with it, everything was way more complicated than she had thought. But she was just a bodyguard. Despite her power, she was really not suited for political intrigues. It was better to let everything in the hands of more competent persons than her.
"Well, there is much more we need to discuss. But for now, you should follow Huang Liyue back to Baziyun City."
As she spoke, a small flame left Matriarch Huang Yufeng's finger and Can Mouye was completely consumed by it in less than a breath. Then, the ball of fires around them disappeared.
"Matriarch, you're not coming?"
"I have another matter to attend to. I'll go check out the entry of this inner world. In theory, it should have collapsed but let's be sure of that. Besides, there may be things who were able to get out. Just tell me where it is."
Huang Liyue thought about the place and sent a mental picture of it to the matriarch. Because Baziyun City was so close to those mountains, both women knew the place. As such, with just a single mental image, Huang Yufeng knew exactly where it was.
"Huang Liyue, take Chen Guo to the Governor's residence. The wounded cultivators from Yinmen City have been brought there. You'll see that the city has changed quite a lot since last you were there. Governor Leng should be attending to the repairs already. But there are some elders from our family who are with the wounded, they'll let you in without any problem."
Then, a blue light erupted from her spatial ring and went into the one of Huang Liyue.
"Give them the corpse of the Nine-Headed Bird of Chu. Hopefully, they have already taken care of all the remaining demonic beasts and this was the last one."
"I understand."
"Chen Guo, about your master. From what I understand, I am not sure that I would be able to extract his corpse from the earth. But I will still try. After all, he also saved my own blood. And when I come back, we'll talk some more."
"Thank you, Matriarch. Your family already gave me a lot. I understand that Family Head Huang Yi was the grandfather of Huang Lixin and Huang Longwei..."
"Indeed he was..."
"I know that he might not want to talk with me, but I would like to. Also, if possible, I would like to be able to meditate on their memorial tablets."
Such a demand paused the matriarch. But she saw that Cao Yun was sincere.
"Although we were enemies, I bear no hatred or ill intent toward them both. I sincerely hope that they may find a better life. If possible, I would like to be able to purge the karma I have formed with them."
"Since Huang Cixi is not there, I am not sure whether she would approve or not. I will leave this decision to Huang Yi. Chen Guo, your attitude is admirable, but you should not worry that much about the dead. Life is very fragile and the living need your attention much more than the dead. Believe me. Focusing on the dead and on how you could have prevented their deaths will only make you forget about those who are still alive around you."
As she said that, Matriarch Huang Yufeng watched at Huang Liyue intently.
"I have learned it with my children..."
"I understand, Matriarch. But I swear that I am not letting the dead bother my life. To the contrary, I am thinking about Huang Cixin and Huang Yi. I have no ill will toward them."
"I won't meddle with your affair. Huang Cixi may be able to forgive you one day, but I doubt that Huang Yi could. He loved his grandchildren beyond reason. That being said, I swear on my family name that no harm will come to you by the hands of our members."
Then, Huang Liyue took Cao Yun with her while Huang Yufeng went toward the ravine.