Luoya Mountain wasn't too far from the sect. Traveling by Sword Flight, the group arrived at the Li Family's estate on Luoya Mountain in less than a day.
The Li Family was a Cultivation Family affiliated with the Seven Emotions Sect, so they naturally gave the members a warm and respectful welcome.
Although Qin Yu treated Lu Sangjiu and Li Qiancheng poorly, he was, admittedly, very good at dealing with people under normal circumstances.
With his friendly demeanor, he easily charmed the Li Family Patriarch while exchanging pleasantries, earning the man's repeated praise for being such a talented youth.
Li Qiancheng, by contrast, seemed exceptionally difficult to get along with.
He waited patiently for a moment, but when he saw the two of them were still exchanging useless pleasantries, he couldn't help but cut in. "Stop dithering and wasting time! Just take us to the Foundation Establishment Cultivator who made it back from the mountain range alive."
Although Li Qiancheng was handsome, he looked quite intimidating when he was in a bad mood—perhaps because he cultivated the Anger Rune Technique.
The Li Family Patriarch glanced awkwardly at him, then back at Qin Yu. With a sheepish laugh, he didn't dare say more and quickly led the group toward the rear courtyard.
The Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had returned alive was named Li Nan. When Lu Sangjiu saw him, he was fast asleep in bed. His face was deathly pale; lying there, he looked just like a corpse.
Although their team didn't have a designated leader, Qin Yu always took the lead in everything, clearly appointing himself to the role.
And so, he was the first to approach the cultivator's bedside to examine him.
Though Lu Sangjiu appeared to be following along nonchalantly, she had once been a Tribulation Crossing Stage Cultivator. Even though her cultivation had vanished when her body was reconstructed, her Divine Sense was still much stronger than an ordinary cultivator's.
A single, cursory glance was all it took for her to grasp the man's general condition.
To put it simply, most of his Essence Qi had been drained away, which was why he appeared so lifeless.
Although Lu Sangjiu had once glimpsed the Heavenly Dao, her vision of it hadn't been complete. Furthermore, the book she'd read had only glossed over many events, never describing them in great detail.
Therefore, Lu Sangjiu only knew that Ye Zhiyao had accepted a mission to Luoya Mountain, accidentally stumbled upon her old cave dwelling, and that her three teammates had been sacrificed while Qin Yu stood guard for her. In the end, Ye Zhiyao had taken everything from inside Lu Sangjiu's cave.
After that, Qin Yu sent a message back to the sect, and Bai Heng himself had come to escort them away.
The mission itself, however, seemed to have been just a pretext; it was barely mentioned again.
That was why Lu Sangjiu had no idea what this supposed man-eating demon beast was really about, nor did she know if there was any chance the missing cultivators were still alive.
Although her primary reason for coming was her old cave dwelling, she had still accepted a mission.
She wasn't an irresponsible person. So even if this wasn't her top priority, she would still do her best to complete the mission, as long as it was within her power.
After discovering Li Nan's condition, Lu Sangjiu lowered her gaze and began to ponder the situation seriously.
'Many things can kill,' she thought, 'but there are few methods that can drain a cultivator's Essence Qi. Generally, there are only two possibilities.'
'First, he encountered a demon that follows a deviant path. Second, he ran into some kind of sinister array.'
Lu Sangjiu was certain she hadn't set up any such array in her cave dwelling, so this incident likely had nothing to do with it.
While she was lost in thought, the Li Family Patriarch had already woken Li Nan.
He weakly opened his eyes and looked at the people gathered around his bed. After the Li Family Patriarch made the introductions, he began to recount in detail what had happened that day.
A team from the Li Family had already gone missing by then, so he and another Foundation Establishment Cultivator hadn't dared to separate for the entire journey. They had been, by all accounts, exceptionally careful.
After searching the mountain for a long time, the two finally discovered shredded pieces of a family disciple's clothing in a certain area.
However, as they were investigating the site, they suddenly smelled the fragrance of flowers. After that, Li Nan lost consciousness.
According to the Li Family Patriarch, the disciples assigned to wait for them at the foot of the mountain had found the unconscious Li Nan during their morning patrol.
No one knew how he had gotten down the mountain, nor where the person he was with had gone.
After hearing his story, Qin Yu pressed him, "A floral fragrance? What exactly did it smell like? Can you describe it in detail?"
Li Nan thought back for a moment. "It was... a very sweet, cloying floral scent. It smelled pleasant, but it made your head feel foggy."
He paused, then added hesitantly, "And while I was unconscious, I think I also smelled a hint of sandalwood. But I was already losing awareness by then, so I don't know if I was dreaming or if it was real."
None of what Li Nan said seemed particularly helpful, and Qin Yu's brow furrowed as he mulled it over.
Lu Sangjiu, however, focused on something else. "If you didn't see anything, why are you so certain it was a powerful demon beast?"
"Because of the claw prints."
Li Nan explained, "At the spot where we found the clothing fragments, we saw some huge demon beast tracks. There were bloodstains, too. We didn't get a chance to look closer, but I'm pretty sure it had to be a demon beast."
Li Qiancheng asked, "If it was a demon beast, why did the other person disappear while you ended up at the foot of the mountain, completely unharmed?"
Li Nan shook his head. "That's what we can't figure out, either... I really don't know what happened."
His expression was sincere. He didn't seem to be lying.
Li Nan's condition was fragile, so he couldn't afford to expend too much mental energy. Having asked all their questions, the group didn't stay any longer.
The Li Family Patriarch had rooms prepared for them so they could rest for the day and head up the mountain to investigate on the morrow.
They still needed to discuss and consolidate the information they'd just gathered, so Chen Xiaofeng suggested they all meet in his room to strategize.
It was obvious that Qin Yu was disdainful of Lu Sangjiu and Li Qiancheng, and he clearly didn't think either of them would be of any help.
But for some reason, he didn't object to the meeting.
And while Li Qiancheng was quick to anger, he generally wouldn't go looking for trouble as long as no one provoked him.
Thus, despite their differing agendas, the five of them gathered peaceably in one room to discuss the matter.
"Tomorrow, we'll go directly to the spot where Li Nan's group found the clothing fragments. To be safe, we'll split into two teams."
"One team will wait at a distance while the other goes in to investigate. If the team inside runs into trouble, the ones outside can provide timely rescue."
Qin Yu took the initiative to explain the assignments. "Senior Brother Li and I are both at the Late-stage Golden Core, but I only recently broke through, so my strength is inferior to his. Meanwhile, Brother Chen is more familiar with the terrain here. It would be safer to have him on hand in case anything goes wrong."
"Therefore, I suggest Senior Brother Li and Junior Sister Lu form the team to go in and investigate. Junior Sister, Brother Chen, and I will be the three providing backup from the outside."
Li Qiancheng wasn't an idiot. They had no idea what was causing the trouble, so whoever went in first would obviously be in greater danger.
So he immediately shot back, "What gives you the right to decide? Besides, wouldn't it be safer for the stronger members to stay outside as backup?"