Chapter 613: Discarding Corpses? A Hidden Realm!

Que'er quickly followed and replied from behind: "Indeed, miss, you must agree to this for Mama and this servant, otherwise we'll immediately write a letter to the Old Lady!"

Hearing them threaten her, Li Qingluo could only laugh and cry helplessly.

She naturally wouldn't get angry.

On the contrary, it was quite heartwarming.

"Fine, I agree to you."

Zheng Mama and Que'er finally breathed a huge sigh of relief deep in their hearts, and their faces showed joyful smiles.

Zhui Yu quickly realized that the three of them were hiding something from him.

However, he was now also avoiding Que'er, so he couldn't probe for the usual talk.

Zheng Mama also had a mouth of iron, impossible to pry open.

So Zhui Yu set his eyes on Qin Ling, whose attitude was similarly different.

Only before he could approach Qin Ling, he heard Li Qingluo issue an order to pack up the camp and leave overnight.

Having killed over a hundred people, this place was obviously unsuitable for staying longer.

Yet they also couldn't just leave those hundred‑plus corpses here.

Otherwise Liu Li's family would likely not survive.

"If we burn them, Eagle City is not far, and the flames would quickly draw people, so this method won't work."

"Burying—a huge pit for over a hundred people, we couldn't finish digging even by dawn, and fresh earth would be easily spotted."

"How can we destroy the bodies and erase all traces?"

Sha Yi lamented, "If only there were corpse‑burning water, that would be perfect."

What is that?

Li Qingluo stared at Sha Yi curiously.

Sha Yi: "Miss, it's an extremely sinister poison. Just one drop on a corpse will quickly turn it into a pool of corpse‑water."

Li Qingluo: "Does such a thing exist in the world?"

She truly had never heard of it.

Liu Li hesitated and said, "Young master, although we lack corpse‑turning water, dealing with these hundred‑plus bodies isn't hard; just toss them into that pool."

Li Qingluo quickly understood what place Liu Li was referring to.

"The pool you mentioned, could it be the water pool in the stone cave where you kidnapped me?"

"Why can that pool handle over a hundred bodies?"

"Wouldn't throwing them in keep the bazaar from discovering them?"

Liu Li nodded repeatedly, "Yes, young master, it's that pool."

"That pool is extremely strange and sinister."

"Over the years, countless corpses have been thrown into the pool; it never fills, yet it never sinks."

"And once the bones are thrown in, they can never be retrieved."

"It is bottomless, and no living person who jumps in can ever surface again."

"It is Eagle City's most terrifying place, yet also the dumping ground where many vicious murderers discard bodies."

Even Zhui Yu felt a chill of dread.

"What kind of ghost place is this?"

"Eagle City truly is a city of sin."

Li Qingluo: "No wonder; that pool is full of water, yet the citizens of Eagle City still lack water to drink."

"Because no one dares to use that pool water."

"Let's go, transport the corpses, to the stone cave!"

Before entering the desert, Li Qingluo and her party had already sold all their horses.

So now they ride camels.

Camels are pricey, but Li Qingluo, now wealthy, bought twenty camels in one go.

Using these twenty camels to transport over a hundred bodies is not difficult.

A few bodies per camel, and the line was carried off at once.

Liu Li, after saying goodbye to his family, used a special item to clean the bloodstains on the ground spotless, waved his hand and left overnight together with Li Qingluo and the others.

Liu Li's home was not far from the stone cave.

Half an hour later, the bodies were all thrown into the pool.

Watching the bodies sink one by one, everyone's mood turned strange.

Sha Si stuck a three‑meter‑long pole vertically into the water; the pole vanished completely, yet the pool still had no bottom.

"It seems it's more than just a pool."

No one knows how deep it truly is.

"Miss, shall we rest here tonight?"

"This place is a bit creepy."

Que'er rubbed her arms, feeling a chill all over.

Sha San immediately draped a coat over her.

Zheng Mama also threw a cloak over Li Qingluo.

"Miss, you decide— shall we set up camp outside?"

Li Qingluo: "I'm too lazy for the hassle; we'll just make do here for one night and depart at first light tomorrow."

Zhui Yu went to bring in a thick mattress.

Throw it on the ground to let Li Qingluo sit.

Then another blanket was thrown to the other side, and after only a glance at Que'er, he said, "There's no other meaning; just you two young ladies—I happened to grab it."

Que'er, on the other hand, was a bit hesitant; Sha san urged her: "Sit down, it's fine."

These days, Sha san could clearly feel that Zhui Yu was indeed avoiding suspicion.

He no longer bothered Que'er, and his gaze was no longer constantly glued to her as before.

He seemed to have really let go?

Likewise, as a man, Sha san could most clearly feel that Zhui Yu's hostility toward him had lessened.

His own hostility naturally gradually faded as well; after all, they were serving the young lady, and he didn't want them to become utterly awkward with each other.

But Li Qingluo hadn't sat down yet when Li Yunchu came running in from outside, flustered.

"Fire, fire, it's fireflies—no, not fireflies!"

"Come out quickly and have a look!"

Sha yi and Zhui Yu immediately went out together.

After they came in, both of their faces were grave: "Miss, quite a few troops are heading this way."

"Judging by the firelight, there are no fewer than five hundred."

"Based on the distance, they'll arrive here in at most a quarter of an hour!"

Zheng Mama anxiously supported Li Qingluo: "Could our whereabouts have been exposed?"

Li Qingluo immediately stood up and looked toward Liu Li: "Is there a place to hide here, or another exit?"

Liu Li: "Yes! By detouring to the side, we can temporarily avoid to the rear hill slope."

Li Qingluo made a quick decision: "Go!"

However, getting twenty camels to withdraw quickly is a difficult task.

Fortunately, Liu Li still knew how to drive camels, and he easily drove them all up to the hill slope.

Not long after they detoured to the rear hill slope, a booming thudding of footsteps came from ahead.

"Search here, search there!"

"Boss, someone really came through. The ground is covered in footprints!"

Faintly audible voices could be heard, indicating this place was not truly a hiding spot.

Seeing that they could be discovered at any moment, Li Qingluo's group could only continue searching for a way out.

Just then, Sha wu noticed that the stone he was holding and the surrounding ones felt different.

He quickly used the hilt of his sword to pound around the stone.

Soon he found that the surrounding soil was somewhat too loose.

Although Eagle City is located in the desert, being able to build a city there means it's not entirely desert.

Especially Eagle City and its surroundings consist of relatively hard yellow sand soil.

However, the place where they are hiding is quite different.

Sha wu threw a punch.

The soil actually ended up with a large hole hammered out by him.

Sha wu stared, mouth half-open in surprise, then threw another punch.

Soon Sha er noticed his abnormality, came over, saw that Sha wu had hammered a hole in the stone wall, and quickly started hammering as well.

For some reason, six of the Sha group came running over to pound their fists.

This commotion was not small either, and Li Qingluo heard it.

"How...?"

Before his words had even faded, there was suddenly a loud 'Boom!' in front of Sha wu and the others.

The stone wall collapsed.

Facing inward, it actually collapsed into a huge hole.

Sha er poked his head inside to look, then turned back with some surprise: "Miss, there's another cave within."

The group walked inside.

Here, unlike the previous entrance, the interior is a dark, damp stone passage.

Torches were lit up.

Li Qingluo walked in the middle.

Liu Li led the way.

"What place is this? Even I, a lowly subordinate, have never been here."

"I've been in Eagle City for over ten years, and I didn't even know there was such a place behind this stone grotto."

"I don't know what lies ahead."

Soon, the sound of water ahead became more noticeable and grew louder.

Not long after, they arrived at a cliffside waterfall.

Water flowed out from the two black streams beside them.

It gathered into a pool at their feet, then became a waterfall flying down and flowing away.

Going forward, there is a pitch‑black abyss of unfathomable depth—ten thousand zhang deep!

"Miss, be careful!"

Zheng Mama tightly shielded Li Qingluo, not letting her move forward, and looked up—above them were stone pillars like icicles.

Looking down, even with torches lit, they couldn't make out what was beneath their feet.

"Miss, look, there seems to be an iron chain over there!"

Sha Yi pointed at the pitch-black void and said.

Everyone took a close look and indeed it was an iron chain as thick as an arm, hanging at the waterfall's mouth, stretching forward into the dark, mist-filled unknown with no end in sight.

Sha Yi turned his head and requested: "Please, miss, allow your subordinate to go ahead and scout a bit."

Li Qingluo nodded: "Be careful, go."

Sha Yi looked at Zhui Yu and gave him a discreet nod, indicating that this place was now his responsibility.

Leaping onto the iron chain, Sha Yi walked forward cautiously and soon disappeared into the mist.

After a while, the rattling of the iron chain ceased.

"Sha Yi?"

Sha Er shouted.

The only response from everyone was the rumbling sound of water.

The iron chain is indeed completely still now!

Everyone inevitably grew a bit tense.

Zhui Yu also shouted a few times: "Hey! Sha Yi! If you're still alive, answer quickly!"

Sha Er, Sha San, Sha Si and the others followed suit, shouting for Sha Yi.

Yet there was still no echo.

Everyone's hearts sank to the bottom of the valley.

Liu Li, relatively calm, hesitated and guessed: "Could it be that the iron chain is too long, or perhaps this guard elder brother has already gone somewhere?"

Just as Liu Li finished speaking, the iron chain suddenly jerked violently!

Following that, Sha Yi leapt out from the mist.

"Miss!"

Sha Yi landed steadily and then reported: "Miss, opposite is a pitch-black statue."

"There seems to be something behind the statue."

"I'll return first to report to you, miss; should I continue to investigate?"

Seeing him return unharmed, Li Qingluo also breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhui Yu punched him in the chest and snapped: "What's going on!? We've been shouting ourselves hoarse over here, and you didn't hear anything?"

Sha Yi was puzzled: "I really didn't hear anything."

The last of the Sha suddenly said: "Miss, it sounds like there are footsteps behind."