"I'll take the corpse out of it, otherwise it'll eventually become unrecognisable." Shuren said, with a grim look on his face. "With the corpse, the sect can gather evidence to track the demonic cultivator causing this. They've encroached upon our city close enough."
Aerestia nudged closer, kneeling down. Her eyes were unfocused, and she shivered.
Shuren couldn't tell whether it was from sorrow or rage.
In the stomach of the eagle, hair and crumbled branches bobbed, the head cleanly sliced off at its neck, a feat far beyond the Pyros Eagle's claws or beak.
This couldn't have been a young child lost in the mountains.
Aerestia moved back, tears welling in her eyes. Her body wouldn't stop shivering.
*She's a survivor of the Unhallowed Monolith, then seeing this is giving her a call back to those memories.
He touched her shoulder to ease her nerve, if possible.
"Let's go back to the farmhouse for now. We need to gather evidence. You return to send a message for an elder to arrive," Shuren said, leaving the remains in there. Once he headed back to the farmhouse, he'd take out the body. He can spare that much time, at the very least.
A corpse was vital in the investigation. With the help of Sagacity Path cultivators, those specialised in using even the minute detail to gain a clear image of the situation, the matter would be dealt with swiftly. Every sect that took itself seriously would have at least one of their elders on that path.
The cubs had fallen asleep on her flying nimbus, nuzzling against each other. Aerestia was still in shock, taking quick and shallow breaths. Shuren could only sigh, walking up to her face to snap her out of it.
"I'll sort this out. You need to sort out your cubs first, Aerestia, then go to the sect. Come on."
"N-no. I'll come. I can't back down here." She stuttered, taking deep breaths to compose herself.
"Good. Let's make a move on. If us cultivators falter here, who else will come to take care of this? We have duties to uphold over the mortals." Shuren said, moving forth. He kept the altitude of his flying nimbus low and moved in a careful pace. Shuren really didn't want to jump on the cloud, and the farmhouse was only a few kilometres away. He jogged at a steady pace while Aerestia followed along, meditating on her cloud. About the time it took to burn an incense, around five minutes, they had already arrived back.
A couple of farmers were preparing a seedbed nearby. "You there. Bring out the owner right away. One of you also bring a large cloth, ensure it's thick or can hold liquid well." Shuren ordered. At the sight of the Seven Cloud Sect cultivators and the beast corpses, they scurried off at once, but not before bowing to Shuren.
Before long, one of them fetched a sizable white tarp. "Good." Shuren acknowledged. Aerestia helped spread the tarp across, though her face remained pale. Shuren took off his outer robe, with a simple dark shirt worn underneath. The pain in his right hand subsided for a bit, or perhaps it was the adrenaline pumping through his mind.
Either way, he was going to remove the corpse. If he stared away and avoided it, the corpse would decompose and all evidence would be gone. The Seven Clouds Sect wouldn't act with enough pressure and begin reinforcing its perimeters. Demonic cultivators encroaching upon the Seven Clouds territory with no regard, this incident was going to escalate fast. Shuren stared at the mixture of gastric fluids and neatly cut limbs that began decomposing.
No respect for the sanctity of the dead, clear blasphemers of the world. Cursed demon, if I get my hands on you, I'll make sure not even the world remembers who you are.
There was no way he would make Aerestia go through this.
"Where's the farm owner? He's taking a while," Shuren asked, plunging his hand through the open stomach. The sensation made him churn up, but it had to be done. He forced down his disgust to the depths of his mind, disassociating himself as he'd always done before.
The second farmer arrived, panting. "Honoured Cultivator, the owner is currently asleep. We can't-"
Shuren glared at the farmer right after removing a child's leg. "Do you not understand the situation? Don't waste my time and grab him now!" He yelled. The farmer ran off at once.
Aerestia chimed in. "Um, Shuren. Haze mentioned we can send an emergency signal to the sect so long as we're within Cloud City."
Shuren took out another piece, acknowledging her. "That's right, it has such a feature. I'll leave it to you."
Piece by piece, the corpse formed a body with viridescent hair, though a hand was missing. He felt a vague Qi signal shoot up to the sky from Aerestia's direction. Thank the Architect we didn't have to run all the way back to the sect.
After signalling the sect, Aerestia handed over a refined healing pill. He shook his head. "There's no need. I'll be fine."
Her only response was to shove it in his open mouth, forcing him to absorb it. "Sorry, but you're taking it. I should be the one doing this since you're the one who's injured."
"My gratitudes," Shuren said. His hands shivered for a moment, covered in the defiled fluids of the beast. The only thing left was the head. He grabbed her cheeks, lifting it out. Hair half rotted, and half a broken horn, but on her face was a disgraced expression, eyelids open. He barely managed to place it on the tarp, and Aerestia handed a rag over to him with a basin of water.
His arms and shoulders trembled, but not out of disgust.
Demonic cultivators…I spurn your kind, one and all. Nothing but scourges of this world, unfit to be given the gift of life!
Aerestia couldn't bear to look. A young Silvent girl, fed to a beast. But what didn't make sense the most was why? What sort of demonic technique requires a mortal child to be fed to a familiar? What kind of benefits could even be possibly gained enough to the point they'd risk exposure?!
"The Nekron Path… One of the blasphemous paths…" Shuren muttered.
Cleaning up his dirtied hands, yet the unforgettable stench of a rotted person remained. The clattering of sandals was nearing closer, the farm owner running out after dressing himself up. Shock filled his face when he looked towards the large corpse of an eagle, alongside the remains on the tarp.
"You. Tell me of all the rumours surrounding the attacks. Has there been any news of people missing recently near the farmlands?" Shuren cut to the chase.
Aerestia had shifted her flying nimbus in the form of a cub house, housing the Ash Tiger's children as they slept inside. She stepped to Shuren's left, as far away from the corpse as possible. An unfocused gaze plastered her face, memories of the Unhallowed Monolith rippling like a pebble thrown into a pond.
Sweat poured down his face, and the farm owner brought out a handkerchief to wipe his head. "Sir cultivator, the complaints we sent to your Seven Clouds Sect were only of our livestock being killed. I haven't heard of any news that a large eagle was spotted."
"Think some more. Anything will do, any hints or comments made by other farm owners. I'm sure you all have some connections together. Anything from the last few days?" Shuren prodded further.
The farm owner pondered for a moment, then smiled like a lantern had been lit in his head. "I did hear of some strange things. Some refugees tried to gain entryway to the Cloud City from our side, we had to chase them off. They came from the direction of Kallas Jungle."
Kallas Jungle bordered at the eastern edge of Volkahor Mountains.
Things were now piecing itself together. Demonic cultivators must've occupied their presence between Volkahor Mountains to the fringes of Cloud City. They were getting far too close.
Though refugees were involved, they weren't Cloud City residents. But everyone was aware of the deal the patriarch made with the victims of the Unhallowed Monolith, in return for annexing their old city. These things were now out of his and Aerestia's hands.
Shuren could only shake his head at the farm owner's response, exhaling a long sigh.
Well, we should be rewarded a decent amount for this as a silver lining.
The farm owner mistook his reaction with something else, beginning to brown nose Shuren. "Sir cultivator, it is of no major loss, just a single Silvent. It's a shame. Those refugees keep pouring in like flies to meat."
Shuren glared at the man with widened eyes. His jaws were even shaking as they clenched. His voice almost quivered, as he questioned with a raspy voice.
"What did you say?"
The farm owner glanced at Aerestia, having forgotten her presence. Shuren's presence dominated him throughout this incident, that he subconsciously believed she was someone below him.
The farm owner waved his hands in defence. "Forgive me, what I meant was-"
His fiery blue eyes glared like a viper hunting prey.
"I will give you three breaths. Kowtow until your blood spills on the ground."
Aerestia glared at Shuren with shock. "What are you saying? There-"
"One."
The farm owner's legs trembled in the pressure of a cultivator. Among cultivators, a Stage 7 Qidense is considered jus a beginner, but for someone with no martial prowess, it felt as if a heavy boulder loomed over their head, exerting immense pressure.
He knelt down, slamming his forehead on the ground, shutting his eyes in agony. "This humble mortal begs for forgiveness from Lord Cultivator. I was mistaken. Please forgive me!"
He began slamming his head again until blood spilled. He shivered on the spot, daring not to move an inch.
Aerestia tried to run towards the man to help him up, but a firm grip held her wrist, stopping her. She looked at Shuren with indignation, but all he did was shake his head.
"Look Aerestia, look. Look at the girl!"
And she looked, eyes wide open. The Silvent girl brutally toyed with by a demonic cultivator. Her lips began trembling.
"We came at their behest. We solved their crisis while risking our lives to get rid of a looming threat. You risked your life, a Silvent. A former refugee." Shuren loosened his grip.
"Yet that man dared to insult you, ignoring your presence. He equated a desecrated corpse of your kind to a small matter. A child and her future forever cut short." Shuren stepped closer, facing her once more.
"Listen to me. You must draw a boundary, and you must be stern. And most of all, don't you ever let the mortals you protect walk all over you, do you understand?!"
"For that is your dignity as a cultivator, as a member of the Seven Clouds Sect! For when danger arrives in this city, it is us who will protect them!"
Shuren backed off, awaiting her judgement. She stared down at her feet, and her eyes squinted. Her cheeks tensed and she would keep clenching and unclenching her jaws.
Aerestia ran to the prostrating old man, grabbing him by the shoulders. "It's alright, you can stand up." She even went through the measure of grabbing a healing pill and handing it over to that man. "
Tears welled in his eyes as he thanked her. "Lady cultivator, forgive me. I truly regret the words I said from the depths of my heart. Please, forgive me."
"You're forgiven. I understand your thoughts, which is why I will try my best to make Cloud City prosper. I hope to change your mind with the efforts of us Silvents." She consoled the farm owner. Yet, what shone in his eyes was beyond reverence, at the mercy and grace of this lady. The seeds of change planted in his mind that perhaps Aerestia had reached his heart with her sincerity.
Shuren would not see that. He only barely held himself back from slapping the man.
He clicked his tongue at the sight, walking away.
The gentle breeze of the night caused his hair to flutter, but it wouldn't remove the smell of a rotting child that tainted his body.