Chu Wanning feels as if he's been doused with cold water.

His eyes widen.

Mouth goes dry.

Heart beating erratically.

Wanning eyes goes to all of them. Looking more closely.

Bruises on their ankles and wrists from being bound to the table. Those blood rings are from their limbs being cut off. And because each woman is different they wanted different parts of said woman. The carnage is from cutting, skinning and taking the woman's organs out. Most of these woman died from blood loss.

The reason why no one knows about them, Wanning thought it was weird that no one has seen either to get basic necessities, it is because they don't need it. They haven't needed it. Only one needed to go out and buy the bare essential, as long as he bought enough to last for months there is no reason they would need to go into the city for food. Each woman would or should last a while before the next one. There's two people eating.

Qing Su told him that woman went missing every week then three days. Winter is approaching. It's typical to eat more during the winter. Snow makes it harder and expends more energy. Winters are always hard. Those two are sick and are worse than anything Wanning has ever come across but they still have basic needs.

They ate them.

It's why the look in their eyes was so weird. Wanning couldn't place it at the time but now he can. They want to eat him. Looking at Wanning like a piece of meat. He's never been looked at like that and it's even more unpleasant now than before. His leg was touched.

Wanning feels sick.

It's why there's no bodies. No bodies were ever found because there's not much left after the two scavenged as much as they can. Who knows what they do with the parts they can't eat. Wanning covers his mouth turning his head away, angling it away from the cutting area.

Why would anyone do that?

He remembers what the woman said, the first victim, she said it seemed like they (at least the older one) has experience, meaning there are more victims. Some may not have had family to report them missing.

"What is your plan now?" A woman asks, bringing Wanning back to the present.

"Do you need more information?" Another asks.

Wanning shakes his head. "I have the information I need. But I'd rather catch both alive. I also have two others, my disciples. They were following me." Wanning looks at the door. He's been here for a while, they should have send a message or busted through the door looking for him. Wanning shakes his head. They wouldn't do that for him. Shi Mei maybe but not him. Either way they should be right behind him. "I shall wait for them." Wanning announces firmly.

He'll wait to not cause any trouble and risk one running away. That would be bad and annoying. Plus he trust his two disciples. For a second Wanning forgot, they are not his disciples anymore. They've grown. He should see what they can do.

Or maybe not. This doesn't seem to be the right time to test them. The situation isn't right. These woman... their families need closure. Bringing those men to justice should bring it.

Before Wanning can think of anything else the door open then shuts. Wanning turns to looks at the door. No one has come in. Wanning eyes land further down to a small sack. A round sack falling down the stairs. Landing on the ground floor, rolling further down until it gets close to Wanning. He blinks, the air down here is musty so Yuheng didn't notice before, until the sac got closer the smoke coming out of it.

"Don't inhale the smoke!" They all shout making Wanning jump in his skin, the tense silence broken by them.

"What?" Wanning looks at them covering his mouth his hands.

"That's how he gets us, passed out he puts us on the table. Tying us to the table to cut us up like meat." one says hatefully. Wanning moves his long sleeve over his other hand then switching for better protection. Though it might be too late. The already musty air must still have it lingering around, he won't stay awake but he'll at least last longer than most of these woman. That's all he needs.

At the moment they must be waiting for the sack to finish. So for now Wanning must think how he'll get out? He can't wait for the other two. At this rate he'll end up dinner, literally. He's going to have to get out of here himself. How long should he wait to pretend to be passed out?

Should he wait until the chains are unlocked, or should he wait until they get him to the table? He's got to make sure both are near him. Get them at the same time.

"Why didn't anyone hear our screams?" One asks crying on her knees.

"The basement seems almost coated with stone." Wanning says muffle into his sleeve, turning to smack the wall. It's cold and hard. Feels thick too. It'll take time and noise to dig through this. Even then... "we are also in a hut away from the road and town. In the middle of a forest. No one is around to hear."But them, goes unsaid. They already feel bad. Wanning doesn't want to add to it.

Some more land on their knees hard crying. "No one could hear us?"

"In the middle of the forest?" Another says in disbelief. "Why is there a house in the middle of the forest?"

"We didn't know! If we knew!"

"They should have told us, warned us the path was dangerous at night! Why didn't they warn us!"

Wanning could only stare at the woman all getting hysterical. Wanning can understand why they feel that way. If they knew going out was dangerous they wouldn't have left. On the other hand if the Qing family did warn people the city people may have reacted unpleasantly. Fear brings out the worst of people, turning them into fools. The head made a choice.

Wanning hears the doors opening again. He lets his body go lax as his hand falls, pretending to be unconscious. He's got to wait until he's sure the both of them are close enough to grab. If push comes to shove he'll use Tianwen. Wanning can no longer consider them human.

"Can I go first master?" The disciple asks unlocking the chain from Wannings ankle. Good, he thought they keep it there. Wanning bites his tongue to not let out an eep when his ankle, and by extension his leg is pulled roughly making him slide on the dirty floor. So the chain part is unattached from the wall not ankle.

"I should get a taste first. You can play afterwards if you still want her after I'm done." Wanning has to keep himself from shuttering. Why are they talking about seemingly different things. Eating and playing?

The smell of blood and rotten flesh invades Wanning nostrils. They are getting close to the table.

Boom! The sound loud and echos to them. The two men jump in their skin, Wanning almost slipping from their grasp, then they pause.

"Master?"

"Mo Weiyu!" The distinct yell of Xue Meng makes Chu Wanning want to smile.

"Who?" The master says angry. Chu Wanning opens his eyes to see the two carrying him like a dead body. He kicks the master from touching his legs.

"Master!" The disciple yells, rushing to him. Wanning stops him with the chain around his ankle. Like using a whip.

"Shizun!"