Smooth Escape
Another voice rose from the crowd, sharp and insistent, cutting through the uneasy murmurs. "What about the corpses? We can't live with them. We're going to get sick!"
"Yeah! We need to bury the dead!" another agreed, and soon, the crowd's sentiment coalesced into a unanimous demand. The air thickened with tension, the grim reality of their situation pressing down on them.
Purple Pen Meng, standing at the center of attention, raised his hand to calm the growing unrest. "Unfortunately, we cannot have a funeral in the upcoming days," he announced, his voice steady but firm. "The destruction of a Celestial Vein is a serious crime—serious enough that we will not escape the wrath of the kingdom if we do not prove our innocence. The corpses must be gathered, but any changes must be kept to a minimum to ensure that the investigation can proceed without any suspicion falling on us."