Chen Ping's Sword-Chapter 34: Unraveling the Mystery, Locking onto the Real Culprit
As Chen Ping left.
The people on the street were startled.
Finally, someone discovered the murder scene in the small courtyard.
Immediately, someone reported to the authorities.
Moreover, someone recognized the identities of the deceased, and suddenly, it was like poking a hornet’s nest.
Before long, the once quiet and desolate run-down small courtyard was bustling with carriages and horses.
Constables from the Government Office arrived, Hall Master Gao Yue of Changfeng Martial Arts Hall "Seven Stars Falling into the Vast Sky" arrived, and Zhang Shirong from the Longchang Trading Company also arrived.
"Xue’er, my poor Xue’er."
Zhang Shirong lay on the corpse of his beloved daughter, crying profusely.
He was near sixty, with grey hair and beard, a lean face, looking less like a calculating businessman and more like a learned old scholar.
At this moment, with mucus and tears, he was no different from an ordinary old man.
Zhang Shirong had this daughter at the age of forty, naturally cherishing her immensely.
He doted on her as if she was his heart and soul.
Upon hearing the news of his daughter’s abduction, he didn’t lose his composure, thinking the culprits were mostly after money, and the situation could be remedied.
Before he could gather the household guards and seek expert assistance.
News came that his daughter had already died.
How could anyone accept this?
"As long as revenge is taken for my daughter, my Zhang Family is willing to offer three thousand taels of gold."
After crying for a while, Zhang Shirong suppressed his grief, took a deep breath, and said through gritted teeth.
"The one who made the move was not only [Iron Kite] Tang Sanliang and [Soul Chaser] Lv Qing, but another expert was involved. The two of them wouldn’t have the ability to kill my disciple and Chief Constable Wang."
Unlike Zhang Shirong’s demeanor was a tall and robust middle-aged man.
With deep wrinkles between his brows and a long, stern face like it was carved with a knife, carrying a long sword on his back, his waist straight and upright.
This man was Gao Yue, exuding the aura of a martial arts expert.
With just a glance, he assessed the scene.
His expression slightly indifferent as if he was not too concerned about his disciple’s silent death here.
But only a keen observer could see deep regret in the depths of his eyes.
Jiang Teng, as the third disciple of Changkong Martial Arts Hall, had been apprenticed to learn martial arts since the age of eight. Ten years had passed, and he had become successful in his endeavors. He was ready to establish his reputation, yet unexpectedly, he died like this.
"Don’t worry, Brother Shirong, they will not die in vain."
After saying this, Gao Yue did not speak further, merely turning his gaze to the two constables beside him.
The person on the left was meticulously examining the footprints on the ground and the splatter direction of blood. His willow-like eyebrows tightly furrowed, eyes filled with unresolvable confusion.
This man’s name was Zhuo Yunfei, a direct disciple of the Daoist Primordial Sword Sect, one of the Seven Swords of Primordial, who instead of roaming the Jianghu, joined the Six Gates.
According to him, he was training in the Red Dust, honing his temperament, not for gold, silver, or power.
This man had a peculiar appearance, almost beautiful.
With thin brows and phoenix eyes, a gentle and harmonious face...
But he was not a woman, instead, he was male with a female appearance.
In the past, even colleagues in the Government Office couldn’t help but gossip privately, harboring some sordid thoughts.
This made him quite annoyed.
He seldom made friends.
Sensing Gao Yue’s gaze, Zhuo Yunfei looked up and smiled bitterly, "Uncle Master, currently from what can be seen, we only know this third murderer is tremendously powerful, with an astonishing physique, proficient in hidden weapon skills. Also, his body technique seems good.
From the traces of the skirmish at the scene, this person’s cultivation realm is not too profound, at most similar to Junior Jiang, unable to face opponents directly, instead maneuvering and evading.
However, being able to succeed in counterattacks under such unfavorable conditions, against the combined assaults of Chief Constable Wang and Junior Jiang, this person’s strategy is truly frightening."
He thought of someone but deemed it unlikely.
As long as that guy hasn’t lost his mind, he wouldn’t have done such a thing.
He dared to carry out the abduction of the Zhang family’s daughter because although the Zhang family was exceedingly wealthy, the guards they kept weren’t particularly strong.
A businessman is just a businessman, after all.
But saying he dared to kill the Xingqing Prefecture’s constable, and even the direct disciple of Changfeng Martial Arts Hall, his brain must really be flooded.
Gao Yue nodded, tacitly acknowledging, "Recently, several outstanding successors emerged from this mountain... I heard Nephew practices the Taiyin Heart Scripture, which is most adept at sensing the Qi Mechanism. I wonder if it’s possible to track the whereabouts of the culprit?"
He left the mountain in his prime due to a legal case and established a foundation elsewhere...
In the prosperous Xingqing Prefecture, he founded a martial hall, which thrived excellently, and became quite renowned in Jianghu.
Due to the origin, he held this fellow disciple with higher regard, aware that beneath the seemingly gentle appearance, lies exceptional skills.
"The problem is... This person strikes fiercely, with extraordinary cunning and martial arts, normally, the Qi Mechanism would be extremely intense.
However, I didn’t detect any trace of Qi Mechanism leakage, it seems like this person never came at all."
Zhuo Yunfei’s confusion lay here.
"Silk Thread Puppetry."
A corpulent constable beside him patted his head, suddenly realizing with a face full of enlightenment.
"It should be Silk Thread Puppetry, this technique gathers yin and hides yang, Qi like strings, concealing breath and form, yet is especially proficient at refining body organs...
I was pondering, given Tang Sanliang and Lv Qing were present, then it cannot be unrelated to Chang Sansi behind them.
That old coot is adept at planning, usually hiding and covering, seemingly with not much strength.
But I still remember the incidents when he just arrived in Xingqing Prefecture... His signature technique is precisely Silk Thread Puppetry."
This constable was short and stout, always smiling, looking like Maitreya, was the chief among the three top constables of Xingqing Prefecture, [Rolling Dragon] Tao Fang.
This nickname, one, describes his spherical shape;
two, refers to his signature skill.
Tao Fang excelled at a set of [Earth-Slaying Saber], refining a set of Third-Class Martial Arts to a miraculous extent, extremely difficult to deal with.
Due to the Cultivation Technique, he habitually rolled rather than walked.
His temperament was exceedingly good, hardly offended anyone.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have become the chief constable.
Moreover, his reputation arose from his speedy escaping method when encountering experts...
Three prefects had passed in Xingqing Prefecture, yet he remained steadily at his post.
Thus, one can imagine how formidable this rolling technique is.
"Is Chang Sansi so strong?"
Gao Yue’s eyes sharpened with a hint of killing intent inadvertently spreading, chilling those around.
"I don’t know how strong he is... Eight years have passed, he has hardly made a move publicly.
Just, eight years ago, he stopped a carriage rushing out the city gate, saving a group of refugees.
At that time, the horses galloped, and he stopped them with one hand. Sleeves shot needles like rain, killing the Black Wind Mountain’s three rushing leaders.
Consequently, recruited under Seven-Colored Hall, until now...
After this incident, Chang Sansi’s "One Arm Stops Two Horses, Sword Hidden in Hand, Needles Fly beneath the Sword" fame spread for a while, deeply understanding the art of evasion, he’s not easily trifled with.
Of course, if Hall Master Gao personally acts, it’s a matter of reaching out, slaughtering like merely chopping chicken and dogs."
"Then why wait?
No time to delay, regardless if this was his doing. Capture him for questioning, and we’ll know."
Gao Yue said coldly.
