Lao Zhong’s speed was extremely fast, vanishing like a wisp of green smoke. Even if Meng Qi unleashed his full strength and employed the Wind God Leg technique, he still couldn’t catch up. Moreover, he had no intention of chasing. He wasn’t like Jiang Zhiwei, a pure swordsman who charged ahead when facing stronger opponents, unyielding even at the cost of breaking. Unless necessary, he wouldn’t recklessly challenge someone whose realm and strength surpassed his own.
With Meng Qi’s current abilities, even with powerful weapons and various techniques, he might not defeat the weakest half-step Domain master unless it happened to be the type specifically countered by the “Buddha’s Green Lamp.” Let alone someone like Lao Zhong, who cultivated the “Celestial Demon Art.” Without a particularly important reason, why would he risk a life-or-death battle?
“Fools can have love too…” Meng Qi muttered to himself, recalling Lao Zhong’s whisper just now, then turned his attention to carefully inspecting each corpse.
Yao Xingliu seemed to want to say something but ultimately held back. As a novice, faced with so many corpses displaying either gruesome or eerie death scenes, he felt frightened and reluctantly withdrew from the “forest of corpses,” sitting beside the fire, lost in thought. Li Chong, having experienced the dramatic events of tonight, had become numb and no longer worried about corpses reanimating. Additionally, wanting to curry favor with junior constable Xiao Su, he remained beside Meng Qi to assist in the inspection.
Unfortunately, no further clues were found. Shaking his head, Meng Qi walked toward the fire. By now, most of the courtyard had collapsed, riddled with cracks, leaving a scene of utter chaos.
Fortunately, they hadn’t encountered an actual Domain master like the Crying Elder. Otherwise, even for young Yao, Old Master Li would definitely not have survived… Meng Qi thought with relief.
In a typical Domain-level battle, the affected area was usually less than ten percent of the attacker’s sphere of influence, as concentrated power yielded greater effectiveness. Only those with specialized techniques, such as the Crying Elder, would intentionally expand the scope to maximize the absorption of vengeful spirits and amplify the potency of their attacks. Of course, when facing an evenly matched opponent, the intense clash and energy fluctuations would make precise control over each strike nearly impossible, drastically enlarging the affected zone. Battles of this magnitude could potentially level cities or cleave rivers apart.
The “living corpse” transformed from the Ning Prefecture Hero was likely at the level of a typical novice Domain master—stronger than the inferior Bohu’er, who lacked powerful techniques and treasures. His affected range was definitely far less than the Crying Elder’s radius of a hundred li. Facing weaker enemies, he could control his power effortlessly, concentrating his attacks and minimizing the affected range to avoid triggering large-scale atmospheric changes that might attract attention from Cheng’s Master Cui within the city.
Precisely because of these two reasons, Li Chong had survived, and young Yao had been able to assist with his sword.
“That was the Nine Sacred Mountains Hard Fist just now?” Yao Xingliu finally asked after a long silence.
The Zhenwu Sect’s influence covered the southern part of Huazhou and the northern part of Ning Prefecture, so they were relatively familiar with the Ning Prefecture Hero.
Thinking back to when Zhang Yuanshan had introduced the Ning Prefecture Hero and the Nine Sacred Mountains Hard Fist, Meng Qi felt gloomy again: “Yes, I suspect it was indeed the Ning Prefecture Hero.”
“There have always been rumors that those killed by the Life-and-Death Lords will resurrect as vengeful ghosts after death. Now it seems the rumors are true.” Yao Xingliu deliberately tried to appear mature, but his baby face betrayed him. “Still, I don’t think the Ning Prefecture Hero resembles a real corpse…”
The Ning Prefecture Hero’s aura was faint, half-human and half-phantom. Meng Qi wasn’t the only one who thought so; even Yao Xingliu, a half-trained Daoist, felt the same.
Certainly not! Have you ever seen a real corpse retain memories? Meng Qi thought to himself. If it were truly dead, the soul would have scattered and the mind perished, leaving no memory.
Even if it regained a trace of vitality, turning into a zombie or a spectral ghost, the memories of this lifetime would shatter and sink deep into the “mind,” buried alongside the fragmented imprints of past reincarnations—beyond Meng Qi’s current ability to awaken. Thus, the earlier events confirmed that the Hero of Ning Prefecture had not truly perished but existed in a liminal state between life and death, his memories erased and his consciousness shackled, effectively a walking corpse. This might well be a distinctive trait of the martial arts practiced by the Lords of Life and Death.
“Exactly. The Life-and-Death Lords can turn all Domain masters they kill into ‘living corpses’ to command. Their strength doesn’t decline much, and the more they kill, the stronger they become. It’s truly alarming. We must act against this.” Meng Qi replied in a tone representing imperial justice and martial virtue.
Yao Xingliu nodded solemnly: “I will report this to my sect.”
Over the years, how many Domain masters had the Life-and-Death Lords killed? Simply thinking about it was terrifying!
But they operated secretly, and the appearance of the “living corpses” changed, making them hard to identify. Normally, they left no survivors after a fight, so their secret had remained hidden.
“I will also draft an official document to Shen Du.” Meng Qi said seriously. “There’s little value left here. Let’s return to the city together.”
Both Yao Xingliu and Li Chong enthusiastically agreed to this proposal.
Throughout the journey back, Yao Xingliu remained silent. Just before they parted ways inside the city, he finally transmitted his voice secretly: “You… you are ‘Crazy Blade’ Su Meng, right?”
With both sword and blade, at the Qi-opening realm, powerful, and surnamed Su—combining all these conditions, Li Chong might not have guessed due to his limited knowledge, but how could a clever fellow like Yao Xingliu miss it?
Earlier, Yao hadn’t fled the battlefield, so Meng Qi felt more confident about his character. Sighing, he said: “Blade Crazy.”
Denial would be pointless anyway.
“No wonder… If I get another chance, I’ll definitely challenge you!” Yao Xingliu, filled with fighting spirit, turned and left.
He had previously wondered where Zhang Senior found such a friend. If a young expert of this caliber had emerged near Zhenwu, wouldn’t he, known as the “Martial Arts Enthusiast,” have heard of it?
It must have been during his trip to Shaolin. At that time, the friend with the surname Meng mentioned by Zhang must have been Su Meng.
“Old Li, to which heritage does Xiao Yue’s encounter belong?” Meng Qi had only briefly glanced at the general introduction in the secret files about Xiao Yue and didn’t know the details.
Having worked as a constable in Yang Xia for many years, even without reading the secret files, Li Chong knew the answer: “Reportedly, it’s a thatched cottage belonging to the ‘Dongyang Divine Lord.'”
“Dongyang Divine Lord…” Meng Qi recalled carefully, finally remembering who that was.
At the end of the ancient era and the beginning of the middle ages, when the Human Emperor dominated the world and suppressed the universe, human cultivators emerged one after another. “Dongyang Divine Lord” was among them. Even if not the most outstanding, he certainly possessed the power of a Dharma Body cultivator. It was said he had some connection with the “Holy Emperor” Qi, who succeeded the Human Emperor after his passing.
“Didn’t they find anything else inside the thatched cottage?” Meng Qi asked doubtfully. Surely it wasn’t just a sword dance and a Qianyuan Stabilizing Spirit Pearl?
Li Chong shook his head: “No one knows. The cottage seems to open only for those with destiny. Even Xiao Yue herself couldn’t find the entrance when she tried a second time. Zhenwu, Huan Yuan Zheng, Pingjin Cui, and our Six Doors sect have all sent Domain experts to search, but found nothing.”
“I see…” Meng Qi asked no more questions. After returning to the Six Doors sect, he directly took out his green official seal, activating a hazy green light that subdued the night-duty constable. He summoned Magistrate Zheng and requested special paper and brush reserved for the “Thousand Miles in One Boat” formation.
—”Thousand Miles in One Boat”—could traverse a thousand miles in an instant but was limited to special objects and Domain experts with similar supernatural abilities. Using it once came at a high cost. It was exclusive to the Six Doors sect, and for secrecy and economy, the formations in various agencies were incomplete, with the core located at the sect’s headquarters in Shen Du. Only those holding special seals could activate it.
“—We must order strict surveillance of Lao Zhong and the Ning Prefecture Hero across the nearby four provinces and Jiangdong. One is inherently cruel, and the other has impaired consciousness…” Meng Qi reported everything that happened tonight, including the matter of the Life-and-Death Lords’ living corpses, though he concealed his own “Heaven-Changing Earth-Shaking Method,” attributing the backlash to uncontrollable side effects.
“No problem, right?” Meng Qi handed the official document to Old Li for co-signing. This served two purposes: verifying the report as a participant and sharing part of the credit with him and Magistrate Zheng.
Li Chong, excited to the point of trembling, quickly glanced and signed his name, then handed it to Zheng Jushan.
Facing Su Qing Shou, Zheng Jushan had no will to resist, especially since he also shared in the credit. Satisfied, he immediately stamped the document.
Meng Qi watched with a grin, secretly delighted. Being embedded within the organization certainly had its advantages. Intelligence regarding his martial arts and other personal matters all came from himself, allowing him to hide whatever he wanted.
After sending the document, Meng Qi directly stated: “The trail on Lao Zhong has gone cold. We must investigate the Qiu family. The priority now is determining which boat Cai the Constable was on?”
“Reporting to Qing Shou, according to the secret files, there were three ships docked at the pier that night from the Qiu family.” Zheng Jushan respectfully replied, flipping through the files. “Two returned from Jiangdong, and one came from Ye Du.”
“It should be one of the two from Jiangdong.” This judgment was straightforward. Meng Qi knew both Zheng Jushan and Li Chong could make similar deductions, but they remained silent, waiting for him to speak.
“Qing Shou Su is wise.” Li Chong immediately praised. “We just need to inspect these two ships secretly at night.”
Zheng Jushan frowned: “Qing Shou, more than a month has passed. Any traces should have been erased by the Qiu family. Besides, one of the ships has already loaded cargo and departed for Jiangdong. Why not directly arrest and interrogate them?”
“It’s fine. Let’s first go to the pier and reconstruct the crime scene.” Meng Qi looked like a famous detective, only missing a pipe in his mouth.
“Reconstruct the crime scene…” What was that? Zheng Jushan and Li Chong were experienced in cases but had never heard this term before.
Soon afterward, the three of them arrived at the pier under the cover of night.
“According to the sailor’s statement, he disembarked from that location and walked here. On the way, he saw Constable Cai leaving the Qiu family’s ship and then collided with him. Let’s retrace his steps.” Meng Qi led Zheng Jushan and Li Chong in “playing” the sailor.
There were many ships docked at Yang Xia pier, blocking each other’s view. After following Meng Qi for a few steps, Zheng Jushan and Li Chong immediately discovered a clue.
“From the sailor’s perspective, he could only see one of the Qiu family’s ships!” Zheng Jushan said gravely. From this position, numerous large ships blocked the view, mostly obscuring where the Qiu family’s three ships had been parked.
Li Chong finally understood what “crime scene reconstruction” meant and exclaimed in surprise: “That ship came from Jiangdong and is currently undergoing repairs at the dock.”
He had memorized the intelligence and secret files thoroughly.
“Indeed, there’s a clue.” Meng Qi couldn’t hide his pride, leading the two toward the nearby dock and stealthily infiltrating the poorly guarded large ship.
Inside was spotlessly clean, with no trace of any clue found. However, Meng Qi noticed the ship was severely damaged, remaining unrepaired for over a month.
“Not caused by combat…” Zheng Jushan concluded.
Li Chong crouched down to inspect: “It broke from the inside, seemingly due to its own inability to withstand the stress, reaching its limit.”
Suddenly, Meng Qi thought of Constable Cai’s half-month journey from Jiangdong to Yang Xia, and inspiration struck: “It should be this large ship that, with external assistance, traveled hastily at night, returning to Yang Xia in just half a month.”
“Possibly!” After Zheng Jushan and Li Chong were reminded, they both thought of the special time frame of half a month.
“The Qiu family was indeed in a hurry. What exactly happened?” Zheng Jushan frowned. During this past month, Qiu Fei had remained calm and composed, showing no signs of anxiety.
Meng Qi pondered for a moment and said: “This matter is significant. You two step aside first. I’ll ‘question’ the Qiu family servant guarding this large ship.”
“Yes, Qing Shou.” Neither of them dared to say more.
With Meng Qi’s skills, he soon captured a servant unnoticed, projecting his powerful consciousness: “Did you ride this large ship back from Jiangdong?”
“Yes.” The servant honestly replied.
“Did you notice anything unusual?” Meng Qi gradually probed deeper.
The servant didn’t hesitate: “We traveled extremely fast at night, fearing pursuit by enemies.”
“Enemies?” Meng Qi raised his eyebrows.
The servant nodded: “The master said there were enemies.”
“Why would there be enemies? Did you hear anything?” Meng Qi pondered.
The servant shook his head: “I don’t know. But one night, when it was my watch, I inexplicably fell asleep despite not feeling tired. I vaguely sensed the master fighting enemies on the river and heard mentions of Dongyang, something about Dongyang’s secondary residence…”
Dongyang’s secondary residence… Meng Qi inhaled deeply.
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