Jin Ancheng darted up and down, suddenly in front, then behind, shifting left and right, running chaotically through Tianding City for a full quarter of an incense stick’s time before slipping into a seemingly ordinary courtyard.
This wasn’t because he had noticed Meng Qi, but because as an old hand in the martial world, he instinctively circled around, changing direction as though perpetually evading pursuit.
Meng Qi lightly landed on the roof tiles like a feather touching the ground, making not a sound. He watched Jin Ancheng move confidently toward a side room and rhythmically knock on the door.
“This fellow is crafty indeed. I nearly lost him,” Meng Qi muttered to himself, hidden in the shadows beneath the eaves.
This was Meng Qi’s first time tailing someone. Without his recently mastered Divine Steps of the Hundred Changes, with its intricate footwork that made him appear in front one moment and behind the next, he would likely have either been discovered or lost Jin Ancheng during his habitual evasive maneuvers. Even so, this pursuit had left Meng Qi drenched in cold sweat, as if he had trained for half a day.
“This residence appears ordinary. It definitely isn’t the mansion of Fei Zhengqing,” Meng Qi frowned in thought. As Tianding City’s chief constable, ranked among the top ten in power, Fei Zhengqing would never reside in such a modest two-courtyard compound. “Could Jin Ancheng have lied earlier?”
Knock knock knock, Jin Ancheng knocked rhythmically for a while before the door silently opened. He quickly slipped inside and, as a matter of habit, closed the door behind him.
Seeing this, Meng Qi slowly slid down from the eaves along a pillar like a falling leaf, blending seamlessly into the quiet night.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, Meng Qi moved forward like a wisp of smoke, hiding beside the window of the side room in just a few steps.
He listened carefully but detected no sound inside. Then, slowly rising, Meng Qi moistened his finger with saliva and poked a small hole in the white paper window.
After the faintest sound, a hole appeared on the window paper. Meng Qi half-pressed one eye against it, surveying the interior.
Nobody!
Inside was an ordinary side room fully equipped with table, cabinet, and bed, yet completely empty!
Jin Ancheng, who had just entered, was nowhere to be seen!
Meng Qi’s heart tightened. After double-checking and confirming the room was indeed empty, he gently pushed open the window and swiftly slipped inside.
The moment his feet touched the floor, Meng Qi suddenly remembered something: if there was no one inside, who had opened the door for Jin Ancheng?
“Clap clap clap,” the sound of applause came from beside the bed. Meng Qi calmly raised his sword, showing no sign of alarm, and turned his gaze toward the source of the noise.
The scene revealed itself: the trunk beside the bed had been pushed aside, exposing a dark tunnel. Standing beside it were Jin Ancheng and a middle-aged man with a long horse face and beard, the latter being the one who had clapped.
So it was a secret tunnel. Jin Ancheng must have intended to use it to reach a nearby residence, which was likely his true destination. Indeed, there was a large mansion adjacent… Meng Qi roughly understood what had happened.
Jin Ancheng lit a matchstick, grinning sinisterly as the lump on his forehead trembled. “Thank goodness I have rich experience in the martial world. I waited a bit longer in the tunnel or I wouldn’t have met Mr. Shenhou.”
At this moment, perhaps due to the light, other side rooms outside began to show signs of movement. Doors opened one after another, and hushed voices quickly surrounded the room in an orderly fashion.
“Who is this?” Meng Qi didn’t even glance at Jin Ancheng, directing his monkey-masked face toward the middle-aged man with the long beard.
“Mr. Shenhou, pretending won’t do you any good. Don’t you recognize us as the Twelve Beasts?” the middle-aged man spoke in a deep, rough voice, yet with an oddly sharp edge.
“Ah, Chief Constable Fei, I was just curious. Why are you here in the middle of the night? Could it be that you’re admiring the moon alone?” Meng Qi’s laughing monkey mask concealed his expression.
Fei Zhengqing laughed. “You truly live up to your reputation as the most mysterious and bizarre among the Twelve Beasts. Mr. Shenhou, your calmness is impressive. If I were in your place, I might already be looking for an escape route.”
“It’s quite a coincidence, actually. I had business tonight and was planning to leave through the tunnel when I ran into Mr. Shenhou exactly.”
As he spoke, Jin Ancheng moved to another position, preparing to flank Meng Qi, while flattering verbally, “Thanks to the Chief’s foresight in establishing the tunnel protocol, otherwise we might not have caught Mr. Shenhou.”
“Haha, indeed, you’re experienced and knowledgeable,” Fei Zhengqing casually praised Jin Ancheng, producing a pair of judge’s brushes in his hands. “Mr. Shenhou, why not surrender? With your abilities, the City Lord will surely show mercy.”
Meng Qi chuckled. “Actually, no matter how well you’ve planned or how rich your martial experience is, I only know one thing.”
“What is it?” Fei Zhengqing grew serious in response to Shenhou’s calmness.
“I only know that you’re no match for me.”
Before his words ended, Meng Qi ghostlike lunged at Fei Zhengqing. His footwork changed rapidly, making it impossible to track his movements. His sword slashed emptily toward Fei Zhengqing’s neck.
Faced with such dexterity, Fei Zhengqing inwardly praised the reputation as he sidestepped and struck Meng Qi’s head acupoints with his judge’s brushes.
At the same time, Jin Ancheng attacked from the side, his ten fingers hooked like eagle claws, aiming at Meng Qi’s back acupoints.
Knowing you have body-hardening skills, but acupoint striking is your weakness!
Meng Qi didn’t sway or move his feet. His originally forward-slashing sword suddenly swept upward from the side, targeting Jin Ancheng’s chest and abdomen, while slightly turning his head and fully activating his Golden Bell Cover, causing his skin to emit a dark golden glow, like a statue of a temple arhat.
This slight turn caused Fei Zhengqing’s judge’s brush to miss Meng Qi’s temple, instead striking an acupoint beside his ear.
Even with body-hardening skills, having a vital acupoint struck would render one helpless, unless you were the sorrowful monk with forty years of pure yang childlike kung fu!
The steel-tipped brush struck Meng Qi’s ear, producing a crisp metallic sound, as if hitting a golden Buddha statue.
The dark golden glow, reflecting the firelight, illuminated Fei Zhengqing’s face, revealing both shock and fear.
The sword aimed at Jin Ancheng, appearing in front one moment and behind the next, returned from an unimaginable angle, knocking Fei Zhengqing’s judge’s brush aside. It had been a feint all along!
Capitalizing on this success, Meng Qi moved like a tiger descending the mountain, weaving a net of swordlight. Soon, he subdued both Fei Zhengqing and Jin Ancheng, who couldn’t penetrate his defenses, sealing their acupoints.
After mastering the fourth stage of Golden Bell Cover, except for his eyes, lower abdomen, temples, and a few other vital points, Meng Qi’s other areas required opponents at the Qi-opening level or with weapons of exceptional sharpness to penetrate.
“I told you, you’re no match for me,” Meng Qi grinned behind his mask, revealing a row of white teeth.
Fei Zhengqing, a renowned martial artist with a long-standing reputation, was famous for his pair of judge’s brushes across the north and south, rarely encountering rivals. Yet today, facing Shenhou of the “Twelve Beasts,” he felt an indescribable fear. The opponent clearly didn’t exhibit the characteristics of a Grandmaster, yet his strength was terrifyingly formidable. What kind of body-hardening skill had he cultivated?
This battle severely wounded Fei Zhengqing’s confidence.
“I indeed underestimated Mr. Shenhou’s strength,” Fei Zhengqing, an old hand in the martial world, quickly stabilized his emotions. “Previously, we collected information on the Twelve Divine Beasts’ missions in Tianding City to assess your strength. We never expected Mr. Shenhou to have never used your full power. Haha, it seems your specialty isn’t swordsmanship after all.”
“Who told you my specialty is swordsmanship?” Meng Qi asked with a smile.
Fei Zhengqing detected the teasing tone and sighed. “Our judgment was mistaken. Mr. Shenhou, your specialty is clearly body-hardening skills. May I ask what relation you have with the sorrowful monk of the Faxuan Sect?”
“I really admire Chief Constable Fei,” Meng Qi suddenly remarked. “If I were captured, I probably couldn’t remain so calm and chatty, nor would I have the leisure to inquire about your background.”
Fei Zhengqing smiled bitterly. “I was born a constable, accustomed to interrogation. Besides, I know Mr. Shenhou came to inquire about the disappearance of Young Master Duan, not to kill. As long as I cooperate fully, my life should be safe.”
“That’s right, Mr. Shenhou. I heard your ‘Twelve Divine Beasts’ have a saying: ‘There’s no need to kill for matters unrelated to the mission; it’s a waste of energy.'” Jin Ancheng chimed in, fearing his previous lies and betrayal might anger Shenhou.
Meng Qi smiled ambiguously. “Not necessarily. I kill based on my mood. Tonight, with the bright moon shining, it’s the perfect night for killing. If you disappoint me, next year’s anniversary will be your death day—and that of your entire family.”
He had always wanted to say such threatening lines. Previously, while reading novels, he thought such villainous dialogue was particularly thrilling.
Fei Zhengqing, as Tianding City’s Chief Constable, skillfully suppressed his fear, maintaining a composed expression. “I will speak everything I know, without reservation.”
“I want to know why Jin Lord came here late at night to report. Did he lie to me?” Meng Qi quietly asked. The people surrounding the courtyard outside remained in their positions, awaiting further orders.
Jin Ancheng’s voice grew heavy. “Chief Constable Fei instructed that if anyone came to inquire about this matter, I must immediately report to him. However, there was one place where I lied.”
He volunteered this confession.
Meng Qi thought for a moment, then moved Fei Zhengqing to the side. “Quietly tell me where Jin Ancheng lied, then I’ll ask him. If the answers differ, hehe…”
Fei Zhengqing lowered his voice. “He lied about only one thing: there was a clue left inside the room.”
“There was a leaf from a dragon-huai tree beneath the table. Such trees only grow in the Great Mercy Temple in the eastern part of the city. It must have been accidentally brought in by the mysterious person.”
“Therefore, I immediately dispatched personnel to search the Great Mercy Temple, but we were half a step too late. We didn’t catch the suspect, but found more clues, all pointing to the remnants of the Snow God Palace.”
“We suspect the disappearance of Young Master Duan was their doing, as Duan had always been interested in the Snow God Palace’s treasure and never ceased his efforts to find clues.”
Meng Qi listened quietly, internally repeating the words “Snow God Palace’s treasure.”
Suddenly, Fei Zhengqing smiled. “To avoid alerting them, I had Ancheng conceal the truth, but Mr. Xianyin was aware of all this.”
Meng Qi’s eyes narrowed slightly. Did Duan Xiangfei know about this? Why wasn’t it mentioned in the documents?
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