“Why did you mention Master Xianyin?” Meng Qi asked in a toneless voice.
Fei Zhengqing smiled like an old fox—though he had a long horse face: “Wasn’t it Master Xianyin who requested the Twelve Divine Forms?”
Meng Qi replied calmly, “More than one person wants to know about the Snow Palace’s treasure.”
“Could it be not him…” Fei Zhengqing seemed momentarily stunned.
Meng Qi continued, “Then, did you have any other clues afterward?”
Fei Zhengqing hesitated slightly before replying, “There is one person I’ve always suspected of being a remnant of the Snow Palace, but I lack evidence and couldn’t obtain the City Lord’s permission.”
“Who might that be?” A hoarse voice came from behind the grinning monkey mask, still emotionless.
Fei Zhengqing sighed, “You Tongguang.”
He mentioned only the name, naturally assuming Meng Qi would know who he meant.
Meng Qi inwardly cursed. If this name hadn’t appeared in the materials provided by Duan Xiangfei, he wouldn’t have known who You Tongguang was!
You Tongguang was sworn brothers with Cui Xu, one of the wealthiest merchants in Tianding City, and controlled grain supplies, ironware, and escort agencies across several nearby provinces.
He was not only rich and powerful, but also a martial arts expert rumored to have once opened a human body’s secret treasury. However, he was wounded at the last moment, causing his cultivation to stagnate. Since then, he had indulged in sensual pleasures and wealth.
Such a figure would never dare be interrogated by Fei Zhengqing without Cui Xu’s approval.
If Fei Zhengqing was among the top ten most powerful figures in Tianding City, then You Tongguang was the most influential person after City Lord Cui Xu and Young Lord Cui Jinhua.
“Are you planning to use me against You Tongguang?” Meng Qi’s tone carried a hint of amusement.
If You Tongguang were killed, even with Cui Xu’s support, his sons, with their martial skills and abilities, would struggle to maintain such a vast estate. Their power and influence would inevitably decline, allowing Fei Zhengqing to use his own men to absorb some of the assets.
If evidence truly showed You Tongguang was a Snow Palace remnant, it would be even better. Declared an enemy of all under heaven, Cui Xu—who claimed to be a righteous sect—would certainly no longer protect him. Then it would become a situation where everyone joined forces to divide the You family.
Fei Zhengqing’s expression remained unchanged, still feigning grief: “You and I have been brothers for many years. How could I possibly use an outsider to harm him? If it weren’t for the clues found during the recent search of the Great Compassion Temple, I would never suspect him. But if he truly is a remnant of the Snow Palace, then I can only uphold justice over kinship.”
“What clues are these?” Meng Qi showed no reaction to his expression or words.
Fei Zhengqing replied without hesitation: “During the search of the Great Compassion Temple, we found several letters in You Tongguang’s handwriting. They seemed to be normal business discussions about iron trade, but something felt off. Since when has You Tongguang preferred written correspondence for business within Tianding City? That’s not his usual way of doing things.”
“Perhaps it involved illegal ironware sales. You Tongguang was afraid to appear in person.” Meng Qi casually suggested, regardless of logic. If You Tongguang was afraid to show himself, why would he write letters?
Fei Zhengqing seemed to sense Meng Qi’s insincerity and smiled: “Within Tianding City, whatever You Tongguang deems forbidden is forbidden, and whatever he deems permissible is certainly allowed. If You were cautious, he wouldn’t even write letters—only send subordinates to handle matters, and if problems arose, he’d eliminate them immediately.”
“That’s not necessarily true. Letters can be burned. It’s just that you arrived too quickly.” Meng Qi still challenged Fei Zhengqing, hoping to extract more evidence.
Fei Zhengqing feigned recollection: “Another time, I visited You Tongguang’s home and unexpectedly entered his study, where I saw him hastily hiding a snow-white jade pendant. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, since similar jade isn’t uncommon. But now, recalling it, it resembles the ‘Bingxin Pendant’ passed down among the Snow Palace’s Four Guardians. This kind of jade is extremely rare, enough to symbolize Snow Palace remnants, though I can’t be sure if You Tongguang’s was genuine.”
“No other evidence?” Meng Qi asked without emotional fluctuation, still pondering why Duan Xiangfei had concealed part of the intelligence and what his motives were.
“Nothing else. If there were, I would’ve already reported to the City Lord.” Fei Zhengqing shook his head.
Meng Qi remained noncommittal: “Then after the Great Compassion Temple incident, have you been monitoring You Tongguang?”
“He’s too skilled. Only a few adept trackers can follow him, but due to insufficient manpower, they often lose him. Currently, I plan to focus on his sons.” Fei Zhengqing was truly “open and honest.”
Meng Qi asked a few more questions, confirming Fei Zhengqing’s account had no contradictions or loopholes, then approached Jin Ancheng: “Now it’s your turn to speak. If your story doesn’t match Fei Zongbu’s, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Jin Ancheng nodded vigorously and opened his mouth: “At that time…”
As he began speaking, his gaze suddenly froze. A figure dropped from the beam, sword flashing like a shuttle, directly stabbing toward Meng Qi.
It was only when this “lurker from above” launched his attack that Meng Qi sensed his presence. His heart tightened as he fiercely swung his Precepts Blade in a “Solitary Split of Mount Hua,” aiming first to force the opponent back.
For some reason, Meng Qi felt the figure appeared slightly wavy under the dim indoor light, not like a real person but more like a shadow. The sword light not only grew larger, occupying most of his vision, but also exuded a bone-chilling coldness that made his hairs stand on end.
His monk’s blade slashed downward, aiming to cleave both the figure and the sword in half. Yet as the blade swept through, the silhouette and sword gleam proved as elusive as flowers reflected in a mirror or the moon mirrored on water—intangible, dissipating into the empty air.
Bad! Meng Qi had no time to consider whether he had fallen for an illusion. Activating “Divine Steps of a Hundred Changes,” he stepped forward sideways, seemingly retreating.
Puh!
The sound of a sword piercing rotten wood echoed. A jet of blood spurted from Meng Qi’s left shoulder as the “lurker above” pursued relentlessly, sword unerringly targeting his vital points. Yet every time Meng Qi swung his blade—whether to slash the person or block the sword—it was like striking a “shadow,” passing through empty air with no effect.
If not for Meng Qi’s “Divine Steps of a Hundred Changes,” excelling in evasive maneuvers and unpredictable shifts, he would have died by the sword long ago. Even so, blood continued to spurt from fresh wounds.
“An illusion?” Meng Qi gritted his teeth, maintaining relentless footwork changes. “Whatever it is, everything seen with the eyes, heard with the ears, or smelled with the nose must absolutely ‘point’ to the shadow!”
“I can’t delay any longer!”
Knowing he couldn’t endure much longer under such injuries, Meng Qi suddenly produced a black tube in his left hand, its surface gleaming with cold metallic luster.
The dark figure lunged with the sword, and Meng Qi raised his left hand, aiming the tube at him.
Whether it was an illusion or something else, judging from his injuries, the attacker must have been near the shadow. Though his monk’s knife couldn’t reach him, this black tube contained the “Rain of Pear Blossom Needles”—a wide-area attack!
Meng Qi’s thumb pressed the trigger mechanism. The dark figure seemed to recognize the danger, suddenly retreating and crashing through the window into the courtyard outside. Simultaneously, the broken window strangely flew up, blocking the path of the Pear Blossom Needles.
Meng Qi didn’t fire. In this situation, holding the attack was better than releasing it, since firing might leave him vulnerable to similar enemies later. By holding, any hidden enemies would have to consider whether they could withstand the Pear Blossom Needles!
Pah! The window fell, and the figure vanished into the darkness outside. The people who had previously surrounded the room silently retreated to their houses, leaving a profound silence.
Meng Qi didn’t return the Pear Blossom Needles to his robe but kept it in hand, slightly concealed by his sleeve.
He turned back and saw Jin Ancheng’s mouth wide open, eyes lifeless, blood flowing from his throat—he was already dead.
While the dark figure relentlessly targeted Meng Qi’s vital points, it still had the capacity to kill!
Meng Qi’s muscles writhed, contracting the wounds to temporarily stop the bleeding from the seven or eight sword cuts. Then he stepped toward Fei Zhengqing and saw his bewildered expression and heavy breathing, though he was still alive.
“Master Shenhou, what just happened?” Fei Zhengqing asked fearfully and confusedly.
“Someone ambushed us, killed Jin Ancheng, but was driven off by me.” Meng Qi tried to sound nonchalant.
Fei Zhengqing had been half-sitting and vaguely saw the fight. However, since Meng Qi had his back to him during the final moments, he didn’t witness the Pear Blossom Needles, leaving him both shocked and doubtful: “Apart from the great masters, Master Shenhou’s martial arts are the finest I’ve ever seen, perhaps even surpassing You Tongguang slightly. But that person was so formidable, making you nearly unable to defend yourself. How could this happen, how could this happen… At least you scared him away.”
“This person’s martial arts are strange, seemingly an illusion technique. Every strike of mine only hit empty shadows.” Meng Qi, unfamiliar with martial arts in this world, openly mentioned it, hoping Fei Zhengqing might provide clues.
Fei Zhengqing’s expression changed: “Exactly! It’s like seeing someone clearly in front of you, but when you slash, it’s like cutting a shadow, and then you get pierced by the sword.”
“You know about this?” Meng Qi asked gravely.
Fei Zhengqing’s face shifted repeatedly, his breathing quickening: “It must be a remnant of the Snow Palace! There’s a rumored technique from the Snow Palace called ‘Phantom Transformation Art,’ seizing the transformation mechanisms of heaven and earth, crossing the bridge between human and divine, making one untouchable like a deity. Because of this martial art, they claimed to be divine descendants, inflating their own importance.”
“That person must have reached minor perfection in ‘Phantom Transformation Art,’ nearly opening a secret treasury. Today, he came to assassinate me!”
“Then I suppose I saved your life, Chief Investigator Fei.” Meng Qi smiled, suddenly flipping like a harrier, leaping out the window and disappearing into the courtyard within moments. This place was no longer safe to linger!
After leaving the nearby neighborhood, Meng Qi touched his wounds, his expression beneath the mask a mix of contemplation and disdain. Then, mimicking Jin Ancheng’s movements, he circled around, changed directions, and only after a full quarter-hour found a secluded spot to change out of his night clothes and mask.
…
Dawn broke faintly as Wu Fengyu slowly regained consciousness, his head throbbing painfully, with many people around him whispering and pointing.
“Why is this person lying in the street holding a knife…”
“Could it be a gang feud?”
“No, that doesn’t make sense. He’s only wearing undergarments. Maybe he couldn’t pay and was thrown out from a brothel?”
The murmurs gradually cleared his mind, his expression hardening. Last night—I was out to kill a witness, so why am I sleeping on the street?
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