Chapter 65: News from the City Streets

Recalling the events of last night, Wu Fengyu felt both shocked and terrified, unable to figure out why he had suddenly been attacked.

After sitting there stunned for a moment, he quickly checked his body and found that aside from his night-clothes, nothing else was missing and there were no serious injuries.

“What exactly happened?” He was filled with confusion and fear. As he looked up, he suddenly saw a familiar face frowning at him.

Zhur Mingyuan… Wu Fengyu shivered involuntarily. This was the companion he had intended to eliminate the previous night.

Zhur Mingyuan, with a serious expression, half-smiling, said, “Old Wu, why are you sleeping here? Kicked out by your wife?”

“Drank too much last night, and those stinking beggars stole my coat!” Wu Fengyu grimaced, a terrifying thought suddenly crossing his mind: could last night’s attack have been a warning, telling him not to target Zhur Mingyuan’s family?

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Looking at Zhur Mingyuan, he couldn’t help but feel cautious—was there a powerful figure backing him?

Zhur Mingyuan glanced at Wu Fengyu’s long knife, which had not been taken, and sneered, “Looks like the loss of the cargo has been troubling you, Old Wu. Wondering how you’ll face Master You?”

Sighing deeply, Wu Fengyu could only mutter in response, the meaning behind it known only to himself.

…

As dawn broke, Meng Qi found an old, dilapidated temple to stay at, and slept soundly for half a day to recover from both physical injuries and exhaustion.

It was not until noon that he leisurely stepped out, his monk’s sword at his waist, casually heading toward a bustling tavern.

“Amitabha, good youth, please find me a quiet seat and bring four of your signature vegetarian dishes,” Meng Qi said to the waiter who had enthusiastically approached him as soon as he entered.

“Master, you’ve come to the right place! Our vegetarian dishes are the finest in the city…” the waiter enthusiastically explained.

“Amitabha, give this humble monk a quiet seat and bring four signature vegetarian dishes,” Meng Qi, who had no particular preference for vegetarian food, replied without fuss. His main purpose for going out was to overhear the gossip of the city—judging from the waiter’s attitude, monks here seemed to strictly avoid meat, so it was best not to draw attention while gathering information.

“Right away!” the waiter called out loudly, “One customer, four signature vegetarian dishes…”

As he shouted, he led Meng Qi to a corner seat and wiped the table again with the white cloth slung over his shoulder.

After sitting down, Meng Qi pretended to rest his eyes while carefully listening to nearby conversations.

“Did you hear? Jin Ancheng from Tianxiang Lou is dead!”

“What? ‘Yama’s Soul-Grabbing Hands’ is dead?”

Sensing the astonishment of his companion and the attention of those nearby, the first speaker proudly continued, “Could this be fake? My brother-in-law is a constable in the bureau—he followed Chief Inspector Fei to examine Jin Ancheng’s body last night.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Qi felt slightly puzzled—was Fei Zhengqing trying to conceal the cause of Jin Ancheng’s death?

“How can I not believe you? I’m just surprised. Jin Ancheng’s nickname ‘Yama’s Soul-Grabbing Hands’ was earned with blood, yet he escaped death so many times. I thought he would live a long, prosperous life, but it seems fate had other plans. Heaven rewards good and evil accordingly.”

“Men like him, from the underworld, rarely die peacefully in their beds…”

“Hehe, now Tianxiang Lou will be in chaos. The Jin brothers are definitely not ones to let things go easily…”

The patrons and idlers around murmured in hushed tones.

The fat merchant continued, “Brother Cao, do you know how Jin Ancheng died?”

The informant known as Brother Cao coughed a couple of times, enjoying the eager gazes around him before slowly sipping from his teacup and putting on an air of importance. “It was ‘Shenhou’ from the ‘Twelve Beasts’ who killed him.”

“What? The Twelve Beasts?”

“Shenhou?”

Gasps of shock and fear erupted from the crowd, as if the Twelve Beasts were demons of nightmares.

Meng Qi smirked. It seemed Fei Zhengqing had pinned Jin Ancheng’s death on him, to cover up the shadowy figure suspected of being a remnant of the Xue Shen Palace. What was his purpose?

After a moment, the merchant regained his composure. “Brother Cao, really Shenhou from the Twelve Beasts? Jin Ancheng was quite a renowned martial artist in the five southern provinces. Not many could kill him.”

The Twelve Beasts had mixed records—some were almost suspected to be Grandmasters, while others had never defeated someone of Jin Ancheng’s caliber. Shenhou belonged to the latter category, hence the skepticism. Usually, when the Twelve Beasts struck, they left a mark to maintain their terrifying reputation.

“There was a monkey mask at the scene, and Jin Ancheng was killed with a single slash to the throat…” Brother Cao described the details.

“A single slash to the throat? Probably to cover up the sword wound…” Meng Qi smiled slightly as the waiter brought the vegetarian dishes. He picked up his chopsticks and tasted them—they were actually quite delicious. Well, eating vegetarian occasionally was good for cleansing the stomach.

A series of gasps and whispers followed:

“The Twelve Beasts are too terrifying! They even killed the head of Tianxiang Lou…”

“Yeah, I always heard they were the most mysterious and fearsome organization in the martial world, but I never believed it until today!”

“They dared to commit crimes within Tianding City! Aren’t they afraid of angering the City Lord?”

“They say Chenlong and Zishu might be Grandmasters. No wonder the Twelve Beasts are fearless!”

“Tsk, not to mention Chenlong and Zishu, even Shenhou must be formidable. Jin Ancheng was always among the top twenty martial artists in Tianding City, in the five southern provinces. If Shenhou could kill him easily, he must be no less powerful than Chief Inspector Fei.”

“Whatever, they’re definitely not someone we can afford to offend.”

Their fear of the Twelve Beasts and Shenhou deepened several folds after this exchange.

“I wonder why Shenhou killed Jin Ancheng?” the fat merchant asked curiously.

Brother Cao scoffed, “The Twelve Beasts never reveal their missions. But Chief Inspector Fei suspects it has something to do with the recent disappearance of Duan Mingcheng. Perhaps there’s a huge secret hidden in that case.”

There were many opinions about Duan Mingcheng’s disappearance, but none gave Meng Qi any inspiration. So he slowly finished his meal, paid, and left the tavern, heading toward the northern water gate of the city.

The information provided by “Recluse Master” Duan Xiangfei also included news about remnants of the Xue Shen Palace. It seemed Duan had secretly investigated this before.

The Xue Shen Palace remnant Duan Xiangfei discovered was named Wu Cheng, owner of a northern goods shop near the water gate. He usually kept a low profile but enjoyed associating with poor laborers like boatmen.

Crossing the Jingshui Bridge, Meng Qi entered the most prosperous area of Tianding City, where the street housing Tianxiang Lou was located. Meng Qi, however, did not pass through that street directly but took a wide detour.

Inside the “Nanyubei Tong” general store, Meng Qi held a string of sandalwood prayer beads, gently stroking them as he smiled at the shopkeeper. “These prayer beads are quite decent, but do you have any better ones?”

“Better ones?” The shopkeeper gave Meng Qi a quick look up and down. Dressed as a simple monk, how expensive could he afford?

Meng Qi grabbed a handful of silver coins from his robe, and the shopkeeper immediately smiled. “Better ones are available. Please allow me to fetch the owner.”

This was the method Duan Xiangfei had previously tested. Once the goods exceeded a certain value, the shopkeeper would no longer make the decision alone, and Wu Cheng would personally come out. Meng Qi simply followed the same approach.

After a while, a man in his thirties appeared. His features were ordinary, blending easily into a crowd. Smiling warmly, he held out a string of prayer beads. “Master monk, these are made from Nanshan agarwood, capable of calming the mind and regulating breath.”

Meng Qi gently rubbed the beads, detecting a rich yet pleasant fragrance that brought tranquility and peace.

“Excellent. I didn’t expect your shop to carry prayer beads from the South Sea in addition to northern goods,” Meng Qi said casually.

Wu Cheng maintained his smile. “North and South connected, naturally we carry both. Master monk, are you satisfied?”

“Very much so.” Feeling the prayer beads would benefit his cultivation, Meng Qi didn’t mind buying them. After examining Wu Cheng carefully, he said solemnly, “Layman, I observe dark clouds hovering over your head. You are surely about to face some calamity soon.”

Wu Cheng’s smile instantly vanished. He wanted nothing more than to punch this ominous-mouthed monk, snorting inwardly, “Superstitious nonsense! If I actually believed you, I’d probably turn these prayer beads into a charm to ward off misfortune.”

He frowned. “I’ve never believed in immortals or Buddhas. Master monk, please leave.”

Meng Qi said nothing more, smiling in a way that sent a chill down Wu Cheng’s spine as he turned and left.

Under normal circumstances, when someone spoke such ominous words, one would usually curse them a bit if they didn’t believe it. But Wu Cheng’s deliberate calmness and avoidance only heightened suspicion. It was too early to act during the day; better to come back at night for a closer look.

After wandering the streets for a while, Meng Qi returned to the dilapidated temple where he was staying. Before he got close, he saw Zhang Zongxian pacing back and forth outside.

“Master Zhang, are you looking for this humble monk?” Meng Qi approached.

Zhang Zongxian was startled. “Master Zhending, Lord Cui invites you to his mansion.”

“Lord Cui?” Meng Qi feigned mild surprise, not expecting it to happen so soon.

Zhang Zongxian looked troubled. “Because Shenhou has appeared again and killed Master Jin. Since you’ve fought him before, Lord Cui and Chief Inspector Fei wish to ask you for any clues you might have.”

“Shenhou has appeared again? He was seriously wounded by my blade!” Meng Qi feigned shock, a reaction he had carefully rehearsed.

Zhang Zongxian looked at him strangely. “Master, I also find it suspicious. Even if that slash didn’t kill Shenhou, it should have left him bedridden for at least ten days. Could it be someone impersonating him?”

“It’s possible Shenhou also possesses a hardening technique. This humble monk must have overlooked that,” Meng Qi quickly replied, then asked Zhang, “Master Zhang, did you tell Lord Cui about my duel with Shenhou in detail?”

If Zhang Zongxian had told Cui Xu and Fei Zhengqing about his exceptional swordsmanship, his near-childhood martial arts cultivation, and how he nearly killed Shenhou, then someone as experienced as Fei Zhengqing would immediately suspect that the Shenhou of last night was actually Meng Qi in disguise.

Zhang Zongxian shook his head. “That is your secret, and I dared not speak of it. So I evaded the details, saying it was too chaotic at the time, and I only saw your final slash hitting Shenhou in the abdomen. Also, regarding the treasure map, my wife and I did not mention it to the City Lord, only saying that we obtained a copy.”

Meng Qi gazed deeply at Zhang Zongxian, seeing only sincerity in his eyes. He sighed. “Then this humble monk will accompany Master Zhang to the City Lord’s mansion.”

Had it been someone like Gu Xiaosang, Zhang Zongxian and his wife would have died a hundred times over to prevent the secret from leaking. But Meng Qi could not bring himself to do that. Since he had already accepted the main quest, as long as he found Duan Mingcheng, whether or not he discovered the identity of Shenhou would still count as completing the mission. If Zhang Zongxian accidentally revealed anything, it would be of no consequence—though it might cost him the chance to complete the side quest.