The rumbling sound faintly echoed from the horizon.
Dark clouds filled the sky, pressing down so heavily that it was hard to breathe.
In front of the rice shop, the scene was chaotic. Constables and yamen runners came and went, carrying out several bodies covered in white cloth.
People gathered to watch the situation, but they didn’t dare get too close, only craning their necks. They were all residents of the nearby area, as well as merchants from the same street. Among them, people from the Fengxing Pavilion blended in unobtrusively, silently observing the expressions of those around them.
“Tragic, all of them are dead.”
“What did this rice shop do to offend someone? Hey, Old Liu, the two people who entered the rice shop later were wearing cloth bought from your place. Did you notice anything?”
The owner of the cloth shop nearly cried out in response, hastily denying, “What are you talking about? We do business openly, selling to anyone who pays, no questions asked. We’re not running an inn, we don’t check travel permits!”
The constable also heard this conversation and impatiently waved his hand, “Stop the nonsense. What did those two people look like?”
The cloth shop owner froze, instinctively looking towards the yamen runners.
These people arrived even earlier than him, lurking in the alleys, seeing everything more clearly than he did. Why were they asking him now?
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you in cahoots with them?”
The constable glared, and the cloth shop owner shuddered, hastily fumbling in his sleeve.
He pulled out half a string of coins, smiling obsequiously as he handed it to the constable, “Take this for tea and wine, sir. It’s tough in this heat.”
Meanwhile, he cursed inwardly, thinking that the yamen folks were getting greedier, always asking for money at any chance.
The crowd quickly dispersed, fearing they’d be accused of colluding with bandits.
The people from the Fengxing Pavilion took the opportunity to leave.
Some of them circled around to the back of the shop. As soon as the constables left, they climbed over the wall.
There was little left in the rice shop, even the grain had been taken away by the constables under the pretext that the main gate was destroyed and it couldn’t be guarded. Now, the room was empty, with only a faint smell of blood lingering.
Flies buzzed, and there was a faint glimmer on the wall.
It was a hidden weapon.
The Fengxing Pavilion people wrapped their hands in cloth, carefully removing the hidden weapon. They then meticulously searched the shop, soon discovering a hidden compartment.
The hidden compartment was empty.
The searcher didn’t give up, pulling out a piece of bamboo paper as thin as a cicada’s wing, placing it flat in the hidden compartment, pressing it down with his palm before retrieving it to examine.
There were faint gray spots on the corners of the bamboo paper, along with tiny dust particles.
“A ledger was kept here and has been taken away.”
The people from the Fengxing Pavilion continued their search, even carefully tapping on the bricks in the corners. In the end, they only found a dozen taels of hidden silver.
“Let’s report to the Pavilion Master.”
Everyone dispersed silently.
A murder had taken place here, so no neighbors dared to step foot near it.
The weather changed, and a cool wind blew intermittently. The rice shop’s door was wide open, looking eerie.
“Boom.”
The thunder gradually grew louder, a bright arc of lightning flashed, illuminating the rice shop.
At the same time, several black-clad figures creeping along the wall were also clearly illuminated. They paused their steps and hid in the shadows.
Before long, when the lightning flashed again, more people were ready to sneak into the rice shop.
A heavy rain fell for a full half-hour, and under the cover of the rain, many things happened quietly.
Prying floor tiles, smashing plaques.
Then, those digging three feet into the ground to find the ledger encountered other intruders, immediately followed by the sound of weapons clashing and shouts.
Blood splattered, mixed with raindrops, as the dull sound of blades cutting into bodies echoed.
In the streets and alleys around the rice shop, another group of people hid silently, soaked to the bone by the rain. They seemed to have grown under the eaves, blending into the dark shadows, intently watching the commotion.
The slaughter in the rice shop continued.
Some people weren’t dead yet and groaned as they tried to crawl out.
Blades flashed like snow, spraying blood as they chased those struggling to escape.
Some people trampled over others’ bodies to escape, paying no heed.
Some roared in anger, turning back to pick up weapons and fight to the death.
In an instant, at least a dozen weapons faced that single blade and its cloaked wielder.
The swordsman’s body was mostly in the shadows, wearing a round hat that exposed his hair, his right hand covered with numerous old scars, looking particularly gruesome. However, his grip on the sword was steady and powerful, unwavering even when facing a dozen desperate attackers.
Blue lightning traced a serpentine path across the sky.
A gust of wind blew off the swordsman’s hat, while a thunderclap accompanied by a more blinding flash of lightning struck down.
“Boom!”
A dozen figures seemed to freeze in midair, then slowly fell backward.
Bodies crashed into the puddles, leaving only the swordsman standing in the middle.
Despairing wails soon echoed from the alley. The ones who had escaped the rice shop ultimately couldn’t leave, as several figures dressed like the swordsman slowly emerged from the shadows. The swordsman waved his hand, and they immediately leaped into the rice shop to search for the ledger.
The blood was quickly diluted by the rain, turning into an eerie light red, flowing out in large streams.
The swordsman stood in this pool of blood, his soaked black hair clinging tightly to his hat. He slowly lifted his eyes, gazing towards the eaves at the corner of the alley.
The Fengxing Pavilion spy hiding under the eaves felt a shiver in his heart.
He had never seen such cold and merciless eyes; they were not human but those of a venomous snake waiting to devour its prey.
They caught a big fish! The Piaoping Pavilion had finally sent an important figure!
The spy felt a mix of joy and fear because he realized his life was hanging by a thread.
Thunder sounded again.
The pale blade of the sword was suddenly in front of him. The spy leapt from the eaves with the fastest speed, his lightness skill pushed to its limit. Yet, the sound of breaking tiles and the cold wind at the back of his head reminded him that the grasp of death was closing in on his neck.
“Clang.”
The raindrops were scattered.
A folding fan intercepted the bright blade.
The paper covering the fan was quickly torn apart by the heavy rain, revealing the cold, sharp iron fan bones underneath.
At the critical moment, it was the Fengxing Pavilion Master, Qiu Jing, who saved her subordinate. She stared into the swordsman’s eyes, her right hand holding the fan trembling slightly under the opposing force.
“Master, be careful.”
Qiu Jing tilted her head to avoid the swordsman’s sudden kick. A blade popped out from the tip of his boot, cutting off a lock of hair near her ear.
Blood flowed down from Qiu Jing’s left ear.
At the same time, a group of Fengxing Pavilion experts arrived and immediately surrounded Qiu Jing to protect her.
“Master, you’re hurt…”
“It’s just a superficial wound.” Qiu Jing didn’t mind it at all; her eyes shone brightly as she looked at the swordsman.
Since Meng Qi left, five groups of people had entered the rice shop to search for the ledger.
People from the Fengxing Pavilion, the Holy Lotus Sect, local gangs, Jianghu people working for King Wu, and assassins from the Piaoping Pavilion.
Now, aside from their own Fengxing Pavilion members, the other two groups had been completely slaughtered by the Piaoping Pavilion.
Qiu Jing rubbed her numb wrist, knowing that the swordsman had profound inner strength. During their close-range encounter, she hadn’t been able to see his face clearly. Besides the hat, it seemed he was also wearing a whole piece of black cloth over his face, with holes cut out only for his eyes and nose.
Covered so thoroughly, could this person have another identity in the Jianghu?
Qiu Jing quickly dismissed this thought. The Fengxing Pavilion was known as the most knowledgeable in the Jianghu. They not only knew the famous swordsmen but also had detailed knowledge of swordsmanship schools and manuals. The mysterious swordsman’s technique did not match any renowned swordsmanship known in the Jianghu.
A master might be able to disguise themselves as an ordinary person who doesn’t know martial arts, but a master disguising themselves as another master, using completely different martial arts, was impossible. The kind of stories where the leader of the martial world and the leader of the demonic cult were the same person didn’t exist. A righteous hero might secretly practice demonic techniques, but they couldn’t hide it for a lifetime. As soon as they fought, there was always the risk of being exposed.
Qiu Jing didn’t relax at all. She whispered to her subordinates to watch their backs because there were still Piaoping Pavilion assassins inside the rice shop.
At the same time, she sighed inwardly. If Meng Qi hadn’t accidentally entered the rice shop, the Piaoping Pavilion might not have reacted so quickly. It was King Wu’s death warriors who rashly killed the rice shop owner. Now, almost everyone was dead, but the ledger was still missing.
Had Meng Qi really taken it away?
***
Meng Qi rubbed his nose, feeling a bit itchy.
“Doctor, someone is thinking about us,” Meng Qi said leisurely.
It was pouring rain outside, and they were sitting on the steps in front of the Earth Temple.
The newly bought cloth was carefully folded by Mo Li, and since there was nowhere to put it, he stuffed it into Meng Qi’s arms for him to hold.
Mo Li held a small piece of charcoal, using it as a pen to draw a few lines on the steps, then shook his head.
“Doctor, what are you doing?”
“Making clothes,” Mo Li said irritably.
Now they were suspected of having the ledger, so they couldn’t just find a tailor shop to make clothes, as it might implicate innocent people.
But since they had bought the cloth, they couldn’t just let Meng Qi wander around with it draped over him. Even if Mo Li pretended not to see it, what about his own piece of cloth? Should he drape it over himself too?
The thought of the two of them walking around like that made Mo Li’s face stiffen.
Despite feeling a strange urge to try it.
Oddly enough, the longer he spent with Meng Qi, the less he felt like himself. Dr. Mo couldn’t help but glance at Meng Qi, secretly pondering.
“Can the doctor make clothes?” Meng Qi asked in surprise.
Mo Li looked at him without speaking.
Meng Qi realized.
Actually, he couldn’t, but he was forced to try.
“Ahem, just trying, it won’t hurt,” Meng Qi said seriously, holding the cloth. “I’ve seen tailors make clothes before. They simply cut the fabric into pieces and sew them together. Of course, you need to measure the size. The easiest way is to take apart an old set of clothes and cut the new fabric according to its size. That way, no matter how you cut, it’ll be clear.”
Mo Li continued to look at him.
Due to various circumstances, Meng Qi no longer had any spare clothes, only the set he was wearing.
“Doctor, if you want to use it…”
Meng Qi made a move to untie his belt, looking quite composed.
The two death warriors lying immobile in the Earth Temple: “…”
Because of the heavy rain, those inside couldn’t hear what Mo Li and Meng Qi were saying, only seeing their actions.
Why did it look like they were about to undress?
Weren’t they just talking about something else a moment ago?
Unbelievable, what kind of people are these?!
Author’s Note:
Meng Qi: What are you thinking? I meant turning into a sand rat and taking apart my clothes for the doctor to use as a reference.
