Entering the spirit hall, a group of women and children bowed their heads and paid their respects, all of them weeping.
Zhao Changhe stepped forward to perform the ritual and light incense, glancing left and right at the expressions of the people nearby, he always felt something was out of place.
The so-called women and children, were all women, ranging from their twenties to their fifties, apparently all the wives and concubines of the deceased, with no elderly or children, and no other uncles or brothers or the like relatives present, which did not resemble a family at all.
And this crying was also strange. In the present world, it was common to visit a relative’s spirit hall for worship, where relatives would start off weeping. But after a few days, how many would still be crying incessantly? Even if there were any, it would only be a very few. Yet these people had been weeping for so many days.
Zhao Changhe couldn’t help but remember that if the time in the real world kept moving forward, then at this point, he must have been "missing" for nearly a year. He wondered what his parents must look like crying... making offerings with gold foil was nothing, if he could beat that blind woman, goddamn, he had the heart to kill her!
Kill that demoness...
Zhao Changhe froze there.
He had long forgotten the "main storyline" of entering this world—the original statement was that by killing that demoness, he would be able to return. The blind woman who performed the Dream Entry had also mentioned two paths to return: one was to fulfill this "grand wish," and the other was for Zhao Changhe to reach the level where he could break the barriers of time and space himself.
No one knew who the demoness was, and even in the dreams, he had only seen her silhouette, making it impossible to search for her. Sometimes, Zhao Changhe had also considered whether Chichi, Sisi, or even the Winged Fire Snake could be that demoness? Otherwise, why would he always encounter a demoness? Based on this, Zhao Changhe never planned to earnestly explore who that demoness really was, fearing that uncovering something might add to his troubles. Newest update provided by noveⅼfire.net
But now, suddenly recalling, the three cards that came with the transmigration, theoretically, belonged to him. The first one—the Eye Behind—was a bust, and the second—the Location Card—with its unresolved entanglement to Chichi, entwined him with the identity of the Prince, causing most of the storms he’d been swept into up to now, and it hadn’t settled yet.
The third card was the clue to the demoness’s identity... But, as a clue for a mystery, how did this thing "belong to him"?
So far, the tangible evidence was that—
He broke the seal of the Heavenly Book.
Was it really because of the merits of that act? Maybe the third card had already been in effect...
But here came the question, the three cards were endowed by the blind woman, so if she was the Book Spirit, did she bestow herself upon him?
Looking at it this way, she wasn’t the Book Spirit?
The logic was a bit confusing for a moment, and he couldn’t figure it out. However, he hadn’t even thought about this issue before, and this accidental inspiration made him think of it, so he would consider this direction more in the future...
Zhao Changhe snapped out of his wandering thoughts as the people from the Ji Family had already been staring blankly at him for quite a while. The yellow-faced man who claimed to be from the Divine Brilliance Sect had been silently staring at the coffin since he started paying respects, giving an incredibly eerie vibe.
"Ahem," Zhao Changhe finally said, "Ji Disciple entrusted me to investigate, how did Uncle Ji die?"
The woman who had previously greeted him outside the door and pleaded with him to seek justice sobbed, "My husband had originally set up a feast to discuss matters with Han Wubing, but during the banquet, Han Wubing suddenly attacked without warning, and my husband died on the spot, caught off guard. Fortunately, Chairman Yan of the Pinghu Association was dining nearby, heard the noise, and broke in..."
Fortunately... This choice of word.
Zhao Changhe gave her a deep look but said nothing.
With everything , why still ask someone else to seek justice? Just ask Yan Lianping to take care of it.
A seemingly old house servant couldn’t help but say: "The gang leader was indeed killed by Han Wubing. If this elder brother can help us catch the murderer, we’d be endlessly grateful. But the most pressing matter is, I hope elder brother, considering your past brotherhood with our young master, can help preserve the Ji Family’s assets."
Zhao Changhe perked up, "How so?"
"Now that the Xingyi Gang is without a leader, the monkeys scatter when the tree falls. Many of the high-level backbones have been absorbed by the Pinghu Association, and the gang’s assets have also been annexed by them, which we have accepted. But some of the assets personally belonged to the old master, so how could they also be annexed? Right now, we, a group of old brothers, are guarding Taiping Street, but how many days can we hold out? Yan Lianping is currently busy digesting assets everywhere and hasn’t had time to deal with us yet, but in a few days, it will all be over..."
Zhao Changhe nodded: "Then take me to Taiping Street."
The house servant was overjoyed: "What’s the esteemed name of elder brother?"
Zhao Changhe patted his wine gourd: "Situ Xiao."
The whole room fell silent. Even that woman’s eyes flashed with shock.
If it really was Situ Xiao who came here, that would be different from just any ordinary disciple!
Wasn’t Situ Xiao known for using a Heavy Sword? Could this knife... be a fake?
Zhao Changhe silently whispered an apology to Situ Xiao, observing everyone’s expressions with cold eyes, feeling increasingly certain.
He had deliberately claimed to be Situ Xiao because muddy waters needed a shark to stir them, revealing the mud below.
Now seeing this, there probably wasn’t a single good person in Hongdong County... Ji Yinan’s death, no one was genuinely heartbroken, otherwise upon hearing Situ Xiao’s name, they should not have been shocked but ecstatic. Even this house servant wasn’t sincerely trying to preserve any young master’s assets, he was really just trying to carve out some benefits for himself by leveraging the "young master’s brother".
The house servant hesitantly probed: "Elder brother, it’s not that we doubt, but Mr. Situ doesn’t seem to have this appearance..."
Zhao Changhe suddenly pushed forward with a palm strike, and in an instant, wind and thunder roared, the White Banner in the spirit hall howled, and the candles flickered wildly.
"Divine Brilliance Wind and Thunder Palm!" The house servant dared not take the hit and quickly retreated, waving his hands, "Mr. Situ, please, calm your anger, calm your anger..."
Zhao Changhe said coldly, "My junior brother’s father was murdered, and all you care about is clan business. If you say it was Han Wubing who killed him, then it must have been Han Wubing? I want to perform an autopsy."
The crowd looked at each other in dismay.
Zhao Changhe mimicked Situ Xiao’s mannerism and spat out, "What, could it be that you are plotting to rob and harm..."
Before he could finish, the woman hurriedly said, "If Master Situ wishes to examine the body, that would be for the best... Come, open the coffin!"
When the coffin lid was removed, Zhao Changhe covered his nose, stepped forward, and meticulously inspected the fatal wound on the chest of the body.
Unlike the previous autopsy where he examined for Evil Qi when the body was decomposed, this time it was intact. The sword Han Wubing normally used was slightly thinner and longer than average, which to a professional eye, made the wound fairly distinguishable and indeed appeared to be caused by Han Wubing.
But Zhao Changhe sneered inwardly.
Because Han Wubing’s usual sword had broken earlier and he had picked out a new sword from the Sword Room, which Zhao Changhe had seen. It was a regular shape with no distinguishing features of being longer or thinner.
This man was not killed by Han Wubing.
Of course, whether or not it was Han Wubing who killed the man wasn’t important in itself. Even if it was, it wasn’t a big deal. He wasn’t here to determine who the murderer was, but to figure out the murderer’s strength.
Suppressing his distaste, he extended his hand to lightly touch the wound, feeling the residual Qi inside, and allowed the Heavenly Book to analyze it.
After a long time, he nonchalantly covered the body again and said indifferently, "It indeed appears to be Han Wubing’s sword. My condolences, madam."
The woman bowed, "Please, Master, take charge of this situation."
Zhao Changhe nodded and then turned to the butler, "Take me to see the so-called clan business."
The butler nodded and bowed, "This way, please, Master Situ."
Taiping Street was the very street where the Ji Family’s properties were located. The butler ingratiatingly accompanied Zhao Changhe as they surveyed a few shops and restaurants, smiling apologetically, "The master was devoted to the gang and didn’t own much personally. Merely these few properties. If they were to be taken away, he would not rest in peace..."
Zhao Changhe’s gaze landed on a cow and sheep leather shop, "So the Xingyi Gang’s main business is leather and such? Hm... and also cheese, horse milk wine..."
The butler replied, "They are all fine goods from the northern territories, unaffiliated with the barbarians. Rest assured, Master Situ."
"Alright, I have a grasp of the situation. Tomorrow I will speak with Yan Lianping. My junior brother Ji’s properties cannot fall into the hands of others."
"With Master Situ stepping in, Yan Lianping will certainly show respect!" The butler nodded and bowed, "The guest quarters have been cleaned. Please, Master, make yourself at home."
Zhao Changhe shook his head, "I have another place to stay. I’ll come by tomorrow morning to find you."
The butler did not dare to push further, smiling and watching as Zhao Changhe left.
Zhao Changhe quietly unfolded his observation skills and watched for a long time, then suddenly activated his Qinggong, weaving through the streets and alleys, vanishing in an instant.
Someone reached the street corner and lost sight of Zhao Changhe, looking at each other in confusion, "How did he disappear in the blink of an eye?"
"That’s Situ Xiao for you. What’s so strange about us not being able to keep up? Go tell the gang leader..."
"Damn, this city’s becoming weirder by the day, all sorts of immortals squeezing in."
Zhao Changhe emerged from the shadows, silently chuckling to himself.
The Ji Family’s house servants had gone to report directly to the "gang leader"...
Only then did he truly employ his Qinggong and vanish into the darkness.
He returned to the inn’s courtyard without a sound, yet inside the room, a candle was lit, and a pig-headed figure sat with his chin propped on his hands, seemingly waiting for him for a long time.
Zhao Changhe pushed the door open and entered, laughing, "How about it, did you find any clues on your end?"
Vermilion Bird replied lazily, "Hard to say about other things, but at least I know Han Wubing wasn’t captured by the Pinghu Association. I overheard their conversations in secret, all saying they didn’t catch Han Wubing. That can’t be faked. As for what they told me face to face, I can’t tell if it’s true or false. What do you think?"
"Oh? There’s a doubt that even you can’t discern as true or false?"
"Yeah, they told me that He Lei is staying with the Ji Family. Either Yan Lianping is lying, or Wei Zicai is lying. Whoever is lying is the traitor within their own ranks, and the other is not a traitor, right?"
"From your tone, you still hope Yan Lianping is not the traitor, and the problem actually lies with Wei Zicai?"
"Of course. Do you think I want a traitor to emerge from the Twenty-Eight Constellations?"
"But unfortunately, both men are lying," Zhao Changhe said seriously. "Tomorrow I will negotiate with Yan Lianping in the name of Situ Xiao. He might have you eavesdrop? Whatever happens at that time, you must be wary of Yan Lianping and preferably strike first if an opportunity arises... I suspect he is not just at the Mystical Gate Eighth Layer, perhaps he’s at the Human List level. You must not take him lightly."
Vermilion Bird was shocked for a moment, the expression under his mask turning somewhat unsightly.
If what Zhao Changhe said was true, then based on the Winged Fire Snake being at the Mystical Gate Ninth Layer, there might indeed be trouble, and he might really owe Zhao Changhe a favor...
But what makes him think Yan Lianping is at the Human List level? Even performing an autopsy wouldn’t reveal that, would it?