Chapter 229: There Are No Good People In Sword Lake City

Chapter 229: No Good Men in Jianhu City

Stepping into the mourning hall, a crowd of women and children bowed their heads in respect, all weeping in unison.

Zhao Changhe stepped forward to offer his respects and light the incense, glancing left and right at the expressions around him, sensing an underlying discord.

The so-called women and children included no children at all; they were all women, ranging from their twenties to their late forties or fifties, evidently the wives and concubines of the deceased, with no elders, children, or other paternal uncles or brothers in sight, bearing little resemblance to a proper family.

Furthermore, the weeping itself felt uncanny. In the modern world, it was ordinary enough to pay one's respects at a relative's wake, and while the family would weep bitterly at first, few would cry continuously after several days, with only a rare soul remaining inconsolable. Yet these women had been crying for days on end, without pause.

His mind drifted inadvertently to the thought that if time in his original world was still moving forward, he must have been "missing" for nearly a year by now. He wondered how terribly his parents must be weeping... Smearing a bit of grease onto the gold leaf was nothing; if he were strong enough to defeat that blind woman, damn it, he would have the heart to tear her limb from limb!

Wait...

To kill that witch...

Zhao Changhe froze where he stood.

For the longest time, he had forgotten the "main quest" that had brought him into this world. Originally, it was said that killing that witch would allow him to return, and when the blind woman entered his dream, she too had spoken of two paths home: one was to fulfill this "grand vow," and the other was to train himself to the point of shattering the barriers of time and space.

He had no idea who the witch was, having only seen her back in his dream, making her utterly impossible to track down. Sometimes, Zhao Changhe wondered if Chichi, Sisi, or even the Winged Fire Snake might be that witch. Otherwise, why did he always find himself entangled with enchantresses? Because of this, he had never truly intended to investigate the witch's true identity, fearing that whatever he uncovered might only bring him unnecessary grief.

But recalling it so abruptly now, the three cards that came with his transmigration theoretically belonged to him. The first card, the Eye Behind the Back, was a cheat code; the second, the Location Card, had entangled him inextricably with Chichi, saddling him with the identity of a prince, a role around which most of the storms he had weathered so far revolved, yet to subside.

The third card was the clue to uncovering the witch's identity... Yet, as a clue for solving a mystery, how was its status as "belonging to him" supposed to manifest?

Thus far, the only place it had manifested was—

The Heavenly Book being awakened and sealed by him.

Was it truly due to the merit of smearing that ointment onto it? Perhaps the third card had already been taking effect long ago...

But then a question arose: the three cards were bestowed by the blind woman. If she was the spirit of the book, had she bestowed herself upon him?

From that perspective, she was not the spirit of the book?

His logic tangled momentarily, leaving him unable to make sense of it. Still, he had never considered this angle before; triggered by this sudden flash of inspiration, he resolved to ponder more in this direction in the future...

Zhao Changhe reined in his straying thoughts. Beside him, the members of the Ji family had been staring at him blankly for quite some time. This yellow-faced fellow, claiming to be from the Divine Radiance Sect, had stood in silent contemplation before the coffin ever since offering his incense, creating an eerie presence that truly unnerved them.

"Ahem." Zhao Changhe finally spoke, "Junior Brother Ji entrusted me to investigate the circumstances. How did the elder Master Ji meet his end?"

The woman who had previously greeted him outside the gates, begging him to uphold justice, sobbed, "My late husband had prepared a banquet to discuss matters with Han Wubing, but during the feast, for reasons unknown, Han Wubing launched a sudden and violent assault. Caught completely off guard, my husband perished on the spot. Fortunately, Chairman Yan of the Pinghu Association was dining nearby and, hearing the commotion, broke through the door..."

Fortunately... What a choice of words.

Zhao Changhe cast a deep, searching look at her, saying nothing.

If things were already like this, why ask someone else to uphold justice? You might as well have Yan Lianping handle it.

Beside her, an elderly man who looked like an old butler could not help but interject, "The Chief was indeed killed by Han Wubing. If this senior brother can assist in apprehending the culprit, we would be endlessly grateful. However, the most pressing matter is to ask you, out of regard for your fellowship with our young master, to help preserve the Ji family's properties."

Zhao Changhe grew attentive. "How so?"

"Now that the Xingyi Gang is leaderless, the tree has fallen and the monkeys are scattered. Many high-level backbones have been absorbed by the Pinghu Association, and our gang's assets have been annexed by them as well—this much we accept. But some properties belong to the Master personally; how can they be swallowed up too? Currently, a band of us old brothers are guarding Taiping Street, but how many days can we hold out? Yan Lianping is busy digesting the various enterprises and has not had the time to deal with us just yet. In a few days, all will be lost..."

Zhao Changhe nodded. "Then take me to Taiping Street to have a look."

Overjoyed, the butler asked, "May I know this senior brother's esteemed name?"

Zhao Changhe patted his wine gourd. "Situ Xiao."

The entire room fell into a stunned silence. Even the woman's eyes flashed with a look of shock.

If it was truly Situ Xiao who had arrived, the nature of the situation would be entirely different from that of an ordinary disciple!

Didn't Situ Xiao use a heavy sword? This blade... could it be a fake?

Zhao Changhe silently offered an apology to Situ Xiao, coldly observing the expressions of the crowd, his understanding of the situation deepening.

He had deliberately given Situ Xiao's name; such murky waters required a shark to stir things up before the mud beneath could be exposed.

Looking at it now, it seemed there was not a single good soul in the entire district... No one was truly grieving over Ji Yinang's death; otherwise, upon hearing Situ Xiao's name, they should have felt ecstatic rather than alarmed. Even this butler was not genuinely loyal or intent on preserving the young master's property; he merely wanted to use the power of the "young master's senior brother" to scrape some scraps for himself.

The butler hesitated, probing cautiously, "Senior brother, it is not that we doubt you, but Mr. Situ does not seem to favor this sort of attire..."

Zhao Changhe suddenly thrust a palm forward. Instantly, a violent storm of wind and thunder erupted, sending the white banners of the mourning hall howling and snapping the candle flames.

"The Divine Radiance Wind-Thunder Palm!" The butler dared not receive the strike, retreating rapidly while waving his hands. "Mr. Situ, please appease your anger, appease your anger..."

Zhao Changhe said coldly, "My junior brother's father has been murdered, yet all you care about is property this, property that. You claim Han Wubing killed him, so it must be Han Wubing? I want to examine the corpse."

The crowd looked at one another in silence.

Putting on the full arrogance of Situ Xiao, Zhao Changhe spat, "What, could it be that you murdered him for his wealth and—"

Before he could finish, the woman hastily said, "If Mr. Situ wishes to examine the corpse, that is naturally for the best... Men, open the coffin!"

The coffin lid was moved aside. Zhao Changhe covered his nose and stepped forward, carefully inspecting the fatal wound on the corpse's chest.

Unlike his previous autopsy to check for malevolent energy, where the body had already rotted, this one was still intact. Han Wubing's sword was slightly more slender and longer than an ordinary blade; in the eyes of a professional, this wound was relatively easy to distinguish, and it did indeed look like Han Wubing's work.

Yet Zhao Changhe sneered inwardly.

For Han Wubing's customary sword had broken earlier, and he had later found a new one in the sword chamber. Zhao Changhe had seen that sword; it was of completely ordinary shape, possessing nothing more slender or longer than any other.

This man was not killed by Han Wubing.

Of course, whether Han Wubing had killed the man was not important in itself; even if he had, it was no great matter. He had not come to solve the mystery of who the killer was, but rather to determine the level of strength possessed by the murderer.

Enduring the nausea, he reached out to lightly touch the wound, feeling the residual aura within and allowing the Heavenly Book to analyze it.

After a long time, he calmly covered the corpse once more and said faintly, "It is indeed Han Wubing's sword. Madam, please restrain your grief..."

The woman bowed. "Please take charge of this matter, sir."

Zhao Changhe nodded, then turned to the butler. "Take me to look at those properties you mentioned."

Bowing and scraping, the butler replied, "This way, Mr. Situ."

Taiping Street was the very street where the Ji family resided. The butler obsequiously accompanied Zhao Changhe to inspect several shops and restaurants along the way, smiling apologetically, "The Master dedicated his heart entirely to the gang, so he held very few properties under his own name, only these few shops. If even these are taken away, his soul in heaven will truly never find peace..."

Zhao Changhe's gaze landed on a shop selling cattle and sheep hides. "The Xingyi Gang deals primarily in sheepskins and the like? Hm... there is also cheese, mare's milk wine..."

The butler said, "They are all premium goods from the Northern Lands, completely unrelated to the nomads. Please rest assured, Mr. Situ."

"Very well, I have the measure of this matter. Tomorrow I shall speak with Yan Lianping. My Junior Brother Ji's belongings must not fall into the hands of others under any circumstances."

"With Mr. Situ stepping in, Yan Lianping will surely show respect!" The butler bowed and scraped. "The guest courtyard has been swept clean. Please take up residence, sir."

Zhao Changhe shook his head. "I have another lodging. I shall come find you tomorrow morning."

The butler dared not force him to stay, seeing Zhao Changhe off with a sycophantic smile.

Zhao Changhe silently activated his Eye Behind the Back to observe for a long while, then suddenly leaped forward, utilizing his lightness skill to dart through the streets and alleys, vanishing from sight in an instant.

Several figures rushed to the corner of the street, only to find they had lost Zhao Changhe's trail, looking at one another in bewilderment. "How did he disappear in the blink of an eye?"

"That is Situ Xiao we are talking about; what is so strange about us being unable to keep up? Hurry and report to the Chairman..."

"Damn it, this city is becoming stranger by the day, all sorts of deities are crawling in."

Emerging from the shadows, Zhao Changhe let out a quiet chuckle.

Even the Ji family's servants went straight to report to the "Chairman"...

Only now did he truly exert his lightness skill, dissolving into the darkness.

He returned silently to the small courtyard of the inn, where a candle flickered inside the room, and a pig-headed figure sat with its chin resting in its hand, seemingly having waited for him for a long time.

Zhao Changhe pushed open the door and entered, smiling. "Well, any leads on your end?"

Zhuque drawled lazily, "Hard to say for sure, but at least I know Han Wubing wasn't captured by the Pinghu Society. I eavesdropped on their private conversations—they all said they didn't catch him, and that can't be faked. As for what they told me to my face, I can't tell truth from lies. You analyze it?"

"Oh? There's actually a doubt that leaves you uncertain?"

"Yes. They told me He Lei is staying at the Ji family. Either Yan Lianping is lying, or Wei Zicai is lying. Whoever lies is the traitor in their own faction, and the other isn't, right?"

"Your tone suggests you still hope Yan Lianping isn't the traitor, and the problem lies with Wei Zicai?"

"Of course. Do you think I'd want a traitor among the Twenty-Eight Mansions?"

"But unfortunately, both of them are lying." Zhao Changhe said seriously. "Tomorrow I'll negotiate with Yan Lianping under the name of Situ Xiao. He might bring you along to listen? No matter what happens, you must guard against Yan Lianping, preferably strike first and ambush him at the first opportunity... I suspect he's far more than just the eighth level of the Mystic Barrier—he might even be at the Human Roll level. You must not take him lightly."

Zhuque was taken aback, the expression beneath the mask turning somewhat grim.

If what Zhao Changhe said was true, then given the setting of Yi Huo She at the ninth level of the Mystic Barrier, something might indeed go wrong, and she would owe him a favor...

But how could he judge that Yan Lianping was at the Human Roll level? Even an autopsy wouldn't reveal that.