Chapter 69: Escape from the Capital
In the Hidden Courtyard.
When he opened his eyes, the Daoist covered in dust found himself tightly bound and thrown in a corner of some courtyard. Anger surged within him, and he cursed and grumbled. He stirred on the soil trying to struggle himself free from the ropes.
"What kind of crappy place is this? Why did they attack me out of nowhere in the first place? How bold! If they knew I am a cultivator, they would’ve probably knelt down and called me grandpa!"
Ire appeared on the Daoist’s face, and he struggled for a bit till the rope came loose, and he wriggled out. Finally free, he began grumbling in frustration, "Dammit. Thankfully no one will ever know about this. But I doubt anyone would believe me anyway if I told them that I was knocked out cold by a hit from a couple of ordinary people.”
"I’d believe you," a voice sounded from behind him.
The Daoist was startled, and cranked his neck to see a young man standing not too far away from him, smiling at him.
He turned around and asked, "How long have you been there?"
Weird.
Did he not notice this person's presence? But that was impossible! He was a cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm—a formidable expert—and cultivators in general were extremely sensitive.
"I've been here all along," Fang Chen said with a faint smile. "How should I address you?"
The Daoist didn’t answer him and instead replied with a question of his own, his gaze cold. "Were you the one who ordered those guys to attack me? Why did you do that?”
A bolt of lightning streaked and smashed at the ground beside him, causing the soil to collapse into a pit near the Daoist.
Startled, he stared at Fang Chen in disbelief, then asked, “You are a cultivator...?”
"How should I address you?" Fang Chen asked again, his smile all the same.
The Daoist’s face turned a little strange, and he said, "You can call me Daoist Ming Jing."
"Li Daoye said you were chasing after him. Is that true?" Fang Chen said.
Ming Jing instantly understood why he had been ambushed and yelled, "So, you're on his side!"
"Li Daoye is going to be helping me with something for a while. So, let me see if I can resolve the enmity between the two of you,” Fang Chen said.
Hearing that, Ming Jing seemed mildly confused. "What enmity? Ah!” Then, he seemed to have realized something, and fury soon painted his face. “Now I understand! He's spouting nonsense again!
"Listen; I am an elder from his sect, and he’s our junior sect master. His father has arranged a marriage for him, and it was planned that he would marry into the bride’s family, but that brat actually ran away! I am just here to bring him back for the wedding!"
Fang Chen nodded thoughtfully. "I see..." Then, he said, "But now that he has offended the Spirit Blood Sect, wouldn’t he bring harm upon your Eight Trigram Sect were he to return with you?"
When Ming Jing heard the words “Spirit Blood Sect,” he went blank momentarily, then he clasped his hands and said, "I don’t know what you're talking about. Li Daoye? Who’s that? I think I ended up here by accident. I’ll take my leave. Goodbye!” He then turned around and walked away briskly.
"You might encounter some cultivators from the Spirit Blood Sect when you leave," Fang Chen said.
Ming Jing's steps hesitated, and he stopped in his tracks. He turned around again to look at Fang Chen. "Are there really cultivators from the Spirit Blood Sect in the capital?"
Fang Chen nodded. "They are planning to refine Blood Spirit Pills here. Li Daoye was the one who had discovered that, and he ended up killing one of their men."
"Hiss!" Ming Jing took a sharp breath as he began trembling uncontrollably. "I really don't know any Li Daoye. This has nothing to do with me or the Eight Trigram Sect!"
"Before Li Daoye killed the Spirit Blood Sect cultivator, he mentioned that he had the support of a senior sect elder called Ming Jing. The lackeys of the Spirit Blood Sect heard it, no doubt about it," Fang Chen explained.
When Ming Jing heard that, blood quickly leached from his face. “Where is he now? Is he hiding in a safe place?” he asked. “Can you please arrange for me to join him so we can hide together?“
Fang Chen said, "No, he is not in a safe place. But if you're willing, I can arrange for someone to escort you to an inn where you can hide. That way, the Spirit Blood Sect won't find you easily, and when the time is right, I will arrange for you two to meet. You can decide whether to take him back or not then."
Ming Jing nodded with a hint of gratitude in his eyes. "Then I will have to trouble you to do that."
With that, a few figures quietly appeared and took Ming Jing away to the inn. They checked him in and left. But after they had left, the Daoist didn’t sit around. He packed his belongings and skulked out of the inn, then left the capital entirely.
The people Fang Chen had sent returned to the Hidden Courtyard, bowed to Fang Chen and reported, "The Daoist has escaped from the capital, my lord."
Fang Chen smiled and waved his hand. "I believe he won't be coming back anytime soon. You can go back to whatever it is that you were doing."
He then left the Hidden Courtyard and returned to the Fang Manor, where he coincidentally met Xu Ge and Huangfu Jie.
When he saw Huangfu Jie, a faint smile rose on his face, and he greeted, "It's been a while, Huangfu Jie. Did you experience a breakthrough in your cultivation in these past few years?”
"Divine General Fang, after five years of pain-staking cultivation, my strength has reached the peak of the Qi Manipulation Stage," Huangfu Jie said with a hint of pride.
Even though he was older than Fang Chen and had yet to reach the level of Qi Core, his aptitude was still considered top tier.
“You've always preferred staying in the southern region. Why the sudden visit to the capital?” Fang Chen asked.
Huangfu Jie's prideful face fell, replaced with a more serious expression. “Something major has happened. I am here seeking your guidance. Also, if possible, I’d like you to send a few skilled investigators back with me to the southern region.”
"Tell me more," Fang Chen said.
"The Heavenly Sword Sect, one of the four major sects alongside my Profound Blade Sect, was annihilated overnight, with everyone in the sect turning into shriveled corpses, as if they had been dead for many years, but that doesn’t make any sense since the young master of Heavenly Sword Sect was just fine a few days ago. We were even drinking together as we had a discussion about martial arts!
"It’s really weird. Not to mention that not even my sect has the means to annihilate the Heavenly Sword Sect overnight, let alone have them die in such a bizarre manner. Shortly after, several smaller sects were also wiped out completely, with only a few disciples who were not in the sect when it happened surviving by chance. The martial world in the southern region is in chaos right now. The Valiant Saber Guards there couldn't find the culprit, and many are already pointing fingers at my sect, accusing us of doing it. If we don’t find out the truth soon, the Valiant Saber Guards might take action against us.”
Fang Chen's expression darkened. "Are you sure they turned into shriveled corpses?"
Huangfu Jie nodded with a grave expression. "Absolutely!"
Xu Ge's expression changed as if he had guessed something.
Previously, Xu Hui told Qin Dong that Senior Brother Bei had important things to deal with and that he had left. This Senior Brother Bei should be the leader of the group that had been sent here. Now, he is either taking his time and collecting the blood of the martial artists from the southern region on his way back, or they are done and are already rushing back, thought Fang Chen.
"I'll send with you several of our investigators from the Grand Brilliance Bureau and some constables," Fang Chen said.
Huangfu Jie quickly bowed, expressing his gratitude. "Thank you, Divine General Fang!" Then, he lowered his voice and added, "If it’s okay, can you go back with me personally? I have more confidence in your investigative abilities."
Fang Chen nodded. “Sure. I’ll join you after I’m done with the matters of Longdu.”
"That's great!" Huangfu Jie's eyes lit up with joy. With Fang Chen personally involved, the case was as good as solved.
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