Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Chapter 294: Chapter 168: Investigation

For the past year, he had thought of nothing but avenging his son. The thought of his son murdered in some unknown place, his body never found, felt like a knife twisting in his heart.

’If I hadn’t left, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.’

At this thought, Xiao Hua felt his heart clench. If he had still been in the Purple Sun Sect, something like this would never have happened.

’It’s all that little bastard Xu Yang’s fault. He deserves to die.’

If not for Xu Yang, he wouldn’t have been punished with a post at the Cyan Mountain garrison. And if he hadn’t been at Cyan Mountain, who would have dared to touch Xiao Chen?

A year had passed, and he knew full well that the chances of finding the murderer were slim to none.

’First, I’ll report back to the Sect, then I’ll go make inquiries with the Su Family.’

Xiao Hua’s gaze was ice-cold as he strode into the Purple Sun Sect.

"Greetings, Steward Xiao!"

A few disciples guarding the mountain gate saw Xiao Hua and hurriedly ran out from their pavilion to salute him.

Xiao Hua was in no mood to deal with them, not even bothering to give a perfunctory nod. He strode right past them and quickly disappeared from sight.

Along the way, many Outer Disciples who saw him were first surprised, then respectfully saluted him.

But no matter who approached him, Xiao Hua ignored them completely.

"What’s he putting on airs for?"

"Such a rude Steward. He doesn’t have an ounce of courtesy."

"When I become an Inner Sect Disciple, I’ll make sure he bows his head when he talks to me."

Xiao Hua’s attitude instantly stirred a wave of resentment among the disciples who had greeted him.

Another chuckled. "Don’t be too hard on him. If your own son died and you weren’t allowed to return, you’d be just like him."

"Yeah, Steward Xiao’s life is tragic. One moment he’s punished with garrison duty at Cyan Mountain, the next, his son—who was about to enter the Inner Sect—is murdered. He only just managed to get back after a year. Who wouldn’t be in a foul mood?"

"A bad mood serves him right. I heard when that son of a bitch was at the Task Hall, he used his authority to extort money all the time."

...

As a Steward of the Task Hall, Xiao Hua was well-known among the Outer Disciples. Before long, the entire Outer Sect knew that Xiao Hua had completed his year-long garrison at Cyan Mountain and returned to the Purple Sun Sect.

"Junior Brother Xu, Xiao Hua is back!"

Xu Yang had just returned from outside when he heard Sun Tao mention Xiao Hua’s return.

The smile on his face faded. "Senior Brother, you need to be careful," he said.

Sun Tao said with a grimace, "I was just about to go into seclusion to break through to Gang Qi Great Success. Now that this son of a bitch is back, Junior Brother Zhang and the others and I have discussed it. We plan to head to the Yunling Mountain Range tomorrow and only return after we reach Gang Qi Great Success. You’re the one who needs to be careful."

The Outer Sect Grand Competition had ended over three months ago. His cultivation had improved greatly, and he was on the verge of a breakthrough to Gang Qi Great Success.

He had originally planned to break through within the Sect before going treasure hunting in the Yunling Mountain Range. But now, he had no choice but to leave early. He was afraid that if he stayed in the Purple Sun Sect, that beast Xiao Hua would find some excuse to lure him outside the gates and kill him.

Xu Yang wasn’t confident he could kill Xiao Hua right now either, so he could only nod. "Don’t worry, Senior Brother. I won’t give him any openings. You be careful breaking through in the mountains, too."

The next day, before dawn, Sun Tao, Zhang Yong, and one other quietly left the Purple Sun Sect.

Xu Yang also warned Xu Qing not to come looking for him unless it was important, lest Xiao Hua discover their relationship.

He had no idea how much power a Steward truly wielded, but Xiao Hua had once been an Inner Sect Disciple. He absolutely could not be underestimated.

Right now, Xiao Hua had no mind to get revenge on Xu Yang. For him, the most important thing was finding the man who had murdered Xiao Chen.

With Xiao Chen’s murder, his plan to ride the Su Family’s coattails was completely ruined. Finding his son’s killer was far more important than getting revenge on Xu Yang.

After taking leave from the Task Hall, he arrived at the Su Family residence in Cyan Yang City.

He saw that the once-prosperous and bustling Su Family residence had become deathly still and deserted.

’What happened?’

Xiao Hua was shocked. How could the Su Family have ended up like this?

"Greetings, Master Xiao!"

The Su Family’s gatekeeper recognized Xiao Hua. Seeing him appear, he hurriedly came forward and bowed.

"Did something happen to Brother Qiming and Su Jie?"

It was only after meeting with Su Jianye that Xiao Hua understood why the Su Family had fallen into such a state.

With the deaths of their two Pill Masters, Su Qiming and Su Jie, the Su Family could no longer supply their business partners with elixirs. To secure their own quotas of elixirs, those partners had no choice but to terminate their agreements with the Su Family and seek out other factions that could provide for them.

In just a few short months, the Su Family’s business had shrunk by almost half. Fortunately, besides Su Qiming and Su Jie, they still had one more Pill Master; otherwise, things would have been even worse.

"Do you know who did it?" Xiao Hua asked, his face filled with killing intent.

Su Jianye shook his head. "We couldn’t find out. If we knew, the Su Family would have annihilated their entire clan by now."

Changing the subject, he said, "Brother Xiao, you’re here to ask about Xiao Chen, I presume."

Xiao Hua nodded. He didn’t have a single clue as to who had killed Xiao Chen.

The Su Family had helped investigate the matter back then, so he had come to ask if they had found any clues.

Su Jianye shook his head regretfully and told Xiao Hua that Xiao Chen’s case was the same as Su Qiming’s. Their bodies were never found, leaving them without a single usable clue.

Just then, Su Man ran in from outside, her eyes red. She knelt before Xiao Hua. "Your daughter-in-law greets you, Father-in-law."

Hearing this, Su Jianye frowned slightly, somewhat displeased.

His daughter had never actually married Xiao Chen; they were only engaged. Using the title "daughter-in-law" was inappropriate.

Back in the Su Family’s heyday, even with Xiao Hua standing right there, he would not have hesitated to scold his daughter and tell her to watch her words.

But now, with the Su Family having suffered such a great calamity, Xiao Hua was no longer someone he could afford to treat with disrespect.

"Good child, please get up. That little rascal, Xiao Chen... how could he have the heart to leave you all alone?"

His face was full of comfort, his nose tingling as he fought back tears. He quickly rose and helped Su Man to her feet.