Li Yan flipped over, his Treading Waves Step landing in rapid succession beneath his feet as he evaded the two men's pincer attack.
"What do you two mean by this?"
Li Yan looked at them with a half-smile, but neither of them took it seriously.
"Nothing much. Though you do not use a blade, we suspect that you are Wan Sanhuo."
"Rather than let you leave, we might as well keep your head here first and investigate afterward."
"Rest assured, if you truly are not Wan Sanhuo, we will at least bury your corpse."
The two sang in perfect alternation, one sentence each, nearly making Li Yan laugh.
Heavens above, open your eyes and take a look—what kind of world was this? They wanted to kill someone just because they suspected him?
Compared to these two, not a single person who had died by his hand had been innocent.
And they still had the nerve to call him a human butcher?
The world had turned upside down!
While his thoughts ran wild, his Tearing Wind Claws, already at the minor mastery realm, spread open. The furious howl of a gale rang through the mountain forest, startling the two men before him.
In the instant they exposed a flaw, Li Yan used the exquisite footwork of the Treading Waves Step to pass between them, his claws simultaneously locking around the backs of their necks.
"Spare... spare us!"
"Brother, we were wrong, please..."
Crack!
The sound of shattering bones rang out. Their necks were crushed without surprise, and both bodies collapsed to the ground.
Strength +3 Speed +2 Physique +4 True Qi +2 Experience Points +37
The attributes dropped by the two entered his body, but Li Yan only felt that such a small amount did little to improve him.
Looking at the two corpses before him, Li Yan found himself in a difficult position. Killing people recklessly at a time like this was hardly a good idea. If someone set their sights on him again, things would become troublesome.
After thinking it over, Li Yan made a decision that betrayed his ancestors. Dragging the two corpses away, he found a mountain hollow and tossed them down, then threw in several stones, considering that a burial for the two fellows.
Lu Cheng, Lian Yunhao: You call that burying corpses?
The road ahead became much smoother. Since he carried no blade, he did not draw anyone else's attention, and before long he arrived at Duobao Town.
Duobao Town, Duobao Town, strange treasures lie piled upon piled; Duobao Town, Duobao Town, warns all guests to tread with care.
Though it was only a town, its prosperity did not fall in the least below the central district of Dongjiang City.
From the moment he entered town, he saw carriages streaming endlessly back and forth. Vendors packed both sides of the streets, their stalls displaying a dazzling array of strange and novel wares.
There were also quite a few martial artists here, though most were guards hired by traveling merchants. As they passed one another, each wore an expression that warned strangers to keep away.
Wanting to complete Shangguan Liuyun's assignment as soon as possible, Li Yan began searching for Treasure Official's Manor.
"Sir, are you stopping for a meal or staying the night?"
Outside an inn, a waiter called out to attract business. After a moment's thought, Li Yan entered. "Bring whatever will fill my stomach. No wine."
"Right away~"
Before long, the waiter brought over soft, fragrant meat buns, a plate of roast chicken, and a serving of braised beef.
"Please enjoy, sir."
The waiter was about to leave when Li Yan called him back. "Waiter, do you know how to get to Treasure Official's residence?"
At those words, the waiter paused, then the smile on his face brightened further.
"You've come looking for Treasure Official too, sir?"
"Too? Have many people been coming to look for Treasure Official lately?"
Their eyes met. Li Yan thought of something, took out a piece of silver, and tossed it to the waiter. "Tell me exactly what happened."
The waiter looked around before speaking. "You may not know this, sir, but just the other day, the official... vanished!"
"Vanished?"
"That's right. A living, breathing man simply disappeared."
"No one knows exactly what happened. All anyone has heard is that he suddenly vanished the day before yesterday. The people at Official's Manor are still searching everywhere for him."
"Oh? The day before yesterday?"
Li Yan fell into thought. By his calculations, that had been precisely when news of the incident in Dongjiang City began spreading.
Trouble had just broken out in Dongjiang City, and Treasure Official had disappeared. Could there be some connection between the two?
After Li Yan asked the waiter where Treasure Official lived, the waiter was called away by someone else.
After eating, Li Yan left the inn and headed straight for Official's Manor.
Treasure Official's residence stood in Wuyou Alley in the eastern part of town. There were four grand residences in Wuyou Alley. The other three belonged to renowned local merchants, while Treasure Official was different—he was a merchant of immense wealth.
Looking into the alley from outside, Li Yan could still see many people constantly coming and going. There were also quite a few martial artists among them. Treasure Official's disappearance had evidently drawn no small amount of attention.
Just as he was about to step forward and investigate, he heard two burly men walking in his direction.
As they walked, they cursed under their breaths. "Damn it, it's been two days already, and there isn't a single clue."
"Isn't that so? Anyone who could abduct the official so silently must be at least a Qi Gathering expert. What are we still doing here?"
"Let's go, let's go. If we stay any longer, sooner or later we'll die here."
The men had barely left when an old man hurried out. "Wait, wait, you two!"
The old man blocked their way and spoke with an earnest face. "Gentlemen, everyone says you are Great Wu's most skilled experts at finding people. If even you abandon my master, then..."
"Old man, move aside. It isn't that we refuse to help; it's just that this trouble is more than us brothers can shoulder."
"If we keep looking, then either we are wasting our time, or we really uncover something and the person behind it twists our necks off. We do not want to die over some inexplicable little matter."
"You should find a more efficacious Daoist temple or Buddhist monastery and pray to the gods and worship the Buddha instead~"
As the two spoke, they walked out of the alley and happened to come face-to-face with Li Yan.
Li Yan stepped forward and came before the sighing old man. "Old sir, has your household encountered some trouble?"
The old man raised his head. Seeing Li Yan's young face, his eyes lit up slightly. "We have indeed encountered trouble. Might this young hero be willing to lend us a hand?"
"Hahaha, easy, easy. Meddling in other people's affairs is what I, Li, enjoy most. Come on, come on, tell me what exactly happened."
Li Yan did not give the old man a chance to say more. He grabbed him and headed into Treasure Official's Manor.
Along the way, the old man gave him a rough account of the situation in the manor.
It was basically the same as what the waiter had said. The official had vanished without explanation, and they had searched the manor inside and out without finding a single clue.
At present, they initially suspected that their master had been abducted by martial artists. Town constables and martial artists were also helping search, but so far they had found nothing.
"Young Master Li, that is roughly the situation. Is there anything else you would like to ask?"
"No. Steward Li, may I look around the manor?"
"This... of course."
With the master's household granting permission, Li Yan immediately began strolling through the manor. It was indeed the residence of a wealthy official: four successive courtyards, along with two side compounds to the left and right.
However, after making a full circuit, he noticed several issues and went to find Steward Li.
"Steward Li, I see signs that women also lived in the manor. Why, apart from the maidservants, have I not seen anyone else?"
Steward Li nodded. "It is like this. The master suddenly vanished, and the madams became frightened. First Madam arranged for the family to move elsewhere temporarily."
"I see. First Madam truly is the official's worthy helpmate."
"Yes. The master's smooth sailing over these years could not have happened without First Madam's assistance. It is only that the master... sigh..."
Li Yan glanced at Steward Li, who seemed reluctant to speak, and probed indirectly for the residences of the various madams.
Just then, the sound of the kitchen announcing that the meal was ready came from the rear courtyard, and Steward Li promptly invited Li Yan to dine in the manor.
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