News of a Secret Transmission Technique

"A half-finished blade manual. Useless!"

The Profession Slot would not record it. It was nothing but trash.

There were two or three hundred silver notes on the corpse. He tucked them into his clothes.

In a corner, he found another lightness skill manual:

Dragonfly Touching Water.

At that moment, four masked men in rain capes entered.

Chu Qing froze.

The four masked men in rain capes froze as well.

They looked at Hall Master Liu's corpse, then at Chu Qing. Their pupils contracted.

The two sides stared at each other without a word.

Clack!

Chu Qing used Toad Skill to activate Iron Cloth Shirt. More than fifty Iron Sinews surfaced, and his skin turned iron-blue.

The four masked men extended their hands, revealing steel gloves.

Both sides remained silent.

Spring thunder rumbled.

Chu Qing suddenly retreated, smashing through the house. Stepping on wind and rain, he howled away into the distance.

At the same time, Zhao Wuji and the others also fled madly outside.

After running several hundred meters in one breath, Zhao Wuji rasped:

"Stop!"

Red Snake, Iron Hand, and the other hall masters stopped.

Zhao Wuji said in a low voice, "We're going back."

Red Snake cried out, "But..."

Zhao Wuji growled, "The killer was scared off by us and didn't have time to deal with the corpse. We... should take care of it!"

"Alright!"

Very soon:

The four of them entered Hall Master Liu's home again.

Then... they froze once more.

In the main hall:

A naked masked man was carrying firewood and piling it on the floor. Hall Master Liu's corpse lay on top of it.

Sigh...

Chu Qing sighed.

He had not expected Zhao Wuji and the others to return.

Clack!

He used the half-finished blade manual as kindling and tossed it onto the firewood, then lit it with a candle.

Soon, flames blazed.

The two sides stared at each other across the fire.

A moment later:

Chu Qing retreated again and walked away upon the wind and rain.

This time, he did not look back.

Zhao Wuji and the other four exchanged glances, then scattered in different directions.

A few minutes later:

Apart from Zhao Wuji, the other hall masters each carried away one or two concubines, whistling into the distance.

At that moment:

Firelight faintly tore through the night above Hall Master Liu's home.

Yet not a single servant in the residence woke up.

Zhao Wuji did not leave. He carefully examined the traces left at the scene.

"At first, the two fought at the entrance, but the murderer was knocked into the courtyard by an incomparably fierce attack."

"But then, the killer forced Hall Master Liu all the way into the house in one breath."

"The killer either had more Iron Sinews than Hall Master Liu, or possessed a defensive technique such as a horizontal training art."

He dragged out Hall Master Liu's corpse for examination. After discovering traces of four or five techniques, his expression grew grave.

The killer was extremely fierce.

A hidden courtyard:

The group gathered, and the Iron Fist Hall Master said:

"Who... is that killer?"

No one spoke.

The killer had the audacity to swallow the sky.

After being discovered, he had actually returned to the scene and even burned the corpse.

That level of mental fortitude... earned their admiration.

Hall Master Red Snake took a deep breath and said softly, "He isn't an expert from the county. He should be a Dragon Crossing the River from elsewhere, or a Martial Academy student."

Zhao Wuji rasped, "Or... the killer from last time."

Iron Hand said in considerable panic, "No matter who the other party is, Hall Master Liu is dead."

Zhao Wuji sighed. "Everyone, I'll be leaving first."

"Watch... your safety."

The other hall masters were horrified.

Yes, if that person could kill Hall Master Liu alone, he could likewise kill them alone.

At this very moment, they had only one thought:

They hoped that killer with such formidable mental fortitude would not set his sights on them.

"Go!"

The remaining few carried Hall Master Liu's concubines and whistled away.

Dawn came, but the wind and rain continued:

Near noon, a chief subordinate came looking for Hall Master Liu to drink, which was how the news leaked out.

When Chief Constable Shi learned of it, he merely sneered:

"It must have been Zhao Wuji and the others who killed him."

Constable Li wondered, "Would they dare kill someone?"

Chief Constable Shi sneered. "Why wouldn't they dare?"

"Hall Master Liu wanted them dead, so naturally they had to find a way to kill him."

"Wind and rain make for fine weather to kill."

If you can't find a book by its title, try searching for the author instead. It may simply have been renamed!

"Go, have men confiscate the Liu family estate."

"Yes!"

"Sir, Zhao Wuji and the others..."

Chief Constable Shi sighed. "There's no plaintiff and no one is bringing silver. Why should I arrest the murderer?"

"With that time, I'd rather curry favor with my wife."

"Besides, I agreed to a fellow disciple's request to help investigate the Black Market killer."

"How could I have time to care whether some street thug lives or dies?"

Constable Li suddenly understood.

The Blood River Gang's leader was Qin Ming, and he was over fifty this year.

Back then, he had been a Martial Academy student. Unfortunately, he had not entered the Inner Court and had never learned Weapon Techniques.

Unwilling to accept it, he had relied on the Blood River Gang's resources and manpower to try and derive a set of Weapon Techniques.

Hall Master Liu had been one of the people he selected.

Unfortunately, Hall Master Liu was dead.

The progress of the derivation slowed.

"Idiot... I hope you weren't discovered by people from the Martial Academy."

"I hope you didn't babble nonsense."

"Otherwise... a great many people will truly die."

Gang Leader Qin gazed at the wind and rain beyond the window, his eyes icy.

Upon receiving the news, he had immediately investigated the scene.

He discovered that there had initially been only one killer.

After that person killed Hall Master Liu, the other four arrived.

"Those four should have been Zhao Wuji and the others."

"The first killer must have been a Martial Academy student."

"Only they would have the ability to easily kill Hall Master Liu alone."

"The killer could withstand Hall Master Liu's Eight Hammer Strikes head-on... he was very likely an Inner Court student."

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Wind and rain swept through the streets.

After more than a dozen chief subordinates of the Head-Slicing Hall learned that Hall Master Liu was dead, they were terrified beyond measure.

They feared the killer would casually kill them as well.

They completely cast aside all other thoughts and declared their loyalty to Young Master He Qi.

At that moment:

They knelt in the wind and rain, respectful and reverent, not daring to move at all.

One hour...

Two hours...

Inside the main hall, Young Master He Qi drank and composed poetry with several Fortified Village Disciples, enjoying themselves immensely.

Singing girls also hummed and crooned in soft voices, sending everyone into roaring laughter.

"These mud-legged peasants only completely abandon their dignity and become dogs, become slaves, once they have been driven into a dead end."

Young Master He Qi was suave, handsome, and elegant.

He teased a maid beside him with his folding fan until her face flushed crimson and she knelt coyly at his feet. Only then was he satisfied.

A woman from a fortified village said, "He Qi, tell me, was the person who killed Little Liu a Martial Academy student, or a Dragon Crossing the River?"

"Sister Lan, it should be that killer from a few days ago." Young Master He Qi wore a grave expression.

Sister Lan frowned and pondered.

The other Fortified Village Disciples were curious. "Not a Martial Academy student?"

Young Master He Qi smiled. "No."

"My older brother was on leave yesterday, and I met with him. He didn't mention Hall Master Liu."

The other Fortified Village Disciples also said one after another, "My older sister was on leave a few days ago, and she didn't mention it either."

"If the Martial Academy had acted against Hall Master Liu, they would have known long ago."

Sister Lan tapped her fingers on the table and said coolly:

"Not a Martial Academy student, yet capable of killing Little Liu alone."

"When did Stone Rock County produce such a fierce man?"

Everyone fell silent.

After a moment, Sister Lan murmured:

"Why has the killer been targeting the Blood River Gang's Head-Slicing Hall all this time?"

One Fortified Village Disciple said, "Could it have something to do with the Rebel Army?"

The Rebel Army?

Sister Lan frowned.

The empire's Millennial Calamity was approaching, and the Imperial Star was unsteady. Rebel armies had appeared in many places.

Within a thousand li of this place alone, there was a Rebel Army force. It was said to have an unclear relationship with the Armored Soldier Sect, and it was also said to have unclear ties with other sects.

After hesitating, that Fortified Village Disciple said, "When I came to the County Town, members of the Rebel Army met with my father. I accidentally overheard them saying that something had fallen into Stone Rock County, and they asked my father to help search for it."

"Could the Head-Slicing Hall have obtained that thing, and so..."

Sister Lan's heart stirred, and she cried out:

"A secret transmission!"

"What?"

Young Master He Qi and the others changed expression drastically.

They stared straight at Sister Lan.

Sister Lan tapped the armrest with her fingers and said in a low voice:

"A few days ago, the Rebel Army accidentally lost a secret transmission manual."

"I never expected it to have been lost in our territory."

The Fortified Village Disciples' eyes lit up; some were so excited their whole bodies trembled.

Because secret techniques were several times more precious than Weapon Techniques.

"Sister Lan, what secret technique is that?"

Sister Lan shook her head.

Young Master He Qi sprang to his feet and paced back and forth. "Find it. Even if we have to turn Stone Rock County upside down, we must find that secret technique."

Sister Lan rebuked him, "Idiot. It's a secret technique; we must search discreetly. If the Martial Academy finds out, we'll have no chance."

"Yes!"