Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang

Wang Lun then told Xia Qi'an how the case had unfolded.

As it turned out, the day Xia Qi'an hurried to Liu Family Village in Jishan County happened to be the day the Great Li Dynasty was delivering its tax silver.

At the time, the Jinling City government sent a hundred Black Armored Army soldiers and three Bone Forging Realm martial artists to escort it.

These Bone Forging Realm martial artists had all been recruited from the martial world as escorts.

Most of them came from martial sects, then chose to serve the government in hopes of securing a future.

Yet when the escorting party reached Red Maple Ferry, something strange happened.

According to the testimony of the three surviving Black Armored Army soldiers, they had been preparing to load the tribute silver onto a ship when they reached Red Maple Ferry.

Suddenly, a fierce wind sprang up around Red Maple Ferry. That demonic wind swept past like a savage giant beast, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.

After the demonic wind passed, all the accompanying soldiers and martial artists felt dizzy and weak in all four limbs, as though their souls had been sucked away.

By the time they woke again, the tribute silver had vanished without a trace.

The Black Armored Army soldiers escorting it had also been almost entirely killed or wounded. The corpses of the accompanying Bone Forging Realm martial artists were even more gruesome, looking as though their blood and vital energy had been sucked dry, leaving behind withered bones. It was exceedingly strange.

After listening to Wang Lun finish recounting the case,

Xia Qi'an had Wang Lun take him to the prison to see the three surviving Black Armored Army soldiers and the corpses of the three dead martial artists.

Jinling City, the imperial prison...

The three surviving Black Armored Army soldiers each bore a saber wound deep enough to expose bone. Their faces were all filled with terror and haggard exhaustion.

After questioning the three of them in turn, Xia Qi'an could essentially rule out the possibility that any of them was the mole.

So he went to find Liu Qing.

As a Snake Guard, Liu Qing happened to be investigating this matter as well.

She surely knew many accurate details about the case.

The two met at Xia Qi'an's home at the appointed time.

"Didn't the Wei Dao Si assign you to investigate this case?" Liu Qing asked in puzzlement, holding a teacup.

"I was acting on someone's orders!" Xia Qi'an said casually.

Hearing this, Liu Qing teased, "Oh! You found yourself a backer that quickly? If Lord Chu found out..."

Xia Qi'an said indifferently, "I don't mind telling you plainly! I've already laid everything between Lord Chu and me bare before Lord Sinan! I only want to focus on practicing martial arts and making money. I don't want to get involved in this kind of behind-the-scenes power struggle!"

Liu Qing gave a meaningful smile. "If only things were really as simple as you think! Chu Shiqing... isn't as simple as you think!"

Xia Qi'an said unconcernedly, "Why should I care whether he's simple or not? In any case, I won't be selling my life for him like Su Mu. Otherwise, when I die, there won't even be anyone to collect my corpse!"

Liu Qing lowered her eyes and fell silent.

No one knew what she was thinking.

After a while, Liu Qing seemed to make some sort of decision and said, "I can help you investigate the tribute silver case! But as we agreed before, if we get our hands on the silver, we split it sixty-forty!"

Xia Qi'an said nothing. He simply nodded readily to show his agreement.

Liu Qing continued, "The ones who stole the tax silver were the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang! The four are biological brothers. The eldest, First Ghost, is a Mid Bone Forging Realm martial artist; the second, Second Ghost, is at the Early Bone Forging Realm; the third, Third Ghost, is at the Late Blood Refining Realm; and the fourth, Fourth Ghost, is also at the Late Blood Refining Realm."

"The four of them were originally outlaws and river pirates. Relying on an advanced movement technique, they had made something of a name for themselves in the martial world."

"But in recent years, they somehow began cultivating an evil art! They specifically targeted martial artists, absorbing their blood and vital energy to cultivate!"

"Not long ago, the Wei Dao Si over in Xiaoxiang sent people to capture them, but they escaped by relying on their movement technique. Who would have thought they would actually make their way into Jinling territory!"

"Movement technique? They came at just the right time... I happen to be lacking an advanced movement technique!" When Xia Qi'an heard that the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang were highly skilled in movement techniques, his eyes lit up.

Seeing that Xia Qi'an's focus was somewhat strange, Liu Qing burst out laughing. "What?... Are you really that confident you can deal with the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang?"

"They're just a few dead ghosts! Nothing to fear!"

After undergoing blood exchange eight times, Xia Qi'an's confidence had soared.

At the same time, he had a clear understanding of his own strength.

Even against an ordinary Mid Bone Forging Realm martial artist, he was confident he could fight them.

Besides, he now had Liu Qing's help.

Liu Qing was also a Mid Bone Forging Realm martial artist.

Moreover, Liu Qing had been a Snake Guard for many years and possessed rich experience in the martial world. The number of missions she had carried out was beyond counting.

With her help, Xia Qi'an believed this mission would be as secure as nine tripods; capturing the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang should pose no problem.

After obtaining a definite lead, Xia Qi'an hurried straight to the scene of the case at Red Maple Ferry.

With his Crimson Pupils, he might be able to find the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang's whereabouts from the traces left at the scene.

Liu Qing followed secretly.

Red Maple Ferry was named for the scarlet maples along the riverbank, which blazed like flames.

Every autumn, the red leaves here were as picturesque as poetry, their beauty reflected in the ships traveling across the river.

The safest and fastest way to travel from Jinling to the Great Li capital was by water.

Red Maple Ferry was the closest ferry crossing to Jinling and also fell within the jurisdiction of Jinling Commandery.

When they reached the Red Maple Ferry wharf, all the boat trackers, traveling merchants, and others who normally worked there had been forcibly ordered by the government to stop work for the day.

Aside from more than a dozen government constables, no other idle outsiders were allowed anywhere near the wharf.

Naturally, Xia Qi'an was not included among them.

As he approached the scene of the case, Xia Qi'an activated his Crimson Pupils and searched for any remaining clues.

Once his Crimson Pupils opened, the wharf, which had seemed perfectly ordinary, revealed several unusual things.

On the ground within his vision were numerous glowing red dots, like stars glittering across the night sky.

Those red dots seemed to be tiny insects invisible to the ordinary naked eye.

Xia Qi'an picked up several of the insects, placed them in a porcelain bottle, and then handed it to Liu Qing for examination, asking about their origins.

After hearing Xia Qi'an's description, Liu Qing immediately reached a conclusion.

The insects were actually a rare kind of Gu insect called the Soft Tendon Gu.

This Gu insect was minuscule, almost impossible to perceive.

Once inhaled into the body, it caused the limbs to grow limp and the mind to become groggy.

By this point, Xia Qi'an basically understood the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang's method.

The Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang had first used the Soft Tendon Gu to deprive the Black Armored Army soldiers escorting the tax silver and the several martial artists of their ability to resist.

They had then effortlessly stolen the tax silver and killed most of the people involved.

As for that demonic wind, it was probably merely a coincidence.

Red Maple Ferry bordered the great river, so encountering a gust of wind was perfectly normal.

Liu Qing immediately reminded him, "These Soft Tendon Gu have a habit of returning to their nest, and each one is extremely fragile. They die after entering the human body. Since you can see them, why not follow the corpses of the dead Soft Tendon Gu? You might be able to find the direction in which the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang left!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Qi'an began searching the area outside the wharf for the corpses of the Soft Tendon Gu.

Judging from the remaining corpses of the Gu insects, the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang should still be somewhere within Jinling Commandery. They had not left by boat.

As for where exactly they were hiding, he would have to investigate further.

An hour later, Xia Qi'an used the remaining corpses of the Soft Tendon Gu to determine the first place where the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang might be hiding.

The Stone Forest Ghost Market!