Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang

Wang Lun then recounted the details of the case to Xia Qi'an.

It turned out that the day Xia Qi'an was heading to Liu Family Village in Jishan County happened to be the day the Great Li Dynasty was supposed to submit its tax silver.

The Jinling City authorities had dispatched a hundred-man Black Armored Army unit along with three Bone Forging Realm martial artists to escort the shipment.

These Bone Forging Realm martial artists were all recruited guards from the martial arts world.

Most of them came from established martial arts sects and had chosen to pledge allegiance to the government to further their careers.

However, as the escort party reached Red Maple Ferry, a bizarre incident occurred.

According to the testimony of the three surviving members of the Black Armored Army, as they were preparing to load the tribute silver onto a ship at Red Maple Ferry, a strong wind suddenly swept through the area. This unnatural wind was like a ferocious beast, thrashing and sweeping everything in its path.

After the unnatural wind subsided, the accompanying soldiers and martial artists were all disoriented, their limbs weak, as if their souls had been drained.

When they finally regained consciousness, the tribute silver was gone without a trace.

The escorting Black Armored Army soldiers had been killed or wounded, and the accompanying Bone Forging Realm martial artists had met particularly gruesome ends. Their corpses were like withered bones, their Blood Essence seemingly drained, a truly eerie sight.

After listening to Wang Lun's account of the case.

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

Jinling City, the Heavenly Prison.

The three surviving Black Armored Army soldiers each bore a deep, bone-gaping knife wound. They were all visibly terrified and gaunt.

After questioning the three men one by one, Xia Qi'an could largely rule out the possibility of any of them being an inside informant.

Therefore, he sought out Liu Qing.

As a Snake Guard, Liu Qing was also investigating the matter.

He figured she would likely know many precise details about this case.

The two met at Xia Qi'an's residence at the agreed-upon time.

"The Wei Dao Si didn't assign you to investigate this case, did they?" Liu Qing asked, holding her teacup, a look of confusion on her face.

"I was acting under someone's orders!" Xia Qi'an replied casually.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qing teased, "Oh! You've already managed to latch onto someone important? If Lord Chu found out..."

Xia Qi'an said dismissively, "I don't mind telling you! I've already made it clear to Lord Sinan about my situation with Lord Chu! I just want to focus on practicing martial arts and earning money, and I don't want to get involved in these underhanded power struggles!"

Liu Qing chuckled playfully, "If only things were as simple as you make them out to be! Chu Shiqing... is not as simple as you think!"

Xia Qi'an remained unfazed, "I don't care if he's simple or not! In any case, I won't be risking my life for him like Su Mu. Otherwise, I'll die without even a body to claim me!"

Liu Qing lowered her eyes at his words, falling silent.

It was unclear what she was thinking.

After a long pause, Liu Qing seemed to have made up her mind and said, "I can help you investigate the tribute silver case! But as we agreed, if we get the money, we'll split it sixty-four."

Xia Qi'an didn't speak, but readily nodded in agreement.

Then, Liu Qing continued, "The ones who stole the tax silver were the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang! These four are brothers. The eldest is a mid-stage Bone Forging Realm martial artist, the second is early-stage Bone Forging Realm, the third is late-stage Blood Refining Realm, and the fourth is also late-stage Blood Refining Realm."

"These four were originally notorious bandits. Relying on a profound movement technique they cultivated, they gained some notoriety in the martial arts world."

"However, in recent years, they've been practicing some kind of evil cultivation technique that specifically targets martial artists, absorbing their Blood Essence for their own cultivation!"

"Not long ago, the Wei Dao Si in Xiaoxiang sent people to pursue them, but they escaped using their movement technique. I didn't expect them to have fled into the Jinling territory!"

"Movement technique? Perfect... I happen to need a profound movement technique!" Xia Qi'an's eyes lit up upon hearing that the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang had exceptional movement skills.

Seeing that Xia Qi'an's focus was a bit unusual, Liu Qing chuckled, "What? ...You're that confident you can deal with the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang?"

"Just a few dead men! Nothing to fear!"

After eight blood exchanges, Xia Qi'an's confidence soared.

At the same time, he was also clear about his own strength.

He was confident he could fight even a typical mid-stage Bone Forging Realm martial artist.

Moreover, he now had Liu Qing's assistance.

Liu Qing was also a mid-stage Bone Forging Realm martial artist.

Furthermore, Liu Qing had been a Snake Guard for many years, possessed extensive experience in the martial arts world, and had undertaken countless missions.

With her help, Xia Qi'an believed this mission was a sure thing, and apprehending the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang should not be a problem.

After obtaining definite leads, Xia Qi'an rushed to the Red Maple Ferry crime scene without delay.

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

Liu Qing, meanwhile, followed discreetly.

Red Maple Ferry was named for the flame-like brilliance of the red maples along the riverbank.

Every autumn, the red leaves here were picturesque, complementing the boats plying the river.

Traveling by water from Jinling to the capital of the Great Li Dynasty was the safest and quickest method.

Red Maple Ferry was the closest ferry crossing to Jinling, and it fell under Jinling Prefecture's jurisdiction.

Upon arriving at the Red Maple Ferry docks, the trackers and merchants present that day had all been forced to cease their work by the authorities.

Aside from a dozen or so constables in official uniforms, no unauthorized individuals were allowed near the docks.

Xia Qi'an, naturally, was not among the unauthorized.

As he approached the crime scene, Xia Qi'an activated his Crimson Pupils, searching for any lingering clues.

Once his Crimson Pupils were active, the docks, which had appeared unremarkable before, revealed unusual traces.

He saw numerous glowing red dots on the ground through his eyes, like the countless stars twinkling in the night sky.

These red dots appeared to be tiny insects, invisible to the naked eye.

Xia Qi'an picked up a few of the small insects and placed them in a porcelain bottle, then handed it to Liu Qing for examination, asking her about the origin of these insects.

After hearing Xia Qi'an's description, Liu Qing immediately made a judgment.

These insects were a type of rare Gu worm called the Soft Tendon Gu.

This Gu worm was extremely small, almost imperceptible.

Once inhaled into the body, it would cause limbs to go limp and the head to feel heavy and muddled.

At this point, Xia Qi'an had a basic understanding of the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang's modus operandi.

The Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang had first used the Soft Tendon Gu to incapacitate the Black Armored Army escorting the tax silver and several martial artists, rendering them defenseless.

Then, they had easily stolen the tax silver and killed most of the personnel involved.

As for the strange gust of wind, it was likely just a coincidence.

Red Maple Ferry was adjacent to the great river, so encountering a gust of wind was not unusual.

Liu Qing then added a reminder: "These Soft Tendon Gu have a homing instinct, and they are very fragile. They die after entering the human body. Since you can see them, why not follow the trail of dead Soft Tendon Gu to search? You might be able to find the direction the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang left!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Qi'an began searching the outskirts of the docks for the corpses of the Soft Tendon Gu.

Based on the residual bodies of the Gu worms, the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang should still be within Jinling Prefecture and had not left by boat.

However, their exact hiding place still required further investigation.

An hour later, Xia Qi'an, guided by the residual traces of the Soft Tendon Gu corpses, identified the first potential hiding place for the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang.

The Stone Forest Ghost Market!