Shadow Puppet Show

"West of the city was a chaotic mix of fish and dragons, with people from all walks of life gathered there. Moreover, there were no signs of struggle at any of the disappearance sites. It was as if the children had willingly gone with someone. That was extremely strange."

Su Fei's gaze sharpened. The God-tier Insight Technique made him exceptionally sensitive to details.

"Willingly followed someone? There was likely something suspicious behind this."

Captain Li nodded.

"Exactly."

"The Imperial Guard was responsible for monitoring the martial world, but if a serial disappearance case involving civilian children remained unsolved, it could easily stir up public resentment."

"That was why the constables of Qingzhou Prefecture had sought help from our Imperial Guard, hoping we could assist in solving the case."

"If you handled this case well, you would be able to gain a preliminary foothold. Skill in solving cases was also a reflection of your capability."

Su Fei closed the case file, rose to his feet, and clasped his fists.

"This subordinate understood."

"This subordinate accepted the assignment. Please rest assured, my lord. This subordinate will uncover the truth and recover those missing children."

Captain Li gave a slight nod.

"You have only just joined, so you may mobilize the Strongmen directly under your command. If you need assistance, you may also request support from the Thousand Households Office. Remember, this case is strange. Be sure to proceed carefully. If you discover the involvement of martial world forces and find yourself outmatched, report back to the Thousand Households Office first."

"This subordinate obeyed."

Ding! Mission triggered: West City Child Disappearance Case.

Mission requirements: Investigate the child disappearance case and capture the mastermind behind it!
Mission reward: Dragon Catching Skill martial art, fifty years of cultivation!

After leaving Captain Li's office, Su Fei immediately gathered Wang Meng and ten other Strongmen.

"Come over. There's a job to do."

Su Fei handed the case file to Wang Meng.

"Children had gone missing in the west of the city over the past month. Come with me to inspect the scene. Wang Meng, are you familiar with the west side of the city?"

Wang Meng quickly skimmed through the file and immediately replied.

"This subordinate grew up in the west of the city. My home is there, and I know both the poor alleys and the markets well. I took a look—the disappearance sites were mostly around Three Saints Temple. Street performers often set up stalls there, and with so many people and so many eyes, trouble could indeed easily happen."

"Very good."

A sharp glint flashed through Su Fei's eyes.

"Bring your weapons. Follow me to take a look around Three Saints Temple. Focus on investigating the places where the missing children were last seen."

"Yes!"

The ten Strongmen answered in unison, retrieved their sabers, and followed Su Fei briskly out of the Thousand Households Office.

The group mounted their horses and headed for the west of the city.

The west side of the city was completely different from the orderly city center. Narrow streets crisscrossed one another, while the houses on either side were low and dilapidated.

The air was thick with the mingled smells of cooking smoke, sewage, and cheap spices. Most passersby were commoners dressed in coarse cloth. Upon seeing Su Fei and his group in Flying Fish Robes, they hurriedly moved aside, their eyes filled with awe and curiosity.

"Lord Su, Three Saints Temple is right ahead."

Wang Meng reined in his horse and pointed toward a small temple ahead, where incense offerings were sparse.

It was late morning. Several street-performance stalls had been set up in the open space before the temple: monkey trainers, dough figurine makers, and performers demonstrating hard qigong.

Su Fei swung down from his horse. The God-tier Insight Technique quietly activated as his gaze swept over the entire area.

"The disappearances had all occurred within the last month. I'd wager this was not the work of locals."

"Wang Meng, take two men and ask the nearby residents whether they had seen any strangers recently."

Su Fei gave the order in a low voice.

"The rest of you, come into the temple with me."

The wooden doors of Three Saints Temple stood half-open. When they were pushed apart, they let out a creaking groan.

Inside, cobwebs covered every corner, the statues of gods were coated in dust, and the incense burner atop the offering table had long since gone cold.

Su Fei's gaze settled on the shadows behind the statues. The ground there was flatter than elsewhere, and faint drag marks could be seen.

Several pieces of colored oil paper were scattered in the corner, like wrappers used for snacks.

"Something is wrong here."

Su Fei stepped forward and carefully examined the ground. Then he crouched, lightly brushing the surface with his fingers. A trace of grayish-white powder clung to his fingertips.

"This is residue from Soul-confusing Powder. Even ordinary adults would lose consciousness after inhaling it, much less children."

"As long as we find out who had been staying in this temple for long periods recently, that person will be highly suspicious."

The Imperial Guard Strongmen were all stunned.

"What? The boss had only been here for a moment, and he already found a clue? That was way too fast."

Before long, Wang Meng hurried inside, his expression grave.

"Squad Leader Su, I just learned from the residents that a month ago, a street performer who put on shadow puppet shows came to the fair. He was an outsider with a lame leg. Every time he came, he carried a large wooden box filled with props. He often said he liked children and loved handing out candy to the local kids."

"Oh, right. Sometimes he would take his midday rest inside Three Saints Temple."

"The residents saw that he was lame, and since he seemed so kind-hearted, giving sweets to children, they all thought he was a good man."

Su Fei pinched the colored oil-paper wrappers, his gaze turning sharp.

"He liked children, handed out sweets for no reason, stayed inside Three Saints Temple, and was an outsider. It seemed this cripple was the most suspicious."

He put away the oil paper.

"Wang Meng, where is that shadow puppet performer now?"

Wang Meng immediately answered.

"He comes at noon and packs up around dusk."

Su Fei made his decision.

"The others should return to the Thousand Households Office first. One person can stay with me. Too many people would be inconvenient. Which of you is willing to remain...?"

Wang Meng reacted swiftly.

"Lord Su, I'll stay. Please give me a chance."

Su Fei nodded.

"Good. You will stay. The two of us will change into plain clothes."

After the others dispersed, Su Fei and Wang Meng found a ready-made clothing shop and changed into coarse-cloth outfits. They wrapped their sabers in strips of cloth and carried them on their backs.

Once they had changed, Su Fei wore a fitted blue outfit, while Wang Meng wore gray cloth garments. They looked like nothing more than ordinary wandering men of the martial world.

After paying for the clothes, Su Fei said to Wang Meng,

"Let's go wait at the restaurant ahead."

The two found Welcoming Guest Tower, the restaurant closest to Three Saints Temple. They went up to the second floor and chose a seat by the window.

A waiter hurried over and briskly wiped down their table.

Su Fei ordered several house specialties.

Since they might have to capture the criminal that night, he did not order any wine.

"Coming right up, honored guests. Please wait a moment."

Su Fei raised his teacup and took a sip, his gaze passing through the window toward the open space before Three Saints Temple.

The God-tier Insight Technique had sharpened his eyes and ears. He could even see the beads of sweat on the monkey trainer's face dozens of meters away with perfect clarity.

Wang Meng excitedly rubbed his hands together. There was food and drink.

Following a boss like Su Fei truly had been a wise choice.

"Boss, I've heard of this restaurant's specialties. They're supposed to be pretty good. Thank you for treating me, Boss."

Su Fei gave Wang Meng's shoulder a slap, both amused and annoyed.

"Specialties? Was eating the important part? We came here to wait for that shadow puppet performer."

Wang Meng grinned foolishly.

"Boss is wise. When the dishes arrive, you eat first."

Su Fei could not be bothered to say anything more.

Before long,

they saw a lame man carrying a wooden box half the height of a person, setting up a shadow puppet stage in the open space before the temple.

A string of colorful sugar figurines was stuck atop the box. Several poorly dressed children surrounded him, chattering away about something.

The man looked to be around forty. His left leg was lame, causing him to limp as he walked.

His face was piled with an honest-looking smile, and he appeared extremely patient as he took sugar candies from his robes and handed them to the children.

"Don't rush, don't rush. Once Uncle finishes setting up the stage, I'll hand out more candy after you watch the shadow puppet show."