The Three Who Vanished

" Kong the Scholar has vanished?"

Wang Dao Xuan frowned at this. "Has the Kong family come looking for him?"

Though Kong Shangzhao was well-read and exceptionally talented, he was only a branch member of the Kong family. His father, Kong Zhenshan, was merely a merchant who worked for the Kong family, and held little standing within the lineage.

Worse still, the boy defied convention yet possessed a strong sense of justice, and had therefore offended the Kong family's direct grandson.

He had come to the capital to avoid trouble.

The scholar's only enemy was the Kong family's direct grandson. His inexplicable disappearance was most likely connected to that man.

Unexpectedly, Li Yan shook his head. "It shouldn't be the Kong family."

Then he lowered his voice. "Kuai Dayou and Fatty Lin vanished at the same time."

Wang Dao Xuan was stunned. "How did the three of them end up together?"

"I'm not sure."

Li Yan shook his head helplessly. "Murders have been occurring frequently in the capital lately. They were all the work of those lurking Dongying fiends. But they came and went without a trace, and could evade the City God Temple's searches. It was probably Zhao Qingxu's doing."

"Luo MingZi and the others have been investigating everywhere and had no time to look for those three fellows, so they asked us to help. The Jiangzhe Merchant Guild was frantic too, and offered a large sum of silver, terrified that something might happen to Fatty Lin."

Wang Dao Xuan stroked his beard and smiled. "They're all old acquaintances. Of course we should help if we can."

"That's the problem."

Li Yan secretly held the Dragon Snake Plate, blocking the surrounding detection, and lowered his voice. "I accepted a Celestial Official mission and have to remain at the academy.