Disappearance

Disappearance

When Li Yuan and Wen Xiaoqiao arrived at the Central Market, sixty Saber-Wearing Servants were already lined up and waiting in an open area by its entrance.

The Central Market was rather special. If the entire Black Market Island were compared to a castle, then the Central Market was a city within that city.

It was surrounded by maze-like warehouses and towering walls, all cast in shades of gray.

The only path to the entrance was a cramped little alley. It was the very place where Li Yuan had heard a woman crying when he first arrived—the place where living goods were sold.

Beyond the alley, the terrain opened up at the entrance.

This broad open space was where the Saber-Wearing Servants were gathered now.

Beside the open space stood rows of houses. They were for servants on night watch and some vendors needing temporary lodging.

Li Yuan swiftly scanned the surroundings, then looked at the sixty Saber-Wearing Servants.

The servants were strong and sturdy, heads held high. Above nearly all of them floated "4~5."

"Little Lord Li! Sister Wen!" the servants shouted in unison.

Once they were done, all eyes turned toward the two of them.

Quite a few people in the Black Market also looked over.

Li Yuan glanced sideways at Wen Xiaoqiao. There was a hint of excitement in her eyes.

Wen Xiaoqiao said sweetly, "Little Lord Li, half of them for you, half for me. Shall we divide them up first?"

Li Yuan said softly, "Miss Wen, have you considered why this Central Market post was left vacant?"

Wen Xiaoqiao froze for a moment, as though she had just been pulled back to her senses. Her expression turned grave and gloomy.

Li Yuan said in a low voice, "Don't divide them up yet. We need to stand united and figure out the situation first."

Wen Xiaoqiao smiled. "Little Lord Li is indeed more measured. We'll listen to Little Lord Li."

Li Yuan said helplessly, "If you call me Little Lord Li again, I'll call you Lord Wen."

Wen Xiaoqiao said, "How could that do? Lord Li personally bestowed that title on you, and besides, you're a Ranked Martial—"

"Lord Wen."

"You're a Ranked Martial Warrior."

"Lord Wen."

"You—"

"Lord Wen."

"Fine. Li Yuan." Wen Xiaoqiao had never seen a man like this. Being called "Little Lord Li" was so impressive, and with him being a Ranked Martial Warrior, it made him one of a kind.

"That's better." Li Yuan smiled mildly. Relationships with colleagues had to be handled well, or inexplicable things might happen.

The two dismissed the servants and had them patrol separately before entering the nearby guardhouse.

The moment they entered, Wen Xiaoqiao asked in her normal voice, "Do you think the two disciples who guarded this place before us are already dead? Is that why this vacant post fell to us?"

"We can call someone in and ask. Maybe they passed the assessment and were promoted to Outer Sect Disciples." Hearing a voice that matched her build, Li Yuan could not help letting out a breath. That damned sense of incongruity had finally vanished.

"Mm." Wen Xiaoqiao bounced sideways like a ball of flesh, pushed open the door, and sweetly called to the servants outside, "Bring in two people who know the situation."

That voice, paired with that body, was enough to make one shudder.

Before long, two Saber-Wearing Servants hurried over. They respectfully called out, "Sister Wen," then entered the room.

Wen Xiaoqiao sat down in a large chair, slapped an "elephant leg" onto the table with a bang, and asked sweetly, "Tell me, where did the people stationed here before go?"

Li Yuan silently sat off to one side, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

In truth, he was quite satisfied with how high-profile this partner of his was.

The servants looked somewhat guarded. After a long while, one finally forced himself to say, "They disappeared..."

"They disappeared?" Wen Xiaoqiao raised her voice. "Are they dead or alive?"

The servant said, "They've been missing for over ten days. No sign of them alive, no bodies found dead."

Wen Xiaoqiao asked again, "Where were they last seen?"

The servant said, "Right in this room. That evening, the two lords were still on duty here. At night, one of them stayed behind for the night watch, and then he was gone.

"The other lord refused to believe it and brought people to keep watch in the room, but nothing happened.

"A few days later, though, the second lord disappeared too."

Wen Xiaoqiao asked, "Did the sect send anyone down to investigate?"

The servant said, "They did. Nothing happened, so it was handled as a disappearance."

"Could they have left on their own?" Wen Xiaoqiao thought for a moment and continued asking.

The servant said, "Their families are all here. They probably didn't leave of their own accord."

A thoughtful look appeared in Wen Xiaoqiao's tiny eyes. She asked again, "Has anything strange happened in the Central Market lately?"

The servant thought about it, scratched his head, and said, "Nothing strange. There are lots of living goods in the Central Market. People cry during the day, and people cry after nightfall too. Usually, if we shout at them a couple of times, they go quiet."

Wen Xiaoqiao frowned, her plump face showing a thoughtful expression. Suddenly, she turned to Li Yuan and asked, "Want to take a look?"

Li Yuan gave a wry smile. "I suddenly don't feel well. Miss Wen can go on her own..."

He was speechless.

What kind of rotten mess was this?

He had only just taken office and already run into a disappearance case.

He just wanted to coast.

Even using his toes to think, he knew people could not vanish for no reason. Either it was some conspiracy, or—

The eerie mountain manor deep in the wilderness suddenly surfaced in his mind. His scalp went numb, and waves of goosebumps rose across his skin.

"Not feeling well?" Wen Xiaoqiao froze, then gave a snorting laugh and left with the servants.

Sitting alone in the room, Li Yuan felt an increasing chill crawling up his spine.

His wary gaze swept across the guardhouse.

A folding screen stood in the middle of the room, dividing the front and rear sections.

The back section was for the disciples stationed here to rest in.

The front section was used to monitor the outside.

The guard area itself was simple: a table by the window, a stack of registration ledgers, a weapon rack against one wall, and some food that kept well, such as melon seeds and walnuts.

He got to his feet, walked around the screen, and looked into the rear room.

There was a bed and a bookshelf in the rear room, with some files placed on the shelves.

He stepped forward and flipped through them. The files recorded the recent flow of goods through the Central Market.

Presumably, they were kept here for a while before being transferred to a larger archive.

He only skimmed them briefly before putting them aside.

Then he looked at the bed.

The bedding had been folded neatly. Clearly, it had been newly changed in preparation for new disciples taking over the watch.

The air was strangely quiet. Even the sounds outside seemed muted and faint, reduced to indistinct rustling.

Li Yuan walked to the bedside and wanted to bend down for a look beneath it, but for some reason, he did not. Instead, he turned, went around the screen, and quickly left the room.

Snow was falling outside. Li Yuan felt an inexplicable cold spreading through his body, as if the rotten hands of a corpse were lightly crawling over his spine.

The feeling was somewhat similar to when he had fled through the forest.

He did not know whether it was fear-filled memories being awakened or his body warning him of danger after having experienced something similar before.

Li Yuan's pupils contracted slightly. With his bow on his back and his saber in his arms, he paced back and forth while watching the people passing through from time to time.

The servants handled the registration of those entering and leaving.

Before long, Li Yuan saw an ox cart hauling a large iron cage over from afar.

The cage was covered with a heavy black cloth.

Snow lay atop the black cloth, making it look like filth smeared across a pristine white canvas.

After the servants pulled back the covering, women and children were revealed inside. They were clearly more so-called living goods.

Li Yuan turned his head slightly and did not look at them.

The servants circled the cage, seemingly checking something. Once they had finished, they quickly returned to the guardhouse. As they passed through the main gate, they respectfully greeted Li Yuan with, "Little Lord Li," then went inside to register it.

The servants handled such odd jobs. The Blood Saber Sect's Outer Perimeter Disciples were really only there in person; if a fight broke out, they could command the servants to charge in.