The streets of the western district.
Several white sheets covered the ground.
Beneath them lay the bodies of Li Yan and the others.
Near the sheets, several men were discussing something in low voices. They were all from the Town Martial Division and the Government Office.
"I just took a look. All four were killed with a single strike. Whoever did this is definitely an expert—and a vicious one at that."
"Not only that, they were all disciples of Great Fortune Martial Arts Hall. One of them was even Master Li's direct disciple, Li Yan, who reached the Body Refining Realm at such a young age. Their deaths must have something to do with Master Li."
"Could be..."
Just as the discussion grew more heated, He An and the others walked over.
"Brother Sun!"
Everyone greeted him.
Clearly, Sun Wangxian held a high position among the clerks.
Sun Wangxian waved a hand and crouched down to lift a white sheet. He immediately saw the terror frozen on Li Yan's face, and a faint stench wafted through the air.
His brow furrowed.
"Were they all killed with a single strike?"
"That's right!"
Someone answered, then explained the conclusions they had reached.
Sun Wangxian lifted each sheet in turn and said to himself, "With skills like these, the killer must be at least a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist, and must have learned a blade technique."
"There aren't many people like that in all of Fangcheng. We'll just investigate them one by one."
"Also, remember to ask Master Li whether he's offended anyone lately. There's no way his disciples could have provoked someone like this."
As He An listened to Sun Wangxian's dead-serious analysis, the corner of his mouth twitched.
The next moment.
Sun Wangxian suddenly asked, "Brother He, what do you think?"
"Ah!"
He An was caught off guard, but quickly collected himself. "Brother Sun, if we want to understand what happened, shouldn't we first figure out something else?"
"Why were these men here at night?"
Sun Wangxian nodded and smiled. "You're right. We should indeed figure that out first, but it's too early for that. The people we sent to investigate haven't returned yet."
"Once they get back, the truth may come to light."
A short while later.
Two men in Government Office uniforms walked over.
The man in front clasped his fists. "Captain Sun, we've finished investigating. These men came here at night because they'd just returned from the Black Market."
Then,
the man recounted what had happened the previous day.
"So this was a revenge killing? Li Yan and the others used their influence to bully someone and steal their Spirit Medicine, but the victim held a grudge and killed them all?"
"That's probably what happened!"
Li Yan sighed, gave the dead men a regretful look, and warned everyone, "See? In the future, don't get into conflicts with people, and don't go looking for trouble."
"Otherwise, you never know whether the person you provoke might be a vicious killer."
He An nodded.
"By the way, have you found out who the killer is?" Sun Wangxian asked.
"No."
Sun Wangxian looked disappointed.
"In that case, take the bodies back. We'll set this aside for now. Once the Government Office identifies the killer, the Town Martial Division will step in to arrest him."
"Th-that's it?"
He An stared blankly. He had no idea what they had accomplished, yet the matter was already over. Wu Wenming looked just as bewildered.
"What else?"
Sun Wangxian explained, "In fact, making an arrest is the easiest part. But identifying the culprit takes a great deal of manpower and money."
"But that isn't something the Town Martial Division needs to handle. The Government Office is responsible for investigating."
"Once they uncover some clues, the Town Martial Division will make the arrest. Of course, for major cases like the ones we dealt with before, the Government Office will help with the arrest too."
"I see."
Afterward.
Just as everyone was preparing to head back,
a burly figure strode toward them.
Seeing who it was, Sun Wangxian's expression turned cold. "Master Li, the matter hasn't been fully investigated yet. What brings you here in person?"
Master Li said furiously, "My disciples are dead. Why do you think I came? And you people from the Town Martial Division—have you figured out who killed them yet?"
He An stood to one side.
Seeing Sun Wangxian's attitude, he understood the reason behind it.
At a time when the Wu and Meng Families had fallen out, with the Wu Family Young Master standing right there, even the most foolish Sun Wangxian wouldn't show Li Anbang the slightest courtesy.
This was a matter of principle.
If he tried to play both sides now, he'd be signing his own death warrant.
"Go home and wait."
Sun Wangxian said evenly, "No matter how capable we are, we can't investigate every detail of what happened and identify the killer in such a short time."
"Besides, Master Li, if you hadn't failed to teach your disciples properly, they wouldn't have met with disaster for no reason."
"When you get back, make sure you warn your other disciples."
"Otherwise, if another case like this comes along, you'll just be causing trouble for the Town Martial Division and the Government Office!"
"You..."
Master Li was so furious he could have spat blood.
His disciples were dead, and he was wrong for asking a couple of questions?
Seeing that the atmosphere was turning ugly and the two men might really come to blows, one of the Government Office officials standing nearby gave Master Li a rough account of what had happened.
Meanwhile,
Wu Wenming was filling He An in.
"Brother He, you must be careful around Master Li from now on. He's the kind of man who'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. That's exactly why the Meng Family took a liking to him."
"How can you tell?"
"Do you know who killed this fellow's parents?" Wu Wenming asked slowly.
"How would I know?"
He An answered instinctively, then swallowed hard. "Are you saying he killed his own parents?"
"That's right!"
Wu Wenming continued, "And do you know how Great Fortune Martial Arts Hall grew to the size it is today?"
"The Meng Family helped?"
"More or less. Great Fortune Martial Arts Hall couldn't have grown to its present size without the Meng Family's help, but Master Li also played a major part."
Wu Wenming explained, "More than ten years ago, the martial arts schools in Fangcheng weren't all under the Meng Family's control. Great Fortune Martial Arts Hall was just an extremely ordinary little school."
"After he took over Great Fortune Martial Arts Hall, with the Meng Family's support..."
"...he began expanding the school aggressively. The first thing he did was force out and absorb some of the surrounding martial arts schools. Anyone who refused was targeted by him."
"The casualties were countless."
"Worse still, he didn't even spare the families of some of his victims."
"The Mad Sand Gang under his command specialized in handling cases like these. Out of regard for the Meng Family, and because there was no concrete evidence, neither the Government Office nor the Town Martial Division could do anything to him."
"By these means, Great Fortune Martial Arts Hall grew rapidly and became one of the Three Top Martial Arts Schools of Fangcheng."
"And the masters of the other two top schools are no ordinary people either."
He warned him:
"Brother He, as far as I know, all of them have a very close relationship with Clerk Meng."
"Now that Zhang Yongda is dead, Clerk Meng has no suitable people under him. There's a very good chance he'll ask those men to step in."
"So no matter what, you must be careful around them!"
Before you continue