River Sacrifice Festival

"What do you think?"

Upon reaching the courtyard, Sun Wangxian asked first.

Although He An knew the truth of the matter, he could only pretend to know nothing at this moment.

"There are signs of rummaging inside the house; it's clear someone has been here. Yet, none of them have the slightest impression of it, which shows that the person's strength is extremely high—far beyond what an ordinary person could detect."

"Connecting this to the deaths of the others, it should be certain: it is the remnant of the Salvation Cult who escaped."

"Indeed, that must be it. I just don't know why that guy, having escaped with his life, didn't flee but instead came back. What exactly is he looking for?"

Sun Wangxian frowned in thought.

He An felt a guilty conscience and dared not say much, merely following Sun Wangxian's lead: "None of that is very clear."

"The only thing certain is the true identity of that person."

"Also, he definitely hasn't left!"

The two exchanged a look.

Sun Wangxian said with concern: "The three people killed were not very strong, which shows he is targeting the weak first."

"If that's the case, you're in trouble!"

"I fought him before. He is very strong, a standout even within the Blood Circulation Realm. I couldn't take him down alone."

"That is secondary. Back then, I discovered he was only a step away from Entering the Ranks."

"Now that he has returned so brazenly, there is a high probability that he has already broken through."

He An's expression turned serious.

A martial artist in the Blood Circulation Realm might not be worth mentioning to him.

But if it were a martial artist who had Entered the Ranks, the trouble would be significant.

However, at this moment, Sun Wangxian was still troubled by another question: "Tell me, what exactly is he looking for, to be so brazen about it?"

He An: "..."

As he was leaving.

He An left behind all the silver he had on him.

Worried it wasn't enough, he even borrowed some silver from Sun Wangxian and handed it all over to the old woman.

Doing this was, in a way, meant to alleviate the guilt in his heart.

The entire morning passed.

He An and Sun Wangxian investigated two more murder cases one after the other.

Without exception, signs of ransacking were found in all of their homes.

From the mouths of the Government Office officials, the two also learned more information.

Combining these pieces of information, Sun Wangxian became even more convinced that the person had returned specifically to search for something, though it was hard to say exactly what.

On the road.

Sun Wangxian asked, "Brother He, what do you intend to do? Given the current situation, there is a very high probability that you will be his next target."

"With his strength, not even you and your older brother combined would be a match for him."

"What else can I do? I'll just have to take it one step at a time."

"The enemy is in the shadows while we are in the light. Fangcheng is so large; as long as he doesn't take the initiative to show himself, it will be difficult for any of us to find him."

He An sighed, his mood inexplicably growing irritable.

Time.

When it came down to it, they were just lacking time.

"That is true."

Watching He An's distressed expression, Sun Wangxian couldn't think of a good solution for the moment.

Just as the two were about to return to the Town Martial Division, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed He An's mind. He stopped in his tracks and looked at Sun Wangxian, his eyes bright with spirit.

"Brother Sun, I've thought of a way."

"What is it?"

He looked around and, finding nothing unusual, He An leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Since we can't find him, why don't we make him come to us?"

"You just said it yourself: I am highly likely to be his next target."

"If that's the case, why not use me as bait to hook this fish hiding in the shadows?"

"As long as the person hiding in the dark no longer stays concealed, this matter will be much easier to handle."

"He managed to escape once, but surely he can't escape a second time?"

Sun Wangxian pondered for a few moments before saying, "The plan to lure the snake out of its hole is indeed sound, but I just feel a bit uneasy about using you, Brother He, as bait."

"If an accident happens in the process, what should we do? You would be taking on a great deal of risk."

He An curled his lip. It was as if he wouldn't be facing risks anyway if they didn't use this plan to lure the snake out.

This person was different from Meng Cao.

As a remnant of the Salvation Cult, his methods were absolutely ruthless.

When he plotted against others, he followed no rules, acting entirely on his own whims.

Most importantly.

As a Clerk of the Town Martial Division, Meng Cao had many things to consider.

But what about him?

He was a lone wolf.

To put it bluntly, he was a man with no family to feed; what did he have to fear?

At worst, if his head fell, it would just be a scar the size of a bowl!

Only a person like that posed the greatest threat.

That was only one reason.

Secondly, He An felt genuinely guilty.

He did not want more innocent people to die because of him.

The two crossed the street.

The number of people in the city gradually increased.

People walked along the street carrying quite a few items, as if they were preparing for something.

It wasn't just the commoners; even the number of street vendors had grown significantly.

"Brother He, what is going on? Are the people of Fangcheng really this wealthy? Everyone is carrying something they've bought."

Sun Wangxian widened his eyes, looking at He An with a face full of suspicion.

"You don't know?"

"Know what?" He An looked bewildered.

"The River Sacrifice Festival is in two days, on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. It is a major event for our Fangcheng—no, for the entire Qingshui Commandery. The things they are holding are exactly what they need for the River Sacrifice Festival."

He narrowed his eyes, looking He An up and down as if he were seeing an impostor.

River Sacrifice Festival.

It was the premier large-scale festival in their region.

Aside from the Lunar New Year, few festivals could compare to it.

Yet, a man born and raised in Fangcheng actually didn't know about the River Sacrifice Festival?

He An scratched his head, only then recalling the matters concerning the River Sacrifice Festival.

"Look at my brain, I completely forgot about this."

Sun Wangxian shook his head and chuckled: "You, oh you, you're so focused on cultivation all day that you've even forgotten about the River Sacrifice Festival. Does that mean you weren't planning on getting on stage to compete for the First Incense either?"

"I heard that the reward for the First Incense this time is exceptionally generous, personally promised by the County Governor himself."

"I just don't know what this reward actually is."

At the River Sacrifice Festival.

Every young martial artist can go on stage to participate in the tests and compete for the incense needed for the sacrifice.

At that time, the County Governor, the Centurion of the Town Martial Division, and even the heads of the various prominent families will all be in attendance.

If one could truly win the First Incense, it would undoubtedly be a major opportunity to make a name for oneself.

It was not impossible to be promoted and given important responsibilities on the spot.

However, He An couldn't muster the slightest bit of interest in any of this.

He wouldn't be foolish enough to expose his true strength just for a moment of fame.

"I'll just watch; as for going on stage, forget it. After all, I'm no match for those people, and going up there would only be embarrassing."

"That's true, too."

Sun Wangxian gave a bitter smile, clearly thinking of some unpleasant memories.