As more details came to light, the death of Fang Shuyi, a Tianshan Sect swordsman, shifted from a nailed-down case of murder by the Dragon King to a baffling unsolved mystery. Fang Wenshi was all the more troubled by it.
Fang Shuyi had actually died on the night before the duel. For some unknown reason, he had slipped into the territory of the Imperial Guards' estate with four other swordsmen. Only he had been assassinated.
The place where he died was Golden Nest Lane. Some people thought this explained why they had to enter enemy territory. The Tianshan Sect's land was cramped; its unrestrained killing had attracted a great many swordsmen, but not prostitutes or con men. If Fang Shuyi wanted to indulge himself, he had no choice but to risk leaving his lair.
That theory was quickly dismissed. Fang Shuyi had been on the roof of a small brothel, not in a bed. It looked as though he had been caught spying and killed instead, but no one would bring four subordinates along to spy, and no brothel guards could have beaten a top assassin from Golden Peng Fortress.
Another, more plausible theory was that Fang Shuyi had actually been pursuing someone that night. He had followed them to Golden Nest Lane, where he was ambushed. That sounded a little like the Dragon King's handiwork, too, but there were many things that did not add up. For instance, why would the Dragon King choose to kill someone on his own turf? He could have struck before Fang Shuyi left Tianshan Sect territory. Even if the truth came out afterward, no one would have blamed him.
Then there were the four swordsmen. Anyone who could carry out a mission alongside Fang Shuyi was no ordinary fighter. Never mind their martial