Trouble

Trouble

Li Gan hurriedly put everything away and began to deal with the body.

More than an hour later.

He had buried Steward Zhao's body behind the mountain.

He had also cleaned up the bloodstains in the room.

Only a faint trace of blood remained in the air.

But that was all right. Given time, it would dissipate.

Besides, tomorrow he would clean the place even more thoroughly, leaving no trace behind.

Steward Zhao was, in essence, still a Menial Disciple and did not belong among the Official Disciples. But he was, after all, a steward of the Chore Hall, a man of considerable standing among the Menial Disciples.

The Chore Hall would certainly investigate the disappearance of one of its stewards.

Lying on another wooden bed, Li Gan read through the booklet by lamplight.

Bright Jade Palm.

A far more advanced palm technique.

It was considerably more sophisticated than Sword Piercing Fist.

Sword Piercing Fist was one of the most basic fist techniques. It only had the effect of Breath Refining and Force Transformation, while its effect on Qi Refining was negligible.

It was only because he had mastered Sword Piercing Fist that it had gained the ability to refine Qi.

Even so, it still fell far short of a true Internal Cultivation Technique.

Bright Jade Palm was far more effective at refining Qi than Sword Piercing Fist, and it also contained the properties of a Martial Technique.

It could be considered a comprehensive martial art.

However, training in Bright Jade Palm was quite demanding. It required a special ointment—Gold Jade Ointment—as an aid; without it, progress would be very slow.

Once Bright Jade Palm reached a certain level, one's palms could become like gold and stone, indestructible.

"Needing ointment as an aid makes this a real hassle."

Li Gan shook his head.

Setting aside the price of Gold Jade Ointment, Bright Jade Palm belonged to Steward Zhao. If he trained in it, the fact would be traceable, increasing the risk of exposing that he had killed Steward Zhao.

So he had no intention of training in Bright Jade Palm.

He felt a little regretful, but compared with his own safety, the benefits Bright Jade Palm offered were nothing.

The next day, Li Gan cleaned the Bell Tower from top to bottom again.

As for the booklet on Bright Jade Palm, after memorizing it completely, he used it as kindling and burned it to ashes.

He also chose to temporarily bury Steward Zhao's other belongings in the dirt rather than use them.

After killing Steward Zhao, Li Gan became even more cautious and low-key in his conduct.

He quietly rang the bell and practiced martial arts, tended his chickens and ducks, grew vegetables, and occasionally chatted with Chen Yong, who came up the mountain to exercise.

If not for the bell ringing every day, he would have been all but invisible within the Divine Sword Sect.

Just like that, more than half a month passed before the Chore Hall finally sent someone up to look into the matter. It was clear that Steward Zhao's disappearance had finally been discovered.

Li Gan responded calmly.

Of course, the people from the Chore Hall did not suspect him.

A Menial Disciple who had only been at Entry Level for a little over two years might not even have developed Internal Force. How could he have anything to do with Steward Zhao's disappearance?

"If no one else in the Chore Hall knows about the Treasure Map, perhaps this matter will end here."

Li Gan thought to himself.

But a few days later, a man in his thirties suddenly came to the Bell Tower.

"May I ask what brings you here, Senior Brother?"

Li Gan asked curiously.

"My name is Yi Zhong. I imagine you've heard of me."

The man spoke calmly.

Yi Zhong?

Of course Li Gan had heard of him. In the Combat Ranking List that had just concluded, Yi Zhong had taken first place.

As for the former top-ranked Zhang Mingcan, he had narrowly lost to Yi Zhong and placed second on the Combat Ranking List. He had failed to hold on to first place for a third year running, missing out on becoming an Official Disciple.

Moreover, Li Gan had heard from Chen Yong that Song Yingying had been spending a lot of time with Yi Zhong.

Now that this man had come looking for him, could it have something to do with Song Yingying?

Suddenly, he became wary.

Song Yingying was very likely to know about the Treasure Map. After all, she had been the one to give him that letter.

Though he believed Song Yingying would not be so foolish as to expose her identity and put herself in danger.

Women could be easily deceived sometimes.

After all, Yi Zhong was the sort of man who liked to fool around with women.

Yi Zhong was indeed handsome and imposing, with a tall build. No wonder he was so popular with women.

"Of course I've heard of you. May I ask what brings you here, Senior Brother Yi?"

Li Gan nodded.

"Is Chu Yingying your cousin?"

Yi Zhong asked.

"Yes."

Li Gan nodded.

When Song Yingying had registered at the Chore Hall, she had used the name Chu Yingying.

Even the identity information she had originally provided was under the name Chu Yingying.

"You don't seem particularly close, though."

Yi Zhong chuckled.

"We rarely keep in touch."

Li Gan replied.

"I don't think that's true."

Yi Zhong's tone suddenly shifted. Smiling, he said, "You're from Baibi City in Zhanghe Prefecture, and you come from the prominent Li Family. As far as I know, none of the Li Family's relatives or in-laws have the surname Chu."

Li Gan's heart sank. Had Yi Zhong investigated his background?

No, that couldn't be right. Yi Zhong was only a Menial Disciple, not even an Official Disciple. How could he have the means to investigate him?

Could someone higher up in the Chore Hall be investigating him from behind the scenes?

If so, Yi Zhong was probably being directed by someone, just like Steward Zhao. He was most likely here for the Treasure Map.

Wait.

He suddenly thought of another possibility. Song Yingying had only just joined the Divine Sword Sect as a Menial Disciple. How had she gotten close so quickly to an experienced Menial Disciple like Yi Zhong?

Could it be that Yi Zhong had had an ulterior motive from the very beginning?

"Senior Brother Yi, why have you been investigating my background?"

Li Gan asked, looking surprised.

"Do you know Chu Yingying's true identity?"

Yi Zhong smiled faintly, then asked.

"Senior Brother Yi, she really is my cousin—"

Li Gan said.

"Junior Brother Li, you can stop trying to cover for her. Yingying told me a long time ago that her relationship with you as cousins was fake."

Yi Zhong shook his head. "She even told me that her grandfather had left behind an opportunity for her. I wonder if you've found anything, Junior Brother Li?"

Li Gan's heart sank. Was Song Yingying really that foolish?

Had she actually revealed her identity to someone so easily?

"Senior Brother Yi, I don't know what you're talking about."

Li Gan said, "Besides, I need to go ring the bell now."

With that, he turned and headed up the Bell Tower.

Yi Zhong did not stop him. He simply watched.

After several peals of the bell rang out, Li Gan set down the striking pole and did not practice Sword Piercing Fist as he usually did.

After all, Yi Zhong was right below.

Just then, Yi Zhong came up. "Senior Brother Li, Yingying and I are in love. In a sense, I'm already half a grandson-in-law to Elder Song. The path of martial cultivation is difficult. You and I are both struggling among the Menial Disciples, with no idea when we'll get the chance to break out of this cage. Why not join forces and uncover this opportunity? Perhaps one day we'll have a chance to become Official Disciples."

He spoke with such heartfelt sincerity. No wonder he had managed to hoodwink that naive, sweet Song Yingying.

Li Gan had no doubt that someone was backing Yi Zhong.

His talk of uncovering the opportunity together was nothing more than a way to lower Li Gan's guard and make him reveal a weakness.