Trouble

Chapter 16: Trouble

Li Gan quickly gathered everything and began disposing of the body.

Over an hour later.

Steward Zhao's corpse was buried behind the mountain.

The bloodstains in the room had also been cleaned.

Only a faint scent of blood still lingered.

But that was fine—given time, it would dissipate.

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

Steward Zhao was essentially still a Menial Disciple, not counted among the Official Disciples, but as the steward of the Chore Hall, he held considerable status among the menial disciples.

If a steward went missing, the Chore Hall would certainly investigate.

Lying on the other wooden bed, Li Gan held the small booklet up to the lamplight and flipped through it.

Bright Jade Palm.

A much more profound palm technique.

Far superior to Sword Piercing Fist.

Sword Piercing Fist was a basic fist technique, effective only for Breath Refining and Force Transformation, with negligible Qi Refining effects.

It was only because he had mastered Sword Piercing Fist to perfection that it gained some Qi Refining capability.

Compared to a true Internal Cultivation Technique, the gap remained vast.

Bright Jade Palm, however, had far stronger Qi Refining effects than Sword Piercing Fist and also carried the properties of a Martial Technique.

It could be considered a comprehensive Martial Art.

But cultivating Bright Jade Palm came with a harsh requirement—it needed a special ointment called Gold Jade Ointment to aid progress; otherwise, cultivation would be extremely slow.

Once Bright Jade Palm reached a certain level, one's palms could become as hard as metal and stone, virtually indestructible.

"Needing ointment to assist—that's quite troublesome."

Li Gan shook his head.

Leaving aside the price of Gold Jade Ointment, how could he even purchase it? Bright Jade Palm belonged to Steward Zhao. If he cultivated it, traces would be left behind, increasing the risk of exposure that he was the one who killed Steward Zhao.

So, he decided not to cultivate Bright Jade Palm.

He felt a bit regretful inside, but compared to his own safety, the benefits of Bright Jade Palm were nothing.

The next day, Li Gan cleaned the Bell Tower inside and out once more.

As for the Bright Jade Palm booklet, after memorizing it completely, he burned it as firewood, thoroughly destroying it.

He also chose to temporarily bury the rest of Steward Zhao's belongings underground, with no intention of using them.

Since killing Steward Zhao, Li Gan had become even more cautious and low-key.

He silently rang the bell, practiced martial arts, raised chickens and ducks, grew vegetables, and occasionally exchanged a few words with Chen Yong, who came up the mountain to train.

If not for the bell sound ringing every day, he would have almost no presence within the Divine Sword Sect.

Thus, over half a month passed before the Chore Hall finally sent someone up to investigate the situation—clearly, Steward Zhao's disappearance had been discovered.

Li Gan handled it calmly.

Of course, the Chore Hall people didn't suspect Li Gan.

A menial disciple who had only joined for a little over two years, likely not even having entered Internal Force—how could he be connected to Steward Zhao's disappearance?

"If no one else in the Chore Hall knows about the Treasure Map, then maybe this matter ends here."

Li Gan thought to himself.

But unexpectedly, a few days later, a man around thirty years old suddenly arrived at the Bell Tower.

"May I ask what business the senior brother has?"

Li Gan asked curiously.

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

The man said calmly.

Yi Zhong?

Li Gan had certainly heard of him. In the recently concluded Combat Ranking List, Yi Zhong ranked first.

As for the previous first-place holder, Zhang Mingcan, he had lost to Yi Zhong and dropped to second, failing to maintain his three-year streak at the top and missing his chance to become an Official Disciple.

Moreover, Li Gan had learned from Chen Yong that Song Yingying was quite close to Yi Zhong.

Now that this person was coming to see him, could it be related to Song Yingying?

Suddenly, he grew wary.

Because there was a high chance Song Yingying knew about the Treasure Map. After all, that letter had been handed to him by Song Yingying herself.

Although he believed Song Yingying wouldn't be foolish enough to expose her identity and put herself in danger.

Sometimes, women are easily deceived.

After all, Yi Zhong was that kind of fickle person.

Yi Zhong was indeed quite handsome and tall, no wonder he had a way with women.

"Of course I've heard of you. What business does Senior Brother Yi have?"

Li Gan nodded and said.

"Chu Yingying is your cousin?"

Yi Zhong asked.

"Yes."

Li Gan nodded.

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

Even her original identity information was under the name Chu Yingying.

"You two don't seem particularly close."

Yi Zhong chuckled lightly.

"We rarely keep in touch."

Li Gan said.

"I don't think that's the case, is it?"

Yi Zhong shifted his tone, smiling slyly. "You're from Baibi City, Zhanghe Prefecture, born into the prominent Li Family. It seems among the Li Family's relatives and in-laws, there is no one surnamed Chu."

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

No, Yi Zhong was just a Menial Disciple, not even an Official Disciple. How could he have the ability to investigate?

Could there be higher-ups in the Chore Hall behind the scenes investigating him?

If so, Yi Zhong, like Steward Zhao, was likely being used by someone, probably after the Treasure Map.

Wait—

He suddenly thought of another possibility. How could Song Yingying, a newly entered Menial Disciple of the Divine Sword Sect, have gotten so close to a veteran Menial Disciple like Yi Zhong so quickly?

Could it be that from the very beginning, Yi Zhong had ulterior motives?

"Senior Brother Yi, why are you investigating my background?"

Li Gan asked, feigning surprise.

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

Yi Zhong smiled slightly, then asked.

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

Li Gan said.

"Junior Brother Li, stop covering for her. Yingying already told me your cousin relationship is fake."

Yi Zhong shook his head and said. "She even told me about a legacy left by her grandfather. I wonder if Junior Brother Li has gained anything from it?"

Li Gan's heart plummeted. Was Song Yingying this foolish?

Had she casually revealed even her own identity information to others?

"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 walked toward the Bell Tower.

Yi Zhong did not stop him, simply watching.

After a few bell sounds rang out, Li Gan put down the Striking Pole, not practicing the Sword Piercing Fist as usual.

After all, Yi Zhong was still below.

At that moment, Yi Zhong walked up. "Senior Brother Li, Yingying and I are deeply in love. In a sense, I'm already half the grandson-in-law of Elder Song. The path of martial arts is hard; we're both struggling among the Menial Disciples, not knowing when we'll have a chance to break free from this cage. Why not join hands and uncover this opportunity? Perhaps one day we'll have a chance to become Official Disciples."

He spoke with such sincerity, no wonder he could fool that naive sweetheart Song Yingying.

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

This so-called joint exploration of the opportunity was just a way to make Li Gan let down his guard and reveal a weakness.