The news that Pan Family Manor outside the city had been reduced to a scorched ruin, and that Steward Pan Yun and a group of guards had perished in the flames, soon spread throughout Qingping County.
Many people guessed that Pan Family Manor had been attacked by a band of ruthless bandits.
But the Pan family made no move to report the matter to the authorities for a long time.
Inside the Pan family estate, in a lavishly furnished side hall.
"Useless! A bunch of useless fools!"
A porcelain vessel smashed violently against the floor.
A furious roar nearly lifted the roof.
Pan Zhongyou was shaking with rage. His short frame heaved beneath his brocade robe, and his eyes brimmed with ferocity.
That manor had been a pleasure den for the Pan brothers and their nephews, where they kept many of the treasures they had collected.
It had also served as a secret hub for some of the Pan family's unsavory dealings.
And Pan Yun—though he was only a dog—
was a useful, obedient hound who knew a great many secrets.
Now, it was all gone, destroyed in an instant.
"Investigate! Find out what happened!"
Pan Zhongyou pointed at the several subordinates cowering before him, spittle flying from his mouth.
"Three hundred taels—no, five hundred. Put out a bounty through both the Ge Pao Society and the Black Market!"
"Five hundred taels of silver for information about the killer. I'll skin him alive, tear out his tendons, and light him up like a sky lantern!"
The Pan family had considerable influence.
Before long, an enormous bounty of five hundred taels quietly appeared within the Ge Pao Society and at several hidden Black Market locations. It set countless desperate martial artists' hearts racing, and they began making inquiries in secret.
Yet