Fang Xiao saw that the tension had eased a little, and only then spoke up. "We went after the Teahouse Owner and the little girl, but the Teahouse Owner ended up dead in Willow Town, and the girl disappeared. Zhang Yi, who had been posing as Yuan Chengji, also died in Willow Town."
"The Teahouse Owner and Zhang Yi had identical identity tokens and practiced the same Blood Fiend Technique. The matter is clear now: Zhang Yi was the second mole."
Shao Pengshu and Tan Hong's expressions shifted. They put away their Embroidered Sabers with grim faces, inwardly shaken.
Zhang Yi, whom they had worked alongside for years, had actually been a member of the Blood Fiend Cult.
And what kind of organization was the Blood Fiend Cult?
"Palm techniques..."
As everyone pondered, Lin Zhenwu fixed his gaze on the palm prints on the two corpses' chests, then looked at Hou Ping. "Chief Constable Hou, don't tell me you've secretly been learning palm techniques."
In other words, you weren't the one who killed these two, were you, Hou Ping?
"I..."
Hou Ping's eyes flickered. He had planned to keep silent and maintain the appearance of a master, but the other man's words made him realize that both victims had died from palm strikes.
After a pause, he decided to explain what had happened. "While you were chasing the Teahouse Owner and the little girl, Zhang Yi tricked me into going to Wheat Valley Alley. He wanted to devour my heart and liver. At the critical moment, a mysterious person appeared and killed Zhang Yi."
"The Teahouse Owner's body appeared at my feet around that time, too."
"That mysterious person was too nimble, and Wheat Valley Alley was dark. I only saw a shadow flash past before the person vanished."
"You didn't notice anything?" Lin Zhenwu asked.
Hou Ping thought for a moment, then said slowly, "If I had to name something, I caught a faint scent of ink when that person swept past me."
"The scent of ink?" Lin Zhenwu murmured, deep in thought.
Most people who carried the scent of ink spent their days working with brush and paper—civil officials, Confucian scholars, and the like.
But aside from having some strength in their writing hand, people like that were practically too weak to lift a chicken.
A scholar? A martial artist?
Or a martial artist who enjoyed reading?
But that was hardly likely.
Reading took time and effort, and so did martial arts—not to mention that martial arts demanded even more. That was what he believed.
The mysterious person's martial arts realm was high. They must have spent a great deal of time reaching it. Could they still have had time to read?
Or was the scent of ink just a disguise?
Was the mysterious person a martial arts expert pretending to be a Confucian scholar?
Everyone else fell silent as well.
Only one person's heart gave a sudden thump when he heard about the scent of ink.
"The palm technique that killed them was highly accomplished, and their blood qi was dense. I'd guess... they had twelve... no, eleven strands of qi and blood. A master at the peak of the Blood Activation Realm."
"Even if I went all out, I could only achieve the same result."
Seeing that everyone was silent, Lin Zhenwu spoke again.
Eleven strands of Qi and Blood Power?!
That young master?!
Hou Ping's heart jolted.
He was caught between two extreme, contradictory guesses, and the conflict left him miserable:
The young master of Old Fang's household couldn't be the one who saved him.
The young master of Old Fang's household was the one who saved him.
At Fang Xiao's words, his brow furrowed even more deeply.
Aside from Hou Ping, if anyone present was caught between conflicting thoughts, it was Fang Xiao.
Palm prints! The scent of ink!
Two more coincidences!
The night before last, a mysterious person had brought him the complete evidence. After all those coincidences, he had nearly confirmed that the mysterious person was the Young Master.
And the palm prints on the two corpses before him looked very much like those on the dead constable Yuan Chengji. Both had been killed with a single strike.
Could it have been the Young Master again?
But... the Young Master had condensed eleven strands of Qi and Blood Power?!
Was that even possible?
"Instructor Lin mentioned palm techniques. Could it be..."
Having calmed down and regained his reason, Shao Pengshu went over to inspect the two corpses. His eyes lit up, and he looked toward Fang Xiao.
"Instructor Fang, the palm techniques look very much like the ones that killed Yuan Chengji!"
"It was the mysterious person who brought us the evidence!"
Lin Zhenwu grew interested. "So Willow Town is hiding an expert like this!"
"Old Fang, you've had the most contact with him. Tell me about it. How can a master like that be buried in Willow Town? He should be joining the Criminal Defense Division."
Fang Xiao came back to himself and glanced at the two corpses before speaking slowly. "The mysterious person's movement and concealment techniques were too good. It was also the middle of the night, so I couldn't find the slightest clue."
"Then we must find him!" Lin Zhenwu gripped his spear, excitement rising on his face. "If Old Fang speaks so highly of him, then his strength is definitely no weaker than..."
"His strength may be only a little below mine."
"..."
At least eleven strands of Qi and Blood Power, an excellent palm technique, and the ability to evade Instructor Fang's pursuit—and that was only a little weaker than you?
You wouldn't say he was stronger, but he could at least match you, right?
Fang Xiao looked toward the street outside the constables' hall, mulling it over.
Could it be you, Young Master?
If so, what was the point of the whole act I arranged with Shao Pengshu?
He glanced sideways at Shao Pengshu.
The Young Master had condensed eleven strands of Qi and Blood Power, while Shao Pengshu had only seven.
Who was protecting whom?
But how could the Young Master have condensed eleven strands of Qi and Blood Power...
How long had it been? Eleven strands in a month?
Fang Xiao's stare made Shao Pengshu's heart pound. He wondered if he had said something he shouldn't have.
But he had only mentioned the mysterious person.
Was he not allowed to talk about the mysterious person?
Or was it...
His eyes suddenly changed as a strange thought surfaced.
The mysterious person didn't exist at all. Instructor Fang was the mysterious person!
Yes, that had to be it.
Instructor Fang had obtained the crumpled paper himself, and nobody had seen him do it. Then he'd made up the story about a mysterious person.
Today, they had split up to chase the Teahouse Owner and the little girl outside town. Instructor Fang had plenty of opportunity to return to town and kill them.
Shao Pengshu felt as if all the clues had fallen into place.
But when he looked up at Fang Xiao with confidence, even more doubts sprang into his mind.
Why would Instructor Fang do that?
It was completely unnecessary!
No, no...
The motive didn't add up.
For a time, the constables' hall fell silent. Everyone seemed lost in thought.
After a long while,
"Old Fang, let's set the mysterious person aside for now." Lin Zhenwu sat down on a nearby chair and looked at the two corpses. "What we can confirm is that there's a Blood Fiend Cult operating in secret. The little girl you mentioned—the Young Master—received a warning from Zhang Yi and escaped."
"We don't know where she went."
"The Blood Fiend Cult's techniques devour people's organs and pose a grave threat. We must keep investigating."
"What's more, the Blood Fiend Cult has already extended its reach into our Criminal Defense Division."
Lin Zhenwu's tone was sharp as he spoke, his gaze sweeping over Shao Pengshu and Tan Hong.
The two understood what he meant and hurried to explain.
"Instructor Lin, Instructor Fang and you both personally trained me. I have nothing to do with that Blood Fiend Cult. If anything, I, Shao Pengshu, am determined to catch them!"
"My lords, I, Tan Hong, have no parents. The Criminal Defense Division took me in when I was very young. I could never commit such a heinous act."
Lin Zhenwu looked at them, his expression easing. "I'm not talking about the two of you. I suspect there are still moles from the Blood Fiend Cult inside the Criminal Defense Division."
Then he surveyed the room, tightened his grip on his spear, and said coldly, "We won't just investigate this matter—we'll investigate it thoroughly!"
Before you continue