Strike First

Hm?

Lu Li and Peng Wan'er both stopped in their tracks, the latter focusing her gaze ahead.

On the street stood a gray-haired woman, her face streaked with tears as she desperately begged a constable. Her voice was mournful, and bloody tears streamed from her eyes.

"How could my youngest son have been abducted? Zhou Yazi clearly snatched him away! Sir Constable, you must seek justice for me!"

The constable was visibly impatient. He kicked the woman aside, seeming to avoid the matter as he repeatedly waved his hands.

"I already told you, Zhou Yazi fled in fear of punishment and is being pursued. Go home and wait. Once he is found, you will naturally be informed. Stop making trouble here for no reason, or I'll throw you in prison!"

With that, he ignored the woman's cries and strode away.

"Child trafficking? Human traffickers?"

Peng Wan'er's brows rose sharply as she watched the constable leave, about to step forward when Lu Li grabbed her arm and shook his head.

"Don't act rashly."

"But..."

Peng Wan'er was left speechless. Lu Li narrowed his eyes as though pondering something, then looked toward the city magistrate's office at the other end of the long street. Quite a few people were kneeling there like that woman, their wailing shaking the air.

His hearing was excellent, and only then did he realize that every one of them had lost a child.

Lu Li stepped forward and helped the woman up, silently handing her a tael of broken silver before asking,

"Madam, what happened to your child? Law and order are strict both inside and outside this city. How could a child go missing?"

Supported by Lu Li, the woman burst into tears at his words.

"Young hero, can you help me find my child? This morning, I was washing clothes by the river, and my youngest was beside me. Then Zhou Yazi suddenly snatched him away! He knows martial arts. I'm only a woman—I couldn't catch up to him at all!"

Zhou Yazi...

Lu Li's expression shifted. "Who exactly is Zhou Yazi? What did he do before this?"

The woman spoke through gritted teeth.

"That Zhou Yazi was nothing but a street thug. Later, his younger sister caught the eye of some noble young master, and that was how he got himself a sinecure. Yet he actually abducted my son!"

A noble young master?

After soothing the woman, Lu Li left with the indignant Peng Wan'er, already having a suspicion in his heart.

"A noble young master... Someone even the authorities had to yield to by three degrees. Someone from the Xue Household?"

After purchasing the necessary ingredients, Peng Wan'er remained furious all the way back.

"I never thought that, even within this city, someone would dare abduct people in broad daylight. Zhou Yazi? Once we return, I'll make my eldest brother track down that scum!"

Lu Li said nothing. He glanced back at the gates of the city magistrate's office, where the people sat kneeling and weeping, all of them weathered, honest commoners.

Yet the vermilion gates were shut tight. Two guardian statues stood on either side of the entrance hall, their eyes wide with fury as they faced the suffering commoners below.

"This world... Some people truly deserve to die!"

Lu Li withdrew his gaze, killing intent gradually rising within him.

The moment they entered the noodle shop, a rich fragrance of wine rushed over them.

Yan Dan had been unable to wait any longer. He had already hauled out Peng Shan's jar of Ten-Year Drunken Fragrance Brew and broken open its clay seal.

"Haha, Brother Lu, you're back!"

Yan Dan strode up with the bearing of a dragon and tiger, taking the vegetables from Lu Li's hands. "I thought you brat had run off and slipped away in secret."

"You jest, Brother Yan."

Lu Li cupped his hands, sweeping his gaze around and noticing several unfamiliar faces in the hall.

Peng Shan introduced them enthusiastically. "This is the vice leader of the Heavenly Righteousness Society, and a fine hero as well."

The one-eyed man rose and cupped his fists, his voice deep.

"Brother Lu, I've already heard Brother Peng and the others speak of you. Now that I see you for myself, you truly are a young hero!"

Lu Li returned the gesture politely.

"It was merely a small effort, not worth mentioning."

Liu Qi looked deeply at Lu Li. After hesitating, he still spoke.

"May I ask how Brother Lu learned the truth that my elder brother, Slender Golden Saber, at the execution ground was a fake? I wish to ask—do you know where my elder brother truly is?"

Lu Li fell silent for a moment.

"Because I know quite a bit about that Drooping-Ear Monk behind it all, I roughly guessed it. As for Slender Golden Saber..."

He said no more. Liu Qi clearly understood what remained unsaid, and a trace of desolation and grief flashed over his face.

He did not press further. He simply filled a bowl with wine, raised it with both hands in salute, and drained it in one gulp.

Lu Li filled a bowl for himself and drank it as well.

Alas...

Peng Shan and Yan Dan exchanged a glance and sighed inwardly.

Peng Wan'er was deft with her hands, and before long she had prepared a table full of sumptuous dishes.

Everyone sat around the table. Peng Shan brought out large bowls and filled each one.

"Come, come! No matter what, today we made the Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva Temple and those beasts from the Xue Household suffer a huge loss. Hahaha, drink!"

Bowls clinked against bowls, splashing wine everywhere.

Holding his bowl, Lu Li revealed a rare expression of relaxation.

After several bowls, Yan Dan became talkative. He laughed heartily and slapped the table.

"Old Peng, you didn't see it. The brothers just told me that when they went to rescue those children, the faces of those bald donkeys in the temple looked like they'd swallowed flies!"

Peng Shan laughed and cursed, "Stop being so pleased with yourself. You didn't see it either—we fought several men in black at the execution ground. Who would have thought they knew military formation techniques?"

"If I hadn't saved you, you might've gained another scar on that face of yours."

Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere grew lively.

Lu Li listened quietly. Liu Qi joined the conversation as well, gradually showing a smile.

Only Peng Wan'er seemed somewhat downcast. Liu Yueling handed her a chicken leg from the side.

"Sister Peng, eat."

The little girl had noticed that something was off about Peng Wan'er's mood. Naturally, Lu Li had noticed as well.

After three rounds of wine, many people had already passed out drunk. This time, Lu Li used his inner qi to force out the effects of the alcohol in advance, leaving himself clearheaded.

He looked around. Only a handful of people, including Peng Shan, had sufficiently high cultivation that they had not yet completely succumbed to drink.

Knock, knock!

Lu Li lightly tapped the table. Once everyone looked over, he pondered for a moment and slowly said,

"Everyone, I saw something when I went out earlier..."

He recounted everything he had seen on the street: the woman whose child had been taken, the constable's evasions, Zhou Yazi, and the connections behind him. At last, after a long silence, Lu Li voiced his suspicion.

"I suspect that after what happened today, the Xue Household will speed up their efforts to forge the evil weapon. They will no longer transport child sacrifices from outside the city—they'll seize them directly from within the city!"

The moment his words fell, the drunken revelry in the courtyard vanished. Yan Dan sobered by more than half and slammed the table.

"Seizing children from inside the city? Those beasts are truly audacious beyond measure! Aren't they afraid of provoking public outrage?"

Peng Wan'er's eyes widened at this.

"Then Zhou Yazi is one of the Xue Household's people?!"

Lu Li nodded lightly. "I suspect so."

Peng Shan understood as well, his expression becoming incomparably grave and his voice solemn. "If that is true, then the Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva Temple will likely begin its ritual within the next few days."

The scar on Yan Dan's face twitched as he roared angrily,

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's tear down that damned temple tonight!"

"Don't be rash!"

Peng Shan waved his hand and looked toward Lu Li.

"Brother Lu, what are your thoughts?"

By now, he had vaguely realized that Lu Li concealed himself deeply and knew quite a lot.

Lu Li swept his gaze over the crowd before slowly speaking.

"Since they intend to move early, we must also prepare to act early."

"We must strike first."