"Over a hundred?"
Meng Kuo sprang to his feet.
Lu Yan nodded. "That alone proves this fellow is no ordinary man. If anyone tells me Deng Qing got that much blazing sun grass through luck, I won't believe it. Nobody is that lucky.
"So, looking at it that way, Fourth and the others really might have fallen at his hands."
Du Wencheng picked up the charcoal pencil and drew another circle around Deng Qing's name. He said quietly, "We have no other leads right now, so let's make him our primary target for the time being. But gather intelligence first. We need to get to the bottom of his background before anything else."
Meng Kuo nodded. "The chances may be slim, but at least we have a target again."
Du Wencheng said, "My guess is that this Deng Qing is most likely a martial artist from one of the local areas. As it happens, the martial exam students will arrive in the next day or two, and they're all natives of Yanshan Prefecture."
An idea stirred in Lu Yan's mind. "You mean we should ask them?"
"Exactly."
Du Wencheng said, "Most of those martial exam students have probably heard Deng Qing's name. Starting with them should give us a good opening."
Lu Yan nodded. "That's a good idea. Once we've gathered information on him, we should have a fairly clear picture."
Du Wencheng closed the booklet and cautioned them, "Be careful. We're only investigating his background for now. Whatever you do, don't beat the grass and startle the snake."
The other two agreed, and the three went their separate ways.
Inside the cultivation room, the wall lamp glowed dimly.
Before he knew it, Deng Qing had swallowed his fifth Martial Origin Pill.
As its medicinal potency spread, he suddenly noticed