Cheng Yannian Disappeared

"Have you heard? Lord Cheng has disappeared!"

"Which Lord Cheng?"

"Chief Commissioner Cheng of the Soul-Calming Office. Three days ago, he led a team to Cao Family Village to capture Yin Muhua, but he vanished along the way. There's been no word of him since. The yamen has posted notices everywhere, searching for him."

"Damn that Yin Muhua! Is that old witch dead?"

"I heard she escaped. Sigh. With Chief Commissioner Cheng gone, Jiangyin County is going to get even more chaotic."

In a teahouse in the Inner City, a crowd of townspeople sat together, talking over one another. All of them sighed and lamented his fate.

Cheng Yannian had served as chief commissioner for only five years, but he had done his duty with care. Jiangyin County was still far from peaceful, yet it was much better than it had been under the previous County Magistrate.

At the same time.

Inside the Soul-Calming Office, constables lined up to be questioned.

Everyone who had taken part in the battle at Cao Family Village that night had to be questioned, and the interrogators were the three division heads themselves.

Lin Qing was in a cell at the Night Patrol Office, taking questions from the three Constable Chiefs in turn.

"Did you see Chief Commissioner Cheng that day?" Shen Cheng, seated in the middle, looked grave.

"No."

"Did you see Yin Muhua?" asked Pang Tong, to Shen Cheng's right.

"I did, but Yin Muhua was badly wounded. We met only briefly before she hurried away. She shouted at me, and I passed out in a woodshed. By the time I woke, it was broad daylight," Lin Qing said quietly.

His account was half true, half false. If the three of them learned he had killed Yin Muhua, his full strength would be exposed. Too much would be impossible to explain, and it would likely bring even greater trouble.

"Have you reached Bright Force Perfection?" Shen Cheng asked a third question. Lin Qing seemed different again from the last time he had seen him. His body had grown stronger, and so had his bearing.

"Not quite," Lin Qing said.

"With your strength, you couldn't have posed a threat to Chief Commissioner Cheng. You may go. If you hear anything about him, report it at once. The yamen will reward you handsomely," Shen Cheng said after some thought.

"Yes, my lord!"

Lin Qing rose and left. Many constables were still waiting outside the cells to be questioned.

Yang Feng was nearby. The moment he saw Lin Qing emerge, he came over.

"Lin Qing, the latest news is that Lord Cheng has disappeared. If we find him, all well and good. If we don't, the whole of Jiangyin County will descend into chaos." Yang Feng's face was grave, deep worry hidden in his eyes.

"Master, what exactly happened? How could Lord Cheng suddenly disappear?" Lin Qing asked, puzzled.

"I don't know the truth either. We'll have to investigate further. Most people think Yin Muhua did it, but I don't. She was no match for Lord Cheng. There must be more to it.

"A few constables mentioned that a group of men in black broke into the manor through the south gate. Every one of them was highly skilled in martial arts. I think they're the real culprits. As for who they are, I expect the truth will come to light one day," Yang Feng said grimly.

Two words sprang into Lin Qing's mind: Han Family!

He thought there was a nine-in-ten chance the Han Family was behind it.

He had seen in Yin Muhua's memories that the last time people from the Soul-Calming Office had surrounded her to kill her, the Han Family had tipped her off.

The Han Family had close ties to the Yinyuan Sect, and Cheng Yannian hated evil with a passion. If Yin Muhua was captured, disaster would befall the Han Family. Under the circumstances, it would be no surprise if they had lashed out like a cornered dog.

But Lin Qing had only a suspicion, not evidence. With nothing to back it up, he kept quiet.

Unexpectedly, Yang Feng lowered his voice. "There are only two possibilities: the Yinyuan Sect or the Han Family. Chief Commissioner Cheng had been watching the Han Family for a long time, waiting for an opening. They've held a grudge against him for just as long. They might well have struck amid the chaos."

"What do we do now?" Lin Qing asked.

"Don't get caught up in this. Focus on your training and keep preparing for the coming assessment. Aim to master the Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake to perfection. As for Lord Cheng, Shen Cheng has sent word to the Prefectural City Soul-Calming Office. Someone will arrive soon to investigate thoroughly. I'll investigate too. We'll get to the bottom of it," Yang Feng said quietly.

"I understand." Lin Qing nodded.

The next day.

Dawn was just breaking.

In her room, Shen Lian smacked the wooden table before her and overturned it.

"This is infuriating! Life's going to be difficult from now on."

The door creaked open. Lin Qing walked in carrying a bowl of freshly brewed medicine and caught the scene.

"Official Shen, calm down. What happened?" Lin Qing gently set the porcelain bowl on a nearby cabinet.

Shen Lian sat down on a chair with the broad, swaggering posture of a man.

"Word just came. Until the people from the Prefectural City Soul-Calming Office arrive, County Magistrate Lu Xingyun will serve as acting chief commissioner of the Soul-Calming Office."

"Isn't that good news? If the Soul-Calming Office has no one at its head, all of Jiangyin County will fall into chaos." Lin Qing was puzzled.

"Good news? Hmph. You don't know what Lu Xingyun is like. They call him Lu Thousand-Catty. He's fat as a pig, cut from the same cloth as that old Han Family devil, and full of wicked schemes," Shen Lian said with a sneer.

"Official Shen, mind your words. The walls may have ears." Lin Qing was startled. In one breath, Shen Lian had insulted two of the most powerful men in Jiangyin County.

"What are you panicking for? My room is well soundproofed." Shen Lian gave a long sigh. "Life's going to be difficult."

Elsewhere.

In a broad courtyard at the Han Family estate, Han Shantong gripped a string of prayer beads and stared ahead. Han Qi and six others stood in a row before him.

"Han Qi, how is your wound?" Han Shantong asked.

"Not good." Han Qi opened his robe and bared his chest. A two-inch wound was clearly visible on the left side, still seeping blood.

The wound was strange, its edges jagged like interlocking teeth. It looked less like a blade wound than a tear.

"Cheng Yannian is formidable. His Mountain-Splitting Hand nearly tore my chest open. If the deathsworn hadn't helped me, I'd be a corpse by now." Han Qi still shuddered at the memory.

"Your wound is too severe. Without prompt treatment, you'll die of it. Besides, the Mountain-Splitting Hand is Cheng Yannian's signature technique. The wound it leaves is distinctive. When people from the Prefectural City Soul-Calming Office arrive, one look will tell them you're the culprit. Take the second young master to Prefectural City at once. I own a residence there. Do not return until I send word," Han Shantong said gravely.

Han Qi's heart jolted. He knew Han Shantong doted on his second son most. Sending him away like this was as good as putting his affairs in order.

"Patriarch, what do you intend to do?" he asked.

"Cheng Yannian fled into Willow Forest. We still don't know whether he's alive or dead. I'll send people in to find out and make sure he's dead. If he lives, the Han Family will be destroyed sooner or later.

"But that alone isn't enough. Next, I'll sweep away our old enemies and bring the major powers of the Inner City and the outer city together.

"If I can unite them around the Han Family into a solid wall of iron, I'll have nothing to fear even if the people from the Prefectural City Soul-Calming Office uncover something.

"As the saying goes, even a mighty dragon won't crush a snake on its home ground. If they move against the Han Family, they'll make an enemy of all Jiangyin County. I don't believe they'd still dare strike," Han Shantong said coldly.

"You are absolutely right, Patriarch."

"Lin Qing, come give me a hand! We've got a few corpses to deal with!"

Lin Qing was practicing the Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake in the Corpse Collectors' courtyard at the Soul-Calming Office when Yu Qiuyu appeared at the gate and called out to him.

"Coming!"

Lin Qing stopped what he was doing and went over. The two walked shoulder to shoulder toward the Cremation Ground.

"Where did the corpses come from?"

"The battle at Cao Family Village. Eleven fiends were killed, along with eight constables. More than twenty villagers were caught in the fighting and died too. We dealt with some of the bodies that day. These last ones still carried resentment, so they were sent to the Dungeon for a few days to keep it in check. Now that the resentment has faded, they need to be burned."