59. The Ice Mountain’s Tip
“Where did you just go?”
Seeing Gong Yiling approach from the other side, Leng Yuli took a few steps forward and asked, “Young Master Mo was looking for you. How did you just disappear?”
“I was hungry.”
Gong Yiling tossed her a small box of snowflake cookies and said with a smile, “I heard the pastries here were good, so I went and bought some. You should try them.”
Hearing that she had gone to buy food, Leng Yuli was speechless.
Well…
Although it sounded a bit absurd, coming from Miss Gong, it wasn’t that strange.
In fact, it was quite fitting.
Especially these snowflake cookies.
Just looking at them, she knew they would be delicious. Suppressing her inner impulse, she took the box, then grabbed Gong Yiling’s wrist.
“Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep Young Master Mo waiting.”
Miss Gong glanced at her hand, saying nothing.
This seemed to be the first time this girl had willingly touched her.
Did that mean—
This girl was willing to be her disciple!?
Ahem, she couldn’t be blamed for being so obsessed with being a master. After all, the master-disciple system seemed to offer a lot of good rewards, although many were still locked behind completed quests.
Although the various strange items were initially confusing, their functions were quite reliable.
Mmm… she would ask her again later. But the system hadn’t given any prompts. This was a bit… concerning.
When they found Mo Yechong, the Young Master finally let out a sigh of relief.
“I finally found you.” Mo Yechong said urgently, “There’s been a murder. You two, come with me quickly.”
“A murder???”
Gong Yiling and Leng Yuli exchanged glances.
A murder, just as they arrived in the Baiyao Dynasty? Whether it was a coincidence or not was one thing, but was this related to… that?
…
…
A common murder in the capital of the Baiyao Dynasty was already a major event.
And this one… was a massacre.
The annihilated family was quite famous in the capital, a blacksmithing clan second only to Haifeng Hall.
They supplied weapons to many martial arts sects in the Baiyao Dynasty and were one of the few clans specializing in crafting spiritual artifacts for fighting demonic beasts.
This family was slaughtered last night, the night before their arrival. This was enough to send shockwaves through the entire dynasty, let alone the capital.
When they arrived at the scene, the area was already sealed off.
Red and black armored guards, the royal guards of the Baiyao Dynasty, stood at the perimeter. The deployment of these elite guards showed the severity of the incident.
“But… this blacksmithing clan doesn’t specialize in swords. They don’t even forge them.” Leng Yuli, looking from the outside, muttered, puzzled. “Why were they targeted?”
She had learned about the other massacres on their way here, but the official story was that the perpetrators challenged the victims to a duel, and if they lost, they slaughtered the entire family.
But this victim had no connection to swords. What was the reason?
“Whether they died by the sword or not is just one side of the story.” Gong Yiling said, “Only the mastermind knows their true intentions.”
“Youyuan means…?”
As Leng Yuli spoke, Mo Yechong’s gaze fell on her.
Miss Gong chuckled and shook her head. “Nothing. I just think that if these people were just killing for such a boring reason in the Baiyao capital, they must have a low opinion of the Baiyao Dynasty.”
“His Majesty must be furious now.”
Leng Yuli pointed at the expressionless guards. “Of course he is. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent out the Red and Black Demon Slayers.”
Hearing their conversation, Mo Yechong glanced at Gong Yiling again with a hint of something, then said, “Let’s go. We’ll ask what’s going on.”
He led the two to the Red and Black Demon Slayers. The leader, upon seeing Mo Yechong, started to bow slightly, then quickly straightened up and said sternly,
“Halt! Who are you!?”
Mo Yechong took out a token with the characters “Baili” on it and said calmly, “The Mo family. We are here on His Majesty’s orders to investigate this matter. May I ask, officer, if you have any information you can share with us?”
“So it’s the Mo family.” The Red and Black Demon Slayer nodded after seeing the token. “We haven’t found anything. The cause of death was a single sword strike to the throat. The killer’s swordsmanship must be exceptional, their sword intent incredibly high.”
“Anything else?”
“Well…” The officer thought for a moment, as if remembering something. “This morning, someone saw a longsword flying around here on its own. That’s why His Majesty connected this to the previous massacres.”
Sword Control…
Mo Yechong couldn’t help but look at Gong Yiling.
Miss Gong, of course, feigned innocence—Why are you looking at me?
Besides, the two men’s earlier actions, especially the leader’s slight bow, were clearly a sign of respect.
These guards held a high status in the Baiyao Dynasty.
The only ones they would bow to were those of extraordinary status.
So, although this Mo fellow acted humbly, he must have a direct connection to the royal family.
As for his later words, whether they were the official story or not, it was unknown.
“The Sword Control Technique was also used in the previous massacres, right?”
Gong Yiling finally decided to speak, otherwise it would be inappropriate.
“Indeed.”
“And what about those who claimed to have seen it?” Gong Yiling looked at the lead guard. “I’d like to ask them a few questions. That shouldn’t be overstepping my bounds, right?”
Mo Yechong was surprised by her sudden request, but there was no reason to refuse. He gestured to the Red and Black Demon Slayer.
“Of course.”
