“Solitary Gall sat on Listening Goose Peak for years. How did you know there was a whistle on the scabbard, and how did you know it could be used like this?” Feng Yun’ai’s meridians suddenly relaxed. Before she could react, her hand fell heavily to her side.
“Wen Lanxin told me, of course. Feng Rong was so lonely on Listening Goose Peak; some things couldn’t be kept hidden. She couldn’t help but speak in riddles to you. Don’t you think Wen Lanxin might be the same?” Sang Chencao sneered.
Feng Yun’ai didn’t know. She knew very little about Wen Lanxin to begin with, and this woman was always deceiving her, never speaking the truth.
Sang Chencao grunted. “Under Yellow Sand Cliff, there was only me and her. If she didn’t tell me, who else could she tell?”
“She could tell the bugs and snakes,” Feng Yun’ai replied without thinking.
This remark actually made Sang Chencao laugh. She grabbed Feng Yun’ai’s hand again and ran off. “When you were on Listening Goose Peak, did you often talk to the birds and insects? How naive!”
Feng Yun’ai was forced to follow, feeling that the woman’s words contained a hidden mockery.
They couldn’t stay in Zhuyu Town much longer. They headed for the town’s exit, but before they could step out, a hoarse, panicked scream erupted from within the town.
“Someone’s dead! There’s a dead body—!”
It was so sudden that Feng Yun’ai froze, casting a shocked look behind her.
Sang Chencao’s expression also shifted. She let out a cold laugh. “No one died last night, yet someone dies exactly now?”
Then, another scream echoed from elsewhere. “Aaaaah!”
“Murder! Who? Who did it?!”
The entirety of Zhuyu Town became a chaotic mess. It sounded as if more than one person had died.
The animals had not yet calmed down, and the screams rose one after another. If they returned to the town now, perhaps no one would notice them.
Feng Yun’ai sensed something was wrong. Just as she turned, her wrist was seized.
“Aren’t you afraid this is a trap they deliberately set?” Sang Chencao’s eyes were dark. “You know there’s trouble, yet you want to walk into the net. You’re going to get me killed.”
“But people have died in the town.” Feng Yun’ai frowned. Though her eyes behind the white veil were cold, she was not heartless. “Besides, it’s not like you haven’t tried to get me killed before.”
Sang Chencao laughed again, then said “fine” several times. She even pushed Feng Yun’ai’s shoulder to lead her back into the town.
Neighbors were coming out of their homes. Everyone was carrying lanterns, rushing toward the source of the screams.
Some had just opened their eyes and were still wearing plain undergarments, rushing out of their houses in a hurry. Some hadn’t even put on both shoes.
Despite the chaos, it was still difficult for the two of them to hide in plain sight among the crowd, given that the white dress and indigo clothes were too conspicuous.
Feng Yun’ai hid behind a wall. After walking for a bit, the surroundings felt familiar. When she saw the mottled, old facade of a building, she realized it was the inn where they had stayed the previous night.
People were still shouting inside the inn. The manager and the workers were holding people back—those inside weren’t allowed out, and those outside weren’t allowed in.
The people arriving from elsewhere could only stand outside in a row, peering in anxiously.
Someone asked, “What happened? How did they die?”
The manager’s face was grim. “No breath left. There are no visible wounds. I don’t know how he died.”
“Has someone come from the magistrate’s office?”
“I sent a worker to beat the drum. The bailiffs and the coroner should be arriving soon,” the manager said.
The crowd looked at one another. A voice suddenly emerged from the throng: “Quite a few strangers seemed to arrive yesterday and this morning. The dogs wouldn’t stop barking; I couldn’t sleep a wink.”
“Speaking of which, at the Hour of the Rabbit, I heard the dogs and looked out my window. I think I saw figures flying through the air.”
“Don’t speak of such supernatural nonsense. The person must have been murdered!”
“It’s not nonsense. I suspect those strangers who entered town might be… martial artists?” The speaker paused. “If they know martial arts, they can kill people invisibly.”
The manager sucked in a breath and said hesitantly, “Two women stayed at the inn yesterday. They did look like they knew kung fu.”
“Are they still in the shop?”
The manager looked around and pushed a worker’s shoulder. “Go check.”
the worker was trembling all over. “I—I don’t dare!”
The manager pointed to a few more people and hurriedly said, “Go up together so you can look out for each other. I’ll give you double wages for this month!”
Hearing that, the workers gathered their courage and went upstairs. A moment later, they shouted from above, “Manager, those two aren’t in their room!”
Martial artists possessed extraordinary hearing. Even through the wall, Feng Yun’ai heard everything clearly.
She scanned the surroundings. There was no sign of the other sects. Since the bug whistle had sounded, they had all vanished.
It was unclear if they were hiding on purpose or if they had been drawn elsewhere by the animals.
Sang Chencao looked displeased. “I thought we were luring the tiger from the mountain, but it seems this was their plan all along. They must have killed the person.”
“Why?” Feng Yun’ai didn’t understand.
The one who died was an ordinary citizen who had nothing to do with the martial world. Even if they wanted to frame them, they shouldn’t kill an innocent person.
“Just watch.” Sang Chencao leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.
Before long, people from the town’s magistrate’s office arrived. Men in official uniforms squeezed through the crowd and went upstairs without a word.
The manager followed closely behind, waiting nervously as the coroner examined the body, answering questions without daring to hide a single detail.
A bailiff asked, “When was he discovered? When did he check in? Who did he interact with?”
The manager scratched his head, nearly racking his brains. “Half an hour ago. A worker found him because the door was wide open, so he peaked in.”
The worker beside him added quickly, “I thought the guest had just fainted. I went over to push him, but he didn’t react at all. Only then did I realize he… he was already gone!”
The coroner suddenly spoke: “A needle wound!”
