Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Closing the Net

In the morning, golden sunlight fell from the sky.

Li Yuan sat in the landlady’s carriage, drinking fine wine, listening to the wheels turn, leisurely returning to the inner city.

Entering the city was smooth, as if nothing had happened.

Li Yuan arrived at his courtyard, and Lady Yan glanced at him, then with the look of a wronged young wife, she pouted angrily, “You heartless man, are you despising me?”

“I…”

As Lady Yan spoke, she began to cry, “At night, you’re just fooling around with Sister Xue, boo hoo hoo…”

Li Yuan was stunned for a moment and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lady Yan said, “You told me it was official business, but the man who came this morning said you had no such business, you just went out to fool around, and… you smell of alcohol!! Boo hoo hoo… I can’t live like this…”

With that, she twisted her waist, her delicate face drenched in tears.

Li Yuan understood right away. Sure enough, Senior Brother Ren’s empty carriage seemed to have been discovered, and the sect had even sent someone to investigate this morning. This investigation was likely not targeting just him.

Unfortunately, he and Lady Yan had already anticipated this and had rehearsed their performance, so he deliberately returned home after having a bit of a drink.

Lady Yan cried and shouted, “Get out! Get out!”

Saying so, she picked up a cup in her hand and threw it harshly at the spot before Li Yuan, smashing it with a “bang.”

The landlady, a sharp person, quickly stepped forward, speaking coquettishly, “Sister, don’t be angry, husband… just went out for a rare night out… Husband loves sister so much, can’t sister feel sorry for husband’s hard work? How can sister bear to blame husband?”

“Vixen! Seductive fox! How dare you take husband out to fool around!” Lady Yan was brought into the act by the landlady’s words. She kicked her legs on the ground, crying and cursing. Not satisfied, she ran to fetch a broom, lifting it to hit the landlady.

But midway, Li Yuan raised his hand and caught it.

“That’s enough!”

“No, it’s not enough!”

“Enough!!”

“You’re being fierce to me, boo hoo hoo…”

…

The room was noisy.

Outside the wall, there were eavesdroppers.

A figure was quietly listening to everything inside the room. This was a woman in a profound robe with white trim. Her eyes appeared gentle, yet they hid a blade within them, her cheeks slightly sunken, revealing a touch of harshness and bitterness.

This was Elder Liu, who managed the internal affairs of the inner city.

An inner city disciple had gone missing, leaving an empty carriage on the road. Naturally, it was her duty to investigate the inner city disciples who went out last night.

Among those disciples, Li Yuan and Zhao Chunxin recently had a conflict with the disciple surnamed Ren, along with two other disciples.

The dispute between Li Yuan and Zhao Chunxin was over a market patrol quota, which was actually settled by Li Yu.

The other two disciples had a verbal altercation while shopping at the black market, and the other had some old grudges…

And these four were also not in the inner city last night.

Elder Liu went to the four households one by one to question them, then sent people to hide secretly outside, quietly listening for any movement.

It wasn’t that she suspected the inner sect disciples were involved, but it was just a symbolic investigation.

After all, when you think about it, it probably could only be the remnants of the Wei family behind this.

At this time, after hearing the argument, Elder Liu didn’t want to investigate Li Yuan further.

Objectively, there was nothing to investigate. How could a Ninth Grade kill an Eighth Grade?

Subjectively, it was normal for Li Yuan, after his promotion, to go out and look for women in secret. This morning, when she asked that Yan Yu, Yan Yu still thought her husband was out on official business, and she only mentioned it and caused a ruckus for him.

Heh, who’s making this boy marry a woman, and not just one? It’s good for him to suffer a bit.

Elder Liu wasn’t interested in household squabbles, so she walked away directly.

…

In the courtyard, Lady Yan was still shouting, causing chaos.

Li Yuan patiently cooperated, coaxing her for a good while before finally calming her down.

At night, the couple shared the same bed, making up after a daytime quarrel. They bickered in front of others but were playful with each other in bed, full of joy.

…

…

The Blood Saber Sect was very efficient. The next day, Senior Brother Ren and that mistress’s bodies were fished out of the reeds, laid out horizontally on the straw mat.

“A single slash to the throat, a shattered tiger’s mouth, this is a formidable figure, at least at the level of Fang Jianlong…”

“Could it have been a saber?”

“What do you mean? Are you suspecting our own people?”

“Doesn’t the Sun family have quite a few saber users? This could be the Sun family using the guise of Wei family remnants, quietly killing someone in our Silver Creek.”

Tie Sha, in a white robe, stood among the long grass, quietly listening to the discussion among the disciples behind him.

His eyes quietly gazed at the distant reeds, as if imagining the murder scene. After a while, he touched the stubble on his face and suddenly said coldly, “It’s either the Wei family or the Sun family!

On a dark and windy night when killing occurs, tell the other inner sect disciples that from now on, a night curfew will be enforced in the city. Either return to the city early or don’t return at all!”

With one sentence, he immediately made his judgment, then coldly said, “I don’t want anyone suspecting their fellow disciples because of this incident. If I hear of such rumors, I will not spare those responsible.”

“Yes!”

“Yes, Sect Leader!”

A group of disciples responded respectfully and solemnly.

After they dispersed, Tie Sha sat back in the Blood Fury Hall, crossing his legs. Behind him, at an unknown time, an elderly man with silver hair and a youthful face walked out.

This elderly man was none other than Elder Ding.

Elder Ding asked, “Do you truly believe this was done by the remnants of the Wei family or the Sun family?”

Tie Sha laughed, “What else? Internal suspicion and backstabbing?”

Elder Ding laughed as well, “I wasn’t doubting you. It’s just that since the extermination of the Wei family, my idle pleasures have been disturbed, leaving my heart uneasy. So I thought I’d have a casual chat with you.”

Tie Sha said, “It can only be the doing of the Wei Family and the Sun Family.”

Elder Ding replied, “What if it’s not?”

Tie Sha chuckled, “Then wouldn’t that be even better? It shows that our Blood Saber Sect is full of talent…

Damn it, being able to kill that Eighth Grade Disciple with a single throat slit – that’s real talent, amazing talent indeed. I like him!

If we actually find any clues today, I might just not be able to resist cleaning up after him, hahaha.”

With that, the Sect Leader burst into laughter.

Elder Ding also smiled slightly, knowing that despite Tie Sha’s rough exterior, he had a strategic mind, which was why he chose this place to retire.

This place, although plagued with some disasters, was still a remote corner and relatively safe.

Unlike the Jade Capital… which is no place for people to live.

Mere mortals are ignorant, only those who have witnessed disasters understand what… terror and despair mean.

Curiously, it wasn’t always like this… perhaps it’s the end of a dynasty, frequently plagued by disasters and bizarre events?

…

…

A few days later.

The incident concerning that Inner Sect Disciple with the surname Ren calmed down, a curfew was implemented in the Inner City, and the surrounding area was also significantly tightened.

No one suspected Li Yuan anymore; instead, Zhao Chunxin was suspected several times, but since the Sect Leader had made a conclusion, the suspicions were dismissed, and no one dared to gossip.

Time passed day by day.

Another few days later.

A servant from Elder Tian’s household came to notify Li Yuan to fetch meat from the ice cellar.

The Demon Beast meat from the Meat Field matures every six months, and once mature, it’s stored in the ice cellar and then distributed to the Inner Sect Disciples monthly.

The raw meat from the field is very peculiar, even a bit creepy.

After picking up the meat, Li Yuan examined it closely and found it not much different from the meat he previously bought at the Black Market, but even fresher.

Carrying the meat home, Lady Yan called Aunt Wang and two maidservants to marinate the meat. They worked for half a day, and the entire courtyard was filled with the smell of marinated meat. The meat was hung in strips on iron hooks under the eaves to air dry.

Seeing everyone busy and Lady Yan taking a break, Li Yuan walked over and asked, “Sister Yan, how’s your Cultivation Skill coming along?”

“Ah, can’t do it…” Lady Yan wasn’t too disappointed; she had come to terms with it.

Li Yuan said, “Try eating some Demon Beast Meat and then practice again.”

“I won’t waste the Demon Beast Meat, I’ll leave it all for you to eat.”

“Just try it and see, the blood and flesh power of Demon Beast Meat surpasses that of regular meat. It might stimulate you to succeed in your cultivation?”

“But you…”

“It’s fine, there’s plenty of meat for me to eat.”

“Alright then…” Lady Yan didn’t refuse any further, after all, she also hoped to succeed in cultivating the skill to keep up with her husband.

…

Time flies, and another month passed by.

The remaining members of the Wei Family indeed became active, executing several precise assassinations, seemingly having access to insider information.

Due to this, the “restructuring” of the Blood Saber Sect couldn’t proceed for the time being.

Li Yuan stayed in the Inner City, eating meat and cultivating…

As expected, he began to slowly feel the “blood and flesh power” that Senior Sister Zhao had spoken about.

The Shadow Blood within his body seemed to lack a certain stimulus, preventing it from reaching a certain height and spreading throughout his body, let alone nurturing the Shadow Bone.

He visited the Black Market around noon, dressed in a three-piece outfit, but couldn’t find anyone selling Eighth Grade Meat.

July, summer, finally arrived.

The stifling clouds dispersed completely after a sudden rain.

The sunset left a dazzling crimson in the puddles.

Suddenly, the previously quiet Inner City became agitated, with figures converging towards the Blood Fury Hall.

Li Yuan received the order and quickly headed there, arriving at the hall.

He hadn’t even entered the hall yet when he heard the heart-wrenching wails of a woman.

“Gongshu Yang, you tricked me! You tricked me!!!”

“Gongshu Yang!!!”

Li Yuan stepped across the threshold and saw Zhao Chunxin had already arrived, so he moved beside her and glanced at the disheveled woman in the hall.

He vaguely recognized her appearance; this woman was none other than the third mistress of the Wei Family he had seen before. At the time, Red Steel and Blue Steel had even talked about gifting her to the Wei Family’s arch-enemy.

Softly, Li Yuan asked, “Senior Sister, what’s going on?”

Zhao Chunxin lowered her voice and said, “Apparently she was tricked by Gongshu Yang into obtaining the list of the Wei Family remnants. That’s why… the Sect Leader called us here to finish the net catching.”

Li Yuan said helplessly, “How did they trick her?”

Zhao Chunxin replied, “How else? They tricked her into thinking they were on the same side, and then…”

Suddenly, she recalled the recent assassination attempts by the Wei Family remnants and lowered her voice, speaking hoarsely, “Don’t ask anymore. This matter can’t be discussed in detail or guessed wildly. The main task now is to eliminate those remnants completely.”

Li Yuan immediately understood.

It was nothing but Gongshu Yang tricking the Wei Family’s third mistress by saying he was actually a secret member of the Wei Family, then providing information to help the Wei Family remnants kill some Blood Saber Sect disciples, gradually deceiving her into giving up the list of the “Wei Family remnants.”

But when it comes to providing information, why would Gongshu Yang do it without support from significant figures in the Blood Saber Sect?

The third mistress continued to cry out, hoarse and heart-wrenching.

“Gongshu Yang, fine, you tricked me, but you also…”

Before she could finish, the small and vicious man suddenly stood up, raised a hand, and knocked the third mistress unconscious with one swift motion, then sneered and said, “Noisy.”

With that, Gongshu Yang returned to his seat, a hint of unnoticed gloom and a sigh flickering in his eyes.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep