Chapter 63

The death of two direct-lineage and collateral-lineage young masters, along with two accompanying martial guards, was a matter that could be considered neither too big nor too small. Due to the lack of clues, after finding the remains of Wang Duocai and Wang Jinbao, the two families could only mournfully bury them and sternly urge the local authorities to investigate the murderers, but the matter eventually came to nothing.

Apart from the families of Wang Duocai and Wang Jinbao, the person who was most troubled by this matter was Wang Bo. After all, it was he who had arranged for Wang Duocai to handle this task, but he had no idea how it went, and the people died on their way back.

Wang Bo was just about to wait for the weather to improve and personally visit Guojian Town when he learned from Wang Jianglong a shocking piece of news: a few days before the discovery of Wang Jinbao and Wang Duocai's remains, Wang Shubao and Wang Zhimin had seen Lu Buqi, the martial guard of Guojian Town, resting in Zhutan Town.

Perhaps the smarter a person is, the more they can connect the dots. Wang Bo, who already had a negative opinion of Buqi, couldn't help but find this information very plausible when he thought of Lu Buqi's determined eyes and character.

Coincidentally, Wu Yaoyi had a strong interest in Lu Buqi. She believed that if Lu Buqi were brought to Yangze and proved to be worth cultivating, she could take responsibility for the matter, making Lu Buqi grateful and turning him into a loyal and obedient servant. This led to the subsequent events being orchestrated.

Originally, Wang Weiwu's intention was to send a messenger to issue an order to Wang Yingfu, asking him to bring Lu Buqi to Yangze for a face-to-face confrontation. After all, although Lu Buqi was a marsh slave, he was now a martial guard recommended by the local authorities, and随意处置会寒了人心。

However, Wang Fukan and Wang Rongguang, the two middle-aged men who had lost their sons, were incited by Wang Jianglong to take matters into their own hands. They sent two martial guards of the eighth bone-ringing level to Guojian Town to inform Wang Yingfu and capture Lu Buqi to bring him to Yangze.

When two martial guards dressed in blue brocade and wearing the elite badges of the Wang family's inner fortress appeared at the residence of the chief steward, Wang Yingfu, as the local steward, could not put on any airs and treated the two men, named Wang Yuanfeng and Wang Haiyang, as honored guests.

Wang family's inner fortress elite martial guards, with at least eighth bone-ringing cultivation, were not people who could be easily commanded. This showed that Wang Fukan, as one of the seven chief stewards of the inner fortress, had some ability.

After having his servants prepare the best tea, Wang Yingfu smiled warmly and asked, "What brings you two to Guojian Town?"

Wang Yuanfeng, with sharp eyes like an eagle, replied, "Steward, we are not here for sightseeing. We are here to take someone!"

Wang Yingfu's warm smile froze. "Take someone? Who could be important enough to trouble two elite martial guards of the inner fortress?"

The other martial guard, Wang Haiyang, who had a slightly gentler expression, sipped his tea and asked, "Does your town have a candidate martial guard named Lu Buqi?"

Wang Yingfu cleared his throat, raised his eyebrows, and his voice became a bit louder. "Lu Buqi? Yes, there is such a person. Are you here to take him? What did he do?"

Old Bu, who was waiting outside, immediately tensed up upon hearing Wang Yingfu's raised voice and cough. He quickly sent someone to inform Lu Buqi.

"He is suspected of murdering Young Masters Wang Duocai and Wang Jinbao and their guards!" Wang Yuanfeng said coldly. "The head of the family is furious and has ordered us to bring him to Yangze for trial."

"Ah!? How could that be?" Wang Yingfu was greatly alarmed. "Young Masters Duocai and Jinbao were fine when they left Guojian Town at the beginning of the year... My old steward even gave them a fine carriage!"

Wang Haiyang shook his head. "But they were killed on their way back to Yangze... When their bodies were found, they were unrecognizable, and all their belongings were looted."

"That must have been the work of bandits!" Wang Yingfu frowned. "Lu Buqi wouldn't do such a thing for a bit of money. You should know that even when Young Master Six gave him a thousand knives as a reward, he only took a hundred."

"Perhaps that was just an act," Wang Yuanfeng snorted. "Steward, tracing the roots of this matter is not our job. We are only here to take the person. Please, Steward, make it easier for us to complete our task."

Wang Haiyang also stood up. "Yes, Steward, let's get to the matter at hand. Let's take the person first and then come back for tea!"

Wang Yingfu stood up as well. "I'll show you the way. He usually stays at the blacksmith's shop in the south of the town. However, this is just a suspicion stage, so please be gentle with him to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings."

Lu Buqi, who was discussing the improvement of blood grooves with Wang Lishou, couldn't help but frown when he learned that people from Yangze had come to arrest him. He wondered where he had slipped up.

Wang Lishou was also shocked. "Lu Buqi, you should run! When they come, I'll say I don't know where you are!"

"Run? Why should I run?" Lu Buqi remained calm. "They can't have any solid evidence."

"Are you crazy? Once they catch you, who will care about evidence in Yangze?" Wang Lishou threw down what he was holding and pushed Lu Buqi out. "Hurry, the chief steward won't be able to hold them off for long. They'll be here soon, and you won't be able to leave!"

Lu Buqi's heart raced. This wasn't his previous life. Although there were family rules and national laws, in Yangze, his life would no longer be his own. "But... where should I run?"

At that moment, the steward's servant, who was responsible for the warning, suddenly pulled back from the blacksmith's shop. "Hurry, someone is leaving the steward's residence. They'll be here soon!"

"There's no time to think about it. Hide first, and we'll meet at the abandoned hill in the north where we used to dry animal skins tonight!" Wang Lishou, the old hand, showed his experience in critical moments.

Lu Buqi nodded and ran up to the loft. Wang Lishou thought Lu Buqi was going to pack, and he shouted, "Oh my God, this little miser, what are you doing now? What are you going to take?"

"I'll climb out from the loft..." Lu Buqi wasn't going to take anything. He had the Yu Chang sword and the set of triangular spikes with him, and that was enough.

Just as Lu Buqi climbed out of the loft and stealthily left, Wang Yuanfeng and Wang Haiyang arrived at the blacksmith's shop. Everyone they asked knew nothing. The two men, who had come up empty-handed, looked at each other with ill will, including Wang Yingfu. Wang Haiyang couldn't help but hint, "Did this kid somehow know in advance and escape?"

Wang Yingfu replied calmly, "Lu Buqi often goes out alone to practice. Why don't we take you two to his practice place and see?"

Wang Yuanfeng snorted, "Let's check his residence first!"

Wang Lishou had no reason to hide Lu Buqi's residence. Accompanied by Wang Niansheng and Wang Yingfu, Wang Yuanfeng and Wang Haiyang carefully searched Lu Buqi's belongings.

The four heart cores and over ten thousand knives in savings made Wang Yuanfeng and Wang Haiyang secretly marvel. "This kid is just a marsh slave. Where did he get so much money? I think it's very likely that he looted it and fled in fear of punishment!"

"Don't jump to conclusions so quickly!" Wang Yingfu replied calmly. "Moreover, he earned this money through legitimate means, which both I and the steward of Zhutan Town, Jianglong, can vouch for, as we rewarded him."

Wang Lishou added, "If he had fled in fear of punishment, he would have taken the money with him, right?"

Wang Yuanfeng was about to say something, but Wang Haiyang stopped him and said, "Let's wait here for a day. If he doesn't come to us, we'll report that he fled in fear of punishment..."

He paused and picked up the small package. "As for his money, we'll temporarily seize it and return it to him if he comes."

Wang Lishou couldn't help but get angry, but Wang Yingfu patted him and said, "Lishou, listen carefully. I'll take them to the inn first. If you see Lu Buqi, tell him to come find us!"

Wang Lishou gritted his teeth and nodded heavily. "Yes, Chief Steward."

[PS: Thank you to all the book friends on the reward list for your support and love for Bai Shi. Thanks to you, "Immortal Soul" has repeatedly topped the daily, weekly, and monthly reward charts. Thank you! I'll update two more chapters this afternoon!]