Chapter 62

In the study, Jin Ancheng solemnly bowed to the jade statue in front of him, muttering to himself.

After a long while, he opened his eyes, and the unease in his heart was slightly alleviated, but there was still something nagging at him, making him feel uneasy.

"I hope the heavens will protect us..." he exhaled.

"Yes, I hope the heavens will protect you." A hoarse and grating voice suddenly echoed in the room.

Jin Ancheng's back stiffened, and without thinking, he pushed the jade statue, causing it to shatter, while simultaneously sliding and turning, performing the "Yanluo Soul Chasing" technique.

However, his hands met nothing but empty air.

Only then did Jin Ancheng notice a mysterious figure in a black robe sitting behind the desk, wearing a crude mask of a laughing monkey.

When did he come in? Where were the guards? The sight of the laughing monkey sent a chill up Jin Ancheng's spine, and he immediately lunged towards the window.

His vision blurred, and he saw the laughing monkey face appear before him again.

"If you run any further, I'll cut off your legs first," the hoarse and unpleasant voice said to Jin Ancheng.

This terrifying agility stunned Jin Ancheng, and the fact that the other party hadn't directly attacked him made his resolve to fight to the death waver. Sweat beads appeared on his forehead as he said, "Are you the 'Monkey of the Twelve Divine Beasts'?"

If he could fight, he would fight. If he couldn't, acting now would surely anger the other party, and he might be paralyzed, making any attempt to escape a mere dream.

"Since you recognize me, give up your fantasies and answer my questions honestly," Meng Qi continued in his hoarse voice.

Jin Ancheng's hands were poised in a defensive stance, and he smiled, saying, "I wonder what the Monkey of the Twelve Divine Beasts wants to ask?"

"I want to know what Duan Mingcheng did before he disappeared," Meng Qi said bluntly.

Jin Ancheng frowned, "Monkey of the Twelve Divine Beasts, there's nothing much to ask. I've already given a detailed account to Chief Fei. That night, Master Duan booked a private room to entertain the Young City Lord and Chief Fei. He didn't call for any courtesans and dismissed me. About half an hour later, the Young City Lord and Chief Fei left one after another, and Master Duan came out to settle the bill, joking with 'Night Moon' as usual, but he didn't stay overnight and left directly."

"He didn't say more than three sentences to me, all about the banquet."

"He probably disappeared on his way home, but there were no signs of a struggle along the way."

"Is that so? But the information I received is different," Meng Qi began to bluff Jin Ancheng.

Jin Ancheng's expression didn't change, "Monkey of the Twelve Divine Beasts, you must have been misled by rumors. The truth is as I said."

Meng Qi didn't speak, silently observing Jin Ancheng. The atmosphere, combined with the laughing monkey mask, made the situation even more oppressive.

Jin Ancheng, feeling slightly uneasy, said, "Monkey of the Twelve Divine Beasts, you don't believe me?"

"What do you think?" Meng Qi asked casually, then lowered his voice, "You seem to have three sons and two daughters, and you haven't had a grandson yet, right?"

"What do you mean?" Jin Ancheng's gaze sharpened, but his expression was extremely grim.

Meng Qi said calmly, "If you don't tell the truth, I'll kill them one by one in front of you and see how long you can bear it. I hear you love your youngest son the most, so I'll start with him."

He definitely wouldn't do such a thing, purely to scare Jin Ancheng. However, the "Twelve Divine Beasts" were known for their ruthlessness, taking any task and completing it without any limits, and their reputation made it impossible for Jin Ancheng to doubt them.

Sometimes, a bad reputation can be useful.

Jin Ancheng's expression grew even grimmer, "Monkey of the Twelve Divine Beasts, I'm telling the truth, don't push me."

"Do you think I know nothing?" Meng Qi snorted, deliberately turning his body to the side, "Your youngest son seems to live in the western courtyard, right?"

Jin Ancheng was burning with anger but didn't lose his composure. He moved forward, grabbing Meng Qi's throat and right hand with both hands, and at the same time, he shouted loudly to alert the guards, not hoping they could save him, but to create a commotion. This was Tian Ding City, and the Twelve Divine Beasts only dared to act secretly!

The side move was a feint. Meng Qi retreated instead of advancing, dodging Jin Ancheng's hands like a ghost and colliding with him.

Seeing the strange movements of the Monkey of the Twelve Divine Beasts, Jin Ancheng had to force his hands to circle and grab Meng Qi's back, temporarily stifling his shout.

Meng Qi didn't dodge, straightening his back to resist, and drew his saber, pointing it directly at Jin Ancheng's throat.

After grabbing Meng Qi's back, Jin Ancheng's fingers suddenly exerted force, but it felt like grabbing a stone, with only a few "stone chips" flying, causing intense pain at his fingertips.

Just as he realized it was bad, the saber was already at his throat.

Meng Qi's left hand pointed out, sealing several major acupoints on Jin Ancheng, and he cackled, "Mr. Jin, we are all civilized people, why resort to violence?"

By deliberately angering Jin Ancheng and creating a weakness, Meng Qi smoothly captured him.

Under normal circumstances, Meng Qi wouldn't worry about not being able to subdue the opponent, but in the middle of the night, if he couldn't quickly control the situation, it would easily alert others, including the Chief of Tian Ding City, the Young City Lord, and even the City Lord Cui Xu.

"What do you want?" Even though he was captured, as a high-level expert, Jin Ancheng still had some backbone.

Meng Qi's tone grew serious, "I want the truth."

"I'm telling the truth," Jin Ancheng said, looking at the saber at his throat, his gaze slightly flickering.

Meng Qi laughed hoarsely, "You'd better be honest. The 'Twelve Divine Beasts' are always very credible. If we say we'll kill your family, we will definitely do it."

Perhaps the "Twelve Divine Beasts" brand worked, or perhaps Jin Ancheng, being older, valued his family more than anything else. He sighed, "It's not that I don't want to say, but I really can't."

"If you tell the truth, you still have a chance to escape with your family and belongings. If you don't, your entire family will die now," Meng Qi felt good, finally bluffing Jin Ancheng.

At this moment, he also deeply appreciated the benefits of being a "Twelve Divine Beasts" member. If Duan Xiangfei were here, with his noble and righteous identity, even if he said such intimidating words, Jin Ancheng wouldn't believe them. But when the "Twelve Divine Beasts" spoke, he knew they would definitely kill his entire family.

No wonder Duan Xiangfei would seek the "Twelve Divine Beasts" for investigation.

Jin Ancheng pondered for a moment and said, "That day, after Master Duan sent off the Young City Lord and Chief Fei, he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he joked with 'Night Moon' and turned to a quiet courtyard at the back. He booked another table there to entertain another guest."

"The guest was wrapped in a black robe, with a veil covering his head, making it impossible to see his appearance or age, but he was a man, about as tall as you, Monkey of the Twelve Divine Beasts, and rather slim."

"After Master Duan entered the courtyard, he dismissed me. I found the situation strange and worried about the safety of the Young City Lord and Chief Fei, so I circled around to the other side and eavesdropped. Their voices were very low, and I only vaguely heard the name 'Snow God Temple.'"

"Snow God Temple..." Meng Qi repeated softly, realizing that most of the events he had encountered in this world were somehow related to the Snow God Temple.

Jin Ancheng looked at the laughing monkey mask and continued, "Since it involved the Snow God Temple, I didn't dare to be careless. Even though I couldn't hear clearly, I still tried. Gradually, there were no more sounds from the courtyard. Shocked, I circled back to the main entrance and found it empty, with only the leftover food and drinks."

"From then on, Master Duan never appeared again."

"Were there any signs of a struggle inside?" Meng Qi asked carefully.

Jin Ancheng shook his head, "Not only were there no signs of a struggle, but there was also a silver ingot left behind. Perhaps Master Duan left voluntarily, or perhaps his martial arts were weak, and he was easily captured."

"Was the silver ingot special? Were there any drugs or poisons in the food and drinks?" Meng Qi racked his brain, thinking of clues from the novels he had read.

Jin Ancheng shook his head again, "The silver ingot belonged to Master Duan, with his family's mark on it. The food and drinks were fine, and there were no fragments of clothing left at the scene."

"Monkey of the Twelve Divine Beasts, I've told you everything I know."

The laughing monkey mask swayed slightly, making Jin Ancheng uneasy. Then he heard the hoarse voice say with a smile, "You've explained it clearly, but there's one thing you seem to be hiding, which doesn't seem worth hiding."

This part of the content could have been said openly without any problem. Why hide it?

Jin Ancheng's face turned pale, and after a long while, he stammered, "It was Chief Fei who asked me to hide it. I didn't dare not to."

"Fei Zhengqing?" Meng Qi looked into Jin Ancheng's eyes.

Jin Ancheng nodded, "Yes, after Master Duan disappeared, the first to investigate was Chief Fei. He had a hold on me and was stronger in martial arts, so I didn't dare not to listen. As for why he wanted to hide it, I really don't know."

"Very well, Mr. Jin, you are a wise man. I'm sorry I couldn't kill your entire family," Meng Qi chuckled, his figure flickering and strangely disappearing from the study.

Jin Ancheng, with his acupoints sealed, couldn't stop or chase him. After a few deep breaths, he shouted loudly, and soon the guards arrived, respectfully helping him to unseal his acupoints.

Then, with a sullen face, he dismissed the guards and sat in a daze in the study.

After a full half an hour, he slowly got up, looked at the guards outside, and when they weren't paying attention, pushed open the window and slipped into the darkness, then climbed over the wall and ran in another direction.

"Hmph, no matter how cunning you are, you can't match my 'broad knowledge'..." High up, Meng Qi sat cross-legged in the shadow of the eaves, watching Jin Ancheng sneak out of the courtyard.

He had read many novels and knew that in such situations, something unexpected often happened, such as someone coming to kill Jin Ancheng to silence him, or Jin Ancheng not telling the whole truth and going to report to the mastermind after he left... Although Meng Qi thought these were just fictional scenarios, he decided to continue lurking outside to observe the situation, waiting until it was almost dawn before leaving.

He leaped onto the roof and silently followed Jin Ancheng.

Page break AD starts

Page break AD ends