Chapter 64

"Why did you mention Mr. Xianyin?" Meng Qi asked, his tone unchanging.

Fei Zhengqing smiled like an old fox—though he had a horse-like face: "Wasn't it the Twelve Animal Deities that Mr. Xianyin entrusted?"

Meng Qi spoke calmly: "There must be more than one person who wants to know about the Snow God Temple's treasure."

"Could it be that it's not him..." Fei Zhengqing was somewhat stunned.

Meng Qi continued to ask: "What other clues did you have later?"

Fei Zhengqing pondered for a moment and said: "There is one person I have always suspected to be a remnant of the Snow God Temple, but I lack evidence and cannot obtain the city lord's permission."

"Who is it?" A hoarse voice came from behind the smiling monkey mask, still calm and unflappable.

Fei Zhengqing sighed: "You Tongguang."

He only mentioned a name, assuming that Meng Qi would definitely know.

Meng Qi cursed inwardly. If it weren't for the information provided by Duan Xiangfei, he wouldn't have known who this person was!

You Tongguang, Cui Xu's sworn brother, was one of the richest merchants in Tian Ding City, controlling the grain, iron, and security industries in the nearby provinces.

Not only was he wealthy and powerful, but his martial arts were also extraordinary. It was rumored that he had once opened the secret storehouse of the human body, but was stabbed at the last moment, failing to complete his achievement. Since then, his martial arts had stagnated, and he became obsessed with beauty and money.

Such a person, without Cui Xu's approval, would never be dared to be captured and interrogated by Fei Zhengqing, even if he had ten times the courage.

If Fei Zhengqing was one of the top ten most powerful figures in Tian Ding City, then You Tongguang was the first after the city lord Cui Xu and the young city lord Cui Jinhua.

"Could it be that you want to use me to deal with You Tongguang?" Meng Qi's tone carried a hint of amusement.

If You Tongguang were killed, with the martial arts and political skills of his sons, even with Cui Xu's support, they would not be able to maintain such a large estate, and their power would definitely decline. Correspondingly, Fei Zhengqing could order his subordinates to swallow up some of the industries.

If it were really investigated that You Tongguang was a remnant of the Snow God Temple, it would be even better. The whole world would call for his execution, and Cui Xu, who claimed to be righteous, would no longer protect him. At that time, everyone would join forces to divide the You family's assets.

Fei Zhengqing's expression remained unchanged, still showing a look of deep concern: "I and Old You have been brothers for many years. How could I use an outsider to harm him? If it weren't for the clues found during the search of Dabeisi Temple, I would never have suspected him. But if he is indeed a remnant of the Snow God Temple, I can only act in the greater interest."

"What clues do you have?" Meng Qi was not moved by his expression and words.

Fei Zhengqing replied without hesitation: "During the search of Dabeisi Temple, several letters written by Old You were found. They seemed to be normal discussions about iron transactions, but I always felt something was off. When did Old You start using letters for business in Tian Ding City? This is not his usual way of doing things."

"Perhaps it involves the illegal trade of iron, and You Tongguang dared not show his face." Meng Qi said casually, not caring about the logic. If You Tongguang dared not show his face, would he dare to write letters?

Fei Zhengqing seemed to detect Meng Qi's insincerity and smiled: "In Tian Ding City, whatever Old You and we say is illegal, is illegal, and what we say is not illegal, is not illegal. If Old You were cautious, he wouldn't even write letters, but would send his subordinates to handle it, and if there were any problems, they would be eliminated immediately."

"Not necessarily. Letters can be burned, but you arrived too quickly." Meng Qi still contradicted Fei Zhengqing, trying to see if he could reveal more evidence.

Fei Zhengqing pretended to recall: "There was another time when I went to Old You's house as a guest and accidentally entered his study, seeing him hurriedly put away a white jade pendant. At the time, I didn't pay much attention, as similar jade materials were not rare. Now, recalling it, it looked very much like the 'Ice Heart Pendant' passed down through generations of the Snow God Temple's four guardians. This type of jade is very rare and can serve as a symbol of the Snow God Temple's remnants, but I can't be sure that Old You's was."

"Is there no other evidence?" Meng Qi asked without any emotional fluctuation, still puzzled about why Duan Xiangfei had concealed some information and what his purpose was...

"There is none. If there were, I would have reported it to the city lord long ago." Fei Zhengqing shook his head.

Meng Qi remained noncommittal: "After the incident at Dabeisi Temple, have you been monitoring You Tongguang?"

"His martial arts are too high. Only a few skilled trackers can monitor him. Due to the lack of manpower, they often lose him. Currently, I plan to start from his sons." Fei Zhengqing was truly "open and honest."

Meng Qi asked a few more questions, confirming that Fei Zhengqing's words were consistent and had no loopholes, then walked to Jin Ancheng and said: "Now you can speak. If your description differs from Chief Fei's, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Jin Ancheng nodded vigorously and opened his mouth: "At the time..."

Just as he started, his eyes suddenly froze. A figure leaped down from the beam, the sword light like a dart, directly piercing Meng Qi.

It was only when this "man on the beam" attacked that Meng Qi sensed his presence, his heart tightening. He wielded the precept knife, using a fierce offensive to force the opponent back.

For some reason, Meng Qi always felt that the figure, under the weak light in the room, seemed slightly wavy, not like a real person, but more like a shadow. The sword light not only grew larger, occupying most of his vision, but also felt cold and piercing, making his hair stand on end.

The precept knife slashed down, aiming to cut through both the person and the sword, but as the blade passed, the figure and the sword light were like flowers in a mirror or the moon in water, intangible and separated, dissipating in the air.

Not good! Meng Qi didn't have time to think if he was under an illusion. He activated the "Divine Step," taking a step that seemed backward but was actually forward.

Thud!

The sound of a sword piercing through rotten wood rang out, and a gush of blood spurted from Meng Qi's left shoulder. The "man on the beam" followed like a shadow, each sword strike targeting his vital points. Whenever Meng Qi tried to counter with the precept knife, whether to cut the person or block the sword, it was as if he hit a "shadow," passing through without any effect.

If it weren't for Meng Qi's "Divine Step," which excelled in dodging and maneuvering, unpredictable and hard to predict, he would have been killed long ago. Even so, his body was still gushing blood, and new sword wounds appeared.

"Illusion?" Meng Qi gritted his teeth, not daring to relax his steps. "Whatever it is, what I see with my eyes, hear with my ears, and smell with my nose, all points to the shadow!"

"I can't delay any longer!"

If he continued to be injured, Meng Qi knew he couldn't hold out much longer. So he made a decision, and his left hand suddenly held a black cylinder, its surface gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

The black figure thrust his sword, and Meng Qi raised his left hand, aiming the black cylinder at him.

Whether it was an illusion or for some other reason, from the injuries he had just sustained, he could tell that the figure was always near the shadow, and the precept knife couldn't reach him, but this was a range attack, the Plum Rain Needles!

Meng Qi's thumb pressed the trigger, and the black figure, seemingly recognizing the danger, suddenly retreated, crashing through the window and leaping into the courtyard outside. At the same time, the broken window strangely flew up, blocking the path of the Plum Rain Needles.

Meng Qi didn't release the trigger. In this situation, holding back was better than firing, as after firing, he wouldn't know if there were similar enemies, but not firing would make any hidden enemies think twice about whether they could withstand the Plum Rain Needles!

The window fell to the ground, and the figure disappeared into the darkness outside. The people who had surrounded the room quietly returned to their own houses, and silence fell.

Meng Qi didn't put the Plum Rain Needles back in his pocket but kept it in his hand, his sleeve hanging down to slightly conceal it.

He turned back and saw Jin Ancheng with his mouth wide open, eyes lifeless, and blood streaming from his throat, already dead.

While the black figure was targeting his vital points, he still had the strength to kill!

Meng Qi's muscles twitched, contracting the wounds to temporarily stop the bleeding from the seven or eight sword wounds. Then he stepped forward to Fei Zhengqing, who looked dazed and was breathing heavily but was not dead.

"Mr. Shenhou, what happened just now?" Fei Zhengqing asked, shocked and confused.

"Someone attacked, killed Jin Ancheng, but I managed to drive them back." Meng Qi tried to sound as if nothing had happened.

Fei Zhengqing had been half-sitting, and he had seen the fight vaguely, but since Meng Qi had his back to him, he didn't see the Plum Rain Needles. So he said, surprised and doubtful: "Apart from a few grandmasters, your martial arts are the best I have ever seen, probably surpassing You Tongguang. But that person was so powerful, almost leaving you defenseless. How could this be? How could this be... Fortunately, you scared them away."

"That person's martial arts are strange, like an illusion. Every strike of my knife only hit a shadow." Meng Qi, not knowing much about the martial arts of this world, spoke openly, hoping Fei Zhengqing might have some clues.

Fei Zhengqing's expression changed: "Was it like seeing someone in front of you, but when you strike, it's like hitting a shadow, and then you get stabbed by the sword?"

"Do you know?" Meng Qi asked in a deep voice.

Fei Zhengqing's expression changed rapidly, his breathing becoming rapid: "It must be a remnant of the Snow God Temple, it must be! It's said that the Snow God Temple has a 'Grand Illusion Technique' that can manipulate the changes of heaven and earth, bridging the gap between humans and gods, making them untouchable like deities. Because of this divine skill, they claim to be descendants of the gods, becoming arrogant."

"That person must have achieved the 'Grand Illusion Technique' to a small perfection, almost opening the secret storehouse, and came to assassinate me today!"

"So I saved your life, Chief Fei." Meng Qi smiled, suddenly flipping like a kite, leaping out the window, and disappearing into the courtyard in a few steps. This place was not safe to stay!

After leaving the nearby neighborhood, Meng Qi touched his wounds, his expression under the mask a mix of contemplation and derision. He then circled around, changed direction, and after a full fifteen minutes, found a secluded place to change out of his night clothes and mask.

...

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and Wu Fengyu slowly woke up, feeling a splitting headache and noticing people pointing and whispering around him.

"How did this person end up lying on the street, holding a knife..."

"Could it be a gang fight?"

"No, he's only wearing a middle garment. Maybe he couldn't pay and was thrown out of a brothel?"

The words made him fully awake, his expression freezing. Last night, I went to kill someone, how did I end up sleeping on the street?

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