Chapter 65

Recalling the events of last night, Wu Fengyu was both shocked and frightened, not knowing why he had suddenly been attacked.

After a moment of daze, he quickly felt his body and found that apart from his nightclothes, he had not lost anything and had no significant injuries.

"What on earth is going on?" He was filled with doubt and panic. As he looked up, he suddenly saw a familiar face frowning at him.

Zhu Mingyuan... Wu Fengyu's whole body shuddered; this was the companion he had planned to eliminate last night.

Zhu Mingyuan's face was solemn, and he said with a half-smile, "Old Wu, why are you sleeping here? Did your wife kick you out?"

"Drank too much last night, and those stinky beggars stole my outer clothes!" Wu Fengyu said with a grimace, a terrifying thought suddenly popping into his mind. Could his encounter last night have been a warning, a warning not to target Zhu Mingyuan's family?

With this thought, he became more and more convinced, and his gaze toward Zhu Mingyuan became more cautious. Could he have a powerful backer?

Zhu Mingyuan glanced at the long knife beside Wu Fengyu that had not been stolen and sneered, "It seems the loss of the cargo is troubling you, Old Wu. How will you face Uncle You?"

"Ah..." Wu Fengyu could only sigh deeply, the implications of which only he truly understood.

...

When the sky was slightly bright, Meng Qi found a dilapidated temple to stay in and slept for half a day to recover from his mental and physical fatigue.

It wasn't until noon that he leisurely went out, his waist girded with a precept knife, and casually chose a bustling restaurant, slowly walking in.

"Little Master, you've come at the right time. Our Jueshan Building's vegetarian dishes are the best in the city..." As soon as he entered, a waiter warmly welcomed him and introduced the dishes enthusiastically.

"Amitabha, find me a quiet spot and bring four of your best vegetarian dishes," Meng Qi said. He had no particular fondness for vegetarian dishes and was not picky. His main purpose was to gather information from the common folk—judging by the waiter's attitude, the monks here seemed to strictly adhere to vegetarianism, so there was no need to draw attention while gathering information.

"Sure thing!" The waiter elongated his voice, "One customer, four best vegetarian dishes..."

While shouting, he led Meng Qi to a corner, took off the white towel draped over his shoulder, and wiped the table again.

After sitting down, Meng Qi pretended to rest his eyes and listened carefully to the conversations of the nearby idle people.

"Have you heard? Jin Ancheng of Tianxiang Building is dead!"

"What? 'Yanluo Soul Chaser' is dead?"

Feeling the shock of his companion and the attention of the surrounding people, the first speaker said proudly, "How can this be false? My brother-in-law is a constable, and he examined Jin Ancheng's body last night with Chief Fei."

Hearing this, Meng Qi was slightly puzzled. Fei Zhengqing wanted to keep the cause of Jin Ancheng's death a secret?

"How can I not believe you? I just feel very moved. Jin Ancheng's nickname 'Yanluo Soul Chaser' was earned through countless lives, yet he repeatedly escaped death. I thought he would live a peaceful and wealthy life, but it seems he fell short. Heaven's way is just, and karma is real." A fat merchant said with a hint of joy.

"People like him rarely die a natural death in bed..."

"Hehe, now Tianxiang Building will be in turmoil. The Jin brothers are not easy to deal with."

The surrounding diners and idlers began to whisper and discuss the news.

The fat merchant asked, "Brother Cao, do you know how Jin Ancheng died?"

Brother Cao, known for his extensive knowledge, coughed twice and, under the eager gazes of the crowd, slowly sipped his tea and said, "He was killed by 'Shen Monkey' of the 'Twelve Beasts.'"

"What? Twelve Beasts?"

"Shen Monkey?"

A series of shocked and frightened exclamations arose, as if the Twelve Beasts were demons of death, the source of nightmares.

Meng Qi pursed his lips. Fei Zhengqing seemed to have pinned Jin Ancheng's death on him to cover up the black figure suspected to be a remnant of the Snow God Palace. What was his purpose?

After a moment, the fat merchant calmed down and said, "Brother Cao, is it really Shen Monkey of the Twelve Beasts? Jin Ancheng was a famous expert in our South Five Provinces. There are few who could kill him."

The Twelve Beasts had varying records of success. Some were almost suspected to be grandmasters, while others had never killed an expert of Jin Ancheng's level. Shen Monkey belonged to the latter category, hence the doubts—whenever the Twelve Beasts acted, they usually left a mark, which was part of their intimidating reputation.

"A monkey face was left at the scene, and Jin Ancheng was killed with a single slash to the throat..." Brother Cao described the details.

A single slash to the throat? This was likely to cover up a sword wound in the throat... Meng Qi smiled as the waiter brought the vegetarian dishes, and he tasted them, finding them quite delicious. Yes, eating vegetarian dishes occasionally is good for the digestive system.

After a series of gasps, the whispers continued:

"The Twelve Beasts are too terrifying. They even killed the head of Tianxiang Building..."

"Indeed, I've always heard that the Twelve Beasts are the most mysterious and terrifying organization in the martial world. I didn't believe it, but today I see it's true!"

"How dare they commit crimes in Tian Ding City and not fear angering the city lord?"

"It's said that Chen Dragon and Zi Rat might be grandmasters, so the Twelve Beasts are fearless!"

"Tsk, even without mentioning Chen Dragon and Zi Rat, Shen Monkey's strength is no small matter. Jin Ancheng was always among the top twenty experts in Tian Ding City and the South Five Provinces. If Shen Monkey can easily kill him, his strength is probably on par with Chief Fei."

"Whatever, it's not something we can provoke."

In their conversation, their fear of the Twelve Beasts and Shen Monkey deepened.

"Does anyone know why Shen Monkey killed Jin Ancheng?" The fat merchant asked, his curiosity piqued.

Brother Cao sneered, "The Twelve Beasts never reveal their missions. However, Chief Fei suspects it's related to the disappearance of Duan Mingcheng, Duan Young Master. Perhaps there's a huge secret hidden in this case."

Regarding Duan Mingcheng's disappearance, everyone had different opinions, but none provided Meng Qi with any inspiration. So, he slowly finished his vegetarian dishes, paid the bill, and left the restaurant, heading toward the northern water gate of the city.

The information provided by "Xianyin Scholar" Duan Xiangfei also included news about the remnants of the Snow God Palace, indicating that he had secretly investigated them.

Duan Xiangfei discovered that the remnant of the Snow God Palace was named Wu Cheng, the owner of a northern goods shop near the water gate. He usually kept a low profile but enjoyed associating with纤夫 (river workers) and other poor people.

After crossing the Jin Water Bridge, one reached the most prosperous area of Tian Ding City, where the street with Tianxiang Building was located. However, Meng Qi did not pass through there but took a detour.

In the "South-North Trade" general store, Meng Qi held a string of sandalwood prayer beads, carefully rubbing them and smiling at the shopkeeper, "These prayer beads are quite good, but do you have any better ones?"

"Better ones?" The shopkeeper sized up Meng Qi, who was dressed as an ordinary monk. Could he afford better ones?

Meng Qi took out a handful of silver coins, and the shopkeeper immediately smiled, "Better ones are not unavailable. Please allow me to call the owner."

This was a method Duan Xiangfei had tried. Once the goods exceeded a certain value, the shopkeeper could not make the decision alone, and Wu Cheng would come out personally. Meng Qi was simply following the same approach.

After a moment, a plain-looking man in his thirties walked out, holding a string of prayer beads and smiling as he offered them to Meng Qi, "Little Master, these are made from South Sea sandalwood and can help calm the mind and regulate the breath."

Meng Qi rubbed the prayer beads, feeling a pleasant and rich fragrance that was not overwhelming, making his mind and spirit calm.

"Very good, I didn't expect your shop to have South Sea prayer beads besides northern goods." Meng Qi asked casually.

Wu Cheng maintained his smile, "South-North Trade, naturally, must connect the south and north. Is the little master satisfied?"

"Very satisfied." Meng Qi felt that these would benefit his cultivation and was not averse to buying them. After examining Wu Cheng from head to toe, he said seriously, "Layman, I see a dark cloud over your head, indicating that you will soon face trouble."

Wu Cheng's smile immediately vanished, and he wanted to beat the crow-mouthed monk in front of him. Hmph, a fraud. If he believed it, the monk would surely turn the prayer beads into a key to dispel the disaster.

He frowned, "I have never believed in deities or Buddhas. Little Master, please leave."

Meng Qi did not say more, and his smile made Wu Cheng feel a chill as he turned and left.

Under normal circumstances, if someone was cursed like this and did not believe it, they would at least curse back. However, Wu Cheng's excessive low profile made him suspicious. It was inconvenient during the day, so he would investigate again at night.

After wandering around the streets for a while, Meng Qi returned to the dilapidated temple where he was staying. Before he got close, he saw Zhang Zongxian pacing back and forth.

"Layman Zhang, is there something you need from me?" Meng Qi approached.

Zhang Zongxian was startled and said, "True Dharma Master, City Lord Cui invites you to his residence."

"City Lord Cui?" Meng Qi was somewhat surprised, not expecting it to happen so soon.

Zhang Zongxian's face showed a bitter expression, "Because Shen Monkey has appeared again and killed the head of Tianxiang Building. Master, you have faced him, so City Lord Cui and Chief Fei want to ask you for clues."

"Shen Monkey has appeared again? He was injured by my knife, and his wounds were quite severe!" Meng Qi feigned shock, a reaction he had already planned.

Zhang Zongxian looked at Meng Qi with a slightly strange gaze, "Master, I also find it unlikely. That knife, even if it didn't kill Shen Monkey, should have put him out of commission for ten to fifteen days. Could someone be impersonating him?"

"Perhaps Shen Monkey has some hardening techniques. I failed to notice." Meng Qi brushed it off with a single sentence and then asked Zhang Zongxian, "Layman Zhang, did you tell City Lord Cui about my encounter with Shen Monkey in detail?"

If Zhang Zongxian had told Cui Xuli and Fei Zhengqing about his outstanding sword skills, his childlike cultivation method, and his near-fatal blow to Shen Monkey, Fei Zhengqing, an old hand in the martial world, would know that the Shen Monkey last night was an impersonator.

Zhang Zongxian shook his head, "This is the master's secret, and I dare not speak rashly. I claimed to be too panicked at the time and only saw the master's final blow to Shen Monkey's abdomen. Yes, the treasure map matter, my wife and I did not reveal to the city lord, only saying that we obtained a copy."

Meng Qi looked deeply at Zhang Zongxian, seeing his honest eyes, and sighed, "I will go to the city lord's residence with you."

If it were someone like Gu Xiaosang, Zhang Zongxian and his wife would have been killed a hundred times to prevent the secret from leaking. But he couldn't do that. Since the main mission had been accepted, as long as he found Duan Mingcheng, whether or not he had Shen Monkey's identity would count as completion. Therefore, if Zhang Zongxian and his wife accidentally leaked the secret, it would be fine, just that he couldn't complete the side mission.

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