Chapter 39

The clear and resonant sound of the zither, carrying a sense of urgent and fierce energy, echoed within the pavilion.

It seemed to be influenced by Ning Wuxie's indomitable momentum. Xie Yanran, who had been playing soft and gentle music, now played a piece called "Ambush on All Sides." This piece was originally a pipa composition, but when played by Xie Yanran on the ancient zither, it had a unique flavor.

The zither notes leaped, fierce and stirring, with a thousandfold momentum, as if returning to the battlefield at Gaixia, where the Overlord held his halberd, standing across the river, with smoke and fire, and thousands of soldiers charging.

A sudden break in the water flow, the overbearing aura of the Chu camp instantly vanished.

The sky was shattered by the clash of weapons, the wind howled, the sand flew, and the iron horses neighed.

The heroic and tragic hatred of life and death before the array, the lingering sorrow of parting in the tent.

The music abruptly stopped, and the mind settled, but the sound still lingered in the ears.

The stirring zither music accompanied Ning Wuxie's steps, pressing toward the white-dressed woman on the stairs. At this moment, Ning Wuxie's hair was already loose, his body covered in blood, indistinguishable from his own or the fallen dead. His cold, merciless eyes met the gaze of the white-dressed woman.

The woman's eyes were also cold, like the ice on a mountain that had not melted for thousands of years, exuding a chill.

A breeze lifted the corner of her veil, revealing a delicate, smooth face, like jade, with a lustrous glow. Her slender and graceful figure, with its well-defined curves, was beautiful. Even with the white veil covering her face, one could imagine that she must be a beauty capable of bringing ruin to a nation.

After a moment of eye contact with the white-dressed woman, Ning Wuxie's eyebrows slightly raised. The woman exuded a yellow aura of nobility, tinged with a faint dragon aura. Recalling the old servant's last words, "Princess," Ning Wuxie had a good idea of her identity.

Too many people had already died tonight, and Ning Wuxie did not want to kill any more. His gaze moved from the woman's beautiful eyes, and he passed by her. As he approached, Ning Wuxie's keen demon wolf senses detected the woman's inner trembling, and her body tensed up in that instant.

He slowly walked toward the third-floor parlor, broke open the door, and inside were a scholar in a green robe and a beautiful woman. The scholar, seeing Ning Wuxie enter, was extremely nervous and took several steps back. The beautiful woman fainted from the sight of the blood on Ning Wuxie's body.

"Yang Wenqing, do you know him?" Ning Wuxie stared at the scholar in the green robe.

His cold expression made the scholar tremble. From upstairs, he had seen Ning Wuxie's fierce battle. Although he was also skilled in martial arts, he did not dare to face so many imperial guards. However, as a leader of a bandit group, the scholar was a cunning and quick-witted person. Despite his panic, his reaction was swift.

"I... I know him!"

"Do you have any leverage on Yang Wenqing?"

The scholar's heart relaxed slightly. It seemed that Yang Wenqing had offended this fierce god. He cursed Yang Wenqing in his heart hundreds of times, thinking, "If he dies, I won't." He respectfully said to Ning Wuxue, "I do have something... Sir, if you want it, I'll give it to you right away..."

As he spoke, the scholar reached into his robe.

"No need. How about we make a deal? Trade your life for something..."

The cold night wind blew slowly. The usually brightly lit Yixiang Garden fell into silence. Yixiang Garden was under the jurisdiction of Qingyun City, and the incident was quickly reported to Yang Wenqing. Moreover, among the guests were several high-ranking officials from Jiangnan.

Soon, Yang Wenqing and Li Duwei led the army to surround Yixiang Garden. With the constables, Yang Wenqing and Li Duwei entered the pavilion. They saw more than ten bodies, still warm. Yang Wenqing, who had seen many things, endured the pervasive blood smell and walked to the second floor.

"Search, we must find the murderer!"

Yang Wenqing's face was cold. Such a major crime in his jurisdiction would stain his record. If the murderer was not found, his official position would be in jeopardy.

Thinking of the many Jiangnan officials and young masters in the government, Yang Wenqing felt even more angry. Enjoying the pleasures of the flesh was one thing, but causing trouble and making him clean up their mess, risking his position?

Yang Wenqing felt that he was recently plagued by bad luck, perhaps offending some minor spirits. He might need to invite some Taoist priests to exorcise the spirits.

With these thoughts, Yang Wenqing stepped onto the second floor. His gaze shifted, and his face instantly turned pale. He then leaned against the stairs and vomited.

"Sir, Sir, what's wrong with you?"

Zhao Lian, who was behind him, saw Yang Wenqing vomiting and felt even more contempt. His face showed concern as he quickly supported Yang Wenqing and glanced at the second floor. The sight and the stench of filth made him vomit as well.

Li Duwei was shocked. Looking at the bodies downstairs, he immediately recognized the work of a wandering knight. As he walked up the stairs, his eyes were filled with shock. If the bodies downstairs were still intact, the second floor was a mess of flesh and organs, red and white, making even Li Duwei, who had experienced battle, feel nauseous.

What a cruel method, either beheaded or dismembered. Dozens of people died here?

Li Duwei managed to hold back his nausea and stepped forward, leading the soldiers to the third floor. The soldiers performed much better than the constables, some of whom were so frightened that they wet their pants.

Pushing open a door, Li Duwei was taken aback. Inside, there were two tables. At one table, a Taoist, a monk, a scholar, and a beauty, all covered in blood. At the other table, a white-dressed woman sat, with two maidservants standing beside her. Everyone was looking at a bed where a figure with disheveled hair and a blood-stained robe sat, and a green-robed scholar stood quietly, with a beautiful woman lying beside him, seemingly unconscious.

The noise inside the room drew the attention of the people. They glanced at Li Duwei, then quickly returned their gaze to the blood-covered figure on the bed, as if something about him made them curious, shocked, and terrified.

"Li Duwei, what are you doing standing at the door? Why don't you come in?"

Yang Wenqing and Zhao Lian finally arrived upstairs, squeezed in, and looked at the people in the room, all of them stunned. What was going on?

Fortunately, Li Duwei did not forget his duty. He looked at everyone and shouted, "Who killed the people downstairs?"

His gaze swept over the room, landing on the blood-covered Taoist, monk, and scholar. Only they had prominent temples and eyes filled with inner light, indicating they were extremely skilled in martial arts.

Unfortunately, it seemed that the people in the room were not paying attention to the soldiers and constables. The room was silent, and no one spoke.