Han Changsheng was shocked. Looking back, he saw the Dog Lord leaning against the door with his arms crossed, watching him. Suspicion darkened his gaze.
"I"m looking for. . . Eh?" Han Changsheng started, then added, "When did you come? Why didn"t I notice your breath?"
Those who practiced martial arts were very sensitive to breathing. Just like the night before, Han Changsheng knew there were three people following him. He even knew where they were. But, just then, he didn"t realize anyone was behind him until the Dog Lord opened his mouth. Unless An Yuan had practiced the tortoise breathing method, he was unsure how he managed it.
The tortoise breathing method was an internal method meant to hide breath. Since the Tianyuan mountain villa was dominated by internal skill, it wouldn"t have been difficult for him to learn.
An Yuan didn"t answer his question. He repeated, "What are you looking for?"
Han Changsheng curled his lips. "Clues."
Having doubts, An Yuan asked, "Not sleeping in the middle of the night and coming here to look for clues. Why not wait until the day?"
"I couldn"t sleep, I came out to walk."
An Yuan sneered. "What did you find?"
"I just got here by the time you showed up," Han Changsheng said, out of good excuses, "I haven"t had time to find anything!"
An Yuan went to Han Changsheng"s side, eyeing a bookcase that had fallen. Squatting down, he saw that dozens of books had scattered across the ground. Han Changsheng was reading them, but he didn"t overturn them. They had been there for fifteen years.
"If you want to find the secret script," An Yuan said, "I suggest you save your efforts. This villa has been abandoned for fifteen years. Even if the script was here, it"s long since been removed."
Blinking, Han Changsheng knew An Yuan misunderstood.
"Who said I came here to find the secret script?" He asked. Of course, if he could find it, it would save him from having to look at the Dog Lord all day.
An Yuan shrugged. "So you say. I just wanted to remind you not to waste your time."
Rising from the ground, something caught his eye.
Turning away, Han Changsheng bared his fangs at An Yuan, then pulled an exasperated, mocking face. Ever considered that maybe your father hid the script in a secret place, one even you won"t know? Maybe yours truly will find it.
"The secret script of the hundred blooming flowers internal method has two volumes," An Yuan said, "The first volume was stolen by the Tianning, fifteen years ago——Or, as you say, by someone else. My father burned the second volume." He pointed to a dark, black scorch mark on the wall. "It burned right there."
"You," Han Changsheng said, breathless, "Aren"t you an amnesiac?"
An Yuan raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I learned it from Yi Laosan."
Han Changsheng gave him a vicious look, unable to hide his disappointment. As Gu Mingxiao said, the murderer killed people, robbed them for their scripts, and planted evidence to frame the Tianning Cult. The murderers from fifteen years earlier might be the same as those who a.s.sa.s.sinated Elder Xian Yue of the Ming Yue Sect. But, who was it?
"You said," An Yuan started, "Fifteen years ago, it wasn"t the Tianning Cult. How do you know? Is there evidence?"
Han Changsheng licked his lips. Of course, there was a lot of evidence. The number of murderers and how they committed the crimes just didn"t match how the Tianning operated. But, he couldn"t just tell that to An Yuan, or his ident.i.ty would be exposed.
Han Changsheng pointed to a piece of broken furniture. "The murderer used a knife as a weapon."
"So?" An Yuan asked. "Don"t the people of the demonic cult use weapons?"
Han Changsheng thought about it, then asked, "Do you know where your father is buried?"
An Yuan"s murderous spirit startled him. Fiercely, he asked, "What do you intend to do? I won"t disturb the dead!"
Han Changsheng bitterly rubbed his nose. What else could he do to a corpse? He wanted to open the coffin for an autopsy! He wanted to see the injuries, to figure out what the killer"s martial arts was. With An Yuan"s att.i.tude, though, it was obvious he"d never get the chance. "Nothing, I was only asking."
Han Changsheng continued to look for clues. An Yuan stopped talking, but eyed his every move.
This was where Huangfu Tugen was murdered. There were pools of black blood near where the bookshelf once stood, mostly concentrated there. There was little blood anywhere else. The book was also burned close to it.
Closing his eyes, Han Changsheng tried to imagine the scene fifteen years ago.
Huangfu Tugen was seriously injured, and he didn"t have any chance to fight back. Because of the evidence that he had only one death-wound, he didn"t die immediately after he was injured. The first volume of the secret script was stolen, and he lit the second volume with a candlestick in desperation…
"When did the masked bandits break into the villa?" Han Changsheng asked.
"In the morning," An Yuan said.
"Morning?" Han Changsheng frowned. That was strange. When Huangfu Tugen died, it would"ve had to be nighttime for the candle to be lit. He would"ve had to be injured before burning the second volume. If it was in the daytime, he would have had to light the fire first. Would the murderer have given him time to do it? Weren"t murderers supposed to kill people at night and rob during the day?
An Yuan listened to him. Walking forward, he bent down to touch the black ash on the floor, deep in thought.
Han Changsheng looked for more information in the room. Not finding any more clues, he stood up and said, "Let"s go back and rest."
An Yuan followed him out of the room.
Once they left, Han Changsheng looked up. The starry sky in the west was brilliant. At a glance, he caught sight of An Yuan"s star and his star of disaster that the Impermanence deities once pointed out to him. An Yuan"s stars were a little dim, but the disaster star was dazzling.
His lips flat, Han Changsheng yawned and started back towards his room to sleep.
The next day, he rose early and went to the yard.
An Yuan hadn"t risen yet, but Yi Laosan was awake. He was building a fire in the courtyard, ready to cook porridge. Some other bandits were with him. Some sharpened their knives, while others patrolled the outside.
Han Changsheng moved to Yi Laosan"s side. Seeing him, Yi Laosan rose and said, "Master Yue Peng."
Waving his hand, Han Changsheng sat down beside him and helped add firewood to the flame. "Tell me what happened fifteen years ago."
"What do you want to know?"
"What happened that day?" Han Changsheng asked, "Was it morning, afternoon, or evening? Who killed the villa master? Did he wear a mask? What did he look like?"
Yi Laosan sat in silence for a long time. Finally, he said, "I remember I had just gotten up that morning, I was still inside eating breakfast. I heard a scream outside, and there was a fight. I ran out and saw several men in masks, cutting down people in the courtyard."
"It was early, so there were several people who hadn"t woken up yet, and they were unprepared. When I went out, there was blood everywhere. At the time, I was just working in the villa, only fifteen or sixteen years old. I was scared, so I ran back and saw the young master"s maid hiding him in a cabinet."
"I ran back to my room and hid under the bed. It wasn"t quiet until noon. After that, I ran out and saw the whole villa in chaos." Yi Laosan swallowed. "Many people died, all the rooms were in a mess. Every valuable thing was stolen."
Han Changsheng frowned. "What about your villa leader?"
"When I finally came out," Yi Laosan said, "Someone had already carried out his body. Those evil cult b.a.s.t.a.r.ds killed him."
"So, you didn"t see who killed him?"
Yi Laosan nodded, then hesitated. "Master Yue Peng. . . Why do I always feel like. . . you want to exonerate the demonic cult?"
Han Changsheng"s eyebrows rose. "You didn"t see it happen. Why are you sure it was them who slaughtered your villa? They won"t need to cover their faces!"
Yi Laosan clenched his fist. He was angry, but had to restrain himself. Finally, he said, "The old villa leader hated injustice like poison. He had long said that he wanted to exterminate them. That"s why the demons held a grudge against our villa."
"When they came here, we were in a state of great agitation. Everyone"s doors and windows were tightly locked, no one dared to go out," Yi Laosan said. "It was said that the devil cult brought a child with them. It was their successor, only four or five years old."
"In our Tiandao prefecture, there is a kind of holy bird, called the Hu Lingniao, which protected us from bad weather. But, the little boy said he wanted to eat the bird"s wings. Overnight, all of them were killed. . ."
"Pfft!" Han Changsheng almost spat into the porridge pot. "You likened slaughtering birds for food to killing people?"
"If they were not the killers, then who else!"
Han Changsheng didn"t bother to argue with him. "So, n.o.body saw Huangfu Tugen"s murderer?"
Yi Laosan thought about it. "There was! The old housekeeper, Shi Laoniu, should have seen it. When the villains of the demonic cult broke in, everyone was in a panic, but I saw him go to the old villa master"s room to wake him."
"Where is he now?"
Yi Laosan"s face was colored with embarra.s.sment. He sighed.
"Why are you sighing, answer!"
"The old housekeeper was smart. He knew how to read, knew how to calculate accounts. The Evil Wind Gang captured him. He keeps accounts for them now."
Han Changsheng"s eyes widened.
The Evil Wind Gang? That was the bandit nest they said made their lives difficult!
"They took all the old housekeeper"s family," Yi Laosan said. "Their lives were in their hands, so he had no choice but to help them." He hesitated, then fell to his knees in front of Han Changsheng. "Master Yue Peng, I know it"s a bad request, but since your martial arts skills are so extensive, it should be no problem for you. Please help us save the old housekeeper and his family from the Evil Wind Gang."
Han Changsheng lips twitched.
Why didn"t you say anything last night! If you didn"t dare say it last night, then don"t say it now! Now you"ve highlighted what I can do for you, don"t you realize our friendship already ended before it started?! I am the very demon cult leader you demonized. Do you really expect me to help you rush into the mountains and save people? Don"t you know that my bad name is in danger?!
Seeing that Han Changsheng didn"t answer, Yi Laosan thought he wouldn"t agree. He repeatedly kowtowed to him, "Master Yue Peng, please. . ."
Han Changsheng impatiently flicked his fingers, and Yi Laosan was knocked to the ground by an invisible force. He looked up at Han Changsheng, confusion in his gaze.
Han Changsheng couldn"t breathe as he acquiesced, "Where is the Evil Wind Gang?"
Yi Laosan"s expression immediately shifted, his smile bright. Pointing west, he said, "Three miles that way. Master Yue Peng, I"m going to call up all our brothers. Master Yue Peng will help us fight and kill them all!"
Han Changsheng raised his hand to stop him. "Hey, don"t be in a hurry. It"s okay to go in the afternoon. Your young master is tired from all the travel. Let him sleep for a few more hours. I need to ask you one more thing."
Quickly, Yi Laosan said, "Please ask, Master Yue, I will tell you what I know."
Looking around to see that no one else was close, Han Changsheng leaned up to Yi Laosan"s ear and whispered, "Do you know where the old villa leader"s tomb is? I want to burn incense on his grave."
"I"ll take you with me after breakfast!"
Han Changsheng waved, "Oh, no need. You tell me where, and I"ll go by myself. I have something private to say to him, I don"t want too many people around."
Hurriedly, Yi Laosan said, "Okay, okay, it"s my abruptness." Pointing in another direction, he said, "There"s a cemetery there, where all the generations of villa leaders are buried."
Nodding, Han Changsheng looked where he pointed and said, "Your porridge is nearly ready."
Hurriedly unloading the pot from the fire, Yi Laosan nodded. Han Changsheng smiled, then stealthily turned away from the villa while it was still early. Using his lightness skills, he ran where Yi Laosan pointed.
Maybe the old housekeeper knew nothing like Yi Laosan. Before saving them, he wanted to examine the old villa leader"s body. If he could find a clue, it would be great, and he can skip those side tasks of saving the old housekeeper.
Soon, he arrived at the cemetery. As Yi Laosan said, it was the Huangfu family"s tomb. An Yuan"s parents were both buried there. The servants of the Tianyuan mountain villa built the tomb after Huangfu Tugen died. At that time, the villa had already collapsed, so the cemetery was very simple. It was just a husband and wife"s tomb. An Yuan"s parents were buried side by side.
Han Changsheng said he would do it. Raising his sleeves, he excavated the soil with his scabbard. Even if it was just a tomb of husband and wife; he didn"t have the dedicated skills to leave things undamaged. He simply raided An Yuan"s family cemetery.
Soon, he opened the tomb and dragged out the coffin. Then he pushed open the lid.
Inside, was only bones.
Huangfu Tugen had been dead for fifteen years. Naturally, the body couldn"t be intact like a corpse that had only just died. Blood and flesh had long turned into a husk, leaving only bones in their wake. To study, he climbed to the coffin"s side and turned over the skeleton.
Soon, he found a wound on it. It ran deep on its back, from the left rib cage all the way to the right. He could tell a knife caused it. The whole injury connected like an arc.
A knife killer? There were quite a few knife sects in the Jianghu. Even in this neighborhood, the probability that the mountain bandits used knives would be very high.
Han Changsheng kept looking, finding another injured rib. The blade marks on the back were deeper than the front. The killer stabbed him from behind, going through his body. The wound was the murderer"s second strike.
The first one was from his front to his back, and the transverse split made him lose his mobility when his spine was injured. The second strike was the fatal one.
He closed his eyes and tried to picture the scene again.
Huangfu Tugen stood in his study. Someone immobilized him from behind and stole the secret script. He fell to the ground, and the candlestick might have been overturned in the process. He tried his best to ignite the second volume with a candle. The murderer was angry and stabbed him again.
A murderous aura emerged from behind!
Han Changsheng subconsciously ducked. Did he imagine too deeply, could he feel the killer"s murderous aura?
Opening his eyes, he saw An Yuan standing before him, rage burning in his gaze.