Although they discovered who killed dozens of people in the Tianyuan villa 15 years earlier, the lead they had for Huangfu Tugen"s murder proved false.
Han Changsheng and An Yuan stayed in the Tianyuan villa for another two days. In the last couple of days, Han Changsheng broke the old housekeeper"s fingers and healed them, only to break them again. He did it dozens of times. Shi Laoniu knew that Han Changsheng killed Wan Shishan and that the Evil Wind Gang had broken up. He had no more backing. He couldn"t confess a single word – because he really didn"t know who the killer was.
Han Changsheng once again left the firewood room where Shi Laoniu was detained and went to An Yuan"s room.
An Yuan was reading a book. Seeing Han Changsheng come in, he asked, "Did he say anything?"
Han Changsheng shook his head. "No."
An Yuan"s reaction was very dull. He lowered his head and kept reading. "Then he probably doesn"t know anything."
Han Changsheng sat down on a chair and closed his eyes. As soon as they shut, An Yuan raised his head and looked at him.
"What are you going to do now?" An Yuan asked.
"Go back to the Central Plains," Han Changsheng said.
An Yuan turned pages, but his eyes weren"t on the book. "What do you intend to do, in the Central Plains?"
Han Changsheng"s mouth twitched. There were no clues left in the Tiandao Prefecture, and there wasn"t much time before the Wulin a.s.sembly. He needed to go back to the Mingyue Sect to have another look. Someone there killed people, robbed the secret script, and blamed the demonic cult. The murderer from fifteen years ago used the same method, so they may well be the same person.
After all, Huangfu Tugen had been dead for a long time, and no one found any evidence at his death. Xian Yue, however, had not been dead for a long time. Maybe there was a clue? He"d find out who the murderer was, then maybe he could solve the Huangfu family"s case. Let him know who dared to pretend to be the Tianning cult! The b.a.s.t.a.r.d who did it all must bear the consequences!
Seeing that Han Changsheng didn"t answer, An Yuan didn"t ask again.
Han Changsheng looked up at the beams of the house, dazed. What other clues were there about that night? The murder sneaked into the Tianyuan villa in silence, and no one in the villa even knew they were there, or that they had sneaked into Huangfu Tugen"s study. He hoped that opening the coffin and performing an autopsy could identify the sect through the murderer"s martial arts. However, Huangfu"s dead body was cold, made only of white bone. All he could see was the wound left behind.
Eyes wide, Han Changsheng suddenly raised his hands into the air to compare.
"What are you doing?" An Yuan asked.
"Shut up!" Han Changsheng said.
Shocked to silence, An Yuan frowned. He stared at Han Changsheng.
The wound on Huangfu Tugen"s back looked like an arc. Han Changsheng held his hands as if he were holding a knife. Closing his eyes, he imagined how the murderer could make such a wound.
Generally, people used knives to chop or stab. The wounds were straight, but the wounds on Huangfu"s bones were curved, so it looked like…
Han Changsheng jumped up from his chair.
Startled, An Yuan asked, "What"s the matter with you?"
Han Changsheng hung his palm with his fist, his eyebrows knitted, and began to ponder.
It was very similar. To cut such a wound, the murderer would"ve had to wield a knife like how Liu Xiaoqi wielded a sword. He once saw how Liu Xiaoqi sliced in a curve when he subconsciously drew out his sword. It was very strange, a rare habit. Liu Xiaoqi must have learned martial arts before entering the Yuehua Sect, and he must have learned the pattern then. Only, one used a knife and the other used a sword, so Han Changsheng didn"t a.s.sociate the two until then. Liu Xiaoqi was only sixteen or seventeen years old, though. Fifteen years ago, he would"ve just been a kid who couldn"t even talk. What was his family background, and how did he get into the Yuehua Sect? Did it have anything to do with the Tianyuan Villa?
An Yuan couldn"t help but repeat, "What"s the matter with you, what did you discover?"
"Pack up," Han Changsheng said, "We"re going back to the Central Plains."
"Huh?"
Han Changsheng waved, "The sandstorms in this d.a.m.ned town are too annoying. I can"t stay for another moment. Let"s go back now!"
An Yuan was still an amnesiac. Even if he remembered some things, Han Changsheng couldn"t tell him what he thought. He was not Li Jiulong right now, so how would he be able to recognize Liu Xiaoqi? Moreover, there may not be any connection between the two. In short, he could only continue investigating his hunch once they arrived at the Central Plains!
Together with An Yuan, Han Changsheng began packing up his things. Before long, he was ready to leave.
As they were about to go, Yi Laosan and others were extremely sad to part with them.
Before they left, Yi Laosan took An Yuan"s hand and brushed away his tears. "Young master, will you come back?"
"There"s always a chance," An Yuan said.
Losing himself, w.a.n.g Laoqi said, "I thought the young villa leader would rebuild Tianyuan Villa this time. The common people in the Tiandao Prefecture were excited. But, the young villa leader is leaving…"
"Yes, yes," Others called out.
"How can you leave just like that?"
"Stay just a few more days, young villa leader!"
It was a pity that An Yuan and Han Changsheng had no intention of staying any longer. They were indifferent to their tears.
Yi Laosan pulled An Yuan aside and quietly asked, "Young master, where are you going with master Yue Peng?"
An Yuan looked at Han Changsheng, leading his horse, and said, "I"m going to follow him."
Han Changsheng was so eager to return to the Central Plains. He must have discovered something. Since he said he would help him find the person who killed his father, the matter that had been put on hold for fifteen years. No one knew anything but him, and An Yuan had to go with him.
In Yi Laosan"s ears, the words" meaning shifted. Young master, if you marry a chicken, you must follow the chicken. if you marry a dog, you must follow the dog. If you follow a male adulterer… Urr, that"s not right, follow your master around the world?
Choking, Yi Laosan began to wipe away his tears. The blood of the Huangfu family was going to end in An Yuan"s hands.
An Yuan looked at him, at how he cried so inexplicably, and said, "If there is a chance, I will return. Now that Wan Shishan is dead and the Evil Wind Gang is gone, I leave Shi Laoniu at your disposal. Take care of yourself."
It was easy to pacify the big, crying men.
Just as Han Changsheng was about to mount, Yi Laosan came to his side, drawing out a thick cushion from under his arms. He gave it to Han Changsheng, who was baffled by the offer, but accepted it.
Yi Laosan glanced at Han Changsheng"s lower back and b.u.t.t, remembering the image of him leaving An Yuan"s room, his face pained as he rubbed his backside. Sighing, he patted Han Changsheng"s shoulder. "My young master is very young and energetic. Sometimes he doesn"t know his strength. We are all men and can understand. Anyway, I know it"s hard for you. Since the young master prefers doing it that way, I can only do this much for you…"
Han Changsheng: "???"
"Take care!" Yi Laosan said, before turning his head and running away with tears streaming down his face.
After mounting his horse, An Yuan rode to Han Changsheng"s side. "Why aren"t you moving?"
Han Changsheng looked at the cushion in his hands and shrugged. Whatever, he already accepted it. It would be a waste to not use it, so he put it on his saddle before climbing onto his horse. "Let"s go!"
Under the watchful eyes of the townspeople, the two rode off into the distance.