Why do I have so many masters?

Chapter 775: Chapter 63: Meeting an Old Friend (Two in One)_2

In the shaking view, she saw the crowded throngs of people, saw lanterns so red they glowed, lending a bright haze to her vision, witnessed a lady standing to one side, noted those cool, thin eyes, and saw a burly man heavily strike down with his drum mallet, the red ribbon on his arm fluttering.

Thud!

Xi Ming lost consciousness.

The slight sounds and rustles, amid the increasingly intense drumbeats, hardly captured anyone’s attention, the last red pouch was picked up and taken away, the two actors on the wagon sang exaggerated praises and uttered auspicious phrases.

The wagon slowly moved away, and the previously congested crowd resumed its usual flow, like waves crashing back onto the river’s surface, finally returning to calm. No one noticed that a thin girl had disappeared.

There were too many people.

The disappearance of one person was like a drop of water in the ocean, utterly insignificant.

The beautiful woman continuously watched her handmaid being drugged and taken away, saw the plea in her eyes. Her feet seemed rooted in place, unmoving.

She raised her hand to touch her temple hair.

The compassion rising in her heart, the impulse to immediately rescue her maid, was suppressed, for the Dongfang Clan was skilled in Mystical Arts, fate was a secretive matter, and using others to avoid disaster was a taboo among taboos. Yet, she felt no regret.

She closed her eyes, envisioning the secret scrolls of her family.

Centuries ago, Star Palace had once brought chaos to the world, and was collectively suppressed.

The ancestors of the Dongfang Clan voluntarily guarded the secret sites of Star Palace to prevent further turmoil. For centuries now, many generations of brilliant Dongfang Clan members had aged and died in Penglai, gradually fostering resentment.

Twenty-two years ago, the entire Dongfang Clan had devoted Full Strength to nurture the most outstanding disciple in a century, aiming to seize the opportunity of upheaval in Shenzhou to ally with the true dragon, secretly becoming the Empress to distribute the Dragon Qi, to free the Dongfang Clan from their current predicament.

Yet, who knew that generation’s most outstanding disciple would completely disregard the family’s orders.

A complex emotion momentarily flickered in the woman’s eyes.

Her lips parted, she whispered a name, but it was swallowed by the noise of the crowd, her broad-sleeved blue robe making her stand out in the throng, an alienated presence.

………

In the district market on the west side of Liangzhou, the lights shone brilliantly, the most prosperous spot today.

However, the cold sternness of the Military Family far surpassed any festive excitement. A man in his forties lay on the ground, limbs spread, a bloody hole in his chest, blood flowing along his clothes and staining the bluestone floor red.

Wang Anfeng glanced over and noticing the deceased’s pale and delicate hands, almost finer than a woman’s, realized this must be someone of distinguished birth and considerable wealth. Just the moon-white Scholar’s robe, subtly embroidered without a visible stitch, showed meticulous care.

If the shopkeeper of the inn saw this attire, he probably wouldn’t dare to overcharge ten times the price, maybe not even dare to charge the original price, having to settle for seventy or eighty percent of the cost, or perhaps waive the fee altogether.

Scholars in Jiangnan Road were particularly esteemed, more so than in other places.

Liu Ling lifted his eyes and grinned ruefully:

“A hardship indeed, a hardship…”

Wang Anfeng spoke soothingly, “Liu Lao, be at ease, since this disaster arose because of me, I shall naturally ensure your safety.”

Liu Ling then inverted his wine jug, shook it, and said, shaking his head:

“The hardship is, there’s no wine to drink.”

Wang Anfeng chuckled, his mind becoming even more tranquil, knowing the crowd before him would not be unreasonable. Such caution was only because he had just mentioned Jiu Zizai and secondly, the identity of the murderer was still in doubt.

Seeing the lead man approaching briskly, dressed in light scarlet official attire, with pale skin and short beard, his face now tinged with an ashen rage, clearly furious, Wang Anfeng let his right hand hang down, as yet unraised. The man approached the deceased, squatting down to confirm his identity and breath, his face turning white upon doing so.

Someone beside him tried to help him up, but was pushed away by his hand gesture. This official looked towards Wang Anfeng but did not speak to them, he said:

“Are these two accomplices of the murderer?”

The Guard who had led Wang Anfeng along stepped forward, hands clasped and head bowed, spoke loudly: “Undoubtedly, just now I questioned them, and the young man openly stated he was here to find Jiu Zizai, no lies!”

The official’s expression softened slightly and looked at Wang Anfeng, asking:

“Is what he says true?”

Wang Anfeng explained:

“That is indeed the case, but I only came here to…”

“Enough, bring these two suspects, detain them in the rear prison to await judgement!”

Before Wang Anfeng could finish, the official interrupted him most rudely, a flick of his sleeve as experienced guards around drew their weapons, ready to approach.

In their eyes, the old man was not worth mentioning, weakened and frail, and although the young man seemed to be a martial practitioner, his Qi Mechanism was not evident, his vitality ordinary, apparently without any notable skill.

They didn’t know why these two were identified as suspects, but having received their salaries, they only had to do their job. Matters of higher-ups were for them to worry about, not for these enforcers who just needed to execute their duties.

They closed in to surround them.

The first to descend, a Hu warrior with the strongest Qi Mechanism, yet hadn’t made a move, just stood protectively next to a woman, wearing a tense expression. The woman, beautiful and with especially beautiful eyes like pure jade, watched with interest the young man being surrounded.