Chapter 288: Fan Yuanhai's Pursuit

The next day, the sky was already bright!

The street at the East Gate of Xiangu County was packed solid by four imposing and magnificent large carriages.

These four carriages all had black flags with gold-threaded edges fluttering on their roofs, with a bear embroidered in the center of each; these were the flags of a prefecture-level Ya Men, meaning these carriages were official vehicles of the Yuanyang Prefecture government!

These official vehicles had already entered the city at dusk yesterday!

This was the rule of the Sect: Registered Disciples from various places all traveled in official vehicles when entering the Sect! They were allocated according to a quota!

Each official vehicle had two servants driving, wearing official uniforms and black boots, with sabers at their waists, looking quite heroic and imposing!

At this moment, besides the four official vehicles parked there, there were also carriages from various families carrying luggage, as well as people seeing them off, creating a noisy scene with heads bobbing everywhere...

Beside the luggage carriages of each family, servants and Miscellaneous Servants were moving trunks and cages down and placing them onto the official carriages, noisy and pushing against one another.

Duan Rong was naturally not in this crowd of pushing and shouting people; he had not brought any luggage at all, just a single bundle on his back.

Liu Lu was lent to him by Ruan Fengshan to live in, not given to him, and none of the items inside belonged to him.

However, among the crowd of people seeing them off, Duan Rong was firmly held by Ximen Yong.

Tears welled up in Ximen Yong's eyes as he murmured, "Good nephew, I am truly happy that you could become a Registered Disciple!"

Ximen Yong held onto Duan Rong with one hand while calling for Ximen Kankan to come over.

Ximen Kankan was currently fighting with Jiang Qingyu over the placement of luggage on an official carriage; hearing his father call him, he cursed at Jiang Qingyu while running back.

Ximen Kankan ran up to his father.

Ximen Yong was seen holding Ximen Kankan with one hand and Duan Rong with the other, instructing, "Kankan, when you are out and about, do not act on your own initiative in some matters; discuss them more with your Big Brother Duan! Remember, your Big Brother Duan is not an outsider!"

Ximen Kankan gave Duan Rong a strange look; he truly did not understand how his father could trust Duan Rong so much.

Ximen Yong looked at Duan Rong and said, "Good nephew, Kankan has experienced little; help me keep an eye on him so he doesn't cause trouble."

Duan Rong said, "Uncle, rest assured! Kankan not only has a talent for martial arts but is also quick-witted. He has a sense of things and won't cause trouble. If anything really happens, I will also help out."

Ximen Yong said, "Good nephew, with those words from you, I feel much more at ease!"

Not far behind Duan Rong, Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi were also saying their goodbyes.

Xiao Yu had kowtowed to his father in the main hall that morning, which served as his farewell. Xiao Zongting was afraid that if he saw Xiao Yu off, he would be unable to hold back his tears, so he forced himself not to come.

Xiao Yu was usually frugal and only brought a very small trunk, so there was no need to fight with Shen Mizhi, Xia Shuangshuang, and the others for space on the official carriages.

Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi held hands, talking while wiping away tears. Zhu Xiaoqi was crying with teary eyes...

Lv Qingzhu stood at the edge of the crowd with a calm expression, but A Mo beside her had already become somewhat impatient. "Miss, look at these people, dawdling so much."

Lv Qingzhu said, "Changliu Mountain is a thousand miles away. After this farewell, who knows when we will meet again? Shedding tears while seeing someone off is human nature."

As Lv Qingzhu spoke, she sighed lightly; she also missed home a little, and missed her grandfather a little.

On this trip down the mountain, she had traveled a thousand miles and seen many worldly affairs. Along the way, she had truly felt a lack of interest; these matters were really not as suited to her temperament as cultivating in the mountains!

Clerk Qin also stood at the edge of the crowd, looking far away at Shen Yanliu, who was talking to Shen Mizhi beside the carriage, his expression somewhat dim.

During the three years Shen Yanliu had been in Xiangu County, he had served him with all his heart, welcoming and sending off guests, and sparing no effort in both family and official matters. He had originally thought that when Shen Yanliu was promoted, he would take him along, but he had not expected that Shen Yanliu had no such intention at all.

After Shen Yanliu saw Shen Mizhi off, he himself was also going to Ruyang Prefecture to take up his post. Although Clerk Qin felt resentment in his heart, he dared not fail to come and see him off.

Firstly, it was because Shen Yanliu was being promoted and leaving Xiangu County, and secondly, because the newly promoted Registered Disciples were going to travel far to the Sect, and the major forces and prominent figures of Xiangu County had all rushed over to see them off.

Fan Yuanhai looked left and right in the crowd for a good while before slowly pacing over to Clerk Qin's side and saying, "Clerk Qin, why haven't I seen Head Constable Xie? Was he sent out on official business again?"

"This..." Clerk Qin hesitated for a moment, thought about Fan Yuanhai's status as a Sect Emissary, and still said, "Head Constable Xie was murdered! His body was discovered the day before yesterday morning in the Wild Lake behind the City God Temple!"

"What? Murdered?"

Fan Yuanhai's scalp went numb, and his whole body stiffened.

In his two visits to Xiangu County, Xie Daohan could be considered his only friend in this place. Moreover, the day before the Talent Selection Meeting, the two were still drinking together; only ten days had passed, and Xie Daohan was actually dead!

Xie Daohan was a True Qi Realm expert, and a Head Constable in charge of a county's criminal justice—how could he have been killed?

This Xiangu County really was a small temple with wild demon winds!

Over here, Ximen Yong was just talking to Ximen Kankan and Duan Rong when a Personal Attendant from the Ximen Mansion who was moving trunks behind them suddenly stumbled, and with a clatter, a box fell beside the carriage, and the picture books inside rolled all over the ground.

Hearing the sound, Ximen Kankan turned his head abruptly. Seeing the picture books all over the ground, his expression changed drastically. He immediately pulled his hand away from his father's, ran to the side of the carriage, and while cursing the Personal Attendant, began picking up the picture books from the ground and putting them back into the box.

Inside these were all the Spring Palace Paintings he had collected; he had specially selected a few fine pieces and placed them in this trunk.

Fortunately, these paintings were all rolled up and tied tightly, so even though they had fallen out of the box, not a single one had unfurled. Moreover, he had treated these paintings with that medicinal water, so even if they did unfurl, they would just be a blob of ink stains, and people would not be able to see the truth of them.

Ximen Kankan did not notice that the moment the box hit the ground, one scroll of a painting rolled under the bottom of a carriage and stopped just beside a pair of embroidered shoes with plum blossoms.

Xia Shuangshuang and her father, Xia Zhongyang, were standing beside their own carriage, watching the servants and Miscellaneous Servants move luggage onto the official carriage while exchanging parting words.

Xia Shuangshuang suddenly noticed a painting rolling past her feet. She thought it had fallen from her own trunk. She usually liked these things, and this time, traveling far to the Sect, she had also brought a few favorite paintings, among which was the "Heaven and Earth Spear Dancing Painting" that Duan Rong had painted for her.

Xia Shuangshuang picked up the painting at her feet, her brows slightly furrowed, because the trunk she packed her paintings in had already been moved onto the official carriage just now; where exactly did this painting fall from?

With this question in mind, Xia Shuangshuang untied the thin string and opened the painting.

She saw a naked woman in the painting, holding up light gauze with both hands. Her graceful figure was revealed without reservation, and beside her beautiful navel, there was also a strangely shaped red birthmark with blurred edges.

All the Spring Palace Paintings Ximen Kankan collected had been treated by him with that concealing medicinal water.

It was only a few hours before departure that he had just looked at this Spring Palace Painting of Xia Shuangshuang.

The journey would take quite a long time, and Ximen Kankan had thought of this, so he wanted to feast his eyes one last time before leaving to satisfy the hunger in his heart.

At this moment, the concealing medicinal water, which had faded after he had heated it, had not yet reappeared; what was presented in the painting was the original appearance of the Spring Palace Painting, which was Xia Shuangshuang's naked body.

At this moment, it was not only Xia Shuangshuang who was looking at this painting, but even her father, Xia Zhongyang, saw it all.

Xia Shuangshuang was so angry that her face turned pale and her whole body trembled!

Just at this moment, she heard Ximen Kankan calling out from not far behind their carriage: "Find it for me! There is still one more!"

He had selected eight Spring Palace Paintings in total, and now there were only seven. Each of these eight was a peerless masterpiece; if one were missing, wouldn't that be the death of him?

Xia Shuangshuang channeled her Internal Breath into both hands and blasted it out, directly shattering the painting she held open into fragments, which rose with the wind!

Her eyes turned red, and she turned around abruptly, grabbed the Long Spear from inside the carriage, ripped off the spear cover, and with a flash of cold light, she lunged through the gap between the carriages!

Ximen Kankan was just crawling under a nearby carriage to look for the painting. He had just crawled out from under that carriage when he suddenly saw a flash of cold light, and a silver-bright spear tip thrust toward his throat...

Duan Rong was chatting with Ximen Yong when he suddenly saw paper scraps flying beside a carriage behind them, and then he saw Xia Shuangshuang, her skirt fluttering, as a Long Spear suddenly thrust out, stabbing toward Ximen Kankan, who had just crawled out from under a carriage to the side.

When the paper scraps flew up, Duan Rong's eyes twitched. Seeing Xia Shuangshuang thrusting with the Long Spear, he immediately leaped forward and used the sheathed Minghong Saber to block in front of Ximen Kankan.

The tip of Xia Shuangshuang's spear struck the surface of Duan Rong's saber. With a bang, the scabbard shattered into pieces, revealing the dark-colored Minghong Saber inside.

Only then did Duan Rong's Internal Breath barely pour out; he tilted the blade, and Xia Shuangshuang's spearhead veered to the side along with it.

Seeing his chance, Ximen Kankan immediately scrambled out from the carriage, stood behind Duan Rong, and shouted anxiously, "Shuangshuang, what are you doing?"

"I'll kill you, you little lecher!"

In a fit of rage, Xia Shuangshuang's eyes turned red, and she swept her Long Spear to attack Ximen Kankan again.

Ximen Kankan naturally saw Xia Shuangshuang's great fury at a glance. He was at the Great Success Realm, and his Lightness Skill was quite good. As the saying goes, a wise man does not fight when the odds are against him, so he immediately displayed his movement technique, dodging and weaving between the carriage crates to evade the cold glint of Xia Shuangshuang's Long Spear!

As he danced with the wind, a piece of paper landed on Ximen Kankan's face. While dodging, he took it in his hand and looked; he saw that the paper contained a small, onion-white finger wrapped in sheer gauze.

Ximen Kankan's face instantly turned the color of a pig's liver. Having seen this corner of a delicate hand on the paper, how could he not know what had happened?

On this side, Ximen Yong, seeing Xia Shuangshuang holding the Long Spear and chasing Ximen Kankan all over the place, immediately came to Xia Zhongyang's side and said, "Brother Xia, what is the reason for this!?"

Xia Zhongyang was the god of wealth in Xiangu County, and Ximen Yong usually had a very good relationship with him, with frequent dealings!

But at this moment, Xia Zhongyang's face was livid. He snorted coldly, glared at Ximen Yong, and gritted his teeth viciously, "It's all the good son you've raised!?"

Ximen Yong was startled by Xia Zhongyang's attitude. He suddenly saw two pieces of paper on the ground by his feet and reached out to pick them up. One piece of paper contained a navel, and the other contained a pair of eyes.

At Heihu Gang, Duan Rong had covered his face, yet Ximen Yong had recognized him just by his eyes. At this moment, he naturally saw at a glance that the eyes on the paper were Xia Shuangshuang's.

This was not just because Ximen Yong had keen eyesight; it was truly because Duan Rong had drawn them too much like the real person, even capturing a hint of the charm in the shifting of her gaze.

Looking again at the exposed navel on the other piece of paper, and then recalling how he had beaten Ximen Kankan until his skin was torn and flesh mangled a few years ago because of a Spring Palace Painting, how could Ximen Yong not know what had happened?

Ximen Kankan had, after all, achieved the Great Success Realm and possessed good Lightness Skill. Although Xia Shuangshuang was intercepting and killing, Ximen Kankan was dodging with ease!

Seeing that Xia Shuangshuang was struggling to succeed, Xia Zhongyang moved his body, intending to intervene!

Just at this moment, Duan Rong suddenly blocked in front of Xia Zhongyang!

Seeing Duan Rong block him, Xia Zhongyang said in a great rage, "Get out of the way!"

Xia Zhongyang was only at the Great Success Realm! In terms of martial strength, he was no longer a match for Duan Rong!

But Duan Rong had no intention of fighting him, and he cupped his fists, saying, "Mr. Xia! If you intervene as well, it might end in a death! Mr. Xia, do you really want it to come to this?"

A chill went through Xia Zhongyang, and he instantly calmed down. He had been struggling in the business world for many years, so his mind was naturally smooth and rational; it was just that Xia Shuangshuang was the apple of his eye, and concern had clouded his judgment, causing his anger to boil over just now.

Thinking about it now, Shuangshuang was clearly filled with irrepressible indignation. If he were to intercept Ximen Kankan at this moment, Shuangshuang, in her agitation, might truly stab Ximen Kankan to death.

If that were the outcome, how would it be resolved then?

In the field, Ximen Kankan was dodging, but he saw that every move Xia Shuangshuang made was a lethal strike, and the look in her eyes toward him was filled with disgust and resentment. Recalling his usual admiration for Xia Shuangshuang, Ximen Kankan's heart suddenly turned ice-cold!

Ximen Kankan saw Xia Shuangshuang biting her lip again as she flashed out from the side of a carriage, thrusting her spear toward him.

Xia Shuangshuang's beautiful face flashed by, and the resolute killing intent in her eyes stung Ximen Kankan's heart.

Ximen Kankan suddenly stood still and roared, "Shuangshuang! Kill me then!"

Xia Shuangshuang arrived in a leap and stood in front of Ximen Kankan. The tip of the Long Spear instantly pressed against Ximen Kankan's throat, and she said, "Do you think I dare not kill you?"

Ximen Kankan's face flushed hot, and he shouted, "Shuangshuang, I admit I admire you! If you loathe me, then kill me! Use my blood to cleanse my sin of desecration!"

Everyone on the field had not expected Ximen Kankan to suddenly stop dodging and stand still; even Xia Shuangshuang had not expected it.

At this moment, Xia Shuangshuang's spear tip was already pressing against Ximen Kankan's throat; life and death were in a single thought of hers!

Duan Rong's eyelids twitched wildly; he wanted to intervene, but the distance was too great.

Ximen Yong and Xia Zhongyang both held their breath, terrified that Xia Shuangshuang would truly stab Ximen Kankan to death.

"Fine!" Xia Shuangshuang called out with a pale face and trembling lips, and then her shoulder gave a jerk.

Seeing Xia Shuangshuang's shoulder jerk from afar, Xia Zhongyang immediately shouted, "Shuangshuang! No!"

Tears welled up in Xia Shuangshuang's eyes, and she thrust the spear tip forward!

Just as Ximen Kankan was about to die on the spot, Zhu Qunxiang, who was standing behind Ximen Kankan, suddenly flashed forward and grabbed the red tassel at the spearhead.

Zhu Qunxiang was a powerhouse of the True Qi Realm. With his grab, the force of Xia Shuangshuang's thrust surged back like a tide crashing against a mountain!

Zhu Qunxiang said coldly, "Stop this nonsense! Be careful not to miss the departure time!"

Xia Shuangshuang had thrust her spear, her eyes blurred by tears; at that moment, she truly thought she had stabbed Ximen Kankan to death. After the thrust, her whole body went limp, and she was about to collapse to the ground!

Xia Zhongyang leaped out, took a few jumps, stood by Xia Shuangshuang's side, and caught her.

Tears rolled down Xia Shuangshuang's face as she looked at her father who was supporting her, then threw herself into Xia Zhongyang's arms and began to sob bitterly!

While comforting Xia Shuangshuang, Xia Zhongyang stared with disgust at Ximen Kankan not far away.

Ximen Kankan's shock had just subsided; there was a faint, inch-long line of blood on his throat.

Ximen Yong also ran over, hugged Ximen Kankan, and said, "Kankan, are you alright?"

At that moment just now, Ximen Yong had almost lost his soul! He thought Kankan was really going to be stabbed to death. "Why are you so stupid?"

"Father!"

Zhu Qunxiang threw Xia Shuangshuang's Long Spear to the ground with a clatter and glared angrily at the father and daughter, Xia Shuangshuang and Xia Zhongyang. He had no idea what had happened; in his view, it was just Xia Shuangshuang making a scene and delaying his departure time.

Zhu Qunxiang said loudly, "We depart in a quarter of an hour! Everyone be quick about it! A bunch of brats, truly a damn nuisance!"

(End of chapter)