Chapter 51: Strategies, Resolved

Seeing the Golden Scale Guard scatter and begin collecting traces left at the scene, Fang Xu felt a slight nervousness.

"You seem to be afraid?"

Seeing Li Xun personally go to examine a heap of rotting flesh, Yun Wan's voice sounded again.

Fang Xu blinked slightly, thinking inwardly that this was not good.

It must be that my earlier worry about Wang Erhu's grave being discovered had leaked my nervousness unintentionally.

But why does this girl Yun Wan keep staring at me?

Could she have discovered something?

Fang Xu thought, then clasped his hands and said, "I heard these government troops died miserably; part of their flesh rotted instantly, turning straight to bone."

"'Kid, are you wondering if any of the shamans' methods—like poison—still linger here?'"

"'Oh...' Yun Wan nodded slightly, didn't press further, and simply said, 'I've already brought people to inspect this place; there's no poison residue—just don't touch the corpses.'"

"'Young Lord, we've found something!'"

As her words fell, a voice from a Golden Scale Guard came from below the cliff.

Li Xun was examining nearby bones when he heard the shout; he leapt up and jumped straight down from a ten-zhang-high cliff!

Seeing this, Yun Wan also moved like a startled swan, lightly tapping and drifting down toward the cliff base.

Fang Xu saw this, tried on the cliff, realized he lacked their ability to jump off, so he just stubbornly jumped—risking broken bones—so instead he slid down the gentle slope beside it.

"'Young Lord, someone buried something here, and it was done right after these government troops died.' a Golden Scale Guard said, pinching the soil in his hand."

As Fang Xu just approached and heard this, his brows furrowed slightly.

Can that even be analyzed?

"'Dig it up and see!' Li Xun said immediately."

Two Golden Scale Guards, upon receiving the order, began digging and soon unearthed Wang Erhu's corpse.

"'Government troops' armor!'"

Seeing the black armor before her, Yun Wan blinked, then immediately used her sword to pry out an iron plate from the rotting corpse's neck of Wang Erhu.

"'This is Wang Erhu, a government troop of Huangzhou Prefecture.' Yun Wan said, reading the name on the iron plate."

Hearing this, Li Xun narrowed his eyes and said, "Is that so… quite a good find, Fang Xu, what do you think?"

While speaking, Li Xun turned his bull-headed gaze toward Fang Xu.

Meeting his gaze, Fang Xu bowed slightly and said, "I don't think so."

"'Huh?'"

Li Xun had hoped to find some agreement from Fang Xu, but seeing him deny his guess, a chill flashed in his eyes.

Beside her, Yun Wan also didn't quite understand—how could he, who had been desperately disguising himself, say such a thing at this moment?

"'Young Lord, please forgive me; allow me to analyze a bit. If you find it unreasonable, you may punish me afterward.' Fang Xu said, clasping his hands."

Li Xun gave a cold chuckle and said lightly, "As the Young Lord, I'll give you a chance. If you can't explain yourself, I'll bury you together with this corpse."

After glancing at Wang Erhu's corpse, Fang Xu said slowly, "You, Young Lord, probably don't know what status Wang Erhu held."

Li Xun blinked at the words: "What status? Isn't he just a government troop of Huangzhou Prefecture?"

Fang Xu continued: "Yes, but he also has another identity—he is the brother of Wang Er Gou."

"'Don't blame me, Young Lord, but Wang Erhu is a resident of Fenglin Town; since childhood he often came to play at my place and is acquainted with most of the townsfolk.'"

"'If I happened to see him miserably dead by the roadside, neighbors would naturally not want his bones devoured by beasts and would bury him on the spot—that's only human.'"

Wang Erhu being a Fenglin Town resident was something Li Xun didn't know.

In Li Xun's view, Fang Xu's analysis seemed reasonable; if he persisted on this point, he'd inevitably waste more time.

"'Your life is spared.' After pondering for a long time, Li Xun suddenly said."

Hearing this, Fang Xu quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Young Lord!"

Although he couldn't fathom what Li Xun intended to investigate by using Wang Erhu's burial here, since he was the one who buried the corpse, he could not let Li Xun continue probing.

If they really found out, he would surely lose his life.

Thus he dared to oppose Li Xun's guess, diverting his attention elsewhere.

Still, he was careless.

Perhaps he shouldn't have been soft-hearted back then and buried Wang Erhu; otherwise he wouldn't be in danger today.

"'Have all the other clues been gathered?' Li Xun asked, glancing at the Golden Scale Guard behind him."

"'Reporting to the Young Lord, all is collected!' a Golden Scale Guard replied, clasping his hands."

"'Let's go!' Li Xun waved his hand, preparing to lead the Golden Scale Guard back."

"'Young Lord!' Fang Xu suddenly called out, clasping his hands: 'I wish to rebury Wang Erhu's corpse before we leave; please grant permission, Young Lord.'"

Li Xun slowly turned, his expression shifting slightly.

He didn't fully believe Fang Xu's words, even suspecting that Fang Xu risked death to defy him.

But now, hearing him request to rebury Wang Erhu's corpse before leaving, Li Xun suddenly felt perhaps his earlier words were true.

Perhaps a townsfolk truly went up the mountain, found Wang Erhu's corpse, and casually buried him here.

"'Hurry up, don't keep the Young Lord waiting.' With his doubts dispelled, Li Xun said lightly."

Fang Xu quickly clasped his hands, dragged Wang Erhu's corpse back into the pit, swiftly covered it, then hurried to Li Xun's side and said, "Young Lord, we can go now."

At night, similarly at the town eatery, the three sat around a table drinking.

After eating and drinking to their fill, Li Xun glanced at Yun Wan, didn't offer to see her off, and directly took twenty Golden Scale Guards back to analyze the clues.

Yun Wan shouted to wake the pretended-drunk Fang Xu, suspiciously saying, "You seem to have something on your mind today."

"'Why stop Li Xun from investigating who buried Wang Erhu's corpse there?'"

Fang Xu belched, smiled faintly, and said, "Miss Yun, do you want to hear the truth?"

Yun Wan did not answer, but her eyes already held a scrutinizing intent.

Wang Erhu is the Huangzhou Prefecture's prefecture troops; she is the Huangzhou Prefecture's princess. The prefecture troops were killed, an affront to the Huangzhou Prefecture's face, so she naturally wants to quickly capture those shamans to restore face.

If Fang Xu intended to obstruct, she wouldn't mind treating him as an accomplice of the shamans and executing him on the spot.

"People will die... Investigating further will get people killed..."

Fang Xu muttered: "With the pride of a Young Master, this visit to Maple Forest Town has already run into a wall. If we now treat a completely useless clue as the main investigative direction, wasting considerable effort and time, only to discover at the end that it was some town commoner who buried Wang Erhu, what do you think Miss Yun would suppose that commoner's fate would be?"

Yun Wan was slightly taken aback.

According to the rumors about Li Xun's wayward and violent nature, if he really spent great effort investigating only to find it a wild-goose chase, his embarrassment turning to anger would surely lead him to massacre the entire family of that commoner to vent his fury.

"Why do you so staunchly defend the townspeople?" Yun Wan asked curiously.

Fang Xu let out a soft sigh and said: "My grandfather was a well-known carpenter in the town; when I was young I often followed him to do odd jobs at the homes of nearby commoners, repairing farm tools, and became acquainted with most of the people in town."

"They are ordinary folk, seeking nothing more than three meals a day and a peaceful life."

Having said that, Fang Xu gave a faint smile, looked at Yun Wan, and said: "Although I have the cultivation of a Martial Apprentice Second Level, I am still an ordinary person; I will help them as I am able."

"But you publicly rejected Li Xun's conjecture today; aren't you afraid he'll kill you?" Yun Wan asked again.

"He won't." Fang Xu said firmly: "If there were even the slightest chance he might kill me, I wouldn't step forward."

"After all, one's own life is paramount; if successful, one benefits the world; if not, one looks after oneself..."

"Miss Yun, it's getting late, you..."

Having glanced at the silvery light covering the ground outside the window, Yun Wan slowly rose to her feet, gave Fang Xu a deep look, and said: "Come walk with me."

Thanks for reading, everyone!

(End of chapter)