Chapter 733: Preview

Standing inside the main gate and looking in, Tang Zhao saw a sight too ghastly to behold.

This grand residence belonged to a person of princely rank; the mansion was built according to regulations, spacious and magnificent, but now it was a scene of utter chaos.

Fresh blood covered the ground, flowing wantonly. The blood had already turned a dark red, far less dazzling and eye-catching than the blood at Ning Shou Gong that day, yet the quantity was more than ten or a hundred times greater, flowing into every corner of the residence gate. The dark red residue in the cracks of the floor tiles recorded that blood had once flowed here like a drifting oar.

Naturally, there were dead people in the pools of blood. The blood flowed along the way, and people died along the way. Tang Zhao saw men, women, old people, children, servants, maids...

This was an extermination of a family!

An extermination that left not even a chicken or dog alive!

Tang Zhao felt a chill and thought: Was this done by the Grandmaster again? Using extreme measures to eliminate political rivals at a time like this? Or was someone else taking advantage of the chaos to fish in troubled waters?

Perhaps the latter was more likely; the Grandmaster's methods would be cleaner and more efficient. These people clearly died from blades and external wounds, not Heavenly Thunder. Most likely, someone was fishing in troubled waters.

Was this the political struggle at the center of power in Jingcheng?

It was as cruel as Wangliang Mountain! The last time he saw such a massacre was at Wangliang Mountain. That was the most evil place in the world; what was the difference between what happened there and what happened in this place, which was touted as the most virtuous place in the world?

The Empress Dowager accidentally killed an emperor, triggering a series of shocks; how many people had died because of it?

Tang Zhao was both angry and worried: If there wasn't just one or two such exterminations in Jingcheng, would the Southern Commander and other acquaintances also be in danger?

Just as he was thinking this, his heart suddenly stirred, and he hurriedly released a Time Jar and hid himself inside it.

After he hid, a group of people entered the main gate. Seeing that the leaders were all wearing Daoist robes, Tang Zhao immediately confirmed their identities: they must be people from the Nine Heavens Dao Palace.

Moreover, there was actually an acquaintance among these people.

The leading Daoist was dressed similarly to Xu Zhongnan, and his rank was also similar. Seeing the situation in the mansion, he took a deep breath and said in shock and anger: "We are late! Damn it! Another one, and this time it's a Grandmaster. The entire Hengchang Prince Mansion has also met with a tragic end! Who exactly is it?"

Tang Zhao listened in secret and thought: Are there really other victims? Many people died? Since the Dao Palace people came to handle this matter, does that mean it really wasn't the Grandmaster who did it?

Of course, it could also be the Grandmaster crying "thief" while being the thief, clearly doing it himself and then calling his Disciples to put on a show.

But Tang Zhao felt it was unlikely. Although the Grandmaster was mysterious all year round, still as a puppet and moving like Heavenly Thunder, and his methods were cruel, he was not the type to be hypocritical. He had the aura of looking down on all living beings; if he killed, he killed, and he would certainly not find others to put on a show.

In that case, there really was no shortage of people fishing in troubled waters in Jingcheng?

The Daoist shook his head and said: "You all search. See if there are any survivors or any other clues."

The crowd agreed and went to search in different directions.

A young Daoist walked around a small courtyard and moved two maids who had fallen to the ground to the side, muttering: "A sin, a sin." Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind the wall, pulled him, and before he could even scream, he was stuffed into the Time Jar.

"Sorry, brother."

The person who did it was, of course, Tang Zhao.

Tang Zhao originally only wanted to hide in the blind spot of this group's Doubt and act, but he inadvertently saw an acquaintance—the owner of the Mask that Weise had prepared for him, who was also Xu Zhongnan's neighbor, named Guo Mingfan. Weise once told him that he could replace this person at any time to obtain an official identity.

Tang Zhao had never used this plan. Firstly, the Nine Heavens Dao Palace people were all busy with missions, and they were all in groups; replacing his identity would mean being restricted, which was not as free as acting alone. The other reason, and the most important one, was: he hadn't found this kid.

That little Daoist was out on a mission, and Tang Zhao had no chance to see him at all. His courage was not great enough to go out on the street under a fake identity without dealing with the original owner; it would be embarrassing if a "true and false Monkey King" situation broke out. Obviously, the Grandmaster would not have the wisdom of the Buddha to distinguish the true from the false; it was more likely he would strike both of them down.

Today, he happened to see him here.

It just so happened that Tang Zhao heard that the Grandmaster's team was more familiar with the news in Jingcheng, and mixing in could get more information. Furthermore, since the person was delivered to his eyes, it was like Heaven's will; how could he not grasp such a great opportunity? Immediately, he did it in one go and swapped places with the little Daoist.

When he came out again, Tang Zhao successfully entered the team.

He observed calmly. There were eight Daoist Immortal Officials in this team, and the one he was playing ranked third in this team, a middle-to-upper position. This order was very beneficial for hiding.

"Senior Brother, I found three dead people in the East courtyard, two maids and one servant, all had their throats slit, and blood sprayed a zhang high. No survivors were found, and six people were found in the woodshed..."

These people all made reports after searching, and the contents were much the same. They were all statistics, and no one had any clues to speak of. Tang Zhao reported in a disciplined manner while mixed in. He had heard the little Daoist's voice before and imitated it carefully, and sure enough, he did not reveal any flaws.

The Daoist counted silently and said: "More than eighty people in the family died. The Hengchang Prince Mansion is a small Wangfu, so that's about how many people there are. It really is leaving not even a chicken or dog alive... Damn it! This is a provocation!"

He said loudly: "This thief is not only wicked, but also doesn't put us in his eyes, doesn't put the Dao Palace in his eyes! Killing is killing, why send a letter to the Dao Palace specifically after killing? And it's one letter after another, every single one is an extermination case! He kills in front, and makes us chase his butt behind; if this isn't a provocation, what is? He actually dares to fool the Dao Palace!"

The crowd hung their heads and said nothing. Tang Zhao's heart jumped: there was actually such a thing as a murder notice?

At this time, a young Disciple said: "Senior Brother, is it possible that the person who killed and the person who sent the letter are two different people, or two different forces? One of them has good intentions; he is unable to stop the killing, so he tells us, wanting to ask us to rush over to stop it? Could it be that we arrived too late?"

The Daoist was so angry he laughed and shouted: "Junior Brother Lu, you are too naive! If there was only one letter, that might be possible, but how many letters are there now? Five or six, every time it's someone killed first, and the information sent later. Every time the information only has a time and location, telling us to go over, and there isn't an extra word. Can this be good intentions? He can send letter after letter, which means the situation isn't dangerous, so what's difficult about writing two more words to explain the situation? What's wrong with providing clues about the murderer? Since he doesn't write, it means he doesn't want to write. Telling us is just declaring that you can't do anything about me. If this isn't called a provocation, what is? Does he have to mock you and say you are all idiots for you to realize it?"

The crowd was silent again, feeling that what he said made sense. This kind of letter that notified the time and place without head or tail was either a provocation or a show-off.

Regardless of the possibility, it showed that the other party was psychologically twisted and was an extremely dangerous person. Honestly, such perverted characters existed in the Jianghu, but they were rare in the Imperial Court struggles. It wasn't because the high-ranking officials had good mental health, but because this behavior greatly increased their own risks. The powerful people who knew the Grandmaster's strength generally didn't look for excitement like this. These Dao Palace Disciples could be considered to have opened their eyes today.

However, only one person felt a chill in his heart.

Tang Zhao thought secretly: Notifying the time and place in advance, and finding that it really happened when arriving, why was this pattern so familiar?

Prophecy... time...

Tang Zhao's heart sank: perhaps there really was a very mysterious hand manipulating something behind the scenes.

It seems he needed to go and Ask the Prince Shun for news channels.

"Damn it, this person provokes again and again, but we have no clues. Are we just going to wait for him to send a message next time and race against time with him? Is there no way to prevent it before it happens?"

The Daoist looked at the others, truly asking for a strategy. Several ideas popped into Tang Zhao's mind, but as an impostor, he had the self-awareness to keep a low profile, so naturally, he wouldn't rush to speak.

However, he found that the leading Daoist actually looked at him and asked: "Mingfan, you are the most resourceful, tell us, how can we turn the tables?"

What the hell? I am actually the most resourceful?

Tang Zhao knew Guo Mingfan's information, but that was what Weise had inquired from Xu Zhongnan. Although Xu Zhongnan and Guo Mingfan were still considered acquaintances, their "working relationship" was distant, and they hadn't been partners. He only gave life characteristics and positions, and he didn't even know that this junior Disciple Guo Mingfan was actually considered a strategist in his department.

Tang Zhao felt it was very troublesome. Saying more would lead to more mistakes. Although he could escape by his strength even if he was exposed, if that happened, he would basically have the blame for this extermination pinned on his own head. It would be strange if they didn't think he was the mastermind lurking and causing trouble. Even if they couldn't catch him, it would be easy to summon the Grandmaster.

Better to see if he could bluff his way through first.

Tang Zhao had actually observed Guo Mingfan for a while, and he could still grasp some of his manners and voice. He pinched his voice and said: "If I look at it, if we want to change from passive to active, we naturally have to guess the target of the other party in advance and rush over ahead of time. Rather than guessing the next time and place, it is better to guess who will be next. To guess who it will be, we must first look at who the past families were and what similarities they had. Only by finding the pattern can we infer whose turn it is next."

The Daoist nodded and said: "That makes sense. What similarities do you think they have?"

You want me to say it?

I don't even know who the previous ones were who died!

Tang Zhao was helpless and had to say: "Senior Brother stands high and sees far, why don't you analyze it from the overall situation?"

He kicked the ball back, and the Daoist didn't notice anything, pondering: "These people, Master Lin was both civil and military, a pillar of the country. Master Meng was a relative of the emperor, but the Empress Dowager is already gone, and he has been recuperating for many years, not interfering in court affairs, and not making enemies. Although General Longxiang had outstanding military exploits, he was arrogant and had too many enemies, but he lost power the year before last, and now he is a toothless tiger..."

He analyzed the status, power, and stance of several people one by one, only feeling that he couldn't grasp the point, and frowned: "Although these big shots don't have low status, they are no longer key figures now. Two of them can even be said to be at the point where one more is not too many and one less is not too few. What other reason is there to harm them..."

Tang Zhao pondered, and at this moment someone in the Inner courtyard said, "Senior Brother, come quickly, I have discovered something strange!"