Chapter 630: Doubts Piled High

"Li Shaoxia is joking."

Madam Pei turned to close the door, her waist swaying as she walked over, spun around, and sat sideways on the bench, crossing one leg over the other to reveal her striking curves.

Then, propping her cheek in her hand, she gazed at Li Yan and whispered, "Why must it be him? Can't I come to you myself?"

"Or do you find me old and faded?"

As she spoke, her eyes brimmed with sorrow.

"Madam Pei need not test me."

Li Yan's expression remained calm; he picked up the teapot himself and poured tea for both of them. "Your heartbeat stays steady when you speak—clearly a technique meant to unsettle your opponent's mind before seizing control. It has no effect on me."

"Also, just now you referred to Brother Shen as 'him,' not in ordinary terms, and you avoided others—clearly you have something private to tell me."

"Oh?"

Hearing Li Yan's words, Madam Pei's eyes widened in surprise; she straightened her posture, her face turning solemn, her demeanor now dignified.

In that instant, she seemed to have become an entirely different person.

She lifted her teacup, sipped, then said, "Li Shaoxia, forgive me—this matter is grave. Sanlang and I are bound by life and death; he entrusted his life to me, yet I still cannot rest easy."

"Now I see—you are no ordinary man."

"I simply know what to do—and what not to do."

Li Yan shook his head, his expression turning grave. "Brother Shen is of the Yin Jiao. Who dares trouble him?"

Madam Pei fell silent for a moment. "Do you know who his master is?"

Li Yan replied, "The Yin Jiao has masters who oversee the Five Yin Sacrifices, roaming Shenzhou. I know only that his master is one of them—named 'Yin Jiuge.'"

Madam Pei nodded. "It seems Shen Lang truly trusts you."

"His master is over sixty, posing as a fengshui geomancer wandering the rivers and lakes, carrying soil from a hundred graves, adding earth to every lonely mound—he is the eldest among the Five Yin Sacrifices, hence the nickname 'Central Mound-Building Old Man.'"

"Shen Lang came from Shu recently, stopping here to rest before meeting his master. But just then, the Paper Man Case erupted in Luoyang, and Mount Mangshan stirred strangely."

"He went to investigate. When he returned, he was changed. He gave me some things and left a will to be delivered to Chang'an—like a man preparing for death…"

Li Yan frowned. "Didn't he say what happened?"

Madam Pei shook her head. "I asked. He wouldn't speak. It must be something grave—something he had to do, yet could not reveal to me."

"He knew you were coming to Yuzhou. He asked me to watch for signs—and left a message for you…"

She took a deep breath. "If you ever meet him again, and you find yourselves enemies—strike without mercy!"

Li Yan was stunned. "Why so extreme?"

"I don't know."

Madam Pei shook her head. "Those were his exact words—he gave me the same warning, then left. No word since."

Li Yan fell silent, a thought suddenly rising in his mind.

When Shen Sanyou came to him, he was acting on the Yin Jiao's orders, inquiring about the Nine Cauldrons. Could the Yin Jiao itself be compromised—or have they uncovered some clue?

This looks like a man preparing to die.

What exactly is Shen Sanyou doing?

As he pondered, Madam Pei pulled a letter from her bosom. "He said you came to Yuzhou to save a friend, and asked me to help. This is all the information I could gather."

"The Earth Dragon Son is untrustworthy—be wary."

"Thank you, Elder."

Li Yan accepted the letter with solemnity—his address had changed.

After seeing Madam Pei off, Li Yan opened the letter and examined it carefully. It contained all known details about Zhao Lüzi:

Luoyang Branch, Longmen Inn, Year YiSi, third month, twenty-third day

Investigation into the movements of the treasure-seeker Zhao Lüzi and his wife in Yuzhou:

One: On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month of YiSi year, Zhao and his wife entered Luoyang from southern Yuzhou, posing as restorers of ancient steles, using forged travel permits to enter the Southern Market. They frequently visited the abandoned home of "Tu Long Zhang," suspected of probing the geomantic veins of Jingling.

Two: On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhao's wife alone raided the burial pit of Emperor Xianwen of Northern Wei on North Mangshan. That night, a paper sedan chair traveled through Mangshan…

Three: On the first day of the first lunar month, the Earth Dragon Son brought Zhao and his wife to meet the Luoyang antiquities dealer "Jin Yanfeng," claiming to seek the Northern Wei's Dust-Avoiding Pearl…

Four: On the Awakening of Insects in the second lunar month, Zhao Lüzi appeared at the Yique Grottoes. On the same day, the first corpse of the Luoyang Paper Man Case was found in the Southern Market…

As Li Yan read these clues, his brow tightened.

Indeed, the Earth Dragon Son had concealed much.

Before hiring him, Zhao Lüzi had already begun tomb-raiding. The two were clearly not merely hired hands.

Moreover, Zhao Lüzi was a treasure-seeker of the Ganshan lineage—strictly bound by rules, never touching matters of the Tanyou school.

Why such a drastic change in behavior?

Li Yan sensed it must be tied to his wife.

Come to think of it, his wife was an acquaintance.

She was none other than Feng Feiyan, the charming shopkeeper of Chang'an.

This woman had once been an undercover agent trained by the Commandant Office, later accidentally caught in its internal strife, nearly losing her life, then vanishing without trace.

How had she become Zhao Lüzi's wife?

Had it not been for Shen Sanyou's mention, Li Yan would never have believed it.

Zhao Lüzi's breach of oath, leaving Guanzhong, and his tomb-raiding—surely tied to this woman.

Thinking of this, Li Yan's eyes darkened with lethal intent.

One—a dull-witted treasure-seeker.

One—a scheming woman risen from murky waters.

If Feng Feiyan was behind this, even if she was close to Red Nightfork, he would show no mercy!

Tu Long Zhang, Jin Yanfeng…

After memorizing these two key names, Li Yan went to bed.

Now that he had clues, he had no need to be polite to the Earth Dragon Son. On the road to Luoyang, he would force answers from him.

………

In a daze, Li Yan dreamed.

In a dark pit, a withered finger carved blood-characters into blue bricks. The figure's shape was unmistakably Zhao Lüzi—long unseen.

Li Yan instinctively leaned closer, wanting to read what was written.

But the shadowed Zhao Lüzi suddenly raised his head.

His face—was a paper doll!

Huh~

Li Yan jolted awake.

He looked around. Faint twilight seeped through the window cracks; the room was quiet.

Li Yan frowned, puzzled.

For cultivators, stillness is paramount. With his soul strengthened, he had not dreamed in years—two or three hours of sleep sufficed to restore his spirit.

Unless… there was another possibility.

Something, like the Dragon Girl, was sending him a dream.

But the Dragon Pattern Jade had long been returned…

At this thought, Li Yan's heart tightened. He swiftly formed the Yang Seal, drew a deep breath, then leapt upright.

He leapt from the bed, soared onto the beam, crouched low, and brushed his finger across a broken tile.

Inside, there was ash.

Not mixed with dust—clearly burned very recently.

Li Yan's face darkened.

He knew this technique: it summoned a straw-paper doll to spy and probe. Once the spell ceased, the doll burned.

But he carried many talismans of exorcism.

Ordinary practitioners would flee at the mere sight of them.

The caster's skill was extraordinary.

The caster must still be in the inn!

Li Yan pondered, then dropped from the beam and stepped out the door.

Though the spell was hidden, it left faint traces. If he walked through the inn, he could follow its scent.

But as he opened the door, Sha Lifei hurried toward him.

"What happened?"

Seeing his grim expression, Li Yan asked quickly.

Sha Lifei lowered his voice. "The Earth Dragon Son left two hours ago and hasn't returned. Could he have fled?"

"Forget him!"

Li Yan said sternly. "Warn the others. Someone powerful was spying on us just now."

Sha Lifei instantly understood and hurried to alert the others.

Li Yan, meanwhile, formed seals and sniffed the air as he left the corridor and descended to the inn's main hall.

The Longmen Inn was large, with small entrances, and with dusk falling, the hall was dim.

Unlike earlier, fewer people remained.

A copper brazier crackled in the corner, its acrid smoke curling upward.

At the counter, the young waiter slept with his head down; the old clerk, handling reception, counted accounts under the flickering goat-horn candlelight.

Resting on the yellowed ledger was a Tang tri-color camel.

Li Yan saw it but paid no mind.

Madam Pei had already said they drove off a band of grave robbers, leaving behind a mess of odd items, all of which the shop had repurposed.

Inside the hall, three men huddled by a charcoal brazier, their cracked palms gripping chipped firewood axes, already drunk and babbling.

The foreign merchant from earlier was also thoroughly drunk.

None of these people are him!

Li Yan gazed thoughtfully toward the door, lowering his hand from the sword hilt.

"Young Master Li, are you hungry?"

The old bookkeeper behind the counter, seeing him descend, kicked the waiter and hurried over to bow: "The shopkeeper instructed that whatever Young Master Li wishes to eat, I'll arrange it at once."

Li Yan turned to see Sha Li Fei and the others had also come down; he shook his head at the bookkeeper: "No need to trouble yourself. By the way, have you seen the Earth Dragon Son who came with us?"

The old bookkeeper shook his head: "He left two hours ago and hasn't returned. I was just wondering whether I should go look for him."

"I'll go."

Li Yan gave a signal; Lu San immediately descended.

The others remained upstairs, not following.

This was a secret code their team had established, with different responses for different situations.

He was going to find someone; Lu San was better suited for it.

Wang Daoxuan was guarded by Wu Ba and Sha Li Fei, along with Long Yan's poison magic—more than enough to handle most situations.

Outside the door, Li Yan once again activated his divine power, then furrowed his brow, gazing at the dim, deserted official road ahead.

He caught a faint scent, but it had already dissolved into the night.

"Found him?"

Lu San's face was grim; he frowned and muttered:

His duty was to guard the team, yet he hadn't sensed someone approaching via occult arts—clearly a failure.

"It's nothing. A master—already gone."

Li Yan shook his head: "Forget him. Find the Earth Dragon Son first. That old bastard is acting strange."

"Hmm."

Lu San nodded silently, then snapped his fingers.

A hawk's cry rang out; his falcon Lidong flew out the window, wings beating, vanishing into the night sky.

The little white fox Chuqi also hopped about nearby.

Lu San didn't rush to pursue; instead, he continued weaving hand seals, whistling into the surrounding dark wilderness.

Instantly, the wind rustled leaves, and from the shadows of the trees emerged numerous small creatures, chirping and squeaking at them.

Since completing his lineage's transmission and studying the Lan Zhi Scripture, Lu San could not only understand bird and beast speech, but even plants could convey information.

"He went that way."

He pointed to the right mountain path and stepped forward first.

Li Yan followed calmly behind.

What they didn't know was that dozens of li away, on a desolate trail toward Luoyang, an old man walked slowly.

It was the hunchbacked elder from the inn during the day.

He was too ordinary, so Li Yan hadn't noticed him.

The hunchbacked old man took one step, stamped his foot—like a nail—leaving deep footprints; the occasional gusts of yin wind around him immediately calmed.

His face, wrinkled with age, held hidden smiles; seeing an unclaimed grave by the roadside, he shook his head slightly, pulled a handful of soil from his waist pouch, and sprinkled it on the mound, murmuring:

"Cover yourself well. Don't catch cold."

After he passed, yin winds stirred again.

Faint wailing echoed through the wind…

…………

The path Li Yan and the others took led up a nearby hill.

Not a famous mountain, just an unnamed, medium-height ridge; as they reached halfway up, a hawk's cry echoed from the night sky.

"Found him!"

Lu San quickened his pace, his body like an arrow released from a bow.

Li Yan also furrowed his brow, using the technique of shrinking distance.

He had already smelled blood.

Sure enough, not long after, they found the Earth Dragon Son.

The elder of the Tongtian Sect was already dead, slumped against a large tree, his head and the tree trunk behind him blown to bloody pulp.

"It was a Divine Fire Gun."

Li Yan pondered, then looked toward the Earth Dragon Son's front.

There were several footprints. Though night had fallen and darkness surrounded them, they didn't escape Li Yan's eyes.

"It's the government office!"

Li Yan glanced once and made his judgment.

The reason was simple: the footprints were deeper in front and shallower behind—like "Dan Chi shuffle steps"—the unmistakable mark of official boots.

Great Xuan Dynasty official boots had hard soles and upturned toes; officials wore robes and walked by lifting their robes and taking small steps, causing the toe to repeatedly strike the ground, creating a depression in the front sole.

This differed entirely from the flat soles of ordinary cloth boots.

Even if disguised, habits couldn't be erased.

Lu San also compared the explosion marks on the tree trunk, leapt up, scaled a nearby tree, and in a few bounds found the shooter's position.

Around it were eight small holes.

Li Yan leapt up as well; after seeing them, he said: "They used array flags to conceal their position—this is the Commandant's Office's method."

He frequently dealt with the Commandant's Office; he knew this well.

During the Yunnan campaign, the imperial Commandant's Office fought against the Tian Sheng Sect in the mountains; both sides used firearms. Though casualties were heavy, they gathered much experience.

Concealing with array flags and sniping was one such tactic.

Combined with the footprints directly facing the Earth Dragon Son at close range,

Li Yan could already picture it: someone had engaged the Earth Dragon Son in conversation to distract him, while another fired from behind.

At this distance, even he couldn't have escaped.

Tragic—the Earth Dragon Son, a senior elder of the Tongtian Sect, infamous across Yuzhou, never got to use his skills before meeting his end.

Soon after, the two found the corpses of the Earth Dragon Son's disciples—all stabbed through the heart, wounds as thin as cicada wings.

"Hard and soft united, silk-winding force…"

Li Yan examined the wounds closely, thoughtfully saying: "The blade's momentum—blending spear techniques into the knife. It's the 'Chang Family Knife' from Zhoukou!"

As he spoke, he turned toward Luoyang, suddenly recalling the strange dream and the information Madam Pei had given him.

"The matter of Zhao the Donkey… seems connected to the Paper Man case…"

(End of Chapter)