Chapter 177: Wizard Capture Plan!

The next day, the weather cleared.

During the state mourning, white lanterns hung along both sides of the streets; entertainment venues had all shut down, making the vast city seem noticeably quieter.

After attending to Wan Yi, Xie Jinhuan carried the swaying Meiqiu to the Wanan County Office, inquired briefly, and learned that Fei Shu and the others were in the morgue.

The dried corpse case involved too many parties; since Ye Shirong's arrest, it had been transferred to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and the Red麟 Guard, and the bodies had been moved as well—now all the corpses inside were unfamiliar new ones.

Yang Dabiao had come to Jingcheng on official business, and because he had participated in many matters along the way, he received heavy rewards from the imperial court; after the case ended, he should have returned home to be with his wife and children.

But since his own brother had soared to great heights, Yang Dabiao feared he'd miss a golden opportunity if he returned home now, so he continued loitering at the county office, freeloading meals and drinks, and now he was idly chatting with Fei Ji inside the morgue:

"Don't think I'm boasting, but that ghost cultivator's neck was as stiff as ironwood—I only managed it because I'm strong…"

"Enough, you've repeated this for half a month already. Look at how many demons and monsters Jinhuan has killed—has he ever bragged about it?"

"Jinhuan just doesn't brag in front of us, but with his beauties? Who knows—right, Lord Linghu?"

"?"

…

Xie Jinhuan, just from hearing the voice, could picture Seeing Mo Mo's expression—cool eyes, no smile—and approached the morgue entrance to observe.

Inside the room, Seeing Mo Mo dressed like an icy goddess detective, stood silently beside the wall, arms crossed over her sword, appearing emotionless—but atop her head, she wore the hairpin he had given her, the tiny dangling hairpin truly lovely.

Fei Shu and Yang Dabiao stood nearby chatting, watching two Daoist Priests examine the corpses.

Meiqiu spotted familiar faces and shook her head vigorously to greet them:

"Gūjī gūjī~"

Everyone turned; Yang Dabiao saw his brother and hurried forward:

"Oh my goodness~ You're a marquis, why are you personally coming to the office to examine corpses…?"

Fei Ji was also very pleased his nephew had been enfeoffed, but hearing Yang Dabiao's foolish remark, he couldn't help retorting:

"So we should just send the corpses to Jinhuan's mansion?"

Xie Jinhuan found it amusing, greeted them, then stood before Mo Mo, gazing at the corpse they were examining.

The corpse was male, dressed as a martial artist, drained into a dried husk by the Soul-Draining Technique, with no obvious external wounds.

Linghu Qingmo had been hugged and kissed for half an hour yesterday, couldn't sleep all night, wanted to ignore him—but her boyfriend was too powerful; after a brief hesitation, she asked:

"See anything?"

Xie Jinhuan, through his ghost bride, could tell the death was caused by the Soul-Draining Technique of the Mingshen Sect—the cultivator's skill level wasn't high, but he couldn't determine if it was a fugitive underling or a new bandit, so he asked:

"Where was the corpse found?"

Yang Dabiao crossed his arms and replied: "Died in Xiaoyao Cave last night; the body was only discovered this morning. Xiaoyao Cave gathers all sorts of shady characters at night—finding a dead body there is impossible to investigate, and this one was only reported anonymously because it was caused by demonic arts, and the situation is tense."

Fei Ji's brow was heavy with worry: "About six or seven days ago, dried corpses began appearing within the Jingzhao Prefecture, frequently and unpredictably. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau suspects the He family remnants, having lost their Blood Slaves, can no longer suppress their bloodlust and have begun committing crimes—this will likely only increase…"

Xie Jinhuan found it hard to determine a direction for pursuit when bandits struck randomly; after observing for a moment, he glanced around:

"Didn't Master Jingkong come?"

"Master Jingkong is now under the jurisdiction of the Guardian Nation Temple, responsible for Daxing County to the west. I thought 'Ji Bei Monk' should've gone too, but he had too many troubles—so they didn't take him."

"Get out of here…"

…

Linghu Qingmo felt slightly puzzled, considered briefly, then pulled Xie Jinhuan outside:

"Why are you looking for Buddhist monks? Master Jingkong's only talent is comforting people—he's not better than you at solving cases…"

Seeing Mo Mo walk toward a secluded spot, Xie Jinhuan naturally reached for her very beautiful horse-face skirt:

"I just want to get some Jin Gang Dew, to refine a Tui Fan Pill."

?

Linghu Qingmo stepped aside a few paces, frowning:

"Tui Fan Pills are external pills of the Danding Sect, requiring thirty-six drops of Jin Gang Dew as an ingredient. Jin Gang Dew is the dew condensed from the Bodhi tree at the peak of yang energy each year—only Fanyun Temple in the Jingzhao Prefecture has it, and they get only two or three drops annually—you won't easily obtain it, and…"

Xie Jinhuan stepped closer, continuing to admire the skirt:

"And what?"

Linghu Qingmo seized his wandering hand, her eyes slightly cold, but still explained:

"I heard from Ling'er a few days ago that Fanyun Temple wants to build a Zi Yun Temple in Danzhou, right next to my Mount Zihui. Originally, Master Zhang's destruction of He Guozhang was considered redeeming his past sins, but now the Guardian Nation Temple is on equal footing with Lord Lu, pushing hard for this—and our sect hasn't responded yet. This is blatant land-grabbing…"

Xie Jinhuan hadn't heard of this; after thinking, he asked:

"It's already September—hasn't Master Nangong returned yet?"

Linghu Qingmo was also uncertain:

"I wrote to her; Master Zhang said she came back briefly recently, then left again on business—her whereabouts are still unknown."

Xie Jinhuan knew Master Nangong's persona—the legendary beauty swordswoman, famed across Dajiangnanbei, the second-ranked peak elder of Danzhou, the strongest first-rank cultivator who slew countless demons and monsters—the dream bride he'd heard of since childhood!

Someone like this divine figure should be like the Northern Zhou Jin Jia sister—constantly elusive, busy with world affairs, too preoccupied to visit family in the capital—normal.

Unlike my Bing Tuozi, who, though also a first-rank, after one move outside, has to suckle me for half a month…

"If there's conflict between the Buddhist sect and Mount Zihui, then Jin Gang Dew is indeed hard to get—anywhere else near Jingzhao Prefecture has it?"

Linghu Qingmo certainly didn't want her boyfriend to form ties with the Buddhist sect, but she couldn't obstruct his cultivation; she weighed carefully:

"Jin Gang Dew is precious, but not as scarce as immortal herbs—I'll ask our sect if we can borrow some from elsewhere; you just need to return it soon."

"Borrow…"

Xie Jinhuan felt he was wildly overextending his spending—his credit limit was nearly maxed out.

He still owed Wan Yi the complete Wudao Divine Scripture, Bing Tuozi a sixty-year-old Lotus, and Mount Zihui thirty-six drops of Jin Gang Dew—if funds were cut off, he'd go bankrupt and have to sell himself to repay debts.

But to cultivate like a giant crocodile, you must play this way: others fear your greed, you expand investments wildly using future gains, then use your current scale to inflate future returns—you're playing leverage!

How can you outcompete your peers by following the rules and grinding?

"Alright, ask for me—thanks a lot."

"What hardship..."

Linghu Qingmo was about to be polite when she realized Xie Jinhuan, to thank her, had bent his head and kissed her!

Pop~

?

Linghu Qingmo's face flushed red; she quickly glanced back, fearing Yang Dabiao and the others would notice, and decided she was done playing with this boyfriend who both ate and took:

"I'll go contact them for you; you busy yourself first."

Xie Jinhuan watched the horse-face skirt sway away gracefully, then returned to the morgue to examine the corpse alongside Yang Dabiao and the others.

Originally, he had planned to treat the constables to a meal at a restaurant once everything was done.

But before noon break arrived, he saw Constable Xiao Wang run in from outside and lean close to whisper:

"Young Master Xie, just now a Retainer from the Lin family brought news, saying Physician Lin wants you to come over immediately; there's an emergency."

"Hmm?"

Xie Jinhuan frowned, feeling something was amiss.

That morning he had bid farewell to Wanyi, who went to use the Seven Stars Nail method to replace his sixty-year lotus.

Now speaking of an emergency, it was highly likely the transaction had gone wrong; if the Moonless Shanzhuang simply took without giving, wouldn't his debt explode? Immediately, he took his leave of the crowd and headed back toward the Lin family...

—

Half an hour later, Xiaoyao Cave.

The birdseed shop in the miscellaneous market had its front door tightly shut; two junior disciples of the Moonless Shanzhuang, disguised as servants, were asking around the market for news.

The back door of the shop stood wide open; the second-floor study was in total disarray, all valuables stripped clean, leaving only the 'Moonless Shanhe Map' hanging lonely on the wall.

Xie Jinhuan squatted halfway at the stairwell, examining the shattered glass and spectacles frame on the stairs, his brows tightly furrowed.

The good news for now was that the method had not yet been delivered, so the Moonless Shanzhuang had not yet breached the contract.

But the bad news was that he, such a huge 'black market merchant', had been kidnapped!

Bu Hanying was his crucial contact for fencing, gathering information, and contacting the Southern Border; was this not moving earth on the head of a great evil?

Lin Wanyi, wrapped in a black cloak dressed as a witch, revealed a pale Bai Xi cheek beneath her hood; her eyes were brimming with tears, full of worry:

"I hadn't even prepared to come this morning when a disciple ran to report that Junior Uncle Bu was missing. This place, Xiaoyao Cave, is very chaotic; our Gu Du Pai is easily bullied. Could Junior Uncle Bu already be gone?"

Xie Jinhuan felt the odds were grim.

After all, Xiaoyao Cave belonged to the black market; moving around here at night depended on one's own ability. Bu Hanying was a Gu Du Pai poison rat; if something happened, the subordinates dared not report to the authorities. Once missing, aside from becoming blood slaves, puppets, or little ghosts, there was simply no other value.

But Bu Hanying was ultimately Wanyi's family, so Xie Jinhuan could not speak discouraging words; he stood up, supported Wanyi's shoulder, and comforted her:

"Don't worry; I will find her whereabouts as soon as possible. If the person who struck can be pieced back together afterward, it will count as my mercy."

Lin Wanyi called Bu Hanying Junior Uncle; they had been in contact for so many years. Suddenly she was gone, and everything had been looted clean; naturally, her heart was very angry. After thinking for a moment, she said:

"I heard Junior Uncle Bu say that before, there was a Blood Rain Tower assassin named Wei Kun, and the Theft Saint Bai Zhan, who often came to threaten him. Do you think these two might be the ones? If they dare touch my Moonless Shanzhuang's people, I must have Master issue a martial arts execution order..."

Eh?

Xie Jinhuan supported his back and said softly:

"Martial artists kill on the spot; if they can capture someone, it is either for ransom or another purpose, so they probably won't die for now. I will send you home first; later I will investigate thoroughly. Stay at home properly these next two days, be safe, and do not go out recklessly without cause."

Comforted by the man's words, Lin Wanyi's unease lessened slightly; she put on her veil and went out with Xie Jinhuan:

"I feel it is the Theft Saint Bai Zhan. Last time Junior Uncle Bu secretly changed locations without telling him, and the result was that fierce fellow caught seven or eight medicine vendors in one night to ask about her whereabouts..."

"Sigh, Junior Uncle Bu was trading with someone; tens of thousands of taels of silver in payment were not made, and then she moved without a word. We cannot say they were entirely wrong..."

While the two chatted idly like this, Xie Jinhuan was also paying attention to the surroundings.

Before they even walked out of Xiaoyao Cave, the Ghost Wife appeared from beside them, frowned, and said:

"This is not a simple robbery for money; it seems specifically targeted at witches. That person was also a Gu Du Pai lackey."

Xie Jinhuan followed her gaze and saw that within a side alley, a servant was spinning around like a headless fly, his face anxious.

Seeing this, he held Wanyi and leaped onto the rooftops, moving to the depths of the side alley, where he could see a medicinal herbs workshop nearby.

Inside the workshop's accounting room, everywhere were signs of being ransacked; a dead black snake lay on the ground.

Lin Wanyi saw the black snake on the ground and her face suddenly changed:

"It seems someone has gone missing from the Chi Dragon Cave as well; what is going on?"

Seeing this situation, Xie Jinhuan felt someone was specifically capturing relatively powerful witches.

Because the Gu Du Pai could not see the light in Jingcheng, if something happened they dared not make a loud fuss and spread it everywhere; the missing people might number more than just one or two.

But what use is there in capturing Gu Du Pai people?

Xie Jinhuan considered slightly, feeling this matter might not be simple; after carefully observing the traces, he led Wanyi away from Xiaoyao Cave quickly...

(End of this chapter)