Chapter 446

"Whatever was inside Qingluan Lou was buried in that fire, so the person who set it is highly suspect."

Hearing You Sisi's analysis, Fang Yue asked curiously, "Then who set the fire?"

"The one who set the fire came in three groups—the last two merely fueled the flames; the first group was the real arsonist, but this matter had an element of chance."

"What do you mean?"

"……The first group who set the fire were from the Flame Sect, but their combat style is to set fire, so it's hard to say whether they acted intentionally or accidentally, deliberately or unwittingly."

Again, the Flame Sect?

Fang Yue's heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly, he recalled a detail.

When they first entered Qingsi County.

The leader of that group of Flame Sect members who rode into town had said he would treat everyone at Qingluan Lou.

So… Dou Baiyi came to keep the appointment, and during it, Possession struck him—then the Flame Sect members set fire and burned down Qingluan Lou in the ensuing battle.

Everything seems tied to that group from the Flame Sect.

If only one or two clues connected, Fang Yue wouldn't say anything—he'd just assume it was coincidence.

But so many clues, all linked together so tightly, inevitably made one think deeper.

Immediately, Fang Yue told You Sisi about it.

"There's more to it than that?"

You Sisi paused—she had cast a wide net, extending in every direction, spreading broadly before meticulously drawing it in for final clue collection.

So she was still investigating and organizing data on who Dou Fan had contacted yesterday and what items he'd touched.

Originally, she was supposed to conduct her investigation only after all data was fully organized.

With Fang Yue's information, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"It seems the Flame Sect group is highly suspect."

Qingyi could mobilize the entire Qing Si's power.

But depending on the case, the weight and distribution of personnel varied.

Perhaps because the Lord was indifferent to affairs, You Sisi could command a large portion of Qing Si's forces.

"Send someone—immediately bring back every member of the Flame Sect who rode into town yesterday."

"…"

Though You Sisi said this, the white-robed Qing Guards stood staring at each other, not moving.

"Why aren't you moving?"

"…Reporting to Lady You, those Flame Sect members were all inside Qingluan Lou—and were already killed by the Possession that afflicted Dou Baiyi."

Oh…

That actually makes sense—they set the fire, so there must have been a battle.

Fang Yue just hadn't expected they'd all be dead.

"No survivors left?" You Sisi frowned tightly.

"None."

Dead men tell no tales—this lead was blocked.

"Bring all other Flame Sect members in Qingsi County here—I'll interrogate them one by one."

"Yes!"

This operation moved swiftly, since the number of Flame Sect members left in Qingsi County was small.

They were all confused, not knowing why You Sisi wanted them.

After questioning, they all answered with ignorance.

Just as Fang Yue and You Sisi felt this lead was completely blocked—

A junior Flame Sect disciple suddenly said, "By the way, if there's one odd thing, it's that Brother Xiong suddenly became very close to some merchants."

Brother Xiong was the one who gave Dou Baiyi the 【Fire Mark Token】; after investigation, the token showed no abnormalities.

"Merchants? Became close? What's odd about that?" Fang Yue asked curiously.

"Others would think nothing of it, but only those who know Brother Xiong well realize he always avoided dealings with outside merchants—he got everything through internal sect trade. It's said that before joining the Flame Sect, unscrupulous merchants ruined his family, and he's hated them ever since."

A man who normally avoided merchants suddenly became closely involved with them…

Fang Yue and You Sisi exchanged a glance: "Can we find out who Brother Xiong was close to among those merchants?"

"There's nothing in Qing Si's records we can't uncover!"

Send people to search the archives, to question witnesses.

Very quickly, results came in.

But when Fang Yue saw that name, he froze.

"Black Crow Merchant Group?"

These bastards, after leaving Mo Cun, came to Qingsi County to do business?

Fang Yue had no doubt these merchants moved faster than he did.

Not only because the route from Gu Yue Cun to Qingsi County differed entirely from the route from Mo Cun to Qingsi County—

But because the Black Crow Merchant Group had already left Mo Cun before Ma Ling'er was even there.

Since then, countless events had unfolded in Mo Cun—time enough for the Black Crow Merchant Group, even if they trudged slowly and lingered a few extra days in villages along the way, to arrive in Qingsi County before Fang Yue.

"What? Do you have a grudge against the Black Crow Merchant Group?"

"Not a grudge—just some past contact. I even bought things from them."

Fang Yue thought of Mo Cun, thought of Captain Huo, then wondered whether any survivors from Mo Cun might have come to Qingsi County looking for them…

For a moment, Fang Yue's emotions surged, filled with countless sighs.

"Wuyu Clan!"

Was it an illusion? When Fang Yue thought of the Wuyu Clan, the crimson mark on his dorsal hand—the curse 【Wuyu】—seemed to faintly grow warm.

But when Fang Yue tried saying "Wuyu Clan" two more times, there was no further reaction.

This left Fang Yue with a growing unease.

The curse 【Wuyu】 was like a time bomb—unknown when it would detonate, unknown how it would detonate, and most importantly, he had no way at all to deal with it.

Even Lord Han could not handle it; Qingsi County had no one capable of dealing with a curse of this level.

As for the 【Thousand Ballads Palace】 mentioned by Meiyu Xianzi, everyone answered with ignorance—no one knew where this sect was located.

"Lord You, the Regimental Commander of the Black Crow Merchant Group has been brought."

As the Grey-Clad Qing Guard's voice sounded, the Regimental Commander of the Black Crow Merchant Group—who Fang Yue had briefly encountered in Mo Cun—appeared before him.

He was a young man who had inherited the Black Crow name, one who had once made Captain Huo hesitate and dare not act rashly in Mo Cun.

Fang Yue wondered whether the Qing Bureau of Qingsi County dared to touch this man.

He looked curiously at You Sisi, waiting for her next move.

"Black Crow, I ask you: has Xiong Duoduo frequently interacted with your Black Crow Merchant Group lately?"

"Xiong Duoduo?" Black Crow smiled, his expression calm and composed, showing none of the usual tension one might feel before a Qing-clad official.

"Are you referring to Lord Xiong of the Flame Fire Sect?"

"Yes."

"We did have some dealings, though not frequently. He wanted to buy one of our items at a low price but couldn't afford it, so he kept haggling. Hmm… he was quite an interesting man. Too bad I heard he's already dead."

You Sisi frowned: "What item did he want to buy?"

Black Crow smiled faintly, unhesitatingly answering: "The Fire Pattern Token."

(End of Chapter)