Jiaohua

Xia Zhaoyi hadn't expected Chen Yunqi to be so close to her.

If Ding Shali is indeed Chen Yunqi, then the middle-aged man who left with her is most likely Chen Yongming.

This perfectly resolves the mystery of the separation: why would this group suddenly turn against each other and publicly murder the Northern Yuan woman in front of the teahouse?

She had borrowed men from Yu Zhenyao's subordinates to track these people, hoping to understand their movements, weave a net, and unravel the mystery from their actions. Clearly, there was no need to continue following the line involving Chen Yunqi and her father.

After a short rest at the Ningzhou transit point, Xia Zhaoyi was about to depart the next day when, quite coincidentally, she finally received a letter from her master just before she was about to leave.

Her master told her to go to Xinchun County in Zhuzhou first, where Sect Master Gu and Mu Tingyu had been kidnapped by Sect Master Gu's junior nephew.

My master is in Jinzhou, and is also on his way to Zhuzhou.

The men on horseback all looked at Xia Zhaoyi, and even Li Xinya and the others who were about to set off on the other side stopped and looked back.

After a brief moment of thought, Xia Zhaoyi dismounted and said, "Let's go back to the house first."

Zhuzhou is not close to Ningzhou, and she doesn't know how many days she will be delayed on this trip to Zhuzhou.

We might be able to return to Beiyuan soon, or it might take ten days, or even half a month.

The war in the Northwest is getting fiercer. The Han people have been fighting very hard in the past six months, and the Northern Yuan people have suffered repeated losses. They are all enraged. The five major families, who are outwardly united but inwardly divided, are united like never before and have launched more than one large-scale battle involving hundreds of thousands of people.

Since leaving the Northwest, she has been concerned about the war in the North. Once she adapts to military life, she is always on high alert until a complete victory is achieved.

Finally, Xia Zhaoyi divided the team into two groups.

Yan Ziyan and Liu Qiaoyun led their team back to the Northwest first, while she took Feng Ping and two other subordinates to Zhuzhou. Once the matter in Zhuzhou was settled, they would immediately head to the northern border.

After the discussion, the group set off again. Suddenly, Li Xinya ran up to them and said, "General! Since you're not going to the Northwest anymore, if you're going to Zhuzhou, could you take me with you? I can ride a horse. Girls from the Northwest are born knowing how to ride! And Zhuzhou is close; I can keep up with your stamina these next few days!"

Xia Zhaoyi nodded: "Okay, let's go together."

"Thank you, General!" Li Xinya said happily.

·
Sect Master Gu never imagined that he would be kidnapped by a junior member of his own sect.

Led by his junior apprentice Bei Xingze, a total of seven people poisoned his and Mu Tingyu's food for five days, and then tied them up.

As the sect leader of the Wangxing Sect, Elder Gu had no dignity left at this moment. He sat in the corner with a disheveled face, while Mu Tingyu sat next to him with a blade of grass in his mouth.

Compared to Elder Gu, whose eyes were unfocused due to the loss of dignity, Mu Tingyu looked relaxed and content.

The door opened, and Bei Xingze stepped in carrying a vegetable basket. His expression was normal. After putting down the basket, he took out the dishes one by one: "Sect Master, today's dish is still your favorite vegetarian tofu. There are three ways to make it. After you've tried them, take a look and see which one you like best."

Elder Gu gave him a cold look and then looked away.

Mu Tingyu also turned his head away with a disdainful expression.

Bei Xingze took out all the dishes, then took out two bowls of plump rice and placed the chopsticks neatly on them.

"Sect Master, please eat. Junior Brother Fuguang, you eat too."

Neither of them reacted.

Bei Xingze was neither angry nor did he laugh or blame himself; he left peacefully.

The door was closed again.

Mu Tingyu said, "Master, I've eaten."

Elder Gu said, "Eat."

"You really won't eat?"

"I'm too ashamed to eat."

"Hey, what's the big deal? Even if the senior and Ali really come, how do you know they'll get into trouble? That's Ali, and Ali's master."

Elder Gu said slowly, "You don't understand."

"What don't you understand?"

“I don’t want to be a burden to my friends, and besides, Ali, she’s not ordinary…”

"Of course she's extraordinary. Back then, she was a little monster that all the nobles in the capital feared."

Elder Gu sighed deeply and said nothing more.

After Bei Xingze delivered the meal, his six disciples immediately surrounded him.

Everyone fell silent, their eyes fixed on Bei Xingze, each filled with guilt and anticipation for the old sect leader's current condition.

Bei Xingze glanced at them and said calmly, "They're not dead."

After saying that, Bei Xingze left.

The disciples watched his retreating figure, then turned back to look at the room where Elder Gu and Mu Tingyu were imprisoned, their thoughts a jumble of emotions.

They were all Bei Xingze's apprentices; Bei Xingze had been their master since they could remember.

Their most basic thoughts and ideas were taught to them by Bei Xingze.

They had known since childhood that Bei Xingze's greatest wish in life was to find out the truth about the murder of Master Qingye and his disciples more than two hundred years ago, find their remains, and bring them back to Wangxing Sect.

Back then, Han Ruiqian visited Yeshan seven times, personally going to the sect to ask Sect Master Jingyi for help. Seeing his sincerity, Sect Master Jingyi finally agreed and sent his junior brother Qingye down the mountain to Zhuzhou. All of Qingye's disciples went with him, except for three disciples who were unwell and could not go together.

This third disciple was Bei Xingze's great-grandfather.

Six months ago, a mysterious person wrote a letter to Bei Xingze. No one knows what the letter contained, but it is known that since then, Bei Xingze's personality has changed drastically, and he has begun to prepare for coming to Zhuzhou.

Guided by the mysterious figure, they kidnapped the sect leader and arrived at Yunwan Village in Xinchun County, Zhuzhou.

Bei Xingze said that everyone in the village had fled due to the war.

However, when they went to dig for medicinal herbs a few days ago, they smelled a huge stench outside the village. Following the smell, they found a ditch with at least 150 corpses that had just died lying at the bottom.

The villagers, who refused to leave their homes and stayed even during the war, were slaughtered.

One of the disciples was heartbroken and indignant, and ran back to question Bei Xingze.

Bei Xingze remained calm, saying only that they hadn't all escaped. Since they were dead, then so be it.

A hundred or so lives were lost, and it was all glossed over in a single sentence.

From a young age, these disciples all felt that their master was the most composed and steady person in the Wangxing Sect, but now, the disciples increasingly felt that it might not be composure, but rather indifference and numbness.

This discovery filled them with dread.

An hour later, Bei Xingze sent a disciple in to clear the dishes. The old sect leader's dishes were neatly arranged and had not been touched. Mu Tingyu ate all the food.

When the disciple brought the message back, Bei Xingze remained calm, waved his hand, and dismissed the disciple.

The disciple asked worriedly, "Master, the sect leader is an old man. Can his body handle it?"

Bei Xingze put down his paintbrush and looked at the painting with satisfaction: "If we can live, then we live. If we can't take it, then we die."

The disciple was shocked: "Master, you said before that we wouldn't harm him, but only kidnap him to lure people here." "I truly didn't harm him," Bei Xingze turned to his disciple, "I respect him, which is why I personally cook for him every day. If he doesn't eat, am I supposed to cut open his stomach and stuff the food inside?"

"..."

“Go out,” Bei Xingze said, looking back at the painting. “I’m busy.”

The disciple had no choice but to take his leave.

The door closed, and Bei Xingze's expression changed.

His originally calm eyes gradually revealed a hint of madness, growing brighter and brighter.

Just before this disciple entered, Feibiao delivered a message that the old man from Liling was on his way.

It was uncertain whether the old man would inform his good apprentice to come along, since his apprentice was tied up with military affairs in the Northwest.

Whether Ah Li comes or not, it won't change the outcome. Either one of these two, master and disciple, will die, or both of them will die.

The bookshelf behind him suddenly creaked softly. Bei Xingze frowned and turned around.

A middle-aged man in a gray robe pushed open the bookshelf and stepped out, saying, "My master is waiting for you."

Behind the bookshelf was a secret passage. The passage was very old, the air was thin, and there was a musty, rotten smell.

Bei Xingze followed the gray-robed man for a full quarter of an hour before stepping onto a stone staircase.

Behind the hidden door was another bookcase. After Bei Xingze came out, he saw Feng Qingang, whom he hadn't seen for nearly thirty years.

The moment he saw him, a sense of fear shot up Bei Xingze's spine.

Her face was exactly the same as it was back then, without the slightest change, even the smile on her face was exactly the same.

That smile was once Bei Xingze's nightmare.

However, as he grew older, Bei Xingze not only digested the nightmare, but also planned to use it for his own purposes.

Upon seeing that smiling face again today, Bei Xingze still felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were standing on the edge of an abyss.

Feng Qingang's smile seemed kind, but Bei Xingze knew that there was a hook hidden in Feng Qingang's eyes, with a calculating look. He was not being friendly to you, but rather using his eyes to scrape your flesh and bones inch by inch, admiring a prey that was about to be torn apart and devoured.

“…Uncle,” Bei Xingze called out, trying to keep his voice calm.

Feng Qingang laughed and said, "Incredible! That little kid back then has now become a sect master who can stand on his own and has quite a reputation."

Bei Xingze said calmly, "It's been almost forty years. I've grown old, but my uncle hasn't changed at all."

"It'll be soon. If we don't think of a solution soon, I'll get old too."

The word "method" made Bei Xingze's heart skip a beat.

But he remained calm, knowing that Feng Qingang had deliberately uttered those two words, and then he smiled as he observed his reaction.

Bei Xingze changed the subject without changing his expression: "I just received a message by carrier pigeon. That old man from Liling has arrived. He set off from Jinzhou."

"Jinzhou?" Feng Qingang was somewhat displeased. "Then when will he arrive?"

"Uncle, we have plenty of time."

Feng Qingang frowned: "Then, where is Ali? Has she arrived?"

Bei Xingze shook his head: "Ali's situation is currently unknown."

Feng Qingang smiled warmly and said, "I really want to see her. This unparalleled little girl is so young yet holds such a high position. She is in the prime of her youth and must be incredibly fresh and juicy, a truly delightful sight."

Bei Xingze didn't answer, paused, and then asked, "Uncle, what do you want to see me about?"

“Oh,” Feng Qingang said, “I’m running out of beeswax and pine resin, and my camphor and borneol are almost gone. Since you’ve brought your disciples with you, have them go to the cave ten miles away to collect ointment for me.”

Bei Xingze said, "My uncle came to see me about this."

"Ah."

"These are minor matters; Uncle can simply send someone over to give verbal instructions."

Feng Qingang laughed and said, "What's wrong? Aren't you happy that I made you come all this way in person?"

"No, I just thought my uncle had something else to talk to me about."

"Alright, then let me think of something else to make your journey more worthwhile. I heard that Gu Xinghai's newly accepted apprentice has an exceptionally handsome appearance?"

Bei Xingze nodded: "Yes, he is handsome with good features, but he is too short. If he were tall, he could become famous for his looks."

"It's a bit of a pity, but I can make him grow taller. So, go and bring him here."

Bei Xingze paused, then immediately said, "Uncle, he can't be moved for the time being. Gu Xinghai won't agree to it. If I forcibly take Mu Tingyu away, Gu Xinghai's old life won't last until the old man from Liling comes. If it's just Gu Xinghai's corpse, we can't handle that old man. That old man's skills are extraordinary and unfathomable."

Feng Qingang's eyes darkened, and a half-smile played on his lips: "Xiao Ze, over the past two or three decades, you've planned and orchestrated countless things for me. I've watched you grow step by step, and I know your methods and abilities perfectly well. Now, are you afraid, or do you simply not want to?"

Bei Xingze said, "It's not that I dare not or do not want to, but it is indeed difficult to handle."

“Oh,” Feng Qing raised his eyebrows, “this means they’re not going to agree.”

"Uncle, I'm thinking about the bigger picture. I don't know Mu Tingyu, and I actually don't like him very much. I just don't want Gu Xinghai to die so young."

Feng Qingang grinned maliciously, staring intently at Bei Xingze.

Bei Xingze's chill returned, and he avoided Feng Qingang's eyes, not daring to meet them.

Finally, Feng Qingang broke the silence: "Alright, you can go back now. Tomorrow, after you've sent all the disciples away, I'll personally go and take them over."

"Is Uncle so interested in Mu Tingyu?"

"I'm afraid the tall man's body will decompose."

Bei Xingze frowned slightly and said, "I understand."

On the way back, the gray-robed man stopped leading the way, and Bei Xingze walked alone, gritting his teeth.

Feng Qingang is threatening him!
He was an orphan whose parents were killed by bandits. He wandered for a year before falling into the hands of Feng Qingang.

Because he was clever and cunning, and had many tricks up his sleeve, Feng Qingang found him intelligent and interesting, so he didn't kill him.

However, Feng Qingang was terrified when he saw those bones and heads.

More than once, he was fine before falling asleep, but woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of a bell. When he opened his eyes, he was faced with a fresh human head that had only had its nose or eyes gouged out!

Furthermore, Feng Qingang would force him to reach into the broken part of the recently severed head with his bare hands and scoop out the flesh and brain matter.

Disgusting, you beast!
For six years, he followed Feng Qingang by the side, walking on thin ice every day. Later, when he was seventeen, Feng Qingang arranged a background for him and sent him to Yeshan.

His life gradually improved after that.

Now, Feng Qingang's words reminded him of his terrifying youth. Bei Xingze suddenly felt sad. He thought he could stop Feng Qingang, but almost thirty years have passed and his fear has not faded.

But it's alright. As soon as he figures out how Feng Qingang maintains his youthful appearance, he'll kill him immediately. (End of Chapter)