Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 26 On the cusp of the storm
Back in the housekeeper's room at the Huo residence, Huo Yu looked at the huge blood-red word "Shang" on the wall, his face ashen.

Old Butler Huo is not living in the main house now, but in the butler's room where he lived ten years ago. The other party was able to kidnap people in such a short time when he led the others out. There is no doubt that they have a deep understanding of the layout of Huo's house and the residences of the people.

Honestly, the Huo family had been somewhat skeptical of Sheng Yuanyao's findings. After all, Huo Shang was already buried, so how could he possibly have crawled out? But now, looking back, there was really no other possibility except Huo Shang. He was probably not dead yet, but had been dug out and taken away by someone.

In fact, Lu Xingzhou didn't really understand the layout of the Huo residence and the residences of each person. No matter how good his relationship with Huo Shang was back then, it was impossible for him to talk about these aspects.

He was on Danxia Mountain, looking far and wide, and slowly figuring it out... This was the main reason why he stayed on Danxia Mountain after returning to Xiazhou.

The subordinate didn't say it completely. There were not only words here, but also a picture with a squinting and smiling expression, which was extremely sarcastic, almost like a slap in Huo Yu's face.

He had announced with such fanfare that he was coming back to deal with Huo Shang's matter, but ended up doing nothing. Huo Shang first broke into his house and robbed him, leaving a picture to mock him. If this got out, Huo Yu would become a laughing stock.

"Can anyone tell me why that bastard kidnapped the old butler?" Huo Yu's voice was practically squeezed out from between his teeth. "If he wanted to kill the butler, he could have done it before. He deliberately cut his tendons and waited for me to come over before robbing him. Could it be that he just wanted to slap me in the face?"

Everyone was silent and no one could answer this question.

Only Liu Qingcang's expression changed slightly: "Did the master apply the medicine to heal the old housekeeper's broken tendons?"

Huo Yu narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying that he deliberately cut the butler's tendons, waiting for this moment?"

Liu Qingcang whispered, "If Huo Shang is indeed Lu Xingzhou, then Lu Xingzhou is a cripple..."

"But who can tell me how a cripple could come and go without a trace?"

Liu Qingcang opened his mouth but couldn't answer.

"Why hasn't Uncle Fu come back yet?" Huo Yu suddenly realized: "Let's go and take a look!"

The group quickly rushed to the inn where Lu Xingzhou was staying temporarily. The inn was already empty. Uncle Fu's body was lying on the ground, his eyes wide open with fear, and he died with his eyes open.

Huo Yu felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

He thought he had arrived in Xiazhou with a powerful force, but on the second day after arriving, one of his loyal servants, who had followed him since childhood, died...

Uncle Fu wasn't one of the two fifth-rank guards, but he was also a senior sixth-rank martial artist, upper sixth-rank! He died so quietly... Even judging by the furniture in the room, it didn't seem like there had been any intense fighting. In other words, a sixth-rank martial artist hadn't even put up much of a fight before being killed instantly!
How did the lame man and the child do it?
Liu Qingcang felt numb all over.

He had always thought that Lu Xingzhou's plan was sinister but his own strength was not that great. However, when a strong man of the same level as him died tragically on the spot, Liu Qingcang finally realized what kind of person he had been fighting against for so long... His previous methods were really gentle enough. After the people from the Huo family came, he truly showed his cruelty and ruthlessness!
"No matter what, Lu Xingzhou is Huo Shang. This matter can be concluded." Huo Yu said decisively: "Issue the order to search the entire city and find Lu Xingzhou's whereabouts! The reward for providing information is 100 taels, and the reward for obtaining Lu Xingzhou's head is 1,000 taels!"

Huo Yu felt that there would be brave men who would respond to a huge reward, and that the whole city would give the Huo family face... However, after the order was issued, the effect was not what Huo Yu had imagined.

If it is proven that Lu Xingzhou is Huo Shang, then this is an internal matter of the Huo family... The significance of internal matters is that Huo Shang is also a member of the Huo family!
Who knows what the Huo family head is thinking? After all, he is his own son. It would be fine if the Huo family killed him themselves, but if an outsider did it? What if the Huo family head thinks that outsiders have no right to kill his son? Not only will they not get any credit, but they will also be accused of killing their son. Who has the brains to do such a thing?
Even the city lord, Xu Bingkun, whispered to his confidants, "We'll just keep quiet about this matter. We won't get involved in this."

"City Lord, Sheng Yuanyao's movements have been a bit strange these past few days. It seems like he's investigating something..."

"It's normal for the Demon Suppression Division to investigate cases we don't know about. There's no need to panic. Even if she noticed something, with Huo Yu here, she wouldn't be able to do anything."

The order was issued all day long, and Xiazhou was in an uproar, seemingly bustling with activity as the imperial guards were dispatched everywhere. However, until late at night, there was no news at all, as if Lu Xingzhou had never existed.

…………

"This time, I'll let you eat the whole thing, so don't accuse me of eating alone."

Lu Xingzhou, who could not be found in the entire city, was openly sitting in the small home of the commander of the Demon Suppression Division, leisurely removing the bandage on the hands of the old housekeeper Huo and scraping off a layer of black ointment.

Sheng Yuanyao sat aside and watched his actions with a cold look, without any reaction. She just said coldly: "Are you not pretending anymore? Do you really think I dare not arrest you?"

"You were investigating the case for Xiazhou's safety before, but later found out it was Huo Shang's business. So it wasn't a murderer's doing, it was the Huo family's internal affairs. You've already given up on getting involved, haven't you?" Lu Xingzhou smiled. "The Demon Suppression Division doesn't deal with these kinds of things. Besides, Huo Yu seems to disgust you. Why would you help him?"

"So you are really Huo Shang?"

Lu Xingzhou did not answer.

"Then you have to tell me how you committed the crime that made me feel like it had nothing to do with you no matter how much I investigated?" "I went down the mountain alone that day and you questioned me, which led to a misconception. You naturally thought that I went to the Huo residence alone the day before... In fact, it was Anuo who pushed the wheelchair with me every day. I returned to the mountain early to create an alibi, and Anuo stayed there and didn't go back with me. You only checked whether I was on the mountain at noon, but didn't ask Anuo."

Sheng Yuanyao had a sullen face.

As the lead investigator of this case, being misled by the criminal was a disgrace to his career. Sheng Yuanyao really wanted to bite his teeth and arrest this guy. It was too infuriating.

Glancing at the little Taoist boy squatting beside him with his hands clasped and a forced smile on his face, Sheng Yuanyao gnashed his teeth.

You were even acting with a fortune-telling banner. It turns out that you, little thing, are the murderer. Give me two taels of silver!

However, the experience of eating the whole melon was excellent, and it at least made me feel a little better. Sheng Yuanyao said sternly, "Your style this time is very different from before. You are very radical, and you seem to be deliberately putting yourself in the spotlight. Is it to attract Huo Yu's attention and focus on you, so that you don't have the heart to care about Shen's Trading Company?"

"Hmm..." Lu Xingzhou said calmly, "Shen's Trading Company has nothing to do with this matter. You can't bear all this just because you rented my place. This is my own business."

Sheng Yuanyao said sarcastically, "Would you rather put yourself in greater danger?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled and said, "When I was Huo Shang...it wasn't as dangerous as I imagined. At least you wouldn't care, and most others wouldn't care either. Of the few who wanted to lick Huo Yu's ass, how many were worth watching?"

"You don't want to drag Shen Tang down, but you come here to drag me down? You're addicted to tricking me, right?"

"After my identity was exposed, I thought you would be very angry that I played a trick on you... I came here to apologize. I will explain everything to you and then leave. Just pretend you never saw me."

Sheng Yuanyao was silent for a moment, then asked, "Does this ointment help?"

Lu Xingzhou was sniffing the ointment, analyzing its ingredients, then shook his head. "How heartless! Old Butler Huo has dedicated his entire life to the Huo family, yet he's given him this kind of ointment just because his tendons are broken... This stuff is certainly good for reconnecting broken tendons, but it's not enough on its own. We need some internal medicine, which should be on Huo Yu."

Sheng Yuanyao asked curiously, "Isn't this what you put so much thought into? Aren't you disappointed with the result?"

"Wrong, I didn't have high expectations for this. It's good that it works, at least it works for Shen Tang." Lu Xingzhou put away the ointment, his smile a little cold: "My condition is very serious, even the internal medicine they brought may not be of much use to me. I'm aiming for something else."

Sheng Yuanyao felt a chill in her heart. Ever since she had identified Lu Xingzhou as Huo Shang, everyone had guessed that he would come for the medicine that Huo Yu had brought to Butler Huo to treat his hand, but in fact, it was not the case!
Her curiosity was piqued again, and she wanted to ask, but she couldn't. If she continued to ask, she would become an insider of Lu Xingzhou's subsequent actions, and the situation would change...

But I really want to ask!

Lu Xingzhou glanced at her and said with amusement: "Don't worry, after this, as long as I'm alive, I'll crawl back and tell you the whole story."

Sheng Yuanyao felt much better and was very satisfied: "You have a conscience."

Lu Xingzhou suddenly remembered something: "Speaking of which, the eyes of the entire city are on me now, including the city lord. This is your chance to investigate the demon case, so don't bother with Huo Yu."

"I know." Sheng Yuanyao nodded, and then said, "There is another question."

"Well, you said."

"Why do you dare to say that the Huo family won't just send a strong man of the third rank to eliminate the trouble forever? As long as the person who comes is strong enough, your plan to lure them over to kill you will be courting death."

"Hmm... Do you know why I stayed in Xiazhou for half a year before taking action?"

"why?"

"Wait for the right opportunity, for example, if you come to the Demon Suppression Division and become its commander. You won't be like the local veterans who torture suspects to death. You will do as I want, investigate Huo Shang and report to the higher-ups."

Sheng Yuanyao's face darkened again: "What about the second one?"

"Secondly... something happened in the capital last month, and the princess disappeared. The capital should be in a state of tension right now, with undercurrents surging. The Huo family would have to be completely idiotic to transfer a top-three rank expert at this critical juncture... Are top-three rank experts that cheap? The loss of one would mean they'd lose a significant arm, and they'd send them out just to deal with an eighteen-year-old like Huo Shang?"

Sheng Yuanyao: “…”

"Since it's Huo Yu who's here, we can tell that the Huo family treats this as a training opportunity for their young people. The Huo family head might even feel that they've sent too many experts, and that the training will be ineffective." Lu Xingzhou smiled, "He'll regret this judgment for the rest of his life."

(End of this chapter)