Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 69 Xu Chengfeng's Secret
Pei Xia remained silent throughout the journey back to the inn.

Xu Shangxin's expression also turned somewhat unpleasant.

When the well-gang cultivators carried the body back, Xu Shangxin was in the courtyard and did not go with them, so she did not see Sun Tingfeng's body.

It wasn't until she met Xu Chengfeng today that she saw this gruesome death for the first time.

The older brother is a little unaccustomed to it.

Back inside, I sat for a while, then couldn't help but press my chest, feeling a bit nauseous.

Pei Xia saw this from the other side through the curtain and laughed, "Can't even stand it already?"

Xu Shangxin rolled her eyes at him: "It would be strange if you could stand it."

"When I smashed Yang Xu's head in the Prime Minister's residence, why didn't you vomit?"

"I……"

Xu Shangxin's words caught in her throat.

Yeah, why didn't I feel nauseous or uncomfortable at the time?

"Because you think he deserves to die, and you want him to die too."

Pei Xia spoke calmly, her voice echoing in the girl's ears, causing her to involuntarily look down at the long sword resting on the table.

This was the sword that killed Yang Xu.

In the quiet room, only the sound of Lu Li crawling on her hands and feet could be heard. She climbed up the edge of the bed and onto Pei Xia, hugging his lap like an octopus, and muttered, "Go to sleep, grow up."

Pei Xia reached out and gently stroked her disciple's back, saying, "Don't be sentimental. It's just killing people. Once you enter the martial world, there will be plenty of sword fights to come."

Preaching is always unpleasant to listen to, but Xu Shangxin knew that Pei Xia was giving her advice based on experience.

She could only purse her lips and stubbornly retort, "Since human life is so cheap, why are you so concerned about the affairs of the Snow Swallow Sect?"

"Was I concerned about the Snow Swallow Sect?"

Pei Xia raised her head, her gaze passing over the window of the room to the thin curtain of light in the dark night sky: "Xu Zhuofeng has already taken charge of the Snow Swallow Sect, but the great formation has not been closed yet. Why do you think that is?"

Why else? Of course, it's to catch the murderer.

“So, we can’t leave the snow-capped peak until we catch the murderer,” Pei Xia brushed Lu Li’s smooth hair and narrowed her eyes slightly. “And we have to do it as soon as possible. If we delay any longer, I’m afraid the Northern Normal City will get suspicious.”

This is the important matter. As long as the three of them are still within the territory of Da Ling, there is no question of their safety.

"So, do you have any ideas?" Xu Shangxin asked.

"A little."

Based on the current clues, Xu Chengfeng left Shoubi because of that mysterious congratulatory gift, and this gift is most likely the ghost woman that Feng Changhai brought over.

The demon race has a naturally strong physique, and the five bloody marks on the corpses also look like they were caused by claws.

However, if the ghost woman is the murderer, there are several other points that don't make sense.

One question is, how did the ghost woman kill Xu Chengfeng?
Regardless of whether their strength allowed it, Xu Chengfeng's bedroom was very clean and tidy except for the bloodstains, and it did not look like a fight had taken place. Moreover, how would the ghost woman leave the main hall of the Xueyan Sect after killing someone?

There are quite a few experts in that area.

Secondly, the ghost race is said to possess some intelligence, but is that intelligence enough to collude with Xu Chengfeng to kill? And why would the ghost woman help Xu Chengfeng?

Finally, although the ghost woman was beautiful, she did not resemble an ordinary person, and her behavior was completely different. How could such a target remain untraceable despite the Snow Swallow Sect's search?
"Alright, it's getting late, let's get some rest."

Pei Xia pulled over the blanket and covered most of Lu Li's legs with it, then chuckled softly, "At least, no one should die now."

Aside from the mysterious death of Xu Chengfeng, the Well Gang cultivators and Sun Tingfeng of the Left Mountain Sect were all lured out of the inn alone and then murdered.

Now that Xu Zhuofeng is in charge, the Xueyan Sect will naturally no longer carry out Xu Chengfeng's previous orders.

Surely the murderer couldn't just break into the guesthouse and kill someone?

Watching Xu Shangxin walk into the other warm room and fall asleep, Pei Xia slowly closed her eyes as well.

Ironically, he shouldn't have been able to sleep on the snow-capped peak, but the panic and intense emotions caused by today's murder had calmed the monstrous thoughts in his mind somewhat.

With my eyes closed and my head resting against the bed railing, I gradually felt quite sleepy.

It's really not easy. It seems that even God wants to give me a rest. Look, the young镖头 (bodyguard) in the side room isn't even snoring today.

Speaking of which, that ghost woman was sent by the Chang Le Escort Agency. Maybe we should ask Feng Xi tomorrow if he knows anything…

Lost in thought, Pei Xia finally fell asleep, something she rarely does.

Pei Xia slept soundly until dawn the next day, when she was finally awakened by urgent knocking on the door from outside the courtyard.

Pei Xia shook her head, carefully put down the pear she was sucking on her thumb from her lap, and got up to walk into the yard.

Upon opening the door and seeing several disciples of the Snow Swallow Sect standing outside, Pei Xia's first thought was that they were helpers sent to him by Xu Zhuofeng.

Then he smelled a strong stench of blood.

The disciples stepped aside, revealing a corpse behind them.

Pei Xia's face darkened instantly. It was Feng Xi.

Five identical bloodstains ran from the young镖头's unclosed eyes down to his lower abdomen.

Xueyanmen covered Feng Xi's crotch with a white cloth, but the area between his legs was still stained with exceptionally dark blood.

“Young Master Pei,” a disciple said, bowing, “the body was found this morning by the frozen lake.”

The frozen lake is far from the guesthouse.

What happened to Feng Xi there? Was he being held hostage, or...?

Pei Xia recalled Feng Changhai's weathered face, closed her eyes, and let out a long sigh: "Have you informed Senior Xu?"

"We have already informed them that our master asked us to convey the message that this matter has absolutely nothing to do with the Snow Swallow Sect."

In other words, unlike the previous two deaths, Feng Xi's departure from the inn was not the work of the Snow Swallow Sect.

Then, who else could it be?

Pei Xia sat on the threshold, motionless for a moment, lost in thought with her head down.

Feng Xi was just a junior head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of Chang Le镖局 (escort agency), and had no connection with any of the sects on Snow Peak today. Why would he die?
Pei Xia stared at Feng Xi's corpse, her gaze lingering for a long time, especially on the deep red bloodstains on the white cloth between his legs.

Gradually, he began to realize something.

That's it!

In this way, most of the questions were answered, and the final key lies in Xu Chengfeng's death.

I recalled the exceptionally clean and tidy bedroom I had seen yesterday.

Pei Xia knew that she was only missing the last piece of the puzzle, and that piece was likely being deliberately hidden by someone.

He looked at the disciples of the Snow Swallow Sect and said, "Take me to see Xu Zhuofeng."

Xu Zhuofeng was still in the main hall, in Xu Chengfeng's room.

When Pei Xia arrived, he was standing by the window, smoking a pipe.

There were scattered cigarette ashes at my feet.

Pei Xia also smokes, but out of habit, he only smokes exquisitely made and more expensive cigarettes. He could tell at a glance that Xu Zhuofeng must have been smoking by the window all night.

Ever since Old Xu went up Nestlé Mountain, he has rarely smoked his pipe. A few times he scratched his head in frustration, but he still managed to restrain himself.

And now, after smoking all night, the sorrow between his brows has not dissipated in the slightest.

He glanced back at Pei Xia, not noticing Xu Shangxin and Lu Li behind him, and asked with some surprise, "Feng Xi just had an accident, and you're really comfortable leaving the two of them at the guesthouse?"

"Before Feng Xi died, I dared not, but now I am certain that Feng Xi is the last one."

Hearing his tone, Xu Zhuofeng's expression froze for a moment: "You know who the murderer is?"

Pei Xia turned around and glanced at Xu Chengfeng's still motionless body lying on the bed: "There's still one crucial question missing..."

He looked into Xu Zhuofeng's eyes: "How exactly did Xu Chengfeng die?"

Even the most reasonable deduction that Pei Xia had already obtained could not explain Xu Chengfeng's death.

There must be some secret he is unaware of.

The tobacco in the pipe suddenly brightened, and Xu Zhuofeng exhaled a puff of white smoke before finally making up his mind after a long while.

He said slowly, "This time at Snow Peak, my Xu family's Snow Swallow Sect has already made quite a fool of itself in front of you. Logically speaking, I should have no more concerns about saving face, but in any case, I ask Young Master Pei to keep this a secret for me."

Xu Zhuofeng reached into his robes and pulled out a palm-sized, silver-blue jade pendant.

As spiritual energy was injected, the flowing light of spiritual energy, like butterflies flitting among flowers, enveloped the two of them.

Pei Xia, being a master herself, immediately recognized it: "A teleportation artifact?"

Xu Zhuofeng sighed with emotion: "Indeed, this jade pendant has been held by the head of my Snow Swallow Sect for generations. It connects to the true treasure of Sparrow Nest Mountain, the secret realm of the ice pool that seals the ice veins."

The spiritual energy swirled, enveloping the two like a cocoon.

The light and shadow shifted before Pei Xia's eyes, and after a moment of weightlessness, he was back on solid ground.

What unfolded before him was an underground cavity filled with countless ice crystals, and a beautiful ice pool at the center of the cavity.

The extreme cold ice, resembling towering peaks, rises in layers within the ice pool, its peaks pointing forward to embrace a large, gracefully unfolding ice crystal lotus at the center.

Pei Xia's vision suddenly blurred for a moment, and he vaguely seemed to see a flickering flame in the center of the ice lotus.

Is this the Snow Swallow Sect's most precious treasure, the Ice Vein?

Pei Xia was about to ask what this had to do with Xu Chengfeng's death.

Then Xu Zhuofeng's voice came from behind: "Young Master Pei, please turn around."

Pei Xia turned around as instructed, and his eyes widened as he looked at what came into view.

(End of this chapter)