All Heavens: A Role-Playing System Starting from Tianlong

Chapter 88 Questioning Suzhou

Another voice was relatively gentler, advising, "Ladies, we from the Qingcheng Sect have come here to seek an explanation from the Murong family. We do not wish to cause you any trouble."

"But if you two don't tell the truth, and our friends from Qin Family Village lose patience and want to take action, then our Qingcheng Sect can't interfere."

Then a female voice rang out, her tone tinged with grievance: "Sect Leader Sima, we were just telling the truth."

"Our lord, Murong, has been gone for many years, and our young master left Suzhou a few days ago. Even if you turn this place upside down, you won't find our young master."

Another aged voice sneered, "These two young ladies have repeatedly disguised themselves to fool us, and now they're just spouting empty words. How can we believe you?"

Having heard this, Zhang Cheng had already figured out the situation.

In the original story, after failing to seize the scriptures at Tianlong Temple, Kumārajīva kidnapped Duan Yu, the "living sword manual," and brought him to Suzhou, intending to use him to fulfill his agreement with the Murong family.

However, at that time, there was constant turmoil in the martial arts world, and many people died because of their own signature skills, which attracted wave after wave of martial arts practitioners to Canhe Manor to seek revenge.

Two maids from the Murong family, A'Zhu and A'Bi, mistook Kumārajīva for a wandering swordsman seeking revenge, teased him, and incidentally rescued Duan Yu.

To escape Kumārajīva's pursuit, the three went to Mantuo Manor, but by a twist of fate, they avoided the group of people they were currently facing.

Right now, it seems that because Kumārajīva and Duan Yu haven't come, A'Zhu and A'Bi have been blocked at Canhe Village by the Qingcheng Sect and the people from Qin Family Village.

These two groups are not as polite as Kumārajīva; it seems they have wiped out everyone in the Sanhe Village.

Zhang Cheng, too lazy to listen any longer, led Tong Lao and Li Qiushui straight towards the gathering place.

Upon entering, one sees the hall filled with people on both the east and west sides.

To the east were eighteen or nineteen burly men, with swords hanging from their waists; they must have been the outlaws of Qin Family Village.

To the west were about twenty people dressed in white robes, their attire neat and tidy; they were likely disciples of the Qingcheng Sect.

The two groups each occupied one side, clearly separated.

In the open space in the center, a group of people were tied up; they were presumably servants from the Canhe Village.

Most of them had their mouths gagged, except for two girls. Although they were also bound, their mouths were not gagged. One of them was wearing a lotus-colored dress, and the other was wearing a green skirt and jacket. They must be Azhu and Abi.

Everyone in the hall looked over when they heard the door open.

Leading the way was a tall, burly man in black, broad-shouldered and imposing, standing there like an iron tower blocking the entrance.

Upon seeing this, everyone in the hall instinctively reached out to touch their weapons.

Before his fingers even touched the hilt of the knife, he felt a sudden pang of fear, as if he were being watched by some ferocious beast.

The hand that was touching the weapon froze instantly, and dared not move again.

The man was followed by two women who looked to be around twenty years old.

The one on the left is dressed in white, with very luxurious clothes and accessories, clearly indicating that he comes from an extraordinary background.

The woman on the right was dressed like an ordinary woman, looking like a young wife from a farming family. But the moment she stood there, her aura was even more imposing than the elegantly dressed woman next to her, making people afraid to look at her for long.

The two girls bound on the ground looked up and saw the woman in white. They were immediately startled and blurted out, "Miss Wang! What are you doing here?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Tong looked at Li Qiushui with a puzzled expression. "Miss Wang?"

Li Qiushui's eyes flickered, and she didn't reply. It seemed that she had another granddaughter.

Upon seeing that the three men were acquainted with the Murong family, the crowd immediately demanded, "Who are you? What is your relationship with the Murong family? Speak up!"

Granny Tong frowned. For decades, she had been the undisputed ruler of the Lingjiu Palace in Tianshan. The people of the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands dared only to kowtow before her, not daring to even glance at her.

These two groups of people in front of her are even worse than those lackeys, daring to boss her around like that. They really have a death wish.

She channeled her inner strength, let out a cold snort, and her voice boomed directly into everyone's ears using a secret sound transmission technique.

The group felt a buzzing in their heads, as if someone had hit them hard on the top of their heads with a sledgehammer. They immediately screamed and squatted down, clutching their heads, with cries of "Ouch!" echoing throughout the room.

Because the method of transmitting sound secretly was used, to the people of Canhe Village who were tied up in the middle, it was just a soft hum from the old woman, no different from an ordinary person throwing a tantrum.

They looked at each other, puzzled as to why the other people in the room were suddenly acting as if possessed, clutching their heads and screaming.

Zhang Cheng looked at Tong Lao with some helplessness. This old woman had such a bad temper; before he could even speak, she had already started fighting with the other side.

Sensing Zhang Cheng's gaze, Granny Tong raised her chin: "What are you looking at? Granny didn't hurt anyone. They'll just be upset for a while at most."

As if to confirm her words, those with slightly better cultivation levels among the Qingcheng Sect and Qin Family Village groups have gradually recovered.

Among the group on the east side, an old man, having caught his breath, clasped his hands and asked, "May I ask who these three gentlemen are?"

May I ask you?

Granny Tong tilted her head and said arrogantly, "Granny just won't tell you, so what are you going to do about it?"

She looked to be in her early twenties, yet she addressed herself as "Grandma," which was strangely odd. Coupled with her unpredictable and mysterious methods just now, the old man was momentarily at a loss for words.

Fortunately, Zhang Cheng spoke up to smooth things over: "I am Zhang Cheng, and like both of you, I am here to settle scores with Murong of Gusu."

"If you all trust me, why don't you release these servants of the Murong family first? We're here to demand an explanation; it won't look good if word gets out that we're bullying some maids and servants."

The old man on the east side and the middle-aged man on the west side exchanged a glance, then cupped their hands and said, "Your words are reasonable."

Then, they ordered their disciples, who had regained their mobility, to step forward and untie the group from Canhe Village.

The two girls thanked Zhang Cheng first, and then told the captured servants to disperse.

After most of the people had left, the girl in the lotus-colored dress turned to Zhang Cheng again and gave him a graceful bow.

"Master Zhang, this servant is Azhu, a maid from the Murong family. This is my good friend Abi."

From what you just said, I presume you've come to Canhezhuang seeking justice because your relatives or friends died from your family's signature technique.

However, in recent days, people in the martial arts world have been dying one after another because of their own signature skills.

My young master has no grudge against these people; it is clearly a frame-up by someone with superior martial arts skills. I hope Master Zhang will investigate thoroughly.

Zhang Cheng shook his head.

"There's no need for you to explain this to me, young lady. I'm absolutely certain that this was indeed the work of the Murong family of Gusu."

Azhu's expression changed slightly.

Zhang Cheng continued, "Just before I came in, I heard that your young master had already left Suzhou."

"I wonder if the four manor lords under the Murong family are still alive? I would be grateful if you two could introduce me to them so I can go with them to find your young master."