A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

Chapter 173 Treasure

Zhou Fulai suddenly stood up, his movement so abrupt that the chair was knocked over with a loud crash.

He didn't bother to help him up, but stared at the shopkeeper and said, word by word, "Notify everyone—the Wei family, the Wu family, the Xie family, the Wan family, and the other managers of the Chamber of Commerce—to meet at the usual place tonight."

Go quickly!

His voice was urgent, carrying an unprecedented tension.

The waiter responded and turned to run out, his footsteps thumping away into the distance.

Zhou Fulai stood there, looking at the pile of broken porcelain shards on the ground and the still steaming pool of tea, his chest heaving violently.

He slowly crouched down and picked up the broken pieces of porcelain one by one. The sharp edges of the shards cut his fingers, drawing blood, but he seemed oblivious, mechanically picking them up.

After a long while, he sighed and murmured, "This time—the world is really about to change."

Iron Palm Gang headquarters.

The headquarters was located in the north of the county town, a large three-courtyard complex with blue bricks, gray tiles, high walls, and deep courtyards. Two stone lions stood at the entrance, baring their teeth and claws, looking very imposing.

It was already dark when lanterns were lit in the courtyard. Their dim yellow light swayed in the night breeze, illuminating the entire courtyard in a half-light, half-dark manner.

The back hall was brightly lit by candlelight.

Tie Lingshan, the leader of the Iron Palm Gang, sat in the grand chair at the head of the table.

Zhao Zhijing stood at the lower end, head bowed, silent.

The hall was quiet, with only the occasional crackling sound of burning candles.

Tie Lingshan's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest. Once, once, once. The tapping sound was exceptionally clear in the silent hall, tap, tap, tap, like some kind of slow countdown.

He knocked for a long time before speaking, his voice deep and resonant, carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Deputy Chief Constable Feng is dead."

Zhao Zhijing raised his head, his eyes gleaming. His eyes flashed sharply in the candlelight, like two cold stars in the dark night.

Tie Lingshan looked at him and said slowly, "That Su Bai—is not in the city."

Zhao Zhijing was taken aback, then realized what was going on.

He spoke in a low voice, as if afraid of being overheard: "The leader's meaning is—to take this opportunity—"

Tie Lingshan waved his hand, interrupting him.

"No rush." ​​He leaned back in his chair, his fingers ceasing their tapping. "Let's see how those other families react first. The Wei family, the Wu family, the Xie family, the Wan family, and the Chamber of Commerce Alliance—they're more anxious than we are."

He paused, then continued, "When Su Bai destroyed the Golden Knife Alliance and the Blood Knife Gang, how much did those families give him? Several thousand taels of silver worth of gifts. How could they not feel resentful? Now that Deputy Chief Constable Feng is dead, and Su Bai isn't in the city, what will they think?"

Zhao Zhijing nodded thoughtfully.

Tie Lingshan stood up and walked to the window. He pushed the window open, and the night wind rushed in, causing the candlelight to flicker violently, casting his shadow on the wall, sometimes long and sometimes short.

He gazed at the gloomy night sky outside and slowly said, "The weather in Qingyuan County is about to change. But how it will change, and in which direction, is still uncertain."

He turned around and looked at Zhao Zhijing.

"Keep a close eye on those few companies. If they make a move, we'll make a move too. If they don't move, we won't move either."

Zhao Zhijing clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes!"

Tie Lingshan withdrew his gaze and looked out the window again.

Dark clouds filled the night sky, obscuring the stars and moon. From the distant streets and alleys, the faint barking of dogs could be heard, exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Fengshan County.

The prefectural city was more than ten times larger than Qingyuan County. The city walls were towering, the streets were wide, and even at night, it was brightly lit and bustling with people.

The Zhenfu Division's yamen was located in the east of the city, a vast complex of buildings, complete with a main hall, side halls, signing rooms, storerooms, and dormitories. Two stone bishan beasts stood guard at the entrance, baring their fangs and claws, exuding an imposing aura.

It was already late at night, but the main hall was still brightly lit.

Ning Chongye, the commander of the Fengshan County Garrison, sat at the head of the table.

He was in his early forties, tall and slender, with a thin face and three long wisps of beard under his chin, making him look more like a scholar than a warrior. But his eyes were exceptionally sharp, gleaming in the candlelight as if they could see through everything.

On the desk in front of him lay an urgent report.

Below, several deputy commanders and chief officers sat on either side, some drinking tea, some resting with their eyes closed, and some looking down at the documents in their hands, each with a different expression.

After reading the urgent report, Ning Chongye looked up and glanced at everyone.

"Deputy Chief of Staff Feng of Qingyuan County was assassinated."

His voice wasn't loud, but it resounded like thunder in the hall.

After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

A moment later, a deputy commander asked in a deep voice, "Who did it?"

Ning Chongye shook his head, tapping lightly on the urgent report: "It's still unclear. Preliminary assessment suggests the wound's style resembles that of the Wheel of Life sect. But—"

He paused, a glint of sharp light flashing in his eyes, a light as sharp as a knife.

"The traces are too obvious."

The other deputy commander frowned, his brows furrowing into a knot: "Too obvious? Does the superior mean—"

Ning Chongye leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest. The tapping sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet hall, one tap after another, slow and steady.

"Those people from the Reincarnation Sect are always clean in their actions. They kill without hesitation, never leaving any survivors, and never leaving any obvious traces. If it really was them, only a few corpses would have been found at Qing Shi Ridge, not such obvious wounds that would make them identifiable."

He looked at the crowd, his gaze sharp: "Someone is trying to frame me."

The people in the hall exchanged glances, lost in thought. Some nodded, some frowned, and some picked up their teacups to drink, trying to hide the contemplation in their eyes.

A chief inspector spoke up, his voice tinged with a hint of probing: "Then, in your opinion, sir, who could it be?"

Ning Chongye did not answer.

He stood up and walked to the window. The window was half-open, and the night breeze seeped in through the cracks, causing the candlelight to flicker. He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the night outside, and remained silent for a long time.

Outside the window, the night was deep. In the distance, the occasional sound of a night watchman's clapper could be heard from the streets and alleys—thud, thud, thud, it was the third watch of the night.

"The trade route to Qing Shi Ling is involved in too many things," he said slowly, his voice low. "The four major families in the county, the Chamber of Commerce Alliance, the Iron Palm Gang, several large trading companies in the prefectural city, and even people in the capital city are watching. Any one of them could be involved, any one of them could be a suspect."

He turned around and looked at the crowd.

"Deputy Chief Inspector Feng was one of our men; he can't have died in vain. But right now, the most urgent task isn't finding the murderer." His gaze sharpened. "Qingyuan County can't be thrown into chaos. We need to send people there as soon as possible to stabilize the situation."

The deputy commander asked, "Whom does Your Excellency intend to send?"

Ning Chongye did not answer immediately. He walked back to his seat, sat down again, and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest.

Who is in charge of Qingyuan County now?

A chief constable flipped through the booklet in his hand, the pages rustling. He found the page, looked up, and replied, "Your Excellency, it's a chief constable named Su Bai. He's been in office for less than two months, but he's already wiped out two gangs—the Golden Knife Alliance and the Blood Knife Gang. Impressive."

Ning Chongye's eyes flickered slightly: "Su Bai? The one who killed Jin Tangjing and Liang Yan?"

"That's right." The chief constable nodded. "According to reports, this man is highly skilled in martial arts and acts decisively. The gangs in Qingyuan County are quite wary of him."

Ning Chongye pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What was Deputy Chief Constable Feng doing on the day he was assassinated?"

The chief constable paused, looked down at the booklet, flipped through a few pages, looked at it carefully, and then looked up.

"He gave advance notice that he was going to Qishan to inspect bandits. The time was—the day before Deputy Chief Inspector Feng was assassinated."

Ning Chongye's eyes flashed.

Did you leave the city the day before?

What a coincidence?

His brow furrowed slightly, a shallow knot forming between his eyebrows. His fingers tapped on the armrest—once, twice, three times.

under.

Everyone in the hall understood what was going on, exchanged glances, but remained silent.

Ning Chongye remained silent for a moment, then nodded, his expression returning to calm.

"understood."

He didn't say anything more, just leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, as if he was thinking about something.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and sat up straight.

"The death of Deputy Chief Inspector Feng needs to be investigated. But the investigation should be handled by people from Qingyuan County themselves—isn't Su Bai still around? Let him investigate."

He looked at everyone with a stern gaze: "The most important thing now is to decide on a successor for the deputy magistrate of Qingyuan County. The county garrison cannot be without a deputy magistrate; we must fill the position as soon as possible."

The group exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

Although Qingyuan County is small, its location is important. Trade routes pass through it, attracting many merchants and bringing with them considerable wealth. The position of Deputy Chief Clerk in Qingyuan County is a lucrative and important post. Whoever gets their hands on it will reap a share of the profits.

Ning Chongye continued, "This matter cannot be rushed; we must discuss it carefully. Although Qingyuan County is small, its location is important; the trade routes are there, and we cannot afford any trouble."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and said, word by word, "Proceed with a plan within three days."

Everyone agreed, stood up one after another, clasped their hands in farewell, and took their leave.

The footsteps faded into the distance, and the main hall returned to silence.

Ning Chongye sat at the head of the table, his brows furrowed as he gazed at the darkening sky outside the door.

The candlelight flickered, casting his shadow on the wall behind him, sometimes long, sometimes short.

The death of Deputy Chief Inspector Feng is too suspicious.

The wound resembles the cycle of rebirth, yet it's so similar that it seems unlike anything else.

There are too many interests involved on the trade route. The four major families in the county, the Chamber of Commerce Alliance, the Iron Palm Gang, as well as several large trading companies in the prefectural city, and even people in the capital city are keeping an eye on it.

It could be any of them, and any of them could be a suspect.

And that Su Bai—

He left the city a day early and went to Qishan.

coincidence?

still----

Ning Chongye shook his head, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

Whether it's a coincidence or not, the most important thing right now is to stabilize Qingyuan County. As long as things don't get chaotic there, there's still room for maneuver.

As for Su Bai, he wanted to see if this young man could withstand this sudden storm.

The crevice was dark, and the loose stones underfoot crunched underfoot. The cliff walls on either side were damp and covered with slippery moss. The further in you went, the darker it became, and the air grew increasingly damp and chilly.

He stopped when he reached the cave entrance.

The entrance to the cave was about two people high and three people wide, and it was pitch black inside, with no bottom in sight. A cool breeze blew out of the cave, carrying a damp, musty smell and some indescribable fishy odor.

Su Bai took out a tinderbox from his pocket, blew on it, and held it up in his hand.

The firelight flickered and shone into the cave.

The cave walls were natural rock, uneven and covered with dark green moss. There were some pebbles on the ground, and some—he squatted down and examined them closely—one was some animal bones, rotten and blackened, making it impossible to tell what kind of animal they were.

He stood up, holding the tinderbox, and slowly walked into the cave.

The cave passage was winding and deep, sometimes wide and sometimes narrow. Water droplets fell from above from time to time, drip-drip-drip, their sound particularly clear in the silent cave. The flickering firelight cast his shadow on the cave wall, sometimes long, sometimes short, distorted and deformed.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the space ahead suddenly opened up.

It was a huge cave, several meters square. The ceiling was very high, invisible, only endless darkness. The cave walls were covered with...

The glowing moss, shimmering with a faint green light, cast an eerie glow over the entire cave.

In the center of the cave, there is a stone platform.

The stone platform was carved from a single massive rock, more than ten feet square and half a person's height. On the platform sat a stone box, and beside the box was a skeleton.

The skeleton sat cross-legged, its posture serene, as if in deep meditation. Its clothing had long since decayed to ash, with only a few fragments clinging to the frame. The bones were yellowed and blackened, clearly indicating their great age.

Su Bai approached the stone platform and carefully examined it with the tinderbox in hand.

On the skeleton's finger was a bronze ring, so corroded that its original appearance was unrecognizable. Beside it lay a longsword on the ground; its scabbard was long since decayed, but the blade still gleamed coldly—it was a fine sword.

He didn't touch those things, but looked at the stone box on the stone platform.

The stone box is carved from bluish-gray stone, with a smooth surface and no patterns. Several characters are engraved on the lid in ancient seal script, with complex strokes.

He studied it for a moment and recognized the four characters: "A gift for those with affinity."

Su Bai remained silent for a moment, then reached out and opened the box lid.

Inside the stone box, several items lay quietly.

A jade bottle, about the size of a palm, with a smooth, lustrous surface, seemed to contain something inside.

A jade slip, long and narrow, covered with densely packed small characters.

A roll of animal hide, yellowish in color, rolled up and tied with a leather rope.

A token, entirely golden in color.

There was also a thin booklet with a torn cover, the name of which was illegible.

He recognized the token; he had one of the same design, but it was brass.

This is a membership token for the Treasure Pavilion.

Brass, iron, silver, gold, diamonds.

This is a gold token with second-level authority.

Treasure Pavilion's business spans the entire Great Qian Dynasty. In addition to selling goods, Treasure Pavilion also regularly organizes some secret trading fairs.

These private trading events are high-level events, requiring tokens of silver or higher to participate.

With this token, Su Bai could naturally participate as well.

He picked up the jade bottle again and shook it gently.

There was a sloshing sound coming from inside, as if there was still half a bottle left.

He pulled out the stopper, and a rich medicinal aroma wafted out. He took just one breath and felt refreshed.

Elixir.

Moreover, it is a very high-quality elixir.

He put the cork back in the bottle, put the jade bottle into his pocket, and then picked up the jade slip.