Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

Yan Wangchuan was silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Of the 123 members of the Xiao family, all but Xiao Dongshan, the second master of the Xiao family, and his son Xiao Bieshan are dead. Your father's whereabouts and fate are currently unknown."

Gu Guanqi quickly asked, "Commander Yan, does the Six Doors have any clues?"

Yan Wangchuan slowly said, "We have a clue. Based on our investigation of the traces at the scene and the results of the coroner's autopsy, we have reconstructed what happened that day."

Before attacking the Xiao family, the Heavenly Demon Sect likely sent a poison expert to poison them. The poison wasn't particularly sophisticated; it was simply a sleeping potion. Those poisoned suffered weakened internal energy and were completely powerless. This was the main reason the Xiao family was wiped out.

Fang Cunxin asked in bewilderment, "The Xiao family has been fighting with the Heavenly Demon Sect's Tian Shu branch for many years, and has always been able to suppress the Tian Shu branch. How could they not even be able to defend against this kind of tactic?"

Yan Wangchuan nodded and said, "I also think this is extremely unreasonable. The Xiao family was not unaware of the Heavenly Demon Sect's actions. Under such circumstances, they would certainly have taken precautions and it's unlikely they would have been fooled by such basic methods. Therefore, we speculate that the one who actually succeeded in poisoning them was not someone from the Heavenly Demon Sect, but someone within the Xiao family. There is a traitor in the Xiao family!"

Fang Cunxin frowned: "The person who poisoned the Xiao family must be someone extraordinary, to have caught so many experts off guard."

Yan Wangchuan took over the conversation, his tone heavy: "It must be someone from the absolute core of the upper echelons. Only such a person has the opportunity to tamper with things at the banquet without arousing anyone's suspicion."

The current situation is that the entire Xiao family, whether high-ranking or ordinary members, is dead. Only Xiao Dongshan, the second master of the Xiao family, and his son Xiao Bieshan have not yet been found and their fate is uncertain.

Therefore, at present, the most likely explanation is that Xiao Dongshan and his son betrayed the Xiao family, colluded with the Heavenly Demon Sect, leading to the extermination of the Xiao family, and then kidnapped your father to find the Heavenly Crafting Stone.

Fang Cunxin's expression turned solemn as she gripped the spear tightly in her hand.

Gu Guanqi frowned slightly and said, "Commander Yan, when we interrogated the members of the Heavenly Demon Sect in the forest, we learned from them that the Heavenly Demon Sect has not yet obtained the Heavenly Crafting Stone, nor can they find the whereabouts of Chief Escort Fang. If Xiao Dongshan and his son were colluding with the Heavenly Demon Sect, then the Heavenly Demon Sect should know where Chief Escort Fang is. The main reason the Heavenly Demon Sect attacked us was to kidnap Cunxin and force Chief Escort Fang to show himself."

Yan Wangchuan waved his hand and said, "There is no contradiction. Assuming that Xiao Dongshan and Xiao Bieshan colluded with the Heavenly Demon Sect, it does not mean that they were working for the Heavenly Demon Sect. The Heavenly Crafting Stone held by Chief Escort Fang is extremely valuable, so it is normal for the father and son to covet it."

Furthermore, there's a possibility that a third party is involved, but they're well hidden and haven't been discovered. Of course, it's also possible that Xiao Dongshan and his son Xiao Bieshan were simply lucky and escaped the threat of their entire family being wiped out!

My belief that the Xiao family father and son kidnapped or killed Fang, the镖头 (镖头 is a nickname for a镖师, a镖师), to seize the Heavenly Crafting Stone is based on the fact that all three of them are currently missing, neither alive nor dead. If they were afraid of the Heavenly Demon Sect, they wouldn't hesitate to seek help from the authorities. The most likely explanation is that they are afraid to show themselves, especially now that the Heavenly Demon Sect's Tian Shu branch has gone into complete hiding due to Yan Jingchen's death. If they themselves are innocent, they shouldn't be afraid to report the crime!

Fang Cunxin took a deep breath and asked, "Commander Yan, does the Six Doors have any specific leads in the investigation?"

Yan Wangchuan's gaze fell on Fang Cunxin's face, and his voice softened slightly: "I'm sorry, we don't have any useful clues at the moment, but we have increased our search efforts."

Fang Cunxin bit her lip, remained silent for a while, and then asked, "Commander Yan, can I search with you? After all, you're experts in this area, which is better than me searching aimlessly like a headless fly!"

Yan Wangchuan nodded and said, "Of course! You and the Fang family are of one mind; perhaps you'll be able to discover some details that we might miss!"

……

On the same day,

Gu Guanqi and Fang Cunxin then followed the Six Doors to search for Fang Shiyang and Xiao Dongshan and his son Xiao Bieshan.

However, after searching for two days, they found nothing.

After all, the Six Doors and the Changqing County government mobilized hundreds of people, and a branch of the Heavenly Demon Sect had also been searching, but without any results. It was unlikely that the addition of Fang Cunxin and Gu Guanqi would immediately lead to a breakthrough.

On the third day, there was still no progress.

As the sun sets and dusk deepens.

Yan Wangchuan ordered the team to retreat, and everyone returned to Changqing County.

After entering the city,

Fang Cunxin and Gu Guanqi then separated from the Six Doors team and headed towards the inn where they were stationed.

After nightfall, apart from the night market, other parts of the city are relatively deserted.

The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the bluestone path, gleaming with a cool, clear light.

The two walked side by side.

Fang Cunxin had completely lost her former vitality. She looked exhausted, and her eyes were red and swollen. She had secretly cried many times in the past few days.

Gu Guanqi didn't know how to comfort her.

Because he knew about Fang Cunxin's family situation; her mother was killed in a gangland feud a few months after she was born, while protecting Fang Cunxin.

Fang Shiyang never remarried, partly because he couldn't forget his wife, and partly because he worried that Fang Cunxin would be mistreated because of her stepmother. So, the father and daughter depended on each other for survival and had a very deep bond.

With Fang Shiyang's fate uncertain, Fang Cunxin's mood is unlikely to improve.

and,

The current situation is due to Fang Shiyang's desire to secure a future for Fang Cunxin.

This made it even harder for Fang Cunxin to accept.

"Brother Gu," Fang Cunxin whispered, "Do you think I'm a jinx? My mother died because of me, and now my father is going through this because of me..."

Gu Guanqi reached out and put his hand on Fang Cunxin's shoulder, saying, "If you think like this, your mother and father will be heartbroken. They love you deeply, and they don't want you to wallow in self-pity like this!"

Fang Cunxin lowered her head and remained silent.

Gu Guanqi added, "Don't always think the worst. Judging from the current situation, either there's a third-party force we haven't discovered yet, or the Xiao family father and son have kidnapped your father."

The fact that they haven't found your father means he's still alive. Neither the third-party forces nor the Xiao family has obtained the Heavenly Crafting Stone yet, so they're still with your father.

Fang Cunxin took a deep breath and said, "If that's the case, then my father's situation must be very bad right now. My father can't reveal the whereabouts of the Heavenly Crafting Stone. If he does, they'll kill him. If he doesn't, they'll definitely torture him!"

Gu Guanqi said, "Therefore, you should calm down, get some rest, and search with the best energy..."

Just then, a ragged beggar suddenly emerged from the alley next door.

The beggar was disheveled, his face covered in filth, obscuring his features. He wore a tattered hemp garment that reeked of sourness. He stretched out a dirty hand and mumbled, "Please have mercy... give me two copper coins... I'm starving..."

Fang Cunxin stopped in her tracks, looked at the beggar, sighed, reached into her waistband and took out a few copper coins, preparing to hand them over.

Just then, the beggar suddenly lowered his voice and said quickly in a volume that only the two of them could hear, "Fang Cunxin, it's me."

While speaking,

The beggar brushed his hair back and said, "It's me, Xiao Bieshan. You still remember me, right?"