Li Muzhan reined in the Crimson Shadow, a magnificent steed, pausing by the roadside where they too became a point of focus as they advanced toward Li Tianlei, who noticed Li Muzhan.
Fan Peiyao offered a slight nod; their gazes met across the distance, flickered, and then Fan Peiyao’s bright eyes held a trace of apology—she could not greet him now, surrounded as she was by the elders of the Fan family, any disturbance would be improper.
Li Muzhan smiled at her, his gaze drifting toward the others.
The elder leading the group possessed an imposing spirit, tall and broad of build, his hair and beard jet black, his complexion dark, showing no signs of age. He sat ramrod straight on his horse.
His eyes were sharp as blades, radiating an air of imposing authority, no different from a young man's.
Li Muzhan took one look and immediately knew this patriarch was volatile, stern, and fiercely uncompromising—a difficult man to deal with. He avoided direct eye contact; the Crimson Shadow moved on with a slight lift of its hooves, proceeding slowly away.
As they passed Li Tianlei, Li Tianlei ignored Fan Peiyao and her group, fixing his piercing gaze on Li Muzhan, attempting to gauge his depth, and sensing an undeniable extraordinariness about him.
Li Muzhan sighed inwardly; Li Tianlei was indeed remarkable, but now, with his Qi membrane sealed to his bones and his spirit restrained, to outsiders he merely appeared as an ordinary man who did not practice martial arts.
He and Li Tianlei exchanged a glance; Li Muzhan gave a slight nod and offered a faint, exceedingly friendly smile. The Crimson Shadow quickly passed Li Tianlei’s party and headed toward the distance.
He closed his eyes. The Eye of the Void surveyed the dozen figures behind the elder—men of middle age and two youths, positioned at the rear alongside Fan Peiyao, their spirits high and tinged with excitement.
The cavalcade thundered to within a few yards of Li Tianlei before suddenly drawing rein and halting.
The Elder Fan dismounted, laughing heartily as he stepped forward, cupping his fists: “Master Li, your esteemed presence graces us! Forgive this old man’s failure to meet you further out; it is discourteous of me!”
Li Tianlei returned the salute with cupped fists: “Elder Fan, you are too kind!”
His eyes swept over the group, knitting his brows: “Where is my unworthy disciple?”
Elder Fan started, turning to Fan Peiyao: “Peiyao, where is Young Master Feng?”
Fan Peiyao shook her head: “Grandfather, I do not know either.” We parted after dinner yesterday; I haven’t seen Brother Feng today. I assumed he had arrived early to await Senior Li.”
Li Tianlei snorted softly, his thick brows furrowing slightly. He waved a hand dismissively: “Never mind that ungrateful disciple! Let us enter the city.”
“Indeed, into the city! Master Li, please—” Elder Fan hurried to assent, bowing deeply and gesturing him forward.
The group flowed around Li Tianlei like stars orbiting the moon as they entered the city. Li Tianlei moved among the throng with perfect composure, accustomed to such deference, his gait powerful and commanding, his presence arresting.
Among the Fan clan members, a man of middle age slipped away quietly, unnoticed by the others, moving like a shadow without drawing attention.
Li Tianlei’s party proceeded on foot, heading directly for the Fan Residence.
Just before they reached the main gate of the Fan Residence, the vanished middle-aged man reappeared, his face impassive, and whispered a few words into Elder Fan’s ear.
“What?!” Elder Fan exclaimed aloud.
His dark complexion shifted, revealing shock, and his eyes flashed with sharp light, like swords being unsheathed: “Is this true?”
“Absolutely true,” the middle-aged man nodded grimly.
“Impossible!” Elder Fan shook his head, his voice deepening with a resolute snort: “Young Hero Feng’s martial arts are too exquisite; who in Sky Dragon City could kill him!?”
“Elder, I saw it myself. It was indeed Young Hero Feng,” the man stated flatly.
Li Tianlei stopped, turning back to ask: “What is happening?”
Elder Fan’s face twisted through several expressions before he stepped forward two paces, his face darkening like water, and spoke slowly: “Master Li, Young Hero Feng, he... he…”
“What about him?” Li Tianlei asked grimly.
Elder Fan drew a breath and said heavily: “He has met with foul play…”
“What?!” Li Tianlei frowned, his expression unwavering: “You mean Bai Shan has been killed?”
“Yes,” Elder Fan slowly nodded, his demeanor grave.
Purple energy surged on Li Tianlei’s face, his violet robes whipping and flowing as if he stood in a gale, causing the garments of those nearby to billow as if caught in a massive wind.
Elder Fan and the others instinctively stepped back, pushed by an unseen force.
Li Tianlei let out a long breath; the purple energy on his face settled, his robes smoothed. He said with difficulty: “Take me to see Bai Shan.”
“Yes, Master.” Elder Fan looked at him and slowly nodded.
The middle-aged man led the way, and the party moved eastward, a vast procession yet utterly silent save for the soft tapping of footsteps.
Elder Fan spoke up: “Young Hero Feng refused to stay at my residence; he bought a house in Cheng’en Ward to the east. Alas, this is all my fault; I should have insisted he stay with us.”
Li Tianlei remained silent, sharp light flickering in his eyes, his face dark as still water.
Soon they arrived at a narrow street, quiet all around. It was paved with uneven flagstones, interspersed with weeds, giving the area a desolate air.
Lying upon the flagstones was Feng Baishan, already stiff, his head tilted back, staring blankly and aghast at the heavens, a bloody hole piercing his forehead.
Li Tianlei approached, staring down at Feng Baishan without blinking.
After a long pause, when he finally raised his head, his eyes were blood-red, yet his expression remained perfectly calm. He cast a faint glance over the assembled group; they all felt a chill race down their spines, their hairs standing on end, almost ready to bolt.
Li Tianlei gently closed Feng Baishan’s eyes with his fingers. Looking up, he saw writing etched onto the wall, and he let out a cold, dry laugh: “A fine ‘Great Wind Sect’ indeed.”
He punched out. With a dull thud, the wall was shattered through.
He withdrew his fist, his face placid, and gave a quiet order: “Ziyuan, take Bai Shan back.”
“Yes, Master.” From behind him, a young man emerged, of average height, clad in a plain blue robe, with an ordinary appearance but possessing a character of sincere depth and stability.
He approached Feng Baishan, gently lifting him. Seeing the writing on the wall, he looked up: “Master, is it truly the Great Wind Sect?”
Li Tianlei’s expression was grim. He said faintly: “We will discuss it later. Elder Fan, I wish to go to Bai Shan’s residence.”
“Yes, yes,” Elder Fan nodded hurriedly, turning and stating sternly: “Peiyao, lead the way!”
“Yes,” Fan Peiyao responded, gracefully stepping ahead.
The young man carried Feng Baishan without a hint of revulsion, as if holding a living person, and followed Li Tianlei eastward. After walking a hundred yards, they arrived at a manor.
Upon entering the compound, several young women came out to greet them. All were beautiful, perhaps not peerless beauties, but vibrant and pleasing to the eye.
Li Tianlei’s expression immediately soured. He swept a cold glance over the maids, huffed a sound, but said nothing more, striding further inside.
Fan Peiyao quickly explained: “Su Ying, this is Brother Feng’s Master, and his Senior Brothers.”
“Yes, Young Master... he...?” The leading young woman nodded obediently, but then her eyes fell upon Feng Baishan cradled in the youth’s arms, and she gasped in shock.
Fan Peiyao sighed and shook her head: “Let’s go inside first.”
The pretty young woman’s face turned pale. She retracted her gaze and quietly followed behind the group, silent.
They reached the main hall, and tea was soon served. Feng Baishan’s corpse was laid upon a couch. Li Tianlei approached to examine it, followed closely by the young man.
Elder Fan’s face was somber, his mind clearly preoccupied, his eyes ceaselessly sharp.
Fan Peiyao was also distracted, her thoughts consumed by Li Muzhan’s eyes—she dimly understood that in Sky Dragon City, only Li Muzhan could have managed to kill Feng Baishan. The monk Mingkong was truly audacious to dare act! What now?
After a while, Li Tianlei sat down, and the youth followed suit, sighing: “Master, it shouldn’t be the Great Wind Sect. This was a flying dagger—a one-hit kill.”
He shook his head: “The Great Wind Sect does not specialize in hidden weapons.”
Li Tianlei turned back: “Elder Fan, did Bai Shan have any enemies in Sky Dragon City?”
Elder Fan shook his head: “This old man did not pay close attention. Peiyao, you were with Young Master Feng often; did you know of any enemies?”
Fan Peiyao’s heart sank; a wave of despair washed over her. Grandfather is trying to sacrifice a pawn to save the king. She took a deep breath and shook her head: “No. Brother Feng mostly wandered the city; he only sought me out occasionally. He seemed to have no enemies.”
“Really none?” Li Tianlei’s eyes narrowed.
Fan Peiyao felt her heartbeat falter and her breath catch, as if a great mountain had descended upon her. Resisting with all her might, she gritted her teeth and shook her head again.
Li Tianlei studied her deeply, gave a cold laugh, then turned: “Elder Fan, this is your territory. Since Bai Shan was harmed here, the matter of the killer falls to your responsibility!”
“Master Li, that is…” Elder Fan was stunned.
Li Tianlei gave him a cool glance: “Within seven days, I expect news of the culprit.”
With that, he waved a hand: “I shall not see you out.”
Elder Fan, seeing his grim expression and the swirling violet Qi, knew arguing was futile; this was pure transference of anger. This Li, still possessing that foul temper, would turn on anyone!
He slowly stood, cupped his fists in a nod, and turned to leave. Fan Peiyao and the others followed, all seething with indignation but daring not speak their anger.
Once outside the gate, a Fan retainer cursed: “Elder, this Li fellow is too infuriating! Let’s just ignore him; see what he does then!”
“Right! No matter how powerful he is, this is our ground; we must stand firm!”
“Elder, just ignore him!”
Elder Fan walked ahead without a word, striding so fast that the others had to hurry to keep up. Soon, they all fell silent, afraid to say more.
Elder Fan returned to his own estate, waved his followers away, and summoned Fan Peiyao into the main hall.
In the hall, Elder Fan sat in the grand chair, took a sip of fine tea, set it down, and sighed leisurely: “Peiyao, it was that monk, wasn’t it?”
Fan Peiyao’s expression remained unchanged as she shook her head: “Grandfather, I truly do not know.”
“Oh?” Elder Fan glanced at her sideways, stating lightly: “This Monk Mingkong is presumptuous. Who was Feng Baishan that he should dare kill him?”
Fan Peiyao said: “Master Mingkong has already returned to Tenglong City.” She knew her grandfather was well-informed; the entirety of Sky Dragon City was under his surveillance; nothing could escape his notice—even the clash between the two at Changping Tower had not eluded his ears. (To be continued)
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