Chapter 243 - 26: A Single Strike Makes Waves

Chapter 243: Chapter 26: A Single Strike Makes Waves

"Any other discoveries?" Xiao Zhanbai asked.

Chief Wang crouched down and prodded the corpse’s clothes with a small wooden stick, flipping out a black token from within.

On the token, three twisted words were carved in intaglio—White Bone Mountain.

"The deceased was from White Bone Mountain," Chief Wang said in a low voice.

"White Bone Mountain?" A flash of disgust crossed Xiao Zhanbai’s eyes. "How dare these heretical fiends run wild in Qingzhou City."

Chief Wang nodded and continued, "From the looks of the scene, this Demon from White Bone Mountain must have secretly set up a base here. He was likely performing some sort of evil Magic when an enemy found him and killed him with a single slash."

"I’ve examined the scene. There are very few signs of a struggle, which means the attacker killed this guy almost immediately after arriving, with hardly any delay."

Chief Wang stood up and surveyed the ransacked secret chamber.

"This Evil Cultivator’s death is no great loss, but the problem is, who was the attacker? Why would they strike within the city? And most troubling of all, how did they manage to kill someone and slip away right under our noses without a sound?"

Hearing this, Xiao Zhanbai snorted coldly. "I don’t care who it is. Anyone who dares to break the rules of Qingzhou City during the trade fair is making an enemy of my Celestial Sword Manor. This matter will absolutely not be dropped."

Her tone carried an unquestionable dominance.

As the rulers of the Qingzhou region, Celestial Sword Manor had always considered it their duty to maintain order.

Now that someone had caused such a major disturbance right under their noses, how could Celestial Sword Manor save face if they didn’t conduct a thorough investigation and unmask the culprit?

Chief Wang glanced at her but said nothing.

He knew the temperament of this Miss Xiao and understood Celestial Sword Manor’s position.

It’s just that Qingzhou Prefecture City was a chaotic mix of all sorts of people, especially during the trade fair. All manner of unsavory characters were gathered here. Trying to find a master Swordsman determined to hide among so many people would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

"What are your plans, Miss Xiao?" Chief Wang asked.

"Investigate!" Xiao Zhanbai’s answer was a single, crisp word.

"There may be many Cultivators in the city who use sabers, but those capable of such a slash are as rare as a phoenix feather. Investigate every Swordsman who fits the criteria. I refuse to believe we won’t find a single trace!"

A cold glint flickered in her eyes.

"And until the killer is found, I don’t want this matter leaked. We must avoid causing unnecessary panic."

Chief Wang nodded. "I understand. I’ll have my men suppress the news and investigate in secret."

Although he felt the chances were slim, he still had to cooperate with Celestial Sword Manor’s operation.

After all, while Qingzhou Prefecture City was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Court, everyone knew that Celestial Sword Manor was the one who truly called the shots here.

"Then I’ll leave it to you."

Chief Wang left. Xiao Zhanbai walked over to the corpse that had been split in two, crouched down, and extended two slender, jade-like fingers, lightly swiping them across the wound.

She captured a trace of Sword Intent on her fingertips, so faint it was almost imperceptible.

She closed her eyes, carefully sensing this wisp of Sword Intent.

’Sharp, condensed, and carrying an indomitable, piercing force.’

"A little interesting..." Xiao Zhanbai murmured to herself, a hint of interest appearing in her phoenix-like eyes.

「Meanwhile」

Chen Ye had already returned to the inn. After letting out a long breath, he opened his system panel.

[Name: Chen Ye]

[Cultivation Realm: Unobstructed]

[Profession: Slaying Blade Asura lv2 (Born for slaughter, greatly enhances Saber Technique power and combat instincts.)]

[Talent: Asura’s Eye—Bloody Vision upgrade, allowing the user to see the flow and weaknesses of Energy.]

[Dharma Gate: Golden Toad Qi Swallowing Technique lv3]

[Martial Arts: Thorn Blade Technique lv4]

In fact, a system notification had appeared before Chen Ye right after he killed Li Gu, but he hadn’t had time to check it then. Seeing it now, he was naturally overjoyed.

Not only had his Profession leveled up, but more importantly, his Thorn Blade Technique had jumped two levels. This was a massive gain.

Just then, Chen Ye heard the sound of dense footsteps from the street outside, accompanied by the clatter of armor from soldiers marching quickly.

Chen Ye’s heart tightened. He immediately went to the window and peeked out from the side. Sure enough, he saw many more patrol teams on the street and knew the matter had blown up.

However, Chen Ye thought it over carefully and, certain that he had left no traces behind, finally relaxed. He didn’t bother with Cultivation and instead went straight to bed to sleep.

「The next morning」

Chen Ye, acting as if nothing had happened, went to the stall area again with Su Yuan and Yun Heqing.

Qingzhou Prefecture City seemed no different from the day before, still bustling with people and lively as ever.

But the number of Celestial Sword Manor disciples and Qingzhou City Armored Warriors patrolling the streets had more than doubled since yesterday. Each of them wore a solemn expression, their sharp gazes sweeping over the pedestrians, and their inspections were much stricter than before.

"What’s going on? Did something happen?" Yun Heqing shrank back, feeling a little nervous, and asked in a low voice.

He was naturally timid and was most afraid of dealing with behemoths like the Government Office and Celestial Sword Manor.

"Who knows," Chen Ye replied coolly, his face unreadable.

Su Yuan, on the other hand, was nonchalantly munching on a candied hawthorn skewer. "Who cares? Some idiot probably provoked Celestial Sword Manor. Now we have a show to watch."

Chen Ye said nothing, but inwardly he wasn’t worried.

His actions the previous night had been clean and efficient, leaving behind no direct clues.