Chapter 925: Chapter 116: The Truth (Part 1)

Wang Anfeng took out the jade pendant from his bosom and gently caressed it, saying:

“I can only find someone to see if they can identify its origins.”

“Besides that, there are no other good methods.”

Li Qidao nodded and said, “Indeed, for you to think of this shows you have not wasted your time in Jianghu. Although this item seems familiar to me, my memories are not clear. I just remember seeing it in my youth; it should indeed be something from beyond the region.”

“But looking at its appearance, this item is quite rare in Liangzhou City. The common jade shops in the city likely won’t be able to identify it. Do you have any ideas?”

Wang Anfeng pondered for a moment and said:

“I do indeed have a place to go…”

Li Qidao squinted his eyes and said, “Need help?”

Wang Anfeng shook his head and said, “There’s no need to trouble you, Uncle Li, for this matter. I can handle it myself.”

Li Qidao laughed heartily and said, “Good that you have the confidence. If anything happens, just shout out, and I will come to help you. There’s no need to fear even the Pillar of the State; it wouldn’t be the first time fighting him after more than twenty years, and I honestly itch to see him.”

“Come now, Xue girl, the jar of wine you brought isn’t bad, let’s go, accompany Uncle Li for another drink.”

Xue Qinshuang responded crisply, glanced at Wang Anfeng, and said:

“Do not act recklessly.”

A slight smile appeared on Wang Anfeng’s face as he nodded, watching Li Qidao and Xue Qinshuang leave before finally retracting his gaze. The weather had already turned slightly chilly, and looking up, the east showed a pale fish-belly white.

After a night of chaos, dawn was near. The diligent townsfolk should have already awoken, tidied themselves, and prepared for a day’s work.

Wang Anfeng exhaled a breath of white mist, gathered his spirit, and turned to employ his movement technique, swiftly heading towards Anzai Alley——he had no other acquaintances in Liangzhou City; the only force he could rely on was the blind old Wu whom he had bothered twice before.

At this moment, he could not care about his previous mention of this being the last time, as he sped out, owing to the empty streets, allowing him to exert his highest Qinggong skills. In no time, he arrived in the dirty alley where blind old Wu resided.

He then altered his appearance, transforming back into the cold-spirited swordsman from before, and quickly moved forward. The hidden door remained tightly shut. Wang Anfeng reached out to push, but it wouldn’t budge; knocking yielded no response either.

As the sky brightened, he grew worried, whispered an apology, gathered Qi in his wrist, and forcibly pushed open the door. Upon stepping down, he noticed something amiss—

Too quiet.

The usual mix of shouting, footsteps, and the sound of dice rolling vanished completely. More strangely, an overwhelmingly intense scent of blood surged, drilling straight into his nose.

Wang Anfeng stepped in with great strides, his expression transformed. His gaze took in the sight of all the gambling parlor’s occupants murdered, lying across tables or collapsed on the floor, all with their throats pierced by a fine, small weapon he recognized.

Western fine swords.

“This… Tie Lin?! No, no, it’s the Qunxing Pavilion?!”

“But how did they know about this place?”

Wang Anfeng’s expression shifted several times as he walked toward the blind old Wu’s hidden door, his gaze suddenly fixated beside him, where the gambling den’s steward, Song Lao Liu, lay dead.

He had interacted with Wang Anfeng a few times and was deeply trusted by blind old Wu, second in command at the gambling parlor.

Yet this steward’s death was exceptionally miserable.

Hands clutching his throat, face-up on the floor, blood flowing, his countenance showed little fear, only disbelief, as if he could hardly believe someone would attack him, and the speed of the strike left no time for fear before ending his life—a remarkably ‘merciful’ murder method.

No pain felt, dying in an instant.

Wang Anfeng’s gaze moved from him to the carpet below, and his breathing involuntarily quickened. He slowly crouched down and lifted his hand to touch the thick carpet, which bore human figures, not adhering to the Great Qin customs, belonging to something foreign.

Almost identical to another seen earlier in the day.

Wang Anfeng’s heart began to race involuntarily.

He finally understood why that blood-stained carpet in the house last night felt so familiar.

He should have realized earlier.

Back when he visited for the second time, he noticed many external items in blind old Wu’s gambling parlor, yet he didn’t remember this just now!

In doing so, was he interacting with someone from the opposing faction?

A unconvincing thought arose within Wang Anfeng—naturally, he didn’t want to believe it. This was where a local scoundrel brought him, yet this old Liangzhou figure, active in the city for decades, turned out to be a pawn for outsiders? This must have been buried decades before Xianping County joined Qin State!

Understanding this point sent waves through his mind, his thoughts shifting, indescribable by words.

In this shock, Wang Anfeng remained dazed for several breaths until he recalled his purpose, urgently rising, his right fist driving forward fiercely, Vigorous Qi intertwining, smashing the Mechanism Sect’s sturdy door into pieces as he charged inside.

His Qi Mechanism surged, remaining alert for any treachery.

After breaking through several trap arrows, he reached the hidden chamber. This place was far more lavish than he expected, more a wealthy gentleman’s residence than a rat’s den.

Everywhere revealed meticulous effort, luxurious goods everywhere, a thousand-gold sandalwood carved armchair directly facing the entrance bore a tall elderly man, pale yet dignified, eyes wide with indignation, his right hand gripping a blood-stained Western thin sword.

Clearly, the killer was this elderly one.

Yet simultaneously, a sword mark lined his neck, self-inflictive, the chamber sealed and stifled, blood scent more potent than outside.

Wang Anfeng could almost picture this elderly man killing everyone outside before entering the mechanism door to end his own life, requiring little evidence to believe this tall and clear-eyed elder was blind old Wu.

Blind old Wu was not blind, hence capable of writing a letter.

However, seeing this blind elder stirred both anger and much confusion within Wang Anfeng, especially one question: if this man was indeed the spy, why obediently hand over that roster?

Without blind old Wu’s roster, finding the target would have been impossible; confirming the Shanyue Alley location unenforceable.

Moreover, Wang Anfeng requested to find a gambler with an elderly mother, yet blind old Wu provided a solitary, nameless person. Reflecting now, he might have known beforehand that person was precisely the target sought by the Ministry of Punishment and Wang Anfeng.

Perhaps even suggesting this person was handpicked by blind old Wu for the Qunxing Pavilion, explaining why those two outsiders could accurately pinpoint a target amidst Liangzhou’s massive population within days.

But this raises further inquiries: such a deeply concealed spy suddenly assisting by handing critical information to the Ministry, aiding Wang Anfeng?

This appears as betrayal of the original master, but if intending to ‘abandon darkness for light,’ he should immediately proceed to the Ministry, yet he returned to his chamber to kill and end himself instead.

These contradictions are glaringly obvious—something definite happened resulting in this illogical situation.

Suppressing slightly turbulent sentiments, Wang Anfeng examined the room closely, discovering a piece of correspondence beside blind old Wu, likely for Qunxing Pavilion communication, raising his right hand using Qi Force to retrieve the letter, immediately opening it, scanning rapidly, his expression changing radically.

The first page bore two lines.

“To Wang Anfeng personally.”

“Ning Xin of the Dongfang Clan, with respect.”

PS: Today’s first update is here… This chapter contains four thousand two hundred words~