Chapter 64: The Mystery of the Capital
After leaving the Tang family mansion, San Bao wandered through the bustling streets of the capital, her heart feeling empty. She turned back several times, but she didn’t see the familiar figure.
Tang Mingli, why didn’t you come after me? Did something happen to him, so he couldn’t come? The Tang family mansion is full of experts, and he’s the family head. What could happen to him? San Bao’s thoughts were a chaotic mess.
She wasn’t sure how long she had walked, but she eventually found a quiet corner of the street and sat down. She summoned Sanhua Bao from her Seven Treasures Hand Bead. A faint glow fshed, and Sanhua Bao gently nded in her arms.
Ever since San Bao had advanced to the middle stage of the fifth-tier ability user, the Seven Treasures Hand Bead had changed. The space inside could now be used to house spirit beasts and pnt spiritual pnts. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any spirit pnts or beasts at the moment. San Bao sighed. Still, being able to carry Sanhua Bao with her at all times was already a great comfort. At least she didn’t have to leave it alone in a room or a carriage anymore, worrying about potential danger.
Sanhua Bao tilted its head and meowed, then jumped into San Bao’s arms. It lifted its head, and San Bao gently scratched its chin. The cat squinted its eyes in contentment, purring deeply.
San Bao lowered her head and kissed Sanhua Bao’s head affectionately. "You only know how to enjoy life, don’t you?"
Unfortunately, this peaceful moment didn’t st long. A luxurious carriage suddenly stopped in front of her.
The coachman, dressed in a guard uniform, had a slight difference in the patterns compared to the ones San Bao had seen in the Zhu family’s guard team.
The coachman dismounted, respectfully opened the door, and said, "You must be Miss Xu San Bao from Moling. Please, step inside. There is someone inside who wishes to meet you."
Help me? They don’t even get out of the carriage to meet me? San Bao thought to herself, *People from the capital really have big airs!* However, on the surface, she remained calm. She slowly adjusted her skirt, holding Sanhua Bao, and got into the carriage.
Inside, a middle-aged man sat, his clothes ragged and covered in dust, with dirt still in his hair. His appearance seemed mismatched with the luxurious carriage.
"I’ll get straight to the point," his voice was low. "I’m the head of the Royal City Guard..."
The Royal City Guard? San Bao frowned slightly. The mention of the Royal City Guard reminded her of Zhu Chengzhi, Zhu Ting, the life-threatening experiences along the way, and... Tang Mingli’s face.
"My name is Wang Weiyang," the middle-aged man continued, his tone firm and unyielding. "The abilities you dispyed while escorting the Zhu family heir, as reported by the guards from the Hailing City Defense, have been recognized by higher-ups. I’ve come to ask for your help because one of the guards was involved in a series of strange murders that have recently occurred in the capital..."
A man named Wang? San Bao thought again of Wang Suifeng. Where is he now? Does he have anything to do with the massacre of my family? Why hasn’t he come to find me since I left the Medicine King Valley? She suddenly became distracted and didn’t hear Wang Weiyang’s words.
"...So, Miss San Bao, would you be willing to assist us in solving this case?" Wang Weiyang asked.
San Bao snapped out of her thoughts and suddenly realized she hadn’t been paying attention to what he had said. What case? She was confused.
But she didn’t want to admit she had spaced out, so she nodded, forcing herself to respond, "…Alright."
The carriage continued to slowly move forward, eventually reaching a temple on the outskirts of the capital.
The temple looked to be hundreds of years old, its architecture showing clear signs of age. Oddly, there was no pque at the entrance, nor any signs identifying it. Was it an unnamed temple?
San Bao examined the temple more closely. Though old, the building wasn’t in disrepair. It was clear that someone had been carefully maintaining it.
She followed Wang Weiyang out of the carriage and through the front hall, heading toward a small room in the back courtyard.
The entire temple seemed eerily silent. As they made their way to the back courtyard, San Bao noticed not a single soul in sight.
She pced Sanhua Bao back in the Seven Treasures Hand Bead, silently activating her spiritual sense to guard against any sudden attack.
Reaching the door of the room, Wang Weiyang knocked softly.
"Come in," came a weak voice from inside.
That voice… it sounds so familiar! Who could it be? San Bao furrowed her brow and pushed open the door.
Inside, a young man y on a bed, his face pale and his expression weak, as though he had recently suffered serious injuries. He struggled to sit up as he saw San Bao enter, managing a faint smile.
"Apologies, I can’t rise to greet you," he said in a hoarse voice, as though intentionally forcing the words out. "My name is Wang Wushui, a cultivator. I’m the only survivor of this case."
He briefly expined the events leading up to the incident:
He was a roaming cultivator, mainly making a living by acting as a bodyguard for the wealthy to earn cultivation resources and money. He had been hired by a wealthy man from Bingzhou, Zhao Yuanwai, to escort him to the capital. The journey was uneventful, and after several days, they arrived in the capital.
That night, Zhao’s family held a feast to thank him. During the feast, a servant brought in a letter for Zhao Yuanwai.
After reading it, Zhao Yuanwai’s face turned ashen, and he began trembling. He immediately asked Wang Wushui to stay for a few more days, ciming that he had been threatened and needed protection.
For the next two days, nothing happened. But on the third morning, disaster struck.
The concubine who shared a bed with Zhao Yuanwai woke up to find him dead in his room.
His limbs were severed, his head separated, and blood was spilled everywhere. The sight was horrific...
