Mengqi slowly exhaled a few breaths and calmed himself down. Because he had expected it, he was not too shocked. He just felt that the matter was getting more and more confusing. He did not know who was telling the truth, who was lying, and which was the truth and which was the lie.
It was not a good time to sort out the clues and words. Mengqi cautiously looked around, and after confirming that there was no ambush, he opened the door and walked in.
There were nine bodies in the room. In addition to Frost Herald, Wu Cheng, and two attendants, there were four other people, all dressed in rags, as if they were dock laborers.
After carefully examining the wounds, Mengqi found that the nine people were all killed with one blow. The wounds were in the throat, which was a sword stab wound. There was no trace of fighting in the room.
The attacker's Kung Fu was really horrible!
Mengqi suspected that the killer was the black shadow from last night. He was good at using a sword and could break the defense of his Golden Bell Shield. He also had a strange skill to affect other people's senses. It was not difficult to achieve this effect when Frost Herald and others were caught off guard. If he was not not confident that he could kill Mengqi within two or three moves and had to worry about the Pearflower Storm Needles, Mengqi would have been killed secretly.
However, this was only Mengqi's guess. He could not be sure that it was the black shadow.
He looked back and forth and suddenly frowned, because he found that the expressions of Frost Herald and others were quite strange. There was no fear, no shock, instead, they lowered their eyebrows and eyes, with a bit of respect and relief.
"Could it be the top officials of the Snow God's Palace? But why did he want to kill them? "Mengqi wondered.
After confirming that there were no traces of attention in the whole yard except for the tunnel leading to the "North-South Tong" shop, Mengqi quietly retreated from here. He kept changing directions, and after a long detour, he returned to the vicinity of You's Mansion. While observing the movements inside, he thought about the whole thing.
There were too many mysteries, and anyone could lie. New ideas kept flashing through Mengqi's mind, but there was no clear idea.
…
The challenge of the God of Sword in White had thrown the Castellan Mansion into chaos. Since Cui Xu needed to practice his swordsmanship in seclusion, he left all the affairs in the mansion to Miss Cui, Cui Jinxiu. As her uncles, You Tongguang, Mu Shan, and Fei Zhengqing stayed behind to help her deal with different things in an orderly manner, and gradually stabilized the chaotic situation.
Because of this, it was already midnight when You Tongguang returned to his mansion. Dark clouds covered the moon, and he could not see his own fingers.
"Father, did the Castellan accept Luo Qing's challenge?" As soon as he entered the door, his third son Hongbo came up to him.
You Tongguang nodded slightly and said, "My Fifth Brother has been looking forward to the duel between gurus for a long time. He wants to stimulate his potential and approach the illusory Man-God Boundary."
He spoke in great detail because You Hongbo was the son he was most satisfied with. His eldest son, You Hongwen, was obsessed with poetry and books. His kung fu was not good, and he lived in the capital all year round. Although he was keen on inheriting the family business, he was not willing to do business. His second son, You Hongshi, was spoiled since he was a child. He was a wastrel and did not feel mature at the age of thirty or forty.
You Hongbo was the son he was most satisfied with. His eldest son, You Hongwen, was obsessed with poetry and books. He was not good at martial arts. He lived in the capital city all year round. Although he was keen on inheriting the family business, he was not willing to do business. His second son, You Hongshi, was spoiled since childhood. He was not mature at the age of 30 or 40.
Only his youngest son, You Hongbo, was good at martial arts and had some talent for business. Therefore, he had handed over all the affairs of the escort agency to him. If he did well, the family business would be his in the future.
"How many years has it been since a grandmaster duel …" You Hongbo sighed with yearning.
You Tongguang laughed, "There are many duels between grandmasters, but most of them are not serious and are not leaked. Nowadays, such a formal duel is really rare. But I have confidence in my fifth brother."
He paused and said, "Hongbo, what about the escorted goods?"
You Hongbo did not dare to look at his father's eyes. He said embarrassedly, "I haven't found it yet. If I find out which bastard did it, I'll skin him alive!"
"Humph, Third Master You has a bad temper. Now is not the time to find the traitor. The escorted goods are the most important. If you can't find them, prepare another batch as soon as possible. If not, humph." You Tongguang scolded his son with a serious face.
You Hongbo did not dare to contradict his father. He smiled ingratiatingly and accompanied You Tongguang to the inner yard and the study.
You Tongguang habitually went to the study first. He opened the copper lock and pushed the door. It creaked open slowly, but he suddenly stopped. The smile on his face faded, and he looked into the room seriously.
"Father, what's wrong?" You Hongbo asked in confusion.
You Tongguang said in a low voice, "Someone entered the study."
The steward and guards were all panic-stricken. This was their fault!
You Hongbo knew his father's Kung Fu was special. He was good at sensing different breath changes, so he did not suspect anything. He rushed in first and looked around.
"There's a letter!" He pointed at the neatly folded white paper in front of the white jade Buddha statue.
"Bring it to me." You Tongguang ordered the guard.
The guard stepped forward and tested it with silver needles. He picked up the letter and presented it to You Tongguang respectfully.
When You Tongguang opened the letter, You Hongbo curiously leaned over to read the content.
"I heard you have a white jade Buddha statue carved by a skilled hand. It's uncanny workmanship. I've been longing for it. Today I've seen it, and it's true."
"But it's not proper to take it without asking. I'm leaving this letter to tell you that I'll come to pick it up in six days. You're so elegant that you won't make me go back and forth in vain."
"Yours, Ennea Monkey."
After reading the content, he was shocked and angry. He wanted to tear Ennea Monkey to pieces, but he also hoped that the Twelve Animal Zodiac Gods would retreat.
"You've gone too far! You've gone too far! "You Tongguang's face darkened. He gritted his teeth and threw the letter directly to the ground.
"Father, you must teach Ennea Monkey a lesson!" Thinking of his father's strength and his uncle's martial arts, You Hongbo suppressed his fear and shouted angrily out of humiliation.
The housekeeper and the guards looked at each other. When did Ennea Monkey of the Twelve Animal Zodiac Gods become a thief?
"Go and invite your uncles over tomorrow." You Tongguang's face was no longer smiling. He thought for a while and said, "Your Uncle Cui is going to practice in seclusion to 'sharpen his sword'. Don't disturb him for now."
After saying this, he gradually suppressed his emotions and said calmly, "By the way, spread the news."
…
Mengqi observed the You Mansion for half a night. After You Tongguang returned to the mansion and found the letter, he was very calm and didn't do anything suspicious. Mengqi found nothing and had to return to the temple.
The next day, after adjusting Qi-circulation and practicing Kung Fu, Mengqi leisurely walked to the Superb Dining House, planning to have lunch and inquire about the news.
Along the way, he bought a bamboo hat, a set of casual clothes, and a white frock that he dreamed of.
Entering the restaurant, Mengqi had not yet sat down when he heard the talk about Cui Xu and Luo Qing.
"A duel between grandmasters, it's a rare chance in a hundred years!"
"Yes, I didn't expect we could experience such a grand event."
"Unfortunately, except for the invited Jianghu legends, we can't enter the Mansion of Castellan to see this unprecedented duel."
"Yes, it's a damn pity. But I heard that Cao Manzi is betting on the outcome of this duel. Who do you think is more likely to win, Castellan or God of Sword in White?"
As soon as this question was asked, the whole restaurant suddenly became noisy, analyzing the strength of the two sides.
"Castellan has been famous for more than 20 years and has been a grandmaster for 10 years. How can Luo Qing, who has just become a grandmaster, compete with him? I think Castellan will win! "
"Not necessarily, not necessarily. Luo Qing has challenged the world with his sword and has never met a match. No one can withstand three strikes from him. His momentum is at its peak, while Castellan has rarely fought in recent years. I'm afraid he doesn't have that kind of sharpness anymore."
"Three years ago, when Castellan broke the Seven Stars Sword Formation of Lou Shan Sect, it took him five moves. But God of Sword in White only needed two moves to break the formation."
"In three years, maybe Castellan has opened another Hidden Treasure?"
There were different opinions, and no one could convince the other. They almost fought. Fortunately, there was a bet, and they all turned their anger into bets.
Mengqi ate the food with chopsticks and listened to the discussion. He learned that Castellan Cui Xu had started to practice in seclusion and Miss Cui was in charge of everything in the city. He also learned that God of Sword in White lived in Dabei Temple, burned incense and fasted, bathed in his sword, and waited for the day of the duel.
Was Young Castellan Cui Jinhua really not in Destiny City? Mengqi was most concerned about this, because it was hard to tell the truth from the false information he had. He had to find a way to "ask" another person involved, Cui Jinhua.
"By the way, did you know that Ennea Monkey appeared again last night?" Cao Manzi asked his attendants to put away the bet and showed off the news.
"What happened? Who did Ennea Monkey kill? " Many of the guests in the restaurant were ordinary people, but many of them were Jianghu people, so they were particularly interested in Jianghu news. Moreover, Castellan of Destiny City was a grandmaster, so the local people had to pay attention to Jianghu matters.
Cao Manzi shook his head slowly and pretended to say, "Ennea Monkey didn't kill anyone, but sneaked into Living Fortune's house and left a letter in his study."
"What letter?" someone asked eagerly.
"The letter said, 'I heard you have a white jade Buddha statue …'" Cao Manzi had a good memory.
The crowd gasped. This almost provocative action, this bold display of skill, shocked them and made them yearn for it.
"Living Fortune is the strongest person below the grandmaster level. Ennea Monkey is definitely no match for him!"
"Yeah, he stole the Buddha statue and left a letter to provoke Living Fortune. How could Living Fortune hide his face? I think he will return in failure six days later. "
"Exactly. Living Fortune's Kung Fu is extraordinary and he has many friends. Six days later, more than a dozen masters will surround the white jade Buddha statue. Let's see how Ennea Monkey can steal it!"
"I heard that if it wasn't for the Castellan's duel, Living Fortune would have planned to send the white jade Buddha statue to the Castellan Mansion. Hehe, at that time, Ennea Monkey would have to admit defeat."
"Speaking of which, Ennea Monkey is really cunning. He chose the right time, leaving Castellan with no time to help."
…
The guests in the restaurant were talking excitedly. After all, it was rare for such a big event to happen in Jianghu.
Mengqi listened with satisfaction. This was the effect he wanted! The duel between Sword God in White and Castellan Cui was imminent. If the Twelve Animal Zodiac Gods nearby had time, they would come to watch the fight and broaden their knowledge. At this time, if he left a letter and made a big noise, the Twelve Animal Zodiac Gods would naturally look for Ennea Monkey, giving him the hope of completing the side task.
Of course, this was not enough. After eating and drinking to his heart's content, Mengqi picked up the bamboo hat he bought earlier and put it on his head, quietly following Cao Manzi.
