Chun Qiong couldn't have imagined that in such a remote and impoverished pce like Kuhai County, unexpected incidents would still occur.

  Wu Xie recalled the information he had previously received from Lu Chuan and said, "Last night, someone from Wangchuan had their arm torn off and stumbled to Liu Jinshi's residence for help..."

  Chun Qiong's eyes narrowed as he interrupted, "Did you just say... torn off an arm?"

  Wu Xie replied, "That's the information from Lu Chuan. The assassin who sought help st night had their arm torn off alive."

  "Her heart had a fatal wound, but she was born with her heart on the right side, so she didn't die immediately and managed to escape back, trying to seek help from others... But no one expected that she would lead the person who attacked her right to them."

  Chun Qiong remained silent for a long time.

  "So, everyone at the entrance of Liu Jinshi's residence died?"

  Wu Xie said, "Only one person survived."

  "That person was lucky. He had a stomachache and went to the toilet, and when he came back, he saw everything."

  "He wanted to join the fight, but within just a few breaths, the battle was over... Perhaps it wasn't even a battle at all."

  "Fortunately, he was holding a ntern, looking like a night watchman of the residence, and managed to escape."

  Chun Qiong started pacing again and said, "There were quite a few people from Wangchuan this time. I felt something was off when we set out... If it was just to help the lord with some minor matters, there wouldn't be such a big fuss."

  "Moreover, these assassins vary in strength and don't seem to belong to the same faction. I've thought about it for a long time today, and the only possibility I can think of is a bounty."

  "Recently, there have been rumors in the Martial World that a big target has appeared on Wangchuan's bounty list."

  Wu Xie's fingers, holding the knife, opened and then slowly clenched again.

  "We're not that familiar with Wangchuan's affairs, and we have no influence rooted there. If the lord needs information, we might have to find Lu Chuan."

  Chun Qiong nodded and said, "I'm meeting him tomorrow, so I'll ask."

  "Over the years, Wangchuan has offended many people in the Martial World. If it's just street grievances, it would be fine, but I'm afraid the things they've done have leaked and reached Panlong Pace..."

  At the mention of Panlong Pace, Wu Xie's entire body instantly tensed.

  Clearly, he also understood the seriousness of this matter.

  But soon, he rexed again.

  "The one from Panlong Pace hasn't managed affairs for many years, right?"

  Wu Xie's hand resumed its small habitual movement, a sign of his rexation.

  Chun Qiong stared at the flickering candle fme in the room, reached out, and gently pinched the fme. The scorching fire left no trace on his skin.

  Upon closer inspection, there was an almost invisible gap between the fme and his skin, as if the fme was being kept away by the power in his eyes.

  "Ten years of indulgence and decadence, a life of luxury."

  "Everyone in the world thinks that the one from Panlong Pace has long been a useless person. Over the past ten years, the attention from the court officials in the pace has dwindled."

  "Strangely, over the past ten years, everything from the Royal City to the local areas in Qi Kingdom seems to have been arranged in perfect order, with no reports of unrest."

  "Behind all this, it seems as if there's an invisible hand controlling everything..."

  Wu Xie said, "In Langan Pavilion, countless eyes are watching him, and even that towering forbidden pce occasionally casts its gaze. If it were really him, there wouldn't be no trace left."

  "The lord's worries might be unnecessary... More importantly, this opportunity is unique. The lord might want to focus more on [that matter]. If successful, a year from now, the lord could enter Langan Pavilion for further study, and even..."

  Chun Qiong pondered for a moment, then turned and said, "You should head back first. I'll think it over..."

  ...

  Wen Chaoshen dragged a rge pile of chopped firewood back to the abandoned temple with difficulty. Under the starlight and moonlight, the traces left by the cart had mostly been erased, leaving only faint, messy marks.

  He had changed into a clean cotton jacket, no longer as sloppy as before. After returning to the abandoned temple, he didn't feel cold at all; instead, he was sweating.

  A Shui sat cross-legged by the fire. Upon seeing Wen Chaoshen, she asked, "Not staying in the treehouse tonight?"

  Wen Chaoshen replied, "If there's enough firewood, the abandoned temple will be warmer."

  "Come, give me a hand!"

  A Shui stepped forward, her slender arms exerting force, and the muscles immediately became visible, pulling the cart back into the temple.

  "Did you chop all of this?"

  "Yes."

  Wen Chaoshen pced the firewood in the corner and then said to A Shui, "A Shui, you were watching at Liu Jinshi's gate all day. What were you looking at?"

  Without lifting her head, A Shui said, "Liu Jinshi was forced to death."

  Wen Chaoshen stared at her, "How do you know?"

  A Shui casually tossed a small object, which rolled on the floor of the abandoned temple.

  Wen Chaoshen looked closely and saw that it was a bottle of poison.