Chapter 124 - 123: Missing

Chapter 124: Chapter 123: Missing

The deaths of Wang Shihui and his family were by no means a simple fire.

Chen Li had suspected it might be related to the other Wang Family members who had previously tried to borrow grain.

But after carefully examining the dozen or so charred corpses, which were burned beyond recognition, with his Divine Sense, he dismissed the thought.

Although the surfaces of the bodies were severely burned, his keen Divine Sense still allowed him to perceive a fatal cut on each corpse’s neck.

It was a single, fatal blow, and each wound was nearly identical.

The killer was definitely a seasoned expert of considerable strength, not some common thief.

’First they kill, then they set a fire to destroy the bodies and erase all traces...’

Chen Li’s brows were tightly furrowed.

Who was the killer?

Was it Roving Bandits after the Wang Family’s wealth?

Or... was there something more to it?

A few possibilities flashed through his mind, but the clues were too few—a tangled mess he couldn’t sort out for the moment.

However, over the next ten days, news arrived one after another.

It wasn’t just Lingxi. Several nearby villages suffered similar tragedies in succession.

Without exception, the victims were all relatively wealthy households in their villages.

The method was identical: they would sneak in at night, slaughter the entire family, and then set fire to the residence, putting the scene to the torch. All grain and supplies were plundered.

A series of vicious massacres, all with the same method, occurred in the vicinity at almost the same time.

This was no longer a coincidence.

Soon, a government constable from the County Magistrate’s Office arrived on a fast horse, bringing a message from the County Magistrate’s Office.

The government constable’s attitude was respectful, but the message he delivered was an undisguised reprimand.

"Last year, we issued repeated orders for each village defense unit to recruit Village Braves and organize patrols to secure the region. Now, with frequent heinous crimes, the people cannot live in peace. This is all due to your poor organization of the Village Braves and your lax patrols! Each village defense unit is ordered to immediately organize the Village Braves for day and night patrols to ensure no more common folk come to harm!"

This speech was the very definition of passing the buck.

The entirety of Mirror Mountain County was in chaos, and the Government Office was already incapable of maintaining order, yet they were shifting all the blame onto the Village Braves for not doing their job.

It was a shameless, yet precise, way of shirking responsibility.

Of course, Chen Li knew that arguing with the Government Office at this moment was pointless.

So he had the various villages notified to dispatch a ten-man team of Village Braves each night to patrol in shifts until 3:45 AM.

The successive incidents had terrified the other four villages, making them exceptionally cooperative this time.

The sound of copper gongs, shouted commands, and barking dogs shattered the night’s silence, but also brought a distorted sense of security.

...

However, the world was in chaos, and peaceful days were hard to come by.

「This day.」

In the afternoon, sunlight spilled over the bluish-gray roof tiles, giving them a warm, gentle sheen.

In the front courtyard, Shouye and Shouyue were meticulously practicing the Five Directions Twenty-Four Solar Terms Wuxiang Fist.

Suddenly, a sudden rush of frantic, disorderly hoofbeats sounded.

A single rider on a fast horse galloped up to the Chen Mansion’s main gate. The young man on its back tumbled from the saddle before the horse had even come to a complete stop.

Seeing the Chen Family’s main gate wide open, he paid it no mind and rushed inside in a hurry.

He spotted Chen Shouye practicing in the courtyard and hurriedly shouted, "Shouye! Junior Brother Shouye, something terrible has happened!"

"Brother Liu, what’s wrong?" Chen Shouye was stunned and quickly asked.

The newcomer was one of his senior brothers from the Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall, Liu Ziji.

His clothes were covered in dust, his topknot was disheveled, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Liu Ziji yelled anxiously, "Junior Brother Shouye, Master... Master, and Brother Jiwei, and Junior Sister Jinru... they’re... they’re gone! They’re missing!"

"What?!"

Hearing this, the relaxed expression on Chen Shouye’s face froze instantly. He strode forward and grabbed Liu Ziji’s arm. "Brother Liu, speak clearly! What happened to Master and Junior Sister? How could they go missing? When did this happen?"

"It’s... it’s been five days with no word!"

Liu Ziji gasped for breath, his voice trembling. "Five days ago, Master took several of our brothers to Jiangkou County. Then he took Jiwei and Jinru with him... to take care of something, saying they’d be back in a day at most. The junior brother left there to wait for news came running back this morning to report... that he never saw Master and the others come out. It’s like... like they vanished into thin air."

The color drained from Chen Shouye’s face.

To him, his master, Li Weikun, was not just the esteemed master who taught him Martial Arts, but also his future father-in-law.

And Li Jinru was his betrothed.

This sudden, terrible news threw his mind into turmoil.

"Brother Liu, please come with me to find my father."

Chen Shouye spun around and hurriedly led Liu Ziji to find Chen Li.

Chen Li was in the newly built silkworm house, directing the long-term laborers to dispose of waste. His gaze swept over the panicked Liu Ziji and his pale-faced son. His brow furrowed slightly. "What has you so flustered?"

"Father, Master and Brother Jiwei and Junior Sister... they’re missing!"

Chen Shouye repeated what Liu Ziji had said.

After listening, Chen Li’s expression was as calm as still water, but his eyes sharpened in an instant.

’This disappearance is likely no simple accident.’

Li Weikun was Shouye’s master, and more importantly, the family’s future in-law from the Li Family.

He was also very pleased with the girl, Jinru.

Their marriage had already been arranged for the fifth day of the tenth month this year.

For the sake of both sentiment and reason, he absolutely could not stand by and do nothing.

After a moment of thought, Chen Li made his decision.

"Shouheng."

Returning home, Chen Li found Chen Shouheng.

Shouheng came out at the sound of his name. "Father."

"You will remain here and guard the house," Chen Li instructed. "It’s not safe outside these days. Be extra careful at home, and watch out for petty thieves trying to take advantage of our absence. You must ensure the family is well-protected."

"Yes, Father!"

Although Chen Shouheng was also worried about the situation, he knew his father must have his reasons for the arrangement. He immediately cupped his fist and accepted the order.

Chen Li looked at Shouye and Liu Ziji and said decisively, "Shouye, we leave immediately. First, we’ll find out what really happened!"

"Yes!"

Seeing that his father was willing to go personally, Chen Shouye’s heart calmed considerably. He suppressed his anxiety, nodded firmly, and turned to get the horses the family had newly bought for his older brother’s County Examination.

Liu Ziji hurriedly caught up to Chen Shouye and said worriedly, "Shouye, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to ask Brother... Shouheng to go? For Uncle Chen to go with us, it seems..."

The news that Shouheng had broken through to the Spirit Realm had long since spread throughout Mirror Mountain.

Liu Ziji had come looking for Shouye, first, to deliver the news, and second, mainly to ask Chen Shouheng to take action.

After all, the only Spirit Realm expert they knew who could certainly help was him.

"Don’t worry. My father has his ways."

Chen Shouye comforted Liu Ziji.

The three of them galloped all the way, reaching the county seat in no time.

Liu Ziji informed Chen Li and his son that Li Weikun’s trip this time was related to Ji’an Hall, the medical hall belonging to his master’s wife’s family.

"Ji’an Hall?"

Chen Li’s brow furrowed slightly. "What happened at Doctor Su’s medical hall?"

Li Weikun’s father-in-law was Su Pu. He had run Ji’an Hall in the county seat for many years and had a reputation for both his medical skill and his integrity.

Chen Li had bought medicinal herbs from Ji’an Hall countless times over the years and was fairly well-acquainted with him.

Liu Ziji quickly explained, "We don’t know the specific details... we only know that a few days ago, the hall master received an urgent letter from the master’s wife. It said something major had happened at the medical hall, so he rushed over with Brother Jiwei and Junior Sister Jinru. Then he took a few of our brothers and went to Jiangkou County."

Chen Li and Chen Shouye exchanged a look, their suspicions deepening.

What kind of ordinary medical hall dispute would require Li Weikun to go personally, bringing his daughter and a disciple with him, only for them to never return?

"Let’s go. To Ji’an Hall first."

Chen Li asked no more questions.