Chapter 364 1179: Treacherous Traces of the Wicked Path (3)

Jiang Ran waited in a daze for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Then he saw her—Tang Huayi, walking toward him with her hands behind her back, dressed in jade-green robes and beaming.

Although Jiang Ran had seen her face not long ago at Qiuci Posthouse, back then, she had still been wearing Li Tianxin's clothes.

Now that she had changed into women's attire, even without a trace of makeup, her exquisite features and playful air made the surrounding scenery pale in comparison.

Jiang Ran clicked his tongue.

"Why the sudden change of clothes?"

"To seduce you, of course."

Tang Huayi kept her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels as she looked up at Jiang Ran.

"So, do I look good?"

"No."

"You're lying!"

"I'm not."

"You're still lying."

"I'd only lie to a puppy."

"...I'm going to bite you!!"

Furious, Tang Huayi grabbed Jiang Ran's arm, ready to get rough.

Jiang Ran just shook his head.

"Enough of your brazen talk. Let's go. We need to find Chief Cheng and the others."

"Hm? Why are we looking for them?"

Tang Huayi was a little surprised. "I thought you were sneaking away with me because you had sinister designs on me. I never expected your target was actually Cheng Tianyang!"

Jiang Ran reached out and pinched Tang Huayi's cheek.

"Owowow... Ow... Let go, let go... It hurts, it hurts, it hurts."

With tears welling in her eyes from the pinch, Tang Huayi cried, "I was wrong, I was wrong! I won't talk nonsense anymore! Please, Brother-in-law, spare me this once!"

"You'd be quite the beauty if you just kept your mouth shut. The moment you open it, everything is ruined."

Jiang Ran sighed.

"Let's go. I'm afraid we'll have to ask for directions along the way."

Tang Huayi rubbed her cheek vigorously.

"This is my real face, you know! How could you be so cruel, pinching me like that? You don't know how to be gentle with a woman at all…"

"Why are we looking for Cheng Tianyang?"

"The ones who injured Gu Xizhi were from Heterodox Manor. It seems they're interested in Cheng Tianyang's current escort mission."

As they walked, Jiang Ran gave her a rough summary of what Gu Xizhi had told him after waking up.

Tang Huayi's brow furrowed.

"So you're saying the people from Heterodox Manor might not have dared to move against the Celestial Yang Escort Agency because of us."

"But now that we've separated, there's no guarantee they won't show themselves?"

"It's even more likely they'll suddenly appear and make their move when Cheng Tianyang is about to deliver the goods…"

"Speaking of which, what exactly are Cheng Tianyang and his men escorting this time?"

"Why did the people from Heterodox Manor say that once they get their hands on it, their 'grand plan' will succeed?"

"And what is this grand plan?"

"The Young Master of Heterodox Manor is busy with Jiaowei. Could their grand plan be related to that?"

Tang Huayi's questions came out like a machine gun, rapid-fire and unending.

"I don't know."

Jiang Ran had wanted to brush her off with just those three words, but after a moment's thought, he added, "An Escort Agency has its own rules. They can't just tell anyone about these things. To avoid overstepping, we never asked about it on the road."

"In any case, let's find them first. We can figure it out from there."

"Maybe we're just overthinking things."

Tang Huayi nodded and said no more. She and Jiang Ran used their Lightweight Technique to hurry on their way.

The journey here had taken a good while, but now, it didn't take them long to rush back to the city gate.

Cheng Tianyang had led his convoy in a different direction earlier, so Jiang Ran and Tang Huayi followed that path, asking for information as they went.

They were an Escort Agency, and the large Celestial Yang Escort Agency banner on their carriages would have drawn a lot of attention parading through the streets, so tracking them down wasn't difficult.

As Jiang Ran and Tang Huayi made inquiries, the path they followed grew more and more remote.

It eventually led them to a private residence.

A plaque hung above the entrance: Zhou Residence.

But there was no sign of anyone in front of the Zhou Residence. Jiang Ran listened closely and found it was silent inside as well.

There were indeed wheel ruts on the road in front of the residence.

One could imagine that the Celestial Yang Escort Agency's carriages had entered this estate.

Jiang Ran and Tang Huayi exchanged a glance, walked up to the front gate, and reached out to knock.

Unexpectedly, with a single knock, the gate swung open with a CREAK, leaving a small gap.

Jiang Ran gave it a gentle push, and the gate opened wide. As far as the eye could see, the place was completely empty.

'There's no one here...'

Jiang Ran stepped inside. After a moment's thought, he decided to call out.

"We are travelers passing by and were hoping to ask for a cup of tea. Might the master of this house be present?"

His voice carried out, but there was no reply.

Jiang Ran raised his voice a little, infusing it with a bit of Inner Strength.

But still, there wasn't the slightest stir.

Only then did he lead Tang Huayi deeper into the Zhou Residence.

The Zhou Residence wasn't large. They searched it from top to bottom, but the estate was completely empty. There wasn't a single person.

Jiang Ran raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at Tang Huayi.

"What are you looking at me for?"

Tang Huayi found Jiang Ran's gaze a little strange.

"When I woke up at the Tang family estate, the entire residence was empty just like this."

"…"

Tang Huayi gave a hollow laugh.

"That was… Ah, it was all my father's idea! When you meet him, you can beat him up as much as you want. If you're still not satisfied, I'll help you!!"

"Just don't kill him. Leave him with a breath of life."

Jiang Ran pursed his lips, not bothering to reply, and began searching the ground for tracks again.

"There are only incoming wheel ruts outside the gate, none going out… But there are no carriages in the residence. That means they left through another exit. Let's find it."

That wasn't hard to find.

The two of them quickly found wheel ruts in another location.

They followed the tracks forward.

The area they passed through could no longer be described as merely remote.

This place was practically untouched by human feet. Though still within the city walls, it felt like a forgotten corner.

A moment later, the expression on Tang Huayi's face changed slightly.

"The smell of blood!"

They quickened their pace, flying over to the source.

On a nearby hillside, bodies were strewn across the ground. Judging by their attire, they were the escorts of the Celestial Yang Escort Agency!

Just half a day ago, they had been traveling together.

Now, they had all been slaughtered here!

Jiang Ran's gaze was grim.

"The carriages are still here. The goods are gone."

Tang Huayi added,

"Cheng Tianyang isn't among the bodies."