Chapter 041 – The Disappearances

When Li Yuan and Wen Xiaoqiao arrived at the central market, a squad of 60 menial workers bearing blades was already lined up on an open patch of ground near the market’s entrance.

This central market was somewhat special. If the entire black market island were likened to a fortress, then the central market was like a citadel within that fortress. It was surrounded by labyrinthine warehouses and high, gray walls, giving the whole area a somber look.

The only way in was through a narrow alley, the very same one where Li Yuan had heard women weeping when he first arrived. That alley was also where people were bought and sold. Past the alley, however, the space opened up dramatically into a broad clearing where the armed menial workers were waiting. Nearby stood rows of small buildings used for guard duty and temporary lodging for traveling merchants.

Li Yuan quickly surveyed the surroundings, then turned his gaze to the 60 menial workers. All of them were sturdy and stood at attention, each displaying a combat power of roughly 4~5.

“Young Master Li! Miss Wen!”

They greeted the two in unison before looking at them expectantly. Many onlookers around the black market also directed their attention toward the new arrivals.

Li Yuan glanced at Wen Xiaoqiao, noticing a spark of excitement in her eyes.

Wen Xiaoqiao spoke in a sweet, lilting tone, “How about we split these men in half—30 for you, 30 for me. Shall we?”

Li Yuan lowered his voice. “Miss Wen, have you thought about why there was an opening here in the central market in the first place?”

She paused, her smile fading into a more sober expression. Li Yuan continued in a serious tone, “Let’s not rush to divide anyone. We need to stick together until we figure out what’s going on.”

Wen Xiaoqiao chuckled, “You really do have good judgment, Young Master Li. I’ll do whatever you say...”

Li Yuan sighed. “If you call me Young Master Li again, I’ll start calling you

M’lady

.”

Wen Xiaoqiao winced and tried to protest. “But...that title was given to you by Senior Li himself. And besides, you’re an entry rank—”

“M’lady.”

“You’re an entry rank martial art—”

“M’lady.”

“Could you—”

“M’lady.”

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

“All right, all right...Li Yuan,” she finally relented. She had never met a man quite like him. Being addressed as Young Master Li was surely prestigious, and he was the only entry rank martial artist among their peers. Even so, he clearly wasn’t fond of the moniker.

Li Yuan smiled warmly. For colleagues to work together effectively, they needed to maintain a good relationship; otherwise, misunderstandings or worse could happen. After dispersing the menial workers on patrol, Li Yuan and Wen Xiaoqiao headed into the nearby guardhouse.

Inside, Wen Xiaoqiao finally spoke in her normal voice, which felt much more in line with her physique. “So, you think the two associate members who were assigned here before...are already dead? That’s why there’s a sudden vacancy for us to fill?”

“Let’s ask around,” Li Yuan replied. “Maybe they passed their assessment and got promoted to outer disciples.” He couldn’t help a small sigh of relief upon hearing Wen Xiaoqiao speak with a voice that matched her build. At least that jarring sense of dissonance was gone.

“Hmm...” Wen Xiaoqiao, like a cannonball of flesh, sprang to the side, flung the door open, and looked out at the menial workers. In a tone far too sweet for her imposing figure, she said, “I need two of you who know what’s been going on around here.”

That incongruous voice, paired with her size, was enough to make anyone’s hair stand on end.

Moments later, two blade-wielding menial workers rushed over, bowed respectfully, and greeted her, “Miss Wen,” before entering the room.

Wen Xiaoqiao plopped herself into a large chair, her thick legs thumping against the table with a dull thud. Then, in that same cloyingly sweet tone, she asked, “Tell me. What happened to the people who were assigned here before?”

Li Yuan kept himself off to the side, hoping to stay inconspicuous. In truth, he was quite pleased with how high-profile his partner was; it took the spotlight off him.

The menial workers exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, one of them mustered the courage to say, “They...disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” Wen Xiaoqiao’s voice rose sharply. “Are they dead or alive?”

“It’s been over 10 days. No one’s seen them alive, and there are no bodies, either...” the man answered.

Wen Xiaoqiao continued, “Where were they last seen?”

“Right here. At dusk that day, both of them were on duty in this very room. Later that night, one of them stayed behind, and by morning, he was gone. The other one couldn’t believe it and decided to keep watch in the room himself, but nothing happened. Then a few days later, he disappeared too...”

She frowned. “Did the sect send someone to investigate?”

“They did. Couldn’t find a thing. So it was marked down as a missing-persons case.”

Wen Xiaoqiao thought for a moment. “Could they have just up and left on their own?”

“They both had families here. It doesn’t make sense for them to vanish without a word,” the man said.

Wen Xiaoqiao’s small eyes flickered with contemplation. “Any other strange incidents around the central market lately?”

The menial worker scratched his head. “Not really. The central market is packed with live goods. People cry during the day, they cry at night... Usually, we just shout at them to keep quiet, and then they do.”

Her brow furrowed as she mulled this over. Suddenly, she turned to Li Yuan. “Should we go take a look?”

With a wry smile, he said, “Suddenly I don’t feel so well. I’ll leave that to you, Miss Wen...”

He truly had no words for this situation. He’d just started the job, and already he had to deal with a bizarre disappearance. Even a casual guess would tell him people didn’t simply vanish without reason. It was either a plot or something far worse...

Images of that eerie estate deep in the mountains flashed in his mind, making his scalp prickle. He broke out in goosebumps all over.

“Not feeling well?” Wen Xiaoqiao blinked at him, then let out a short laugh before heading out with one of the menial workers.

Left alone, Li Yuan sat in the guardhouse, growing more and more uneasy by the second. His eyes drifted warily over the room around him, dread creeping along his spine.

A folding screen stood in the middle of the guardhouse, dividing it into front and rear sections. The back half was for the associates on duty to rest. The front half was for overseeing the outside world.

The front was rather simple, a desk by the window with a stack of registration ledgers, a weapon rack leaning against one wall, and a few easy-to-store food items like sunflower seeds and walnuts.

Li Yuan stood up and walked around the screen to look into the back room.

There was a single bed and a bookshelf holding various records, presumably recent logs of the central market’s incoming and outgoing

merchandise

.

Those records would likely be stored here for a while before being transferred to a larger archive. Li Yuan flipped through a few pages but lost interest quickly.

He then turned his gaze to the bed. It had neatly folded blankets and linens, apparently changed in anticipation of new associates coming to stand guard.

The atmosphere felt strangely silent, as if all the noise outside had faded into an indistinct hush. Some uneasy instinct stopped him from bending down to check under the bed.

Instead, he pivoted on his heel, slipped back past the screen, and hurried out of the guardhouse.

Outside, snow drifted down. Li Yuan felt a mounting chill, as if a rotting corpse’s hand were crawling up his spine. It reminded him of how he’d felt fleeing through the forest before, rekindling old fear and anxiety. Perhaps his body was signaling danger in a situation much like that previous horror.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he paced along with his bow on his back and his blade in his arms, watching people coming and going. The menial workers handled most of the entry and exit procedures, so he merely observed.

Before long, Li Yuan saw an ox-drawn cart hauling a large iron cage toward the entrance, its bars draped in a heavy black cloth. The cloth itself was dusted with fresh white snow, creating a stark contrast of purity and grime.

When the menial workers pulled the cloth aside, it revealed women and children inside—live goods, as they were known here. Li Yuan turned his head, unwilling to watch.

One of the menial workers inspected the cage’s contents, presumably to confirm what was being delivered. After finishing, he returned to the guardhouse. In passing, he saluted Li Yuan before heading inside to complete the registration.

Indeed, the menial workers handled all the chores. Associate members of the Blood Blade Sect were more like figureheads here. If a fight broke out, they’d be the ones in command, but otherwise, routine matters were left to the workers.