Chapter 074 – Closing the Net

Morning light fell in golden rays from the sky as Li Yuan returned to the inner district, reclining inside Xue Ning’s carriage, sipping wine and listening to the wheels creak beneath him.

The trip back was uneventful, as if nothing had happened overnight.

Upon arriving at his own courtyard, Yan Yu spotted him and shot him a glare, looking every bit the aggrieved wife. “You heartless scoundrel! Are you tired of me already?”

“I...”

Before he could continue, Yan Yu’s eyes brimmed with tears. “You told me you had official business, but someone came by this morning and said you never had any business at all! You were out fooling around last night, probably with that hussy of a woman, Xue Ning. Hmph, you still smell like wine! Wahh...I can’t go on living like this!”

With that, she twisted away, her delicate features streaked with tears. Li Yuan blinked, caught off guard. “What happened?”

“You told me you had work,” she sobbed. “But the official who came by said otherwise. You were just messing around with another woman. You reek of alcohol. I...I can’t believe you!”

Realizing the act, Li Yuan understood at once that Ren’s abandoned carriage had been discovered. The sect must have sent someone to ask about anyone who left the inner district last night. That inquiry clearly wasn’t aimed at Li Yuan alone. But no doubt he was on the list. Fortunately, he and Yan Yu had planned this little show, and he’d made sure to smell of wine when returning.

Still pretending to rage, Yan Yu screamed, “Get out! Get out!” She hurled a teacup at him with a crash.

Xue Ning hurried forward, putting on a simpering face as she tried to placate her. “Oh, Big Sis, don’t be so angry. It’s only once in a while, right? He loves you so much. Can’t you have a little sympathy for how hard he works? How could you bear to blame him?”

“You fox! Shameless fox!” Yan Yu, drawn further into her own performance, began cursing and kicking. She charged over to fetch a broom, then whacked it toward the Xue Ning, only to have Li Yuan snatch it from the air.

“Enough!” he barked.

“Not enough! Nonono!”

“I said, enough!”

“You’re even yelling at me now!? Wahhh!”

Their fake bickering filled the house as though the sky were falling...

Outside, someone pressed an ear against the wall—an older woman in a dark robe trimmed with white. Though her demeanor seemed mild, a certain severity lurked in her eyes, and her slightly sunken cheeks gave her a rather ruthless look. She was none other than Elder Liu, the one in charge of inner district affairs.

An inner disciple had gone missing, his carriage left abandoned on the road.

Naturally, Elder Liu had to investigate which disciples had been out of the inner district last night.

Among them were Li Yuan, Zhao Chunxin, and two others. Li Yuan and Zhao Chunxin had just clashed with Ren over inspector assignments, though Senior Li had already stepped in. The other two suspects also had conflicts with Ren, a quarrel during a black market purchase, plus an old grudge.

Elder Liu had visited all four homes for questioning, then posted people outside to eavesdrop. She wasn’t actually suspecting the inner disciples themselves; it was more of a routine check.

In all likelihood, this was the work of the Wei Family remnants. After all, how could a mere ninth rank disciple manage to kill an eighth rank? Besides, Li Yuan’s newly elevated status, and his tendency to sneak off, seemed perfectly plausible reasons for being away.

Hearing the ruckus inside, Elder Liu lost interest in further probing Li Yuan. Family squabbles were of little concern to her.

Let the fool who took on two wives enjoy his troubles,

she thought. She turned and walked off.

Inside, Yan Yu kept up her fuss until the house was in an uproar.

Li Yuan played along patiently, soothing her for a good while before she finally settled down.

By nightfall, they were lying in bed, the classic pattern of quarreling by day and reconciling by night.

Once the doors were closed, they were as affectionate as ever.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The Blood Blade Sect worked swiftly. The next day, Ren’s body and that of his coachman were retrieved from the river bank, both laid out on rough straw mats.

“Look at that, throat slashed clean through. The force that shattered his wrist must’ve been enormous. This killer is at least on Fang Jianlong’s level.”

“Could’ve been a blade. You don’t think—”

“What are you saying? You think it was one of our own?”

“The Sun Family also has plenty of blade-wielders. They could have used the Wei Family’s name to slip into Silver Creek and murder him in secret.”

Tie Sha, dressed in a plain white robe, stood in the tall grass, silently listening to the disciples’ chatter. His eyes were fixed on the waving reeds, as if imagining the scene of the crime.

After a long pause, he ran a hand over his bristling beard and said in a chilly voice, “Either the Wei remnants or the Sun Family. That’s it.”

Nighttime murders were a perfect opportunity, so he ordered, “Spread the word to the other inner disciples. The inner district is under curfew. If they want to return, come back early. Otherwise, stay out. I don’t want any more suspicion among our own ranks. If I hear any rumors of infighting, there will be consequences.”

“Yes, Sect Master!”

“Understood!”

The disciples bowed, then dispersed.

Tie Sha went back to Blood Fury Hall, resting in a chair with one leg crossed over the other. Suddenly, an old man with silver-white hair and a youthful face appeared behind him. It was Old Ding.

“Do you really believe it was the Wei remnants or the Sun Family?” Old Ding asked.

Tie Sha smirked. “What else? We can’t start suspecting each other and tear ourselves apart from within, can we?”

Old Ding chuckled. “I’m not questioning you, just making conversation. Ever since we wiped out the Wei Family, peace has felt dull. I’ve grown restless, you see, and thought I’d chat with you a bit.”

Tie Sha declared, “It can only have been the Wei Family or Sun Family.”

Old Ding asked, “What if it wasn’t?”

Tie Sha chuckled. “Then that’d be even better. It’d mean our Blood Blade Sect is full of hidden talent. Someone who can kill an eighth rank disciple with a single slash? What a find! I’d probably even help cover his tracks, ha!”

With that, Tie Sha let out a hearty laugh.

Old Ding offered a small smile in return; he understood that while Tie Sha acted rough, he was perceptive underneath.

That was precisely why Old Ding had chosen this place to while away his later years. Yes, there were still dangers here, but compared to other regions like the Jade Capital, it was relatively peaceful.

In the capital city, disasters and demonic threats were rampant, so terrifying they could break even a seasoned martial artist’s spirit. People often said these calamities were tied to the dying days of the dynasty, plagues and monsters roaming the land.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A few days later, no one was talking about the missing Ren anymore. The inner district instituted a nighttime curfew, and the townships outside were placed under tighter watch.

Suspicion briefly fell on Zhao Chunxin, but since the sect master had already decreed it was likely the work of Wei remnants or the Sun Family, the rumors faded before they could gain traction.

Time passed in relative calm, though the Wei Family remnants resurfaced with a series of sharp, targeted assassinations, which suggested someone was feeding them inside information. Because of this, the Blood Blade Sect’s new restructuring plan had to be put on hold.

Li Yuan used the downtime to stay in the inner district, eat his monthly ration of demonic beast meat, and train.

Just as Zhao Chunxin had hinted, he felt he lacked a certain surge of energy—an extra push needed to unlock the full power of his shadow blood.

Without it, he couldn’t channel that force throughout his entire body, much less cultivate shadow bones.

Once or twice, he visited the black market in his cloak, mask, and hidden blade, hoping to find eighth rank demonic beast meat, but there was none on offer.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

July arrived with sweltering summer heat. A sudden rainstorm cleared away the oppressive humidity, painting the puddles with a crimson twilight from the setting sun. Then, without warning, a clamor rippled through the inner district. Messengers called everyone to gather at Blood Fury Hall.

Li Yuan hurried over as instructed. Before he even stepped inside, he heard the heart-wrenching sobs of a woman echoing through the hall.

“You tricked me, Gongshu Yang! You lied to me! Gongshu Yang!”

Crossing the threshold, Li Yuan spotted Zhao Chunxin waiting and joined her, casting a glance at the wild-haired woman causing the commotion. Peering more closely, he recognized her as the Third Miss of the Wei Family—the one whom Hong Gang and Lan Gang had mentioned as a potential gift for the Wei Family’s archenemy.

Leaning toward his senior sister, he asked in a low voice, “What’s going on?”

Zhao Chunxin lowered her voice. “Apparently Gongshu Yang tricked her into giving up the Wei Family remnants’ list of contacts. Now the sect master has called us here to draw the net tight.”

Li Yuan couldn’t help but ask, “How exactly did he deceive her?”

She let out a quiet sigh. “Same old story. He convinced her they were on the same side and...well.” Her voice dropped even further. “He must have leaked genuine intel to the Wei remnants several times, which let them kill a few of our people. After they started to trust him, he got the entire list of Wei loyalists out of her. But shush...don’t say too much or guess blindly. Our main job now is to destroy the remnants in one stroke.”

Li Yuan nodded in understanding. Gongshu Yang had likely pretended to be a hidden Wei agent and backed it up by helping the remnants assassinate Blood Blade disciples.

Over time, that earned the Wei Family’s confidence until he finally tricked them into handing over their names.

In the middle of her hysterical shouting, the Wei Family’s Third Miss suddenly stopped.

Gongshu Yang, the wiry and ruthless man himself, sprang forward, knocked her unconscious with a single blow, and spat out, “What a noisy woman.”

Then, with a cold laugh, he returned to his seat.

For a split second, Li Yuan caught the faintest hint of regret and weariness in his eyes, so quick that no one else seemed to notice.