Booby-trapped
As soon as she saw Pei Yingguan, Xiao Wan'er told him her suspicions. Afterwards, without taking a break, Xiao Wan'er and Pei Yingguan, along with their respective team members, sat in a row to sort through and review the case files they had brought back.
"The first such murder case that can be traced occurred in November of the fourth year of the Chuigong reign. The victims were the wife and young master of a martial arts sect in Shu."
A team member presented the case file to Xiao Wan'er. She took it, revealing a detailed account: the sect's young master was the eldest son of the sect master and his wife, but he lacked talent and strategic prowess. Furthermore, the sect master suddenly fell seriously ill. To preserve the sect's legacy, the master's wife decided to pass the reins to her more talented young daughter. On the night of the sect master's death, the sect was attacked by unknown individuals, killing both the master's wife and the young master. Their deaths were similar to those of the woman found dead in Lirenfang, though the attacker's method was more crude. The sect's former young master has since disappeared.
The local authorities hastily closed the case without finding any clues about the murderer, classifying it as a gang vendetta, and the missing former young master was also counted among the dead.
"Captain Xiao, I once conducted a secret investigation at the scene of the incident, but most people in the martial arts world like to wander around. More than ten years have passed, and the elderly people who originally lived here have either died or left. No one remembers the specific past of this former young master." The team member added.
"I understand. Let's continue looking at other case files." As soon as Xiao Wan'er finished speaking, the team members immediately continued to organize other case files.
Everyone picked out all the cases that were highly similar to the Shuzhong and Lirenfang cases and compiled the case files together. Xiao Wan'er picked up the map of the Great Zhou Dynasty and circled the crime scene, resulting in an irregular line starting from Shuzhong and ending in Shendu.
Xiao Wan'er had a hunch that her previous inference was probably correct.
"From Shuzhong to Shendu, the perpetrator's methods have become increasingly sophisticated. From the female leader of a Jianghu sect in the Shuzhong case, to the female businessman in the Lirenfang case, and the previous unsuccessful attack on Her Majesty Taiping, the perpetrator's targets have always been women with a certain degree of power," Pei Yingguan concluded. "Now the perpetrator has been trapped in Shendu, and there are many women in Shendu who can serve as targets."
Xiao Wan'er nodded.
"It's really a lot, so we just let him set a goal."
"What do you think, Captain Xiao?"
"This matter still needs to be reported to the commander, and I need your cooperation, Captain Pei."
After the two teams disbanded, only Xiao Wan'er and Pei Yingguan were left here.
"Junior sister, what do you want to do?"
"That murderer wants to hunt powerful women. Am I not a powerful woman?" Xiao Wan'er chuckled.
"No," Pei Yingguan frowned and refused seriously, "You know how strong that criminal is, and it seems your guess is probably right. If it's really as you think, his strength will continue to grow. It's too risky for you to use yourself as bait."
"Brother, do you have any other ideas?" Xiao Wan'er's question left Pei Yingguan speechless.
"Master has been summoned by His Majesty. Captain Linghu is not good at fighting, and the remaining cultivators are only at the highest level of the Dao Entry Realm. The perpetrator is still at the Dao Entry Realm. If he continues to be unchecked, he will eventually reach the Transcendent Realm. By then, I'm afraid that even if both your team and I attack, we won't be able to do anything to him."
Pei Yingguan clenched his fists, then finally released them. He lowered his head dejectedly, having to admit that Xiao Wan'er was right.
"Let's go find the master."
In Taichu Palace, Liuyun nodded happily after listening to Xiao Wan'er's plan.
"This plan is feasible, but as bait, you will be taking a great risk, so you must be fully prepared in advance."
"Master, don't worry. I understand." Xiao Wan'er agreed.
Perhaps because the perpetrators had been unapproached for so long, the patrolling monks of the Fengming Guard gradually grew restless and began to slack off on their daily patrols. Then, one day, at the Fengming Guard's training grounds, Xiao Wan'er and Pei Yingguan suddenly came to blows.
Pei Yingguan charged with all his might, sword drawn, each strike laced with murderous intent. Xiao Wan'er also unleashed a variety of powerful spells upon Pei Yingguan, showing no sign of holding back. Their teammates, terrified, turned pale and shouted to dissuade him, but the two men fell on deaf ears. However, since both had been practicing Dao for some time, the deputy captain and his team members dared not intervene in the fight, so they had to call for the deputy commander.
When Yuan Kong rushed to the training ground with his monk's staff, Pei Yingguan cut off a strand of Xiao Wan'er's hair with a sword, and Xiao Wan'er also used a wind magic to disfigure him.
"Enough!" Yuan Kong transformed into an angry Vajra, and slammed his staff on the ground with a sound like a loud bell, shocking the two people fighting so much that they stopped their moves at the same time.
"As the commander of the Fengming Guard and a squad leader, you openly engaged in a life-and-death fight in the government office. Is this the friendship between you fellow disciples and colleagues?"
Yuan Kong's accusation was extremely severe, but Pei Yingguan still looked at Xiao Wan'er viciously.
"I originally disagreed with Master accepting you as his disciple, and Master didn't take it seriously. Now he has been bewitched by you, a witch!"
"Pei Yingguan!" Yuan Kong shouted angrily, and Pei Yingguan turned away.
Word of the internal strife among the Fengming Guard's disciples quickly spread throughout the capital's upper echelons. It was said that the Fengming Guard commander was furious and severely punished Pei Yingguan, publicly declaring him unfit to be the next abbot of Biyun Temple.
The murderer, his eyes bloodshot, listened to the conversation of the young masters of the aristocratic families in the restaurant, his murderous intent surging. The diners nearby looked at him in horror, but he lowered his head, gripped his cup tightly, and slowly suppressed his murderous intent. The red in his eyes gradually faded.
"Don't worry..." he said to himself, "Who knows if it's a trick."
A few days later, Pei Yingguan rented a room outside. On the day of the housewarming, neither Liuyun nor Xiao Wan'er attended the banquet. That afternoon, someone from the palace arrived, bringing a table of food gifted by the Empress to Xiao Wan'er, along with a small gift from Liuyun. The Empress simply ignored Pei Yingguan's new home.
The inspections of the capital by Teams A1 and G7 came to naught. Pei Yingguan resumed his routine, working his shifts at the checkpoints and leaving them at the taverns as soon as he left the government office. Xiao Wan'er also frequently appeared at banquets hosted by officials from humble backgrounds and their families, enjoying a period of considerable fame.
As a junior disciple, Liu Mingyin was extremely anxious. He ran to Pei Yingguan's new residence, but was kicked out after a short while. After that, a sign appeared outside Pei's residence saying "Disciples of Biyun Temple are not allowed to enter."
That day, Xiao Wan'er had a small gathering with Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er at Princess Taiping's residence. After sending Shangguan Wan'er back to the palace, she walked home alone.
She walked leisurely, as if unaware of the danger lurking in the shadows. The murderer, his eyes bloodshot, sneered inwardly, swooped down from the roof at high speed, and slashed at her neck with his knife.
With a clang, the sword and the knife collided. The attacker attacked with all his might. Although Xiao Wan'er blocked the attack, she also stepped back a few steps, then took out her whistle and blew it with all her might.
"Send a signal? That depends on whether you can survive until your teammates arrive!"
The attacker's every strike was deadly, and even Xiao Wan'er, with her Daoist cultivation, could only manage to fend him off. From the first encounter, she sensed his increased strength. Seeing no chance of victory in close combat, she attempted to distract herself and prepare her magic.
Another blow sent Xiao Wan'er flying backwards. As she was sent flying, earthen walls rose up from the ground on all sides, a mud roof blocking the air and trapping the assailant. Falling to the ground, Xiao Wan'er plunged her sword into the earth, gripping the hilt to steady herself, and then, amid the clash of the sword against the earthen walls, she gathered her magic.
After the attacker had breached the mud wall, sharp spikes emerged from the mud roof above. He cleaved it in half, and ice spears attacked from all directions. The attacker swung his knife, leaving afterimages, barely blocking the ice spears. Dozens more sharp swords rained down from the sky. He had to protect his head first, allowing the ice to penetrate his body.
The attacker was covered in wounds, and Xiao Wan'er was panting. Seeing their assault was failing, the attacker turned and tried to retreat when the sound of breaking air was heard from a distance. Suddenly, a formation enveloped him and Xiao Wan'er. He hacked at the walls with his sword, but the formation remained motionless.
"It's useless," Xiao Wan'er's voice sounded faintly behind him, "This is the formation created by my master. Unless I die or take it away, I can only enter this formation, but I can't exit."
The assailant turned around and glared at Xiao Wan'er fiercely. He held his head, his cultivation suddenly increasing while he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"What? You're planning to completely merge? You, the host, are a complete idiot. For an ordinary person to merge his soul with a cultivator in the Transcendent Realm, what's the difference between that and courting death?"
"Shut up!" the assailant cursed, but it was too late. His cultivation level stopped improving and was even declining.
"The forbidden Soul Fusion technique is called "fusion," but in most cases it's no different from possessing another cultivator's body, as cultivators won't risk merging their souls with other cultivators. The person you're merging with probably didn't tell you, right? The dominant position after fusion is determined by the strength of their souls in their previous lives. As an ordinary person who hasn't embarked on the Dao, how can your soul compete with that of a top cultivator? Are you truly willing to have your body taken away and everything you have become food for others?"
As if responding to Xiao Wan'er, the assailant's original soul and spirit vibrated violently, and his cultivation level also fluctuated greatly. He wanted to kill Xiao Wan'er with a single blow, but this body was no longer obeying his commands.
"Initially, some cultivators, unwilling to accept death, created the art of body possession. Unwilling to bear the consequences, they adapted body possession into soul fusion, using deception to seize the bodies of others. As a member of the royal family, you already enjoyed the people's wealth. Even after dying in a power struggle, you were unwilling to accept defeat, possessing the bodies of others and harming the people. Today, I will kill you completely, making up for the loss I made eleven years ago!"
As Xiao Wan'er spoke, she raised her longbow, concentrated all her spiritual power, and shot an arrow at his heart.
Between life and death, the two souls in the murderer's body finally stopped fighting, and the monk's soul completely controlled the body, but it was too late. The long arrow pierced his heart and nailed him to the ground.
"Senior Sister!" The first reinforcement to arrive was Liu Mingyin. He looked at the person nailed to the ground and was very surprised. "Senior Sister, you took care of it all by yourself?"
"No," Xiao Wan'er pulled Liu Mingyin behind her, "Be careful, he's still breathing."
The assailant's cultivation had stabilized. The internal conflict between the two souls had ultimately damaged his foundation, and his cultivation could only reach the peak of the Dao Entry Realm. The severe injuries he suffered in the previous battle had also greatly reduced his strength.
Xiao Wan'er released spiritual energy to envelope him, and he instantly lost all his cultivation, and Xiao Wan'er was also fixed in place, unable to move.
"Mingyin! Draw your sword!"
"Yes!" Liu Mingyin drew out his knife and slashed at the assailant, causing him to be more seriously injured and also falling into the same state as Xiao Wan'er when she entered Taoism.
Seeing this, the dying murderer was about to drag him down with him, but Xiao Wan'er had already teleported behind him, crushed a sword talisman, and pierced his back with the sharp blade, crushing his heart.
"How... could it be..." He murmured unwillingly, and heard Xiao Wan'er's answer before his consciousness faded.
"The breakup between my senior brother and me was just a show."
On the day when Liu Mingyin was kicked out of his new home by Pei Yingguan, he handed the sword talisman to Xiao Wan'er as soon as he returned home.
"This is a sword talisman made by my senior brother. It encapsulates the two sword strikes he unleashed with all his might. My senior brother's tendons and veins were injured as a result, so he needs to rest and recuperate. I'm afraid he won't be able to participate in the battle against the perpetrators."
"No problem. With this sword talisman, he has already joined the battle."
This is what Xiao Wan'er said that day, and now it was this sword talisman that caused the death of this strong man who should have died eleven years ago.
By the time other reinforcements arrived, the attacker had already died.
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