Human skin lantern 8
After daybreak, Xiao Congzhi got out of bed first; Xie Mowen was still asleep when he left.
After leaving the Martial Alliance, Xiao Congzhi first contacted Shen Zhuo to share the news, and then went to find Xie Mowen's subordinates who were keeping an eye on Xu Shuyan's whereabouts in Xiacheng. Before noon, they found Xu Shuyan in the suburbs.
Xiao Congzhi observed Xu Shuyan for about half an hour. Xu Shuyan basically kept going around in circles, so Xiao Congzhi stopped hiding and walked over directly.
"Miss Xu."
When Xu Shuyan turned her head, her expression was one of utter terror. Upon recognizing Xiao Cong, she said somewhat flusteredly, "I remember your name is..."
“Xiao, Xiao Congzhi.” Xiao Congzhi clenched his fist and gave a respectful bow, saying, “The situation in Xiacheng is currently very complicated, and Miss Xu really shouldn’t be leaving the Martial Alliance at this time.”
“I know you all think I’m willful, but when it comes to marriage, I really don’t want to settle.”
As a man, and with mutual affection between him and the woman he loved, Xiao Congzhi found it difficult to offer much comfort. He simply said, "I have received a few days of care from Alliance Leader Xu. If Miss Xu does not mind, I am willing to accompany and protect her for the next few days."
Hearing this, Xu Shuyan's brows relaxed considerably, and she asked, "Young Master Xiao, could you help me get out of the city?"
Now, to leave Xiacheng, one must go through layers of checks; Xu Shuyan cannot leave on her own.
Xiao Congzhi replied, "Miss Xu, why don't you think about it for a few more days? If your mind doesn't change after three days, I will find a way to send you out of the city."
"Alright, Young Master Xiao, there's no need to be so polite. Just call me Shu Yan."
Xiao Congzhi brought Xu Shuyan to the Bai residence in the east of the city and handed her over to Shen Yan. Shen Yan then subtly inquired about the Martial Alliance.
Did she say anything?
After settling Xu Shuyan, Shen Yan came to report to Xiao Congzhi, who was drinking tea.
"Xu Shuyan rarely inquires about the affairs of the Martial Alliance, and she is not very concerned about her father, Xu Tan."
"She comes from the Martial Arts Alliance, yet she only knows a smattering of martial arts skills, which is enough to show that she has little interest in the martial arts world." Xiao Congzhi used the cup lid to stir the tea leaves and asked, "Is it that she also knows very little about Xu Tan?"
"That's true, but there's one point. Xu Shuyan said that Xu Tan has a very close relationship with the leaders of the Kongtong Sect and the Qingcheng Sect, but he doesn't have much contact with the Diancang Sect."
"Xu Tan and Jiang Ai, the leader of Qingcheng Sect, are known to everyone in the martial arts world to be brothers. But... is he also on good terms with the leader of Kongtong Sect?"
"It is said that the head of the Kongtong Sect often visits the Martial Alliance, and the two address each other as brothers in private."
"Hmm..." Xiao Congzhi thought to himself, Qingcheng, Kongtong, Diancang, and the Martial Alliance are all in Xiacheng. On the surface, Xu Tan only associates with Jiang Ai. Given that the leaders of Kongtong and Diancang are both low-key and reclusive, it's not surprising. But if Xu Tan also has a close personal relationship with the leader of Kongtong, yet he doesn't have much contact with Qian Lin, it's somewhat suspicious.
However, there are too many influencing factors in interpersonal interactions, so this is hardly useful information.
"Alright, keep an eye on Xu Shuyan these next few days. As for the prefectural government office, just let Shen Zhuo handle it."
After saying that, Xiao Congzhi put down his teacup and went out to find Xie Mowen.
Xie Mowen didn't get up until the sun was high in the sky, and was only woken up by Yun Shaocheng shaking him.
"Master, we've been running around doing all this, and you're just sleeping here!"
"...Didn't I tell you that the matter of the prefectural government office was temporarily put on hold? What else is there to be busy with?" Xie Mowen replied to Yun Shaocheng irritably, shaking his head as he half-closed his eyes.
"??? Shaolin and Wudang are eager to fight, Huashan and Diancang are fanning the flames, the father and son of Qingcheng Sect are also very active, and Emei is determined to take revenge on the Demonic Sect. Only Xueshan and Kunlun are relatively well-behaved. Do you think it's easy for me to deal with all of this!" Yun Shaocheng became angrier as he spoke, his eyes seeming to blaze with fire as he looked at Xie Mowen.
"Diancang? Qian Lin? What's he doing here?"
"I don't know. I was fine last night. This morning I came with the head of the Huashan Sect to discuss going to Youheng Mountain with Xu Tan."
"Is Xu Tan really going to Youheng Mountain?"
"That's the current stance. If there's no progress in the missing persons case within half a month, he'll probably have no choice but to go."
Xie Mowen stood up, grabbed a piece of clothing from the closet, and said as he put it on, "Did Xu Tan ask you to do anything?"
"He asked me to appease the Emei Sect."
"He's cunning and shrewd; he has no intention of provoking the Demonic Sect."
"Nobody wants to mess with the Demonic Sect," Yun Shaocheng replied with a cold laugh.
"Keep an eye on Qian Lin these next few days. Xu Tan will probably focus his attention on Xu Shuyan."
"Ah Lan is watching over Xu Shuyan. What does the sect leader need Xu Shuyan for?"
“I sent Xiao Congzhi to pick up Xu Shuyan. The disappearance case and the death of the Emei Sect Leader are not part of my plan. I need to deal with the person behind this first.”
After some hesitation, Yun Shaocheng asked, "Who is that Young Hero Xiao?"
"As for her status, she is extremely noble, but all you need to know is that she is the wife of your sect leader."
"..." Yun Shaocheng felt that his sect leader would not dare to say these words to that person.
Although the series of events cast a shadow over Haining, the streets remained bustling during the day, teeming with tourists and filled with the vibrant atmosphere of everyday life.
Xiao Congzhi was dressed in all white, occasionally unfolding a folding fan and fanning himself, like a leisurely young master.
As the warm afternoon sun set, Xiao Congzhi saw Xie Mowen walking towards him through the bustling crowd. Light and shadow shifted, and a gentle breeze began to rise.
"Didn't you tell me to go to the Bai residence in the east of the city to find you?" Xie Mowen asked.
"I had nothing to do, so I came out for a walk."
"In that case, why don't you come with me somewhere?"
Xie Mowen pulled Xiao Congzhi's arm and dragged him toward the Yuelai Inn.
Aside from the fact that Xie Mowen and Xiao Congzhi had lived here before, the only special thing about this place is that the three surviving disciples of the Emei Sect now live here.
Xie Mowen pulled Xiao Congzhi through the lobby and sat down at a spot near the water. That day, they had seen someone fall into this pool from upstairs. Thinking of this, they couldn't help but think of what they were doing before they were disturbed that day.
Love may arise without warning, but if we're talking about the two of them, that dim, yellowish light might just be the beginning of their relationship.
Xie Mowen called over the waiter and ordered dishes and wine.
"Drinking in broad daylight?" Xiao Congzhi asked with a smile.
They arrived outside of mealtime, past mid-Shenshi (3-5 PM).
"Let's light it first, we need to sit here until evening."
"Are you here to wait for Emei Sect disciples?"
Xiao Congzhi knew that these past few days, the lobby of Yuelai Inn had been packed with people after Shenshi (3-5 PM), all of whom were there to wait for Emei disciples to tell their stories.
"They were closest to Liao Heyun on the night she was murdered, but these past few days they've been talking about the Demonic Sect the most."
"So how are you going to strike up a conversation with them?"
"Oh, I also made an appointment with someone else."
As soon as Xie Mowen finished speaking, Ji Buyu walked through the hall and sat down between Xie Mowen and Xiao Congzhi quite naturally.
"Sect Leader Ji." Xiao Congzhi reacted quickly and bowed.
"Hey, no need for formalities, we're about the same age."
Xie Mowen said very objectively, "My son and I are not yet of legal age, and Sect Leader Ji must be two or three years older."
"..."
Xiao Congzhi suppressed a laugh and chimed in, "I never expected Brother Mo to invite Sect Leader Ji over."
"Sigh." Ji didn't respond. "I think there are many suspicious points about the murder of Sect Leader Liao. It just so happens that Young Hero Mo said he wanted to find out some information and asked me for help."
Xie Mowen flattered him, saying, "Sect Leader Ji is truly quick-witted and insightful."
"Both of you young heroes are outstanding individuals, and are very promising at such a young age."
Xiao Congzhi: ………
Xiao Congzhi did indeed feel that Ji Buyu's style of doing things was very different from the other sect leaders; it could be described as both capricious and eccentric. Now that Xie Mowen had chosen Ji Buyu, it was quite reasonable.
Xiao Congzhi asked, "Sect Leader Ji, do you believe that the death of the Emei Sect Leader was not the work of the Demonic Sect?"
Ji Buyu looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "Indeed. The Demonic Sect Leader came in person at Alliance Leader Xu's only daughter's coming-of-age ceremony, which must have been a show of force."
Xiao Congzhi nodded, and Xie Mowen took a sip of tea.
"The ambush and killing of the Emei sect leader should also serve as a deterrent. Why resort to deterrence twice within a few days?"
Xie Mowen said, "It's not entirely impossible, but it would certainly be unnecessary."
“Indeed.” Ji Buyu seemed to particularly admire Xie Mowen. “That’s why we came here today to ask the Emei disciples in detail.”
"Sect Leader Ji is indeed meticulous; I admire him."
Ji Buyu, who was only two years older than Xie Mowen: ...
"Young Master Mo, there's no need to be modest. The day you deliberately lost to the Diancang Sect's Hua Nan Prefecture, it was a well-thought-out plan."
Xie Mowen was surprised that Ji Buyu had seen through his acting that night, and hurriedly replied, "Sect Leader Ji has good eyesight."
"Ah, I know you're doing this for Miss Xu, but it's all in vain. It's more important to be mutually attracted."
Xie Mowen: ……
Xiao Congzhi: ……
They looked at each other and saw the bewildered look in each other's eyes.
Xiao Congzhi asked, "Why does Sect Leader Ji say such a thing?"
"Isn't it because Young Master Mo felt he was not worthy of Miss Xu and wanted to help Miss Xu and Young Master Hua get together, that he deliberately lost the duel?"
Xie Mowen: ...
Xiao Congzhi had not expected Ji Buyu to have such an unusual way of thinking, and he began to doubt his ability to extract information from him.
As they talked, the dishes and wine were served, and as the sun gradually set, more and more people arrived at Yuelai Inn.
Everyone was there to wait for Emei disciples, and these three would dine together in the lobby on the first floor of the Yuelai Inn every night.
Disciple A: "Please, everyone, stop asking every day. The three of us have already said everything that needs to be said."
A martial arts expert asked, "Did you really not see that move clearly?"
Another martial arts figure immediately followed up with, "Is it really a demonic cult?"
Disciple B opened his mouth as if to say something, but Ji Buyu seized the opportunity to step forward and greet him, leading the three Emei disciples to the table they had occupied. When the group of martial artists saw that he was the leader of the Snow Mountain Sect, they dared not surround him and ask any more questions.
"Sect Leader Ji." The Emei disciple naturally recognized the Snow Mountain Sect Leader and was very polite.
Disciple A said somewhat apologetically, "It's kind of you, Sect Leader Ji, to come all the way here. Are you here to ask about the night Master was murdered?"
Ji did not nod.
“The three of us are timid and live far away, so we don’t know much. We’ve told everyone everything in the last few days.”
Xie Mowen smiled and asked in a warm, spring-like tone, "How many people are in your group coming to Xiacheng this time?"
Disciple B glanced at Xie Mowen, who was an unfamiliar face, and assumed he was a disciple of the Snow Mountain Sect. Following proper etiquette, he replied, "Besides the sect leader, he also brought ten disciples."
Are they all direct disciples?
"yes."
"Did Liao Fei, the chief disciple of Emei, come with us this time to Xiacheng?"
Liao Fei is Liao Heyun's adopted daughter. Among the younger generation of martial arts practitioners, she enjoys high prestige and strength, and is undoubtedly the next leader of the Emei Sect.
"No." Disciple A was a little puzzled by the question, but answered anyway.
Xie Mowen nodded thoughtfully and exchanged a glance with Xiao Congzhi. There were about twenty direct disciples of Liao Heyun, the leader of the Emei Sect, the most famous of whom was Liao Fei. Although Liao Fei was unharmed, most of the direct disciples were gone.
Ji unceremoniously set out bowls and chopsticks for the three Emei disciples, urging them to eat and drink while asking, "Could you tell me about what happened that night again?"
The three Emei disciples have recounted what happened that night countless times, and now they can do so fluently.
“That night, Master stayed in one room, while we stayed in different rooms in twos and threes. After hearing some noise at night, we opened the door together, but we didn’t see Master. So we went to her door and knocked, but there was no response for a long time, so we pushed the door open and went in.”
"The windows in the room were wide open, so we went out through the windows and onto the roof. At that time, my master was fighting with a masked man."
Xiao Congzhi asked, "Are you far from them?"
"It's a bit far. They're on the roof on the other side, several meters away."
“At first, we just stayed where we were, thinking we would ask after our master finished fighting. Not long after, a gust of wind suddenly came up, carrying sand and dust, and we were caught off guard and got sand and dust in our eyes.”
When I opened my eyes again, there was a flash of white light, which must have been the light of a knife. When I came to my senses, my master had already fallen.
Xie Mo asked, "From the time you went up to the roof until the wind picked up, was it only a short while?"
"Yes, almost the next moment."
"When you saw the two fighting in the distance, did Sect Leader Liao appear to be in a difficult battle?"
"It's a bit far away, but it doesn't seem to be."
Disciple C added: "I didn't feel anything. I remember Master even twirled his sword before attacking."
Ji Buyu asked, "I remember you mentioned before that Sect Leader Liao had multiple knife wounds all over his body. Was he injured at this time?"
Disciple A shook his head and said, "We didn't know. After seeing Master fall, several senior sisters rushed over, and then there was another flash of white light, and they all fell. The three of us are Master's youngest disciples, and we are timid, so we didn't rush over, which is how we escaped this calamity."
"And then?" Xie Mowen urged.
"Then the masked man left, and we rushed forward to check on him. Our master and senior sisters had already passed away."
"Did the masked man look at you or do anything before he left?"
"No."
Xiao Congzhi looked at Xie Mowen, who looked at Ji Buyu and asked humbly, "How much does Sect Leader Ji know about the techniques used by Xing Feng, the leader of the Demonic Sect, to massacre martial arts sects a hundred years ago?"
Ji Buyu's gaze swept over the people in front of him. After taking a deep breath, he said softly, "I heard this from my master, and my master heard it from his master. It may be somewhat inaccurate. It is said that the leader of the Demonic Sect at that time massacred five sects, all of which were major sects that had proposed to attack the Demonic Sect. It all happened at midnight. Xing Feng came with the wind, raised his hand and a burst of white light appeared. After the light dissipated, there was no one left alive in the entire sect. Moreover, everyone had been stabbed multiple times and died from excessive blood loss."
The Emei disciples exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this exactly the same!"
Ji Buyu nodded: "Yes, but what was most terrifying back then wasn't the event itself, but the fact that it was an unfathomable martial arts style. No one knew what kind of internal energy and techniques could achieve such an effect. Therefore, I always thought it was an exaggerated legend."
Xie Mowen spoke up: "They're not exactly the same. Sect Leader Liao and your sect's disciple didn't die from excessive blood loss, did they?"
"We've transported the body back to Emei Mountain, but we can only proceed after our senior sister arranges for an autopsy..."
Xiao Congzhi politely interrupted, "When you went up to check, they had already stopped breathing. If it was due to excessive blood loss, that would be too fast."
Ji disagreed with this statement and asked, "Do you two think that this is imitating the actions of the Demonic Sect?"
"That conclusion is somewhat arbitrary," Xie Mowen said. "One last question: why didn't your senior sister, Liao Fei, come?"
Disciple A replied, "I was going to come, but something happened at Emei recently, and my senior sister went to deal with it."
"Hmm..." Xie Mowen rested his chin on his hand and began to think.
Upon seeing this, Ji Buyu thanked the Emei disciples and personally escorted them to the next table, where he arranged a banquet.
The Emei disciples were deeply disturbed. For the past few days, they had been saying it resembled the work of the Demonic Sect, but they hadn't realized the details were so similar. Clearly, the information Ji Buyu provided was worth their time to process.
After settling the Emei disciples in, Ji Buyu returned to his seat and his first words were, "Something's strange."
Xie Mowen smiled and replied, "Where is it just a little strange? There are suspicious points everywhere."
Xiao Congzhi tried to sort out the doubts: "First of all, the masked man was deliberately delaying the time so that the Emei disciples could see the technique."
Ji Buyu nodded in agreement: "It took a long time for this group of Emei disciples to get to the roof after hearing the noise. During that time, Sect Leader Liao was most likely unharmed."
Xiao Congzhi: "When the masked man left, he didn't even glance at the remaining three disciples."
Xie Mowen: "We need to leave a few people to spread the word, otherwise it will take some time to connect the multiple wounds to the Demonic Sect."
Ji Buyu continued, "Secondly, it is a fatal wound. A hundred years ago it was due to excessive blood loss, but this time it must be a fatal wound."
"Because we left survivors at the scene," Xie Mowen said. "If they weren't killed on the spot, it would be possible to save them."
Xiao Congzhi pondered: "In other words, the masked man is determined to kill these people from Emei."
Ji Buyu was a little confused and asked Xie Mowen, "Young Master Mo, what was your intention in asking about Liao Fei and the identities of the other murdered disciples?"
Xie Mowen glanced at Ji Buyu, tapped the table lightly with his knuckles, and said ambiguously, "Now that most of the direct disciples of Sect Leader Liao have left, Liao Fei's succession as the next sect leader is no longer a sure thing, not to mention that she was originally going to come to Xiacheng anyway."
"What does Young Master Mo mean?!" Ji Buyu exclaimed in surprise.
Xie Mowen smiled meaningfully, and Xiao Congzhi glanced at Xie Mowen silently.
"Finally, the wind and the white light," Xiao Congzhi said.
Xie Mowen nodded: "Regardless of the masked man's identity, he has only two purposes for this trip: to kill the Emei Sect Leader and to spread rumors in the martial arts world that it was the work of the Demonic Sect."
Ji Buyu said, "But the wind and the white light are not something that can be imitated at will. The wind started as soon as the Emei disciples went up to the roof, and it looks like it was controlled by the masked man. The white light can cause so many injuries in an instant."
"Internal force is the blade." Xie Mowen said succinctly.
Powerful internal energy can be condensed into a physical form. For example, when Xiao Congzhi used a paper folding fan to make moves, he would wrap a layer of internal energy around the fan surface.
In the martial arts world, it's not uncommon for those with slightly higher internal strength to materialize their internal energy and wrap it around their weapons.
However, internal force is like a blade. As the name suggests, the physical form of this internal force will be as sharp as a blade.
“If someone can truly condense their inner force into blades, and such dense blades at that, enough to make onlookers visually see white light, then that person’s inner force is unfathomable.” As Ji Buyu spoke, he suddenly remembered something and hurriedly added, “That day, before the Demonic Sect Leader Xie Mowen appeared, he used his inner force to transmit his voice, and later exchanged more than a hundred blows with us. His inner force is indeed unfathomable.”
Xiao Congzhi glanced silently at Xie Mowen and poured a cup of wine for Ji Buyu.
Xie Mowen subconsciously touched the tip of his nose with the back of his hand, and spoke again: "In short, this is a possible and reasonable explanation."
"Hmm." Ji Buyu picked up the wine glass on the table, drank it all in one gulp, and said, "Let's leave today's business here. Brother Mo, I think we get along well. Let's not stand on ceremony anymore and become friends."
Ji Buyu was clearly drunk. Xiao Congzhi hadn't expected Ji Buyu to have such a low alcohol tolerance. Helplessly, he raised his hand to rub his temples and used his other hand to stop Ji Buyu from pouring him more wine.
“Very well. Actually, I’ve long felt an instant connection with Brother Ji, but I’ve been held back by our seniority and haven’t dared to get to know each other better.” Xie Mowen slapped Xiao Congzhi’s hand away and personally poured Ji Buyu a second cup of wine.
Xiao Congzhi: ...
Ji Buyu immediately downed a second cup of wine, his eyes glazed as he sobbed, "It's all my master's fault. He didn't want to be the sect leader anymore, so he passed the position to me. The martial arts alliance leader and the leaders of the other eight sects are several generations apart in age, so we can't even talk to each other. But I'm of a higher generation, so none of my peers are willing to confide in me."
"It's nothing, it's nothing." Xie Mowen stuffed a bottle of wine into Ji Buyu's hand and said generously, "I, Mo, am willing to be Brother Ji's friend."
Xiao Congzhi: ...
"What if he forgets everything when he sobers up tomorrow?" Xiao Congzhi moved closer to Xie Mowen and asked quietly.
"I don't have any particular purpose. I've been on edge for days, so I just had a couple of drinks when I had the chance." As he spoke, Xie Mowen handed Xiao Congzhi a glass of wine.
Xiao Congzhi held the wine cup in both hands, watching Xie Mowen and Ji Buyu chatter about all sorts of things. He leaned on Xie Mowen's shoulder and silently drank the wine.
Later that night, the disciples of the Snow Mountain Sect carried away their sect leader, who was completely drunk and unconscious.
Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen were only slightly tipsy, but feeling lazy. They called the innkeeper to book a room, deciding not to return to the Bai Mansion in the east of the city that night, but to rest for the night at the Yuelai Inn.
The rooms at Yuelai Inn were all dimly lit, with the candlelight from the lanterns filtering through a thin layer of paper, spreading out softly and hazily.
Xie Mowen pulled Xiao Congzhi by the hand and sat him down on the edge of the bed. He first put his arm around Xiao Congzhi's shoulder, letting him lean into his embrace. Slowly, Xie Mowen's arm slid down, and Xiao Congzhi quietly looked at Xie Mowen, whose eyes were red in the dim light.
Xie Mowen raised his hand and touched Xiao Congzhi's slightly flushed cheek.
It's a bit soft.
"Are you drunk?" Xie Mowen asked softly.
Xiao Congzhi curled the corners of his lips and asked, "If you get drunk, how will you take advantage of me?"
Xie Mowen was quite adept at using his words, replying, "I've taken everything I could."
Xiao Congzhi chuckled, raised his hand and gently kneaded the back of Xie Mowen's neck.
When Xie Mowen had been drinking, his eyes were moist, which could tempt the usually calm and rational Xiao Congzhi to have the urge to bully him.
Ideally, you should be able to bully someone until they cry.
Xiao Congzhi took a deep breath, suppressing the surging impulse in his heart, and forcefully pressed Xie Mowen's neck, pulling him into his arms.
Xie Mowen tightened his arms around Xiao Congzhi's waist and rubbed his face against Xiao Congzhi's chest.
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