Everyone assumed the archer was at a distance, but he had actually been lurking right outside the door, separated from the crowd by just a wooden panel. His breath control technique was nothing short of miraculous. The remaining fifteen monks, seeing their target revealed, shouted in unison and closed in to surround him. Suddenly, thick smoke billowed around the man, obscuring his form in an instant. The monks stepped back swiftly in the Seven Stars Formation. As they retreated, several arrows shot out from the white smoke with sharp whistles. The monks raised their arms to block, but the smoke grew even denser, quickly shrouding everything in the room. Covering their mouths and closing their eyes, they waited until the smoke dissipated—only to find the table empty, Yu Tuan'er lying unconscious on the floor, Fang Pingzhai slumped motionless to the side, and Liu Yan gone without a trace.
The fifteen Shaolin monks exchanged bewildered glances. In the chaos of battle, one had been injured and another killed—yet they had failed to capture Liu Yan, a man who had lost all martial prowess and was crippled in both legs. The Shaolin Temple had suffered a tremendous blow to its reputation. A Shui frowned slightly, biting her lip as she stood silently. Watching the monks carry away their wounded and dead, she bowed slightly in farewell. Once they were gone, she turned to lift Yu Tuan'er with great effort, moving her onto her own bed. Fang Pingzhai, struck in an acupoint, remained motionless in his chair. She draped a quilt over him, unsure of what else to do. Then, glancing at the eerily silent guest room, she walked over slowly and pushed the door open gently—just as expected, the room was empty. Tang Lici had already left at some point.
Had he... heard Liu Yan speak? Had he witnessed the earlier chaos? Had he seen... those who had been strangers moments ago, now fighting desperately for their companions, even willing to die rather than be separated? She closed the door quietly, stroking Feng Feng's head absently. Her thoughts lingered on Liu Yan—taken away by the mysterious archer, his fate unknown—on his eyes filled with unbearable sorrow, on the child they had once shared. After a long silence, she let out a soft sigh.
"Miss A Shui." A calm voice called from outside. A Shui turned abruptly to see Yang Guihua standing there in his official robes, several soldiers behind him, his gaze gentle yet firm. "Your home has been quite eventful tonight." A Shui took two steps back. Though she had always been composed in front of Yang Guihua, now she felt a flicker of unease. "Master Yang."
"The East City patrol reported three suspicious guests staying at Apricot Sun Bookstore. I came under Lord Jiao's orders to investigate—and what I found was truly astonishing." Yang Guihua said. "Seventeen Shaolin Monks engaged in a battle using Sound Assassination Technique in your home. These two mysterious guests must have close ties to Liu Yan, master of the Ape-Demon Nine Heart Pill, and—" He smiled faintly, leaving the rest unsaid. "All three of you will accompany me to the Dali Temple for questioning." A Shui stared at him without blinking. As Yang Guihua directed the soldiers to carry away the unconscious figures from the chair and bed, she lowered her gaze, holding Feng Feng tightly, and followed obediently.He had arrived long ago, perhaps when the officers were reporting back, but had remained silent all this time. Maybe he thought he was no match for the Seventeen Shaolin Monks, so he waited for the opportune moment to reap the rewards. As one of the lead investigators of the murder case involving five victims, he knew full well who the culprit was, yet he couldn’t actually bring Tang Lici to justice. Liu Yan of the Dissolute Shop was the mastermind behind the mysterious drug circulating in the palace. Whoever was distributing the Poison in the palace, whatever conspiracy lay hidden behind it, Liu Yan was undoubtedly involved. The deceased Bat Freak and Wei Beiyin were both his subordinates. Tang Lici’s killing of the Bat Freak proved his stance aligned with his own. Moreover, Tang was the strongest force in the martial world opposing the Dissolute Shop, so naturally, he couldn’t arrest him. But with the Emperor furious and the pressure mounting, he couldn’t delay finding the culprit indefinitely. The two strangers at the Apricot Sun Bookstore, who had close ties to Liu Yan, were perfect scapegoats for the time being. As for A Shui… Yang Guihua could tell at a glance that Tang Lici had an ambiguous relationship with her. Holding this young woman in his grasp would give him an extra measure of control over the enigmatic Imperial Uncle Tang.
Dawn broke, and the autumn sun rose.
Liu Ma had been disturbed by the wind and rain all night. In her sleep, she faintly heard mournful flute music, and hazily dreamed of her youth. When she woke in the morning, she was startled. Peering out the window, she saw the shattered door of the neighboring Apricot Sun Bookstore, wooden fragments scattered everywhere, and bloodstains dotting the ground. A Shui and Feng Feng were nowhere to be seen. She clutched her chest, thinking that a woman who knew how to seduce men was bound to bring trouble. Everything had been fine—how could things have turned out like this? Heaven only knew who they had provoked this time. It was truly terrifying.
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