Fifteen minutes later.
At the entrance of the Northern Office, Chen Xin, Jiangg Hengchuan, and Yan Chong, accompanied by over a dozen Captains as backup, were fully geared up and ready to set out, each mounted on a tall, fine steed.
Changfeng Escort Agency was located in the Southeast of the Capital City. As one of the six major Escort Agencies in the north, it should have been bustling with activity. However, when Chen Xin and his group arrived, the agency and its surrounding neighborhoods were terrifyingly quiet, resembling a ghost town in dead silence.
The men from the Five Cities Military Department had already cordoned off the agency. Since the case involved the Celestial Fragrance Sect, it was handed over to the Divine Robe Guard.
Chen Xin and the others dismounted, passing through the grand main gates and entering the interior of Changfeng Escort Agency.
Yan Chong waved his hand. A portion of the Divine Robe Captains immediately scattered, taking up Guan Yao positions like the wall tops and roofs to take over the Escort Agency.
In the main hall, a Wind-Catching Secret Agent who had been investigating clues here early on came to greet them. Upon seeing Chen Xin, a hint of astonishment flashed in his eyes. It was actually this Divine Robe who had just slain the Blood Demon across a thousand miles.
Immediately, his tone carried admiration as he said, "Chen Copper Order, I am Leng Lianyun, the Wind-Catching Guard in charge of investigating this matter."
Chen Xin and the other two also stated their names.
"Secret Agent Leng, what is strange about the Changfeng Escort Agency incident? Why did I not see the slightest trace of a battle on my way in?" Chen Xin asked straight to the point.
Leng Lianyun nodded inwardly. This Copper Order was not only dedicated to his duty but also possessed rather sharp observation skills.
"It is indeed strange," Leng Lianyun confirmed. "All forty-six people in Changfeng Escort Agency had their throats slit by a single sword strike in their sleep. Even Escort Chief Meng Tianxiong, who had achieved success in the Outer Realm, suffered the same fate, dying instantly on his bed.
"Furthermore, the nearby residents also verified that tonight was as usual, without any strange noises."
Hearing this, the two people beside Chen Xin showed expressions of disbelief. Killing with a single sword strike to the throat, and consecutively killing forty-six people in the Escort Agency, succeeding with every strike without being discovered! What kind of concealing power was this? Not even the assassins of the Underworld could achieve it!
"There are forty-seven people in the Escort Agency, yet only forty-six died. Why is the eldest son of the Escort Chief still alive? Moreover, this person has traveled the Martial World for many years and only returned to the Escort Agency ten days ago," Chen Xin asked calmly, unmoved as he recalled the files he had seen before departure.
"He is not only the sole survivor but also the one who reported it to the officials immediately." Leng Lianyun paused before continuing, "Not only did he report it to the officials, but he also provided a list of suspects and their motives."
"Can this guy’s words be trusted?" Chen Xin thought to himself, though his lips spat out three words, "The Celestial Fragrance Sect?"
"Yes. But to be precise, they are just one of them," Leng Lianyun nodded. "It is the Beihai Sword Sect and the Celestial Fragrance Sect they colluded with.
"The Sect Leader of the Beihai Sword Sect coveted Changfeng Escort Agency’s ancestral Martial Arts. Meng Tianxiong refused to hand them over, and the Sect Leader eventually lost his patience. The Celestial Fragrance Sect eyed the wealth accumulated by Changfeng Escort Agency, and coupled with Meng Tianxiong’s obstruction of their preaching nearby, they flew into a rage out of humiliation.
"Thus, the Beihai Sword Sect and the Celestial Fragrance Sect hit it off immediately, killing people and snatching the Secret Manual in the dead of night. The Celestial Fragrance Sect used a Dark Fragrance Envoy to make everyone in the agency fall into a deep sleep, while the Beihai Sword Sect was responsible for the killings.
"That throat-slitting strike is indeed somewhat similar to the Beihai Sword Sect’s Changge Swordsmanship," Leng Lianyun specifically brought up this point. "Meng Tianxiong’s eldest son claimed that when he returned ten days ago, he noticed the Beihai Sword Sect and the Celestial Fragrance Sect eyeing them covetously. He had warned his father, but unfortunately, it was not taken seriously. Last night, realizing something was wrong, he directly hid in the secret room and didn’t dare to come out until dawn."
The more Chen Xin listened, the more he felt it was full of logical loopholes but didn’t know where to begin critiquing. Was this a replica of the Qingcheng Sect and Fuwei Escort Agency, Yu Canghai and Lin Pingzhi?
"What a fake story," Jiangg Hengchuan couldn’t help but say from the side.
Yan Chong nodded in agreement.
"Let’s go see this person. Secret Agent Leng, please lead the way." Chen Xin’s tone was icy. "He definitely knows something. If he doesn’t plan to speak, he’ll spill everything once he goes to the Imperial Prison."
He was not here to play detective games. You were the only living person left in the entire Escort Agency, and you still claimed to be free of any suspicion. Who would believe that? Chen Xin gave a look, and Yan Chong immediately understood, conducting the remaining Divine Robe Captains outside the main hall to go to the rooms of the Escort Masters, the Escort Chief, and others to see if there were any other clues.
Leng Lianyun walked all the way to the backyard garden, and only then did Chen Xin and the other two see the sole survivor of this case.
This person sat restlessly on a stone chair, his face deathly pale. Beside him, two Wind Catchers were keeping an eye on him.
"Lord Leng, Lord Leng!"
Seeing Leng Lianyun, it was as if he had seen his savior. Immediately after, he noticed Chen Xin and the other two beside him. He became incredibly excited, especially at the sight of the badge on Chen Xin’s waist.
"Lord Copper Order! Save me, please save me. They must still be watching me."
He originally wanted to jog over but was held in place by the two Wind Catchers next to him.
"...Why are they still watching you?" As the four approached, Chen Xin asked.
"Because the ancestral Map is still on me! Without the Map, even if they took the Secret Manual, they wouldn’t be able to practice it!"
The man stabilized his emotions slightly and explained, "Lord Copper Order, did you know that our Changfeng Escort Agency was passed down from Fan Meng of the previous dynasty? It was to evade the pursuit of the Yuan Court that we changed our surname to Meng."
Chen Xin nodded; the files did indeed mention this point.
That Fan Meng was a formidable figure. As a lowly official, he had turned the Yuan Court upside down, and there was even an anti-establishment poem of his handed down through generations:
Everyone says I do no work, but how many in this world truly get things done? The Dragon Slayer and Flood Dragon Hand in the Sleeve has buried its green blade for twenty springs.
"Ancestor Fan Meng not only had a brilliant mind but also reached the Profound Realm in Martial Arts. He passed down a set of ’Dragon Slayer and Flood Dragon Slayer in the Sleeve’, which was a Secret Fifth Grade Sword Skill the moment it appeared!
"The Secret Manual only records a simplified version of this Sword Skill. It requires the Meng Family’s ancestral Map as an aid to return to its original, authentic form. Otherwise, what one practices is merely the Upper Seventh Grade ’Sleeve Sword’."
When mentioning his ancestors’ glory, the man’s tone rose slightly, but he immediately changed the subject.
"My Lord, I, Meng Yuanshu, am willing to do my utmost to identify the thieves of the Beihai Sword Sect and the demons of the Celestial Fragrance Sect for you.
"Furthermore, I am also willing to write down the entire Secret Manual from memory and offer up the ancestral Map, asking only for the Divine Robe Guard to protect my life!"
At this point, Meng Yuanshu impatiently reached into his sleeve and took out a Mechanical Box. His fingers danced as he opened the box and took out the Map. His movements were urgent, deeply afraid that Chen Xin might misunderstand his sincerity.
SWISH! In the flash of lightning and a spark from a Fire Stone, the two Wind Catchers guarding Meng Yuanshu suddenly made a move.
One of them reached out and snatched the Map and Mechanical Box from Meng Yuanshu’s hands. The other drew his Long Sword, unleashing a sky full of sword light. Every move was aimed directly at the vital acupoints of Chen Xin and his three companions, sinister and ruthless!
In their panic, those Divine Robe Guards would definitely retreat, and the two of them could then use their Lightweight Skill to flee! The men disguised as agents had planned well, but things went wrong on the very first step.
The Divine Robe Guards did not retreat as they had expected. Chen Xin, in a plain and unadorned manner, broke the Sword Technique with a single strike of his blade, sweeping away all the sword light.
Immediately following that, Chen Xin struck out continuously with his left palm, landing one blow on each person. The surging power knocked the two of them back over a dozen meters!
The two disguised men stabilized their bodies, coughing violently. Their faces were filled with terror, feeling an excruciating pain in their internal organs. They immediately turned and ran, one to the east and one to the west. Jiangg Hengchuan and Yan Chong exchanged a silent glance and each gave chase in one direction.
A few exchanges of blows in a mere instant had Leng Lianyun breaking out in a cold sweat. He did not have the power of the Divine Robe Guard.
"That was a move from the Changge Swordsmanship just now, All Things Living! To think that such a righteous and honorable Sword Form could be used in such a sinister way.
"It actually is the Beihai Sword Sect." Leng Lianyun was still shaken. "Fortunately, you made a move, Chen Copper Order. Such a Palm Skill truly leaves one..."
Leng Lianyun stopped mid-sentence, realizing that Chen Xin was looking at Meng Yuanshu with a half-smile.
"My Lord..." Meng Yuanshu spoke incoherently, as if he still hadn’t recovered from what had just happened.
In a flash, Chen Xin took a step forward, and his Unstoppable fiercely thrust out, enveloped in boundless killing intent!
"How is this possible? He clearly had no killing intent just a moment ago!" Meng Yuanshu’s eyes widened to the point of tearing, his heart trembling in terror.
He could only hastily strike out with a palm, coalescing black Evil Qi on his hand to counter the blade’s edge.
PUFF! Meng Yuanshu spat out a mouthful of blood and was knocked back five steps. Looking at his fleshy left palm, the sharp Sword Qi had severed four fingers, leaving only the thumb, and there was an incredibly deep gash cutting straight down to the bone, extending all the way to his elbow joint.
After crippling the opponent’s left hand with the move Killing Intent Extinguished, Chen Xin sheathed his blade and stood still, raising an eyebrow as he asked, "Should I call you Zhou Yuanshu, or Meng Yin?"
While in a combat state, an illusory panel faintly appeared.
[Name: Zhou Yin]
[Realm: Outer Realm]
[Evaluation: Refined and Masterful]
[Martial Arts: Fragrance Scripture, Upper Clarity Quick Sword, Black Death Palm]