The lighter had a bronze casing, was about sixty percent new, and a Skull Head was inlaid on its body.
The raised parts of the Skull Head were polished smooth, and even the color had faded by more than half, becoming a mixture of black and yellow.
Bian Feng reached out and took the lighter, examining it for a moment before asking aloud, "Did one of our own bring this?"
If the lighter was brought by Bian Zhenxin himself or one of his subordinates and dropped during the fighting, it would be meaningless.
They were looking for the murderer, not just who was killed.
After all, the corpse was lying stiffly right in front of them.
"It shouldn't be," Chen Hu said aloud. "This kind of windproof lighter is rare nowadays, especially in the Hen Shan Gathering Area. I can confirm that Divine Envoy Bian doesn't smoke cigarettes, but he never used a lighter like this."
"As for the other Black Robes, it's even more impossible for them to have such a good item; even if they did, they would have already offered it as tribute to the Divine Envoy."
If you offered it proactively, it was tribute.
If you offered it passively, you were being ungrateful.
In any case, the good things definitely belonged to the Divine Envoy, which was why the members of the Flame Shrine desperately sought promotion.
Once you reach a certain High position, you will have the qualification to accept the tribute of others.
Bian Feng nodded, not taking Chen Hu's subtle criticism of Bian Zhenxin to heart. That's just how it was On the Ruins; the weak are prey to the strong, and it was only natural for the weak to pay tribute and submit to the strong.
"Then this is significant," Bian Feng Pondered for a moment before saying aloud, "Bian Zhenxin's strength is not weak; he is considered a top Expert in the Hen Shan Gathering Area. Yet, he was killed by a single strike—"
Thinking of his son's tragic state, Bian Feng felt a spasm in his heart.
It hurt!
"How many people in the entire Hen Shan Gathering Area can achieve a fatal blow in one strike?" Bian Feng's gaze swept around, finally landing on the corpses gathered together, and he said, "Moreover, he had quite a few Grey Robes with him. What kind of person or force could kill so many people Silently?"
"Look at their injuries again. Some were killed by brute force, and others were split in two by sharp weapons. What person in the Hen Shan Gathering Area has such great strength? And who possesses such a sharp weapon?"
"Look at those wounds... worried they weren't completely dead, they delivered finishing blows—many had their throats slit directly. What kind of person is so ruthless, with such cruel methods?"
Bian Feng tossed the lighter in his hand away and said, "One day. I'm giving you one day. I want a result."
Chen Hu took the lighter, bowed, and said, "My Lord, rest assured. I will investigate this matter clearly and thoroughly. My brother's blood must be repaid with blood."
Bian Feng nodded, a cruel smile appearing on his lips, and said, "I've been living in the city for too long; it's been a while since I tasted roasted meat."
"."
Everyone lowered their heads and bowed, not daring to make Eye Contact with him.
"These are men's clothes?" Phoenix asked, holding up the blue jeans and black hoodie.
"They are men's clothes," Tang Fei said with a nod. "We don't have any women in the house, so how could we have women's clothes?"
"But..." Phoenix wanted to say more, but considering her current situation, she immediately nodded obediently and said, "Fine, then I'll wear men's clothes. This is the first time I've ever worn men's clothes in my life..."
"It's my first time too," Tang Fei said.
"Hm?" Phoenix Looked towards Tang Fei. Was he flirting?
"It's the first time I've given my clothes to a woman," Tang Fei explained.
"Oh." Phoenix nodded and said, "Thank you, Mr. Tang Fei. This is my Honored."
"There's no need to be so Honored. I can't wear them anyway. Little Fatty can't wear them either, and I was just about to give them away..." Tang Fei said.
"."
Phoenix fell silent.
Since Phoenix was silent, Tang Fei didn't know what to say either.
So the two of them stared at each other, the atmosphere subtle, mostly awkward.
"Are you going to watch me change here?" Phoenix asked when she saw Tang Fei still hadn't left.
Tang Fei was stunned for a moment, not expecting this woman to make such an impolite request of him.
He looked into Phoenix's eyes and asked with a face full of expectation, "Is that okay?"
"Of course not."
"Oh!"
Tang Fei responded and turned to walk outside.
When Tang Fei came out, the Old Man was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea from a large enamel mug. Little Fatty was shirtless, smashing Stones in the courtyard; with one swing of his Hammer, a large Stone split in two, and then he would swing the Hammer again to chip away at the edges.
Tang Fei rolled up his sleeves, about to go help, when the Old Man called out, "Stinky Kid, come here."
"Stinky Kid" was Tang Fei's codename, while Little Fatty was "Clumsy Fool" and "Glutton."
Tang Fei walked up to the Old Man and asked, "What is it? Still worried?"
"How can I not be worried? Do you know how serious this is?"
"I know."
"Then you really intend to protect her?" The Old Man said, disappointed, "What if she betrays us..."
"What use is it for her to betray us? If they really come knocking, will the people from the Flame Shrine listen to our explanation? Wouldn't we just be buried together? The situation now is that we either all die or all live."
"But keeping a girl like this around is too conspicuous. Such a major incident happened at the Flame Shrine; they will definitely investigate outsiders. What if the investigation leads to us? What if someone else develops ill intentions toward her?"
"You, a young punk who has never eaten good food or seen many women, think she's beautiful, and you're attracted to her beauty. Are other people fools? Can't they see she's beautiful? A beauty brings disaster, a beauty brings disaster—I constantly repeat this phrase to you and Little Fatty, why don't you take it to heart?"
Little Fatty looked up and said aggrievedly, "I took it to heart."
"Go back to smashing Stones. What business is this of yours?"
"Oh." Little Fatty went back to smashing Stones even more aggrievedly.
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Tang Fei looked at the Old Man and made a chopping motion with his hand, asking, "Do you really mean this?"
"Sigh, it's not like she did anything wrong. The mistake is that her appearance is simply too beautiful, and she doesn't look like she's from our Old Earth... it's too hard to hide her identity."
"We can't just kill her because of that," Tang Fei said. "If we did something like that, what difference would we be from those Predators?"
"We haven't done it, have we? Haven't I been persuaded by you?" The Old Man said angrily. "But we must have a foolproof plan. How about we just run away?"
"No," Tang Fei Refused, saying, "Running away at this time would look like we have a guilty conscience. They wouldn't have looked for us otherwise, but running away... hey, wouldn't that be admitting we did it ourselves?"
"Even if they knew, they couldn't catch us. Putting everything else aside, when it comes to running away, I claim second place, and no one dares claim first," the Old Man said proudly. "But you have a point. The Flame Shrine is powerful, and another Black Robe died this time. If we truly clash head-on with them, we'll probably never have peace. Since things have come to this, we can only be cautiously vigilant."
Tang Fei nodded and looked at the Old Man, saying, "Why did you say that to her?"
"Say what?" The Old Man asked knowingly.
Tang Fei narrowed his eyes and said, "About getting married... Why did you tell her to marry me?"
"What? You're unwilling?"
"It's not about being willing or unwilling. We just met, we don't know each other at all, and there's no emotional foundation..."
"Enough, enough, stop making useless excuses." The Old Man interrupted Tang Fei, stating bluntly, "Isn't it just that you feel you're a Drifter from Old Earth, and she's a distinguished guest from New Star, so you feel you're not good enough for her? You're worried about being Refused and losing face, so you don't want me to bring it up, right?"
"I didn't think that," Tang Fei denied.
"Enough, enough, how can your little thoughts fool me?" The Old Man sneered repeatedly. "If I hadn't brought it up, do you think she would have thought about it? Would she think about being with you in the future?"
"No," Tang Fei said decisively.
He might be shameless, but he was honest.
"And you? Would you think about it?"
"No."
He was honest, but also shameless.
"So what's the harm in bringing it up?" The Old Man chuckled foolishly. "It won't cost you a piece of flesh, nor will it add a wrinkle. What's wrong with saying it? If it works out, that's even better. If it doesn't, at least you can plant a Seed in her heart."
"A Seed?" Tang Fei looked bewildered.
Shouldn't Seeds be planted in the soil or in flesh? How could they be planted in the heart?
"You don't understand," the Old Man shook his head and looked at Tang Fei, saying, "But you will understand later."
"."
When it was Time for Dinner, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
"Tang Fei!" someone called from outside the door.
"It's Mr.," Tang Fei said.
While speaking, he walked over and opened the courtyard gate.
Because of the previous incident, Phoenix was unwilling to interact with strangers, so she hid in the room.
Mr. entered carrying a Wine Gourd and, smelling the stewed meat in the house, said cheerfully, "Better to arrive early than right on time. You're stewing meat? I made it just in Time."
"Mr., please come in," Tang Fei respectfully invited Mr. inside.
"Mr. has arrived." The Old Man also came over to greet Mr., and upon seeing the Wine Gourd in Mr.'s hand, his eyes lit up instantly, and he said, "Mr., are you here to share a drink with me?"
Mr. shook his head, looking as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.
Seeing Mr.'s troubled expression, Tang Fei instantly guessed his thoughts and said with a smile, "Mr., you've arrived at a perfect Time. I hunted quite a bit of Prey today and was planning to bring you a Red-eyed Rabbit. Your family is large, so you can make do with it for a few days."
Mr. looked at Tang Fei with gratitude, saying shamefully and uneasily, "To tell you the truth, You Sheng's legs are inconvenient, so You An has been going out hunting recently... You know his nature is soft, and his movements aren't agile; he hasn't been able to bring back any Prey..."
"All the Grain at home is eaten up. Today, we really have nothing to eat... So I was thinking of trading this gourd of Fruit Wine I brewed earlier for some Grain from you..."
"No need to trade," Tang Fei said with a smile. "You take this wine back, and I'll have Little Fatty carry a rabbit over for you."
"No, no," Mr. waved his hands repeatedly and said with serious sincerity, "If you don't accept this wine, I won't accept the rabbit either. How can one accept things for free? It's not written that way in the books."
"Mr. taught me to read so many books and learn so many characters; what's wrong with me giving you a rabbit?"
"Have you given us little?" Mr. said with shame. "Although I showed you a few books and taught you a few characters, you haven't stopped helping our Old Huang family all these years. Our children have poor constitutions and are not good hunters. If you hadn't continuously sent Grain and meat to our house, several of us might have starved to death."
Tang Fei knew the Old Man's temper and said, "Alright then, I will trade meat for your wine. We've been craving wine too."
"That's good, that's good..." Mr. quickly handed over the wine in his hand.
Tang Fei took the Wine Gourd, pulled out the cork, took a swig, and praised, "The Fruit Wine you brew is superb."
"I'm glad you like it, glad you like it... When spring comes, I'll have You Sheng go gather more fruit, and I'll brew some more."
"Don't trouble You Sheng; his legs are inconvenient. If you want fruit, I'll go gather it for you. But we have an agreement: you have to give me half a pot of the Fruit Wine you brew."
"Half a pot? No, I'll give you half," Mr. agreed repeatedly.
Mr. left, and Little Fatty left with him.
Little Fatty left with a Red-eyed Rabbit.
Tang Fei held the Wine Gourd and shouted, "Phoenix, come out for a drink."
Enjoy the wine today, worry about tomorrow's sorrow tomorrow.
After drinking this pot of wine, tomorrow we go to take heads.
PS: Thanks to the little girl from Tang Tang Tang Tang Guo Wu for becoming our new Měng Zhǔ (Cute Lord). Old Liu casually clicked on the image seventy or eighty times; it really is quite sweet.
Also, there will be another chapter in the early morning.