Chapter 46 Plan behind the scenesⅡ

　　Xia Yue mounted a swift horse and followed closely behind, exiting the town and onto the main road, maintaining a consistent distance from the horse ahead. After half a day's journey, the horse in front began to slow down, and her horse gradually drew nearer.

　　Xu Wenyuan had only taken a few sips of tea since morning, and his stomach was growling. He wanted to rest for a moment, grab a bite to eat, and continue his journey. Little did he know, someone was about to make his life hell.

　　As he tended to his steed and ate his provisions, he looked down the road ahead. The path ahead was blanketed in snow, and there were few travelers to be seen.

　　Before long, a figure on horseback emerged from the opposite direction. Upon closer inspection, it was a woman in her twenties, dressed in a yellow robe with light cotton sleeves. Her arms were wrapped in elegant ribbons, and a belt adorned with feathered patterns hung from her waist, along with a short sword.

　　The woman dismounted and asked, "Excuse me, how do I get to Muyang?"

　　Xu Wenyuan studied her face, feeling as if he had seen her before, but he couldn't place it. "Miss, you're going the wrong way," he kindly informed her.

　　Xia Yue glanced back at the road she had traveled. "I see, thank you," she said before turning as if to remount her horse. However, her hand slipped into her pouch, fingers curling around a vial of poisoned blood needles. The poison was extracted from several venomous insects, highly toxic. The needles were a secret technique from the Xuanyou Mountain's Fengxian, and while the needles themselves were harmless, they became lethal when combined with the poison.

　　She seemed to recall something and turned back, asking, "If I come across a fork in the road, should I take the east or the west path?"

　　As she whispered the incantation, three poisoned blood needles flew toward Xu Wenyuan's throat. The venomous poison invaded his skin and flesh, leaving no visible wounds.

　　Xu Wenyuan had no defense against this attack. "E...east..." he managed to choke out before succumbing to the poison and falling lifeless to the ground.

　　Xia Yue looked down at the corpse and thought to herself, "I'll have to cover this up, or else Qing Hu will send me back to the mountains again."

　　She then took out a five-legged insect talisman and pressed it against his chest.

　　Just then, an old man appeared on the road. Upon seeing a murder committed in broad daylight, he turned to flee in fear.

　　Xia Yue nonchalantly called out to him, "Wait!"

　　The old man collapsed in the snow, trembling. "Please, spare my life, miss... I'm only sixty-nine, I haven't lived enough..."

　　"I have a grudge against this man, not you. Why would I want your life?"

　　"Then...what do you want from me?"

　　"Look at me."

　　The old man slowly raised his head, getting a clear view of the woman before him.

　　"What...what do you want?"

　　"I'm a horse lover. Now that he's dead, his horse will be left unattended, and it breaks my heart. Here's what you do: take it home, sell it, or give it away. Just don't leave it here in the snow."

　　The old man couldn't believe his ears. He had stumbled upon a murder scene, yet the perpetrator was sparing his life and even giving him a gift. Shaking off his confusion, he watched as the woman rode off toward Muyang.

　　Looking around to make sure no one else was around, he quickly grabbed the horse's reins and led it back to his home.

　　Later that afternoon, Xia Yue returned to the Zhou family tavern, where she handed her horse over to a stable boy and made her way inside.

　　Composing herself and putting on a pleasant smile, she happily announced, "Third brother, it's done."

　　Qing Hu was overjoyed. "Excellent! Your poisoned blood needles are getting better and better."

　　"Of course, they are. So, what's my reward?"

　　"Hahaha, you know what it is..."

　　"Stop teasing me."

　　"Wait a minute...something's not right. I know Xu Wenyuan's martial arts are above average, yet your clothes are clean and neatly pressed, as if you've never been in a fight. What happened?"

　　"That's because I never laid a hand on him. When I arrived, he was already injured. I just got lucky."

　　"Injured?"

　　Qing Hu pondered this. Xu Wenyuan had come and gone in haste, unlikely to have made any enemies. The He family probably didn't even know he was coming, and even if they did, they wouldn't have had a reason to attack him. Could something unexpected have happened?

　　"Well, whatever it was, he had a run of bad luck," Qing Hu said, shrugging it off.

　　Two days later, in the early morning, Xu Wenyuan's body was brought back to the Tribunal. Zhou Ge had a shed set up in front of the mansion as a temporary identification point.

　　Unsurprisingly, no one came forward to claim the body. After waiting for most of the day, Zhou Ge had the local coroner examine the deceased. The coroner found a five-legged gecko talisman imprinted on the man's chest, leading them to believe that he had been killed by a member of the Flying Star Sect. Zhou Ge had seen the cult's malevolent deeds before, so this discovery didn't faze him.

　　In the afternoon, Ji Yanshi suggested, "Zhou, it's not that cold yet, but if we wait much longer, the body will start to decompose. I think it's best to have someone sketch his likeness and then bury him as soon as possible."

　　Zhou Ge agreed and had an artist create a portrait of the deceased. They then bought a simple coffin and made their way to the mass grave.

　　The workers there were used to such sights. Most of the dead were buried in a simple shroud, so a coffin from Inquisitor Zhou was considered a generous act. They shallowly buried the coffin and erected a wooden marker.

　　By the time all the work was done, it was deep into the night. Zhou Ge bid farewell to the workers and made his way back to the unnamed gravestone. After confirming that he was alone, he performed the Conjuration Summoning ritual.

　　His goal was to summon the spirit of the deceased and learn more about the person who had placed the five-legged gecko talisman on him.

　　Xu Wenyuan's spirit appeared before him, and after Zhou Ge explained his identity and intentions, Xu Wenyuan eagerly began to recount his story.

　　He revealed his name, how he had been ordered by Wen Yan, the son of the left National Master, to come to Beici County, where he had gone, whom he had met, what he had said, and the details of his murder.

　　Zhou Ge was greatly surprised by what he heard, especially when he learned about the woman's waistband adorned with feathered patterns and her use of poisoned needles as a weapon.

　　Could the assailant be the same person who had passed through Dongning Prefecture on her way to the Red Feather Villa in Huajun County?

　　There were two unresolved issues. First, was the Red Feather Mountain in Yue Region connected to the one in Qingmei Peak? Second, how could the Red Feather Villa, which was not affiliated with the Flying Star Sect or Bai Liang's disciples, also use the five-legged gecko talisman?

　　"Do you know the name of the woman who killed you?" Zhou Ge asked.

　　"Yes! At the time, I couldn't remember, but now it all comes back to me. She is Xia Yue, the companion of Qing Hu"

　　The mention of Xia Yue further confused Zhou Ge. Could there be a connection between the Xuanyou Mountain and Qingmei Peak?

　　Putting aside these thoughts for now, he focused on the more pressing matter. Xu Wenyuan had mentioned that the son of the left National Master, Wen Yan, intended to enter Beici County. It seemed that Wen Yan did not approve of Yu Pingnian's actions. Perhaps this information could be used to stall the martial arts competition for Miss He's hand in marriage.

　　After questioning Xu Wenyuan, Zhou Ge carved the character "Xu" onto the wooden marker with his saber and made his way back to the city.

　　The streets were dimly lit, and light snowflakes were falling. As he walked through the emptying city, shops were closing their doors for the night. It was past the fourth watch of the night.

　　When he passed the Trial Mansion, he noticed that the guards were still on high alert. Lu Ying had prepared a bowl of hot soup for waited at the door.

　　Zhou Ge drank a few sips, and his body warmed up.

　　After tidying up his clothes, he came to the entrance of the prefect's mansion.

　　"Please inform Miss He that I have urgent business to discuss with her."

　　The guards on duty all knew him, and his visit at this late hour must be for something important.

　　While the guards went inside to inform Miss He, he waited at the entrance. Suddenly, Shen Huan appeared behind him.

　　"It's late, but you're still here. Zhou, you're working hard."

　　"It's Shen, you're also working hard."

　　"Is it good news or bad news?"

　　"You'll know later."