162: Wang Cheng's lingering fear

The Spirit Beast carriage sped through the streets, its wheels rumbling sharply over the bluestone pavement, startling pedestrians into scattering in all directions as chaos ensued.

Wang Cheng sat inside the carriage, his fingertips constantly rubbing the sound transmission talisman. His heart felt as though it were being squeezed tightly by an invisible giant hand, making it almost impossible to breathe.

He racked his brains but couldn't understand—had Shopkeeper Chen of the Myriad Treasure Pavilion grown a pair of lion's balls to actually dare lay a hand on the Master's woman?

As for that Embroiderer... he had a slight impression of her. She had opened a rather famous silk shop in East Lin City, called 'Yuxiu Pavilion' if he recalled correctly.

But he never would have imagined that the proprietress of this 'Yuxiu Pavilion' was actually his own Master's woman.

That man named Chen was simply trying to drag him into the grave!

While complaining inwardly, he didn't dare show the slightest dissatisfaction toward Situ Jun—he couldn't exactly blame the Master for not specifically sending someone to notify him so he could look after the Embroiderer in advance, could he?

He could only blame himself for being poorly informed and failing to notice in time.

In truth, Situ Jun wasn't to blame for this either.

He had already arranged for Tu Xiong of the Golden Core Stage and Cao Guang of the Foundation Establishment Stage to secretly protect the women in East Lin City. He thought the security was foolproof and saw no need to specifically inform Wang Cheng.

Even if something did happen, Tu Xiong would naturally seek out Wang Cheng to handle it immediately. However, this particular turn of events truly exceeded everyone's expectations.

A corner of the carriage curtain was lifted by the wind, revealing the panicked faces of people dodging out of the way on both sides of the street.

Wang Cheng suddenly closed his eyes, his brow furrowed into a knot, his face full of worry.

The Master's woman had been wronged on his own turf. If this wasn't handled properly, his time as the City Lord of East Lin would be completely over.

Outside the Heavenly Fragrance Tower, a crowd of curious commoners had already gathered. Yet, no one dared to make a loud noise; they could only whisper among themselves, their eyes filled with curiosity and apprehension.

As soon as the Spirit Beast carriage stopped at the entrance of the Heavenly Fragrance Tower, Wang Cheng stumbled out. Leaving even his attendants behind, he flickered into motion and charged up to the second floor.

The moment he stepped onto the second-floor stairs, a heavy scent of blood rushed into his nostrils, so pungent it almost made him gag.

The hallway was empty, save for a few private room doors left ajar. He could vaguely see diners huddled inside, shivering and not even daring to breathe loudly.

Wang Cheng's gaze swept over the bloodstains on the floor that had not yet dried. His heart sank abruptly as he strode toward the private room door that was clearly shattered.

At the entrance of the private room, Bai Yu stood as still as a statue. His gaze was as cold as ice, devoid of any warmth.

Seeing Wang Cheng approach, he merely gave a slight nod and said flatly, "I am Bai Yu. The Master told me to wait for you here."

Wang Cheng hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting. Taking a deep breath to suppress the alarm in his heart, he pushed the door open and entered.

The moment the door hinges turned, an even heavier scent of blood hit him in the face.

The carnage on the floor made his stomach churn—the wreckage of shattered tables and chairs, blood congealed into dark brown stains, and that pool of rank, wet filth. Every detail silently recounted the shocking intensity of the recent tragedy.

After scanning the room once.

Wang Cheng's gaze fell once more upon the mess covering the floor of the private room:

Shattered remains of tables and chairs were scattered everywhere, overturned dishes spilled greasy stains, and the palm print on the wall, deep enough to see the bone of the structure, was particularly startling. Dust was still trickling down from the edges of the masonry.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he suppressed the surging fear in his heart. He bowed once more to Bai Yu, his voice carrying an imperceptible tremor.

"Lord Bai Yu, the Mistress... is she alright?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Yu finally turned around slowly, his voice calm and rippleless.

"The Master has already taken the Mistress away. City Lord Wang, you've arrived at the right time. This mess here is yours to clean up."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Wang Cheng hurriedly responded, his eyes involuntarily darting toward the palm print on the floor.

He could feel the residual spiritual energy fluctuations within the palm print. It was a power dominant to the extreme, as if it could easily tear through space, leaving even the air feeling heavy and crushed.

He was secretly shocked: Had the Master truly been moved to genuine rage?

Bai Yu glanced at him with a gaze like quenched ice, his tone carrying a faint hint of warning.

"The Master said he wants a satisfactory accounting. It's time the public security of East Lin City was thoroughly overhauled."

Hearing this, Wang Cheng's heart sank to the very bottom.

He bowed his head even lower.

"It was this subordinate's dereliction of duty! I will certainly handle this matter and give the Master and Mistress a satisfactory accounting!"

As he spoke, he walked quickly to the palm print, his fingertips lightly brushing the cracks in the wall, focusing his mind to sense the residual spiritual energy.

A moment later, his brow furrowed slightly.

Why would people from the Xuan Yin Sect appear in East Lin City? And why would Shopkeeper Chen collude with them? There was surely more to this than just 'harboring ill intentions.'

Bai Yu's gaze swept over with a scrutinizing coldness that made Wang Cheng's spine tingle.

"A mere shopkeeper of the Myriad Treasure Pavilion dares to be disrespectful to the Master's woman! East Lin City is your territory; it's time this trash was cleared out."

"Yes! This subordinate will see to it immediately!" Cold sweat broke out on Wang Cheng's forehead as he hurriedly complied.

Bai Yu ignored him further. With a flutter of his robes, his figure vanished at the end of the hallway, leaving behind only a faint, lingering chill.

Wang Cheng stared at the empty corridor and let out a long sigh of relief, though the clothes on his back were already soaked through with cold sweat.

He turned abruptly toward the diners cowering in the corner of the private room, his eyes instantly becoming as sharp as knives.

"No one is permitted to spread word of today's events! If a single word leaks out, do not blame this City Lord for making you shut your mouths forever!"

The diners nodded frantically in terror, not even daring to take a loud breath, fearing that breathing too heavily might draw fire upon themselves.

Wang Cheng then sternly ordered his attendants:

"Clean this place up. The Heavenly Fragrance Tower is temporarily sealed. Investigate the background of the Myriad Treasure Pavilion and Shopkeeper Chen, as well as the origins of those Cultivators. I want all the results in the time it takes an incense stick to burn!"

The attendants took their orders and left in a hurry, yet Wang Cheng remained standing in the center of the room, his gaze fixed on the wreckage for a long time without moving.

He knew that this matter was far from over.

The 'satisfactory accounting' Situ Jun wanted was definitely not as simple as dealing with a few small fry.

Night fell like ink. The study of the City Lord's Manor in East Lin City remained brightly lit. The flickering candlelight cast Wang Cheng's shadow long and thin against the maps covering the walls.

He stared at the investigation files on the table, his brow twisted into a knot.

The files recorded Shopkeeper Chen's life in dense detail:

A merchant who had operated a restaurant in East Lin City for ten years. On the surface, he seemed honest and dutiful, nodding and bowing to everyone he met. In reality, he was a contact person planted in East Lin City by the Xuan Yin Sect.

As for those Cultivators who had been killed by a single palm strike, they were indeed Disciples of the Xuan Yin Sect. They had sneaked into East Lin City three months ago, moving stealthily with unknown objectives.

The act of violence this time was suspected to be motivated by lust.

"Fool!"

Wang Cheng slammed the file onto the ground, the pages scattering everywhere. He was shaking with rage, his knuckles turning white from clenching his fists.

Shopkeeper Chen's heart must have been blinded by greed to actually dare harbor evil intentions toward the Master's woman!

Wasn't this just seeking death and dragging him down with him!

A moment later, he took a deep breath, bent over to pick up the files, and sat back down. His fingertips were pale from the pressure as he repeatedly rubbed the words 'Xuan Yin Sect'.

"Xuan Yin Sect..."

Wang Cheng muttered to himself, his fingertips tapping heavily on the tabletop, producing a dull thudding sound.

The Xuan Yin Sect was a notoriously evil Cultivation School, known for its secretive and ruthless methods. They engaged in plunder and every kind of evil within the territories of surrounding kingdoms, and had long been considered a thorn in the side of various Dynasties.

What exactly were they trying to do by sneaking into East Lin City?

At that moment, soft footsteps came from outside. An attendant entered with a secret report, bowing as he spoke in a very low voice.

"City Lord, this is information on the Embroiderer of Yuxiu Pavilion. Her original name is Jin Xuanxiu. Because of her skilled embroidery, traveling merchants are accustomed to calling her the Embroiderer. She previously operated a silk shop called 'Brocade Pavilion' in North Boundary City and was married to a cloth merchant in the city named Wei Zhong, with whom she has a daughter named Xiaorou. However, a few months ago, she suddenly brought her daughter to East Lin City and opened this 'Yuxiu Pavilion'."

Wang Cheng took the secret report, his fingertip sliding over the words 'North Boundary City', his eyes growing increasingly deep.