Chapter 685: Returning home, there are three suspec (1/2)

t

Just who would kidnap Grand Concubine Yi? And for what purpose?

Han Yunxi and Long Feiye returned to the Duke of Qin’s estate in South Ning as quickly as possible to review the scene of the crime. More men were sent off to Tianan City in Tianan Country to check on the status of Murong Wanru at Marquis Pingbei’s estate. No matter the kidnappers’ motives, they had to build up defenses ahead of time. That meant protecting anything that could be used to threaten Grand Concubine Yi into spilling her secrets. Although Murong Wanru was nothing more than a human vegetable now, she was Grand Concubine Yi’s reverse scale.

They arrived late at night. Grand Concubine Yi’s temple dwellings were in the bamboo forest located at the rear of the estate. It was a quiet and secluded spot. Han Yunxi and Long Feiye hadn’t visited her since she moved in, so this was their first time there. All of the dead guards were still lying on the ground, their bodies littering the area. The candlelight from the ancestral hall flickered in the darkness. Instead of its usual solemn and holy light, it only highlighted the horror of the scene. Han Yunxi and Long Feiye checked the bodies as they made their way to the hall. All of the victims had been killed with a single stab through the throat. They discovered that the hall itself was neat and untouched, with no signs of struggle or fighting. It was as if nothing had happened at all, and that Grand Concubine Yi could emerge at any second.

But three teams of shadow guards had been utterly wiped out beyond its walls. Moreover, it’d been done without alerting any of the estate’s other guards. What kind of skills were these? How quickly must the killer had moved? Long Feiye narrowed his eyes.

“Where’s Gui mama?” he asked.

Chu Xifeng immediately brought out the old woman. She was the only servant left in the hall, kept to wait on Grand Concubine Yi.

“This servant greets Your Highness Duke of Qin and esteemed wangfei,” Gui mama shook with fear as she bowed her head. She was the one who discovered that Grand Concubine Yi was missing.

“When was the last time you saw the Grand Concubine?” Long Feiye asked coldly.

“I only left her long enough to make a single bowl of noodles. Your Highness Duke of Qin, this whole affair is too strange! This old servant was by Grand Concubine Yi’s side all day. Once dusk fell, she said she wanted to eat some noodles and had me cook for her. I didn’t tarry longer than that, but she was already gone by the time I came back. I couldn’t find her around the ancestral hall no matter where I looked,” Gui mama explaind.

Han Yunxi glanced doubtfully at Long Feiye. He knew she was doubting the woman’s words. Anyone who could soundlessly kill off the shadow guards and kidnap their target would have great difficulty without insider help. But he only glanced at her with a look that said don’t worry. Gui mama had served Grand Concubine Yi for years and was utterly loyal to her mistress. She had plenty of times to betray her in the past, let alone now of all times.

“Has anything been moved in this ancestral hall?” Long Feiye asked next.

Gui mama looked around before stating, “Your Highness Duke of Qin, nothing’s been moved.”

Chu Xifeng added, “Your Highness, this subordinate has checked both the interior and exterior. The kidnapper must have just come to the ancestral hall.”

“In other words, even the Grand Concubine didn’t notice the chaos happening beyond its walls?” Long Feiye wanted to ascertain this fact.

If Grand Concubine Yi had noticed the killings going on outside from an assassin, she would have cried for help. Even if no help came, she should have left signs of a struggle here. Few in Cloud Realm Continent boasted the skills to kill 100 guards in the span of time it took to make a single bowl of noodles while attracting no attention from Grand Concubine Yi in the ancestral hall.

“Your Highness, could it be Cang Qiuzi?” Chu Xifeng asked doubtfully.

“Why would he kidnap Grand Concubine Yi without reason?” Han Yunxi asked, causing Chu Xifeng to shake his head.

“He can only be a suspect,” Chu Xifeng replied. “Only six people in the world have this level of skill.”

“Which six?” Han Yunxi grew curious. She didn’t know much about the experts of the martial arts circles.

“Celestial Mountain Sword Sect’s grandmaster, Cang Qiuzi, City Lord Lady Leng Yue from the City of Daughters, City Lord Qi Zonglin from Carefree City, and the Tang Clan’s former head Tang Zijin,” Chu Xifeng replied.

“What about the last one?” Han Yunxi asked.

“That would be His Highness Duke of Qin himself…” Chu Xifeng said helplessly. Actually, if Gu Beiyue hadn’t lost his martial arts skills and Chu Yunyi wasn’t blinded, they’d be ranked up with the others in speed, too.

His Highness Duke of Qin, the sword sect master, and Tang Zijin could be easily eliminated from the list. Of the remaining numbers, Cang Qiuzi, Lady Leng Yue, and Qi Zonglin were the primary suspects. Unfortunately, all three of them fought with swords.

Since all of the shadow guards had been killed with a single stab, it was hard to tell what kind of sword arts the perpetrator had used. There was nothing particular about the wounds themselves, nor any unique signs of how the killer wielded his or her weapon. Thus, they were stuck between three potential suspects. Of course, it might even be someone else entirely. These three simply had the highest possibility of guilt.

If it was Cang Qiuzi, then things were easy. If it was Lady Leng Yue or Qi Zonglin, then the situation would be more complicated. The City of Daughters and Carefree City were both mercenary cities that killed for money. They would have to find the person who put out the request if either two assassins were the culprit.

“Your Highness, we should’ve silenced her long ago,” Chu Xifeng muttered. He had never harbored a good impression of Grand Concubine Yi, who hankered after nothing but glory while fearing death.