LRAB Chapter 4: The Roar of the Tiger and the Cry of the Dragon, The Mystery of the Missing Child
Chapter 4: The Roar of the Tiger and the Cry of the Dragon, The Mystery of the Missing Child
Zhui Ming looked at Xu Qingya with a pained expression.
He had said at noon that he would come to find Lao Cui if he needed anything, but that evening he was assassinated. Looking at Xu Qingya, whose face was full of innocence, Zhui Ming sighed wearily.
Old Cui is truly born to be a workaholic!
In the evening, in order to get rid of Granny Cai's entanglement, Zhui Ming lied that he was going to catch thieves. He wandered around for most of the night and caught seventy-six petty thieves. He planned to find a place to have a drink.
At this time, most of Zhuiming's drinking buddies had already gone to sleep. Zhuiming thought about it and then thought of Xu Qingya, whom he had just met, and realized that "Qingya is not asleep either."
To everyone's surprise, upon arrival, what greeted their eyes were two bloody eight-and-a-half-pound lumps, and Xu Qingya's exclamation: "Third Brother, you came really fast!"
Zhui Ming coughed twice and asked, "Brother, what happened? Did you offend someone?"
"Third Brother, I have always been kind to others and never made enemies. I have absolutely no enemies!"
"Be kind to others?"
Zhuiming glanced at the corpse on the ground. Judging from the traces at the scene, the two sides had only exchanged one move. It wasn't unusual for someone to be killed in one move; a single blow could decapitate someone...
—You're fucking too friendly!
"Look into my sincere eyes..."
"Hiss~~"
Zhuiming gasped, goosebumps rising all over his body. He subconsciously rubbed his arms, then bent down to examine the corpse of the Azure Blood Twin Serpents.
The Twin Serpents of Azure Blood are primarily bandits, also serving as river pirates, and occasionally as assassins. They take money to solve problems for others, and all they carry are silver coins, medicine, and a portrait.
Zhui Ming analyzed, "Brother Xu, the Azure Blood Twin Serpents are arrogant and like to show off their martial arts skills when committing crimes. Did they say anything before they attacked?"
"They want my knife!"
"Brother, what... what is this...?"
"Third Brother should have figured it out by now. This knife of mine is the 'Magpie Blade' of the Magpie Blade Sect. Apart from being a bit longer and having some strange moves, it's nothing special!"
"Brother, do you really not know?"
"Know what?"
Three months ago, the three birds of Changbai accidentally obtained the martial arts treasure "Dragon Slayer Saber". After a fierce struggle, the Dragon Slayer Saber was taken away by a mysterious black-robed stranger.
Some have speculated that the black-robed swordsman was Ximen Changhai, the leader of the Magpie Blade Sect. Unfortunately, Ximen Changhai was a wanderer, and no one could find his whereabouts.
The Twin Serpents of Azure Blood made their living on waterways, and in the battle for the Dragon Slayer Saber, the Giant Whale Gang suffered the most severe losses, losing their young leader!
I suspect the Azure Serpents launched the assassination attempt to test whether you possessed the Dragon-Slaying Saber! Another possibility is that you have the Magpie Saber…”
"What happened to the Magpie Blade?"
"Some speculate that the great swordsman Ximen might have melted down the Dragon-Slaying Saber and forged it into a Magpie Saber!"
"These analyses are pure nonsense!"
Xu Qingya's face darkened, and he casually handed the Magpie Blade from his back to Zhui Ming: "Third Brother, the Dragon-Slaying Saber weighs over a hundred jin, how much does the Magpie Blade weigh?"
Zhui Ming weighed it in his hand and laughed, "Brother Xu's sword weighs about thirty-six jin. It is made of ordinary refined iron, not black iron or refined gold."
At this point, Zhuiming realized what was happening: "Back in the Six Doors compound, I gave you a wink..."
Xu Qingya smiled calmly: "My master once worked with Brother Tie Er on a case and they were very close. I thought it was Brother Tie Er who instructed me to ask Brother San to take care of me."
Zhui Ming's forehead creased into a "well" shape, and he felt as if a million alpacas were running through his mind.
"Brother, you know nothing about the Dragon-Slaying Saber?"
"Weapons are all about ease of use. A thick door panel weighing over 100 pounds is not easy for me to use. From a profit perspective, I might as well investigate the Sky Eagle Cult."
"The Eagle Cult?"
"Liaodong has a sea outlet, and coincidentally, the Sky Eagle Cult mainly deals in maritime trade. Seizing the Dragon-Slaying Saber and severely damaging the Giant Whale Gang would be most in the Sky Eagle Cult's interest!"
"Brother, your insight is brilliant! You make perfect sense!"
Zhui Ming casually chuckled.
Xu Qingya laughed and said, "Third Brother, the Azure Blood Twin Serpents have been committing evil for many years. Has the Six Doors put a bounty on their heads?"
Zhui Ming held up a hand: "Five hundred taels! Not five hundred per person, five hundred in total! Tomorrow you bring the heads to the Six Doors, and I'll register them for you!"
"Is Third Brother on duty again tomorrow?"
"Hehe! Hehe! Hehe!"
Zhui Ming let out three bitter, dry laughs.
According to the rules, the Six Doors headquarters is staffed by the Four Great Constables on a rotating basis. It seems like an easy job with one day on and three days off, but in reality, it treats people like donkeys.
The Four Great Constables often go out to handle cases. Iron Hand and Cold Blood are away from home most of the year, with ten official trips a year.
Iron Hand is better; it has high defense, is quick-witted, and is not easily injured. Cold Blood is a berserker; the lower its health, the stronger it becomes, and it likes to fight to the death with its enemies.
He was cold-blooded and would go out to investigate cases, and nine times out of ten he would kill so many that rivers of blood would flow, before being carried back to the Six Doors.
He is ruthless, cold, and impartial. He is not good at dealing with people and prefers to analyze cases.
Dealing with江湖人士 (jianghu figures), distributing bounties, training constables, and other tasks all fell on Zhui Ming's shoulders.
When you finally have a few days of peace and quiet, either a major case occurs or you have to deal with a backlog of files. Even if you have thirty hours a day, it's not enough!
The next morning, Xu Qingya wrapped their heads in the cloak of the Azure Blood Twin Serpents, carried a large bundle to the Six Doors to collect the bounty, and sure enough, it was Zhui Ming on duty again.
One is born, the second is cooked.
As Zhui Ming had instructed beforehand, Constable Zhao registered the information with ease. Zhui Ming held a wine gourd in one hand and a case file in the other, his brows furrowed tightly.
Xu Qingya asked instinctively, "Third Brother, has something big happened? I can help!"
Zhui Ming took a deep breath: "In the past half month, there have been seven or eight cases of missing children on Qinglong Street. More than a dozen children have gone missing, and not even a single hair has been found!"
"A lost child? Could it be Ye Erniang?"
A strong killing intent flashed in Xu Qingya's eyes.
Ye Erniang's infamy needs no further explanation. If we were to rank the greatest villains in the martial arts world, Ye Erniang would certainly be in the top three, if not first.
Zhuiming waved his hand dejectedly: "No! Ye Erniang likes to commit crimes in the morning, stealing children and killing them in the evening, and she will leave the bodies behind."
In addition, Ye Erniang's targets were mostly children under three years old, and at most five years old. Most of the children who went missing recently were over ten years old.
I've asked every well-known figure in Beijing's underworld, but no one can provide even the slightest clue.
Xu Qingya said in a deep voice, "Third Brother, could you let me see the case file? I might have a solution."
"What method?"
Zhuiming handed the case file to Xu Qingya.
The files of the Six Doors cannot be shown to outsiders at will, but if Xu Qingya can find these children, a slight violation is not a big deal.
The file contained very detailed annotations.
Having spent a long time mingling in the streets and alleys, Zhui Ming was quite adept at all sorts of underworld dealings.
Apart from madmen like Ye Erniang, most thieves steal children for one of two purposes.
One reason is to seek financial gain, such as through kidnapping or trafficking!
Secondly, there is the need for martial arts training. Many demonic martial arts techniques or unorthodox alchemy methods require this.
The late emperor was obsessed with alchemy and favored alchemists, leaving behind a huge pit that cannot be smoothed over in just two or three years. There are at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, alchemists hiding in the capital.
These sorcerers would change their attire, either disguising themselves as fortune tellers or monks and Taoist priests, and appear openly in the manors of princes and nobles.
Xu Qingya quickly scanned the document, noted down the victim's information, and then took out one of the documents separately.
"Third Brother, I will definitely find the mastermind within half a day to three days at most."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, brother. If you run into any trouble, just mention my name. Like I said, in the city's teahouses, brothels, and entertainment districts, Old Cui has some influence!"
Zhuiming and Xu Qingya didn't have much contact. To say they were old friends who were like strangers or instant acquaintances would be pure nonsense. Giving him the case file was undoubtedly a test.
When it comes to the word "trust," compared to the unknown Xu Qingya, Zhui Ming trusts the renowned Ximen Changhai more, and trusts Ximen Changhai's teachings!
Xu Qingya didn't think that much about it. No matter how you look at it, there's one thing you can't go against.
This case must be solved!
—The mastermind behind this must be killed without mercy!
Meanwhile, inside Tingxue Tower, Yang Yan was carefully reading a stack of documents. These were Tian Boguang's confession, which she had obtained after bribing the jailer.
This record documents the process by which Xu Qingya captured Tian Boguang!
This process... there's nothing worth mentioning!
Tian Boguang was spotted by Doubao'er, and Xu Qingya rode Laojiu in pursuit. When the two met, Tian Boguang was instantly killed by a blade that struck first.
"I didn't see anything... I only heard a terrifying tiger's roar, followed by a flash of light, and then my body went limp..."
"Xu Qingya is not human, he's a beast!"
"I've never seen anyone like this before!"
"Terrible...this is absolutely terrifying..."
Yang Yan looked at the confession with a smile, becoming happier the more she read. Qin Nanqin muttered softly, "Miss, is Young Master Xu a hidden dragon or a true dragon?"
"What is Young Master Xu doing?"
"Last night, the Giant Whale Gang hired the Azure Blood Twins to assassinate Young Master Xu. This morning, Young Master Xu went to the Six Doors with the heads of the Azure Blood Twins to claim the bounty!"
According to Constable Zhao, Young Master Xu took the case file of the missing children and seems to have gone to investigate the case!
No wonder he is the personal disciple of the great master Ximen!
He is chivalrous and public-spirited, and most importantly, he is so handsome. If you miss out on such a perfect match, you would regret it even if you drank ten catties of Meng Po soup!
Miss, if you feel shy, you can send a clever and beautiful maid to serve Young Master Xu!
What do you think?
Yang Yan: I'm going to sell you off to Lingnan!