“Useless! All useless!!”

At this moment on the top floor of the Precious Pagoda at Lotus Temple, Bao Lang, the special envoy responsible for escorting the treasure, was roaring in fury. He drew his saber and split the incense table in half, sending fragments flying and scattering incense ash all over the floor. Wu Zhiyuan standing nearby quickly dodged to the side.

A moment ago, someone from the prison had reported that another suspect had died under torture. Bao Lang flew into a rage, drawing his blade to hack and vent his anger, his eyes faintly flashing with bloodthirsty red light. Monk Liaoru stood trembling to the side, not daring to make a sound.

Wu Zhiyuan trembled as he tried to calm him: “Please calm your anger, Special Envoy! Please calm your anger!”

“Calm my anger? My anger can be calmed, but can you calm Marshal Cui’s anger?! This is the place you recommended and guaranteed!” Bao Lang questioned loudly, then turned to roar at the prison clerk: “Interrogate again! Continue the interrogation!”

The jailer, whose hands still bore bloodstains he hadn’t had time to wash clean, quickly knelt on the ground kowtowing like pounding garlic as he agreed, then rolled and crawled down from the pagoda.

Who exactly was it? Who could steal the military commissioner’s pearl from this airtight Buddhist pagoda?

Wu Zhiyuan clasped his hands in his sleeves, thinking hard but finding no solution. He had racked his brains to curry favor for his future, only to personally invite this disaster. His endless regret needn’t be mentioned – in just a few short days, his hair had turned completely white. He had originally thought Bao Lang was dignified and promising, even considering marrying his daughter to him. Now that he’d turned hostile, this man was like a savage beast who killed without blinking, showing no mercy even to his own subordinate guards.

From five days ago, the three officials in charge – the escort Bao Lang, Xiagui County Magistrate, and the abbot of Lotus Temple – together placed the lacquered box containing the pearl on the top floor of the Precious Pagoda, enshrining it before the Weituo Bodhisattva. After all three had examined it, they descended the pagoda together and locked the door. Each person had one lock, each kept their own key – without any one person, the main door couldn’t be opened.

Because this was a pearl the Wuwei Military Commissioner was sending to the emperor, everyone was extremely cautious. Bao Lang personally inspected the pagoda inside and out multiple times. His personal soldiers brought from Xuzhou patrolled together with Xiagui County’s sheriffs. Every morning, the three men gathered together to open the pagoda and verify the treasure.

Despite such foolproof measures, the pearl still vanished without a trace.

The morning before yesterday, when the three men opened the locks and climbed the pagoda, they found the lacquered box completely empty, containing only the brocade cushion that had supported the pearl. The three could hardly believe their eyes. Bao Lang quickly pulled apart the brocade to search, only to find a note pressed under the cushion with a few words written on it.

Even more strange, a white snake was coiled around the Weituo Bodhisattva’s vajra demon-subduing pestle, its entire body crystalline as jade, its two snake eyes like rubies, silently staring at the three men.

In his terror, Monk Liaoru shouted: “The pearl was stolen by the white snake!”

Bao Lang then flew into a rage. If not for Wu Zhiyuan’s intervention, the abbot would have been killed on the spot. In the chaos, that snake also disappeared without a trace.

The sheriffs on duty were scared out of their wits and hurried to the monks’ quarters next door to notify their superior, Sheriff Luo Chengye, only to discover this man had died horribly in his home. His head was missing, his own famous weapon – the square steel mace – was thrust into his belly, and a bloody string of intestines hung high from the roof beam. The room looked like a slaughterhouse.

That square steel mace was not only Luo Chengye’s own weapon, but had no point and no blade – yet this iron rod had been forcibly thrust into his abdomen. With Lion Hound’s amazing martial skills, he apparently had no chance to resist at all – what incredibly superior martial arts that must have been.

Not only that, Luo Chengye’s corpse had been severely mutilated. The killer seemed to harbor extreme hatred for him, going so far as to disembowel him and tear out his organs to viciously desecrate them.

All guards and monks who could approach the Precious Pagoda – twenty people in total – were arrested. Three were tortured to death that very night, seven others couldn’t endure the punishment and confessed to stealing the pearl, but couldn’t say where the pearl was located.

Wu Zhiyuan desperately pleaded: “Special Envoy, I’ve already had all of Xiagui County’s officers searching the city with all their might for the thief, but the pearl theft was truly beyond human capability. Even if Marshal Cui blames this humble official, this humble official is helpless!”

“Beyond human capability – could it be heaven’s will then?”

Bao Lang muttered to himself, looking up at the pagoda’s ceiling. The Precious Pagoda was built by master craftsmen during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Its top was shaped like an umbrella, with strips of light streaming through the gaps between the umbrella ribs, radiating from the center toward all directions like the blazing noon sun, like Buddha’s dharma wheel.

In Bao Lang’s mind floated the image of the white snake’s gleaming crimson eyes, thick blood gushing from beneath white scales…

“If people can’t get in, then was it a bird? An ape? A child? Whatever stole my pearl, I will definitely slaughter it and take it back!!”

Bao Lang viciously hacked at the remains of the incense table, his expression so savage and crazed that even Wu Zhiyuan, over fifty and having seen many storms, felt chilled to the bone.

As for the dead sheriff, Bao Lang didn’t care. Since he was the escort envoy, he naturally only cared about the stolen pearl. Having lost the pearl, Luo Chengye, who bore the responsibility of guarding, deserved to die. Even if he hadn’t been killed that day, Bao Lang would have personally cut him in half by now. But two days had passed with no leads on the case whatsoever. Today, Bao Lang finally thought to inquire about that dead dog.

His voice instantly changed from fury to icy coldness as he calmly asked: “Where is Luo Chengye’s corpse?”

Wu Zhiyuan was frightened by his rapid change of expression, goosebumps rising on his back as he answered: “Reporting to the Special Envoy, due to the hot weather, it has been transported back to the county office and placed underground in the prison cells to slow decomposition somewhat.”

“What did the coroner say?”

Wu Zhiyuan immediately produced the death certificate: “After examination, he only had one fatal wound to his abdomen. The head was severed after death.”

“The murder weapon was his own square steel mace?”

“Correct.”

Bao Lang said: “Lead the way. I want to see his home.”

Incense smoke curled upward as the Weituo Bodhisattva held his vajra pestle, majestically and silently overlooking it all.

When night fell, Shisan Lang suggested he bring his bedding to sleep in Bao Zhu’s room for convenience in looking after each other. She agreed without thinking.

Xiagui City was completely silent. In the darkness, one or two shouts from officers could be faintly heard – who knew how far the search had progressed, but sooner or later they would come to the inn where they were staying. Though the innkeeper was now attentively serving them, when the officers arrived, as a small businessman, he naturally wouldn’t dare hide anything for her.

In the darkness, the sound of Shisan Lang turning over could be heard.

Wei Xun’s whereabouts remained unknown.

The only young novice monk related to him couldn’t say where his senior brother had actually gone. Bao Zhu sensed he might know something, but for some reason was unwilling or unable to explain. However, his sincere concern for her seemed quite genuine, not false. Now he was sleeping on the floor in her room, his bedding placed right against the door, with that wooden staff beside him for protection.

Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Bao Zhu quietly got up and gazed toward the Precious Pagoda of Lotus Temple under the moonlight outside her window.

A master thief with supreme skills had stolen the treasure from the pagoda top and ruthlessly killed the sheriff guarding the treasure. Who could scale walls and roofs, making theft even in the imperial palace as easy as reaching into a bag?

If bailiffs came to the door, searching and interrogating, subjecting her to another humiliation like that at Anhua Gate, how should she handle herself? The four city gates were already sealed – even if she wanted to flee now, there was nowhere to go.

At this thought, Bao Zhu shed two tears of grievance. Suddenly the roof tiles made an extremely faint sound, like a cat passing by. If she had been asleep, she wouldn’t have noticed. But Bao Zhu was currently carefully recalling the past two days’ experiences, her senses very acute, and she immediately detected this subtle sound.

A surge of joy rose in her heart, and Bao Zhu couldn’t help calling out softly: “You’re back?!”

The window had been left open for him, not latched from inside. A figure gently pushed open the window frame, crouched on the windowsill, and stared at her against the moonlight.

Bao Zhu immediately sensed something wrong: the build and clothing were both incorrect. This figure wore black tight-fitting clothes and was considerably taller than ordinary men, broad-shouldered and long-legged, with face covered by assassin-like black cloth.

The black-clad person dropped from the window frame and walked toward her.

“Who are you?!”

Bao Zhu called out in challenge. Just as Wei Xun had said, the distance was too close – it was too late to draw her bow now. She could only pull an arrow from her quiver and hold the sharp arrowhead defensively in front of her.

The black-clad person’s footsteps paused.

Shisan Lang had also been awakened and rushed over with his wooden staff to block between them.

With his interference, Bao Zhu was able to retreat while drawing her bow, managing to nock an arrow to the string in time. But suddenly Shisan Lang shouted: “Seventh Senior Brother!” and immediately dropped his weapon, hurrying to get a candle.

The black-clad person no longer approached, praising: “What a beautiful young lady!” The voice was clear and crisp – actually a woman’s voice.

When Shisan Lang lit the candle, Bao Zhu could finally see clearly that though this person was tall in stature, she had broad shoulders and a narrow waist with curves in the right places – a very powerful-looking woman.

The black-clad person reached up to pull off the face-covering black cloth, revealing a face that was both beautiful and hideous. She should have been quite handsome originally, but had been slashed diagonally from top to bottom, the wound running from her left forehead through to her right jaw. The scar was both long and deep, with flesh turned inside out. Though it had healed, it was still shocking to behold.

“Fatty Four said Wei Da was captured alive by a donkey-riding young lady, and I didn’t believe it. Now seeing the lady’s appearance with my own eyes, I believe four or five parts of it.”

The woman looked her up and down with appreciative eyes, and Bao Zhu involuntarily blushed. Though this black-clad person was female, she had an androgynous charm. Her bearing was heroic and spirited – the type who could make many young women’s hearts flutter, a figure from spring chamber dreams.

“I am Huo Qi Lang, Wei Xun’s junior brother. I greet you, young lady.”

She cupped her hands and performed a casual man’s greeting, then stepped back a few paces and jumped to sit on the windowsill.

Bao Zhu was still shaken and somewhat bewildered. This person was clearly a woman from build, appearance, and voice, yet called herself ‘Qi Lang’ while Shisan also called her senior brother – she didn’t know why.

The woman stared at her with interest for a moment, then asked: “Wei Da isn’t here? I wanted to discuss a business deal with him.”

Bao Zhu asked guardedly: “What business?”

“Didn’t he steal a one-inch night-bright pearl from the Buddhist pagoda? The pearl can’t be hidden away to use as a candle, so naturally it needs to be sold. I want to act as a broker and take some commission to buy wine.”

Bao Zhu’s heart skipped a beat as she demanded: “How do you also know he stole it?”

Huo Qi Lang said carelessly: “Though I didn’t see it with my own eyes, this job was very difficult – only he could pull it off. Though Huo Qi could climb the pagoda, I couldn’t guarantee not touching a single bell. Even if I were lucky enough not to fail, I don’t have bone-shrinking skills to squeeze into the pagoda top. In this whole world, only our senior brother could go up and down and in and out with ease.”

Not only the local crime boss, but even his own junior brother believed Wei Xun had stolen the treasure!

Bao Zhu’s emotions surged, and though Shisan Lang had already called out the visitor’s name, she never relaxed her bowstring. Seeing her whole body tense and constantly alert, Huo Qi Lang knew she wasn’t welcome and helplessly touched her nose. Having already seen the legendary mysterious beauty and not finding Wei Xun, she bid farewell and slipped away through the window.

After Huo Qi left, Bao Zhu remained shaken. After thinking, she still closed and latched the window. She checked the door bolt again, confirming no one else was in the room, then grabbed Shisan Lang by the collar and shouted anxiously and angrily: “Everyone else is following the scent to find us, and you still won’t say what Wei Xun went to do?!”

The young novice shook his head like a rattle drum and held up three fingers to swear: “Shan Yuan swears to Buddha that I truly don’t know where senior brother is now! If I’m lying, may heaven’s thunder strike me dead!”

Bao Zhu quickly grabbed the child’s hand and covered his mouth: “Don’t talk nonsense! It might come true!”

She remembered when she was young, acting coquettishly with her father, grabbing his robe and swearing “If I ever leave father’s side, let thieves steal Zhu’er away!” Now exiled from home and fallen into the martial world – hadn’t she indeed been stolen by a little thief? Not only stolen, but abandoned alone in danger without a word of farewell.

She felt completely powerless and sat dejectedly on the couch, murmuring: “Where on earth has this man gone?”

Shisan Lang also sat beside her, hanging his head despondently: “Everyone in the world says senior brother stole that treasure. Does Jiu Niang think so too? Are you worried he fled with the stolen goods after the theft?”

Bao Zhu sighed deeply and shook her head: “I don’t think that way. Though all the clues point to that mischievous devil, and I have no evidence either…”

Shisan Lang looked at her with bright, expectant eyes, waiting for her to continue.

Bao Zhu said: “It’s just logical deduction. Since he could go to the imperial treasury to steal oranges, he could be said to come and go freely in that treasure vault. Taking any random item there would be priceless – he wouldn’t need to wait until reaching Xiagui to suddenly become greedy for money. I’ve seen plenty of people who are purely profit-driven, and this matter definitely has something strange about it. Moreover, he’s always been completely unrestrained in his actions. Even if he suddenly wanted to steal the pearl on a whim, he wouldn’t hide it. As for that ‘Lion Hound’…”

Bao Zhu sighed in defeat toward the heavens: “Sigh, I really have no clue about this matter.”

Wei Xun harbored many mysteries she didn’t know about, and he deliberately used cant to prevent her from learning more.

When she held a lamp to peer into the dark river, was he also one of the monsters lurking beneath the dark waters?