A tremendous murder case had occurred in Kaifeng – five people had died in a single night.

Even more bizarre was that among the five dead, four wore strange pig-head masks. When the Military Patrol Office received news and went to collect the bodies, they tore off the masks from those four faces, and the result was shocking. These four dead people in strange clothing with pig heads were actually two pairs of martial world hero couples who had disappeared over ten years ago. They had always had good reputations as heroes, and now discussions arose everywhere, wondering who could be so vicious as to turn these four people into such a state and then kill them. The death of the fifth person caused an even greater uproar – it was actually Wei Beiyin of the “Nine Gates Path.”

This man had killed countless people and committed innumerable murders. The Military Patrol Office had long heard of him, but was helpless against such a martial arts master. His sudden violent death brought great joy to everyone. But who exactly had dug out Wei Beiyin’s heart with a single blade? And who had broken the necks of those two pairs of martial world hero couples?

The person who killed these five – was he righteous or evil? The person capable of killing these five – was he human or ghost? The Military Patrol Office investigated all clues non-stop, while undercurrents naturally surged within the imperial palace. Yang Guihua paid special attention to this murder case, summoning his full attention to investigate every detail of the entire affair exhaustively, including all the scattered villagers and common people along the entire official road.

The Emperor was greatly enraged by this. Someone dared to brazenly kill people right under the Emperor’s nose with extremely cruel methods, and abandoning the corpses on the official road had a terrible impact – even less than five li from the imperial city. If the murderer didn’t face justice, where would the court’s dignity be? He immediately issued several imperial edicts, mobilizing two officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review to cooperate with Jiao Shiqiao in investigating this case.

News spread quickly, causing an uproar throughout the court and countryside. From high court ministers down to peddlers and laborers, everyone was discussing this shocking case.

On the official road ten li outside Luoyang City.

A light rain had fallen in the latter half of last night. The vegetation and forests on both sides of the official road were thoroughly soaked, and few travelers passed by – these past few days weren’t market days. In the deep autumn season, after wind and rain it was especially desolate and cold. Wild grass everywhere had withered yellow and forlorn, fallen leaves scattered about, and everywhere presented a scene of ruin and decay.

In the damp and disheveled low bushes, someone sat leaning against a tree with eyes slightly closed.

His complexion was very pale, his white robes thoroughly dirty and disheveled from rainwater and weeds, stained with blood covering half his body. This was Tang Lici, who had killed five people in succession last night.

After the killings, he had been unable to leave this official road, barely managing to walk several dozen li. Although he wanted to return to the National Uncle’s mansion promptly, after all he was human, not divine – his heart was willing but his strength insufficient. Yang Guihua had sent people to search back and forth on this road several times, but how could those miscellaneous soldiers of the Imperial Guards track his movements? The result was that the entire city was in turmoil hunting the killer, while Tang Lici sat continuously in the bushes dozens of li from where he had committed the murders, having been drenched by light rain all night.

Last night… he actually hadn’t planned to kill anyone. Taking action outside Kaifeng city, killing people right under the Emperor’s nose, risking implicating himself and the National Uncle’s mansion for five unrelated lives – it was utterly not worth it. But Wei Beiyin was aggressively pressing, Fengliu Shop was determined to seize the Green Enchantress pearl, leaving him no choice but to kill all five.

Killing people… wasn’t really anything significant. Tang Lici sat leaning against the tree with eyes closed. This place was very close to Biluo Palace. Before last night’s rain, he had already tied the Green Enchantress to a messenger bird and sent it back to Biluo Palace. By now it should have long since reached Wanyu Yuedan’s hands. This pearl falling into Wanyu Yuedan’s hands could serve an enormous purpose, far more than just saving three people’s lives… but of course, for Wanyu Yuedan, saving people was his objective; everything else was secondary.

He absolutely would not die.

Even if he was just a stupid-minded, useless and incompetent fool, even if he constantly wanted to strangle him to death inch by inch with his five fingers, even if he never understood how such a stupid and vulgar person could continue living, even if getting himself covered in blood to save such a person wasn’t worth it, but… he still had to save him.

He would not lose any more companions. As for those already lost… there would always be ways to recover them, as long as he fought desperately, as long as he believed, as long as he didn’t give up.

Perhaps everything could start over.

“Drip” – a sound as cold rainwater fell from tree leaves, splashing onto his clothes. His white robes were already soaked through, and even the bloodstains on his white clothes had been mostly washed away by the rainwater. The autumn night’s piercing cold penetrated clothing and bone. Tang Lici sat motionless, the coolness soaking through to his marrow making one feel like enjoying a kind of wanton pleasure.

A light purple oil-paper umbrella slowly approached from the distance. The person holding the umbrella walked slowly along the official road. This place was still some distance from Luoyang, with no villages nearby. Tang Lici opened his eyes, watching that light purple umbrella surface sway like a flower in the drizzle, looking left and right as if searching for something.

The purple umbrella walked for a long time, slowly coming to the bushes beside him. The umbrella-holder stopped, moving the umbrella over his head. Under the umbrella was a very familiar face – delicate but not bewitching, with very clear eyes, somewhat tired. Looking into Tang Lici’s eyes, she said nothing, only smiled faintly.

“You should go back.” His tone was very calm.

The umbrella-holding woman answered irrelevantly, saying gently, “Last night the soldiers searched every household in Kaifeng and Luoyang, saying they were catching the murderer who killed five people at night. I thought… someone like Wei Beiyin wouldn’t easily die at someone else’s hands.” She bent down to gaze at him intently. “The one leading the search was Master Yang. I think he knows as clearly as I do who the killer is… but since he’s searching everywhere, that shows first, he can’t find you; second, he doesn’t want to find you. When I asked him about your whereabouts, he was very surprised that you and I knew each other. He said yesterday he encountered you in the palace, said you… killed a frog, then you each went your separate ways.” She said slowly, “I think your killing the frog left a deep impression on him…”

Tang Lici glanced at her indifferently, as if he felt discussing that frog with her was completely a waste of breath. “Go back. The autumn rain is heavy and cold. There’s nothing worth staying for in this desolate wilderness.”

The umbrella-holding woman shook her head. After a while, she said, “You killed it because you pitied it.”

A heavy murderous aura flashed through Tang Lici’s eyes. He stared motionlessly at the umbrella-holding woman’s eyes, only to see her likewise staring intently at him. “I told Master Yang that doesn’t mean you’re a bloodthirsty monster. Young Master Tang entered the martial world, opposed Fengliu Shop, wounded Yu Qifeng and killed Wei Beiyin, saved many people… and will save many more in the future. He said you killed the frog, killed Chi Yun – to him it seemed all the same… I said… not everyone has the courage to bear sacrifice… You’ve shouldered so much and lost so much… Everyone can’t just see you killing people without seeing what you’ve lost… Who could do it? I couldn’t do it, he couldn’t do it, everyone couldn’t do it, but you did it – that can’t mean you’re a monster…”

Tang Lici neither confirmed nor denied this. Apart from that flash of murderous aura in his eyes just now, he had appeared calm throughout. “Go back.” It was still the same phrase, his voice even very gentle. “The autumn wind is heavy and cold. Standing here longer will make you catch cold.”

A’Shui slowly straightened up. “Come back with me.” Her tone was also very calm.

Tang Lici didn’t answer. Wind scattered and rain drifted around him, his face especially cold and solitary in the wind and rain.

“Tang Lici!” She called out in a low voice. “Is it that in this world only you can bestow favors on others that they must accept, while there’s no principle of you receiving anyone’s assistance? Since you consider A’Shui a friend, since you’re sitting here unable to return to the National Uncle’s mansion, since I’ve found you, you should naturally come with me! If you keep sitting here, do you expect Yang Guihua to let you off again and again? Or do you expect all your enemies to turn blind and not see your predicament and all give you a pass? Or do you think sitting in this kind of wind and rain will quickly heal your injuries? Or perhaps – you feel that receiving A’Shui’s kindness would disgrace you?” She asked in a low voice, “You look down on me, don’t you?”

This time Tang Lici smiled slightly, and the meaning of his smile was acknowledgment.