Chapter 37 Part 2

The man with the aquiline nose walked up to Xiao Gong and looked at him for a moment, then laughed. "Excellent work, Young Master Qian. Truly flawless. Even his wife sleeping beside him might not be able to tell the difference, hahahaha! Old Chen, this is your first time seeing this, right? Come have a look."

Steward Chen bent down to examine Xiao Gong's face closely and exclaimed in admiration, "Identical, truly identical. What a divine skill. I used to think the legends of the 'Thousand Faces Sect' were exaggerated, but I never thought they were real."

He straightened up and looked at the man with the aquiline nose with confusion. "With such a divine skill, why was the sect wiped out by the joint forces of both the righteous and demonic paths over ninety years ago?"

The man with the aquiline nose gave a mysterious smile. "It's precisely because the skill is too divine that no one could rest easy. Think about it, if this sect were allowed to flourish, which family in the Jianghu could sleep soundly? Wouldn't they be afraid of waking up to find the person beside them had been replaced? Wouldn't they be afraid that their trusted disciple had been swapped out during a single meal?"

Steward Chen understood. His gaze slid over to Young Master Qian, and he then said loudly, "Many thanks to Young Master Qian for your help. When we achieve our great cause in the future, we will surely reward you handsomely."

Cai Zhao scoffed internally—'Give me a break. Reward him? You're burning a stick and calling it incense, trying to fool a ghost! The day you "achieve your great cause" will likely be this Young Master Qian's death day.'

But Young Master Qian didn't seem to have thought of this, merely waving his hand tiredly. "No need to be so polite. I'll say this first, it will revert to its original form in five days at most."

Xiao Gong smiled. "Don't worry, don't worry. Within three days, 'I' will fall into a deep abyss, with no bones left to be found. Then our people won't have to live in fear, hahahaha..."

"Is it the abyss below Myriad Waters Thousand Mountains Cliff?" Steward Chen hesitated. "That place is very dangerous. Will there be any problems?"

The man with the aquiline nose laughed. "Old Chen truly has the heart of a Bodhisattva. He's worried about Xiao Gong. Xiao Gong, you should thank Old Chen."

Xiao Gong quickly expressed his thanks, then added, "Rest assured, both of you. I may not be good at much else, but I've practiced the Silk-Pulling Gecko Skill since I was a child. Forget a cliff exposed to wind and sun, I can even cling to a mirror. After a couple of hours, I'll slowly climb back up on my own."

Old Chen nodded. "In that case, let's get rid of Fan Xingjia. Leave no loose ends."

Cai Zhao's heart sank.

Young Master Qian also seemed surprised. "At least keep him for a few more hours to learn his way of speaking and walking. To become another person, it's not enough to just look alike."

Xiao Gong was nonchalant. "This kid goes down the mountain to buy supplies every few days. I've been hiding in town for so long, I've secretly watched him no less than seven or eight times, each time for over an hour. I'm very clear on his speech and mannerisms." The implication was that Fan Xingjia was no longer of any value.

"You've been planning to replace this person all along?" Young Master Qian asked in surprise.

Xiao Gong said proudly, "Not just him. We have brothers with similar body shapes secretly watching all the important people in the Qingque Sect. If the situation changes, we can replace them immediately!"

Young Master Qian snorted softly in dissatisfaction.

The man with the aquiline nose smiled. "Of course, that would still require Young Master Qian's skills."

Hearing this, Cai Zhao felt her palms grow cold and clammy.

As if sensing it, Chang Ning gently tugged her small hand—his palm was dry and warm.

Cai Zhao took his thumb and held it in her palm, a childish gesture simply to seek some trust and reliance.

Chang Ning looked at the girl quietly for a moment before turning his head back.

He was already very familiar with the warmth surging in his chest. He knew that no matter if demons ran rampant or ghosts roamed the earth outside, he would always protect this girl.

As the four conversed, Xiao Gong drew a sharp blade from his boot and walked towards Fan Xingjia with a sinister grin.

Young Master Qian said unhappily, "This is my room. If you splatter blood everywhere, I won't be able to live here."

The man with the aquiline nose patted Xiao Gong's shoulder. "Let me." Saying this, he raised his palm, gathered his energy, and walked towards the lounge chair.

How could Cai Zhao sit by and watch Fan Xingjia be killed? The moment Xiao Gong drew his blade, she had already condensed qi in her palm, determined to save Fan Xingjia's life no matter what. Just as she was about to leap out, she suddenly felt a heavy hand press down on her shoulder, and her body momentarily froze.

Chang Ning had already shot out like an arrow released from a fully drawn bow. His wide sleeves cut a stunning arc through the air, and then his palm struck the back of the man with the aquiline nose—he had used all his current power in this one strike. The man with the aquiline nose was sent flying, hitting the wall with a bang and spitting out blood.

The four of them had no idea someone was hiding in the room. This sudden attack caught them completely off guard, leaving them almost stunned.

Seeing the man with the aquiline nose seriously injured, Xiao Gong, in a fit of rage, crazily charged at Chang Ning with his blade. But his martial arts were far inferior to the man with the aquiline nose, and the outcome was predictable.

By the lounge chair, Young Master Qian was scared stiff, crouching on the ground and trembling uncontrollably.

Only Steward Chen reacted the quickest. He knew very well that the martial arts of the man with the aquiline nose were among the best in this residence, yet he was no match for a single palm strike from this person who had suddenly appeared. Although the opponent had the advantage of a sneak attack, his high level of martial skill was undeniable. Rushing up to fight would just be suicide; it was better to call for help immediately.

So, he grabbed the teapot from the table with one hand, kicked open the nearest window with his foot, and heavily threw the teapot out. Just as he was about to shout for help, he suddenly felt a tightening at the back of his collar, and he was dragged back and thrown to the ground like a dead dog.

Enduring the pain of his cracking bones, he saw a short sect disciple standing beside him. The 'disciple' turned both palms inward in the air, and the two window shutters quickly closed as if pulled by an invisible hand.

Steward Chen didn't recognize this person, but he had seen this skill before—on the day of the sacrificial ceremony, the beautiful young girl who was about to be accepted as a disciple had used this exact move to snatch a child from Luo Yuanrong's hands from several yards away.

He pointed at Cai Zhao in shock. "You, you are Cai... ah!" The scream was cut short. A constantly vibrating short blade was stuck in his throat, the very one Xiao Gong had been holding moments before.

Cai Zhao turned to look. The man with the aquiline nose was lying by the wall, his face covered in blood, his neck already twisted and broken. Clearly, Chang Ning had delivered a follow-up blow. Young Master Qian was still hugging the leg of a bed, trembling like a leaf. Only Xiao Gong, lying on the floor, was still breathing.

However, the teapot that Steward Chen had thrown out had smashed on the stone slabs outside the window, making a crisp sound that had already alerted the surrounding guards. Fortunately, because the 'grand method of body swapping' was being performed in this room, the man with the aquiline nose had dismissed the guards far away. Still, their arrival was imminent.

Chang Ning stepped on Xiao Gong's head and said flatly, "Besides this place, do you have any other hiding spots? Tell me honestly, and I'll give you a quick death."

Unexpectedly, Xiao Gong was quite tough. Enduring the pain, he laughed loudly. "Your Qingque Sect has long been riddled with our people like a sieve. The destruction of your sect is at hand, and you're still trying to act tough with me, hahaha..." He looked at Chang Ning's robe, assuming he was also a sect disciple.

Chang Ning said no more. He kicked Xiao Gong over with one clean move, then stomped on his spine with another, leaving him to die a slow, painful death.

Cai Zhao was shocked.

By this time, the sounds of people outside were close; the guards had clearly arrived.

Chang Ning tucked Fan Xingjia under his arm. Cai Zhao reached out to pull Young Master Qian, wanting to take him with them.

Young Master Qian quickly showed the shackles on his feet. "Me, me, me, my feet are locked, I can't leave!"

Cai Zhao turned to search the body of the man with the aquiline nose. Young Master Qian kindly reminded her, "The key isn't on him—it's their rule, the person with the key can't be in the same room as me."

Cai Zhao had no choice but to turn back. She gripped the iron shackles with both hands and tried to break them with all her might, but they didn't budge. She then thought of finding a sword or saber to cut them.

Chang Ning saw through it. "This chain is probably mixed with Profound Iron. Ordinary blades can't cut it. Don't waste your energy, you'll end up hurting your hands. Just chop off his feet, and you can take him away."

Young Master Qian was so scared he almost fainted, snot and tears streaming down his face as he repeatedly begged them not to.

Of course, Cai Zhao couldn't do such a thing. At this moment, she couldn't help but touch her belt, deeply regretting not bringing a sharp blade with her.

The chaotic sounds of voices and footsteps were already approaching the door, so Cai Zhao had to give up.

She grabbed the back of Young Master Qian's neck with one hand, and with the other, she took out a fragrant pill from her waist pouch and stuffed it into his mouth. Then, she clamped his jaw shut forcefully, and the pill was swallowed.

Young Master Qian was horrified. "You, you, you, what did you feed me... help... ah!"

Before he could finish, Cai Zhao knocked him unconscious with a chop to the neck.

Cai Zhao stood up, ready to rush out with Chang Ning.

Unexpectedly, Chang Ning handed Fan Xingjia to her and said in a low voice, "I'll draw them away. You go out the back." When they were hiding behind the alcove earlier, they had indeed seen a small window on the side, likely for ventilating the washroom.

Cai Zhao was well aware of Chang Ning's abilities... and his limits. It wouldn't be difficult for him to escape the encirclement alone. So, without another word, she took Fan Xingjia and hid behind the alcove—just before entering, she saw Xiao Gong, who was lying on the ground, seem to stop breathing, his body twisting slightly.

At that moment, the room's main door was smashed open. Chang Ning let out a loud laugh and charged forward. Unsurprisingly, a series of pained cries followed...

Taking advantage of the chaos at the front door, Cai Zhao carried Fan Xingjia on her back and slipped out through the small side window. With a few swift leaps, she was out of the courtyard. After leaving the alley, she turned into a corner and put Fan Xingjia down. Suddenly, she noticed something glinting on the back of his neck.

She pushed aside Fan Xingjia's collar to take a closer look and slowly pulled out an extremely fine golden needle from the second vertebra of his neck.

The golden needle trembled slightly. Besides the smell of blood, it also emitted a very faint, familiar, and peculiar fragrance.

A thought flashed through her mind, the fog gradually clearing. Cai Zhao put the golden needle into her waist pouch.

—She was beginning to understand.

At this time, the sect disciples patrolling the town also heard the commotion in this alley and rushed over, blowing their silver whistles. The person leading them was none other than Martial Uncle Li Wenxun's eldest disciple, Zhuang Shu.

Cai Zhao looked down and saw that Fan Xingjia, now free of the golden needle, was groaning and about to wake up.

After a moment of thought, she placed Fan Xingjia at the entrance of the alley ahead and then quickly retreated. Only after seeing Zhuang Shu and the other disciples discover the fallen Fan Xingjia from a distance did she swiftly depart.

She then ran all the way, practically from the west end of town to the east end, before finally stopping. She leaned against the signpost of a restaurant, panting heavily. Just then, she saw a group of people in vermilion robes slowly approaching. The person in the center, surrounded by them, was none other than Song Yuzhi.

Cai Zhao initially wanted to hide, but then she remembered something she urgently needed to confirm with Song Yuzhi. Her eyes darted to the side and saw a coarse earthenware teapot on a small table by the restaurant's entrance, provided for passing merchants and laborers to quench their thirst.

With a flash of her figure, she took it.

Hiding in the corner of the alley where the restaurant dumped its slop, Cai Zhao wet a handkerchief with tea and quickly wiped her face, removing the powder, fake Adam's apple, and other things, and tossed them all into the slop bucket. Then she let down her hair and tidied it, took off her outer sect robe, revealing the light red dress she wore underneath—she had once again transformed back into the beloved Junior Sister Cai.

"Third Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, wait a moment..." Junior Sister Cai ran forward, out of breath.

The guards surrounding Song Yuzhi first put their hands on their sword hilts warily. But then they saw it was a beautiful young girl sweating profusely, and Song Yuzhi hurried forward to meet her. They all showed an expression of 'so that's how it is.'

Song Yuzhi supported the girl's arm and asked in a low voice, "Zhaozhao, what's wrong? Is someone chasing you?"

Cai Zhao had no time to explain. She said urgently, "Third Senior Brother, I need to talk to you. Can we... speak in private?"

The girl's eyes were sparkling bright, as if two flames were lit within them, both excited and anxious.

Song Yuzhi's heart raced just from looking at her for a few more moments. He turned his head and gave a few instructions to his guards. The guards immediately and considerately took seven or eight large steps back... and then pricked up their ears.

Seeing that they were in an empty street corner, Cai Zhao got straight to the point. "Third Senior Brother, that group of Vast Heaven Sect people from yesterday wasn't sent by your respected father, but by you yourself, correct?"

Song Yuzhi's handsome eyes rose in a flicker of admiration, and he directly admitted, "That's right."

"Why did Third Senior Brother suddenly summon a large group of guards up the mountain? Even if your injuries haven't healed, why would you need to be so on guard within your own sect?" Cai Zhao asked.

Song Yuzhi fell silent, pondering.

The girl didn't seem to expect an answer, continuing, "Because Third Senior Brother sensed that something was wrong, something you couldn't speak of to others. Am I right?"

Song Yuzhi suddenly looked up, his eyes deep.

Cai Zhao said sincerely, word by word, "Third Senior Brother, my father's life and death are currently unknown, and I'm investigating a matter that has reached a critical point. I hope you can tell me, what exactly did you notice that was wrong these past few days?"

Song Yuzhi hesitated for a long time, but looking at the girl's persistent and unyielding eyes, he finally opened his mouth and spoke the words he had not yet said to anyone—"I noticed that something is wrong with Master."