Chapter 82: Letters
Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Letters
The gray-robed man’s martial arts were exceptionally strange. His form was as ephemeral as a phantom, blurring into a series of elusive afterimages under the dim moonlight.
His palms glowed with a sinister dark light as he used a vicious and deadly claw technique.
His fingertips let out a sharp hiss as they sliced through the air, aimed exclusively at vital points like the throat and heart. The angles of his attacks were devious and brutal.
Moreover, his footwork was unlike any conventional martial art. He darted left and right, advancing and retreating with lightning speed, often twisting and turning in impossible ways. On several occasions, he had narrowly avoided Chen Li’s ferocious attacks, which were imbued with the Wandering Dragon True Intent.
As Chen Li attacked with the Qiankun Qi Wandering Dragon Staff, his technique unfolded like a mountain range—dense and impenetrable.
The whistling of the staff carried the faint roar of a dragon. Infused with True Qi, the staff seemed to come alive, nimble and ferocious as it struck directly at his opponent’s openings.
However, his opponent’s techniques were bizarre, and his Body Technique was impossibly evasive. He repeatedly used his inhuman flexibility and strange footwork to narrowly dodge what should have been fatal attacks.
’I can’t let this drag on!’
Chen Li’s mind raced as the Prajna Glaze Heart Sutra of the Self-Viewing began to circulate silently within him.
A surge of the Power of Divine Sense, so condensed it was almost tangible, coalesced in an instant. Like an invisible sledgehammer, it tore through the air and slammed into the man’s sea of consciousness.
The gray-robed man froze, his eyes instantly filled with horror and disbelief. His uncanny Body Technique faltered for a brief, yet fatal, moment.
In a duel between masters, that single moment was more than enough.
The Qiankun Ruyi Staff in Chen Li’s hand erupted with a brilliant dark light. All three hundred and sixty-five Profound Acupoints in his body trembled in unison as boundless Inner Qi surged forth, all of it channeled into a single strike.
’Die!’
The staff lanced out like a dragon—as fast as lightning and utterly ruthless, carrying with it the force to shatter mountains and divert rivers.
The dark tip of the staff struck with pinpoint accuracy right between the gray-robed man’s eyebrows—a spot he was completely unable to evade.
THUMP!
A faint, brittle crack.
The ferocious force from the staff bored into his brain, instantly extinguishing all life.
The malice, horror, and shock in the gray-robed man’s eyes froze solid. A moment later, his head exploded like a smashed watermelon, killing him on the spot.
From the moment Chen Li attacked to the moment he killed his opponent, a mere dozen breaths had passed.
In the alley outside the courtyard, Bai San, who had collapsed to the ground, trembled uncontrollably as he witnessed the scene. His face was ashen, and his eyes, when he looked at Chen Li, were filled with an unprecedented level of fear and awe.
Chen Li lowered his staff, his cold gaze sweeping over the corpse on the ground. His Spiritual Sense spread out like flowing mercury, instantly blanketing the entire courtyard and its surroundings to confirm there were no other ambushes or prying eyes. He then glanced at the terrified Bai San on the other side of the wall and commanded, "Get in here! Lead the way!"
A shudder ran through Bai San, and he scrambled over the courtyard wall. His legs felt as weak as overcooked noodles, and he stumbled a few times before he managed to stand steady.
He caught sight of the gray-robed man’s gruesome corpse on the ground and swallowed hard, his voice dry and cracking. "M-milord... th-this way. The secret room is behind the wine cellar..."
Chen Li said nothing more, simply motioning with his eyes for Bai San to lead on.
On trembling legs, Bai San led Chen Li into the wine cellar and stopped before the open secret door.
A cold, damp draft wafted up from the depths of the dark, descending staircase, as if it led to the lair of some slumbering beast.
Chen Li sent his Spiritual Sense probing downward first. He perceived no living auras below, only dead silence.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and he again motioned for Bai San to go first.
Bai San swallowed nervously. Steeling himself, he practically used his hands and feet to grope his way down the stairs.
Chen Li followed close behind, his sharp gaze vigilantly scanning every inch of the surrounding shadows.
The secret room was hidden deep underground. The passage walls were lined with countless niches, each one crammed with hundreds of grotesque idols.
Some had human heads and serpentine bodies. Others had massive elephant heads atop cross-legged human forms. There were even some with four heads and eight arms, their faces savage and terrifying...
Chen Li had seen these idols years ago; he naturally knew their origin.
The main chamber was quite spacious.
In the center of the room was a ten-foot-long bed made of gray bricks. Crammed underneath it were twenty or thirty old rush cushions.
A single, dim ever-burning oil lamp was set into the wall. Its pea-sized flame flickered restlessly, throwing their shadows onto the rough stone walls, stretching and shrinking them erratically and adding to the sinister atmosphere.
On the desks flanking the brick bed were messy piles of books, scrolls, and scattered letters.
Chen Li strode forward and quickly began to leaf through them.
Most of the letters were heavily creased, evidence that they had been delivered multiple times by methods such as carrier pigeon.
The content was mostly confidential correspondence with the Water Bandits, and it was filled with what was clearly underworld jargon, making it difficult to follow.
Chen Li had never moved in the Jianghu, so he frowned deeply as he read. He immediately waved Bai San over to take a look.
"Milord... I... I don’t think I understand it either."
Bai San’s face was a mask of misery. When he saw Chen Li’s gaze turn cold and flash with killing intent, he hastily explained, "Milord, every trade has its own ways! I’m with the Thief Sect, we’re not in the same line of work as these bandits. Their lingo, their code words... I really... I really can’t understand them!"
Chen Li snorted coldly and ignored him. His gaze returned to the letters, his brow furrowing even more tightly.
He noticed that three place names in the letters—"Black Fish’s Mouth," "Lao Yatan," and "San Cha Ferry"—were mentioned with a frequency that was far from normal. These were clearly not ordinary places.
He set the letters aside and began to look through the account books, but was sorely disappointed.
The ledgers were kept in a bizarre fashion, and most of the entries were obscure and difficult to understand.
Only one entry made his gaze harden.
"Yama Lord of Life: purchased two pounds of grain, has not returned from brewing."
He instantly recalled the "Two Immortals of Life and Death" who had once pursued his eldest son.
’The meaning of that sentence was likely far from what it seemed on the surface.’
Just as he was about to examine the other items, his fingertips brushed against something hard.
He pushed aside some papers and found a White Jade Pendant with a smooth, lustrous texture pressed underneath.
He picked it up for a closer look. The craftsmanship of the Jade Pendant was exquisite. The character "Zhang" was clearly engraved on the front in an ancient script.
A cold glint flashed in Chen Li’s eyes. His fingers traced the cool surface of the Jade Pendant as his mind raced.
’Zhang? Zhang Chengzong, or Zhang Heming?’
Without further hesitation, he took a piece of oilcloth from the desk and carefully wrapped up all the books, letters, and the Jade Pendant.
While Chen Li was completely absorbed in the documents on the desk, Bai San’s shifty eyes were darting all over the place.
Seeing that Chen Li was distracted, the greed etched into his very bones reared its ugly head.
Relying on a thief’s intuition and muscle memory, he began to silently probe the corners of the secret room.
As his fingertips traced the cold stone wall, he suddenly felt a slightly loose brick in a crevice.
His heart leaped. He carefully pried it open, revealing a hidden hollow in the wall. Tucked inside was a heavy little bundle, tightly wrapped in thick oilcloth.
Bai San’s heart began to pound wildly.
He stole a glance at Chen Li and, seeing that he was still focused on the letters, quickly took out the small package, turned his back, and secretly opened it.
"Hiss..."
Even though he had been mentally prepared, Bai San couldn’t help but gasp, his eyes instantly widening into perfect circles.