The old man continued, "But this scoundrel's ankle was injured by my horsetail whisk, so he couldn't have gone far. I tracked him here; have you seen this man, young friend?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Mu was taken aback. A man in red clothes... an injured ankle... Could it be that brother? A Demon Palace Disciple? That young master in red, is he a Demon Palace Disciple? And he massacred Li Shanren's entire household in Pan City? Thinking of this, Wang Mu's scalp tingled slightly, an inexplicable chill gripped his heart, and he almost blurted out the truth.

However, just then, something he vaguely remembered flickered through his mind, preventing him from speaking directly.

"I seem to have seen him…" Wang Mu fell silent for a moment.

"Please tell me!" the old man exclaimed, overjoyed. "This Devil is extremely brutal and utterly cruel. I must capture him!"

"He seemed to have gone that way…" Wang Mu pointed outside the dilapidated temple. "There were bloodstains on the road leading from that direction…"

Hearing this, the old man nodded and immediately used his Qinggong to swiftly give chase.

Wang Mu returned inside the dilapidated temple and closed the door. He walked up to the Buddha statue, not yet speaking.

Just then, a red figure appeared before him, a sharp wooden stake pointed at Wang Mu.

"Brother, what is this about?" Wang Mu asked.

"Why didn't you reveal my identity just now?" The young master in red stared at Wang Mu, his eyes narrowing.

Wang Mu said, "Brother, since you intervened to save me by killing those bandits, even if that doesn't prove you are a disciple of the Righteous, it at least shows you're not one to kill the innocent indiscriminately.

"Whether the slaughter of Li Shanren's family in Pan City was your doing or not, I do not know. But I think there must be some misunderstanding here."

Wang Mu slowly voiced his deductions, "From my perspective, this matter is quite strange; it's not as simple as it seems."

The young master in red was momentarily startled, a flicker of interest in his eyes. He put away the wooden stake, saying, "Let's hear it.

"I'm curious to hear what insights a Jianghu greenhorn like you, with such meager Martial Arts, could possibly have."

Wang Mu walked to one side and said, "During my trip to Pan City, I heard that many children had disappeared, yet the authorities did nothing. I made inquiries and, in a small village near Pan City, learned from a woman who had lost her young son that before his disappearance, he had been studying at the academy in Pan City with Li Shanren's youngest son.

"Later, I went to the academy to inquire and discovered that the two boys were good friends, yet only the woman's son had vanished…

"Before he vanished, her son had been invited to Li Shanren's for a meal, and the next day, he disappeared on the way home…

"I suspect it might have something to do with Li Shanren's household… When I went to inquire at Li Shanren's, he told me they were also grieved and had sent many servants to search Pan City, but to no avail…

"I wanted to inquire further, but Li Shanren turned me away, claiming he was busy with household affairs and couldn't receive guests…

"It's just that…" Wang Mu paused, thinking for a moment. "As I was leaving, I found a writing brush in an auxiliary courtyard of Li Shanren's home. I took that brush back to the village and showed it to the woman. She said she had bought it for her son to use for his studies; it was his most cherished possession…

"If it was his most cherished possession, why would he have left it at Li Shanren's house?

"I believe her son's disappearance must be connected to Li Shanren's family… It's just that with my limited strength and little influence, I couldn't investigate further…

"Now that Li Shanren's entire household has been exterminated, I fear there's a karmic reason behind it. Allow me to speculate boldly: the case of the disappearing children in Pan City is very likely inextricably linked to Li Shanren…

"It might even have been their doing…

"Later, when their vile deeds were on the verge of being exposed, the family was wiped out… The perpetrator specifically used the Demon Martial Arts of the Shura Demon Palace. It could genuinely be the work of Demon Palace Disciples, but it's also possible someone intended to frame the Shura Demon Palace, thereby attracting the attention of the Jianghu world…"

The more Wang Mu spoke, the brighter the young master in red's eyes became.

"I never expected that a mere novice like you, new to Jianghu and with such poor Martial Arts…" A faint smile touched the lips of the young master in red, a hint of appreciation in his eyes. "To think you could deduce all this… Truly impressive, very impressive indeed!"

Wang Mu said sheepishly, "My master taught us that all common things in this world undergo three stages of perception: 'See a mountain as a mountain, see a mountain as not a mountain, and see a mountain still as a mountain…'

"Before the truth of a matter is revealed, like clouds concealing a mountain, one must not act rashly, lest great disaster ensue."

The young master in red laughed heartily a few times. "Master Carefree of Leisure Cloud Valley is indeed a rare and remarkable figure in this world…

"Kid, not revealing my identity earlier was decent of you. Unfortunately, your Martial Arts are quite weak…"

The young master in red flicked his wrist, producing a book. "I acquired this Martial Arts manual just recently. It happens to be perfect for your current stage of Cultivation."

With that, his toes tapped lightly, and his figure vanished from the dilapidated temple, leaving behind a faint, lingering fragrance.

"Brother, I still don't know your name..."

"My name is Mu Hong… Mu Hongxue," a fading voice replied.

Wang Mu nodded, committing the name to memory, then looked at the Martial Arts manual.

"Four Seasons Yin Yang Palm."

He opened and inspected it, discovering it to be a remarkable technique. The Four Seasons Yin Yang Palm could be practiced through Cultivation in the four different seasons, each yielding distinct powerful effects. It embodied the Zhou Tian transformations of Yin Yang and was infinitely profound. It was indeed a genuine Superior Hand Technique, though easy to learn but difficult to master.

[Cultivation: …Four Seasons Yin Yang Palm (+)]

* * *

「Fengyue Valley, back mountains.」

The vivid red figure gazed at the scene on the painted screen, as if immersed within it, and murmured,

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