No matter what, seeing that Chen Tang was unharmed, the three felt relieved and let out a sigh of relief.

Wang Yanli couldn't help but laugh, "What a coincidence, Cai was worried about your safety. As soon as he got back from Lord Tan, he brought us here to save you."

"Who would have thought, you handled it yourself."

Wei Qun shook his head helplessly.

Cai Yin rode over, looked at Chen Tang, and asked, "Are you hurt?"

Chen Tang replied, "Luckily, the Cyan Dragon Armor blocked a lot of the damage."

Cai Yin nodded, glanced at the sword wounds on the corpses, and said, "Your swordsmanship is impressive."

Wei Qun stepped forward, examined a few bodies, and said solemnly, "They seem to be Snow Thieves who have been wandering within Pingzhou's borders in recent years."

"To mobilize the Snow Thieves, was it the Huo Family or Han Lang?" Wang Yanli frowned.

"Han Lang is definitely involved in this,"

Wei Qun said, "Otherwise, it wouldn't be so easy for these Snow Thieves to enter the city."

Wang Yanli asked, "Cai, could we summon Han Lang to the bureau for investigation over this matter?"

"It's useless."

Cai replied, "Someone like Han Lang, who's been mingling in the officialdom for so many years. Checking it out would probably only result in blaming the gate guards for dereliction. Moreover, with no evidence, there's no way to bring him down."

Wang Yanli nodded.

Cai looked thoughtful and said, "However, we can still annoy him a bit."

"Get a few people to come over later, carry these bodies away, and deliver them to the county government office in the morning. I can then find an excuse to give him a scolding."

Seeing Chen Tang still searching the bodies, Wang Yanli couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing?"

"Searching the bodies... ah, no, checking if there's any clue on them."

Chen Tang coughed lightly.

Almost said the truth out loud.

Cai seemed to think of something suddenly and said, "Chen Tang, let's go! We should check your home, be cautious about anything happening there!"

"No way,"

Chen Tang responded casually.

There were the old man and Qingmu at home, and such small fry couldn't harm even him, let alone the old man and others.

Cai said, "These people are ruthless and would stop at nothing."

Urged by Cai, Chen Tang finally searched the last body and then set off toward his home with the three.

Before long, the four of them arrived at Chen Tang's house.

The surroundings were silent.

Cai glanced around and, finding nothing unusual, followed Chen Tang into the courtyard.

The courtyard was clean and tidy.

But Chen Tang caught a faint scent of blood!

Chen Tang advanced and opened the door to the old man's room for a look.

The old man and Meng Liangyu were both inside.

At this moment, Meng Liangyu hadn't yet gone to bed. Upon seeing him, her expression suddenly turned very complex, and her eyes were somewhat peculiar.

Chen Tang didn't know what it meant and didn't think much of it.

As long as the people were safe.

He also went to Qingmu's room for a look; both women, big and small, were unharmed.

"Nothing's wrong,"

Chen Tang returned and said softly.

Wang Yanli also laughed and said, "That's good, it seems they just wanted to target you."

Cai had said nothing all along.

He had just caught a faint scent of blood too.

But he couldn't be sure if it originated here or was left behind.

He simply had a feeling that something had just happened here, and it couldn't be as quiet as it seemed now!

There was one detail that confirmed this feeling.

The latch on the courtyard door had been forcibly broken.

Cai took a turn around the courtyard, looking here and there.

"What's wrong, Cai?"

Chen Tang asked.

"Nothing,"

Cai maintained a calm exterior, but was secretly surprised inside.

On the pillars and lintel in this courtyard, he noticed several small holes.

They weren't made by feathered arrows or concealed weapons.

They looked more like crossbow bolts!

It seemed there had just been a major fight here.

Or possibly a massacre.

Interesting.

Cai didn't speak up, but left with Wei Qun and Wang Yanli.

Chen Tang saw them out.

Standing at the courtyard's entrance, Cai hesitated, looked at Chen Tang, and said, "There were some words I didn't finish earlier."

Earlier in the Guard Captain Hall, Cai was about to talk to him about the forces behind the Huo Family when Tan Wujiu summoned him away.

"Behind the Huo Family stands the He Family, and He Yeqian is not only a regional official but also royalty. So, I have to remind you,"

Cai said solemnly, "In Wu'an County, try not to offend the Huo Family. Unless it's treason or there's an imperial decree, the Cyan Dragon Bureau won't touch the Huo Family."

The implication of these words was clear.

If Chen Tang really went against the Huo Family, even the Cyan Dragon Bureau might not be able to protect him!

After a pause, Cai added a reminder, "At the very least, you can't do it openly."

At that moment, three riders came galloping from the direction of the Cyan Dragon Bureau: Yue Shou, Mo Zilian, and Chi Yun.

Judging from their expressions, Cai knew something had happened again tonight!

"Cai,"

as they approached, Yue Shou said in a deep voice, "Something happened at Baihua Tower, the Huo Family's Third Young Master, Huo Ziyi, is dead. Along with his personal guards, over twenty people, all dead!"

"What?"

Cai was taken aback.

Chen Tang and the others were also shocked.

Cai had just warned them not to provoke the Huo Family.

And the Third Young Master Huo ended up dead.

Their first thought was of Chen Tang.

But Chen Tang being with them, it's absolutely impossible for him to have gone to Baihua Tower to kill someone.

Moreover, the Third Young Master Huo had over twenty personal guards with him.

Cai Yin frowned and asked, "As far as I know, Huo Ziyi also had a personal guard by his side, a Fifth Grade expert."

"They're all dead, their throats slashed!"

Yue Shou said, "This matter has blown up. The Heir of Duke Wu'an, County Captain Han Lang, Commander Li Yan, the Observatory Master of Profound Celestial Temple, and even Lord Tan have all rushed over. Lord Tan wants us to notify Cai now to go over immediately."

A Fifth Grade is also dead?

Cai Yin secretly trembled.

"Causing such a commotion in the middle of the night."

Cai Yin waved his hand and said, "Let's go over and take a look."

...

Baihua Tower.

In the dead of night, it was still brightly lit inside and out, with Commandery guards cordoning it off tightly.

Cai Yin and his group showed their identities and walked in.

From the gate of the courtyard all the way forward to the third floor of Baihua Tower, there were corpses of Huo Family guards.

At this time, the third floor was already packed with people.

Almost all of them were significant figures in Wu'an County.

The status of the Huo Family in Wu'an County was evident.

As Cai Yin walked along, he saw holes left by crossbow arrows on beams and columns, casting several glances at Chen Tang along the way.

He led Chen Tang and his group directly to the third floor.

"Sir, we're not too late."

Upon seeing Tan Wujiu, Cai Yin whispered a sentence.

This sentence seemed to refer to the present, but it had another implication.

Cai Yin asked, "What's going on here?"

Tan Wujiu glanced at Chen Tang, showing a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Almost simultaneously, Han Lang saw Chen Tang appear and frowned slightly.

Commander Li Yan, accompanied by Li Boxiong and Li Zhongmou, was also present.

The brothers Li Boxiong and Li Zhongmou noticed Chen Tang and nodded at him from a distance, as a form of greeting.

"Xiaomei, briefly explain to him."

Tan Wujiu instructed, then approached the corpse on the desk to examine with a frown.

Chen Tang could clearly see that the dead body lying on the desk was that of the Third Young Master Huo, his eyes wide open in fear, looking quite terrified before his death.

Qin Xiaomei came to Cai Yin's side and said softly, "I heard the Third Young Master Huo was hosting a banquet here, drinking at this place. Then, for some unknown reason, a group of people suddenly barged in. Among them was someone holding a crossbow, who killed Huo Ziyi and his guards, and then vanished without a trace."

The third floor of Baihua Tower was a buzz of whispers and discussions.

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out, silencing the crowd instantly.

"There aren't many forces in Wu'an County that can mobilize such a group."

The speaker was a man in his thirties, looking like a refined scholar, his voice deep and magnetic, seemingly carrying an inexplicable force.

The Crown Prince of Marquis Wu'an's Mansion, the son-in-law of the Pingzhou Governor, Huo Zinan!

The Marquis Wu'an was old and often ill, bedridden.

In recent years, the affairs of the Marquis's Mansion were almost entirely managed by this Crown Prince.

In the eyes of the public, Huo Zinan was the Marquis Wu'an.

Moreover, his wife was the daughter of the Pingzhou Governor.

The reason why so many significant figures from Wu'an County gathered here was also to avoid suspicion and prevent any misunderstandings.

Huo Zinan wasn't wrong.

In Wu'an County, there are less than ten forces that can command such a group.

Among them, most had no enmity with the Huo Family.

Huo Zinan glanced across the faces of the crowd, finally fixing his gaze on Commander Li Yan.

"Uncle Li, don't you agree?"

Huo Zinan asked slowly.

The open and secret rivalry between the Huo and Li families had been no secret for years.

The Third Young Master Huo meeting with misfortune led Huo Zinan to immediately suspect the Li Family, unsurprisingly.

Li Yan said solemnly, "If this force possesses crossbows, it probably has ties to the military."

Han Lang's face changed.

Li Yan's words had shifted the blame onto him.

Military defenses in Wu'an County were under his jurisdiction.

Huo Zinan asked softly, "Lord Han, what's going on? Can you offer me an explanation?"

"Actually..."

Han Lang hesitated, ready to speak but paused.

Huo Zinan commanded loudly, "Speak!"

"Crown Prince."

At that moment, Tan Wujiu suddenly said, "A word, please."

Huo Zinan hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

He still had to show some courtesy to the Cyan Dragon Bureau.

Han Lang quickly stepped forward, whispered to him, "The Third Young Master Huo was hosting a banquet here tonight, intending to seize a woman, and he already sent someone to do it."

"That woman is Chen Tang's cousin."

As he spoke, Han Lang glanced at Chen Tang and briefly explained Chen Tang's background.

Huo Zinan asked, "And those he sent?"

"Vanished."

Han Lang swallowed and said, "Not on that side, nor have they returned, as if they disappeared into thin air."

Huo Zinan squinted slightly, casting a deep look at Chen Tang.

Then he followed Tan Wujiu to a corner of the third floor.

Tan Wujiu asked, "It seems the Crown Prince already knows the origin of this group?"

"I don't know, but it likely relates to a woman."

Huo Zinan replied, "What did Lord Tan discover?"

Tan Wujiu, with a serious expression, said slowly, "I just examined the wounds of the Third Young Master Huo and the Fifth Grade expert. The wounds were likely caused by a dagger or similar weapon, accompanied by signs of burning."

"What does that prove?"

"That should be a wound from a Phoenix Beak Saber."

Huo Zinan's expression changed slightly.

Phoenix Beak Saber, the weapon of the Vermilion Bird Guard!

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