Chapter 149: A False Front

Junior Brother Ding killed a perfected Great Proliferation Realm, third-rank Form Transfigured powerhouse?

He killed someone of that caliber with just a few sword strokes?

Even with a surprise attack, that is far too extraordinary!

Surely they hadn’t fought a fierce battle in the room, with Junior Brother Ding even finishing the spirit channeling, while I noticed absolutely nothing?

Or perhaps... that was exactly what happened?

Junior Brother Ding is closing in on Junior Sister Zheng’s current level, his strength on par with a third-rank Form Transfigured...

He is only at the early Great Proliferation Realm. How formidable would he be when he reaches the middle and late stages? If he reaches the perfected Great Proliferation Realm, wouldn’t he be equivalent to a Grandmaster who has just entered the Dharma Realm?

Pan Yunzhou’s thoughts churned like boiling water, speculations rising one after another.

And no matter which possibility he considered, all of them pointed to a conclusion that left him deeply shaken.

Seeing the station master staring at him, Pan Yunzhou remembered that he had already promised his junior brother to take responsibility for this, and forced out a smile.

"He was overconfident. He didn’t realize we hadn’t slept at all and were only pretending to, so I suddenly sprang at him and sliced his throat..."

Pan Yunzhou talked and talked, producing reason after reason, yet found he couldn’t bring himself to say outright, "Yes, I killed him."

All at once, a thought struck him.

When I killed the Xiaoyang, Junior Brother Ding was nearby. Had that also involved his secret assistance?

And when Junior Sister Zheng killed the Accumulated Evil Way demon, killed Xie Zi’an, killed He Luo, and killed the second of the Three Villains of Xiao City, Junior Brother Ding had been with her every time. Even if he hadn’t struck directly, the distance between them would never have exceeded twenty meters...

Had he been involved in those too?

No, no. He lost badly every time he sparred with Junior Sister Zheng. She truly did have the ability to kill a fourth-rank Mortal Surpassed martial artist; after installing the Vermilion Bird viscera, she is also capable of holding her own against a third-rank Form Transfigured powerhouse. By the time she reaches the late Great Proliferation Realm, she might well make it onto the Orchid Fresh List.

The Brightnight Sect’s current generation has actually produced two extraordinary talents. Were it not for the limitations of its cultivation arts, it might well become a top-tier power in the future!

The station master, seeing Pan Yunzhou’s detailed account with Tang Du’s corpse right there in front of him, harbored not the slightest suspicion. He rose to his feet.

"This is a major criminal; the bounty is too large for Immortal Grotto County to pay out. You’ll need to go to the prefectural city at least. Gentlemen, I’ll send two post station soldiers to accompany you to Huachang County tomorrow?"

Under normal circumstances, Pan Yunzhou and Ding Songyan could simply bring Tang Du’s head to the prefectural city and collect the bounty. But the incident had taken place at a post station, and as the official in charge, the station master naturally had to send an escort, prepare documentation, and submit a formal account.

"Fine." Ding Songyan answered before Pan Yunzhou could, sparing his senior brother from having to glance over at him for approval in a way that would needlessly raise suspicion.

Senior Sister Zheng could do that and no one would think anything of it. She was known for being fair and respectful of her junior siblings’ opinions. But Pan Yunzhou had no such reputation; turning to his junior brother too often would give people the impression of someone "seeking instructions."

Aren’t we supposed to hurry to Immortal Grotto County and get back quickly? Pan Yunzhou was bewildered, but kept it off his face.

He went along with it.

The station master crouched back down and searched the corpse, turning up more than twenty taels of silver, several dozen copper coins, and a set of throwing knives.

"Young Hero Pan, Young Hero Ding, these are yours." The station master had mainly been looking for any letters.

Ding Songyan smiled and said, "We’ll be troubling you and your two men again tomorrow. In this bitter cold, please accept this as our treat for everyone to have a warm bowl of soup.

"Don’t refuse, we’ll be collecting a generous bounty, after all."

"Indeed." Pan Yunzhou hadn’t expected his junior brother to be more practiced at this sort of thing than he was.

The station master beside the corpse and the soldiers at the door first registered surprise, then offered their praise in turn.

"Most generous, the both of you!"

"Truly noble!"

Seeing that everyone was pleased, Ding Songyan then said with a smile, "Tang Du said something just before he died.

"’Capsized Vessel School... heading to Flame Capital...’"

Being in Yuejiang Prefecture and close to Immortal Grotto County, Ding Songyan had no wish to reveal that he was capable of spirit channeling, yet he felt it necessary to pass the information along.

"Capsized Vessel School... Flame Capital..." The station master suspected nothing, only murmuring, "According to the wanted notice, Tang Du did have ties to the Capsized Vessel School. But why would he say that before he died?"

"Perhaps when a man is about to die, his words turn to good," Ding Songyan said earnestly.

The station master and the soldiers asked nothing more, left Tang Du’s head behind, carried the body away, and had the inn’s servants set about washing the floor and the room.

With no empty room to retreat to and the room being cleaned, Ding Songyan stepped into the corridor.

He acknowledged the gazes coming from every direction with a smile, then stood beside Pan Yunzhou with an air of unmistakable pride, as if declaring to all: my Senior Brother Pan is invincible in the world.

Wu Jiting from the huangliang dream had also been roused by the commotion and had learned what happened. He came over now, his expression guilt-ridden, and said to Ding Songyan,

"Young Hero Ding, it is because of me that your treasure was exposed and you faced this ordeal."

"Ordeal? Senior Brother Pan and I stand to collect a bounty of 19,000 taels. We can go claim it at the prefectural city tomorrow," Ding Songyan said this deliberately, not lowering his voice, so that the guests in the surrounding rooms could all hear.

He smiled and continued, "We dared to bring out the huangliang awakening block because we are confident in our own strength."

Only then did Wu Jiting let out a breath of relief, no longer feeling that he owed Young Hero Ding a debt.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ding Songyan and Pan Yunzhou went back in and shut the wooden door once the room had been tidied up.

Pan Yunzhou looked at his junior brother, lips moving for a moment before he spoke.

"The night is still deep. Why don’t we rest a while longer?"

"Take the bed, Senior Brother Pan. I’ll review the earlier fight." Ding Songyan smiled in approval.

Senior Sister respected others’ secrets and didn’t pry. Senior Brother Pan knew what to ask and what to leave alone.

Pan Yunzhou gave a quiet nod and lay down on the bed without asking a single question, as if Tang Du truly had been killed by his own hand.

Ding Songyan turned his mind carefully to every detail the Accumulating Water Divine Art and Fathomless Depths had displayed in the fight.

...

The next morning, the skies gradually cleared. Everyone at the inn knew that Ding Songyan and Pan Yunzhou were heading to the prefectural city with Tang Du’s head to collect the bounty.

About a quarter of an hour along the road toward Huachang County, when the other travelers of varying paces had all disappeared from sight, Ding Songyan, now dressed as a scholar and wearing a carefree-wanderer cap, reined in his horse and said to the two post station soldiers with a smile,

"Brothers, after much consideration, I feel I can’t let the matter in Immortal Grotto County wait any longer. It’s nothing big. I can handle it on my own. Please accompany Senior Brother Pan to the prefectural city. I only assisted and threw in a stroke; my presence makes no difference either way."

The two post station soldiers, who had pocketed the soup money, nodded agreeably and agreed.

Ding Songyan brought his horse alongside Pan Yunzhou and said softly, "Senior Brother Pan, once you’ve collected the bounty, find a sect disciple or steward at the Hongxin Trading Company to escort you to Immortal Grotto County. No rush, just arrive before dark. We’ll meet in front of the county office."

So Junior Brother Ding wants to conceal his whereabouts? Pan Yunzhou nodded solemnly.

Citing his superior movement technique, Ding Songyan left his horse and pack with Pan Yunzhou, taking only Frostshade and his personal items. He activated Waxing Moon Phantom Form and departed, keeping to the woodland alongside the road the whole way to avoid any watching eyes.

Just over an hour later, he arrived at Ge Family Village, located several miles outside Immortal Grotto County’s city walls.

It was close to noon, and the languid warmth of the winter sun spilled over the high stone-and-timber walls encircling the village.

Bearing no physical anomalies, Ding Songyan was not subjected to much scrutiny when he entered, but outsiders were rare in the countryside, and the gate soldiers still had him register his origin and name.

Ding Songyan picked up the brush and wrote with a flourish.

"Brightnight Sect, Pan Yunzhou."

If his disreputable companion hadn’t already become a Grandmaster with a considerable reputation, Ding Songyan figured he would have written "True Spirit Sect, Ren Youyang."

Inside the village, he looked around, walked to an old willow tree, pulled up the hem of his robe, and sat down casually at its roots.

Sword across his knees, Ding Songyan watched the comings and goings of the village with a smile.

This demeanor, combined with his position at the village’s main thoroughfare, quickly made him the center of attention; everyone who passed by cast at least a glance his way.

Ding Songyan met their looks with perfect ease, and waited.

The cold winter sun climbed higher and higher until it stood at the center of the sky, and a middle-aged man in a dark red short jacket came walking along the village path.

He glanced at Ding Songyan in passing, then his gaze suddenly froze.

His expression shifted slightly. He turned stiffly and walked back the way he had come, heading quickly deeper into the village.

Watching this, the corner of Ding Songyan’s mouth slowly curved upward.

He gripped Frostshade, rose to his feet, dusted off his robe, and followed,moving at a pace that looked unhurried but was in fact swift.

The man hurried back to his mud-walled home and was about to pull the gate shut when a sheathed longsword slipped through the gap and held it open.

"Have you nothing to say?" Ding Songyan smiled pleasantly from outside the gate.

The man’s expression turned thoroughly nasty.

"You already left. Why did you come back?"

"Some things need to be settled." Ding Songyan had no intention of letting the man realize he remembered nothing at all, and played the riddle with practiced ease.

"That has nothing to do with me! You’re the one who agreed to go and tell stories for Old Jiang!" The man grew agitated.

Storytelling again? In this world, is storytelling a high-risk profession...? Ding Songyan muttered to himself, then chose his words carefully.

"I’m a storyteller. I go where the money is. I trusted you, which is why I was caught off guard."

The man immediately swore an oath.

"Heaven above, I, Seventh Ge, had no idea Old Jiang was a rotten egg. I only found out what he was plotting after I overheard him later. If I speak a single false word, let me bleed from all seven orifices and die!"

Seventh Ge then looked at Ding Songyan with an ingratiating smile.

"You’re fine, aren’t you? He’s the one who died!"

Old Jiang is dead? Ding Songyan looked at Seventh Ge and said thoughtfully, "As you know, I was in a daze for some time afterward. I’m not entirely clear on how Old Jiang died or why no constables ever came for me. Do you have any idea?"

Seventh Ge shot Ding Songyan a wary, hunched look.

"I don’t know what happened either. All I know is that one of you went into a stupor and the other died. Old Jiang had no family and no one knew where he came from. The authorities didn’t even know he existed, so I quietly buried him."

"What did you overhear at the time?" Ding Songyan had deliberately circled around before asking this.

Seventh Ge swallowed.

"He wanted... to swap into a younger body..."

At that, Seventh Ge’s eyes suddenly went blank and his body began to tremble.

"You... you wouldn’t happen to be Old Jiang, would you?"

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