Chapter 46 – A Conspiracy Behind It All?

“Do these black-clad men have any distinctive features?” Shi Xian asked Xiaojiu .

Xiaojiu  recalled what County Magistrate Shen had said and replied, “They don’t have any obvious features. But Magistrate Shen once led the county yamen to try and capture them—whenever one of them was caught, they would die immediately.”

“Suicide? Or…?” Qin Xu asked.

“Magistrate Shen said it was suicide, but my Cuihua told me it seemed like they only killed themselves after hearing some kind of sound.” Xiaojiu  answered truthfully.

“Do you know exactly what kind of sound?”

Xiaojiu  shook her head.

Cuihua had only said it was strange—like a birdcall, but also like a flute. It was definitely something she had never heard before.

The group fell silent.

Xiaojiu  looked at the still-crying Man Cang and said, “Come back to the village with us. Train hard, and when we find the ones responsible, we’ll get revenge together. Okay?”

“Yes, we’ll train together, and later we’ll take revenge with you,” Zhao Hu and the others promised solemnly.

Man Cang nodded, wiping his tears, a surge of determination and gratitude filling his young heart.

He would find the other children from the town. He would avenge his father.

They helped Man Cang bury the townspeople.

Once Man Cang had packed up the things from the inn, he turned for one last look at the place he had grown up, his heart aching in ways words couldn’t express.

At the entrance to the town, Man Cang knelt and kowtowed several times toward the mountain where the villagers were buried.

“Uncles, aunts, everyone in Xiangyun Town—don’t worry. I will bring back the children from our town.”

“And Father… Man Cang met the same people who stayed at our inn last time. They are very, very good people. They saved me. Rest assured, Father, I will train hard and avenge our town and you… Father, you must take care of yourself down there. Your son is leaving now.”

He clutched the bundle in his arms tightly—it held his father’s favorite abacus. He wanted to take it as a keepsake.

Before leaving, Xiaojiu  used her spiritual sense to sweep the entire town. She found no one else alive and finally gave up.

The group set off for Taoyuan Village again, their mood heavy.

Along the way, the children were listless, like frost-wilted eggplants, no longer bouncing around like when they’d first arrived.

Xiaojiu  asked Qin Xu, “Do you have anyone in mind as a suspect?”

She had just noticed that the eldest disciple of Gu Lao seemed to know something.

Qin Xu thought for a moment before answering, “It’s just a guess… Eight years ago, my junior sister and I went down the mountain with our martial uncle. We ran into two masked men who tried to kidnap us. But our martial uncle was skilled in martial arts—he caught them right away. The moment they were caught, they killed themselves on the spot.”

“My martial uncle said they didn’t look like they committed suicide of their own will—it was more like they were under someone’s control and killed themselves.”

“He wanted to take the two bodies back to the valley for study, but a group of people suddenly rushed out from the shadows and snatched the corpses away.”

“So this group has been active for many years. But with so many dead and so many children missing, the court hasn’t heard a word about it.” Shi Xian’s tone was angry.

It was unclear whether the court had covered it up, or if the local county offices had simply ignored it and failed to report it.

After a moment of thought, Shi Xian continued, “There must be a huge force behind this. Otherwise, it’s impossible to explain how they can operate so quietly. The missing children and these killings might just be the tip of the iceberg. The real goal and plan could be far more complicated than we imagine.”

Qin Xu nodded, a flicker of worry in his eyes. “What I fear is that if this force is truly strong enough to manipulate the court’s information, then with just the few of us, taking revenge would be no different from throwing an egg at a rock.”

Xiaojiu  clenched her fists. “So what? I don’t care who’s behind him—I’ll drag him out and beat him to death.”

Shi Xian gently patted Xiaojiu ’s little head and said warmly, “Mm, Uncle will help you find the mastermind.”

With this trip, the children had gained yet another goal:

Revenge!

And finding the kidnapped child!

…

With their fighting spirit rekindled, the group trained even harder on the journey back, not daring to rest for even a moment.

Shi Xian, who had grown up fighting with the Shi family army at the border, instructed the children not only in martial arts but also in military strategy.

When it came to warfare, Shi Xian carried a kind of battlefield-born confidence and composure, as if it were part of his nature.

“Remember, a true warrior isn’t just strong—they are wise as well,” Shi Xian said firmly, every word like a heavy hammer striking the children’s hearts.

Zhao Hu and the others listened with rapt attention to his teachings.

“The Art of War says: ‘Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.’” Shi Xian shifted his tone and began recounting famous battles and strategies from history.

His voice rose and fell, as though transporting the children to thrilling, life-and-death battlefields, making them feel both the cruelty of war and the importance of wisdom.

Xiaojiu  and the others listened, utterly absorbed. They could almost see the heroic, unstoppable figures of warriors on the battlefield, and almost hear the ancient war drums thundering and soldiers shouting.

Their hearts filled with admiration and respect for those who defended their homeland, and their determination to master martial arts grew even stronger.

Night deepened as the carriage sped along until they came to a roadside teahouse.

“Shall we rest here for a bit?” Qin Xu suggested.

Everyone agreed.

The teahouse owner came out at the sound, face full of smiles, warmly inviting them to sit.

“Dear guests, you must be weary from your journey. How about some hot tea to warm you up?”

As he spoke, the owner deftly lifted the teapot and poured steaming tea for them all.

The rising fragrance of tea chased away the chill clinging to them and soothed the fatigue of their travels.

Xiaojiu  held her cup, gently blowing on it, while looking around.

Inside the teahouse, there were about a dozen tables, with seven or eight already occupied.

“Where is this?” she asked curiously.

“This is near Yangping County. Usually, there’s a teahouse like this outside every county so travelers can rest,” Shi Xian replied.

Xiaojiu  was about to ask something else when—

Suddenly, a rapid clatter of hooves outside shattered their quiet conversation.

“Boss, give me a bowl of hot tea and some dry rations to go,” said a young man dressed in a Taoist robe, tossing a bit of broken silver onto the table as he spoke.

He then found a corner seat and sat down, breathing heavily. It was clear he had been traveling in great haste, as if chasing someone.

Xiaojiu  studied the Taoist curiously.

She had thought Taoists were all elderly men with an air of immortal grace, but this one looked only fifteen or sixteen, and seemed far from steady or dignified—nothing like what she imagined a Taoist to be.

At that moment, the young man looked up, meeting Xiaojiu ’s gaze.

They stared at each other for a moment before the young man’s face filled with puzzlement.

Huh?

This little girl seemed shrouded in a mist, her features hard to read, as if a mysterious force blocked him from seeing her fate.

How strange.

It was the first time he had encountered something like this.

He grinned at Xiaojiu , a greeting of sorts.

That smile seemed to flip some kind of switch—

Activating Xiaojiu ’s extrovert mode.