Chapter 33: A Night Raid on the Kong Residence

Hiding behind a tree, Liang Yan watched as the members of the "Anti-Treason Society" began discussing specific details. He thought to himself

"So Chen Zhuo'an's true identity is actually the leader of this so-called 'Anti-Treason Society.' I didn't expect this tiny Yongle Town to be so lively, filled with both the vendettas of the martial arts world and the secret schemes of cultivators."

As Liang Yan's gaze swept over the people present, he continued his internal monologue: "If I were among those cultivators, I would certainly have planted spies among the mortals of Yongle Town to monitor whether anyone suspicious was coming or going. These people come from all corners of the world and possess martial arts; I wonder if they have planted any spies here."

While Liang Yan was lost in thought, the group's plan was finalized. After exchanging greetings, they dispersed. Liang Yan waited until they were far away before rising to return to the inn alone.

Upon returning to the inn, he pushed open Tang Diexian's room only to find it empty. He sat down at the table and began to organize the current clues in his mind.

"Although those cultivators lurking in Yongle Town are cautious, it seems they don't yet know that Tang Diexian and I, as sect investigation disciples, have arrived in town. Otherwise, things wouldn't be this calm."

"They also don't seem to have realized that the Green-Robed Guest died last night. If they had, the mere fact that the Green-Robed Guest stayed at Laifu Inn would have made them suspect the newcomers who recently moved in. Furthermore, they wouldn't have sent a fourth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator to scout the shop alone during the day; that would be nothing short of suicide. Looking at it now, that old fortune-teller from earlier seemed to be performing a routine check on suspicious persons in his assigned area."

"But looking at it this way, it's even stranger. These people all carry identical jade pendants and act like a disciplined organization. Why haven't they noticed that the Green-Robed Guest has been dead for a whole day?"

As Liang Yan was pondering, he suddenly heard a creak. The window on the western side was pushed open, and a woman in white climbed through—it was Tang Diexian.

Liang Yan frowned and said, "You could have used the perfectly good door, yet you insist on climbing through the window. I thought you were some sightless thief."

Tang Diexian gave him a light tap and said crossly, "You're the thief!" Then, she added excitedly, "I've figured it out! Although the martial arts expert arranged by the sect years ago has passed away, his successor is a martial artist named Kong Xiang."

"Oh? And where is this person now?"

"Dead. He died two years ago, and his entire family was wiped out—not a single soul left!"

Liang Yan's pupils contracted. After a brief silence, he said, "Two years ago? What a coincidence. That was also when the sect lost contact. It seems it wasn't that this person was hiding something, but rather that he was silenced."

Tang Diexian nodded. "Exactly. That's what I thought as well."

Liang Yan continued, "In that case, let's pay a visit to the Kong Estate tonight. If the tragedy back then was the work of cultivators, they might have left some traces behind."

"That's exactly what I was thinking!"

With that, Tang Diexian took out two sets of night-traveling clothes and tossed one to Liang Yan. They each dressed themselves, left a single oil lamp burning in the room, and slipped out of Laifu Inn.

The two moved across rooftops and tiles, and after a few leaps, they arrived before a large residence in the northern part of town.

The estate, with its red bricks and green tiles, was grand and imposing, showing signs of former prosperity. However, it had long been abandoned; spiderwebs covered the corners and eaves.

They climbed over the wall and made their way to the inner courtyard. The path was littered with broken beams and shattered tiles, clearly indicating a fierce struggle had taken place.

After a brief inspection of the surroundings, Tang Diexian said, "There are traces of spells used by cultivators. It was a one-sided battle; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a massacre."

Liang Yan nodded. "These cultivators want to control the spirit mine, so slaughtering Kong Xiang's family makes sense. Let's search the area carefully to see if any clues remain."

Tang Diexian had no objections. They split up; Liang Yan searched room by room in the inner hall, but aside from some furniture and decorations, he found nothing.

After searching for about half an hour without finding any clues, Liang Yan could only return to the assembly hall in frustration. Tang Diexian had also returned by then. They exchanged a look, both seeing the disappointment in each other's eyes.

Liang Yan gave a bitter smile. "I didn't expect these people to be so clean. They didn't leave a single clue."

Tang Diexian said indignantly, "Those slippery foxes! If I catch them, I'll definitely teach them a lesson!" Then, remembering something, she said to Liang Yan, "I found these things in the hall where the fighting took place. They were likely left behind after the battle. Check them to see if there are any clues."

She pulled out a storage bag and shook it over the ground. Instantly, several iron swords, sabers, and axes tumbled out. Some were rusted, while others gleamed with a cold light, clearly not ordinary weapons. They hit the floor with a series of clangs.

Liang Yan's eyes suddenly lit up. He leaned down, pulled out a saber emitting a chilling light, and struck the ground a few times.

Seeing his reaction, Tang Diexian asked excitedly, "Could there be a clue on this saber?"

Liang Yan shook his head. "It's not a problem with the saber; it's a problem with the ground beneath us!"

"The ground?"

Tang Diexian was also intelligent and reacted immediately. "You mean there's something hidden beneath?"

"Exactly!" Liang Yan nodded. "There should be a secret chamber under here."

His six senses were sharp, far surpassing an ordinary fifth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator. By striking the ground with the steel blade, he had confirmed the existence of a space like a secret chamber deep below.

As Liang Yan began to investigate the vicinity, Tang Diexian, knowing he was looking for a mechanism to enter the chamber, said nonchalantly, "No need to go through all that trouble. We can just use a spell to blast a hole straight down."

Liang Yan glanced at her and asked, "There is currently a group of fourth and fifth-layer Qi Refinement cultivators in Yongle Town, and there are only two of us. Do you know what our greatest advantage is?"

Tang Diexian shook her head.

Liang Yan blinked and smiled. "Our greatest advantage is that the enemy is in the light while we are in the dark. Those cultivators don't know we've infiltrated Yongle Town using our mortal identities. That's how we can fish in troubled waters!"

Tang Diexian rolled her eyes at him. "You and your endless schemes. If we aren't fighting, we aren't fighting. I'll help you look!" She then began searching the room as well.

After searching for a while, Tang Diexian suddenly touched an oil lamp, which emitted a faint *click*. The sound was sharply captured by Liang Yan.

Heartened, he walked to the oil lamp and slowly rotated its base. After a series of clicking sounds, a rumbling noise came from behind the desk, and the floor opened to reveal a set of stairs descending into the darkness.

Liang Yan and Tang Diexian exchanged a look and descended the stairs one after the other. Liang Yan took out the Nine Dragon Staff to lead the way, while Tang Diexian followed behind, casting a spell to produce a faint light to illuminate their path.

After walking down for a while, they encountered a stone door. Liang Yan pushed it open to reveal a stone chamber. Inside, there were beds, a desk, oil lamps, and all the necessary living supplies, along with plenty of stored food like dried meat and flour cakes. There was also a small trench on the floor with clear, flowing water.

"It seems someone lived here for a time," Tang Diexian remarked.

Liang Yan nodded and walked to the desk. He suddenly caught sight of a black notebook, picked it up, and began to flip through it.

After reading just one page, Liang Yan's eyes brightened. It read: *"The villainous Li Hong has formed a faction for his own gain, deceiving his superiors and suppressing his subordinates. He eliminates dissent in the imperial court and plunders the people in the provinces. He is truly a great vermin to the nation. General Zhang, a pillar of the state, was killed by him. Fortunately, I, Tang, managed to steal a fake imperial decree. I intended to go to the capital to meet the Emperor, but the news accidentally leaked, and I was ambushed by the villainous Li Hong. Fortunately, my guards fought to the death to stall them, allowing me to escape."*

Liang Yan thought to himself, *"It seems this diary was left by the Tang Tiannan mentioned by Chen Zhuo'an."*

He continued reading. The subsequent entries were fragmented, but the general meaning was that there was a martial arts family in Yongle Town, the Kong family. Their head, Kong Xiang, was a long-time family friend and someone he could trust, so he had come here to seek refuge. The Kong family had a secret chamber, and he was using it to recover from his injuries.

The diary ended abruptly there. Tang Diexian took the diary, read it carefully, and frowned. "The diary doesn't mention the tragedy of the Kong family, but this place is so hidden that it seems the cultivators didn't discover it. Perhaps this man named Tang Tiannan is still alive."

Liang Yan nodded. "Most likely. Tang Tiannan probably survived; he is the sole survivor of that tragedy and might know something."

Hearing this, Tang Diexian couldn't help but feel discouraged. "But Yongle Town is so large. Where are we going to find such a person?"

Liang Yan smiled. "Perhaps we won't have to look for him. Someone might help us find him."

He then told her everything he had overheard in the forest. He continued, "If Tang Tiannan is still alive, he certainly won't let that fake imperial decree go. If we find the decree, we might be able to follow the trail to him."

"Something like that?" Tang Diexian's eyes widened. "You mean... we're going to shadow them in secret?"

"I'm afraid it's more than just shadowing them," Liang Yan said, shaking his head. "When necessary, we might even have to give them a hand."