Chapter 147: Wrong Timing

Translator: Storm in a Teacup

After Zhou Yu’er entered the room, that servant left.

At this time, s.h.i.+ was on his way to the South Mountain with the Shadow Guardians.

They made use of their martial arts and ran very fast.

Half an hour later, s.h.i.+ and more than ten Shadow Guardians arrived at the foot of the mountain.

s.h.i.+ looked at the dark mountain, which was covered in dense jungle.

After a pause, s.h.i.+ said, “How many roads up the mountain?”

Some Shadow Guardians had been staying there for investigation and s.h.i.+ contacted them before they arrived. At this moment, all the Shadow Guardians had gathered together, so s.h.i.+ asked directly.

One Shadow Guardian said directly, “Five.”

“Are there any shortcuts?” s.h.i.+ said.

“Yes, at the back of the mountain.”

After thinking about it, s.h.i.+ said, “How many shortcuts?”

“Only one.”

Then, s.h.i.+ said, “Okay, we’ll take that route.”

The Shadow Guardians had been familiar with the environment there. After hearing s.h.i.+’s words, they immediately led him to take the shortcut.

An hour later, s.h.i.+ and the others reached the top of the mountain.

On the way, s.h.i.+ stopped for several times, not for rest, but for observation. He observed the rocks and the roads, so there was a little delay.

So, it took them an hour to reach the top.

On the top of the mountain, s.h.i.+ stopped again.

s.h.i.+ saw that the hillside was connected to a hilltop on the other side, where there was dense jungle.

Taking the shortcut, they pa.s.sed through the edge of the jungle, but they did not actually enter the vast area.

The Shadow Guardians didn’t dare to disobey s.h.i.+. Although they wondered why s.h.i.+ didn’t follow Zhou Huan’s path, they wouldn’t ask if s.h.i.+ didn’t mention it.

s.h.i.+ observed at the top of the mountain for a long time and he didn’t say much even when he left.

However, s.h.i.+ stayed at that place for almost an hour, which meant that he had grasped the situation there.

Later, s.h.i.+ asked the Shadow Guardians who had been there to keep staying for investigation and went back with the others.

No one knew what s.h.i.+ had found, including the Shadow Guardians who followed him there.

Anyway, the Shadow Guardians didn’t find anything.

When s.h.i.+ returned to the imperial city with them, it was already early in the morning.

s.h.i.+ wanted to go directly to Zhou Huan’s mansion. Just then, a Shadow Guardian reported that another murder case happened just half an hour ago in the east of the city!

s.h.i.+ looked very serious. “East of the city?”

“Yes,” the Shadow Guardian said in a low voice.

s.h.i.+ said, “Let’s go.”

Even with great martial arts, it would take at least half an hour to get to the east of the city.

When they arrived, s.h.i.+ found Hu Qingyuan, the Minister of Punishment, was already there.

s.h.i.+ went over and Hu was surprised to see him. When Hu was just about to kneel down to greet him, s.h.i.+ slightly shook his head.

So, Hu just pretended that he didn’t see s.h.i.+.

A Shadow Guardian with s.h.i.+ showed the token, so no one stopped them when they went there.

However, no one knew s.h.i.+’s real ident.i.ty except Hu.

The victim was another night watchman. He died in the way as the first watchman, whose blood had been sucked up. There was no blood at all places. The murderer sucked the man’s blood, but didn’t leave any trace on the scene.

Not a single bloodstain was seen on the ground!

Even a real vampire could not do it without leaving any bloodstain!

Frowning, s.h.i.+ walked around the dead body for a while, but he found nothing in the end.

However, Hu found something in the dead man’s hair.

“Oh? What is this?”

s.h.i.+ looked over and found there was something in Hu’s hand.

s.h.i.+ went over. “What is it?”

Hu put that on a handkerchief and then showed it to s.h.i.+.

s.h.i.+ looked at it. “This is… bamboo?”

“It’s like something on a brush pen,” Hu said.

A brush pen was mainly made by bamboo and hair. The thing on the head of the dead man was a bit like something on the pen. It was a small piece of bamboo.

“I’ll find someone to ask if there is paper and brush pens in the dead man’s home,” Hu said at once.

s.h.i.+ nodded and didn’t say anything.

When he was about to leave, s.h.i.+ thought for a moment and said, “The night watchman is dead. Be extra careful.”

“I understand.” s.h.i.+ didn’t want to expose his ident.i.ty, so Hu saved the honorific t.i.tle of s.h.i.+.

After s.h.i.+ left, Hu looked at the thing on the handkerchief, lost in thought.

The small piece of bamboo was in the dead man’s hair, but it wasn’t buried deep… If it didn’t belong to the victim, it should be the murderer’s…

Did the murderer do it intentionally or… What did he want to say?

After looking at the little thing for a long time, Hu put it away.

s.h.i.+ returned to Zhou Huan’s house. He walked around the house and found nothing unusual. Then, he left for Tianji Sect.

After a man was killed the previous night, something also happened in Tianji Sect. s.h.i.+ was wondering how things were going there this night…

As s.h.i.+ left the house, a maid was dozing in front of the bed in a wing room.

Then, the maid fell on the bed and go to sleep.

Later, a woman appeared in the room and smilingly looked at the person in bed.

“Aunt, I didn’t expect you’re still in your senses… You still hid something.”

The person in bed didn’t speak and her eyes were fixed on that woman.

That woman smiled again. “That doctor surnamed Zhang asked you to write with a brush. To be honest, I don’t know when you broke off such a piece of bamboo from it. Aunt, you are really something else.”

The body of the person in bed was trembling slightly.

That woman patted the person on the cheek. “Aunt, it seems that I can only increase the doses. Why are you still clear-minded? It’s really not a good thing for your niece…”

The person in bed watched that woman get closer. She wanted to struggle, but she couldn’t move.

So, she could only watch that woman approach her, take out something, and then force it into her mouth…

Less than half an hour later, s.h.i.+ arrived at Tianji Sect.

Zou Qingyuan hadn’t gone to sleep yet. He seemed to know that s.h.i.+ would come, so he was waiting there.

s.h.i.+ didn’t talk any nonsense and directly asked, “Qingyuan, did you send someone to watch the situation on the street?”

Zou nodded. “Yes, but nothing is found.”

s.h.i.+ puckered his lips. In fact, not only Tianji Sect, the imperial court also sent some people to focus on that.

The one who died the previous night was a watchman. Naturally, they paid more attention to it later.

However, the murderer acted swiftly and wittingly. The time he used to commit the crimes was incredible short.

In addition, for the four directions of the whole imperial city, there were a total of five night watchmen. It was impossible that each of them was followed by a lot of guards.

So, one Shadow Guardian and three ordinary guards were sent to follow each of them not so far away.

Unexpectedly, a man was still killed even if he was protected. The guards who followed him knew he was dead just after hearing the scream.

s.h.i.+ felt that there must be something wrong with it. The guards went over once they heard the scream. It was just several minutes. How was it possible that they even didn’t see the figure of the murderer!

This was… just so strange!

“Qingzhou, I didn’t think there were ghosts in the world, but now I do. It happened so fast. No one in the martial arts world can do it. It just took the guards several minutes to get there after they heard the sound. How can the murderer kill a man and suck up his blood in such a short time? He even ran away without trace!”

s.h.i.+ frowned. “There are no ghosts.”

Zou had to smile bitterly.

s.h.i.+ puckered his lips. At last, s.h.i.+ said, “I have to leave now. As for Tianji Sect… Qingyuan, take extra care.”

Zou sighed. “Although nothing happened here tonight, I always feel that Tianji Sect has also been involved… I’ll be more careful.”

s.h.i.+ nodded. When he was about to say goodbye, an exclamation came from outside.

Once hearing that, s.h.i.+ and Zou rushed outside.

Then, they found where the sound came from. One maid was sitting on the ground screaming and there was a dog in front of her. That dog had been sucked dry, but it was chasing the maid. The maid could do some martial arts, but she was not powerful.

After the maid fell to the ground, the dog rushed over.

Zou hurried there and saved the maid when she was almost bitten by the dog.

The dog was just as big as an ordinary watchdog, but after losing all its blood, it became extremely powerful.

Finally, Zou stabbed the dog’s head with a sword and then the dog died.

s.h.i.+’s face had darkened.

The maid was so scared that her face had turned pale.

Zou asked, “Where did the dog come from?”

“I don’t know.” The maid was about to cry. “I just heard some noise and then I saw something rus.h.i.+ng to me. I screamed and fought it instinctively, but I didn’t expect that a dog would be so powerful. It almost killed me.”

The maid was still in a state of shock.

Both s.h.i.+ and Zou frowned.

Later, Zou asked the maid two more questions, but the maid couldn’t answer. Then, Zou went to investigate other things in a rush…

s.h.i.+’s eyebrows furrowed.

He went to the dead dog, whose eyes were closed.

After thinking about it, s.h.i.+ said, “Guard, take this dog to the mansion and let Doctor Zhang check on it.”

“Yes.” The Shadow Guardian answered and quickly left with the dog.

s.h.i.+ puckered his lips and didn’t stay longer in Tianji Sect…

When he returned to the palace, it was almost dawn. s.h.i.+ didn’t want the dust on his body to annoy Long. Moreover, he also had contact with the dead.

So, s.h.i.+ went to the bathroom and stayed in the hot spring for a long time…

When he went back to the bedroom, he saw Long was lying on the bed alone. Somehow, s.h.i.+ felt… Long was a little pitiful.

s.h.i.+ really didn’t have the heart to see his lover being so lonely like that!