Hengshan Sect's Strongest Sword Cultivator

At the beginning of the night, the Escort Agency was thrown into chaos, but the fire had been extinguished.

The stacked hay and dry bamboo in the warehouse had caught fire, igniting the nearby oil-soaked cotton and cloth strips.

These items, commonly used to make torches, should have been kept far from any source of fire.

Just a few days ago, the warehouse manager, Zhou, had been busy preparing Zhao Rong's travel pack, and now he stood there, furious. In the short time he'd gone to the latrine, the warehouse had caught fire.

Fortunately, the Escort Agency was always on guard. There was no shortage of water in the several large water tanks, and the fire was discovered in time.

Otherwise, all the goods stored in the warehouse would have been doomed.

Lu Shilai and another head escort, Jin Qisheng, interrogated everyone in the Escort Agency. Everyone was consistent in their statements, claiming not to have seen any suspicious individuals.

Standing on the bluestone pavement of the courtyard, Zhao Rong squinted slightly, subtly observing the dozens of people inside the Escort Agency, including Pu Kui standing by his side and another recently acquainted, skilled middle-aged horseman, Lu Gui.

Under the moonlight, everyone's expression was solemn.

"There's a traitor among us,"

Pu Kui whispered, and both Zhao Rong and Lu Gui nodded in agreement.

Lately, the Escort Agency had lost some valuable cargo, despite their stringent security, which made it almost impossible for a fly to get in.

It must have been someone inside the Escort Agency.

Could this person be in league with the bandits who rob escorts?

With this awareness, the two head escorts first questioned everyone, eliminating those who had heard about the fire and had rushed there, like Zhao Rong, and then reduced the suspicion of the carriers and escorts who were on guard far from the warehouse and could vouch for each other.

In the end, there were only six people left.

They were the closest to the warehouse and thus the most suspect in the arson case.

Like Pu Kui and the others, Zhao Rong glanced at these six individuals, all ears as Lu Shilai conversed with them.

Most of these six were veteran members of the Changrui Escort Agency; among them, two carriers and one escort had traversed the south and north with Lu Shilai for many years and knew each other through and through.

The other two were the steward Zhou from the kitchen and the warehouse manager, Zhou.

Both of them had served the Escort Agency diligently and faithfully for a decade.

Then there was a woman in her early thirties named Long Ping.

She was the head escort Mr. Long's cousin from Changde, whose ancestors served as Military Governors in Dingzhou, and her later generations ran a martial arts school, skilled with a pair of sabers.

Upon hearing that her cousin was in trouble, she had brought people to lend a hand.

No matter how you looked at it, such a female hero did not seem like the arsonist traitor.

However, Jin Qisheng, one of the three main head escorts of Changrui, still gave her a few extra glances.

It was as if he was saying, "Sister, you are the outsider here, I know all the other brothers like the back of my hand."

"Head Escort Jin, where are you looking?"

"Could it be that the fire was started by my family's deputy head?"

Before Long Ping could flare up, several spirited young men from the Prosperous Martial Arts School of Changde stepped forward, glaring angrily.

Jin Qisheng dared not respond, and Lu Shilai quickly interjected with a smile, saying "don't misunderstand."

After all, Lu Shilai was a Disciple of the Hengshan Sect and commanded respect.

The Prosperous Martial Arts School might have some reputation in Changde, but they were still a long way from the level of the Five Peaks Sword Sects, and these men gave face to Lu Shilai. As soon as he spoke to clear up the misunderstanding, they slightly retracted their protective stance.

In her cousin's house, Long Ping took a step forward, "When the warehouse caught fire, I was in my room wiping my sabers."

As she spoke, she drew her sabers, her expressive eyes darting toward Jin Qisheng.

Under the moonlight, the tips of the sabers gleamed with a cold light.

Head Escort Jin touched his nose, swallowing back the words he was about to say.

It was better not to provoke this lady.

At this moment, Zhou, who managed the warehouse, erupted again with grief and anger: "Damn those thieving birds! I've managed the warehouse for the head escort for ten years without a single mistake. To set the fire while I'm at the latrine, what kind of hero does that make them?"

"If you have the guts, come out and fight me with a knife!"

Zhou was a man of fiery temper; as he bellowed, he slashed the air thrice with the short knife in his hand, each strike faster than the last, far from his usual cultured demeanor.

The kitchen steward, Wang, also furrowed his brow and flashed the pig-slaughtering knife in his hand, still with pig bristles on it.

"The head escort said to treat Mr. Long and his party well. When the fire started, I was in the kitchen yard cleaning the pig."

The other two carriers and the escort, although close to the warehouse, could vouch for each other, and they were the first to discover the fire as well.

Lu Shilai and Jin Qisheng's gazes swept over them, and then they exchanged glances, each reading a sense of helplessness in the other's eyes.

They were too familiar with these five people, and it was impossible for the remaining Long Ping to be the arsonist.

The traitor was like a thorn, stuck in their throats.

Pu Kui and Lu Gui each shook their heads, clearly understanding that they wouldn't catch the arsonist tonight.

Suddenly,

Pu Kui noticed Zhao, who was by his side; Zhao's eyes were bright, gazing up at the sky.

"Brother Rong, what are you looking at?"

Lu Gui, who often advised Zhao on horsemanship, speculated, "Brother Rong is probably suspecting that someone with exceptional Qinggong skills took advantage of the night to leap into the air, bypassed the Escort Agency's defences, set the fire, and then made a clean getaway."

"In this vast world, there are no shortage of people with outstanding Qinggong skills."

"Impossible."

"The defense inside the escort agency is strict, and there are few in the jianghu with such lightfoot skills. How could such a master commit such a lowly act?" Pu Kui said in disbelief.

Lu Gui retorted, "Being proficient in one's art doesn't mean they have a noble character."

"Take Tian Boguang for example. He has the ability to walk in the air with the 'Inverse Triple Cloud Step,' known for his outstanding qinggong and nicknamed 'The Lone Walker of Ten Thousand Miles,' yet he is also a shameful lecher."

"This..."

Pu Kui hesitated and involuntarily glanced at the young man beside him.

Zhao Rong blinked and stretched out a hand to point at the sky.

"A Chu traveler longs to hear the mournful qin, on a Xiaoxiang night when the moon is bright."

"Brother, I was actually looking at the moon. Tonight's moonlight is really good, really bright."

After he finished speaking, Zhao Rong looked towards those six men, his unfounded speech coupled with the slight smile at the corner of his mouth made Pu Kui shudder.

"Brother Rong, have you discovered something?"

As he said this, he raised his voice by an octave, instantly drawing Lu Shilai's attention.

Having been given "Xie Lin's Ancient Lost Sounds," Zhao Rong was naturally a prime observation target for Lu Shilai.

Lu Shilai moved his feet and walked towards Zhao Rong, which naturally drew more people's attention.

Zhao Rong had been in the escort agency for over a month, and everyone knew he had some connection with Lu the Escort Head, but changes amongst the footmen were common occurrences. At most, they only knew someone like him existed.

But under the present circumstances, people took a few more looks at the young man.

"Brother Zhao, have you found something?"

Lu Shilai asked again, and when Zhao Rong slightly nodded, everyone looked skeptical.

This young man...

Knows who set the fire?

Lu Shilai was also taken aback. His glance swept quickly over those six men, intending to remind Zhao Rong to be cautious with his words, to avoid offending someone for no good reason.

Zhao Rong, however, made a decisive gesture, signaling Lu Shilai to come closer to whisper.

He whispered a few words, and although Lu Shilai looked puzzled, he still did as told and approached Long Ping.

Instantly, the men from the Changde Prosperous Martial Arts School were furious.

"Brother Lu!"

Calling him Brother Lu instead of Escort Head Lu was clearly a reference to his identity as a disciple of the Hengshan Sect.

"Stay calm, I merely wish to ask you all a question. This concerns the escort agency, and since Deputy Chief Long is the chief escort's cousin, our family should naturally set an example."

Long Ping, however, remained calm. She took a careful look at Zhao Rong, who nodded politely at her.

"Go ahead and ask."

Lu Shilai repeated, "Deputy Chief Long, were you in your room the whole time when you heard the sound of running water?"

"Yes."

"Then may I ask, what was the moon like at that time?"

As Lu Shilai asked this question, Zhao Rong's gaze quickly swept the other five people, who all made the same gesture—that was to look up at the sky.

Long Ping recalled, "The windows were closed at that time, and I was wiping my blade by candlelight on the table in the room, focusing on the blade, so I'm not sure what the moonlight was like."

She looked up and saw the round moon in the sky, "I reckon the moonlight was very good."

Lu Shilai glanced at Zhao Rong, who signaled him to continue.

So, Lu Shilai walked over to the cook wearing a brown apron.

"Wang, were you in the yard removing scales from fish when you heard the sound of running water?"

"Yes."

"Then may I ask, what was the moon like at that time?"

The cook Wang's wrinkled face was calm as he didn't hesitate to respond with a deep voice, "Very bright."

Lu Shilai then questioned Zhou, the storekeeper.

Zhou held a short knife in one hand and stroked his chin with the other, hesitating for a long moment.

Seeing him hesitate, Lu Shilai's gaze intensified on his short knife, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.

The expressions of those around Zhou also changed.

"I remember..."

"Crossing the corridor from the storage room to the latrine in the back courtyard, I walked the entire way with an oil lamp in hand."

"At that time... it must have been quite dark."

As he spoke...

"Whoosh~!"

Under the moonlight, a silver flash crossed the sky—suddenly the sound of a blade cutting the air rang out!!

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