Jiang Che stopped a passerby to ask for the location of Li Yuanwai's Mansion.
The person told him it was on the far west side of the city, just past a small patch of woods.
He also mentioned that Li Yuanwai's Mansion had been keeping its gates shut recently. People only went in and out occasionally, so he didn't know what was going on.
Hearing this, Jiang Che had a bad feeling.
On his way, he suddenly saw someone who looked like an official standing in front of a notice board, saying something.
A crowd had gathered before him, pointing and muttering.
Jiang Che's interest was piqued, and he squeezed his way into the crowd.
Only then did he realize it was a missing person notice.
He took a closer look and saw that at least a dozen people had gone missing in Hengsha City within the last month!
And they were all young, able-bodied adults.
'Something's not right...'
Both cities were experiencing large-scale disappearances.
Combined with the green-eyed monster he had encountered before, Jiang Che couldn't shake the feeling that some conspiracy was brewing.
But he had too few clues and no leads whatsoever.
Shaking his head, Jiang Che continued on his way.
Before long, he reached the small patch of woods.
Though it was broad daylight, Jiang Che felt a sinister aura emanating from the woods.
However, as a Martial Artist, Jiang Che had some ability to protect himself.
He also had Omen, a Talent Skill that could predict danger.
Besides, he was carrying plenty of life-saving items.
Jiang Che figured he probably wouldn't run into any trouble.
So, he stepped inside.
The woods were quiet—abnormally so.
There were no birds chirping, no insects humming.
All that remained was the RUSTLING sound of Jiang Che's feet on the thick layer of leaves.
The woods were dense, the leaves blotting out the sky and casting everything in shadow.
A gust of wind blew past.
It was clearly summer, yet Jiang Che felt a sudden chill.
Jiang Che unconsciously began circulating his Qi Blood, his muscles tensing.
He felt that something was very wrong here.
Suddenly, he saw an abandoned well up ahead.
He intended to walk around it.
But a strange compulsion made him want to see what was inside.
Once the thought appeared, he couldn't suppress it.
His curiosity grew stronger and stronger.
So, he cautiously approached.
In his mind, he involuntarily began to imagine all sorts of scenarios.
As he neared the abandoned well, he felt his heart begin to pound violently.
It felt like it was about to burst from his chest.
He slowly reached the edge of the well.
Taking a deep breath, he gripped the lip of the well, leaned over slowly, and peered down.
The well was deep and pitch-black.
In the faint light, Jiang Che could just barely make out murky, greenish water.
A musty odor of rotting vegetation wafted up.
"RUSTLE..."
Suddenly, he heard the faint sound of footsteps behind him!
He whipped his head around but saw nothing.
"What the hell..."
Jiang Che was startled.
But his Omen hadn't triggered.
'Was it my imagination?'
Jiang Che was filled with doubt and suspicion.
He suddenly froze.
'Why was I so curious about this well?'
The more he thought about it, the weirder it seemed, so he quickly left.
He walked faster and faster, eventually breaking into a run.
Jiang Che finally breathed a sigh of relief as he exited the small woods.
The sun felt hot on his skin.
But the oppressive, sinister horror was instantly gone.
He looked up and saw an impressive, high-walled compound before him.
It had a vermilion-lacquered gate, green bricks, black tiles, and two stone lions standing guard at the entrance.
Clumps of moso bamboo grew on either side, lush and green.
'So this is Li Yuanwai's Mansion...'
A flicker of emotion crossed Jiang Che's eyes.
This was the place his parents had come to work before they disappeared.
He took a deep breath and walked up to it.
KNOCK KNOCK.
Jiang Che knocked on the gate.
After a moment, the gate opened a crack.
A young servant in a short, gray-cloth tunic poked half his face out.
The man's face was somewhat pale, and his eyes held an indescribable woodenness as he stared fixedly at Jiang Che, sizing him up.
"Who are you looking for?"
The man's voice was hoarse, and his accent was strange, unlike that of a local.
The man's gaze made Jiang Che's skin crawl.
He felt there was something strange about this person, but he couldn't put his finger on why.
He tried to look past him into the compound.
But the man blocked the view completely. Jiang Che couldn't see anything clearly, though he had the sense that there were other people inside.
"It's like this," Jiang Che said, suppressing his uneasy feeling,
"I'm here to ask about some people. A month and a half ago, a carpenter couple from Lin Yuan City came to your mansion to work. They're in their forties.
"The man's surname is Jiang, and the woman's is Li. They still haven't come home. Do you know anything about what happened to them?"
"Carpenters?" The Young Servant narrowed his eyes. "I think there were some. Why don't you come in and we can talk."
With that, he pulled the gate open a little wider.
Jiang Che was about to peek inside when his Omen suddenly activated!
In an instant, Jiang Che was hit with a powerful sense of crisis!
His expression changed. Without a second thought, he turned and fled!
The Young Servant was stunned.
He had just begun to circulate his Qi Blood, planning to kill Jiang Che the moment he was lured inside.
But he never expected Jiang Che's intuition to be so sharp!
"Who was that just now?" someone inside asked.
The voice was deep and wasn't speaking the official language of Great Chu.
"I don't know. Just some kid who has recently broken through with his Qi Blood, asking about the missing carpenters," the Young Servant replied respectfully in the same language.
"Carpenters? Go after him! Don't let him get away! If he ruins the master's grand plan, we'll both be flayed alive!" the person said urgently.
"Yes!" A vicious glint appeared in the Young Servant's eyes as he shot off in pursuit.
He moved like lightning, so fast he was just a blur, and vanished in an instant.
Jiang Che found himself back in the small patch of woods from before.
He ran with all his might, his heart pounding with terror.
The sense of crisis he'd just felt was even more intense than when he'd faced the Black Beast!
It had to be an expert of the Stone Skin Realm, at least!
A Martial Artist of the Stone Skin Realm was not as easy to deal with as a Stone Skin Realm Black Beast.
The beast only knew Barbaric Power and had no intelligence.
But a Martial Artist was different!
Suddenly, Jiang Che's Omen triggered again!
The danger was coming from behind!
He decisively entered the Heart Stream.
Instantly, Jiang Che sensed the sound of rushing wind as the person behind him closed in at extreme speed!
He had never encountered such speed!
He suspected even his master, Luo Kun, was only this fast!
'This person is a Qinggong expert!'
As the intense danger drew near, Jiang Che's mind grew calm.
He continuously calculated the distance between them and his opponent's position.
'Now!'
Sensing the perfect opportunity, Jiang Che abruptly grabbed the lime from his waist and threw it behind him.
The Young Servant was just about to grab Jiang Che when he was met with a face full of lime.
Caught completely off guard, he got it right in the eyes!
"AH! MY EYES!!!"
The lime entered his eyes and immediately began to burn intensely, making the Young Servant scream in agony.
He hurriedly rubbed his eyes. His vision was blurry, but he could still see a figure ahead.
With a loud roar, he circulated his Qi Blood and threw a ferocious punch.
The punch tore through the air with a sharp whistle.
Even dodging with all his might, Jiang Che couldn't escape it completely.
In the end, the fist landed on his shoulder blade.
"BANG!"
Jiang Che felt like he'd been hit by a car, and he was sent flying.
However, thanks to his Soft Armor and a force-dispersing move from his Cloud-Stacking Fist—performed while in the Heart Stream State—the punch didn't land with its full impact.
He only felt a sharp pain in the muscles and bone of his back, but his internal organs were unharmed.
The Young Servant, however, let out a pained shriek. "My hand!"
His fist was covered in countless tiny, bloody holes!
Even though the skin of a Stone Skin Realm expert was as hard as rock,
punching a Fine Steel Spike with full force would pierce even the hardest stone!
After rolling across the ground, Jiang Che decisively got up and fled.
'That much punching power... he's definitely in the Stone Skin Realm!'
A chill went down Jiang Che's spine.
This was the strongest opponent he had ever faced!
"You damn little bastard!!!"
The Young Servant, having been outsmarted by Jiang Che time and time again, flew into a rage.
Enduring the intense pain, he circulated his Qi Blood with all his might and gave chase once more!