Chapter 42: The Conspiracy Unfolds

  The four of them traveled in a bumpy carriage, finally arriving at Mò Líng City. The exhaustion from the long journey was evident on each of their faces, even Tang Mingli, the one with the highest cultivation, couldn’t hide his fatigue and occasionally rubbed his aching shoulders. Wu Yuyu and Xiao Lan leaned against the inside of the carriage, both looking tired, though their eyes reflected excitement and anticipation about returning home.

  "We're here!" Tang Mingli knocked on the carriage window and called out, "We’ve arrived at the city gates of Mò Líng."

  Sanbao woke up from her sleepy haze, lifted the curtain, and looked outside. What met her eyes were the guards at Mò Líng City's gate, cd in armor and holding spears. Usually, only three or five guards manned the gate, but now there were more than double that number, and each one had a tense expression as if preparing for a great battle.

  "Strange, why is the gate on high alert?" Sanbao felt a wave of unease, her eyes involuntarily scanning the area around the city gate.

  Tang Mingli also noticed something was amiss and quietly asked, "Has something major happened in the city?"

  The carriage slowly entered the city gate, and the streets were unusually empty. The atmosphere felt unusually heavy. The once bustling streets of Mò Líng were now eerily quiet, and any passerby they saw hurried along, gncing at the Xu family name on the carriage with a complex and somewhat sympathetic look.

  "What’s going on?" Wu Yuyu peered out, puzzled, and Xiao Lan anxiously clenched her clothes.

  Sanbao grew more anxious, sensing an inexplicable pressure in the air. She urged Tang Mingli, "Hurry, take me to my home!"

  Tang Mingli lightly shook the reins and increased the speed. People on both sides of the street peeked secretly at the carriage as it passed by, their expressions full of pity and regret. This strange atmosphere made Sanbao’s heart sink further.

  "Why are they looking at me like that?" Sanbao muttered to herself, her heartbeat quickening, as if a heavy stone was pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

  Tang Mingli cracked the whip and sped up, and the carriage raced through the streets. Finally, they reached the Xu family estate.

  As soon as Sanbao jumped out of the carriage, what greeted her eyes was the sight of bckened ruins and broken walls.

  Sanbao stood frozen at the gate of the estate, her mind roaring, almost unable to believe what she was seeing.

  "No... this can’t be..." Her voice trembled, and her eyes were filled with sorrow.

  Tang Mingli, his face grim, walked up and gently pced a hand on Sanbao's shoulder. "Sanbao..."

  Sanbao suddenly shook off his hand, stumbling forward toward the estate.

  Once vibrant with flowers, the courtyard was now in ruins. The stone path, once smooth, was scorched and cracked from the fmes. Everywhere, there were broken bricks, charred wood, and debris. The air was thick with the pungent smell of burning, making each breath feel heavier and suffocating.

  In the center of the courtyard, seventy-five bodies covered with white cloths were neatly arranged, one after another, like cold stone tablets silently telling the story of death’s cruelty.

  Sanbao’s steps suddenly stopped as if some invisible force gripped her heart, pain spreading from her chest. Her breathing became ragged, and the world around her began to darken. The buzzing in her ears grew louder, and she felt as though she was nailed to the spot, unable to move. Trembling, she lifted her foot, struggling to take each step.

  One step... two steps... With each step, Sanbao dragged her heavy body forward, each one feeling like she was carrying a thousand-pound weight, stumbling as if about to fall. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she couldn’t let them fall, as if once they did, her st glimmer of hope would shatter completely.

  "Father! Mother!" Sanbao finally screamed, her voice like torn fabric, hoarse and heart-wrenching. She rushed to the first body and, trembling, lifted the white cloth.

  A charred, twisted face, eyes bulging, unblinking in death.

  "No... it’s not..." Her hand shook as she uncovered the second, third, and fourth bodies. Each one was marked by burns and bloodstains, each face contorted in pain, as if they had endured great suffering and fear.

  Sanbao went mad, tearing away at each white cloth, her tears blurring her vision.

  Tang Mingli wanted to step forward to comfort her but hesitated, unsure of what to do.

  The people watching remained silent, standing at a distance, watching the girl desperately searching for her family. A wave of unbearable sorrow and grief surged within them. Many women were already in tears, some sobbing softly, others covering their mouths, crying quietly. The entire city of Mò Líng seemed to be shrouded in a cloud of sorrow and gloom.

  Wu Yuyu and Xiao Lan stood far behind Sanbao, gripping their hands tightly and unable to stop quietly sobbing. Tang Mingli took a deep breath, his eyes also misting over. He had never seen Sanbao so out of control. It was as if she was refusing to accept this cruel fate, fighting against it with all her might.

  Finally, Sanbao uncovered a rger body, revealing the charred face—Xu Chengyi.

  "No!" Sanbao colpsed to the ground, trembling hands touching Xu Chengyi's now cold and stiff face. She whispered, "Father... what happened to you? Get up... don’t scare me..."

  Sanbao let go of the grief that had been suffocating her and cried out loud, her wail echoing through the courtyard, shaking the very ground.

  "Where’s Mother... Where is she?" Sanbao suddenly stood up and rushed to the next body, lifting the white cloth.

  It was a slender body, with a bckened face, and a jade bracelet still adorning the wrist, the same one her mother Ma Ze had cherished most in life.

  "Mother!" Sanbao colpsed in front of Ma Ze’s body, as if all her strength had left her, crumpling to the ground. She tightly grasped her mother’s cold hand, tears falling onto the scorched earth.

  "Why... why did this happen... why..." she whispered, her tears blurring her vision, her entire world colpsing in that moment.

  The onlookers couldn’t bear to watch any longer, their heads lowered in sorrow. Soft cries echoed from the crowd.

  Tang Mingli stepped forward, gently squatting down, slowly helping Sanbao up. His voice was heavy and slow, "Sanbao... please accept my condolences..."

  Sanbao lifted her head, tears in her eyes, and hoarsely shouted, "Who... who did this to them?"

  Tang Mingli’s expression darkened, and he shook his head slowly. "We will find out. We will avenge them."

  Sanbao closed her eyes, her tears slipping down the corners of her eyes. Her fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms. She swore, no matter the cost, she would make the murderer who killed her parents and the Xu family pay with their blood!

  Wu Yuyu and Xiao Lan walked closer to Sanbao’s side, watching her fall apart, their hearts heavy with sorrow, their eyes reddened with tears.

  After a long moment, Sanbao slowly lifted her head, wiped away her tears, and began to think clearly. The Xu family had been established in Mò Líng City for generations, never having made enemies with any major forces. Who could have done this, and why?

  Just then, hurried footsteps approached, and the officers from the city garrison arrived. The leader, Deputy Officer Wang Zhuo, recognized Sanbao at once and hurried over to salute her. "Miss Xu Sanbao, you’ve returned..."

  "What happened here? Can you tell me the details?" Sanbao asked, her eyes bloodshot as she fixed her gaze on Wang Zhuo.

  Wang Zhuo stepped closer and whispered, "We only received word this morning. Last night, the estate was set on fire, and the fmes were intense. When we arrived, the fire was already out of control. The fire burned for an entire day and night, and your family estate was reduced to ruins. After the fire was extinguished, we counted the bodies in the yard—seventy-five in total. There was no one left alive."

  "Just now, a young monk from Tianning Temple came to the garrison to report. He witnessed something reted to your family. Please come with me to the garrison."

  Upon hearing this, Sanbao hurriedly followed Wang Zhuo to the garrison. Tang Mingli, Xiao Lan, and Wu Yuyu followed close behind.

  At the garrison, Sanbao met the young monk. He appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen, his face pale, with dirt and blood stains on his clothes. He looked to have been greatly frightened.

  "I greet Miss Xu," the young monk said as he knelt on the ground, trembling. "That evening, a group of bandits suddenly burst into Tianning Temple, killing the abbot and the monks. Only I managed to escape by hiding in a water jar. Later that night, the same group returned and locked two people in a guest room to interrogate them."

  Sanbao asked, "Two people?"

  The young monk nodded, his voice shaking. "I heard them call the two people ‘Xu family’s head’ and ‘Madam.’ Those bandits asked them about firearm secrets, cultivation techniques, and formation maps. But the Xu family head kept saying he didn’t know..."

  Sanbao’s pupils contracted, her heart sinking. "Firearm secrets? Cultivation techniques? Formation maps? Our Xu family doesn’t have any of these!"

  The young monk shook his head in confusion. "I... I don’t know, I only heard them ask about it. Later, there was a loud noise from the guest room, and then a violent impact. I was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, the temple was eerily quiet, and those people were gone."

  Tang Mingli furrowed his brow and muttered, "If they had taken your parents out of Mò Líng City to Tianning Temple, why would their bodies be found at the Xu family estate?"

  Sanbao fell silent, her mind in turmoil. She knew that the knowledge of formation techniques and firearms she had all came from the *Divine Illumination Sutra*. Apart from Tang Mingli and Wang Suifeng, the only ones who knew about this were those ghosts who had been eliminated.

  Tang Mingli also fell into deep thought, then spoke softly, "Sanbao, you said you learned about these formations and firearms from the miscelneous books at home, right?"

  Sanbao nodded. "Yes, I told you and Wang Suifeng about this."

  Tang Mingli slowly continued, "So, only the three of us knew about this. Xiao Lan once said Wang Suifeng mentioned these things when he interrogated her. This means Wang Suifeng is the prime suspect."

  Xiao Lan added, "Yes, Wang Suifeng personally interrogated me about this in Medicine King Valley."

  Sanbao's mind raced back to the days she was imprisoned in Medicine King Valley. Wang Suifeng pyed the role of a gentle and caring lover, while secretly controlling and plotting against her. She now realized that the seemingly calm imprisonment had been a trap all along. And during that time, Wang Suifeng had never shown up, not even once.

  Her mind was tangled with questions: If Wang Suifeng was the mastermind, why did he never show up when she was imprisoned by Wang Suizhen? Since her parents were taken to Tianning Temple, why were their bodies found at the estate? These contradictions only deepened the mystery.

  After saying goodbye to the garrison officials, Sanbao walked decisively toward the carriage. "No matter the truth, Wang Suifeng knows what happened. Let’s go to Medicine King Valley and find him. I need to get answers from him directly."

  Tang Mingli nodded, "Okay, I’ll go with you."

  "If it’s really him..." Sanbao said slowly, "I won’t show mercy."

  Moments ter, the four of them climbed back into the carriage, which sped out of Mò Líng City toward Medicine King Valley.