Lord of the Desert

Chapter 276
The small courtyard where Zhan Yuanzi lives is surrounded on all sides, and there is not much wind on weekdays.

But now the windows at the back of the house were open and the door at the front was broken, so there was convection.

Hong Fan quietly walked into the courtyard.

The stone steps and green tiles are all pure white covered with snow.

So the only red color is particularly eye-catching.

Under the pillars, a person was sitting.

The head is lowered, and the face cannot be seen.

A sword penetrated his heart to the hilt, and was nailed into the wooden pillar, revealing the twisted metal section.

Hong Fan recognized the sword.

Narrow and sharp, it is Zhan Yuanzi's sword, named "Lingshu".

He did not act rashly, but stayed alert and observed the environment carefully.

All indications were that there had been no activity at the site for some time.

No trace of danger could be found.

So Hong Fan could no longer stop.

He dispersed his sand armor and strode forward, knelt down on one knee in front of the body, held his breath, and brushed aside his hanging hair.

His eyes were closed.

The lip color is lighter than usual.

Is it not Zhan Yuanzi or who else?
The world was as quiet as frozen at this moment.

Hong Fan looked away and retracted his hand as if he was electrocuted.

The hair on the temples swayed stiffly.

The blood dripping from Zhan Yuanzi's heart spread dryly on the ground, like roots, piercing deeply into the white snow.

Hong Fan didn't dare to look at the person anymore, so he had to look at the sword.

The blade of the sword is horizontally flat, and near the hilt is a clear sword inscription - Ning Zhen Dao Secret, Moving Qing Ling Shu.

How does it hurt when gold and iron pierce the heart?
Hong Fan instinctively wanted to draw the sword, but stopped before grasping the hilt.

[You cannot touch the murder weapon. 】

He thought painfully and had no choice but to hold Zhan Yuanzi's hand hanging aside.

This is exactly like holding a piece of ice.

The heat is extracted, and the flowing blood becomes sluggish.

The living and the dead seem to form a whole, as dead as a painting.

Poof, poof...

There was a very slight sound of stepping on the snow behind Hong Fan.

His eyes were about to burst, and he suddenly turned around and saw a ball of orange looking at him at the courtyard gate.

That was a raccoon slave that Bai Jiasi left behind when he moved away.

There are still blood stains on its fur.

"come over……"

Hong Fan called softly.

The voice was hoarse, as if it contained rust.

Hearing this, the kitten ran over and trembled close to his legs.

After a while, a very weak heat penetrated the pants and imprinted on the skin.

"call……"

Hong Fan finally let out the turbid air that had been stuck in his chest for a long time.

He picked up the kitten and held it tightly in his arms.

"Meow!"

The cat also meowed lowly.

Still with fear.

······
In the 29th year of Zhenghe, it was the Lantern Festival.

The sun slowly set in the west, probably after Shen Shizheng (four o'clock in the afternoon).

The Hong family's left-behind people in Xijing saw their second young master coming in from the door holding an orange cat.

This was the first time they saw each other's unsmiling face.

It was frighteningly cold from the inside out.

Not long after, people rushed to various places in Xijing along Sixth Street.

On the day of the reunion, except for the guards at key facilities, there was no one in Zhangwuyuan.

This is not an easy night to find someone.

The first ones to arrive were Wu Hongling and Wu Ruyi.

When the Hong family's servants found them, the mother and daughter were preparing to go out - this year's Lantern Festival would be celebrated in Asahi Mansion, as had been agreed upon in advance.

The bad news came so suddenly that it was hard to believe.

While walking through the streets and alleys, Wu Ruyi looked grim, but she was still lucky.

Until she saw Zhan Yuanzi's ice sculpture-like corpse, her tears immediately fell.

Not long after the moonlight fell, Master Jian Siyuan and Master Lu Yun arrived.

The person who came to receive him was Wu Hongling, who was holding back her sadness.

The two first checked Zhan Yuanzi's body.With a livid face, Jian Siyuan sent someone to ask his superiors.

Master Lu Yun originally wanted to say a few words of comfort.

But Hong Fan stood dumbly on the porch, like a lone tree growing out of the forest, with a stern face that made it difficult to get close.

As for Wu Ruyi, she hugged her knees and sat on the stone steps, wiping tears silently.

Master Lu Yun had no choice but to shut up.

After more than an hour, torches were lit in a circle in the courtyard, making everyone's shadow shrink to their feet.

When the sky became as dark as ink, all the people who could arrive finally arrived.

Six teams of Tiqi made up 11 people.

The first team was all locals and came together most; most of the rest had not yet returned to Xijing.

The one who came the latest and had the highest rank was Gu Taining, the "commander".

The state-affiliated Zhangwuyuan mainly has four business lines, namely "Zhang, Xue, Si, and Cha", which are each responsible for the four commanders below the admiral.

Among them, "Zhang" refers to intelligence, "Xue" refers to the study of martial arts techniques and elixirs, "Si" refers to law enforcement, and "Cha" refers to sect management.

As the "General Director of Tiqi", Jian Siyuan was responsible for Tiqi in a state.

As the direct superior of Jian Siyuan, Gu Taining, who is in the fourth grade, is in charge of all the armed forces in the whole state, including the Huran Realm Tiqi, the Penetrating Realm Warriors, and the Anti-Trouble Rangers.

As soon as he arrived, he naturally took over the command.

First, several Tiqimen other than the second team were sent out to control several households around Asahi Mansion.

Then, accompanied by Jian Siyuan and Wu Hongling, Gu Taining carefully inspected the scene and went back and forth indoors and outdoors several times.

It's a pity that there is a specialization in the art industry, so they couldn't see much.

During the interval, Hong Fan, who had been silent for a long time, finally responded.

He walked out from the shadows, passed Jian Siyuan, and went straight to Gu Taining.

"Commander Qianshi, may I ask, does the Admiral know what happened today?"

Hong Fan bowed his hands and asked.

"Admiral Xu already knows."

Gu Taining replied.

"Then the admiral won't come?"

Hong Fan asked again.

"Maybe I'm busy with important matters."

He kept his tongue in knots and was perfunctory at first.

When Hong Fan heard this, he took another half step closer.

"Why are you so busy during the Lantern Festival?"

His voice was lower, but uncompromising.

This kind of questioning method is always arrogant.

But the commander-in-chief looked at the sadness and anger that could not be concealed on his subordinates' faces and couldn't argue with him.

"Before I came, I went to see the admiral."

Gu Taining hesitated for a moment, glanced around, and waited for Jian Siyuan to take two steps away before replying in a whisper.

"Admiral, he was shocked when he heard that Youtiqi had died. He first asked me if it was you."

"When I said no, he was slightly relieved, but he was still thinking deeply."

"Sitting in that position, it is inevitable to worry more about other things..."

Hong Fan was silent.

"Thank you for telling me, sir."

He finally had nothing to say.

"Hong Fan, I know how you feel."

Seeing this, Gu Taining gave him gentle advice.

"This incident occurred on New Year's Day and in Xijing City. It is shocking. I can guarantee that the state department will investigate to the end and will never tolerate it!"

"Otherwise, how can I stand in charge of the martial arts academy?"

He deliberately raised his voice for these two sentences so that everyone present could hear them.

Gu Taining's determination was not a lie.

So Hong Fan could only nod.

Just after Hai Shi ([-] p.m.), the Xijing City Magistrate arrived with the first wave of arrests.

They sealed off the side garden and the courtyard where the incident occurred, and arranged police guards. Except for the victim's body, they were not in a hurry to search the site in detail.

After all, it's dark at night and there's snow outside, so working all night is likely to go awry.

In the Asahi Mansion, there was silence and desolation.

Outside Asahi Mansion, the Lantern Festival does not change.

Around midnight, fireworks broke out in Xijing City, with big flowers blooming in the sky.

Colorful lights.

It lights up the night of Yaohe River.

It also shines on the light snow covered by Zhan Yuanzi.

(End of this chapter)