Chapter 165: Sudden Turn of Events!

Early the next morning.

Yan Jing opened his eyes on his bed in the Inner World.

After catching the real culprit yesterday, he had unlocked the identity-switching function for the Dungeon. With that, all the groundwork before this Personal Dungeon was complete.

Because of this, he had specifically instructed Fei Yu not to wake him unless it was an emergency, and he treated himself to a long, deep sleep.

Now, he felt completely refreshed.

So far, compared to the dangers of Old Sin City, this incident had been relatively simple.

He possessed Luo Sheng's memories from right before his death.

Therefore, unlike the Old Man's method of deducing the killer backward from the clues, Yan Jing had locked onto a few potential suspects from the very beginning.

Just as he had told the Old Man, on the day Young Master Luo received the note, he had gone to see Wei Bufan to withdraw from the county election. After that, he visited Wanhua Fang, Blessing Road, East Street, the Soul-Burning Workshop, the Opera House, and Feinan Temple.

It seemed like he had gone everywhere, but by first eliminating the Fourth Tier experts who could have killed the young master effortlessly, and then ruling out the factions that were not in direct opposition to him, the remaining possibilities were already very few.

In reality, however, the person who targeted Young Master Luo didn't belong to any of those factions.

That was why Yan Jing hadn't entirely figured it out at first.

It wasn't until he transformed into Yi Ji and confirmed that the assassin had struck on East Street while disguised that he deduced the involvement of an Actor Cultivator.

And an Actor Cultivator naturally led back to the Opera House.

Here lay the crux of the issue: Luo Sheng had almost no interaction with the Opera House, much less any bad blood.

Therefore, someone else had to be standing behind the Opera House.

Yan Jing reviewed the memories of that day once again and finally found the key detail.

The places Young Master Luo visited later weren't actually that important. The real key lay with the friend he had met before going to see Wei Bufan.

If anyone was most likely to have ties to the Opera House, it was that friend.

Namely, Four Hands.

Shortly after meeting Four Hands, Luo Sheng had confirmed his identity as the former Mei Changfeng through a specific habit of his.

Luo Sheng had genuinely considered Mei Changfeng a friend. Now, it seemed the feeling wasn't mutual.

Luo Sheng knew that Mei Changfeng also wanted revenge and was well aware of his plight. It was precisely because of this that Yan Jing faintly guessed Mei Changfeng's possible motive for murder.

Up to this point, however, it was all still just suspicion.

So, Yan Jing had gone to the Opera House and then to Four Hands, casting his bait.

Pressured by the Old Man's backward-deduction investigation, the people at the Opera House had no choice but to make a move against Yan Jing.

Yan Jing had captured the man, pried the truth from his lips, and learned that the Wang Family Troupe had split off from the Mei Family Troupe—and that someone else was standing behind them.

At that point, the suspicion surrounding Mei Changfeng grew exponentially.

Then, the very next day, he stood at the door and directly asked Mei Yi who truly owned the Opera House.

He named Mei Baitang and watched Mei Yi's reaction.

According to Luo Sheng's memories, Mei Yi had been Mei Baitang's closest confidant, part of a group in Minhu that still valued loyalty and honor.

Mei Yi's reaction had told him exactly who the true master of that place was.

Mei Baitang was already dead. This place could only belong to Mei Changfeng.

Later on, the appearance of the highwaymen and the singers further proved that the Mei Family was far from dead.

In the end, Mei Changfeng didn't choose a path where the fish die and the net breaks. Presumably, this was because Yan Jing held the secret of his true identity.

However... it was also precisely because of this secret.

Mei Changfeng would absolutely not let him live.

A storm was coming, and it would hit soon.

Truthfully, he was also quite curious. Having reached this point, what methods did Mei Changfeng still have to turn the tables?

He got out of bed and walked out of the inner room.

In the outer room, the Old Man was practicing his exercises. Fei Yu was sitting to the side on a small stool, reading a comic book.

Outside, rain pattered softly against the ground.

It was already late summer, but the rain was still warm. Mixed with the wind, it blew a layer of dampness over the ground.

"You're awake."

Fei Yu closed the book in her hands. "Want something to eat to line your stomach this morning?"

"No need, I'm not hungry yet. Keep reading, Xiao Yu."

Yan Jing walked over to a nearby reclining chair and lay back, unwilling to disturb this rare tranquility.

The firewood in the kitchen crackled under the roasting flames, intertwining with the sound of the rain outside. The harmonious, warm atmosphere made him feel that this tiny house was actually a home.

So, Young Master Luo, oh Young Master Luo...

What was it that you truly wanted?

Was it revenge... reaching the Summit... or making the Luo Family's name shake all of Minhu...

Yan Jing pondered, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Just how beautiful was the scenery at the peak, to make so many people forsake everything they had and push forward with such reckless abandon?

...

After lunch, the rain gradually stopped. The Old Man left the house as Yan Jing had instructed to gather information.

If Yan Jing's guess was right, Mei Changfeng would make his move today.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for the Old Man to return, wearing a woven rain cape.

As soon as he entered the house, he spoke in a low, grave voice:

"Young Master, something happened."

"What happened?"

"Word on the street is that Wei Nantian's son, Wei Bufan, is dead."

At these words, Yan Jing smiled.

He hadn't expected Mei Changfeng to pinpoint this exact angle for a counterattack.

The chances of the news of Wei Bufan's death leaking on its own were extremely slim. Most likely, Mei Changfeng hadn't been able to contact Wei Bufan and thus had someone spread the rumor.

Just like Yan Jing, he was also guessing.

If he guessed wrong, someone would naturally step up to take the fall.

But if he guessed right, the situation would reverse completely.

When that time came, the only thing Yan Jing could do would be to expose the truth that Four Hands was Mei Changfeng.

But doing that wouldn't buy him his life.

"Young Master, let's go."

The Old Man kept his voice low. "No one has connected this to us yet. If we head east, we might still be able to escape."

"You can always be the county head some other time."

Bianliu County was located at the southernmost tip of Minhu, meaning the southern route was a dead end.

Starting from the west of Bianliu County and moving counterclockwise upwards were the Mechanism Alley Entrance, Zhennan County, Crop Plains, Baile Manor, and two semi-wastelands.

For the current Yan Jing, both Zhennan County and Baile Manor were completely off-limits. The Crop Plains, which supported Yan Jing, were situated between those two territories, which was why the Old Man suggested heading east.

The east, though a semi-wasteland of incomparable danger, at least offered a sliver of a chance to survive.

"Alright, we'll go."

Yan Jing nodded. Just as the Old Man and Fei Yu were preparing to pack their luggage, Yan Jing suddenly leaned in and whispered something into the Old Man's ear.

A flash of astonishment crossed the Old Man's eyes, and he quickly nodded:

"Alright, I'll go right away."

...

...

A moment later.

In a hidden corner, the Old Man received a reply from "Yi Ji."

"Alright, I'll wait in the alley next to the paper-mounting shop on West Street."

It worked.

The Old Man's eyes gleamed with excitement. Just moments ago, Yan Jing had told him that he wanted to meet the friend who had helped them so much before they left.

He hurriedly ran back to share the news with Yan Jing.

The paper-mounting shop on West Street was in a very remote location. Virtually no one would disturb them there.

Soon, the two of them arrived at the mouth of that alley.

Before the Old Man could even step forward, "Yi Ji," standing half-hidden in the shadows, smiled and spoke first:

"Old Man!"

"I'm here, I'm here."

The Old Man walked over happily and introduced them to "Yi Ji."

"This is the young master of my household I've always told you about, Luo Sheng."

"Young Master, this is my friend, Yi Ji. We've been through life and death together."

"Yi Ji..."

Yan Jing smiled:

"A fine name, a fine name indeed. Nice to meet you, Mr. Yi Ji. Thank you for all your help these past few days."

Yan Jing cupped his hands in a formal greeting.

Without waiting for "Yi Ji" to speak, Yan Jing turned to the Old Man and said softly:

"Master Liu, go keep a lookout outside. I'll be right there."

"Alright."

The Old Man nodded. "Take your time chatting, Young Master."

"It was nothing, Young Master Luo. Just a small favor."

"Yi Ji" kept a smile on his face.

Yan Jing sighed inwardly.

There were still some flaws. After all, he had practiced for far too short a time.

The "Yi Ji" standing in front of him was actually the master of the Wang Family Troupe—the very man he had the Old Man hand over to Yi Ji for interrogation yesterday.

Still, to achieve this much in just one day was quite impressive.

After chatting for a while, the two walked out of the alley one after another.

"Let's go, Master Liu."

Yan Jing looked at the Old Man. "I've entrusted some matters to your friend. We'll meet again if fate allows."

"Alright."

The Old Man nodded and turned to "Yi Ji."

"It's an eventful time right now. It's safer for you to keep your distance from us. Once we wrap things up here, we'll get together again."

The Old Man added:

"Make sure you don't run around recklessly lately. Just stay put. If anyone asks you for news about us, just play dumb."

"And Huzi can't tag along with us for now, either. Things are truly critical this time—"

"Let's go, Master Liu."

Yan Jing smiled and interrupted the Old Man's speech.

"Right, right, right!"

The Old Man nodded, looking at "Yi Ji."

"Take care of yourself! Take care!!!"

"You're the one who needs to take care, Old Man. Contact me if anything happens."

"Yi Ji's" smile faded as he spoke with a serious expression.

After speaking, he performed an action Yan Jing had specifically instructed him to do—he patted his own waist.

"Good, good!"

The Old Man nodded heavily and swiftly left alongside Yan Jing.

...

...

Noon.

By this time, the clamor of voices was gradually rising in the dark alleys of the streets.

Everyone now knew that Wei Nantian's son, Wei Bufan, seemed to have been killed by the Luo Family's Eldest Young Master Luo.

Furthermore, rumor had it that his corpse had already been found.

The most compelling piece of evidence was that the corpse carried the aura of the Crop Plains.

And everyone knew that Eldest Young Master Luo was currently allied with the Crop Plains.

According to the rumors, Wei Nantian had personally carved his way into Bianliu County to oversee the battle, desperate to find his son.

He did find him—but only as a corpse. In a towering rage, he immediately had Li Gongming of the Crop Plains, who had been discovered at the scene, chopped into more than a dozen pieces.

Right before he died, Li Gongming had still been defending himself, claiming that Luo Sheng had been the one to do it and that he was innocent.

Wei Nantian didn't care who dealt the killing blow. As long as they had something to do with his son's death, they had to die.

Even if it meant provoking the Crop Plains, he couldn't care less.

Soon, in Mud Alley, a group of men armed with broadswords and long spears barged into number 19, reeking of murderous intent.

As soon as they rushed through the door, they saw Luo Sheng and Fei Yu bound together.

At this moment, Luo Sheng had a strip of cloth stuffed into his mouth. Completely unable to speak, he had already slipped into an unconscious state. Fei Yu, on the other hand, had no cloth in her mouth. It had fallen to the side; it seemed she had used some kind of technique to force the gag out.

"It wasn't us! It was Four Hands!! He's Mei Changfeng!!"

"It was him!!"

"Don't... don't come any closer!! Stay back!! Mei Changfeng set a trap! Mei Changfeng, he—"

"Squelch, squelch, squelch—"

A continuous spray of blood erupted in the air. Clusters of black and white Thorns suddenly blossomed from inside Luo Sheng's body, piercing into everyone who had stepped into the room.

Naturally, Luo Sheng and Fei Yu, who bore the brunt of the attack, were instantly reduced to two puddles of minced flesh.

Agonized screams echoed endlessly, and the aura of Fear instantly spread. Before the trembling eyes of everyone outside, a shower of flowers suddenly began to fall from the sky.

The withered blossoms drifted down, looking exceptionally cold in this late summer air.