TDSDE 13

13. The Missing Left Protector

It all began with Su Wusi.

As the Vermilion Bird Hall Master, Su Wusi often had to travel between intelligence points to check on the situation. Naturally, she would always go in disguise—sometimes as a hunched old woman, sometimes as a plump middle-aged man, and sometimes as a foreign child. All these years, nothing had ever gone wrong.

But this time, after she entered the city dressed as a singer buying rouge, she vanished without a trace.

The intelligence point inside the city was a shop disguised as a cosmetics and jewelry store. The shopkeeper had also disappeared. Three days ago, the Left Protector went down the mountain to search for Su Wusi—and since then, he too had disappeared.

Although the martial world was relatively peaceful at the moment, they were, after all, part of the Demonic Sect. There was no telling when some self-righteous zealot might suddenly decide to “eradicate evil for the sake of the Dao.”

Normally, the Sect Leader was lazy and uninvolved, but when he heard about Su Wusi and the Left Protector, his expression turned cold at once. Wei Heng had to spend quite a while talking him down—otherwise, by now, the Sect Leader might have already torn Jinyan City to the ground.

Bai Yuanxiu looked around at those present, but before he could speak, Ye Nanxun said, “When we got there, the shop’s assistant was just about to flee. He’s in the punishment hall now.”

The Black Tortoise Hall of the Demonic Sect oversaw only one place: the punishment hall. And anyone who went in there and came out alive would never dare commit another offense in their life. Bai Yuanxiu knew the hall master’s skill well, so after thinking for a moment, he said, “Give it half an hour—he’ll talk.”

In truth, half an hour was an overestimate. They had barely waited outside when the Black Tortoise Hall Master, Gongsun Chou, came out.

“He was bought off,” Gongsun Chou said crisply, as usual. “It was a man’s voice. That’s all.”

Bai Yuanxiu blinked in surprise. “That’s it?”

That was practically useless information.

He asked instinctively, “Are you sure he said everything?”

Gongsun Chou looked up at Bai Yuanxiu, pausing in the act of wiping blood from his hands. “I didn’t even get to start interrogating. I had just begun to speak and the guy pissed himself.”

In that kind of state, it was basically impossible for the assistant to be hiding anything—he didn’t have the nerve.

Bai Yuanxiu was dumbfounded. “Then… where’d all the blood on your hands come from?”

Gongsun Chou went silent for two seconds, then quietly looked away. “Too dark in there.”

Bai Yuanxiu & Ye Nanxun: …

So that thud they heard earlier… was just Hall Master tripping over himself in the dark!? They’d thought Gongsun Chou had started swinging with full force in the torture chamber!

Gongsun Chou cleared his throat and went on to say that the bribed assistant had only ever heard a man’s voice from start to finish—he’d never even seen the person’s face.

There were plenty of people in the martial world who could disguise themselves. Changing one’s voice wasn’t that hard either. At this point, they were basically fumbling in the dark.

Although Su Wusi’s martial arts weren’t top-tier within the Demonic Sect, she was by no means weak. And the Left Protector—ranked eleventh on the Mysterious Talents List—was even more formidable. Taking him down was no simple task.

Bai Yuanxiu furrowed his brow. “I’ll head down the mountain.”

Ye Nanxun had been about to bring up Bai Yuanxiu’s injury, but in the end, he said nothing. He simply brewed a large pot of medicine, made sure Bai Yuanxiu drank it all, and only then let him go.

With both Protectors and one Hall Master now missing, the Black Tortoise and Azure Dragon Halls Masters could no longer run around freely. If this truly was a conspiracy targeting the Demonic Sect, no one knew what might happen next. They had to stay put and maintain order.

Gongsun Chou stood in the middle of the martial practice ground before Black Tortoise Hall, feeling as if he were once again surrounded by the corpses and blood-soaked earth from decades past.

He couldn’t help but pray: hopefully, they were just overthinking things.

Bai Yuanxiu sneaked to the outskirts of Jinyan City and promptly changed into bright blue robes. He strode openly into the city and headed straight for the finest inn.

The moment the attendant at the door saw his clothes and sword, he froze. When he recognized Bai Yuanxiu’s face, he broke into a wide grin. “Hero Bai! The usual?”

Two years ago, Bai Yuanxiu had come here. Back then, he had just met Xiao Qing. Wanting to spend more time with him, Bai Yuanxiu had told a little lie, claiming he was traveling the same path as Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing had been cold and aloof then, rarely speaking and spending most of his time staring off into space. Bai Yuanxiu had come up with an excuse to bring him here for a meal—but, of course, trouble showed up.

Xiao Qing was beautiful. A drunken brute had spotted him from afar and, thinking the inn was a brothel, staggered over trying to pull him into his arms.

At the time, Bai Yuanxiu had stepped outside briefly. Whether he was just unlucky or cursed to attract trouble wherever he went, he always managed to run into incidents like this.

That day, he’d just wanted to stop a street vendor to buy something, but an old man delivering wild goods to the inn had spilled everything on the ground. Bai Yuanxiu helped him carry the goods to the back, and by the time he returned, he saw Xiao Qing standing in the main hall, shielding two women.

Bai Yuanxiu rushed over and learned that a group of drunkards had stirred up trouble. The two sisters at the neighboring table had tried to speak up—and the drunkards had suddenly lunged at them.

The sisters were just daughters of a regular household—no martial training. Scared and angry, they were already on the verge of tears. In the end, Xiao Qing had drawn Bai Yuanxiu’s sword from the table to threaten the drunkards. The men, finding it amusing, had wanted to toy with them more, leading to a standoff.

Bai Yuanxiu had taken the sword from Xiao Qing, stepped in front of the three of them, and smiled at the burly drunkards. “Leave, or die.”

Back then, Bai Yuanxiu wasn’t very well known, and those brutes didn’t take him seriously—but not long after, they couldn’t even beg for mercy.

What happened next only got stranger. It turned out those drunkards were infamous bandits in the area—known for robbery and violating women. The authorities had never managed to catch them.

Bai Yuanxiu sat dumbfounded in one of the inn’s premium guest rooms, silver reward in hand from the local magistrate, only to learn that the innkeeper greatly admired men of righteous spirit. Bai Yuanxiu had unknowingly gained their deep favor.

That had been the beginning of it all. Since then, Bai Yuanxiu had traveled the martial world with Xiao Qing under the title “Hero Bai.” His bizarre luck hadn’t faded either—in fact, it had earned him quite a following even among the orthodox sects.

Now that he had returned to this place, the person who once accompanied Bai Yuanxiu is gone—but the shopkeeper and waiters here still remembered him.

Bai Yuanxiu deliberately picked a conspicuous spot and downed pot after pot of wine. One look, and anyone could tell he was brooding over something.

Whenever the shopkeeper or a waiter came over to check on him, he simply shook his head and said nothing.

This went on for five days. Then, when Bai Yuanxiu called out for more wine once again, a graceful figure suddenly sat down beside him.

Bai Yuanxiu thought to himself, Finally. Any longer and I really would’ve drunk myself sick.

He looked up at the newcomer and saw a woman in a green robe, lips curved in a smile, saying, “Young master, why drink alone?”

“Feeling troubled,” Bai Yuanxiu said, pouring another cup into his mouth. The woman picked up the jug and refilled his cup, saying nothing more.

It wasn’t until Bai Yuanxiu had drunk three more pots—his gaze already hazy—that she gently asked, “Want to tell me about it?”

Bai Yuanxiu still ignored her. They went back and forth like this twice more, and only then did he mumble, “It’s just… I lost a duel, so what? What’s so great about the Demonic Sect anyway.”

The corners of the woman’s mouth twitched faintly. She furrowed her brows, putting on a pensive look. “Who says otherwise? Come, Hero Bai, let me toast you.”

At this point, Bai Yuanxiu could barely hold the cup steady. Most of the wine sloshed out as it swayed toward his mouth. He barely managed a sip before collapsing in a drunken stupor.

By now, the main hall of the inn had emptied of other guests. The woman toyed with the cup for a while before slowly walking over to close the door.

The waiter, hearing the sound, came out and asked with concern, “Is Hero Bai alright?”

The woman gave a light laugh. “What could be wrong? He just passed out. We’re helping him.”

The waiter nodded and helped her carry Bai Yuanxiu to a guest room upstairs. Before leaving, he even thoughtfully pulled the blanket up over him.

The door closed. Inside the pitch-dark room, all was silent. Suddenly, the shadow on the bed stirred—Bai Yuanxiu’s eyes were clear as day, showing no sign of drunkenness.

He rubbed his face with difficulty.

Seriously… is something wrong with his constitution? Why is it always the damn inns? Is he never going to be able to eat out again?

Thinking back on the rumors he’d heard on his way here, Bai Yuanxiu’s worry for Su Wusi and Xiao Qing only deepened.

Sometime recently, a mysterious force had emerged in the martial world—its nature unclear, not quite righteous, not quite evil. They specialized in “solving problems” for people, anything from murder and revenge to running errands like grocery shopping. No job too big or small.

Bai Yuanxiu hadn’t taken it seriously at first. But then he overheard someone loudly complaining about an unfair duel—and that’s when it clicked: Su Wusi and Xiao Qing’s disappearance might be connected.

There were many skilled women warriors in the martial world, but in the eyes of some, women were inherently inferior to men. It was because of this that the Demonic Sect’s Vermilion Bird Hall Master had thoroughly beaten a few people at the gathering.

Bai Yuanxiu still remembered one of them sneering about how women should just get married and raise children—that no one would want someone like Su Wusi no matter how pretty she dressed. The next second, she knocked his teeth out.

Bai Yuanxiu had seen types like that all his life—rabid dogs that only knew how to bark. But even a rabid dog could bite if you let your guard down. Maybe Su Wusi had been targeted because of that.

As for Xiao Qing, it was even simpler. The Demonic Sect’s Left and Right Protectors had always been its most visible figures—and also the ones with the biggest targets on their backs. The martial gathering had been triggered by a draw between the Demonic Sect and Yunhua Sect, and it had ended with the Demonic Sect’s victory. Naturally, Xiao Qing became the thorn in everyone’s side.

The more Bai Yuanxiu thought about it, the more annoyed he became. Why the hell did we even have that gathering? If someone’s not convinced, just fight it out and be done with it!

He also blamed himself. Why did I have to go and be that “Hero Bai”? If not for that, I could’ve just gone in alone and handled it myself. Xiao Qing wouldn’t have had to be the target.

His mind wandered in all directions, and before he knew it, dawn was breaking outside the window.

Then came a knock at the door, followed by the waiter’s voice: “Hero Bai, are you awake?”

Bai Yuanxiu sighed inwardly. No use thinking so much. First things first—find those two.

He pinched his throat and replied in a stuffy, nasal voice, “Awake.”

As the door creaked open, Bai Yuanxiu instantly tensed.

—There were two sets of footsteps. One light, one heavy. But neither of them belonged to the waiter.

Yesterday, the only ones who had brought him upstairs were the waiter and that unknown woman. So who was this second person entering his room now?