Chapter 104
"Take me where these strange incidents occurred so that I can have a look," Lu Sheng cut to the chase . These supernatural beings were continuing to wreak havoc despite how tumultuous the situation already was .
If the Scarlet District had been behind it, there was no way it’d be something limited to such a small-scale incident, involving the disappearances of merely a few mortal men . That was utterly insignificant to the Zhen Family, and could even incur the royal family’s displeasure—the losses would be disproportionately greater than any potential gain .
"It’s just by the harbor outside the city," Ning San complied .
The two of them mounted horses and sped off . Xu Chui, upon hearing the news, also followed swiftly with some other men .
Travelling at full speed, they made their way around Mountain-Edge City for about an hour . Only then did Ning San stop by a small harbor by a patch of wilderness and flipped himself off his horse .
Following suit, Lu Sheng alighted as well . His gaze swept around his surroundings .
The surface of the lake was still, with some faint white ripples floating along its surface in the distance . The sun shone brightly, its rays reflecting off the surface of the crystal clear water from time to time .
A few long fishing boats floated leisurely along the surface of the lake as some of the fishermen aboard threw out their nets and angled for a catch .
It was presently noontime and the air was slightly warm . Some coolies were working in the harbor, moving their goods with their sleeves rolled all the way up . A few merchant groups waited by the side as they watched the goods being constantly transported onto ships .
"Where did the incidents occur?" Lu Sheng asked in a frown . A scene like this just didn't seem like a place those cases would have occurred at .
"It’s just to the right of this harbor . There have been frequent sightings of someone lifting a sedan chair and crossing over the bridge without making a single sound," Ning San replied .
The two of them headed to the right side of the shore as they talked .
Lu Sheng couldn't detect a single trace of Yin Qi all along the way . Without a single clue to go on, there was no way for him to identify the problem .
"We’ll wait here tonight . I want to see for myself just what’s up with this sedan chair," his eyes narrowed as he spoke .
Even in a period of intense fighting between Scarlet District and Zhen Family, there was still someone bold enough to meddle with a powerhouse like Crimson Whale Sect in Mountain-Edge City . Regardless of who it was, it was an unequivocal provocation against Zhen Family and Crimson Whale Sect .
Lu Sheng said no more as he looked towards the bustling scene in the harbor . He stood by the shore, silent .
Since he didn't move, Ning San didn't dare move an inch either . Very soon, Xu Chui and the over ten men whom he brought along arrived . Under Lu Sheng’s instruction, they surveyed the terrain around the harbor and met the yamen constable Zheng Xinzhong, who was still keeping watch over the area .
Lu Sheng found somewhere to rest in the nearby fishing village . On the way, he also met with that Constable Zheng from the yamen .
"Jade Lotus?" Constable Zheng stood before Lu Sheng respectfully . Upon hearing the question, he looked somewhat puzzled .
"A couple of days ago, he did venture out with our yamen’s Constable Wang to investigate into this midnight ghost-sedan case . He probably hasn't returned since," he replied promptly .
Because there were no quick means to contact those who had ventured out, it wasn't a big deal for the people here to fall off the grid for three to five days at a time .
"So from the time they’ve left to now, has that sedan reappeared?" Lu Sheng continued to ask .
"It was here again last night…" Constable Zheng replied with a bitter smile .
"So it was useless?"
"No, it feels much shorter in duration now," Constable Zheng replied hurriedly .
"Much shorter in duration now…" Lu Sheng remained in thought as he dismissed the constable . He summoned a subordinate to fetch some writing materials and personally penned down a letter . After sealing it with wax, he instructed someone to send it to the sect master at the Crimson Whale .
He wanted to enquire if the Zhen Family had given any sort of response regarding this particular case . Granted, there wasn't any conflict in the past . Now that there was a conflict with Scarlet District, logically speaking, there was no way the Zhen Family would tolerate such unbridled strife in a place as important as this, next to the city .
Then, he went with Ning San into the nearby village and found a place to lay their heads after some light tipping . Lu Sheng only left behind the two of them—Ning San and Xu Chui—while the rest of them returned .
The three of them waited by the lake all the way till nighttime, but no sedan appeared in sight . Instead, they saw Jade Lotus returning by the lake, fatigued .
Lu Sheng led the others to stand guard at the shore . From there, they could see Jade Lotus scanning his surroundings in the dark, as if he was looking for something .
"Come, let’s go take a look," taking the lead, he went forward .
Xu Chui and Ning San glanced at each other before hurrying to follow .
Only when the three of them approached closer did they notice that Jade Lotus looked exhausted and downcast .
"External Head Lu!? Why have you come?" Jade Lotus also noticed the approaching Lu Sheng and the other two .
"How was it? Is the matter settled?" Lu Sheng asked as he neared .
"It’s a real headache . Constable Wang and I have been separated from each other, and I haven’t been able to find him . External Head, the situation seems rather suspicious lately," Jade Lotus replied somberly .
"Situation is suspicious?" Lu Sheng was startled, "How so?"
"I’ll be frank," Jade Lotus replied softly . "When Constable Wang and I caught up with them, we saw that there was someone else even quicker than us who had given chase earlier . "
"Someone else? Did you manage to get a good look at them?" Lu Sheng’s brows knotted together . The average people would have cowered in fear and avoided a situation such as this at all costs . Yet, someone had taken the initiative to go off in pursuit, and was even swifter than Jade Lotus, whose martial arts skill was pretty decent . This was rather curious .
"That’s not all . Recently, there’s been less strange occurrences in Mountain-Edge City . Because of the recent series of events, it’s been the norm for supernatural cases to surface every now and then, especially in such a massive city and its surrounding land area, which have such a large population .
Yet now, this is the first incident to surface in almost half a month . Moreover, your subordinate suspects that after today, that ghost sedan would most certainly not surface again," Jade Lotus said lowly .
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Lu Sheng responded with a question .
"Although your subordinate wasn't able to catch up to them, halfway through the journey, I heard some miserable shrieks sounding out from before me, as if an exchange of blows took place . Yet when I approached, there wasn't the slightest trace left behind," Jade Lotus answered solemnly . "Therefore, it is highly likely that there was someone who had arrived before us and settled the matter . "
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