Book 28 Chapter 8

The Lotus Sword Pagoda fluttering,

―A bustling doorway

Flags were fluttering in the wind.

Flags bearing the engravings of swords and lotuses were fiercely fluttering in the wind. It was a unique flag that would sometimes, strangely, flutter violently as if struggling, emitting a momentum of "Don't come! Pretend you didn't see me and just leave!" whenever someone with the character '飛' (fei, to fly) in their name passed by.

This flag, which once only fluttered in certain areas of Sichuan, had spread throughout the entire martial arts world in the past few years. It was no exaggeration to say that the entire martial arts world was astonished by its rapid expansion of power, surprising even the Central Plains Escort Agency, a veritable overlord in the escort industry. Eventually, by establishing trade relations with the Heavenly Martial Academy and the Righteous Sky Alliance, there was no one who didn't know the masters of this flag, the Zhongyang Escort Agency. Even the Central Plains Escort Agency, which had reigned as the absolute power in the escort industry, could not help but be wary of the Zhongyang Escort Agency's rapid expansion.

However, no one had yet discovered the hidden strength and secrets behind why the Zhongyang Escort Agency, which was merely an unknown escort agency in the Sichuan frontier until a few years ago, had grown so rapidly. Now, that flag was fluttering not only in Sichuan but also in the very heart of Hubei Province.

However, someone was watching that flag from not far away; it was a young man whose bangs covered his eyes. The young man's bangs swayed gently from side to side in the wind, but despite the wind's best efforts, they failed to reveal his face.

It was Bi Liuyan, who had led the rescue party to this place, the Hubei branch of the Zhongyang Escort Agency.

The Hubei branch was located much further south than the Black Sky Alliance, so it was an unavoidable detour, but it was necessary to ensure complete infiltration.

But for some reason, the front of the Zhongyang Escort Agency's Hubei branch was crowded with many people.

While it was good that the escort business was thriving, the appearance of the bustling crowd suggested they were not clients seeking escort services. This was because middle-aged men in their early fifties, dressed quite handsomely, were all accompanied by young women.

Considering the age difference, they were not wives, nor, judging by their demeanor, were they concubines. If they were maids, they were too elaborately dressed to be that.

Not wives, not concubines, not maids, so the only remaining possibility was…

"Daughters."

Zhang Hong, glancing at the men and women gathered in front of the separate reception area set up next to the main gate of the Zhongyang Escort Agency's Hubei branch, blurted out.

"Do you have a basis for that, Brother Zhang?" Bi Liuyan asked lightly.

"Not wives, not concubines, not maids, so what else could they be but daughters? Besides, if they were concubines, they'd want to show them off publicly, not hide them so carefully."

Indeed, the middle-aged men who appeared to have some wealth were accompanied by young women, most of whom had their faces veiled. And several sturdy-looking men, presumably servants, surrounded each of the young women, their eyes darting around. They all seemed somewhat anxious.

"That's certainly true," Bi Liuyan nodded, appearing convinced.

"But they don't seem to be of low status, so for them to bring their unmarried daughters to an escort agency… it's a strange occurrence."

"That's true too," Zhang Hong felt his curiosity piqued. In such cases, asking the relevant people was the fastest way.

"Excuse me, sir, can I ask you something? What is all this commotion about?"

In response to Zhang Hong's question, an escort agency guard replied.

"Ah, that? Everyone is in a frenzy trying to find a 'bodyguard'."

"A bodyguard? So many? Did something happen?"

There were various types of escorts, but bodyguards primarily handled personal protection. Escorting goods was not the only business of an escort agency, although it was the most famous.

Even so, it was not a common occurrence for so many people to bring their daughters and seek bodyguards.

"No, didn't you know?"

"Know what? What are you talking about? Remove the front and the back, what do you expect me to understand? There has to be something left to understand."

"The Old Tree Incident, the Old. Tree. Incident."

The guard whispered, lowering his voice as much as possible so as not to be overheard by other customers.

"The Old Tree Incident?"

Ignoring the guard's consideration, Zhang Hong exclaimed loudly.

Instantly, the noisy temporary reception area fell silent as a mouse. Then, everyone looked at Zhang Hong with faces as if they were about to have a shock, as if he couldn't have carelessly spoken of such a dire event. It was clearly a look of condemnation. Receiving such a gaze filled with the people's criticism, Zhang Hong couldn't help but feel awkward.

"Shh! Please be quiet. Quietly." The guard said, aghast.

"What exactly happened? Please tell me clearly."

"If you don't know about that, you're not from this area. There's been a 'serial abduction and murder of women' happening in Hubei Province recently. The strange thing is that after the abducted women were subjected to various ordeals, they were discarded, dried up like old trees."

"They were…" This implied that it was still ongoing.

"Is that true?"

"Absolutely. That's why some said it was the work of ghosts. In fact, the whereabouts of other abducted women couldn't be found, but a few days ago, one of the missing women was found floating down the river, emaciated. At first, only bones and shriveled skin remained, so no one knew who it was, but by looking at the clothes she was wearing, it was revealed that she was the woman who had been abducted a week ago."

When the fate of the abducted women became clear, all of Hubei Province was thrown into chaos. It was a more horrific fate than simply being abducted, raped, and sold to a brothel.

A near-certain suspicion arose that the perpetrators of the sporadic virgin abduction incidents that had occurred here and there were likely the 'same person.' Furthermore, the victims were abducted indiscriminately, regardless of their social status. Their faces were not heavily concealed either. It was as if the perpetrator had contracted 'virgin blindness' and was simply attracted to any virgin.

So how could fathers with daughters feel at ease? That's why wealthy people were running in all directions to find bodyguards. As a result, the Hubei branch was overwhelmed with bodyguard clients, to the point where there weren't enough escorts to handle the escort requests.

"Hoho, such a thing… It is indeed a most bizarre occurrence."

"Moreover, the father of the daughter whose body was recently discovered was a considerable landlord, and there's even talk that he went to the righteous sects of the martial arts world with money, asking them to hunt down the demon."

"He wants revenge, doesn't he?"

Although referred to as hunting down a demon, it was essentially a request for revenge for his daughter. Of course, a righteous sect of the martial arts world couldn't act as a proxy for 'revenge,' but a request to apprehend a serial rapist and murderer had a valid justification. In fact, judging by the crowds at the escort agency, the situation seemed quite serious.

"Just how many virgin disappearances have there been to cause such a situation?"

"I heard that when you combine all the incidents that have occurred over the past few years, there are over a hundred."

"A, a hundred…!" Zhang Hong and the others present were speechless at the guard's words.

Even over ten would have been an excessive number, but a hundred…

"That bastard deserves to be torn to pieces! Men like that deserve to be dismembered! This is what men are like! We can't let our guard down for a single moment! To prevent such a situation, everything must be cut off!"

Ok Yukyeong, who had been listening nearby, exuded a terrifying killing intent for a moment. The men around them couldn't help but flinch at the bone-chilling killing intent. It was a killing intent that made one's knees tremble involuntarily. Zhang Hong's complexion, in particular, suddenly turned pale as if all the blood had drained from him.

Feeling severely threatened, Zhang Hong needed to divert attention.

"Ahem, were there any other characteristics on the body?" he asked in a more serious, calm, and powerful voice than usual.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, I vaguely recall hearing that there was a blue palm print above the navel."

"A blue palm print!" Zhang Hong's eyes widened suddenly.

"What's wrong, Uncle Zhang? Do you have any idea?"

As people's gazes focused on him—Yes! He had succeeded in diverting attention!—Zhang Hong shook his head.

"Ah, it's nothing. There's no way that could be the case. That fellow died fifty years ago."

His last words were so quiet that no one could hear them. He didn't want to spread unnecessary rumors. In any case, that demon's business was not their concern. They would leave it to the righteous sect that had accepted the commission, and they had something else to do now.

"By the way, what business do you have here, customers?" The guard, finally remembering his original duty, asked their purpose.

"Is the branch chief inside?" Bi Liuyan asked abruptly. The guard couldn't help but frown as a young man stepped forward and asked.

"Are you here to see the branch chief?"

"You could say that."

"May I ask where you are from?" It was important to confirm their identities first.

"I cannot tell you that." Bi Liuyan replied with a smile. It was best not to reveal their presence in the Hubei region, as they didn't know where the Black Sky Alliance's eyes and ears might be.

"Th-that's a rather difficult answer." The guard couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. In his capacity, he couldn't arbitrarily let people who didn't reveal their identities inside.

"Did you have an appointment?" he asked, hoping against hope. There were many people who would just evade the question, not wanting to reveal their identities to a mere subordinate like himself.

"Not at all." Bi Liuyan's answer was utterly confident.

"Th-then a meeting is difficult. At least you should reveal your identity…"

"Then what is your name?" Bi Liuyan retorted with a smile.

"I am Piao Sheng, merely an escort." The guard replied, cupping his fist. Despite his hesitant speech, this guard surprisingly had courage. It seemed the Zhongyang Escort Agency trained its subordinates quite well. This guard, Piao Sheng, might even hold a significant position in the Zhongyang Escort Agency later. After all, every organization instinctively craves talent.

However, just because the other party revealed their name, Bi Liuyan had no intention of revealing theirs. Instead, Bi Liuyan said,

"Hmm, I'll remember it for about half a quarter of an hour."

Half a quarter of an hour was a very short time. However, it was enough time to convey someone's name to another person, for example, for Bi Liuyan to say, "Ah, the guard at the gate, Piao Sheng, seemed reasonably capable." At that time, the ordinary escort Piao Sheng had no idea that this brief memory would later become a crossroads in his destiny.

"Go inside and tell them that the owner of the 'Lotus Sword Pagoda' has arrived. They will know."

A moment later.

Zhang Yihua, the branch chief of the Zhongyang Escort Agency's Hubei branch, rushed out barefoot. She was in such a hurry that she seemed to have forgotten to put on her shoes. After barely catching her breath, she bowed and said,

"Are you the owner of the 'Lotus Sword Pagoda', Young Master?"

Bi Liuyan nodded and took out a token from his pocket. It was one he had recently received from the Zhongyang Escort Agency's Chief, Eighteen Swords, or rather, now known as Jin Yi Biao Ge, Zhang Wuyang. The owner of the Lotus Sword Pagoda wielded almost equal authority to the Chief. Zhang Wuyang was given the moniker Jin Yi Biao Ge because the Zhongyang Escort Agency was rapidly expanding its influence like a powerful gust of wind.

"What brings you to the branch, Young Master?" Zhang Yihua's demeanor was extremely polite. It was only natural, as the owner of the Lotus Sword Pagoda was practically a co-manager of the Zhongyang Escort Agency.

"I have a favor to ask."

"Whatever you wish, please ask. I will carry it out immediately." Zhang Yihua did not ask for the reason.

"Please quickly organize an escort mission, one heading to Wuchang."

There was no better way to hide a large number of martial artists than through an escort mission. It allowed them to enter without concealing their identities as martial artists. However, although this was the theory, in practice, there were many difficulties.

First, this group had too many individuals who would attract attention. Among them were people so famous that more people knew them than didn't know them in both the righteous and unrighteous factions of the world. Especially if two people, a fiery red swordsman like a burning flame and an ice-cold swordsman with blue-black hair, appeared together, any martial artist with functional eyes would immediately recognize them.

The thought of 'just leaving them behind' crossed his mind, but their collective strength was too valuable to abandon.

Therefore, the best way to pass inspections while hiding their peculiar physiques but not their identities as martial artists was to pretend to be escorts dispatched on a mission. While it was impossible to completely suppress the aura that naturally leaked out, it was possible to consciously weaken it to some extent, so there would be no problem. Furthermore, an escort mission was ideal for moving as a group.

Moreover, at a place like the Hubei branch, they would have likely conducted escort missions to Wuchang, where the Black Sky Alliance was located, multiple times, and would have likely established connections with local officials.

Thus, after a period of brisk activity, an escort mission left the Zhongyang Escort Agency that very day. Surprisingly, the person at the forefront was Zhang Yihua, the branch chief of the Hubei branch.

One peculiar thing was that almost all the escorts were wearing loose-fitting clothes and wearing bamboo hats that obscured their faces.

Led by Zhang Yihua, the escort mission immediately began to head north.

Towards the center of the approaching dark clouds and storm.

Unaware of what harsh fate awaited them.