"I pulled aside a neighborhood onlooker and asked. He... he said that Young Master Shen, Shen Lie, is really dead!"

Lucky’s voice trembled. "The killer hasn’t been caught, but they must be an incredible figure. Young Master Shen was murdered in his own home. The neighbors all say they didn’t hear any sounds of a fight last night, so the gap in strength between him and the killer must have been huge. The attack was clean and swift..."

"Some people are even speculating that it might have been a Huajin Powerhouse. Otherwise, how could someone so easily kill Young Master Shen, who was at the Peak of Dark Energy? Who knows how Young Master Shen could have offended such a powerful person..."

Listening to Lucky’s account, Zhao Yuman was completely stunned.

Lucky paused, a look of pity on his face, and continued, "And... Young Master Shen’s death was horrific. I heard the old forensic doctor say his body was beaten to a pulp. There was blood all over the courtyard ground, and his brains were spilled everywhere..."

CRACK.

The teacup in Zhao Yuman’s hand slipped from her grasp, shattering on the floor. Tea splashed onto the hem of her skirt, but she remained completely oblivious.

Her face instantly turned deathly pale, and her body swayed violently, nearly causing her to collapse.

"Miss!" Qinghe cried out, rushing forward to steady her by the arm. She helped guide her to a seat by the table.

Although Qinghe had already heard the rumors, she couldn’t help but shudder hearing Lucky’s graphic description. Even the hand she used to support Zhao Yuman began to tremble.

Zhao Yuman sat on the chair, her eyes staring blankly at the floor, lost in a daze.

She didn’t feel much grief. There was a flicker of regret, perhaps, but it was overshadowed by the bewildering feeling of a plan gone awry.

She had never truly been fond of Shen Lie. She had approached and courted him only because she saw value in his power as a master at the Peak of Dark Energy. He could have brought great benefits to Zhao’s Escort Agency and helped her solidify her position within the family.

But now, Shen Lie was dead.

Zhao’s Escort Agency had lost a potential, powerful ally. Her scheme to use Shen Lie’s strength to consolidate her status had completely fallen apart.

What weighed even more heavily on her heart was the knowledge that Dark Energy masters like Shen Lie were exceedingly rare in Yuhe County—as rare as a phoenix’s feather.

She wasn’t getting any younger. Now that she had lost her chance with Shen Lie, she feared she would never again find someone of his caliber willing to commit so deeply to her and Zhao’s Escort Agency.

In the past, she might have accepted marrying a Mingjin Martial Artist or the young master of some ordinary family to live a quiet life.

But ever since she had witnessed the prowess of Dark Energy masters like Yang Jing and Shen Lie, ever since she had felt the aura of such experts, the thought of settling for an ordinary man was worse than death.

An indescribable feeling of loss and anxiety washed over her like a tidal wave, consuming her completely.

The main hall fell silent once more, the only sounds being Lucky’s heavy panting and Zhao Yuman’s faint, dazed breathing.

....

「South City, Kangle Square.」

At the Po Mountain Martial Arts Hall, the training grounds were unnervingly quiet. The usual shouts and cries of disciples practicing their techniques were gone, replaced by an oppressive silence.

The midday sun streamed through the towering doorways, yet it failed to dispel the grim atmosphere.

Just then, a figure strode in from outside the hall. It was none other than the Hall Master of Po Mountain Martial Arts Hall, Wang Kui.

He was dressed in a black martial arts uniform, his build as imposing as an iron tower. His face, which normally carried a stern dignity, was now dark as a thundercloud. His brows were knitted tightly, and his eyes roiled with unconcealed fury and a chilling cold.

His footsteps were heavy, thudding against the bluestone floor.

Seeing him, the disciples along his path instinctively froze, bowing their heads and not daring to even breathe too loudly.

Everyone knew that their Senior Brother, Shen Lie, had been murdered the previous night, and the killer was still at large.

The Hall Master’s mood was undoubtedly at its absolute worst. Anyone who dared to cross him now would just be asking for trouble.

Wang Kui paid no mind to the disciples, who were as silent as cicadas in winter. He strode directly across the training grounds and into the main hall deep within the building.

This main hall also served as the Martial Arts Hall’s reception area. He often used to brew a pot of strong tea here, watching the disciples train through the open, latticed windows and occasionally offering a word of guidance.

"Go! Get Zhao Hu, Qi Yuanfang, and Sun Lei in here!"

Wang Kui had just seated himself in the Grandmaster’s Chair at the head of the hall when he barked at the servant disciple waiting outside the door, his voice thick with suppressed rage.

The servant disciple didn’t dare hesitate, immediately acknowledging the order and running off to deliver the message.

A moment later, three men in martial arts attire entered the main hall. They were all Core Disciples who had reached the Dark Energy realm at Po Mountain Martial Arts Hall, and they were Shen Lie’s peers.

The three men entered the hall and saw their master, Wang Kui, sitting at the head of the room with an ashen face. They all had the sense to lower their heads and stand silently in the center of the hall, none daring to be the first to speak.

They hadn’t been particularly close with Shen Lie. In fact, due to issues like resource allocation and the Hall Master’s favor, there was a great deal of unspoken rivalry between them. But when it came to the bonds of their shared brotherhood, some sentiment remained.

Now that Shen Lie had been brutally murdered in his own home, his death a complete mystery, they were shocked. But they also couldn’t help but feel a chill, like a fox mourning the death of a rabbit. ’If the killer could get to him, they could get to us.’

’To kill Shen Lie, a master at the Peak of Dark Energy, the murderer must be terrifyingly strong. If a killer like that ever set their sights on one of us, how could we possibly defend ourselves?’

The atmosphere in the main hall was even more oppressive than on the training grounds. The only sound was the steady TAP... TAP... TAP of Wang Kui’s fingers on the table, each rap echoing in the silence and tightening the knot of anxiety in their chests.

Wang Kui’s gaze swept across the faces of the three men in the hall. His eyes were like chips of ice, causing Zhao Hu, Qi Yuanfang, and Sun Lei to tense up instinctively.