Free Web NovelChapter 1096: Chapter 752: Pingsong Building Master
Yang Xiao didn’t rush to return. During these two days he stayed in Xiang Ma Town, he kept busy inspecting intelligence reports, inventorying the warehouse, and even took time to meet with key members like Granny Jin, reminding them to work diligently, assuring them that they would be well-rewarded.
According to reports from subordinates, during his absence, Tong Han had become the de facto leader here, managing everything in an orderly manner with clear rewards and penalties, her actions justified and reasonable, which earned the respect of all the brothers, including the experts like Granny Jin.
In contrast, Ling Yanyu seemed more like a chief steward; one dealt externally, the other internally, one was tough, the other gentle. Currently, Yang Xiao, known as the Pingxi Marquis, enjoyed the highest reputation among the Four Major Families, and his business was thriving.
Of course, this couldn’t be achieved without the support and care of his master and two senior brothers. Even when Tong Han and the others overstepped in certain matters, the hotels chose to turn a blind eye, pretending not to see.
Yang Xiao reciprocated, never allowing his senior brothers to leave empty-handed whenever they visited. He and his people also helped with some minor tasks that his master and senior brothers wished to do but were inconvenient for them due to their status.
His achievements today were inseparable from the support of his master and the two senior brothers, otherwise even the grass on his grave would be half a meter high by now.
These two days, Yang Xiao also secretly investigated the activities of Pingzong Building through various channels, but he didn’t detect any unusual rumors, only that the Pingzong Building people had attacked several rival gangs, causing quite a stir, and even the local Patrol Defense Office had to step in.
He had known about these early on. What he truly wanted to know was whether the people from Pingzong Building had retrieved that woman’s corpse.
The two days flew by. Deep at night, a light rain began to fall, the streets were cold and deserted. Yang Xiao quietly left Xiang Ma Town alone, determined to return to that hidden ravine to see for himself, else he couldn’t rest easy.
To be safe, on his way, he sent a message to Daoist Qingfeng, informing him of the night’s actions.
Yang Xiao moved swiftly and reached the vicinity of the ravine in no time. He didn’t approach rashly but quietly lurked in the woods, using the Human Bone Staff to detect the surroundings.
He squatted in the cold rain for a full half-hour, and the Human Bone Staff didn’t capture anything unusual. Only then did Yang Xiao slightly relax, taking out a copper mirror and placing it on the ground. Without stepping out of the dense forest, he directly slipped into the Mirror World from where he stood.
With his current level of spiritual power, the space within the Mirror World had expanded more than tenfold from the beginning, enough to cover where the woman and her subordinates’ bodies were dumped.
Entering from here was safer, allowing him to move stealthily within the Mirror World.
After walking for a while, he finally arrived at a large, half-buried stone, where several corpses lay scattered on the ground in a gruesome scene. One corpse was even split open down the middle. free𝑤ebnovel.com
This was the work of the Mirror Ghost. These were the guards around the woman. The bodies were still fresh, and the ground soaked in blood, as if the scene had just occurred moments ago.
Yang Xiao walked straight to the big stone, recalling that the woman’s body was thrown behind it.
But when he turned around, he found the space behind the stone empty. The body was gone, but the bloodstains on the ground clearly told Yang Xiao he wasn’t mistaken; a body had once lain here.
A sense of foreboding swept over Yang Xiao, who instantly went on alert, holding a Ghost Lantern in his left hand and the Human Bone Staff in his right, summoning the Mirror Ghost as well. They searched the vicinity but didn’t find the woman’s body.
Yang Xiao felt as if a weight was suffocating his heart. It seemed the rumors were true. That Pingzong Building Master was indeed extraordinary, managing to find the Mirror World and retrieve his daughter’s body.
Simultaneously, Yang Xiao realized he might have fallen into a trap; the information could’ve been deliberately leaked by the opponents to lure him back, ambushing him.
"This place mustn’t be lingered in; I have to leave immediately!" Holding the Human Bone Staff, Yang Xiao ensured there were no malevolent intents nearby, quickly retraced his path, and emerged from a distant forest well away from the murder scene.
Upon leaving the Mirror World, Yang Xiao moved swiftly, but after only a few steps, he halted abruptly.
Above, bright moonlight shone down, illuminating the area. But this was very wrong, as he was within a concealed forest of century-old ancient trees whose dense foliage should block out the sky. How then was moonlight streaming in?
Looking up, Yang Xiao faced a bizarre scene: a full moon hung in the sky, the towering tree crowns seemingly banished by the cold moonlight along with the darkness.
Indeed, the worst scenario had unfolded. This was a trap. Were it not for his trust in Ming Yue, who revealed the news, Yang Xiao might have suspected betrayal.
The Human Bone Staff sensed an unprecedented malevolent intent; the opponent wished for nothing more than to strip his flesh from bones.
Yang Xiao said nothing, slowly clenching the Human Bone Staff, wary of his surroundings. He knew clearly that words were useless now; he had to either kill the other or be killed here himself.
At last, the Human Bone Staff captured that malevolent intent, and Yang Xiao fixed his gaze towards the left front, where a tall figure emerged from behind a tree.
It was a middle-aged man, around fifty, dressed in a black Tang suit, his face pale, and a pair of scarlet eyes stared intently at Yang Xiao, filled with a killing intent that sent chills down the spine.
