They all became female demons after being reborn.

Chapter 37 Meeting an Acquaintance

Four people stopped to rest at the tea stall by the official road outside Luoyang today.

The first man looked quite young, dressed in a blue robe with a wolf tail, his eyes sparkling with intelligence. He was a dashing and handsome young man, more like a young master from a wealthy family going on a spring outing than a wandering swordsman.

This person was none other than Wu Cheng.

And the aloof beauty, also dressed in a blue robe and carrying an oil-paper umbrella, is naturally Qingque.

Upon learning that Wu Cheng had volunteered to come to Luoyang to investigate the case, she naturally wouldn't stay on the mountain alone, but instead came with Wu Cheng.

The other two were Xue Jianren, who had dark circles under his eyes but a straight back, and Zhou Ke, a senior brother sent by the Discipline Hall. Zhou Ke had a pair of judge's pens hanging from his waist. Although he was tall and strong, he was taciturn and came only to monitor Xue Jianren and help Wu Cheng.

Seeing the four people's extraordinary bearing, the old man at the tea stall carefully poured four bowls of coarse tea and then kept his distance, not daring to approach. The other merchants and travelers resting there only glanced at Wu Cheng and Qing Que with amazement, but no one came over to cause trouble or speak to them.

Wu Cheng picked up his teacup but didn't drink the tea. Instead, he said, "So, no one stopped Sun Xiaohu when he ran away?"

The usually taciturn Zhou Ke spoke up, "The people from the outer sect said that he took the slip to go down the mountain, which Yuan Congwen had arranged for him before he died."

"Before he died..." Wu Cheng squinted at the towering Lijing Gate of Luoyang City not far away, "We should be careful, there's probably not a peaceful place in Luoyang City."

"Of course. When we came down the mountain, Master instructed us to follow my junior brother's orders after we left." Zhou Ke nodded.

Xue Jianren nodded in agreement, but when he picked up his teacup to drink, he saw Wu Cheng's smiling eyes. He then put down his teacup and took out his own kettle to drink.

After resting enough, the group left a few large coins, then lined up to pay the city entrance fee before entering the city.

Once inside the city, the four of them found a restaurant on the street, sat down, and ordered some food.

Xue Jianxin, deep in thought, ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, then put down his chopsticks and leaned forward to look at Wu Cheng. "Junior Brother Wu, where should we start our investigation?"

Wu Cheng put down his chopsticks and asked in return, "Senior Brother Xue, you are quite familiar with Luoyang. Who do you think has the best information network in Luoyang?"

Without a second thought, Xue Jianren replied, "Naturally, it's the magistrate of Luoyang."

Even Qingque and Zhou Ke, who were either aloof or composed, couldn't help but glance at Xue Jianren, as if trying to determine whether he was simply a fool or just too naive.

But Wu Cheng's smile remained unchanged. He could communicate with a fool on equal terms, after all, he had experience in this area. "Then I suggest that Senior Brother Xue simply tie his hands behind his back and go to his door to plead guilty. Maybe the magistrate of Luoyang will spare your life because of your father."

Xue Jianren was taken aback, then scratched his head sheepishly, "Junior brother, please don't make fun of me, I just got flustered because I was worried..."

Wu Cheng smiled and asked, "Besides government officials, are there any other forces in Luoyang that have relatively good information?"

Xue Jianren thought about it carefully, "The Canal Gang and Fushengtang. The Canal Gang controls the Luoshui Wharf and more than a dozen ferry crossings. All the porters and boatmen are their people. No matter what happens in the city, they can't escape their eyes. As for Fushengtang, they specialize in weddings and funerals. They take on both weddings and funerals. They know better than the government who has a new baby or who has died."

"We can't go after the Canal Gang," Wu Cheng said. "The Canal Gang can't grow so big without the approval of the government. They are either backed by the magistrate of Luoyang or Prince Yu, Wu Ju."

He twirled the wine glass in his hand, then made his decision, "Let's go find out what Fushengtang has to say."

They could just pack up and go.

Fushengtang's storefront is located in a narrow alley in the south of the city, and its entrance is practically deserted.

That's normal. Who would go to this place every day for no reason? It's considered unlucky.

However, at this moment, the doors of Fushengtang were wide open, clearly indicating that it was open for business.

So the four of them stepped inside, and a waiter in a gray cloth jacket greeted them with a big smile, "Are you here for a wedding or a funeral? We are the most professional in all of Yuzhou, providing a one-stop service for weddings and funerals, and we will make you feel right at home."

Just as Xue Jianren was about to speak, Wu Cheng smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, "I'd like to discuss a business deal with your manager."

As he spoke, he snapped his fingers, and Xue Jianren snapped out of his daze, immediately taking out a tael of silver from his pocket and tossing it to the shop assistant.

The waiter accepted the loose silver with a delighted expression. He then glanced discreetly at the four men, noticing their distinguished attire and refined demeanor. He bowed and ushered them into the back room, saying, "Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I'll go and call the manager. Someone! Bring tea for you four!"

Just as the tea was brewed, a commotion arose outside.

"Damn Fushengtang! I told you ten days ago! If you don't pay your dues, I'll smash up this filthy place! Looks like you bunch of bastards have completely ignored me!"

Wu Cheng raised an eyebrow and was about to get up, but the waiter blocked the door with a smile, "How could we offend the eyes of you gentlemen? Please sit down. It's just a few filthy bastards causing trouble. Our manager will handle it."

He had barely finished speaking when a rough, loud shout came from the front hall: "Where did this bastard come from, daring to act so arrogantly here!"

Then came the sound of fists slapping his cheeks, and the originally noisy cursing quickly turned into pleas for mercy, and then there was complete silence.

A moment later, a gaunt old man with a scarred face pushed open the door and walked in, cursing.

While wiping the blood from his hands with a filthy rag, he boasted to the waiter with great gusto, "These few good-for-nothings dare to cause trouble at Fushengtang? Not long ago, in Shenjiazhuang, I exchanged blows with the Dao Master of Extinction of Emotions in front of the true disciples of the Wentian Sect, and we were evenly matched! That's the Dao Master of Extinction of Emotions! One of the three grandmasters of the Holy Sect! I didn't lose a hand! And that kid surnamed Mei, I heard he's from a prestigious family in Lin'an, the capital, but didn't I beat him so badly he was begging for mercy on his knees? I only spared his life because I'm kind-hearted!"

The waiter nodded repeatedly, expertly playing the straight man, "Yes, yes, yes! The manager is awesome!"

Xue Jianren lowered his voice and said, "This guy is bragging like crazy. Even I know that the master of the Extinction Path is called 'Silent Yellow Springs,' one of the three great innate masters of the Demonic Sect. This little Fushengtang manager would probably die if he saw him, and he even fought back with one palm and didn't lose... I just don't know which family this young master surnamed Mei is. My father never mentioned that there is a Mei family in the capital."

"Hmm? Junior brother, why aren't you saying anything?"

Wu Cheng glanced at him, his face already darkening considerably.

Qingque glanced at Wu Cheng's face for a moment, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on her lips.

By this time, Shen Tu Lie had finished wiping his hands. With a smug look on his face, he threw away the rag and turned around to look at the guests who had come to discuss business.

His gaze first swept over Zhou Ke, lingering for a moment on the judge's pen at his waist, then swept over Xue Jianren, but he didn't pay it any mind.

Then he saw the bluebird.

Qingque was sitting upright in a chair, her hands folded on her knees, and she glanced at him expressionlessly.

This old man was none other than Shen Tu Lie, the elder of the Burial Dao who had cooperated with Shen Tianba and fled in a sorry state, whom Wu Cheng had met in Shen Family Village.

Upon seeing Qingque, Shentu Lie's smile froze.

He recognized Qingque's face. That day in Shenjiazhuang, this girl fought him several times and was not at a disadvantage. He had never seen such a young girl with such profound skills!

The fact that this girl is here means...

He suddenly turned his head and saw Wu Cheng's handsome face.