Chapter 554: Chapter 245: Missing?

The moment Suhe Zhen cried out, he was already in motion.

He seemed to glide over the waves, his feet never touching the ground. His speed was astonishing, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from the sight of Fang Shuwen and the others.

Fang Shuwen turned to look at Suhe Chen.

But Suhe Chen’s expression wasn’t just worried; it was also laced with confusion.

As if sensing Fang Shuwen’s gaze, he quickly said,

"Brother Fang, please wait here. Forgive my absence."

With that, he hurried off.

Fang Shuwen called out,

"Young Pavilion Master, I’ll go with you."

As he spoke, he shot a look at Zuo Xuan and Zuo Hong, signaling them to return to their rooms.

He then took Luo Shuqing and followed after Suhe Chen at an unhurried pace.

Suhe Chen seemed to want to say something, but he was too preoccupied.

Fang Shuwen, on the other hand, was perfectly composed as he commented,

"How strange. Tingtiao Pavilion is not only heavily guarded, but it’s also an isolated island."

"It’s surrounded by the vast ocean. How did this Assassin get here?"

"I... I don’t know either."

Suhe Chen replied hastily. He came to a stop, having arrived at the source of the earlier shout.

It was another courtyard, though smaller than the one where Fang Shuwen and his group were staying. It contained only a single main house.

The courtyard gate was wide open, and Suhe Zhen stood before the main house, his face grim.

Several disciples stood nearby, their heads bowed.

A corpse lay just inside the doorway. Its identity wasn’t clear, but it obviously wasn’t Suhe Lan.

However, Fang Shuwen noticed that even though the deceased wasn’t Suhe Lan, Suhe Chen’s expression didn’t improve in the slightest. In fact, it grew even darker.

"Pavilion Master Suhe."

Fang Shuwen walked up with Luo Shuqing.

"What...?"

Suhe Zhen composed himself and sighed softly.

"This is the Third Elder of our Tingtiao Pavilion."

"Did you see the Assassin?"

Fang Shuwen asked.

Suhe Zhen shook his head.

"The Third Elder has been dead for some time. He wasn’t just killed."

"The shout just now... was from a disciple."

"He was bringing the Third Elder a meal and found that he’d already been killed."

At this, Suhe Zhen looked at Fang Shuwen and suddenly cupped his fist in a salute.

Fang Shuwen sidestepped the gesture.

"Pavilion Master Suhe, what is the meaning of this?"

"Hero Fang, I know you have urgent business and cannot linger at Tingtiao Pavilion..."

"But the situation now is... unique."

Suhe Zhen said in a heavy tone,

"We don’t know how this Assassin infiltrated Tingtiao Pavilion, but no boats have left the island today."

"So you suspect the person is still in Tingtiao Pavilion?"

Fang Shuwen gave a wry smile.

"Are you planning to keep me here at Tingtiao Pavilion?"

Luo Shuqing quickly interjected,

"N-No... you can’t."

Suhe Zhen gave a bitter laugh.

"I have no other choice right now. I must ask for your forgiveness, Hero Fang."

"I would never dare to delay you for too long... Five days at most! Five days!"

"No! Three days! Three days will be enough!"

"If we still haven’t found the Assassin in three days, you may leave as you please, Hero Fang. I would not dare to stop you."

Fang Shuwen slowly raised his head to look at Suhe Zhen.

"And if I insist on leaving... what do you plan to do, Pavilion Master Suhe?"

"Well..."

Suhe Zhen said helplessly,

"If you insist on leaving, Hero Fang, I naturally wouldn’t dare to force you to stay."

Fang Shuwen gave Suhe Zhen a long, hard look, then broke into a smile.

"Don’t take me so seriously, Pavilion Master Suhe."

"An incident like this is something neither of us wished for. I would also like to see this murderer caught and brought to justice for the Third Elder."

"Three days... I can afford to wait that long."

"Thank you for your understanding, Hero Fang!!"

Suhe Zhen’s face was filled with gratitude.

Luo Shuqing tugged on Fang Shuwen’s sleeve. When she saw he wasn’t going to change his mind, she let go in what seemed like a fit of pique.

Fang Shuwen, meanwhile, walked over to the corpse, his curiosity piqued.

There were no signs of a struggle in the room. The cause of death was a palm strike to the chest.

The fabric over his chest had been obliterated by the Palm Power, revealing a ghastly white Palm Seal.

Fang Shuwen found the Palm Seal rather unusual and asked,

"Pavilion Master Suhe, can you identify the Martial Arts technique that killed the Third Elder?"

Before Suhe Zhen could speak, Suhe Chen, his face grim, said,

"That’s the Tide Sound White Jade Palm. It contains a water-based poison. Once it enters the body, the blood is afflicted by the poison and takes on the appearance of white jade, hence the name."

"Father... could it be Saint Mother Chaoyin, Xin Wufang?"

"It couldn’t have been Xin Wufang herself, but this is definitely her handiwork."

Suhe Zhen said gravely,

"I have already given the order to lock down the docks and the shoreline. I’ve commanded the disciples to guard the entire island."

"No one will be able to slip away from this place right under our noses."

Just as Suhe Chen was about to nod, Fang Shuwen spoke up.

"There’s more. You should also check the disciples of Tingtiao Pavilion to see if anyone is an imposter in disguise."

Suhe Zhen froze at his words. He glanced at the position of the corpse and realization suddenly dawned on him.

"Of course!"

"Do as Hero Fang says! Pass down the order immediately."

A nearby disciple acknowledged the command and rushed off.

Suhe Chen also nodded, a look of understanding on his face.

Having let go of Fang Shuwen, Luo Shuqing was now standing just outside the door. Hearing him speak, she turned her head to glance at the corpse on the floor.

She saw that the body was very close to the door, with its feet pointing towards the entrance. It was clear he had been struck by a palm the moment he opened the door.

’So, one could guess that the killer was either dressed in dark clothes, stood outside, and mimicked the voice of a Tingtiao Pavilion disciple to trick the Third Elder into opening the door before killing him with the Tide Sound White Jade Palm.’

’But it’s also possible that they wore the clothes of a Tingtiao Pavilion disciple, directly disguising themselves as one before making their move.’

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