Chapter 483: Chapter 412: Mantis, Part 2

The tall woman in the white dress seemed to hesitate, but seeing her companion had already moved, she could only leap up and follow close behind.

...

In the study on the second floor of a small building, located in the rear courtyard of the County Magistrate’s Office.

The Jiangkou County Magistrate, Feng Zijing, was seated cross-legged on a cushion, practicing his Cultivation Technique with single-minded focus.

Being a County Magistrate sounded grand—like being a father to the people of the county—but in reality, he was bogged down by endless trivialities, a truly miserable existence.

During the day, he had to preside over the court, handling countless petty civil disputes. He had to welcome and entertain his superiors from the State County and the local Scholars and Gentry. On top of that, he had to worry about taxes, criminal law, water conservancy, public education...

Each and every one of these tasks drained his Heart Spirit, eating into the time he had for Cultivation.

If not for the allure of the Cultivation Resources that came with being a Court-appointed official, who would be willing to wallow in such mundane affairs and waste their precious time?

He had been stuck at the Spirit Realm Second Level Profound Acupoint Pass for a long time, unable to sense the opportunity to break through to the Inner Mansion Pass. This stagnation was inextricably linked to the burden of his complicated official duties.

Tonight was a rare moment of peace. With no urgent official business, he had specifically instructed his servants not to disturb him, intending to seize the opportunity to focus on his Cultivation.

Just as his Heart Spirit began to settle and his Inner Qi started to circulate slowly through his meridians, tempering his internal organs...

There was no warning. No footsteps, no sound from the door, not even the faintest whisper of a breeze.

Feng Zijing suddenly felt a chill on the side of his neck.

A bone-chilling, incomparably sharp sensation pressed against his skin, making his hair stand on end.

Horrified, he was instantly jolted from his meditative state and his eyes flew open.

There, a blade glinting with a cold light was pressed silently against his throat.

The slightest forward thrust from the hand holding the sword would be enough to slit his throat.

"Wh-who are you?!"

Feng Zijing cried out, his voice filled with shock and terror.

He instinctively tried to move, but the chilling killing intent radiating from the blade froze him in place. He didn’t dare to budge an inch.

His eyes darted upward, following the blade to its wielder. He saw two figures in white, who had somehow appeared silently in his room.

’Two women?!’

Feng Zijing was horrified beyond belief.

He hadn’t noticed two extra people in the room until the blade was at his neck.

’What did this mean?’

’To be able to bypass my Spiritual Sense and sneak into the rear courtyard of the County Magistrate’s Office so silently, as if it were completely unguarded...’

’Their power is clearly far beyond my own!’

’Who are they? Why have they come?’

’Are they old enemies? Or did I inadvertently offend some powerhouse I shouldn’t have?’

Several possibilities flashed through Feng Zijing’s mind, but he quickly dismissed them.

He racked his brains but couldn’t recall ever offending any female cultivators of their caliber or description.

He forced a smile that looked more pained than a grimace. "S-Seniors, I was not aware you would be gracing me with your presence tonight. What are your instructions? If there is any way I can be of service, please command me. I... will certainly do my best!"

Just then, Feng Zijing’s involuntary cry alerted the government constable on duty in the corridor outside.

The government constable hurried to the door and asked in a low voice, "My Lord? Are... you alright? Do you require my assistance?"

Feng Zijing glanced nervously at the curvaceous, sword-wielding woman in the white dress.

Her bamboo hat shifted slightly, and a cold voice transmission sounded in his mind: "Tell them to leave."

"Yes! Yes!"

Feng Zijing nodded hastily and raised his voice. "It’s nothing! All of you, withdraw! Do not disturb me unless I call for you!"

"Yes, My Lord."

The government constable outside didn’t dare ask any more questions, and his footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Once the constable had gone, the curvaceous woman in white wasted no time. "We are hunting a notorious fugitive. He just fled into your County Magistrate’s Office. I want you to gather all of your men immediately, search every corner of this entire complex, and find him!"

’A notorious fugitive? Hiding in the County Magistrate’s Office?’

Feng Zijing was stunned for a moment, then he breathed a partial sigh of relief.

’So they aren’t after me!’

’As long as this isn’t about revenge, everything will be fine.’

He said hurriedly, "Yes, of course. I understand. Capturing criminals is my duty. Rest assured, Senior, I will make the arrangements at once. We will definitely find that scoundrel."

He stole a glance at the Longsword still pressed against his neck and gave a placating smile. "It’s just... Senior, the sword... if you wouldn’t mind..."

The curvaceous woman in white said coldly, "Don’t try any tricks. Otherwise, don’t blame my sword for its lack of mercy."

With that, she flicked her wrist, and the Longsword slid back into its sheath.

At the same time, she sent a voice transmission to the woman beside her: "Qingxuan, you follow him."

The tall woman in white gave a slight nod and moved silently to Feng Zijing’s side.

"I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare! Please, rest assured, Senior!"

Feng Zijing repeatedly clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, then pushed open the door.

The tall woman in white followed him like a shadow, staying just half a step behind.

Feng Zijing summoned the government constable who had just left and commanded, "Go to the duty office at once and assemble all personnel on watch. If you don’t have enough men, go to the residences of the County Captain and the County Deputy and requisition more. Then, I want the entire County Magistrate’s Office searched from top to bottom! Every room, every corner. Look for any unfamiliar faces in hiding! Go now!"

The government constable bowed hastily. "Yes, sir. I’m on it!"

With that, he turned and ran.

Before long, the constable returned, leading a chaotic crowd of seventy or eighty government constables and auxiliaries who gathered in the main courtyard.

Carrying torches and lanterns, the group began searching the County Magistrate’s Office, throwing the quiet compound into a state of utter pandemonium.

The County Captain and the County Deputy, who lived nearby, were also startled by the sudden commotion. They hurried over, and upon seeing the scene, asked uncertainly, "County Magistrate, what’s going on?"

Feng Zijing glanced at the tall woman in white. He couldn’t see her expression, but he could feel an invisible coldness emanating from her.

He cleared his throat and forced a calm expression. "It’s nothing serious. A thief broke into my residence. You two may return to your rest. I can handle things here."

The County Captain and the County Deputy exchanged a glance.

The County Magistrate was a Spirit Realm expert. If it were truly just a petty thief, there would be no need for such a massive mobilization.

Then they noticed the mysterious woman behind him and the magistrate’s own slightly stiff expression. Both were seasoned veterans of bureaucracy; they knew at once that this was no simple matter.

But the County Magistrate was a Spirit Realm Powerhouse. If even he had been taken hostage or was being controlled, what could they do? One of them knew no Martial Arts, and the other was only at Qi Realm Perfection. Staying would be useless.

"In that case, we will take our leave. Please be careful, County Magistrate."

Knowing better than to ask more questions, the two men clasped their hands, bid a hasty farewell, and departed with steps noticeably quicker than usual.

The pandemonium of the search continued for nearly half an hour. One by one, the government constable Squad Leaders returned to report that they had found nothing.

Cold sweat beaded on Feng Zijing’s brow again. He looked at the tall woman in white beside him and asked gingerly, "Miss, we... we’ve searched every part of the government office, but there’s truly no sign of any intruder. Should we continue?"

The tall woman in white turned slightly.

Meanwhile, back in Feng Zijing’s study, the curvaceous woman in white had been sitting cross-legged, using the formidable Power of the Primordial Spirit to meticulously scan every corner of the County Magistrate’s Office. Now, her brow furrowed.

Her Primordial Spirit had followed the searching constables, sweeping over every part of the compound, yet she could no longer detect the aura she had locked onto earlier. She was filled with doubt.

’Logically, he’s only at the Void Transformation stage,’ she thought. ’Even with a high-level Concealing Breath Technique, there’s no way he could have avoided a search this thorough.’

’Could he have escaped already?’

Her thoughts raced for a moment before she sent a voice transmission to the tall woman in white. "Come back. We’ll reassess."

After receiving the transmission, the tall woman in white gave Feng Zijing a slight nod and, without another word, returned to the second-floor room.

"Martial Aunt, what now?" Qingxuan asked via voice transmission.

The curvaceous woman pondered for a moment, a cold glint flashing in her eyes as she sneered. "He might have slipped away, but his associates can’t. He still has two accomplices at Hongyan Pavilion. Their Cultivation is low. If we watch them, he’ll have no choice but to show himself."

"Let’s go."

With that, her figure blurred and she blew the window open.

In an instant, the two white figures melted into the night and vanished.

In the courtyard below, Feng Zijing heard the whooshing sound of their departure and finally let out a long sigh of relief.

He waved his hand at the government constables lined up and waiting for orders. "It’s over. Everyone, go and get some rest. Not a word of what happened tonight gets out!"

"Yes, My Lord."

The constables quickly dispersed.

Feng Zijing returned to his study.

He shut the door and window, carefully slid the bolt into place, and took a few shuddering breaths, still shaken from the ordeal.

The sudden turn of events, the terror and the turmoil, had left him utterly exhausted in both mind and spirit. All thoughts of Cultivation had vanished; he just wanted to lie down and sleep.

Just as he began to undress.

The oil lamp on the desk, without any warning, went out with a soft PUFF, plunging the room into darkness.

A cold glint of light suddenly flared before his eyes.

Before Feng Zijing could even think, cry out, or react in any way...

"Guh..."

He didn’t even realize what was happening. He only felt a slight coolness on his neck, as if touched by a drop of autumn dew.

The next moment, darkness swallowed his consciousness whole.

He collapsed to the floor without making another sound.

Silence returned to the study.

Only a dark, spreading pool on the floor remained, silently growing in the quiet room.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.