Unparalleled Double Harmony

Chapter 619 Missing
"How could...such a thing happen..."

When Gu Qiying returned to the open space where he had fought Zi Bai, he saw that the place was now deserted and couldn't help but mutter this sentence to himself.

However, despite the unexpected turn of events, Gu Qiying didn't panic. After pausing for a few seconds, he began to observe his surroundings while organizing his thoughts...

First of all, it is certain that Zi could not have escaped the scene on her own.

Because in addition to injuring Zi's leg, Gu Qiying also injected a small amount of internal energy into Zi's body before leaving—he left behind internal injuries that were enough to restrict most of Zi's movements before departing.

He also told Jiang Shouzhen about this, saying, "I have subdued him, and he can't move for the time being." However, he didn't mention the details of the operation, which led the extremely timid Jiang to ask, "What if?"

So, assuming that Zi was definitely taken away by someone else, the next thing to consider is... who did this?
Jiang Shouzhen is undoubtedly the most suspicious, after all, there is no village or shop in sight here, and no one else around. Moreover, Jiang Shouzhen has also disappeared now.
As for the motive, it's quite simple. It's probably that Zi made a promise to Jiang Shouzheng, and after hearing it, the latter had a sudden inspiration and thought that helping Zi would free him from the situation of being coerced by "Zheng Dongxi". So he rescued Zi.

But... this assumption was quickly overturned by Gu Qiying.

The reason is simple: the person who took Zi covered up all traces that could be used to track them, including bloodstains, when they left. Even if Jiang Shouzheng had the ability, he couldn't have done that.

Thus, Gu Qiying began to consider the scenario of "a third party taking the person away"...

Here, we should mention something: Although Gu Qiying ordered Jiang Shouzheng to stay and guard Zi before leaving, he never expected Jiang Shouzheng to do a good job of guarding her if a third party appeared. Therefore, he used a rather casual phrase like "keep an eye on her" to Jiang Shouzheng and explicitly said, "If Zi can still move, you can run away."

At this point, some people might say: Is it even possible for Old Gu, the "guardian," to issue the order?

Oh, that's not true at all.

Jiang Shouzheng's presence here will definitely have its uses... For example, if some wild animals in the mountains are attracted by the smell of blood and come to attack Zi, Jiang Shouzheng will still be able to drive them away.

For example, if a third party appears and kills Jiang Shouzhen, then Jiang Shouzhen's corpse will inevitably provide Gu Qiying with some information; and if Jiang Shouzhen runs fast and is not killed, he can directly provide Gu Qiying with some descriptions of the third party.

But right now, Jiang Shouzheng has simply "disappeared" along with Zi, which is very strange.

In such a short time, surely he shouldn't have been beaten to a pulp?

The most likely explanation is that Jiang Shouzhen and Zi were taken away by a third party; as for whether he was taken away voluntarily or by force, and the reason why the other party took him away as well, Gu Qiying could not deduce it in a short time.

Gu Qiying thought about all of the above for a while before he could figure it out. After he finished thinking, he turned around again and ran towards the place where he had killed Bai.

The unexpected disappearance of Zi and Jiang Shouzhen changed the situation. Bai, who was originally unimportant, has now become the only remaining clue. Therefore, Gu Qiying immediately thought that she should go back and check Bai's body to see if there were any clues on the latter.

However, when he returned to the old tree that was covered in "paste," he found that Bai's body had also disappeared, and the traces of when the body was taken away had also been covered up.

This... is a bit scary.

This situation likely means that Gu Qiying, like Zi and Bai not long ago, is also being secretly monitored by someone she is unaware of.

Only in this way can we explain why the other party is always able to "clean up the scene" shortly after he leaves.

At first, the idea sent chills down Gu Qiying's spine, but he soon realized that he didn't need to overestimate the other party.

There are some unconventional martial arts techniques in the martial arts world that specialize in concealing one's presence and monitoring others' whereabouts, and the person he is encountering now is very likely a master in this field.

If the opponent's martial arts skills are truly as superior to his as they are to Zi and Bai, then there's no need to deliberately avoid him to capture people, steal corpses, and erase traces—it's fine to just show yourself.

Even if Gu Qiying made the worst-case scenario and concluded that the other party was a master who was superior to him in every way, the other party's current actions were at least a sign that it was inconvenient for him to show himself or that he did not want to have a direct conflict with him... so he was still safe.

Of course, this "worst-case scenario" only exists in theory; to be honest, Gu Qiying doesn't think there's anyone stronger than herself in the martial arts world today. If there is, they're probably not even human.

…………

That night, in a small house somewhere in Kamijō Prefecture.

Jiang Shouzhen had been sitting in the room for several hours, but no one paid him any attention.

Because his entire head was covered by a black cloth bag and his hands and feet were firmly tied to a chair, he could only rely on his sense of smell and hearing to explore his surroundings.

But even after his sense of smell had become accustomed to the unpleasant odor emanating from the surrounding wood and dust, he still couldn't detect any useful information.

As for his hearing ability... Jiang Shouzhen was only average. After listening for so long, apart from the occasional sound of wind blowing outside, he couldn't understand anything else.

During this time, he naturally tried to call out to people, and even told a shameless lie like, "If you don't let me use the toilet, I'll poop in my pants," but still no one paid any attention to him.

Left with no other option, he could only wait.

And it was precisely when he was about to soil his pants that, finally…

"Squeak—" A low, hoarse groan came from the door hinge in front of it.

Immediately following was the sound of a man of medium build but with a steady gait walking into the house.

After entering the room, the man first went to the only wooden table in the room, casually lit the oil lamp on the table, and then came to Jiang Shouzheng and ripped off the black cloth bag from his head.

Although the light from the oil lamp wasn't very bright, it still took Jiang Shouzheng several seconds for his eyes to adjust after being in the dark for so long.

A few seconds later, Jiang Shouzhen shrank back while looking up and squinting at the person approaching...

Only then did the other person's aged face gradually become clear in the swaying light and shadow.

Jiang Shouzheng had seen this face before.

The last time I saw this face, Jiang Shouzheng was still very young, and the owner of that face was not as old as he is now.

Even now, many years later, Jiang Shouzheng recognized the person instantly when he saw him again.

"Jiang Shouzhen." The old man's eyes were fixed on Jiang Shouzhen, and he addressed him by his name directly, then followed up with the question, "...Do you know your crime?"

His imposing demeanor and deep voice were like a bronze bell steeped in a deep pool, ringing against your face.

Every word he uttered seemed to penetrate the depths of one's ears and reach the soul.

This is not merely an imposing aura, but also a manifestation of unfathomable, masterful inner strength.

But Jiang, the martial arts master, was surprisingly composed. Facing the incredibly arrogant question from this martial arts tycoon, he showed no fear whatsoever, and even retorted with a wild, irrelevant shout: "Fuck you! I need to go to the toilet!!!"