Chapter 95: He Guangxun
Chapter 95: He Guangxun
The sky was still dark.
A large group of patrolmen and horses arrived from the west of the city, reaching the Southern District and surrounding He Mingxuan's residence, sealing off all exits.
Inside the compound, He Mingxuan's body had been taken down from the wall, and the saber that had pierced his chest was placed beside him. The dark red bloodstains on it had dried, and a faint charred mark could be seen.
Standing next to He Mingxuan's body was He Guangzong, the Chief Magistrate of the Western District, who was the first to arrive after hearing the news. He stood there, his face grim and silent.
No one knew how much time had passed.
As the sky gradually brightened at dawn, another large group of people and horses arrived from the Inner City, surrounding the compound.
A man in a blue robe, resembling He Mingxuan but visibly older, walked into the courtyard. His eyes coldly surveyed the surroundings.
"Second Brother."
He Guangzong, seeing the visitor, spoke in a low voice.
The man in blue was He Mingxuan's father, He Guangxun, the Deputy Director of the Smelting Division in the Inner City. He oversaw all iron smelting in Yu County, just as the Yu Clan managed the Salt Administration. The Smelting Division was also largely under the control of the He family, and it could be said that all the 'patrol sabers' used by the officials and the strong crossbows, arrows, and iron armor used by the City Defense Army in Yu County, from the highest to the lowest, had to pass through the hands of the He family.
He Guangxun had many sons, three from his official wife and over twenty from concubines. Among the third generation of the He family, he had one of the most prolific lineages, but there were only a few he truly valued. Aside from the three sons from his official wife, only a few of the talented sons from his concubines received his attention.
He Mingxuan was one of the official sons, the second in line. His talent wasn't the best among his brothers, but it was still considered above average, as he had entered the Sinew Transformation Realm. Although he had needed the third Sinew Transformation Pill to barely break through, and had to spend resources to nourish his blood and lower the difficulty of the transformation, he had still managed to succeed.
Even though it was almost impossible for him to reach Bone Forging, reaching the peak of the Sinew Transformation Realm by the age of thirty-five was not a significant issue. He Mingxuan was considered one of the more capable members of the He family, able to hold his own. Whether he took up a position in the City Guard or served in a local county, he would be a core member of the He family.
He Mingxuan's position as the Deputy Chief Magistrate in the City Guard was more about gaining experience than anything else. Although the Chief Magistrate position was occupied by Xu Hongyu, there were still many seventh-rank official positions in Yu City. As a martial artist in the Sinew Transformation Realm, He Mingxuan was qualified for many of these positions. It wasn't necessary to compete with Xu Hongyu for her position, but the He family wanted He Mingxuan to challenge her, hoping he could surpass and replace her. Even if he couldn't, it would still be a valuable learning experience, and he could still maintain the He family's influence in the Southern District.
But.
He Mingxuan was dead.
He died in the mansion he had purchased in the Southern District, right under the noses of his bodyguards.
"What have you found out?"
He Guangxun slowly walked over to He Mingxuan's body, his gaze sweeping over it without any sign of sadness, only indifference.
He had many sons, and He Mingxuan wasn't the most outstanding among them. His death evoked more anger than sorrow in He Guangxun, but as the Deputy Director of the Smelting Division, he maintained his composure, showing no signs of emotional turmoil.
He Guangzong spoke in a low voice, "He stole a saber from one of the bodyguards, and from a distance of twenty to thirty meters, he threw the saber with such force that it tore through the night air. It was at least the power of a master in the peak of the Sinew Transformation Realm, and he even utilized his Intention Realm..."
With He Mingxuan's strength, a full-power attack from the peak of the Sinew Transformation Realm in the darkness would have been difficult to avoid. But this time, the attacker clearly had the intent to kill, not only striking suddenly in the night but also unleashing the power of their Intention Realm, ensuring He Mingxuan had no chance of survival.
He Guangxun slowly bent down, examining the bloodstained saber, studying the marks on the blade. He narrowed his eyes and said, "The Thunder Intent Realm?"
"Yes."
He Guangzong nodded, a hint of gloom in his eyes, "No matter how you look at it, the person who wanted Mingxuan dead the most should be from the Yu family. But now, it's strange. The Yu family's Intention Realm experts are mostly from the Water Abyss lineage, and I've never heard of anyone from the Thunder Intent lineage. Those who master the Thunder Intent Realm are mostly from the Xue family, and the rest are in the Xie family."
He Guangxun stood up, threw the saber aside, and closed his eyes, "Not long ago, the Yu family lost a batch of salt goods. In their anger, they wanted to retaliate and hired someone to assassinate Mingxuan, giving the He family a severe warning."
He Guangzong listened, his brows furrowed slightly.
But.
He Guangxun suddenly opened his eyes, changing the topic, "The Yu family lost a batch of goods, and last night, the He family also lost a batch. The Yu family's power is still at its peak, and someone wants us to fight them to the death at this time. So, they took advantage of the chaos and assassinated Mingxuan, hoping to ignite a conflict between our two families."
He Guangzong's face relaxed slightly, finding this explanation more reasonable.
But then, he thought of something and asked, "If that's the case, why not use the Water Abyss Intention Realm instead of the Thunder Intent Realm? Using the Water Abyss would be more straightforward."
"He Guangxun spoke calmly, "That's too obvious."
"The Yu Clan just lost a batch of goods, and someone with the Marsh Water Intention tried to assassinate Xuan'er... Do you think the Yu Clan really wants to go to war with us? It's too deliberate and will only make people more suspicious."
"On the contrary, with the current situation, it's hard to tell what's real and what's fake, even I can't be certain if it was the Yu Clan, the Xie Family, or even the Xue Family."
As He Guangxun spoke, his expression turned somewhat gloomy.
It was clear that someone was intentionally trying to muddy the waters.
The use of the Thunder Intent to kill someone could be the Yu Clan hiring someone and then distancing themselves from the act, or it could be a deliberate attempt to implicate the Xie Family. Even the Xue Family was highly suspicious, as both the Xue and Xie Families would love to see the He and Yu Clans fight to the death.
He Guangzong also fell into deep thought, and after a while, he said, "So, what should we do?"
"Open confrontation and secret investigation."
He Guangxun calmly replied, "Xuan'er is dead. Regardless of who did it, someone must pay the price, and they must give us an explanation. In the face of the He Clan's anger, at the very least, the Yu Clan must give up their position in the South City."
"That's right."
He Guangzong nodded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
He Mingxuan's death in the South City was inexcusable, and Xu Hongyu could not escape blame. This was an opportunity to remove Xu Hongyu from the position of the Deputy Magistrate. If the Yu Clan didn't want to face the He Clan's wrath directly, they would most likely back down, and the City Lord would likely go along with it.
Regardless, He Mingxuan's death must not be in vain. At the very least, he should contribute something to the He Clan.
After that, they would conduct a secret investigation.
They would thoroughly investigate the matter to find out which family was involved. Whoever dared to target the He Clan's direct lineage would not be let off the hook!
A figure who had reached the pinnacle of Sinew Transformation and mastered the Thunder Intent was no ordinary existence. In Yu City, they were among the top-ranked experts. Even a Bone Forging Realm practitioner without the mastery of Intention would struggle to be their match. Such a person couldn't be left unchecked, and they must uncover some clues.
In Yu City, the He Clan's intelligence network, though not as extensive as the Xue and Xie Families, had infiltrated various places. A figure who mastered the Thunder Intent couldn't have gone unnoticed unless they had suddenly appeared out of thin air with no previous record of their actions. Otherwise, some evidence could be found.
He Guangzong shook his head and said, "Speaking of which, not long ago, the Yu Clan revealed a figure who mastered the Gale Wind Intention, and until now, we still haven't found any conclusive results about their identity."
"Oh?"
He Guangxun turned to He Guangzong, "I think I remember that."
So, He Guangzong briefly recounted some previous events.
After listening, He Guangxun shook his head slightly, "Hmm... In that case, the Yu Clan's suspicion is the smallest. I don't think the Yu Clan has the ability to hide two Intention masters. Otherwise, the Yu Clan wouldn't have been so accommodating these years."
"Indeed."
He Guangzong nodded in agreement.
The sudden appearance of two Intention masters, with no prior knowledge or traces, was indeed a bit too much. The Yu Clan's hidden strength was a bit too formidable, and there might even be a third or fourth one, although the likelihood was small.
After all, the Yu Clan's foundation was a painting of the Marsh Water Intention, a copy made by a disciple of the ancient painting saint. Although it wasn't the original third-generation painting, just a copy by the disciple, there weren't many such paintings in the current world, and it was at least of medium quality.
It was through this painting that the Yu Clan could cultivate so many Marsh Water Intention masters.
As for the other Intentions?
Without medium-quality or higher copies for contemplation, it was impossible to comprehend them! The He Clan, for example, possessed a similar-quality Mountain Intention painting, which allowed them to accumulate Mountain Intention masters over the years. The He Clan also had several inferior 'engraved' and 'rubbing' paintings, including the Fire and Lake Intentions, but no one had ever managed to comprehend the true Intention from those inferior, low-quality paintings.
The more authentic an Intention painting was, the easier it was to grasp the true meaning within. The inferior, repeatedly copied paintings were unlikely to retain any essence, and ordinary people would find it impossible to comprehend the Intention from them. At most, they could help others better understand the 'Form' and its subtle mysteries.
In Yu City, the Xue Clan had the most authentic Intention paintings.
But the Xue Clan's possession of these paintings was not without reason. Generations ago, a member of the Xue Clan was an elder of the Seven Mysteries Sect, a highly respected figure throughout the region, rumored to have transcended the Five Viscera Realm.
As the Xue Clan gradually declined, they became an outer force of the Seven Mysteries Sect, but they still managed to maintain control over the entire Yu County. Their relationship with the Seven Mysteries Sect was much closer than the other three families.
This was the Xue Clan's foundation.
It was something the other three families couldn't match.
(End of Chapter)
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